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- When asked why he voted on a resolution calling for his own ouster rather than simply abstaining, Council president Mariano Vega* says “it seemed like the right thing to do.” As we reported yesterday, the move for a no confidence vote in Vega* failed, with Ward E councilman Steven Fulop, the resolution’s sponsor, casting the lone yes vote. Prior to the meeting, between 100 and 200 people gathered outside City Hall to demand Vega*’s resignation, as well as Mayor Jerramiah Healy’s and Ward C councilwoman Nidia Rivera Lopez’s. Meanwhile, the Journal editorial board agrees with ours: Vega* has got to go. MORE: heidiologies has a nice photo set from yesterday’s council meeting and the protest.

- At a press conference after the council meeting, Healy once again said that he is not resigning and that he has done nothing wrong. Healy has not been charged with any wrongdoing, but is named in the federal criminal complaint against his deputy mayor, Leona Beldini.

- The preliminary autopsy of political consultant Jack Shaw was not able to pinpoint the cause of his death; more tests must be undertaken in the coming weeks. Shaw, who was charged in last week’s corruption probe, was found dead in his Jersey City apartment on Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Record takes a look at Shaw’s past and talks to his many friends in Jersey City, who remember him as “mild-mannered, friendly and well-respected.”

- The government’s key witness in the corruption probe, Solomon Dwek, made nearly $200,000 in campaign donations to prominent Democratic and Republicans candidates and committees in New Jersey between 1998 and 2006.

In other news:

- Torrential rains once again brought headaches to the area yesterday — motorists were stranded along flooded streets and some train service was disrupted.

- St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, the oldest Catholic worship site in Jersey City, closed for good on Saturday.

- Friend of JCI Joe Pompeo has penned an interesting Jersey City users guide for NYC-ites coming in for this weekend’s All Points West festival. NJ Transit is offering free light rail rides for those who have purchased APW tickets.

- Saint Peter’s College has elected eight new members to its Board of Trustees. Each new board member will serve a three-year term that began on July 9.

In statewide news:

- A developer who says he tipped off federal agents to one of the largest tax frauds in New Jersey history contends that connections between the defendant’s attorneys and then-U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie paved the way for a lenient plea deal that blocked him from collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in whistleblower payments.

- The Natural Resources Defense Council’s 19th annual beach water quality report shows serious public health risks and problems with the health of beach water in New Jersey.

- Regulators approved more than $515 million in projects Wednesday that will more than double the amount of solar power generated in New Jersey and will solidify the state’s No. 2 spot behind California in power produced from the sun.

- Sen. Bob Menendez is part of a group of legislators leading a charge to create a nationwide ban on text messaging while driving.