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- The federal corruption sweep got a little bit wider yesterday as Ward B councilman Phil Kenny became the first sitting council member to plead guilty to taking bribes in return for potential political favors. Kenny, who was not among the 44 arrested in July, will be sentenced in January. Meanwhile, Council President Mariano Vega* stepped down as the leader of that body, but will remain an At-Large member of the council. For more details, check out our story from yesterday. The Journal has reactions from Kenny’s council colleagues and his political mentor, freeholder Bill O’Dea; Politicker hears from from At-Large councilman Peter Brennan, who will now run meetings as Council President Pro Tem; and David Cruz talks to an unnamed City Hall employee, who says city workers suspected something bigger was afoot yesterday. Meanwhile, this news organization has renewed its call for Vega* to resign from the council completely.

- In other corruption news, former state Assemblyman and perennial mayoral candidate Lou Manzo and his brother Ron were indicted yesterday on charges they accepted $27,500 in bribes from an FBI informant while promising to fast-track approvals for a development once Manzo was elected mayor. They are also charged with promising to promote a city employee (Maher Khalil) at the purported developer’s request.

- Independent gubernatorial candidate Chris Daggett was in Jersey City to meet some disaffected local Democrats (and others!) at the Embankment restaurant last night; David Cruz was there and he’s got an interview with Daggett.

- A Jersey City man alleged to have masterminded a check counterfeiting ring that stole more than $140,000 in the region has pleaded guilty.

- Jersey City-based Verisk Analytics Inc. has raised $1.88 billion in an initial public offering, the biggest American IPO since Visa Inc. in 2008.

In statewide news:

- Gov. Corzine and Republican challenger Chris Christie have racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations via two key national governors groups that are based in Virginia. The contributions appear to be legal, but they show how easy it is to sidestep the state’s campaign contribution limits and its pay-to-play rules banning contributions from those who get lucrative state contracts.

- The New Jersey Environmental Federation has endorsed Christie for governor, marking the first time the group has supported a Republican candidate in nearly three decades. The endorsement comes after the Sierra Club of New Jersey’s political arm endorsed Daggett. Corzine, for his part, defended his environmental record, telling Politicker: “On an objective basis, environmentalists know we have no intention of despoiling the environment.” Frank Brill seems to agree, and he has a theory behind the enviro groups’ machinations that may have led to an endorsement he says left him “a bit baffled.”

- All three gubernatorial candidates appeared on-air last night (separately) with Steve Adubato Jr.; the Ledger says they “hammered familiar themes but largely avoided taking swipes at each other.”

- The state has applied for the federal government’s permission to offer free family planning services to about 70,000 residents who do not have medical insurance but do not qualify for subsidized care.

- In some municipalities, local candidates are snubbing the ubiquitous lawn signs and using greener campaign tactics, according to the Record, in an effort to come off as environmentally friendly. Alas, that trend certainly hasn’t come to Jersey City yet, with this year’s municipal election producing hundreds of thousands of print ads, paper products, flyers and other tchotkes.

- Legislators say New Jersey could become one of the first states in the country with legislation against electronic cigarette devices, which are marketed as a healthier alternative to smoking.

- A New Jersey man has admitted defrauding immigrants of more than $150,000 by posing as a federal immigration agent.