The Jersey City Independent"

- Ward C councilwoman Nidia Rivera Lopez was in court yesterday defending her right to serve in the face of a challenge to her legal residency. The case was wrapped up but the judge said he will issue his ruling by writing at an unspecified later date. JCI was there and we’ve got the details here.

- Three unions representing Jersey City workers are pushing back against the Healy administration’s plan to implement 12 furlough days for all non-uniformed workers over a six-month period.

- WNYC returns to Jersey City to take the pulse of retail stores along Downtown’s Grove Street.

- State officials will be at Liberty Science Center on Friday to mark an environmental milestone: 10 million Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulbs have been screwed into light sockets around New Jersey, according to the Board of Public Utilities.

- You can now receive breaking Jersey City Police Department news via text message or email. You can sign up by following the “real-time news” link on the JCPD website.

- The chef from American Masala (see our review here) was in NYC last weekend hosting a Diwali dinner at the James Beard House that featured food from his Chilltown restaurant.

- The last of three people charged with last year’s “shopping cart” killing in the Heights was arraigned yesterday. Despite the fact that he was 17 when the crime occurred, he is now 18 and will be tried as an adult.

- Prosecutors say they will seek to prove that three men charged with murdering a man outside Al’s Diner last year are all members of the Bloods street gang.

- Reacting to the news that the Westboro Baptist Church fringe group has picked Jersey City as a spot for a protest this week, Journal Squared’s Tom Howard, after going through the range of reactions he could have, finally decides on “meh.”

- The hospitality design firm Therese Virserius Design has been tapped to create a luxurious outdoor living space (totaling 4,558 sq. ft. of exterior space and 1,575 sq. ft. of interior space) for the Hyatt Regency at Exchange Place. “The redesign of the exterior lounge will evoke a feel of a ‘get-away Miami retreat’ while still being surrounded by the breathtaking Manhattan skyline,” a release says.

Today’s Best Bet:

- There’s an opening reception for Victory Arts Projects’ new “Magic Window” exhibit at the 545 Washington Blvd. office building and next door at Dorrian’s.

In statewide news:

- With one week to go until Election Day, the three major candidates are each mounting a final campaign push. Meanwhile, Republicans are increasingly worried about the impact that independent Chris Daggett will have on their candidate, Chris Christie — but Daggett is pushing back against allegations that he is simply a stalking horse for Gov. Corzine.

- More bad news for the Star-Ledger: The latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations show a massive circulation drop for the six months ending in September. The Ledger’s daily circulation dropped 22.2 percent in that timeframe, while the Sunday edition fell off by 18.5 percent.

- New Jersey Future makes the case for the open space bond issue that will be on the ballot this year.

- Even as members of his own party seek to oust him as Senate president, Dick Codey remains in high demand these days as a Democratic Party star on the campaign trail.

- New Jersey health officials are proposing new regulations to better identify children exposed to lead poisoning and to make it easier for homeowners to clean up lead contamination.

- Social media tools are fast becoming an integral part of college admissions in New Jersey.