Monday Morning News Roundup
By Jon Whiten • Dec 14th, 2009 • Category: Blog
- The outside development audit the Healy administration called for in the wake of July’s federal corruption probe is being released today. It recommends that elected officials not be allowed to talk privately with anyone seeking development deals and that the city’s ethics code be strengthened. Mayor Healy has endorsed all of the report’s recommendations, but the City Council must do so as well — they will reportedly get a look at it this week.
- As the city prepares to start its mandatory furlough program on Dec. 24, the administration is also reportedly considering up to 200 permanent layoffs to start sometime by February. The moves are designed to make up for what could be a massive budget shortfall.
- Authorities say an arrest in last week’s attack that killed a Jersey City woman and wounded her 9-month-old son is “forthcoming.” Meanwhile, the widow makes an emotional plea for the public’s help, and the child is in stable condition.
- The Journal editorializes that last week’s ruling by Judge Maurice Galipolli in the Nidia Rivera Lopez residency case “could have been read from Alice in Wonderland.” The paper continues: “Despite the ruling, Lopez has been exposed, as well as those who pull her strings. She is just a symptom of a bigger problem.”
- The Liberty Academy Charter School’s board canceled Friday’s scheduled meeting with employees after the staff asked to be recognized as a collective bargaining unit. The staff is organizing in the wake of changes made to their health insurance coverage.
- If you’re uninsured or are using an out-of-network provider you may want to stay clear of the Jersey City Medical Center for heart bypass surgery, according to a report by the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute.
- A charity hockey game for former JCPD detective Marc DiNardo, who was killed in the line of duty in July, raised more than $70,000 for an educational trust fund for his three young children.
- The Insider has more on the future of the Hudson County Democratic Organization.
- A UPS driver last week returned $5,200 in a bank bag he found that belonged to Stuyvesant Liquors in Jersey City.
In statewide news:
- The Assembly sponsor of same-sex marriage legislation says he believes that after a volatile week in Trenton, further action on the bill could wait until after the holidays.
- More New Jersey children are relying on free school lunches because of the recession — even in some comfortable suburbs where people might not realize so many neighbors need help just to eat.
The U.S. Supreme Court gave a cool reception last week to arguments defending the anti-corruption statute used to convict officials across the nation, including former Newark mayor Sharpe James and ex-Bergen County Democratic chairman Joseph Ferriero.
- Gov. Corzine and Gov.-elect Christie, though publicly committed to a “smooth” transition of power, are locked in a behind-the-scenes battle over nominations to posts ranging from judgeships to coveted spots at state authorities.
- Frank Brill sniffs out a lame-duck bill that some think is designed to close down the nation’s oldest nuclear power plant, the Oyster Creek facility in South Jersey.
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Jon Whiten is the founding editor of the Jersey City Independent; he now works for a public-policy nonprofit in Trenton.
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