The Jersey City Independent"

- NJ Transit Readies Fare Hikes/Service Cuts: NJ Transit is expected by Friday to unveil proposed fare increases of as much as 30 percent and “across-the-system” service cuts on bus and train lines. Earlier this week, the agency cut hundreds of jobs and froze spending, while acknowledging that fare hikes and service cuts were on the way.

- Labor, Lonegan Bring Casino Protest to Jersey City: The odd couple of labor group UNITE HERE and conservative activist Steve Lonegan teamed up to protest outside Morgan Stanley’s Jersey City offices yesterday. They say a proposed $300 million tax break for a partially-built Atlantic City casino would lead to lost jobs in the city’s service sector. Morgan Stanley owns the land and is providing most of the rest of the financing. Press of Atlantic City editorial writer Carla Linz Callaway notes “the irony” that the protest against the state incentive for the casino was so close to Newport, where the same state program was recently used to lure Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. to bring 1,600 jobs to Jersey City.

- CREATE’s Transition: Now that the state has ordered the CREATE Charter School to close on June 30, it must develop a transition plan for students. Possibilities include transitioning them back into traditional public schools.

- More on (the Lack of) All Points West: As a February New York Times story first noted, there are real doubts about the possibility of the All Points West music festival returning to Jersey City this year. Hudson County cultural affairs/tourism director Bill LaRosa tells the Journal “it would be a big loss for northern New Jersey” if the festival doesn’t come back.

- Casinos in Jersey City? As part of a state Senate committee hearing on the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, state Sen. Paul Sarlo floated the idea of building new casinos in the Meadowlands, Newark and — yup — Jersey City, in order to help prop up the state’s ailing horse racing industry. Authority president Dennis Robinson didn’t specifically address Sarlo’s proposal.

- Sure Enough, That Street is Dangerous: A 62-year-old Jersey City man was left in critical condition after being struck by an SUV as he crossed Kennedy Boulevard in the Heights Tuesday evening. The Boulevard was recently ranked the most dangerous Hudson County road for pedestrians by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

- Hearing Set for Strip Mall on the Palisades: The Hudson County Board of Freeholders has scheduled a special meeting for a hearing on a North Bergen strip mall that would be carved into the foot of the Palisades Cliff. Last month, Superior Court Judge Mark Baber ordered the freeholders to conduct a hearing on the development after activists had filed suit.

- Meadowlands Commission Moves to Audit its Regulations: The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission passed a series of resolutions last week that will look to revamp the agency’s relationship with developers and businesses, audit current agency regulations and better publicize the agency’s pre-application services so developers are not hindered by additional costs and time.

- St. Peter’s Honored: The college has been named to the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement. St. Peter’s was recognized for its impact on issues including poverty, homelessness and environmental justice.

- Riverkeeper Celebration: At its recent annual volunteer dinner, the Hackensack Riverkeeper honored its volunteers, including Volunteer of the Year Carl Ragnone of Paramus.

- Irishman of the Year: The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick will honor Ed Hazelett as the group’s Irishman of the Year for his 25 years of work with the Jersey City Soccer Association.

Today’s Best Bets:

- The opening reception for the “Ah, Motherland!” exhibition put together by _gaia is this evening at NJCU (4:30 pm) — to read more about the show and see a few preview pictures, check out our story here. Tonight’s installment of the Art House features Beth Achenbach and — as always — plenty of open mic time for you to read, sing or perform (8 pm). On the free live music front, singer/songwriter Jessica Rose is at Bar Majestic (7:30 pm) and the gypsy jazzsters of Manouche Bag do their Thursday night thing at Madame Claude (8 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Pensions for Part-Timers: Gov. Christie says he wants current public employees who work part-time to be “kicked out” of the state pension system, and urged the state Assembly to show it is “serious” about pension and benefit changes by passing them before his budget speech. Earlier this week, Assembly leadership said they would not be able to do so because they wanted more time to study the sweeping changes.

- A Higher-Ed Master Plan? Faculty and union leaders from New Jersey’s public colleges gathered at the Statehouse yesterday to advocate for a higher education “master plan” and more oversight of campus spending, as state funding continues to fall.

- Foster Home Death: A 17-month-old child from New Hampshire suffocated and died after apparently becoming trapped between the mattress and a wall in a New Jersey foster home.

- Pothole Problems May Get Worse: While the unusually brutal winter has opened a multitude of gaps on New Jersey’s roads, cash-strapped authorities are rushing to fill in the potential liabilities as best they can.

- Distracted Driver Bill: A bill set to appear before an Assembly committee today would require police officers to note if a driver that was in an accident was distracted, and to describe the type of distraction.