The Jersey City Independent "

- Full-Time Council? Ward F councilwoman Viola Richardson is introducing an ordinance to make City Council jobs full-time, and another to increase the maximum salary for council members from $22,500 to $90,000 and for council president from $24,500 to $100,000. Both would begin July 1, 2013, and are meeting resistance from the administration.

- Re-introducing Bills: Ward E councilman Steven Fulop, as we reported a few weeks ago, plans to keep introducing several of his failed ordinances at each council meeting. But another ordinance being introduced by Council President Peter Brennan would prevent him from doing so; it would limit the reintroduction of failed measures to once every six months. Fulop has dubbed it the “anti-democracy ordinance.”

- Federal Stimulus $$ for NJ Transit: Federal officials have spelled out how $52.4 million in stimulus funds already earmarked for NJ Transit will be spent; despite the timing, this money will not offset the service cuts and fare hikes announced last week. Meanwhile, NJ Transit’s payroll rose more than $154 million from 2006 to 2009, about three times the rate of inflation.

- Reilly’s Family Looking for Answers: A year after Healy aide John Reilly died after being rushed to the hospital following a “verbal altercation” at the Astor Bar, his family doesn’t believe the truth about that night has come out.

- Pre-K Milestone: Jersey City’s pre-kindergarten program is celebrating its 20th year.

- HCCC Culinary Students Competing: A team of five students from Hudson County Community College’s Culinary Arts program will compete in next weekend’s American Culinary Federation Student Team Northeast Region Championship.

- Clock Repair: Dislocations talks to the guys who were recently out repairing the faux-antique clock at the Grove Street PATH plaza.

Today’s Best Bets:

- Tuesdays are turning out to be a happening day for culture in Jersey City and tonight is no exception. There’s an opening reception for Beatrice M. Mady’s digital prints and paintings at City Hall (6 pm), followed by two excellent free live music options. Right across the way at Bar Majestic, Roland Ramos’ band Forbidden Fruit will play at 7:30 pm, while over at Lucky 7′s, Sean Kiely of Square Wave Punch, playing solo, will share a bill with Australian rockers The On Fires (9 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Poll: Christie Popular, Tax Cuts for the Rich … Not So Much: Gov. Christie is viewed favorably by 45 percent of New Jerseyans, and unfavorably by 26 percent, according to a new Rutgers-Eagleton poll. But most in the state think that tax rates for New Jerseyans making $400,000 or more per year should not be cut, despite Christie’s support for allowing the surcharge imposed on high earners to expire.

- Studying Inmates: A bill approved by the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Monday would create a panel to study characteristics of the New Jersey inmate population, analyzing prison inmates by race, length of incarceration and participation in prison educational and vocational programs, among other obtainable data.

- Recession Continues to Take Toll on Arts Groups: Arts organizations in New Jersey have trimmed the number of performances they’re offering, substituted large productions with smaller ones and reduced staff and marketing expenses, and now some are even shutting their doors.

- Dogs Seized from ‘Puppy Mill’: Animal agencies have rescued 90 dogs that officials said suffered several infections while being housed at an alleged “puppy mill” in South Jersey.

- Rutgers Air Guitarists Rock Out, Come Up Short: Rutgers University students and assorted locals came together Friday night with hopes of breaking a world record for the largest air guitar ensemble, but there were not enough people to break the existing Guinness World Record — set at Brock University in Canada when more than 1,436 people gathered last September for an air guitar performance.

- Contract for Graduated Driver Decals Awarded: New drivers subject to “Kyleigh’s Law” will pay $4 for a pair of decals supplied by a Chicago-based company that submitted the only bid for the contract, the state Motor Vehicle Commission says. Drivers subject to the Graduated Driver License Law, mostly teenagers, will be required to affix decals to the upper left of their front and rear license plates or face a $100 fine.

- Menendez Gets Animal Award: The Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Legislative Fund have given Sen. Bob Menendez the Humane Champion award for his leadership on animal protection legislation.

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