The Jersey City Independent "

- Budget Narrowly Approved, Property Taxes to Rise: The City Council last night approved the current fiscal year’s budget by a 5 to 3 vote; the result will be a tax increase of $572 a year for the owner of a property assessed at $100,000. Ward B councilman David Donnelly, Ward E councilman Steven Fulop and Ward C councilwoman Nidia Lopez voted against the budget; Ward F councilwoman Viola Richardson was absent. Look for more on the budget hearing from us later today.

- Attorney General Will Look into UEZ Police Staffing: Facing questions yesterday from Jersey City Assemblywoman Joan Quigley about law enforcement funding that has been provided by the troubled Urban Enterprise Zone program, state Attorney General Paula Dow said she would work with the governor’s office to help find alternate sources of funding. She pointed to federal Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) money as one possible new stream of money, but that might not be all that much help to Jersey City, since it already uses JAG money to help pay for police equipment. In November, for example, the city approved the receipt of a nearly half-million dollar JAG grant to purchase CCTV in-car feed equipment for 25 JCPD vehicles and to increase foot and vehicular patrols in “hot spots.”

- Sharpton Stands with Shot Teen, Promises to Ramp Up Work in JC: The Rev. Al Sharpton spoke on issues facing the black community at a Greenville church last night. He promised to increase his activity in Jersey City, and criticized police for a “shoot first” policy that left 18-year-old Kwadir Felton blinded as he was allegedly trying to rob an undercover officer.

- All Points West ‘Didn’t Work’ and Isn’t Coming Back: “We’re probably going to kill it, mostly because the site,” AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips says of the multi-day music festival that has come to Jersey City for the past two years. “As beautiful as it is, it’s very hard to get New Yorkers to cross that river. All Points West is an experiment that just didn’t work.”

- Volunteer Forum a Success: About 35 nonprofit groups staffed tables in the Loew’s Jersey Theatre yesterday to give potential volunteers an opportunity to pitch in as part of the 2nd annual Hudson County Volunteer Expo.

- Journal’s Coverage of Sex Arrest Criticized: Gender rights advocates say the Jersey Journal‘s recent coverage of the prostitution arrest of 42-year-old transgender woman Coy Gordon was sensational and out of line. Garden State Equality leader Steven Goldstein, for one, says it was “an abomination in reporting.” But the Journal is quick to defend itself: “We are not trying to be the Washington Post,” says copy editor John Crittendon. “Our style in covering crime is to go more for the jugular than the brain.”

- Gold’s Gym Beefing Up: The new Gold’s Gym location on Communipaw Avenue is part of its statewide expansion plan; the company is looking to add up to 10 new gyms in New Jersey.

- When Will MLK Parade Be? Organizers of Jersey City’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade met last night to determine whether the event will be held as scheduled on Sunday or postponed until the following weekend as they scramble to obtain security for the parade.

- Fire Causes Evacuation at Snyder: A roll of paper towels that was lit on fire yesterday in a boy’s restroom caused Snyder High School to be evacuated for about an hour.

Today’s Best Bets:

- In what promises to be interesting fodder for baseball fans and matheletes alike, New York Mets statistical analyst Ben Baumer will keynote a number of discussions on “Mathematics and Sports” at NJCU this morning (9 am). Meanwhile, NJCU has two choice picks at 4:30 pm today: the opening reception for Lisa Ficarelli-Halpern’s MFA Thesis Exhibition “Little Masters,” and a discussion featuring young adult author Mel Glenn. This evening, you’re all invited to celebrate the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of NEW with us at the Iron Monkey; we’ve got live music from Heather Duby, The Touristas and Land of the Look Behind on tap, giveaways and more (7 pm).

In Statewide News:

- School Board Elections, the Day After: Gov. Christie says the defeat of 58 percent of school budgets statewide is proof voters support his agenda, while the state’s largest teacher’s union called it a “wake-up call” to the governor and a demand for new solutions. The next step for Christie: pushing a 2.5 percent constitutional cap on property taxes, and reforming public worker pensions, benefits and the collective bargaining process.

- State Wants to Cut Student Meal Funding: The state treasurer says subsidies for school breakfast programs will be cut for public schools, while private and parochial schools will lose contributions for their lunch programs as well. The move would save the state $3 million, and the program would continue with existing federal funds.

- Cuts to Public Safety: At the hearing mentioned above, state Attorney General Paula Dow also said that the administration’s budget cuts have forced the cancellation of a new State Police class and put more pressure on state attorneys at a time when her department’s work load hasn’t ebbed at all.

- NJ Veteran Sues Military Contractors: After serving two years in Iraq with the National Guard, a decorated New Jersey veteran alleges that she was called a “spy” and “terrorist” when she returned to civilian duty with military contractors in the Middle East because she is Muslim. She has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against three military contractors handling linguist services, communications and intelligence — Centurum Inc., L-3 Communications Inc. and Global Linguist Solutions.

- NJN’s Transition: New Jersey’s public television network is planning its transformation into an independent nonprofit, the network’s top executive told a Senate panel this week. Gov. Christie has called for NJN to operate independently as of Jan. 1, ending close to 40 years of state ownership.

- NJ Sticks with Goldman on Muni Debt: New Jersey, Illinois and Texas are among municipal-bond issuers staying with Goldman Sachs to underwrite pending debt sales after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged the firm with fraud last week.

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