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- New Charges Against the Manzos: A grand jury has added a count of mail fraud to the corruption charges against former Assemblyman and perennial mayoral candidate Lou Manzo, and his brother Ronald. The mail fraud charge stems from an April 21, 2009 campaign finance report mailed to the state Election Law Enforcement Commission, which does not disclose $17,500 in bribes the brothers allegedly accepted up until that point.

- Lincoln Park Restoration: State, federal and local officials gathered in Lincoln Park yesterday to tout the park’s 35-acre wetlands restoration project, being undertaken with the help of $10.6 million in federal stimulus money.

- Healy Disciplined for Bradley Beach Dustup: After reviewing the circumstances of Mayor Healy’s arrest and conviction in 2007 for resisting arrest and obstruction of administrative law in relation to his problems in Bradley Beach, the Supreme Court’s Office of Attorney Ethics last fall recommended a range of sanctions, ranging from a slap-on-the-wrist admonishment to suspension of his law license for up to three months. Earlier this month, the court review board decided to go with a simple admonishment.

- Hackensack River Improvements: Water quality and aquatic life in the Hackensack River are gradually improving, according to the Meadowlands Commission’s “State of Hackensack River” review put together for Earth Day.

- HCSPCA Officially Dissolved: The Hudson County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was officially dissolved yesterday by a Superior Court judge who gave it a scathing ruling based on a suit filed by the state Attorney General and animal rights organizations. Doug Carlucci has more.

- Ports Corruption Arrests: A top official in a longshoremen’s union and a Newark police officer were arrested yesterday as part of an ongoing investigation into corruption at seaports in New Jersey.

- MLK Parade on for Sunday: After some discussion of postponing the parade for a week, the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade is reportedly a go for this Sunday. It will kick off at 2 pm at McAdoo Avenue.

In Statewide News:

- Gas Tax Hike Not in the Cards: Transportation commissioner James Simpson told a Senate panel this week that the administration will not raise the state’s low gasoline tax as a way to fund transportation projects. Instead, he said the DOT is examining contracts for concession on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway, selling naming rights to them, enlarging turnpike rest stops to handle more traffic, and reopening and providing concessions at other highway rest stops.

- Prisons Cope With Budget Cuts: Facing a $74.6 million budget cut, New Jersey’s prison system plans to double bunk more inmates and house fewer of them in county jails, and will be forced to rely even more on volunteers to educate and counsel inmates.

- More Nuclear Power in NJ? The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has set a public meeting May 6 in South Jersey to discuss plans by PSEG Nuclear to file an early site permit application, one of the first steps the utility would need to take to build a fourth reactor at its Artificial Island nuclear generating complex in Salem County. Meanwhile, in other energy news, Gov. Christie says he is opposed to constructing liquefied natural gas terminals off New Jersey’s coast, saying their limited economic benefits are not worth the environmental risks they pose.

- Bad News for Economic Recovery in NJ: New Jersey’s economic recovery could be behind the rest of the nation’s by as much as two years, according to a Rutgers University study released Thursday.

- ELEC Wants to Close Loopholes: A state Election Law Enforcement Commission wants to close pay-to-play loopholes and force lobbyists with public contracts to disclose them.

- NJ Volunteers Needed for Tax Panel: The Internal Revenue Service is seeking New Jersey volunteers to serve on the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, a federal advisory committee that makes recommendations for improving IRS service.