The Jersey City Independent "

- Tramz Deal OK’ed: The City Council voted 5-3 last night to guarantee a $8 million loan from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Tramz Hotel Group, which wants to build a hotel on Marin Boulevard. Look for more on that vote and the rest of the council business in our Council Report tomorrow.

- Manzos Get Time to File Response to New Charges: Defense attorneys for perennial mayoral candidate Lou Manzo and his brother Ron argued that new charges filed by federal prosecutors contradict the original corruption charges at a hearing yesterday. The judge didn’t exactly agree, but still gave the brothers’ attorneys four weeks to file new motions.

- Dead Man ID’ed: The man found dead beneath a Linden Avenue East bridge Tuesday afternoon has been identified as a 42-year-old Jersey City man who was apparently homeless. An autopsy report finds that he was burned alive, though the circumstances surrounding his death are still unknown.

- Man Charged in Playground Killing: A 25-year-old Jersey City man has been indicted in the murder of a 28-year-old man last June at Cosmo “Gussy” DiSanto Memorial Playground at West Side Avenue and Broadway.

- Cops Involved in Summer Shoot-Out Honored: Emergency responders from around Hudson County gathered at the Liberty House Restaurant yesterday for the 26th annual Valor Awards, which this year honored the 16 officers involved in last summer’s deadly shoot-out on Reed Street.

- Former JC Priest Charged: A former priest at St. Aloysius Church, who pleaded guilty in 1982 to sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy, was arrested at his Bloomfield apartment for allegedly sexually assaulting three Missouri men in the 1980s.

- 5-Year-Old Baseball Phenom: A Jersey City 5-year-old has become a YouTube legend for his baseball skills. A video of him hitting major league-caliber fastballs at an indoor baseball facility has gone viral with nearly 255,000 hits, and Jimmy Kimmel Live, Sports Illustrated and Inside Edition have begun chasing the boy for interviews.

Today’s Best Bets:

- If you’re feeling charitable this evening, there are two worthy causes to check out. The Hudson Cradle, which helps homeless and foster children, is holding a $100-a-head Taste of Hudson event at 77 Hudson, with many of the area’s top chefs and live entertainment on the agenda (6 pm). Meanwhile, on the smaller giving scale, LITM and United Divas are hosting a $10-a-head fundraiser for the United Divas Scholarship, which awards financial aid to gifted artists from low-income backgrounds (7 pm). At the Barrow Mansion, the Attic Ensemble kicks off its second weekend of Working: The Musical (7 pm), while NJCU’s Opera Workshop will present a free performance of Mozart’s The Magic Flute (7:30 pm). Elsewhere around town, Any Day Parade will play a stripped-down set as part of a rum promo at the Iron Monkey (6 pm), and The Warehouse will host a free screening of The Slums of Beverly Hills (7:30 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Teachers’ Union Sues Over Health Insurance Change: NJEA has filed suit against the state over recently enacted legislation that will take 1.5 percent of salary from public school employees as a requirement to qualify for health insurance coverage. The union alleges that the new law violates the collective bargaining rights of school employees, illegally reduces salaries for those employees, and violates several clauses of both the New Jersey Constitution and the United States Constitution.

- Christie Weighs in on Student Walkouts: In his first public comments since this week’s massive student walkout, Gov. Christie Wednesday criticized administrators for not stopping protests during the school day and said he believed the teachers unions were behind the demonstrations.

- Christie: I’m Not Running for Prez: Gov. Christie says he has “absolutely no interest” in running for the GOP nomination for president, an idea that’s been floated by a number of conservative commentators recently in light of Christie’s aggressive approach to the state budget crisis.

- State Supreme Court Will Hear Menendez Recall: New Jersey’s highest court has agreed to hear the case of a tea party group’s efforts to recall Sen. Bob Menendez.

- Alcohol Test Accuracy Called into Question: A report by Seton Hall Law School scheduled for release today questions the accuracy of a device that police departments throughout the state use to determine whether a driver is drunk.

- Cape Wind Decision & NJ: The Interior Secretary’s decision to approve a wind farm off Cape Cod is a victory for the governors of New Jersey and five other states, which had urged him earlier this month to ignore a historical council’s advice that he block the Cape Cod proposal. NRG Bluewater Wind has a proposal for an offshore wind farm in New Jersey.

- FedEx Will Stay at Newark Airport: The Port Authority says FedEx will stay at Newark Liberty International Airport for at least another 20 years, under a $352 million agreement to renew its 68-acre lease.

- Amber Alert Changes: State officials have unveiled changes to Amber Alerts that will make it more likely the emergency broadcast system will be activated in cases of domestic abductions.

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