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- County Budget Coming: Jersey City homeowners may be looking at another rising tax bill, in the form of their county taxes. County Executive Tom DeGise is scheduled to present the Hudson County budget to the freeholders this Wednesday, May 12. The freeholders will vote on whether to introduce the budget the next day, May 13; that will be followed by a not-yet-scheduled public hearing. The plan will likely be voted on in June.

- Comey, Others Push for Tougher Gun Laws: JCPD chief Tom Comey was among the panelists at a U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives roundtable yesterday who called for federal gun law loopholes to be closed.

- ‘The Constant Never’ Opens Tonight: Art House Productions’ latest multimedia play opens this evening for a three-weekend run. “We try to find ways to make theater feel immediate and exciting, to make it a sensory experience,” Art House founder Christine Goodman tells the Journal. “There’s an element of theater that should feel like a rock concert.”

- Man Sentenced in Fatal Stabbing: A 24-year-old Jersey City man faces up to 10 years in prison after being convicted of reckless manslaughter yesterday in the death of an acquaintance who was stabbed in the heart during a May 2008 altercation at Ocean Avenue and Wegman Parkway.

- 8-Year-Old Brings Knife to School: An 8-year-old Jersey City second-grader brought a knife to School 33 this week to possibly defend himself against a bully; he and the accused bullier have been suspended for three days from the school.

- Missing Man Found: A 58-year-old epileptic Jersey City man missing since April 29 was found yesterday at a New York hospital.

In Statewide News:

- Nailing Down Source of Shortfall: Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff says he doesn’t know the depth of the April tax collection shortfall problem, because the state gave residents and businesses in 12 counties an extension to file their income taxes after March storms caused severe flooding. New Jersey’s tax collections are currently off by $567 million, and it’s running out of time to figure out whether a late burst of income tax payments will allow the state to end the fiscal year with a balanced budget.

- Court to Rule Today on Labor Contributions Restrictions: A state appeals court is set to rule this morning on whether Gov. Christie can subject unions to the same political donation restrictions as corporations.

- Librarians Protest Budget Cuts: Hundreds of librarians protested a $10.4 million proposed budget cut in Trenton yesterday. Under Gov. Christie’s proposed budget, the state’s libraries would lose 74 percent of their funding with a cut from $14 million to $3.6 million. The loss of state funds also would cost at least $4.5 million in federal matching funds.

- Will School Cuts Hurt Race to the Top App? The New Jersey Education Association is concerned that the Christie administration’s school-aid cuts will hurt the state’s new application for federal Race to the Top funding. NJEA’s president met with Education Commissioner Bret Schundler Thursday afternoon to discuss the application.

- Local Votes on Stimulus Construction Projects Blocked: Gov. Christie has signed legislation that blocks local votes on projects funded by state economic stimulus funds.

- State to Close Gang Unit: Budget constraints and new technology are reshaping the way gang members are dealt with in state prisons, leading to the dismantling of a 12-year-old unit in which some of the state’s high-risk gang members were housed separately. The closing of the unit is expected to save the state $5 million.