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- Fight Over High School Sports Continues: Parents and students came out to this week’s Hudson County freeholders meeting to offer suggestions on how to reinstate the sports programs that have been eliminated at the Hudson County Schools of Technology, and to question how the district couldn’t find the $150,000 necessary in its $45.7 million budget. Meanwhile, the Journal has dueling op-eds on the subject. First up, the Journal prints a letter Mayor Healy sent on May 5 in which he says he is rescinding his signature from the March 2010 letter from Hudson County mayors that requested the athletic programs be cut; Healy says he “signed the letter hastily and without all pertinent financial information.” On the other side, Hudson County Schools of Technology board president Craig Guy says that while the cuts are “unfortunate,” they were the best option the board had.

- Call for National Superintendent Search: Board of Education member Angel Valentin says he plans to introduce a resolution next week calling for a nationwide search for a superintendent. Current superintendent Charles Epps’ contract expires June 30, 2011 and calls for the school board to let him know at least a year in advance if it plans to rehire him, terminate him, or conduct a new search, which Epps can participate in.

- Village Weekend Coming: This weekend marks the second annual Village Weekend in the historic Italian Village section of Downtown; the Journal talks to Village Neighborhood Association president Rob Crow about the festivities, which include Saturday’s Art & Flea and Sunday’s historic walking tour.

- New Curious Matter Exhibit Opening: Raymond E. Mingst and Arthur Bruso of Curious Matter talk to Brendan Carroll in advance of their latest show, “The Ecstatic,” which opens Sunday.

- Hudson County Sports Hall Inducts New Members: The Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame welcomed 12 new Hudson County sports figures to its ranks at its 20th annual dinner last night at the Casino in the Park.

- St. Peter’s College Student’s Composition Honored: Molly Rotondo’s musical composition “Defeating Enthrallment” has received an honorable mention in the New Jersey Arts Collective Student Composition Contest.

In Statewide News:

- Affordable Housing Overhaul Proposed: Gov. Chris Christie has proposed major changes to the way the state requires municipalities to build affordable housing, allowing towns to play a larger role in determining their own affordable housing needs and eliminating affordable housing quotas and a 2.5 percent fee on commercial development. The proposal will have to pass the legislature to be enacted.

- Legislative Panels Move the ‘Millionaire’s Tax’ Along: Despite Gov. Christie’s promise to veto it if it reaches his desk, committees in the state Assembly and Senate have approved an income tax increase on households earning more than $1 million a year.

- Vouchers Bill Clears Senate Committee: The Senate Economic Growth Committee has appoved a controversial bill that would use tax breaks to create privately funded scholarships for students to attend private schools.

- Retired Justices Urge Christie to Reconsider Court Nom: Eight retired Supreme Court justices have released a statement asking Gov. Christie to reconsider his decision not to reappoint Supreme Court Justice John Wallace.

- Pink Slips Coming for Teachers: Hundreds of tenured teachers across the state are expected to soon begin receiving news that they’re out of a job, with school districts required to send non-renewal notices by Saturday to teachers and other staff whose jobs might be cut in the 2010-11 school year. Officials say they have little choice but to take drastic action when facing cash-strapped budgets.

- NJ Transit Ridership, Post-Hike: NJ Transit’s executive director said this week there has been “no significant change in ridership” during the first week of the fare hike; but he acknowledged ridership dipped 2.6 percent during the past weekend, when off-peak riders would normally have gotten the discounts that were eliminated as part of the agency’s fare hike and service cut plan.

- Controversial DEP Science Advisory Board Named: The state Department of Environmental Protection has unveiled its appointments to the controversial new Science Advisory Board, the members of which include six industry scientists and six university experts Gov. Corzine nominated before he left office in January.

- Federal Grant for Paperless Medical Records: New Jersey Institute of Technology this summer will launch a new health care technology initiative, funded by a $23 million federal grant, to bring electronic medical records technology to the state’s estimated 20,000 primary care doctors and their thousands of New Jersey patients.