Monday Morning News Roundup

By • May 24th, 2010 • Category: Blog

- PADNA Considers Another Appeal: An attorney for the Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association (PADNA) says the group is considering an appeal to the state Supreme Court after a Superior Court rejected its appeal of the city’s 2004 amendment to a redevelopment plan last week.

- Man Found Stabbed to Death: A 68-year-old Jersey City man was found stabbed multiple times and lying dead in a pool of blood early Saturday. Prosecutors are investigating the case.

- Using the Golden Door as a Charter Lens: With former mayor Bret Schundler now talking quite a bit about boosting charter schools in New Jersey in his role as state education commissioner, NJ Spotlight takes a look at the Golden Door Charter School, which was founded by Schundler in 1998. “Golden Door’s brief history is a testament to the common challenges many of these small, innovative schools face — and to some not so common,” John Mooney writes.

- Parking Meter Rate to Rise: The Jersey City Parking Authority plans to raise the citywide parking meter fee from 50 cents per hour to 75 starting this summer.

- Court Says County Must Rebid Contract: An appellate court has backed a Hudson County Superior Court judge’s ruling that the county freeholders should have sought new bids when it amended a contract for health services at the jail. A county spokesman says a request for new bids has already gone out and a new contract should be awarded this summer.

- Woman Sentenced for Role in Prostitution Ring: A 41-year-old Jersey City woman was sentenced Friday to six years in prison for her role in an alleged Society Hill human trafficking ring.

- Greenville Shootings: A 25-year-old Jersey City man is clinging to life and police have arrested four suspects in what they describe as a “revenge shooting” that happened Friday at Bergen and Bidwell Avenues. Meanwhile, a 13-year-old Jersey City boy was shot on a Greenville street during his birthday party on Thursday, and a 23-year-old man was critically wounded when he was shot three times in the same neighborhood.

- Pedestrian Struck: A 17-year-old boy was rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center Saturday night with life-threatening injuries after he was struck by a car at Garfield and Pearsall Avenues. He is reportedly in critical but stable condition.

- St. Peter’s College Commencement: About 350 of 766 graduating students accepted their diplomas Sunday morning at a ceremony at the PNC Bank Arts Center.

Today’s Best Bet:

- The latest Preservation Month event being put on by the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy — a how-to on researching your home’s history — is tonight at the New Jersey Room of the library’s main branch.

In Statewide News:

- Protesting Christie’s Budget: Two days after Gov. Christie vetoed the so-called millionaires’ tax bill passed by the legislature, tens of thousands of New Jerseyans descended on Trenton to protest the governor’s budget priorities. More from Politicker.

- The Tea Party and the Primaries: Many Tea Party candidates are running in next month’s primary elections, in what Gannett says is a test of the movement’s power in New Jersey. “Will they win berths to run in the November general election? It’s a long shot, experts say,” Tom Baldwin writes. “But most agree the Tea Partiers will be felt in some fashion.” The Ledger has more on the Tea Partiers in a separate piece.

- Unemployment Fund Bill Passed: A bill to reduce an unemployment-insurance tax increase set to kick in for employers July 1 received final legislative approval Thursday. The bill now heads to Gov. Christie, but it is unclear whether he will sign it. In February, Christie had proposed an alternative plan that also would have reduced the unemployment-insurance tax increase.

- Eagles Hit Hard This Winter: New Jersey’s eagle population had a rough winter, with the heavier-than-usual snowstorms. But experts say the state’s eagle population is now healthy enough to withstand an occasional setback.

- Chatham Man Wins on Jeopardy Tourney: Vijay Balse, a 45-year-old Chatham resident, took first place in Jeopardy!‘s Tournament of Champions last week and won $250,000.

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is the founding editor of the Jersey City Independent; he now works for a public-policy nonprofit in Trenton.
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  • Alb

    I think the N.J. Spotlight article about Golden Door is great, but I think it perpetuates the idea that good charter schools succeed because they have no unions.

    LCCS is a great charter school, and its teachers are unionized.

    The Jersey City School District teachers have a powerful union. I think the salary increases the teachers recently won are unrealistic, given how horrible the economy is doing, but I don’t see any evidence whatsoever that the teachers or their union are the root of any problems in the district. The JCSD teachers are clearly way better than the curriculum or the JCSD administrative support systems.

  • http://www.jerseycityindependent.com Jon Whiten

    @Alb — you raise a good point, re: the unions bit, both in terms of the Spotlight piece, and *especially* in terms of the JC district. It’s gotten very easy for folks of all stripes to bash the teacher unions, but you’re right: there’s no evidence that labor — not management — is the problem, particularly here in Jersey City.