The Jersey City Independent "

- Corruption Sentencing Postponed: A federal judge in Newark has indefinitely postponed the sentence of a former Ward F council candidate LaVern Webb-Washington, who pleaded guilty to extortion charges in last year’s corruption probe. The postponement comes in the wake of a judge’s recent ruling that the Manzo brothers couldn’t be charged under the Hobbs Act since they didn’t hold office at the time of the alleged crimes.

- Saving Bus Routes: County executive Tom DeGise says the county Transportation Management Association (TMA) wants the bus route within Liberty State Park to become a weekend-only service, rather than being eliminated. He also wants more time to negotiate with a private carrier to service the route that runs between the Grove Street PATH station and Port Liberte. Both bus lines are set to cease service in the next few days as part of the NJ Transit fare hikes/service cuts package.

- Freeholder $$ Might Not be Enough to Keep Sports: Even if the Hudson County freeholders appropriates $150,000 for sports at its two high schools, athletes could still find themselves without teams to play on, according to the district’s superintendent. Meanwhile, the superintendent also admitted to the freeholders last night that an athlete was recruited to play for County Prep — a violation of New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association rules.

- Bails Set for Murder Suspects: Bail has been set at $750,000 cash only for each of four men charged in the murder of a 25-year-old Jersey City man who was shot in the head on Friday and died Sunday.

- Red Bull Air Race Gets Ready: The Red Bull Air Race, set to happen over the New York Harbor next month, officially kicked off with a press event yesterday in Times Square.

- Datapipe Up for Service Award: Jersey City-based hosting/IT firm Datapipe has been named a finalist in the Customer Service Department of the Year category in The 2010 American Business Awards. Winners will be announced June 21.

Today’s Best Bets:

- Groove on Grove gets jazzy today with performances by the Bryan Beninghove Trio and Manouche Bag (6 pm). And a little later, philosopher Michael Seifried will lead a discussion on the political relevance of the arts at Jersey City Art School (8 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Cuts Are Done … for Now: State Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff said yesterday that a series of budget maneuvers and tapping into the state’s surplus will stave off further budget cuts, though tax collections are still projected to be $440 million below the amount that had been expected through the next fiscal year. Meanwhile, the state has overestimated what it would collect from residents who commute to New York to a tune of more than $200 million.

- Lawsuit Could Test Christie Education Cuts: The Perth Amboy school district has filed suit against Gov. Christie over his executive order this spring that withheld $475 million in state aid payments to schools across the state, charging that the governor overstepped his executive powers with the order.

- NJ Gets the Super Bowl: The National Football League chose the new Meadowlands football stadium as the site of the 2014 Super Bowl yesterday. One expert tells the Asbury Park Press that the economic impact of the game for New Jersey and the surrounding area will be bigger than it is for its traditional warmer-weather locales such as Florida or California.

- New Nuke Application: PSEG Power and PSEG Nuclear have filed an Early Site Permit application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the first step in the lengthy process to determine if a new nuclear power plant in South Jersey is viable.

- Menendez Recall Case Heard by High Court: The state Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday in the Tea Party movement effort to recall Sen. Bob Menendez. The court did not say when it would make its decision.

- DEP Tracking Oil Spill’s Movement: The state Department of Environmental Protection has created a special Gulf spill team to closely monitor the BP oil spill off the Louisiana coast, to create a scientific model of the likely path of the contaminated waters and to develop a plan of action should oil reach New Jersey.

- Google’s Economic Impact: As part of a series of reports released yesterday, Google says its online search and advertising programs generated $1.4 billion of economic activity in New Jersey in 2009 for advertisers, site publishers and nonprofits.

Like what you've read here? Please consider making a donation or becoming a sustaining member. As a grassroots news organization, we rely on community support -- as well as paid advertising -- to survive.