The Jersey City Independent "

- Woman Evicted from Public Housing: A 25-year-old mother of two is facing eviction from the Booker T. Washington housing complex after last year’s arrest of her 20-year-old brother, who lives with her. The Healy administration and Ward E councilman Steven Fulop had worked to try to have the eviction overturned, saying the brother’s disorderly conduct charges didn’t warrant an eviction. But the Housing Authority has a strict one-strike policy on the arrests of residents, and it can’t make exceptions for any tenant. “We have to do whatever we can to keep our residents safe,” Housing Authority executive director Maria Maio says. “I understand that innocent people will always be caught up.”

- Pedestrian Struck Over Weekend Dies: The 17-year-old Morris County boy who was struck by a 26-year-old driver on Garfield Avenue Satruday night has died, according to the Journal. Cops say no charges have been filed against the driver, but the investigation is ongoing.

- Fulop Continues Attack on JCFP Promotions: Ward E councilman Steven Fulop, who criticized the promotion of five Fire Department workers to Battalion Chiefs earlier this week, keeps banging that drum, saying the move “will only worsen the Jersey City Fire Department’s status as one of the most top-heavy organizations of its kind in the country” in an op-ed in the Journal.

- Toll Bros. Losing $, but Not as Much as Last Year: Fresh off a legal victory for its Powerhouse Arts District development last week, developer Toll Brothers has announced losses of $40.4 million in the second quarter, a marked improvement over the $83.2 million loss it sustained in the second quarter of ’09.

- Old Bergen Church Celebrates Milestone: The historic church on Bergen Avenue is celebrating its 350th anniversary, according to Rev. Alexander Santora’s most recent “Faith Matters” column in the Journal. (Story not online.)

- Man Found Dead in Car on Heights Street: A 25-year-old Staten Island man was found dead of a reported drug overdose in a car near the intersection of Sherman Place and Kennedy Boulevard yesterday morning. Two other men were in the car as well, alive but unconscious.

- Woman Gets $760K Jury Award in Rape Case: A Hudson County jury has awarded $760,000 to an Old Bridge woman who accused two NJ Transit cops of raping her near Liberty State Park in Jersey City four years ago after she had asked for their help.

Today’s Best Bets:

- The ceremony for the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy’s 10th annual Preservation Awards is tonight at the Loew’s; the event will feature live music, food, drink and a tour of the historic movie palace (6 pm). And the Warehouse will host a free screening of the 1973 film The Sting (7:30 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Is Plan to Eliminate COAH Unconstitutional? An analysis by the Office of Legislative Services of legislation that would abolish the state Council on Affordable Housing and give cities and towns more power in determining how much affordable housing they should provide finds the proposal may be unconstitutional.

- Call for PSEG Investigation Grows Louder: An unusual coalition of environmental and business interests have stepped up calls for an investigation into how PSEG Power avoided paying millions in dollars in utility fees other ratepayers have been saddled with the past decade.

- Federal Aid May Come to Save Teacher Jobs: The Obama administration is pressing Congress to approve $23 billion in emergency funding to keep teachers nationwide on the job. According to provisional estimates by the White House Council of Economic Advisers, the funding would support the jobs of approximately 300,000 educators, including approximately 7,370 in New Jersey.

- EPA Honors NJ Solar Plan: The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program have been recognized for New Jersey’s innovative solar financing model by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

- Shore Towns Team Up for Tourism Marketing: As the state has cut back on tourism advertising, various regional and county organizations are joining ranks to tout the Jersey Shore to the summer crowds.

- Tickets Up on the Parkway & Turnpike: Ticket-writing for all motor-vehicle violations increased 61 percent on the Parkway last month, compared to April 2009, and was up 45 percent on the Turnpike for the same period, according to State Police statistics provided to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. Meanwhile, the Turnpike Authority has added video feeds from 149 traffic cameras to its website, and approved several new contracts for the ongoing Turnpike widening project.

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