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- Struck Pedestrian is ID’ed: A senior citizen who was struck by a SUV and dragged 1,000 feet earlier this week has been identified as 82-year-old Rafael Rivera, and his family is now at his bedside at the Jersey City Medical Center. He remains in critical condition at the hospital, and the driver has been issued summonses for failure to yield to a pedestrian and careless driving.

- Another Pedestrian Struck: A Bayonne taxi driver has been arrested last night for leaving the scene where his cab struck a 7-year-old boy on Bidwell Avenue near Ocean Avenue. The boy is in stable condition at the Jersey City Medical Center.

- Vigil Held for Immigrant Detainees: About 60 people rallied in Journal Square yesterday to protest the federal immigration detention policy and call for comprehensive immigration reform. It was one of many in the state; here are dispatches from actions in Hackensack and Paterson, and in Newark.

- Pizza Delivery Man Shot at Homicide Spot: A Jersey City pizza deliveryman was shot early yesterday at the same location where two men were shot dead in February, and cops believe that in both cases the victims were set up.

- Jewelry Stores Caught Up in Statewide Sweep: Seven Jersey City gold buying stores are among 49 statewide that have been issued more than 1,600 summonses citing violations of regulations of the state Office Of Weights and Measures. The owner of Gold Stone Jewelry tells the Journal the charges are “ridiculous and “relatively minor.”

In Statewide News:

- Property Tax Cap Debate Gets Underway: Gov. Christie now says he will accept a 2.5 percent property tax cap by statute, instead of by constitutional amendment as he had previously stated. That was part of an address the governor gave to yesterday’s special joint session of the legislature (see full text of the remarks here). Democratic leaders say they’re pleased with Christie’s flexibility, but add that they’ll study the property tax cap proposal — and a competing one from Sen. Steve Sweeney — on their own time. MORE here, here, here and here.

- About That Property Tax Cap: The New Jersey School Boards Association wants school districts to be allowed waivers for high and unpredictable costs for special education.

- New Study Links Drinking Water Contaminant and ADHD: The state is being urged to move rapidly to adopt tougher standards for a contaminant found in drinking supplies in some New Jersey wells after a new study reports a link between exposure to the chemical and the incidence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

- FamilyCare Changes: Yesterday was Day One of Gov. Christie’s new budget, and changes for FamilyCare were immediate — here’s what has changed.

- Transparency Website Launches: New Jersey has launched a website that allows citizens to track state government spending and look up payroll data on state government employees. NJ Spotlight’s John Mooney says that while the website is a useful tool, it “isn’t as illuminating on the ‘whys’ of the expenditures.”

- Judiciary Beefs Up Online Filing: The state Judiciary has expanded its electronic filing system, JEFIS, to include foreclosure cases in order to accommodate a 200 percent increase in foreclosure filings since 2005.

- NY Times Shutters NJ Local Blog: The Times‘ “The Local,” which covered Millburn, Maplewood and South Orange, began redirecting readers Thursday to Baristanet, another local news blog that agreed to pick up its coverage of the area.