Tuesday Morning News Roundup
By Jon Whiten • Jul 6th, 2010 • Category: Blog- Fulop Opposes Proposed Food Truck Law Changes: As we reported in May, the longstanding issue of what to do about the city’s law governing food trucks seems to finally be inching towards a conclusion. Two of the main revisions outlined in the draft ordinance we told you about back then — extending the length of time a truck is allowed to sit in one spot to 3 hours and allowing all current license holders to renew — are opposed by Downtown councilman Steven Fulop, who has gotten an earful from local brick-and-mortar restaurant owners about the impact of the trucks on their business. “My belief is if you extend it to three hours, you are hurting a business that is actually paying taxes in their storefront,” he tells the Journal. “You’re being counterproductive to businesses that you want to attract to fill vacant stores.”
- Dickinson’s Leaky Roof: The Jersey City Fire Department recently closed 10 classrooms at Dickinson High School due to “unsafe conditions” stemming from water damage due to a leak. District officials are now working with the New Jersey Schools Development Authority to obtain a grant to make permanent roof repairs; they do not yet know how much repairs will cost.
- Renovations at St. Anthony of Padua: The Downtown church is hoping to raise funds for restoration work on its 126-year-old exterior with its upcoming I Love St. Anthony’s Festival.
- Woman Hits Young Son With Wrench: While swinging a lug wrench at the father of her child, a 28-year-old Jersey City woman hit her 3-year-old son in the head during an argument at Kennedy Boulevard and Bartholdi Avenue.
- Robert Piersanti’s exhibition of pop-art odes to rock ‘n’ roll and pop culture — Pop Rocks — opens tonight at LITM (7 pm). Rochester’s excellent Pocket Vinyl, which usually features an on-stage painter who paints along with the piano-driven tunes, stops by Lucky 7′s with Blackwater for a free show (9 pm). Just six weeks after Melissa Surach retired her BabyHole comedy show, a new night of comedy has its debut tonight at the Lamp Post. Tonight’s inaugural installment of the Jersey City Comedy Show, hosted by Raquel D’Apice, features stand-up from Brooke Connolly, Nikki Glaser, and Mike Recine, as well as an open mic session — it gets going at 10 pm, and it’s all free. (FYI: The show’s organizers are hoping to put it on every two weeks.)
In Statewide News:
- Property Tax Cap and School District Budgets: The new compromise 2 percent property tax cap on the surface appears to be a tough hit for New Jersey’s public schools. But NJ Spotlight finds the news brought a mixed reaction from local and state education leaders.
- The Cost of Special Ed: As school districts lay off teachers, cut sports and eliminate busing, one area has been spared: special education. With the required offering growing more expensive by the year, far outpacing state and federal aid, school officials say the growing demands of special ed. are forcing them to slice into general education programs that serve many more students.
- Fraudulent Unemployment Claims: Fraudulent claims drained $25 million from the New Jersey unemployment-insurance program system each of the last two years and are on pace to cost even more this year, according to state records obtained by the Ledger.
- Fewer State Park Rangers: The statewide force of park rangers, who patrol 56 state parks and recreation areas, currently stands at 80, down from 96 a few years ago, as budget cutting in Trenton affects yet another service.
- Stiffer Penalties for Threatening Law Enforcement Animals: A bill being proposed by Sen. Christopher Bateman would make taunting, tormenting or threatening the life of a police dog or horse punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and 18 months in jail. It’s currently only a disorderly persons offense.
- Two Drowning Deaths: Authorities at the New Jersey shore say two men have drowned in the surf in separate incidents over the holiday weekend.
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Jon Whiten is the founding editor of the Jersey City Independent; he now works for a public-policy nonprofit in Trenton.
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