The Jersey City Independent "

- County Open Space Funding Cut: The Hudson County freeholders have approved a resolution setting the open space tax this year at roughly one-tenth of a penny, which should raise $695,215 — only enough to cover the debt service on current projects.

- Bedridden Woman Left Alone to Die: A 33-year-old bedridden and mentally disabled Jersey City woman was found dead after being left alone by her family in a filthy, roach-infested, garbage-filled room on Woodlawn Avenue, where cops say temperatures soared to 100 degrees. Her 45-year-old sister and 78-year-old mother have been charged with neglect of an elderly or disabled person.

- Jitney Buses: A Star-Ledger reporter takes some rides on jitney buses in the area and concludes: “A ride on a jitney minibus can be a trip to the Wild West, where few rules go unbroken, competition is a form of ruthless street capitalism and the faint of heart may choose to walk.”

- Manzo Case Crawls Along: It could be two years or more before former Assemblyman and perennial mayoral hopeful Lou Manzo goes to court on the remaining corruption charges he faces, according to the Insider, whose column also has info on the bids to replace Assemblyman Anthony Chiappone (more on that here as well), and news of a personal loss for Mayor Healy and a new marriage for County Executive Tom DeGise.

- Union City’s Pool: As Union City officials struggle with overflow crowds at Firefighters Memorial Park on Palisade Avenue, one tactic noticed by some Jersey City residents was to warn that the pool would be open to Union City residents only soon. But since the pool is a Green Acres project, with $600,000 of state taxpayer money that’s been earmarked for construction costs, it should be available for use by anyone in the state — once it gets the funds.

- 149 Grant Ave.: Some of the condo owners at this four-story residents are accusing Jersey City building inspectors who signed off on a certificate of occupancy for the renovated building seven years ago of being part of the problem. The building has a number of problems, from water damage to faulty boilers and pipes.

- Jailhouse Interview with Pimp: The Journal’s front-page story today is a jailhouse interview with the 48-year-old Allen E. Brown, who is in jail on a sentence of human trafficking and prostitution.

- Babysitter Sentenced: A 23-year-old Jersey City woman has been sentenced to five years in prison after admitting to smoking marijuana, drinking vodka and having sex with a girlfriend while the 16-month-old girl she was baby-sitting nearly died in her bathtub last year.

In Statewide News:

- A Cap on State Spending: Gov. Christie’s first proposal for a property tax cap included a limit on state government spending as well, but that fell by the wayside as lawmakers debated the measure. But two state lawmakers are looking to bring it back.

- The Heat Wave’s Impact on NJ Farmers: This year’s dry spell hit at one of the worst times for local farmers — just as many plants are in bloom and ready to pollinate. The near drought conditions are stressing plants, jeopardizing the amount of profit farmers will reap from the hours of labor and millions of dollars they have sunk into their fields.

- Coal Plant Cleanups: Tough new federal rules governing air pollution from power plants are working to clean up, and in some cases shut down, the fleet of 10 coal plants operating in New Jersey. The plant in Jersey City, one of the two largest in the state, has already been the subject of a massive retrofit and cleanup undertaken by its owner, PSEG Power.

- NJ’s Disappearing Honeybees: The honeybee population in New Jersey continues to decline at an alarming rate: 35 percent of managed colonies didn’t survive the past winter, according to a survey by the New Jersey Beekeepers Association. That decline follows losses of 35 percent over the winter of 2008-09 and 17 percent in 2007-08.

- DEP Chief Bob Martin: He sits down with Gannett to talk about how he’s approaching his new job leading the Department of Environmental Protection.

- Bill Targeting Shady Car Dealers: Legislation designed to protect New Jersey consumers from unscrupulous car dealers has cleared another legislative hurdle. The measure targets dealers who fail to pay off loans on trade-in vehicles they accept.

- Christie’s National Profile: Gov. Christie has been named to the executive committee of the National Governor’s Association.

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