The Jersey City Independent "

- Labor’s Reaction to Furloughs: Local labor leader Chuck Carol, president of Jersey City Public Employees Inc., says the furlough plan unveiled Friday by the Healy administration is pointless if it will not prevent layoffs.

- Jersey City Plant Comes Online with Peak Energy Use: With 90-plus-degree temperatures forecast all week, electric companies are turning on their most expensive power plants to help avoid blackouts. Those include the PSE&G’s power plant on the Hackensack River, which yesterday was operating for the just the fifth day of the year.

- Shooting Victim on the Mend: The 5-year-old Jersey City girl who was shot in the neck Friday night during a block party at the Montgomery Gardens housing complex had the bullet successfully removed yesterday during at two-hour operation at University Hospital in Newark. Meanwhile, bail has been set at $300,000 for the 18-year-old Jersey City teen charged with the shooting, and police say there may have been a second gunman.

- Trial Set for Ex-Secaucus Mayor: A Feb. 1, 2011 trial date has been set for former Secaucus mayor Dennis Elwell and codefendant Ron Manzo, who were both arrested in last summer’s federal corruption sting that rocked Hudson County politics.

- New Community Group Focused on Greenville and Lafayette: The A. Philip Randolph Institute of Hudson County, which is dedicated to making social and economic progress in Greenville and Lafayette, is holding its first fundraising dinner in August. The group’s motto is “Training Today’s Work Force for Tomorrow’s Jobs.”

- Child Left in Park by Downtown Daycare Center: Future Stars Day Care, which is located on Brunswick Street in the Village section of Downtown, left a 7-year-old alone in Mary Benson Park last week — and the mother says she plans to sue the center.

- Heights Home Declared Unfit for Habitation: A Zabriskie Street home was officially declared unfit for human — and animal — habitation yesterday by members of the Mayor’s Task Force, after fire officials were called to the house on Saturday.

- Free Math Tutoring at Church: The Metropolitan AME Zion Church on Belmont Avenue is holding registration today for its free summer math tutorial program.

Today’s Best Bets:

- You’ve got two chances during the day to take in a free “virtual tour” of the Hackensack River from Hackensack Riverkeeper program director Hugh Carola (11 am at Cunningham Library, 1 pm at Five Corners Library). The free outdoor Summerfest music series continues in Liberty State Park this evening with a performance by Reminisce (7 pm). There’s also free live music at Lucky 7′s, with the Limbs and Guitar Bomb each playing sets beginning at 9 pm. And the new Jersey City Comedy Show holds its second showcase at the Lamp Post, with performances by Daniel St. Germain, John Knefel, Rachael Parenta and Vicki Ferentinos (10 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Budget Gap is Still Huge: New Jersey faces a $10.5 billion budget deficit heading into next year — nearly the same size as the gap that opened up before this year’s spending plan passed, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services.

- New Law on Charter Schools Proposed: A bill being floated by 5 Democratic lawmakers would permit Rutgers University to approve charter schools, in addition to the Department of Education; would end deadlines for organizers to apply for charters, allowing applications to be filed at any time; and would require decisions on applications within five months. In addition, the bill would expand the types of charter schools allowed in the state to include virtual or e-charter schools, charter schools with students of only one gender and charter schools catering to students with behavioral needs or disorders.

- More Pension & Benefit Changes Coming: Gov. Christie promised bolder steps ahead during a rally last night, saying to expect drastic public employee pension and benefit reforms this fall. “You ain’t seen nothing yet,” he said of an initial round of changes that affected new hires.

- Lautenberg and Homeland Security Dollars: The Senator, who recently became chairman of the subcommittee that controls a $44 billion piece of the federal budget devoted to homeland security, says he will bring as much of that money to New Jersey as possible.

- Guadagno Takes Over Arts Council: Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno has ordered a major shake-up of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, shifting authority from the council’s executive director to her office and requiring new ethics training for its volunteer members. This comes a day after a report in the Ledger outlined inconsistencies in the ethics practices of arts council members.

- Taking Income Taxes from Homeowners Late on Property Taxes: A bill being considered in Trenton would give municipalities first dibs on the income tax refunds of residents late on their property taxes and put the money toward the unpaid balance. But Democratic state senators question whether it adequately protects child support payments and saying it would punish the unemployed.

- Budget Cuts & the Shellfish Industry: The nonprofit environmental watchdog Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility says New Jersey’s oversight of the lucrative shellfish industry has fallen short of federal standards because of budget cuts.

- (Not) Disciplining Doctors: The board that oversees medical mistakes in New Jersey threw out 93 percent of complaints filed against physicians last year, making it among the lowest-ranked states in the country in that regard.

- Putting Solar Farms on Old Landfills: Advocates say abandoned dumps now leaching toxic materials into water supplies would make good sites for solar facilities, and lawmakers, hoping to find a productive use for old landfills and quarries, are considering a bill to allow it.

- Document Copying Fees are Falling: After years of overcharging the public, New Jersey agencies, towns, and counties have drastically reduced fees charged to copy documents. The move comes after July 1, which was the deadline an appeals court set for governments to begin charging “the actual costs of duplicating” a record.

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