The Jersey City Independent "

- Cardwell Still on MUA Board: In spite of a City Council resolution seeking his removal, longtime political operative Joe Cardwell, who was arrested on corruption charges last summer, is still sitting on the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority board. His attorney argued that Jersey City should wait for the completion of Cardwell’s trial before removing him, and the city agreed.

- JSQ Redevelopment Passes Planning Board: The Jersey City Planning Board has unanimously approved the Journal Square 2060 Redevelopment Plan. The plan now goes to the City Council for final approval.

- Wounded Girl Making Progress: The 5-year-old who was shot in the neck at a Jersey City housing complex nearly two weeks ago has moved to the Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick for extensive rehabilitation work.

- ‘More Than a Race’: A marathoner has started this organization, aimed at helping young males in Jersey City escape the violence and dysfunction of the inner city. The program recently took 60 Jersey City boys ages 8 to 18 on a weekend retreat entitled, “Rest, Relax and Respect” at Camp Linwood MacDonald near the Delaware Water Gap.

- Fire at Mail Facility: A three-alarm fire broke out at the huge U.S. Postal Service facility on County Road early yesterday morning and forced 241 workers to evacuate the building.

Today’s Best Bets:

- Tonight’s Groove on Grove features the laid-back sounds of Jordan Piper, Sarah Talbot and The Touristas, as well as a special performance from Nimbus Dance Works (6 pm). And J CITY Theater kicks off the final few days of it’s latest production, the comedy Gun-Shy (8 pm).

In Statewide News:

- NJ a ‘Race to the Top’ Finalist: New Jersey is one of 18 states, plus the District of Columbia, named Tuesday by the federal Education Department as finalists for “Race to the Top” grants, the Obama administration’s main tool to push for changes to school systems, rewarding states willing to try new methods. MORE here.

- Sprawl and Open Space: For the first time, New Jersey’s landscape is covered more by housing and shopping malls rather than forests, the real consequence of the “two most sprawling decades” ever, a report being released today by Rowan and Rutgers universities concludes. The study estimates the state could run out of open space around 2050 if the pace of development that took place in the sprawl years continued.

- Toll Collectors Ask Turnpike to Stay Public: Nearly two dozen toll collectors and maintenance workers on Tuesday pleaded with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority board not to privatize the agency, saying their families and customers will suffer if they lose their jobs. But Transportation Commissioner Jim Simpson — who chairs the board, but was unable to attend the meeting — said later that “rank and file” employees will not be out of work if the agency turns to “outsourcing.”

- USDA Says Princeton Mishandled Lab Primates: A group of primates participating in animal research at Princeton University may have been receiving water at levels below the minimum amount allowed by federal guidelines and also may not have been properly administered painkillers following surgeries, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection report obtained by the Trenton Times.

- ACLU Asks for FBI’s Local Ethnic Data Collection: The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with New Jersey’s FBI field offices asking for records regarding the agency’s collection of racial and ethnic data in local communities. Joining 31 other ACLU affiliates nationally, the ACLU-NJ seeks more details concerning the FBI’s authority as described in the 2008 FBI operations guide to map businesses, behaviors, lifestyles and traditions considered “ethnic-oriented.”

- Christie, Congressional Reps Meet in D.C.: Gov. Christie on Tuesday met with New Jersey’s congressional delegation in Washington to discuss a range of federal issues affecting the Garden State.

- New Leader of BPU: Richard J. Jackson, a veteran gas utility executive who most recently oversaw operations at an oil offloading facility in the Gulf of Mexico, has been appointed the new executive director of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.

- Ruling on Political Contributions: The state Supreme Court has ruled that law firms in New Jersey that employ municipal court judges are banned from making political contributions. To eliminate questions about the source of the money, attorneys can make political donations from their personal funds, but contributions cannot come from the firm’s business account.

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