The Jersey City Independent "

- Gas Pipeline Hearing in Bayonne: Speakers yesterday told federal regulators they do not want a proposed natural gas pipeline that Spectra Energy wants to run through Bayonne’s Bergen Point, and later through Jersey City, on its way to Manhattan. Jersey City’s meeting is tomorrow.

- Budget Cycle Change: The City Council is set to vote tomorrow on a temporary six-month budget and a measure to change the city’s budget cycle from a fiscal to a calendar year.

- Recall Effort Targets Healy, Brennan, Lopez & Vega: The City Clerk’s Office has accepted letters of intent to recall Council President Peter Brennan, At-Large councilman Mariano Vega* and Ward C councilwoman Nidia Lopez, in addition to Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

- Autopsy of Man Shot to Death: An autopsy has revealed that the 21-year-old Jersey City man gunned down in Greenville early Sunday morning died of gunshot wounds to his head, throat and arm.

- Federal Legislation Targeting Street Gangs: U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and Rep. Frank Pallone are pushing new federal legislation to combat street gangs. The bill would fund billions of dollars in programs for at-risk youth over five years, including $5.5 billion in grants for state and federal programs and $500 million for a community service initiative. Another $360 million would help offenders transition out of prison, and the congressmen are also pushing for $3.5 billion in grants for police departments to fight gangs.

- Complaints About Goldman’s Ferries: Ferry boats that take Goldman workers back and forth between Jersey City and the firm’s NYC headquarters have generated frequent complaints from Battery Park City residents. In response, Goldman is reportedly having two ferryboats built to its specifications — at an estimated cost of more than $5 million. The boats, which would be more luxurious than the typical commuter ferry on the Hudson, could arrive before the end of the year.

- Autopsy in Cop Death: Based on an autopsy report completed yesterday, officials have concluded that the Jersey City police officer found dead in her Bayonne home Sunday morning did in fact commit suicide.

- Teachers at Space Camp: Two Jersey City teachers were among nine math and science teachers from New Jersey and 220 teachers from 17 countries and 44 U.S. states who won a scholarship to “Space Camp,” where each underwent intensive astronaut training in June as guests of Honeywell.

- Drug Dealer Sentenced: A 27-year-old Jersey City man has been sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison today for his role in a drug ring operating out of the A. Harry Moore housing complex that allegedly moved more than $20,000 worth of heroin per week.

Today’s Best Bets:

- Art comes and art goes this evening, as one group exhibition opens while another closes. At LITM, Come Out and Play promises to celebrate “whimsy, laughter, childhood recollections, playfulness, joy, oddities, and just plain silliness” — the opening reception begins at 7 pm. At Fish With Braids, the closing reception for Alphabet Soup, a group exhibition featuring graffiti artists past and present paying tribute to Rammellzee, a pioneer of the culture who recently passed away, also gets rolling at 7 pm. Elsewhere, the Red Bulls bring “an interactive soccer experience” to Newport (5 pm), Gordon James plays live jazz to Liberty State Park as part of the the free outdoor Summerfest concert series (7 pm), and Air Panther and Rainbow Fresh are at Lucky 7′s for a free show (9 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Family Planning Funding: Democratic lawmakers today will kick off their effort to override Gov. Christie’s veto of the restoration of $7.5 million in family planning funds, but Republican leaders say their members will not defy the governor.

- Changing How NJ Educators are Evaluated: Detailed in its application for federal Race to the Top money, New Jersey’s new system of evaluating, compensating and giving tenure to educators would include for the first time using student achievement measures like test scores to judge teachers and administrators across the state. The system will also include measures of agreed-upon “effective practices.”

- NJ Implements Part of Health Care Bill: New Jersey yesterday launched a federally funded health insurance plan for people with pre-existing conditions such as cancer, high cholesterol HIV/AIDS or hypertension. NJ Protect, part of the national health care overhaul passed earlier this year, is open to New Jersey residents with specifically defined pre-existing conditions who have not had health insurance for six months.

- Power Reliability: With Public Service Electric & Gas saying delays in obtaining necessary environmental permits will prevent it from completing construction of controversial transmission lines through the heart of New Jersey Highlands for at least three years, insiders worry that power reliability may be a major issue by 2012.

- Oil Spill Dogs Coming to NJ: One hundred dogs in shelters along the Louisiana coast who were given up by their families because of economic hardships caused by the BP oil spill are about to get one-way tickets to New Jersey and, perhaps, new homes.

- Pulling $ Out of Chase: About 1,500 New Jersey law firms and attorneys are scrambling to pull their client trust accounts out of J.P. Morgan Chase, under a state Supreme Court order issued last month declaring one of the biggest banks in the state an “unauthorized” trust account depository.

- Not Quite the Hottest July on Record: July fell short by two-tenths of a degree of registering as the hottest New Jersey July on record. July 1955 continues to hold the record at an average of 79.0 degrees.

- Christie Veto Cuts Funeral Costs: As his last act before taking a two-week vacation from Trenton, Gov. Christie has vetoed a bill that would have kept the cost of registering a burial or casket removal or transporting at $15 rather than reverting back to the original cost of $5.

Like what you've read here? Please consider making a donation or becoming a sustaining member. As a grassroots news organization, we rely on community support -- as well as paid advertising -- to survive.