The Jersey City Independent "

- More Cuts Likely at Library: With a 17.5 percent cut in state aid and $1.7 million less from Jersey City this year, Jersey City Free Public Library director Priscilla Gardner is looking at ways to cut back on a small budget. In the last year, the library has already laid off part-time staff, closed several branch locations and reduced hours. “Now we’re going to have to close branches, we’re going to have to reduce more hours and we’re going to have furlough days at the library just like the city is having furloughs,” Gardner says. One casualty could be the popular cultural program known as the Community Awareness Series.

- Speaking of Cuts: While Jersey City and the state have already seen cuts in many areas as budgets remain tight, the Times, in a piece about similar cuts across the country, finds that “services in many areas could get worse before they get better.” The paper notes that “the length of the downturn means that many places have used up all their budget gimmicks, cut services, raised taxes, spent their stimulus money — and remained in the hole.”

- Cell Service, Wifi Coming to (Some) PATH Stations: Two PATH stations (Pavonia/Newport and 33rd Street) are already wired for cell phone service, and the Port Authority is in the process of equipping all the Manhattan stations along 6th Avenue with cell phone and wifi service. No plans exist to roll the service out at any other New Jersey stations.

- Golf Course Developer Says Marina Was Planned All Along: Reacting to the Friends of Liberty State Park’s allegation that Liberty National Golf Course was trying to sneak its marina project through the approval process, the attorney representing the developer points out the project was approved by the City Council in 2002. The plan is actually being scaled back, with 22 boat slips instead of 50 and 30 luxury residential units instead of 41. The issue is slated to go before the Planning Board on August 17.

- HCCC Tuition Going Up: Tuition at Hudson County Community College will rise 5.2 percent this fall, slightly higher than the statewide rise of 4.4 percent at New Jersey’s county colleges. The tuition hikes are coming as the two-year schools deal with state budget cuts and record enrollment brought on by the struggling economy.

- Lady Liberty to Get New Stairwell: The Statue of Liberty will get a second stairwell in its pedestal next year, which should help to make any evacuations safer.

- PATH’s Treatment of Seizure Victim Leads to Complaint: An EMT from Jersey City has filed a complaint with the Port Authority police after a PATH train with a passenger having a seizure was told to continue moving. The EMT was helping the passenger, who was on a northbound train stopped at Christopher Street, but PATH operators ordered the train express to 33rd Street; the Port Authority contends that station is more accessible to emergency workers, and that the passenger received quicker attention because of their actions.

- Rapist Sentenced: A 35-year-old Bayonne man who raped women in Jersey City, Bayonne and Newark was sentenced to 35 years in prison Thursday.

- Man Tries to Run Down Cops: Cops say a 30-year-old Jersey City man tried to run over two police officers and then tossed a gun out his car window during a high-speed chase that ended when he crashed into a parked car and took off running Thursday.

- MLS Scholarships: Two Jersey City residents were among 73 high school seniors and college students who received scholarships totaling $81,000 from the New Jersey Metro Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Today’s Best Bet:

- Art House Productions hosts a cocktail reception welcoming Christine Goodman as its first full-time paid executive director tonight at LITM (6 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Tobacco Bonds at Risk of Default: Declining cigarette sales and disputes over how much tobacco companies owe to U.S. states may cause defaults on related bonds issued by New Jersey and several other states, according a report by Richard Larkin, a senior vice-president at Herbert J. Sims & Co.

- Will Federal Funds be Too Late for Teachers This Fall? New Jersey is slated to receive $270 million in federal school stimulus funds, but distribution delays could mean that educators will not be in place at the start of the school year.

- Local Food & School Lunches: The state and a Rutgers University facility will spend the next year developing innovative ways of integrating New Jersey-grown produce into school food programs.

- Workers Filling More Potholes Than Usual: For the fiscal year that ended June 30, the state filled 143,650 potholes at a cost of about $2 million, up from the 135,000 potholes filled for $1.7 million during the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2009.

- Golf Industry Rebounds: After three years of recession-fueled declines and miserable weather in 2009, the golf industry is on the upswing across most of the state.

- Star Trek Convention: Around 800 fans from the region are expected to attend next weekend’s three-day Star Trek convention at the Hilton Parsippany Hotel.

- DUI Testing: Drivers involved in accidents in New Jersey that result in death or serious injury would have to submit to sobriety testing under a bill advancing in the legislature.

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