The Jersey City Independent "

- Hiring a Lobbyist to Fight Pipeline: The City Council will vote Wednesday on whether or not to hire a lobbyist in hopes of blocking Spectra Energy’s plans to run a natural gas pipeline through Jersey City.

- Local Family Planning Centers Brace for State Cuts: Family planning clinics in Hudson County, including Horizon Health Center in Jersey City, say they will reduce services and layoff workers in the wake of Gov. Christie’s veto of a bill to restore $7.5 million in family planning funds cut from the state budget in March.

- Dead Body Found: A man’s decapitated, badly decomposed body was found Saturday along the Conrail train tracks on County Road in Jersey City.

- Developer Facing Fines Over Garbage: An environmental inspector for the Jersey City Incinerator Authority has told developer K.J. Holding to clean up the mounting garbage and debris at its Winfield Avenue construction site or face fines.

- Ethel Mae Haynes Way: The intersection of Van Horne Street and Bramhall Avenue in Jersey City will be renamed Ethel Mae Haynes Way in a ceremony this Saturday.

- Auctioning Lady Liberty: A copper casting of the tip of the Statue of Liberty’s nose is among a collection of iconic items that will auctioned off next month in New York City.

- Oakland Avenue Fire: An electrical fire displaced one family and caused severe damage to a three-story frame building at 76 Oakland Ave. yesterday morning.

Today’s Best Bets:

- A free screening of the Oscar-winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk is at City Hall, as part of Pride Week festivities (7 pm). And the Crosstown Country Allstars play two sets at the Lamp Post (10 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Race to the Top News Expected Today: New Jersey expects to hear today whether it will receive up to $400 million from the competitive federal education grant program known as Race to the Top.

- From Landfills to Renewable Energy Farms: A bill which would permit the development of solar, photovoltaic and wind energy facilities on closed New Jersey landfills or quarries has been unanimously approved by the state Senate.

- Prison Family Programs Overhaul: The Department of Corrections is overhauling prison family programs in response to accusations a sex offender was able to inappropriately touch a 9-year-old girl during an event behind prison walls.

- Privatizing NJ Transit Parking: NJ Transit may sell or lease 42,000 parking spots as a way to generate as much as $100 million annually in additional revenue — a plan officials say could lead to higher parking rates as early as next year.

- License Plate Decal Law to be Reviewed: A controversial new state law that requires new, young drivers to affix a red decal to their license plates will undergo a six-month review by the Attorney General to determine whether it poses the safety risks parents and teenagers have alleged.

- NJ Solider Dies: A 20-year-old from Elizabeth is reportedly the latest casualty of the war in Afghanistan.

- Inactive State Boards Axed: The Senate has unanimously approved legislation that makes good on the Gov. Christie’s promise to shrink the state government bureaucracy by eliminating more than 40 inactive and outdated boards and commissions. The bill has already passed the Assembly, and now heads to Christie for his signature.

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