Liberty State Park Pioneer, Audrey Zapp, Dies at 86: The “Godmother” of Liberty State Park, Audrey Zapp, died in Colorado on Thursday. She was 86.

6-Year-Old Boy Sent to Hospital with ‘Accidental’ Burns: A 6-year-old Jersey City boy went to Jersey City Medical Center last night with burns over 10-15 percent of his body, mostly in the upper torso.

Supersounds Record Store at Hudson Mall in Jersey City Going out of Business Tonight after 30 Years: After 30 years in business, first selling vinyl and more recently new and used CDs and DVDs, the Hudson Mall store closes for good at 9 tonight.

Jersey City Handyman Living with Pain and Consequences of Hit-and-Run: In keeping with his instinct to fix things, Tomas Rodriguez had stooped over in the middle of the street to examine the opening to a sinkhole when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver in November.

Saint Michael’s Pipe Organ Restoration Concert: Dislocations explores the history of St. Michaels and organ music after Praise Him With Organ, the name of a mostly sacred and but still somewhat secular recital in recognition of the restoration of the rare pipe organ housed in the church on Sunday.

Crime Blotter: A Jersey City man charged with stealing $200 from a friend was found with bags of suspected cocaine soon after the theft on Monday morning; Four Jersey City firefighters saved the day when they saw a 20-year-old being assaulted and robbed by four teenagers yesterday morning; An armed Jersey City teen and a partner robbed a man of sneakers at 9th Street/Congress Light Rail Station on Thursday; A Jersey City woman was stabbed twice in a parking lot during a fight with two sisters Sunday, police said.

In Statewide News:

New Jersey Assembly Panel Passes Bill to Add Fluoride to Public Water Supply: Water companies in New Jersey would be required to add fluoride to the water supply under a bill approved Monday by an Assembly panel at the urging of dentists and public health professionals — despite objections from environmentalists and utility officials.

Gov. Chris Christie Strikes with a Zinger after Segregationist Comparison during Heated Gay Marriage Debate: The verbal feud over gay marriage in New Jersey got more personal Monday when Gov. Chris Christie called openly gay Assemblyman Reed Gusciora “numb nuts” during a Statehouse news conference.

Once the election is switched, it stays in place for at least four years. Residents would not be allowed to vote on a school budget in November if it does not exceed the state’s 2-percent spending cap.
 
Trustee Suzanne Mack said restoring a ninth board member could be instrumental in deciding on the election date. Mack has endorsed the possibility of switching the election partly because it could save money; vice president Carol Lester cited one estimate that the switch could save about $178,000.
 
The board split 3-3 with an abstention on Lester’s motion to further discuss the issue at an upcoming caucus. The stalemate, however, does not stop board president Sterling Waterman from scheduling a discussion on the issue before a Feb. 17 state deadline.
 
But unless the city council or residents step in to approve the switch before that time and the board fails to act, the election stays in April.

Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop announced yesterday that he would propose a referendum on the vote date, saying he was in favor of a switch to November “because it will increase turnout and cut costs, but I understand both sides of the argument.”
 
Mack noted that the board of education voted in a tie, and could act to prevent that by filling Connors’ seat.

Just last year, the board opted not to replace Peter Donnelly, who resigned in February almost two months after Connors left, leaving a board less prone to tie votes. Other recent ties included a 4-4 deadlock to hire a superintendent search firm in January, causing board member Carol Harrison-Arnold to switch sides and break the deadlock, and, while Connors was still serving, two other votes on picking the firm in December (with Patricia Sebron abstaining). Those moves delayed selection for about another three weeks until an exasperated Harrison-Arnold ended the stalemate. Sebron was absent Thursday.

Board member Marvin Adames initially wanted to cut off Mack’s discussion, criticizing the timing.

“I don’t want to discuss it here tonight for the first time,” he told her. “There are a lot of questions from all board members. I don’t think it’s a good idea for the board to put it up for discussion at this particular time.”
 
Mack countered the new state law makes it critical for the board to consider the move. She said that in addition to having a full board in place, trustees cannot allow a vacancy to carry until January if the switch is approved.
 
Still, Mack assured Adames she was not trying to ram the move through. “I was just trying to bring it up to others on the board to see if they wanted to discuss appointing a replacement.”

Under Mack’s motion, approved 5-2, a board committee will initially evaluate replacing Connors. Joining her were Waterman, Harrison-Arnold, Lester and Waterman. Though he did not object to further discussion, Adames joined Angel Valentin in opposing the final resolution.

On the new election law, the board will only have about two weeks to make a decision if Waterman posts the matter for discussion. If he doesn’t and the council does not intervene, the April election stays in place. If it is switched, the non-partisan board contest will be incorporated into the national presidential and congressional races.
 
Yet the prior two April contests have proven to be highly successful locally, particularly in 2010, when there was a record turnout. This success prompted the board to extend the voting time this year from 7 am to 9 pm. If the date is switched, the polls will stay open for 14 hours, but they would open at 6 am.

The politically hot issue of finding a new superintendent could be taken out of play if the board sticks to its desired timetable and hires someone by July 1.
 
The prospect of including the board race with partisan races rankled Arnold B. Williams, head of Keep Our Schools Public. Williams claimed the Hudson County Democratic Organization would eagerly use the occasion to politicize school issues.

“It’s important that the board not vote on this tonight,” pleaded Williams, who lost to the organization last year in a primary for county freeholder. “Take a year. Take two years, if you will.”
 
Further, he charged local allies of Christie (who initially favored forcing the change statewide before compromising) hope to see political advantages as a result.
 
“It’s partisan and it’s not in the interests of children of this district,”said Williams. “Keep Jersey City’s public schools public.”

Mack insisted the board is obligated to examine the issue carefully.
 
“I think we need to study it,” she said, claiming the board received incorrect information indicating it had to vote on the switch during a discussion at its Jan. 23 caucus. “I think we need to look at it very carefully for the sake of our children. Why am I going to committee meetings, as an elected board member, if I don’t have the right information?”
 
Valentin made clear he didn’t need to see any more data. “To me, the school year doesn’t start in January,” he said. “It’s ridiculous… I think if it has to be considered, it should be in June.”

Lester, who won in the record-setting April 2010 election, seemed most interested by the potential to save $178,000.

“I usually have a single-track mind when it comes to chunks (of money) that could buy a new lab for kids somewhere,” she observed. “So I want to learn more about the financial implications of moving the elections.”
 
While a frequent critic of how the district spends its money, watchdog Riaz Wahid, told board members he doubted any savings from the switch will make a dent in tax bills given a near $631 million budget.
 
“We don’t want be ‘columnized’ — pushing Column A or Column B,” he told the board, regarding all the partisan office seekers board candidates would have to compete with for the public’s attention. “We want the people to be educated on Board of Education issues.”

Following the vote, Waterman would not specifically commit to scheduling the matter for further debate, saying only, “It will be my decision.”

File photo by Steve Gold 

Advocates Conduct Annual County Homeless Count: While this census of the homeless is generally done annually, the 2011 census was called off due to a bad snowstorm that moved through the area on the day the count was scheduled. Thus, the count taken on Jan. 25 is the first one to be conducted in Hudson County since 2010.

MarcAnthony’s Law, Named after Slain Jersey City Cop, Up for Preliminary Vote Today: The state Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee is set to vote today on a bill named for slain Jersey City Police Detective MarcAnthony DiNardo that would toughen penalties for those who injure an officer with a stolen or defaced gun, officials said.

Jersey City, Hudson Agencies Promoting Tourism to Receive State Grants: The New Jersey Business Action Center’s Division of Travel and Tourism has announced that 16 tourism organizations, including a couple in Hudson County, will receive more than $1.4 million in Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) grants for tourism marketing programs.

Jersey City Medical Center Cuts Ties with Aetna: Aetna health insurance members in Hudson County recently received letters from the company informing them that Jersey City Medical Center has cut ties with the company.

Crime Blotter: A Jersey City woman was arrested Friday after police say she stabbed her 33-year-old boyfriend in the back during a domestic dispute; Jersey City cops pursue and arrest two Heights suspects after arobbery near Home Depot outside Holland Tunnel; A Jersey City man was choked and robbed on the street last Thursday; A Jersey City man tried to snatch a gun from an armed robber who confronted him at a stoplight Friday morning, police said; Tires on 11 vehicles parked on Grand Street near State Street in Jersey City were slashed some time between Saturday night and Sunday morning; Squatters may have caused a two-alarm blaze at a Jersey City building.

In Statewide News:

Reviewing Hudson Tunnels and Transit Sites that are Still Considered Top Targets of Terrorist Acts: U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, D-West New York, met with King, D-N.Y., at the Port Authority Administration Building in Weehawken, located at 500 Boulevard East, to discuss homeland security issues Friday afternoon.

New Jersey Schools Take on Dating Violence Policies: In the past few years, violence among children has unfortunately become more prevalent. New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights and the state’s 2002 policy against Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) address some of the issues students face everyday. Now, legislators have their eyes on dating violence in schools.

Christie to the 1%: Please Occupy New Jersey: Garden State Gov. Chris Christie has a message for the top 1% of income earners: Please occupy New Jersey. “I’m going to start going after a lot of these hedge-fund guys who are in Connecticut and New York and say, ‘You’re going to get a better deal with us,’” says the country’s most important Republican not running for president.

Jersey City’s Special City Council Race Candidates Report Spending Nearly $300,000: The 17 candidates in last year’s Jersey City special election to fill two vacancies on the City Council spent nearly $300,000 combined, with the two winning candidates shelling out nearly $100,000 total during the campaign.

Former Jersey City Mayoral Candidate Will Ask for New Corruption Charges to be Tossed: Former state Assemblyman Louis Manzo, a defendant in New Jersey’s largest corruption case, is seeking to have the charges against him dismissed.

Jersey City Man in Stable Condition After Exchanging Fire with Police: The Jersey City felon who was shot four times by police after allegedly opening fire on officers Friday remained hospitalized but in stable condition, officials said Tuesday.

Hudson Freeholders to Study Express Bus Service Between Jersey City and Bayonne: Hudson County is set to take one step closer to connecting Journal Square in Jersey City to Bayonne with an express bus service.

Crime Blotter: Three men posing as repair workers talked their way into a Jersey City home and robbed two residents in their 80s of more than $5,000 in cash and jewelry, police said; A man who flashed a knife during an argument in a Secaucus Road parking lot in Jersey City was forced to flee when the man he was arguing with pulled a machete from his pants; An 82-year-old Jersey City man walking on Clarke Avenue early yesterday morning was attacked from behind, then beaten and robbed by two thugs; Yesterday Jersey City police busted a 33-year-old Newark man they say stole an SUV and then rammed a police cruiser with the vehicle when cops were closing in.

Today’s Best Bets:

One of Jersey City’s newest galleries, WOOLPUNKstudios, hosts an opening reception for Digital Weavings: Works by Pat Lay and Michelle Loughlin (6 pm, free). Meanwhile, there’s a closing reception for ‘Images’ by Eric Schkrutz at Made with Love (7 pm, free).

Uptown Crew presents its bimonthly Open Mic for poetry, music, readings, spoken word, comedy, dance and more (8 pm, $5).

In Statewide News:

Gov. Christie Calls for Restructuring of Research Universities: Governor Christie yesterday outlined a sweeping overhaul of higher education that would create a New Jersey Health Sciences University in Newark to replace UMDNJ, place Newark’s University Hospital under nonprofit management, and fold Rutgers-Camden and its law school into Rowan University to give South Jersey its own research university.

New Jersey gets a D-Plus for Teacher Standards: New Jersey’s report card from a group that seeks to improve standards for educators is dismal: D-plus, 36th in the United States, and making less progress than most states.

New Jersey Ranks Last Place in Business-Climate Rank: The Washington-based Tax Foundation, which advocates for simpler tax codes with lower rates, today released its annual Business Tax Climate Index, which ranks the 50 U.S. states based on how welcoming their tax law is to businesses. New Jersey placed 50th, a position it also held in 2011.

Black New Jersey Leaders to Gov. Christie: Popular Vote is No Way to Achieve Civil Rights: Two of New Jersey’s most influential black leaders, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver and Newark Mayor Cory Booker, blasted Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday for proposing gay marriage be put to a popular vote in November.

The Education Law Center and a Jersey City school board member are demanding Gov. Chris Christie’s administration account for what they describe as foot-dragging in approving requests for necessary repairs to school buildings.

Last June, the Jersey City Public School District submitted a list of 39 repair projects in response to a query from the Schools Development Authority (SDA), which runs the state’s Potential Emergent Projects Program (PEPP). The PEPP repair program was developed last year for 31 low-income urban districts formerly classified as Abbott districts such as Jersey City, whose designation under the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Abbott vs. Burke decision places them in a special category for state help.

But while requests for repairs were made in June, seven months later, the district still does not have an answer on which projects will receive funding and be able to move forward.

Jersey City’s requests were among approximately 700 from districts around the state, yet only about 300 of these requests have been preliminarily identified as possibly meeting PEPP requirements. Repairs are only dealt with under PEPP if conditions are determined to impact public health and safety.

A check of the district’s list shows it is seeking repairs including partial and full roof replacements, new boilers, elevators and stairs, as well as masonry and sidewalk work, for 20 of the district’s schools. For the complete projects list, click here.

SDA, an independent agency associated with the state Department of Treasury, runs the program working with the state Department of Education (DOE) but obtains its funding on an “as needed basis” from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA). EDA has allocated $100 million to the school unit for its current initiative, but SDA spokeswoman Andrea Pasquine cautions even more funds will be needed to work on all the PEPP projects ultimately approved.

Education Law Center (ELC) executive director David Sciarra and city board member Suzanne Mack, who chairs the board’s facilities committee, are urging the state legislature to investigate what they consider to be an unacceptable delay in taking final action on the districts’ requests. Their pleas drew sympathy from State Sen. Sandra Cunningham (D-31) when told of their concerns by JCI.

But Pasquine and DOE spokeswoman Allison Kobus insist their agencies are complying with the law and will notify the districts on all final decisions soon. “We expect to send letters out to the districts identifying projects in the next several weeks,” Pasquine says.

That timeframe is unacceptable to Sciarra, whose agency advocates on behalf of poorer urban districts like Jersey City.

“The fact that the SDA has taken this long, and not even notified the districts what projects are under final consideration, is disgraceful,” Sciarra says. “The law clearly requires an expedited response on the part of the state to these requests, and that hasn’t happened.”

“The agency has over 300 employees so it’s not like they lack the manpower to address the requests in an expedited manner,” he adds.

Under PEPP, the SDA provides funding for projects deemed “emergent” based upon a a review of individual conditions. “Emergent” conditions are those deemed to adversely impact the health and safety of people occupying buildings during school hours. The state, however, distinguishes between “emergent conditions” and “emergency situations” — and SDA contends the districts are only responsible for working immediately on “emergencies.”

ELC has sent letters to State Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-29) and Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan Jr. (D-18), the heads of the senate and assembly education committees, respectively, urging them “to investigate the Christie administration’s refusal to address” the alleged problems “in urban school buildings across the state.”

“These and other concerns require immediate, thorough and complete investigation, especially given the imminent threat to the health and safety of thousands of children, teachers and staff using the SDA school buildings where these emergency conditions exist every school day,” one letter states.

Locally, Mack tells JCI her committee conferred with a special attorney the district has retained in the matter during a closed session last Thursday. Districts have the right to challenge SDA rejections in court.

“Jersey City is also concerned and supports Education Law Center’s actions regarding getting the SDA to classify the status of the emergent projects list,” Mack says.

She adds the district “applauds the efforts of ELC to assist public school districts in this matter,” but after waiting patiently for the SDA to take final action, it is growing impatient.

Yet Kobus and Pasquine counter the SDA is doing the best it can under difficult circumstances given the volume of requests, which have entailed site visits to 190 facilities.

And in an email to JCI, Kobus made clear the state disagrees with ELC’s contention that, under the Abbott and school facilities laws, the words “emergent” and “emergency” mean the same thing.

“The state of New Jersey is required to fully fund emergent projects,” Kobus writes. “These are categorized as projects where health and safety requirements dictate that rehabilitation work is necessary on an expedited basis. However, individual districts are responsible to stabilize an emergency situation and are required to assure the routine maintenance of their school facilities, because emergency situations can develop once routine maintenance is neglected.”

“The results of the site visits are currently under review to identify which conditions warrant advancement as emergent projects,” Kobus explains.

Sciarra, however, responds that SDA should have finalized all approved projects by now.

“Her comments amount to a lot of legal jargon,” Sciarra says after reading Kobus’ email. “Simply put, the law requires an expedited response to these concerns. Not even identifying a single project after seven months is not an expedited response.”

“The projects should have been decided long ago,” ELC’s executive director reiterates. “We’re talking about conditions that could adversely affect health and safety of students and staff in emergency situations. And since, under the law, the districts can undertake litigation challenging any rejection from the authority, they should have already received this information so they can assess their options.”

While acknowledging not all projects necessarily qualify under the law, Sciarra says he’s skeptical that roughly 400 merit rejection.

“The problem is the state has offered the districts no information at all as to what factored into these decisions,” he complains. “The fact that they have not offered a list, or any information, at this stage, given all that is at risk, is unconscionable.”

Pasquine asserts the authority, even with its manpower, has been overwhelmed by the total number of requests.

“It’s not an issue of taking longer,” she says. “There were a lot more issues to consider with this group of projects. As opposed to the process involved with individual submissions, there were bulk submissions, and we had to reject about 400 of them.”

On the PEPP controversy, Cunningham tells JCI she has not yet received any communication from the district indicating its concerns, but would be willing to make inquiries in Trenton if contacted.

“If the Education Law Center has heard from so many districts all over the state having problems with this program,” Cunningham says, “I certainly would support their call for the legislature to investigate.”

Cunningham opted to focus attention on the SDA’s new construction initiatives, saying she’s satisfied with progress in that area – even as the ELC maintains the Christie administration “is in the third year of a shutdown of the program.”

“The administration has been working with us to get new schools built,” says the senator, one of two Democratic members of the transition team of then-Governor-elect Christie, a Republican, in 2009. “In Jersey City, we expect to break ground on a new PS 20 in September.”

Kobus says Christie has better organized the SDA and its operations upon inheriting the agency from his Democratic predecessor, Jon Corzine, and is still in the process of making changes. She claims the authority “has completely re-evaluated its operations,” while performing work on “over 100 emergent projects” prior to establishing PEPP.

JCI Photo of Dickinson High School, which is listed as needing a partial roof replacement.

Jersey City Board of Education Will Look at Pros, Cons of Moving Elections from April to November: Jersey City school officials may opt to move school elections to November to take advantage of state legislation signed into law this month by Gov. Chris Christie.

Repairs Finished on Jersey City’s Natural Gas Pipeline that Ruptured: The pressure in the pipe was reduced sufficiently to allow most of the residents back into their homes at 5 p.m. and repairs to the 20-inch high-pressure gas main were completed by 11 p.m., PSE&G spokeswoman Eileen Leahey said.

Federal Judge Dimisses Jersey City Developer’s Latest Lawsuit Seeking to Void Deal to Sell 7 Condos to City for Nominal Sum: A federal judge in Newark has thrown out a case brought by the developer of a downtown Jersey City condominium complex who claimed the city is forcing him to hand over seven residential units for a dollar a piece.

Crime Blotter: U.S. marshals are on the hunt for a Newark woman who committed a vicious carjacking in Jersey City just over two years ago and was a no-show in court Friday; Despite being cut during a robbery, a 37-year-old Jersey City woman chased a purse snatcher Sunday afternoon until he dropped the stolen bag, police reports said.

Today’s Best Bets:

Meet us tonight at Barcade for the Jersey City Independent/NEW Winter Meet & Greet. The staff of JCI and NEW will be on hand drinking beer, playing video games, and meeting/greeting. There will also be goodies and giveaways.

In Statewide News:

Gov. Chris Christie’s “Historic” Appointments to New Jersey Supreme Court Bring Diversity to All-White Panel: Stressing the importance of maintaining diversity at the highest levels of New Jersey’s judiciary, Gov. Chris Christie Monday nominated an openly gay African-American mayor and a Korean-American assistant attorney general to the Supreme Court.

New Jersey Colleges take Advantage of Law Allowing Partnerships with Private Developers: Several state colleges are partnering with private developers for construction projects thanks to the New Jersey Economic Stimulus Act of 2009.

New Jersey Police Departments Consider Using Stun Guns: New Jersey is the last state in the union to permit police to have stun guns, but in doing so also has established one of the toughest set of criteria in the nation as to how such weapons may be used by officers, according to law enforcement officials.

Two Bills Would Exempt New Jersey from Federal Sports Betting Ban: Two House bills that would legalize sports betting at New Jersey racetracks and casinos were announced Monday by members of the state’s congressional delegation.

Ten states from Maryland to Maine participate in the initiative, which is essentially a cap and trade system that has effectively reduced emissions in the region and generated revenue for investing in clean energy alternatives such as solar and wind. Carbon dioxide emissions from regulated power plants are capped regionally at 188 million short tons per year through 2014, and that will be reduced 10 percent by 2018.

Through this program, states sell emission allowances via public auctions and use the money to invest in consumer benefits such as energy efficiency, renewable energy and other clean energy technologies.

The goals of RGGI are to invest in in-state clean energy solutions and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from traditional energy sources such as coal and oil. The investment in clean energy will help us bringing about real energy independence.

Sen. Smith told us Gov. Christie has removed New Jersey from the initiative despite its success in New Jersey and strong support from the State Assembly.

“Our energy and economic futures are tied to harnessing the power and promise of solar and off-shore wind energy technologies,” he said. “RGGI was the means to make those investments and those new jobs a reality. First, the governor emptied the RGGI jar to balance his budget, and now he’s just thrown the entire thing away.”

After further studying this issue, the Jersey City Environmental Commission agreed to draft a resolution in support of continuing New Jersey’s participation in this important initiative. The resolution will be presented to the City Council in February. A copy of the resolution can be found on our website.

Federal Judge Dismisses Suit Filed by Washington Commons Developer Against Jersey City: A federal judge in Newark has thrown out a case brought by the developer of a Downtown Jersey City condominium complex who claimed the city is forcing him to hand over seven residential units for a dollar a piece.

Traffic Signal at Sip and Bergen Avenues in Jersey City Facing Wrong Way: Motorists and pedestrians crossing the intersection of Sip and Bergen avenues, beware: the traffic signal at the southwest corner of the crossing is facing the wrong direction.

Man Missing After All-Night Union City Fire: An eight-alarm fire on Bergenline Avenue that raged for nearly nine hours Wednesday night into yesterday morning displaced 70 residents and injured 13 firefighters. A 55-year-old man also remains unaccounted for, officials said yesterday.

Crime Blotter: A Jersey City Heights resident was mugged at knifepoint at Central and Prospect avenues at 7:20 p.m. Wednesday night, according to police reports; A bus driver working for the Vanessa Express bus company in Jersey City was robbed of $300 about 1 a.m. yesterday after the robber placed a gun against his temple and then shoved the barrel of the gun in his mouth.

In Statewide News:

Newark-Based Law Group Asks New Jersey Legislators to Investigate Delays in Repair work in Urban Schools: The Christie Administration’s failure to complete repair work in dilapidated urban schools has a Newark-based law group calling on state legislators to investigate the delays, which have stranded thousands of students and staff in hazardous facilities.

Gov. Chris Christie to Meet with Portuguese Ambassador to US: Gov. Chris Christie is scheduled to meet with the Portuguese ambassador to the U.S. Friday in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood.

Jersey City’s Newly Appointed Assembly Officials Assigned to Committees: Hudson County’s newest state Assembly representatives have committee assignments.

Hudson County Sheriff’s Office Saved More Than $300,000 in Overtime Costs Last Year, Officials Say: The Hudson County Sheriff’s Office saved more than $300,000 in overtime costs, and was able to provide more aid to several municipalities, thanks to its implementation of a new, 24-hour-a-day patrol schedule, the sheriff announced at a press conference yesterday.

Hoboken Releases Southwest Redevelopment Study: The city of Hoboken released the Southwest Area Redevelopment Study last week, which states that parts of the area bordering Jersey City in the southwest part of Hoboken qualify to be designated as “in need of redevelopment.”

On 4th & Brunswick, There is the Newest Mural in our Fair City: Dislocations has a preview of a new mural painted by Isaac Fortoul.

Officials Break Ground on $3 Million Park that will Straddle North Bergen-Guttenberg Border: A $3 million, 1.5-acre park on River Road, straddling the border of North Bergen and Guttenberg, is slated to open this fall, and will include an amphitheater, a playground and unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline.

Crime Blotter: In the early morning hours of Wednesday, a total of $661 in cash was taken during two armed robberies that occurred within two hours at Jersey City gas stations within two miles of each other, according to police.

Today’s Best Bets:

You should probably start off tonight at Barcade’s Winter Beer Night. Heavy, highly alcoholic seasonal beers, limited releases and vintage kegs will be on draft–including this year’s Jersey City debut of our local brewery’s winter seasonal–New Jersey Beer Co.’s Weehawken Wee Heavy, which clocks in at almost 10% ABV this year (4 pm). Or you could combine your love of beer with your love of singing at Zeppelin Hall for Karaoke with Live Backing Band (8:30 pm, free). For rock and roll, head to Lamp Post, where Black Water, Invisible Lines and Lady in the Radiator will play a free show (9:30 pm).

In Statewide News:

Gov. Chris Christie Starts Selling 10-Percent Income Tax Cut Plan to New Jersey and Nation: The Governor hit the road and the airwaves yesterday to sell his proposed across-the-board 10 percent income tax cut to the people, both at home and around the country — and perhaps, position himself for a 2016 presidential bid.

New Jersey Tax Collections Fall $325M Short for First Half of 2011-12 Fiscal Year: The state government’s tax revenue collections, which are a major indicator of a state’s economic health, have fallen 3.2 percent short of expectations for the first six months of the 2011-12 fiscal year.

Sentencing of Convicted Former Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell is Postponed Again: The sentencing of former Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, convicted on corruption charges in July, has been postponed for the second time, officials said today.

State Employees’ Paid Leave Days can Roll Over from Year to Year Indefinitely, Court Rules: Days off that state employees negotiated with former Gov. Jon Corzine in return for pay raise deferral and furloughs are not like unused vacation time and can be carried from year to year indefinitely, a state appellate court panel ruled yesterday.

Former State Senate Candidate from Jersey City Arrested on Charges of Witness Tampering, Making Terroristic Threats: A former state State candidate from Jersey City has been arrested for the second time in one week, this time after he was accused of intimidating a witness in a case against him, police say.

Former Jersey City Official Jimmy King Spared Prison Time in Corruption Sentencing: Former Jersey City Jersey City Parking Authority Executive Director James “Jimmy” King — who ran unsuccessfully for the City Council in 2009 — was spared time in prison when he was sentenced yesterday afternoon on a corruption conviction.

Trial to Start for Jersey City Man Charged with Killing Girlfriend’s Daughter, Setting her on Fire: The trial of a Jersey City man charged with murdering his girlfriend’s daughter and then setting her on fire to hide the crime will get under way today with jury selection.

Proposed State Legislation Would Help People Born in Hudson County Before 1965 Receive New Birth Certificates: A Hudson County state legislator is hoping his rise in stature on the state Assembly’s budget committee will help him reverse a state regulation that requires many people born in Hudson County to head to Trenton for new birth certificates.

Presidential Search Committee Named at New Jersey City University: A presidential search committee has been appointed at New Jersey City University to find a replacement for President Carlos Hernandez, who is retiring at the end of the school year, the school announced this afternoon.

Clothes Dryer Fire Caused Damage to Jersey City Apartment: A clothes dryer fire caused minor damage to a Jersey City apartment before firefighters were able to douse the flames Monday afternoon.

Crime Blotter: Mercer County boy was sold stolen car in Jersey City for $1K, police say; A Jersey City gas station attendant was robbed of $500 at gunpoint in the Lafayette Section Saturday night, officials said Monday; Jersey City police doing surveillance at a known drug trafficking area in Greenville arrested two felons on drug charges Friday afternoon.

Today’s Best Bets:

Kanibal Home will host a craft class dedicated to making electronic covers (or cozies) for electronics. The $25 fee includes materials and refreshments (7:30 pm).

It’s Open Mic Wednesdays at Boca Grande, a free, friendly open mic for musicians hosted by Nick Ciavatta (8:30 pm).

In Statewide News:

Gov. Chris Christie Wants all Tax Brackets Cut by 10 Percent: In the 2012 State of the State address yesterday, the Governor proposed that all New Jersey income tax brackets should be cut 10 percent, saying the state is on the comeback trail due to harsh budget measures taken last year. Full text of the speech can be read here.

Racing Vet to Steer New Jersey’s Formula One: Motorsports veteran Tom Cotter has been named president of the group managing New Jersey’s first-ever Formula One race, which will take place at Port Imperial in Weehawken and West New York in June 2013.

New Jersey Sports Authority Contracts Reveal Millions in Secret Rebates to Promoters of Meadowlands Acts: The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority kicked back millions of dollars to the nation’s largest music promoters over the last five years in an effort to lure top acts to the Meadowlands.