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TODAY

Rob Piersanti’s first Pop Art Show of the year takes place at Boca Grande, complete with a complimentary wine tasting and live jazz band (6 pm, free).

The Black Maria Film Festival returns to NJCU for the 31st year. Admission is free to the premiere of the film festival, and refreshments will be served (7 pm).

Ladies on The Mic presents First Songs of Spring, a free concert celebration featuring two bands that cross pollinate their classical training with other musical genres like jazz, rock & pop–at Art House (7 pm, free).

American vibraphonist Eldad Tarmu performs at Raphs Plaza African Market and Internet Cafe (8 pm).

TOMORROW

There’s a weekend-long Dogfish Head Beer Benefit at the Iron Monkey. A portion of sales from all Dogfish Head drafts and bottles will go to 3 different charities (all day).

The Museum of Russian Art hosts a closing reception for two shows: Red Show and Mechanical Theater (4 pm).

Jordan’s Lounge hosts a National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Benefit. The event, presented by Our Youth, features dinner and celebrity impersonators and will honor HIV Activist Timothy Daniels and Jersey City councilwoman Viola Richardson (4:30 pm, $10).

The Laugh Tour returns to Art House for “an evening of hilarious stand up comedy” (7 pm, $15 in advance, $20 at the door).

SUNDAY

The Dogfish Head Beer Benefit continues at Iron Monkey.

St. Matthew’s is holding a Winter Rummage Sale fundraiser complete with home-cooked meals (12:30 pm).

-SUPER BOWL STUFF-

The Brightside Tavern – Two separate package deals, both include an open bar and buffet. Plus they’ll pick you up with a free shuttle service. 141 Bright Street.

The Lamp Post – A pre-tailgate party starts at 4 pm with $1 Clam Chowder and $5 Boilermakers. $3 shots with every touch down, $2 Kamikaze shots throughout the game. 382 2nd Street.

LITM – Will be showing the game on the big projector screen, and have drink specials and food specials all day–including $2 off all drinks if you’re wearing a Giants jersey. 140 Newark Avenue.

Lucky 7 – Food and drink specials all day, plus Giants jersey give aways at the end of every quarter. 322 2nd Street.

O’Connell’s – Happy Hour all night, $5 food menu, and give aways. 111 Montgomery Street.

Powerhouse Lounge – $40 presale/$50 game day package for open bar and unlimited food during the game. 360 Marin Boulevard.

Zeppelin Hall – The beer garden is boasting the most biggest hi-def screens and half price beer and wings. They will also have mug and jersey giveaways. 88 Liberty View Drive.

“I was surprised at how close Jersey City was to New York so we included it in our search,” Myers says in a recent interview. “We found a great deal on a house on Kennedy Boulevard near St. Peter’s College, and moved in within weeks.”

Myers, 74, spent his formative years in Harlem and dropped out of New York’s Stuyvesant High School to join the army on his 17th birthday. One of the things that drove him to write was a desire to add his life experiences to the world of literature.

“As a child growing up in Harlem,” he says, “I never found stories about my neighborhood or community or one even similar to it in the books I read.”

He has continued to draw inspiration from Jersey City, even on trips to London, where he spends five weeks or so each year.

“Jersey City is supportive of writers because it still has a small-town feel, and there are hundreds of human interest stories in the local papers,” he says. “Every morning in London I read the New York papers as well as the Jersey Journal to see what’s happening at home.”

Myers’ books can be gritty and graphic, and often are about poor African American males in their teens. They tell stories of struggle and hardship, incarceration, drugs, gangs, poverty, violence and war, exploring issues of morality, integrity and identity.

Myers appeared on the American Library Association’s list of the most frequently challenged authors in 2003 and 2001. His most controversial novel is Fallen Angels, about a 17-year-old sent to Vietnam.

One of the most common complaints is his use of profane language.

“Censorship comes about when people with ordinary minds are suddenly given the opportunity to say ‘no’ to something,” Myers says when asked about those who have challenged his work. “It hasn’t hurt my books in any meaningful way.”

After serving in the army, Myers worked many different kinds of jobs until he finally started writing at night.

He was accepted into non-matriculated MFA classes at Columbia and entered a few contests for children’s writing. Eventually, he was successful enough to support his family on writing alone.

Though Myers used to write at least 10 pages a day, he says he now only writes 5, but that barely seems to slow his productivity — he still publishes one or two titles a year. His most recent book is We Are America, a picture book written in verse. He collaborated on the book with his son, Christopher, an award-winning illustrator and children’s book author who graduated from Saint Peter’s Prep.

Myers says the disappearance of many outlets for creative writing — because of television, in his view — has made life as a professional writer more difficult.

“Writing was easier for me as a beginning writer than it is now,” he says. “There were more outlets for fiction and nonfiction. But it was even easier for the generations before me! The Saturday Evening Post paid hundreds of dollars for short fiction or nonfiction and there were literally dozens of magazines to write for.”

In all, Myers has published more than 100 books and received numerous honors, including two Newberry Honor Awards, five Coretta Scott King Awards and the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. Several of his books have been finalists for the National Book Award. While he is widely regarded as a preeminent author of children’s and young adult novels, his work spans fiction, nonfiction and poetry.

The third author to be named to the ambassadorship, Myers follows Katherine Paterson of Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved fame, and Jon Sciezka, author of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. He was chosen for the position by the Librarian of Congress based on recommendations from a committee, and the inauguration ceremony will take place on Tuesday, January 10 in Washington, D.C.

He chose “Reading is Not Optional” as his platform.

“I hope to bring reading and how reading ability changes lives for the better or worse,” Myers says. ”I want to bring this discussion into the mainstream of community discussion. Being national ambassador gives me the platform to discuss in public some of the issues, which are too often whispered about in private.”

Advice to writers

“What’s needed, in my mind, is a knowledge of structure, and then the discipline,” Myers says before offering a (highly appreciated) mini-business lesson for aspiring authors:

First, learn the business of writing.

If you were a plumber, you would learn the plumbing business, but writers often think of our craft as pure ‘art.’ As pure ‘art’ you can write anything you choose, of course, but you probably won’t make any money doing it. And without making money, it’s difficult to hone your craft.

“I worked as a senior editor at a publishing house for seven years,” he says. “I was amazed at the differences between what I thought writing was about and what it actually was about.”

Second, learn the new media opportunities. Although magazines offer fewer and fewer chances for publication, the digital field seems to be expanding. And while self-publishing has become increasingly popular, Myers says he would “stay away.”

Third, appreciate how a knowledge of structure facilitates finishing work.

Photo by Jon Whiten

Donald Newhouse, who oversees the newspaper portion of Jersey Journal parent company Advance Publications, lands at number 55 on the list, with a reported net worth of $5.9 billion.

The 81-year-old, who lives in Somerset County, has seen his fortune rise by $500 million since 2010, according to Forbes, “thanks to an increase in ad revenue and the stock performance of media and entertainment network Discovery Communications, owner of Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC and others (he and [his brother] Si own a stake).”

- School Vouchers: The state’s proposed school voucher legislation is set to be reworked in the state Assembly before proceeding toward a full vote. The bill, which would create a five-year pilot program providing millions in tax credits for corporations that donate to a voucher fund for low-income students at “chronically failing” public schools in Jersey City and 12 other school districts, was passed by an Assembly panel yesterday. MORE from NJ Spotlight.

- Schundler & the Museum: Former mayor Bret Schundler talks to the Star-Ledger about the Jersey City Museum’s closure (it’s worth noting that this line in the piece — “though the doors are closed, the city has taken over the building and announced it would be used for receptions” — is not accurate).

- Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners: The wife and brother of Carl Czaplicki were fired from the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners on Wednesday, a week after Jersey City’s director of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce resigned from the commission amid charges of rampant nepotism and cronyism.

- Pipeline Safety: Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez have introduced a bill that would give the federal Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration more power to enforce a new set of safety regulations through 2014; the legislation could affect Spectra Energy’s proposed natural gas pipeline through Jersey City.

- New Port Authority Chairman: Former New Jersey Attorney General David Samson has been confirmed as the new chairman of the Port Authority.

- NJCU Theft: A third person pleaded guilty yesterday to participating in the scheme to steal more than $500,000 from New Jersey City State University’s Student Government Organization.

- Legal Ads Bill: State lawmakers have advanced a bill eliminating the requirement for governments, businesses and citizens to run legal notices in newspapers and instead allow them to only be posted on government websites. As we’ve pointed out in the past, the measure could mean big trouble for the Jersey Journal, which is chock full of legals.

In Statewide News:

- Redistricting: With the release of yesterday’s population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, the state legislative redistricting commission has 60 days to come up with a new map for the state’s 40 legislative districts.

- Budget Woes: New Jersey’s fiscal crisis is deep and wide, and affects every level of government service — schools, municipalities, county and state. The problems are so dire that we cannot grow, cut or tax our way out of it while still maintaining the quality of life provided by current service levels. That’s the conclusion of a non-partisan group of former government officials who have put out a report called Facing Our Future under the aegis of the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers.

- Civil Service Reform: Calling the Democrats’ efforts to reform the state’s civil service system “tepid, ineffective and meaningless,” Gov. Christie has conditionally vetoed a Democratic bill and put it in line with his own ideas for changing the system.

- Electric Vehicle Infrastructure: Hoping to make sure New Jersey is in the forefront of states building an infrastructure to support electric vehicles, Democrats in the Assembly have begun passing a package of bills mandating development of charging stations at new shopping centers and rest areas along the New Jersey Turnpike.

- Family Planning: Gov. Christie has vetoed a bill that would have expanded the Medicaid program to more women seeking family planning services, saying it would be “financially irresponsible” to spend more on a program running a $1 billion deficit.

- Organized Labor Dropping in NJ: Union membership in New Jersey dropped to 17.1 percent in 2010, from 19.3 percent in 2009, according to a report released Thursday by the federal Department of Labor.

- NJ Soldier Dies in Afghanistan: A soldier from Dumont has died while serving in Afghanistan.

- Christie to the Windy City: Gov. Christie will travel to Chicago today as part of his efforts to recruit more businesses to the state.

- Neo-Nazis Coming to Trenton: A neo-Nazi organization whose events have attracted sometimes violent counterprotests will stage a rally in front of the Statehouse on April 16 as part of a a two-day conference it is holding in the area.

Workers at the paper have been without a contract since June 2009. As we reported last spring, the Newspaper Guild was trying to wrap its contract negotiations into the negotiations happening at that time to keep the paper afloat. But management refused to tackle both at once, and while the Journal stayed open, it lost five guild members; two editorial managers; and a handful of accounting, circulation, and sales staffers.

The union says that with the cost-savings generated by all of 2009′s personnel cuts, the privately-held media conglomerate Advance, whose properties include everything from the Star-Ledger and NJ.com to Vogue magazine and the New Yorker, should be able to pony up for small raises.

“Times are tough in the newspaper business. No one disputes that,” guild spokesman John Phillips says in a statement. “But management has axed jobs, saving upwards of $400,000 the last two years. Whose pockets get that money? Not the employees. Surely management can afford modest raises for the reporters, photographers and editors who work long hours at very modest wages to produce the news.”

The union says Advance is trying to end its contributions to worker pensions and move the staffers to a less-generous health benefits package, which employees will have to pay more for, but it is offering them no concessions in return, despite the increased workload many staffers have experienced after last year’s buyouts. (Some longtime staffers have lived through earlier buyouts as well — the editorial staff has seen a massive shrinkage over the past few decades, from about 60 in 1972 to barely a dozen today.)

Instead, Advance continues its push to bring on more interns to handle larger portions of the day-to-day work at the paper. Ron Leir, who has since left the paper, told us last year that management was also looking for ways to remove the nine-month cap currently placed on an intern’s tenure; they are still trying to accomplish this change, which would allow the lower-paid and non-union workers to stay on indefinitely.

The guild says a 1.5-percent raise for its members would only cost Advance about $5,000 total. In a press release, it contrasts that with Advance owner Sam Newhouse’s multi-million dollar yacht, which the guild says costs more than $20,000 to fill up with gasoline.

“Hey, Newhouse! Stow your yacht for a day and don’t cut our pay!” one staffer’s protest sign read yesterday.

Phillips says that even a small gesture from management to ease the financial burden on the paper’s staffers would be welcomed. He points out that Advance is charging workers to park in the company lot — at a rate of about $50 a month — while expecting them to maintain their cars for company business.

“Cutting just that fee would make a significant positive financial impact on our members,” he says.

The Journal staffers will be outside the paper’s offices at 30 Journal Square beginning today at noon.

Ironically, the very force that has led to many publishers’ newfound appreciation for the legals — the recession — has led New Jersey and other states to explore ways to save money by cutting the middle man — the newspaper publishers — out of this equation.

A bill allowing municipalities and other government agencies to post legal notices online instead of in newspapers unanimously cleared a crucial Senate committee Monday. And given the state’s fiscal clampdown and the cost-cutting at all levels of government, the bill may have the best shot of passage it’s had in years.

This proposal is not new to New Jersey — it has been around for the past three legislative sessions. In 2006, when first introduced, it died on the vine in the Assembly after passing a committee in the lower house. Two years later it passed the full Assembly but failed to gain any traction in a Senate committee.

Now, with powerful state Sen. Brian Stack pushing the bill in the Senate, and with bipartisan support coming out of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, it seems to face a much clearer path to becoming law, although opposition remains.

At Monday’s hearing, Star-Ledger publisher Richard Vezza testified against the measure, saying legal advertising is “an important part of our revenue stream these days,” given the recession’s effect on the paper’s other revenue sources.

The NJ Sierra Club, which also opposes the bill, similarly warns of the negative economic impact in a statement issued Monday.

“Many small newspaper rely on these legal advertisements to keep afloat,” the organization says. “Without them, local newspapers may close, resulting in less scrutiny of local government and a citizen’s right to know.”

The legislation is also opposed by the New Jersey Press Association, which represents many newspaper publishers. The trade group claims, among other things, that putting the notices online will make them less accessible and less readable. In a 2008 memo against the bill, the association argued that “turning on the computer, dialing an ISP, remembering a specific URL to find the site, and scrolling through a computer screen just to see if a public notice has appeared” is an inherently more difficult task than “having public notices packaged in a mainstream product containing relevant, useful and timely community information (news, sports, grocery ads, classifieds, etc.) delivered to your doorstep or mailbox.”

The bill, which sponsors say would save an estimated millions of dollars each year, would require municipalities to pass a resolution each year to publish the notices online, and that particular resolution would have to be published in the local paper.

If passed, the measure could mean further trouble for the struggling Jersey Journal. The paper, which narrowly averted a shutdown last year, charges $6.46 per column inch for legal advertising, which comes out to more than $300 for a full page’s worth (it charges nearly four times as much when it has less than 5 working days notice to place the ad). On most days, there are at least a few pages’ worth of legal ads, and on Mondays and Tuesdays, foreclosure listings tend to push that number much higher. (The day this bill cleared committee, for example, the Journal ran nearly 13 pages’ worth of legal ads.) While $300 a page doesn’t sound like a ton of money, some quick back-of-the-napkin math (300 x 2 x 6 x 52), shows a conservative estimate of annual losses the paper could face climbing above $100,000.

The paper has been reportedly losing money for years (as much as a reported $4 million a year in 2002, the first time this decade the Journal faced threats of closure), but it has benefited from being part of a large, privately held publishing chain, Advance Publications, which has been able to absorb some losses in the newspaper industry given its diverse roster of other publications. (Among other companies, Advance owns Conde Nast, which operates The New Yorker, Vogue, Wired and Glamour — see the full list of what the Journal‘s parent company owns here.)

But with Advance’s more traditional cash cows facing tougher conditions as well, the company has begun to shutter some print publications, closing the 170-plus-year-old Ann Arbor News last year.

Meanwhile, Mayor Healy says his administration thinks the proposal is “interesting,” but he by no means is offering an endorsement of the measure.

“We want to figure out the cost savings it would have,” he says, “and the impact it could have on those individuals who are not computer literate or do not have access to computers.”

Here in Jersey City, the Jersey Journal‘s slide was not quite as steep, as its average paid daily circulation fell by 7.9 percent, from 22,813 to 22,020. But that’s where the good news ends for the daily.

The 22,020 figure is less than half of the paper’s circulation in March 1999, when it was at 50,055, and about 4,000 fewer than in 2005, when the paper switched from a broadsheet format to its current incarnation as a tabloid. As the New York Times reported at the time, the move to tabloid was conceived as a way to bring back local readers, who have left the paper in droves since the mid-1970s circulation peak of around 150,000.

The most troubling aspect of the report for the folks at 30 Journal Square, however, might be the Journal‘s overall reach, which is percentage-wise the lowest of all major dailies in the state. Using the “occupied households” number provided by the Nielsen Company, the paper reaches only 8.4 percent of the 255,200 households in its coverage area. Each of the 17 other New Jersey dailies in the report are in double-digits, with several near or above 30 percent (the Asbury Park Press, the Record and the News of Cumberland County).

The state’s largest paper, the Star-Ledger, took a huge dive in the latest FAS FAX, with average paid daily circulation plummeting by 17.8 percent from 287,082 to 236,017. The Ledger, however, did retain enough circulation to come in as the 25th largest newspaper in the country. (Both the Journal and the Ledger are owned by Advance Publications.)

The FAS FAX numbers are submitted by the publishers themselves, and are not audited by ABC. The last actual audit report of the Journal, covering the 12 months ending June 30, 2009, found an average paid daily circulation of 23,572.

- Attorney General Will Look into UEZ Police Staffing: Facing questions yesterday from Jersey City Assemblywoman Joan Quigley about law enforcement funding that has been provided by the troubled Urban Enterprise Zone program, state Attorney General Paula Dow said she would work with the governor’s office to help find alternate sources of funding. She pointed to federal Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) money as one possible new stream of money, but that might not be all that much help to Jersey City, since it already uses JAG money to help pay for police equipment. In November, for example, the city approved the receipt of a nearly half-million dollar JAG grant to purchase CCTV in-car feed equipment for 25 JCPD vehicles and to increase foot and vehicular patrols in “hot spots.”

- Sharpton Stands with Shot Teen, Promises to Ramp Up Work in JC: The Rev. Al Sharpton spoke on issues facing the black community at a Greenville church last night. He promised to increase his activity in Jersey City, and criticized police for a “shoot first” policy that left 18-year-old Kwadir Felton blinded as he was allegedly trying to rob an undercover officer.

- All Points West ‘Didn’t Work’ and Isn’t Coming Back: “We’re probably going to kill it, mostly because the site,” AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips says of the multi-day music festival that has come to Jersey City for the past two years. “As beautiful as it is, it’s very hard to get New Yorkers to cross that river. All Points West is an experiment that just didn’t work.”

- Volunteer Forum a Success: About 35 nonprofit groups staffed tables in the Loew’s Jersey Theatre yesterday to give potential volunteers an opportunity to pitch in as part of the 2nd annual Hudson County Volunteer Expo.

- Journal’s Coverage of Sex Arrest Criticized: Gender rights advocates say the Jersey Journal‘s recent coverage of the prostitution arrest of 42-year-old transgender woman Coy Gordon was sensational and out of line. Garden State Equality leader Steven Goldstein, for one, says it was “an abomination in reporting.” But the Journal is quick to defend itself: “We are not trying to be the Washington Post,” says copy editor John Crittendon. “Our style in covering crime is to go more for the jugular than the brain.”

- Gold’s Gym Beefing Up: The new Gold’s Gym location on Communipaw Avenue is part of its statewide expansion plan; the company is looking to add up to 10 new gyms in New Jersey.

- When Will MLK Parade Be? Organizers of Jersey City’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade met last night to determine whether the event will be held as scheduled on Sunday or postponed until the following weekend as they scramble to obtain security for the parade.

- Fire Causes Evacuation at Snyder: A roll of paper towels that was lit on fire yesterday in a boy’s restroom caused Snyder High School to be evacuated for about an hour.

Today’s Best Bets:

- In what promises to be interesting fodder for baseball fans and matheletes alike, New York Mets statistical analyst Ben Baumer will keynote a number of discussions on “Mathematics and Sports” at NJCU this morning (9 am). Meanwhile, NJCU has two choice picks at 4:30 pm today: the opening reception for Lisa Ficarelli-Halpern’s MFA Thesis Exhibition “Little Masters,” and a discussion featuring young adult author Mel Glenn. This evening, you’re all invited to celebrate the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of NEW with us at the Iron Monkey; we’ve got live music from Heather Duby, The Touristas and Land of the Look Behind on tap, giveaways and more (7 pm).

In Statewide News:

- School Board Elections, the Day After: Gov. Christie says the defeat of 58 percent of school budgets statewide is proof voters support his agenda, while the state’s largest teacher’s union called it a “wake-up call” to the governor and a demand for new solutions. The next step for Christie: pushing a 2.5 percent constitutional cap on property taxes, and reforming public worker pensions, benefits and the collective bargaining process.

- State Wants to Cut Student Meal Funding: The state treasurer says subsidies for school breakfast programs will be cut for public schools, while private and parochial schools will lose contributions for their lunch programs as well. The move would save the state $3 million, and the program would continue with existing federal funds.

- Cuts to Public Safety: At the hearing mentioned above, state Attorney General Paula Dow also said that the administration’s budget cuts have forced the cancellation of a new State Police class and put more pressure on state attorneys at a time when her department’s work load hasn’t ebbed at all.

- NJ Veteran Sues Military Contractors: After serving two years in Iraq with the National Guard, a decorated New Jersey veteran alleges that she was called a “spy” and “terrorist” when she returned to civilian duty with military contractors in the Middle East because she is Muslim. She has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against three military contractors handling linguist services, communications and intelligence — Centurum Inc., L-3 Communications Inc. and Global Linguist Solutions.

- NJN’s Transition: New Jersey’s public television network is planning its transformation into an independent nonprofit, the network’s top executive told a Senate panel this week. Gov. Christie has called for NJN to operate independently as of Jan. 1, ending close to 40 years of state ownership.

- NJ Sticks with Goldman on Muni Debt: New Jersey, Illinois and Texas are among municipal-bond issuers staying with Goldman Sachs to underwrite pending debt sales after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged the firm with fraud last week.

With all that in mind, I was honestly surprised that the paper didn’t call for Healy’s head back in July, after his name first surfaced in connection to the federal corruption probe. But that day finally came yesterday, when the paper’s editorial page called for the mayor’s resignation in a prominent editorial teased on the front page.

“Videos viewed by a federal jury last week in the bribery trial of suspended deputy mayor Leona Beldini reveal that Healy is an embarrassment as mayor of this city,” the paper wrote. “He has provided a cinematic primer of what not to do as a chief executive of a municipality.”

That editorial has led Healy press secretary Jennifer Morrill — herself a former Journal staffer — to rip into the coverage in a letter sent to the paper yesterday.

“As a former journalist and someone who is reading the news articles that pertain to this trial, it does not surprise me that the fair and balanced coverage one expects from the Fourth Estate is lost on the Jersey Journal,” she writes. “They have never wanted to give this mayor a fair shake and it is really disheartening — you would hope the hometown newspaper would only want the best for its city.”

She continues: “When I read over and over again slanted articles, headlines and innuendos, I do not know why this coverage surprises me. And yesterday, the Jersey Journal took things one step further suggesting the mayor should resign.”

Morrill ends her letter by taking a quick shot at Journal favorite son Lou Manzo, who was arrested in July’s sweep and indicted in October on charges that he and his brother Ron accepted $27,500 in bribes from FBI informant Solomon Dwek.

“Had the candidate those same Jersey Journal editors endorsed for Mayor on May 9, 2009 — Louis Manzo — been elected, he would be under indictment at this time,” she writes. “So, I will find some comfort then, when I read the outrageous Jersey Journal editorials, seeing as their track record is pretty poor.”

- The City Council has approved a resolution to submit a federal transportation grant application to fund the entire Jersey Avenue Extension project, which would take the thoroughfare over the Morris Canal into Liberty State Park via a two-lane road. The project has been eyed for years but has been opposed by a number of community groups. It seems as if many of the groups’ concerns have been heard and the project in its current form has the support of several who previously sat on the other side of the fence.

- Parents and Communities United for Education thinks it knows how to improve Jersey City’s abysmal 74 percent graduation rate.

- A reputed mob “capo” who was born and raised in Jersey City has been indicted by federal authorities in New York.

- The Port Authority launched a new website last week. Among the improvements are a bus route finder (Mobilizing the Region has more on that) and the ability to watch board meetings live, or recorded, on the site.

- The works of Jersey City fashion designer Elizabeth Rynish will be featured alongside Marissa Erskine and Project Runway finalist Kenley Collins, in an upcoming fashion show at NYC’s Metropolitan Pavilion.

- Jersey City-based Hudson Holding Corp., the parent of Hudson Securities, Inc., has hired Tony Sanfilippo as its new CEO.

- The blogger Mr. Snitch takes the Jersey Journal to task for its recent bouts of outrage over the situation in City Hall: “You don’t get a situation this bad unless you have a God-awful newspaper. The kind that’s regularly ‘shocked and surprised’ by revelations of corruption. But the Journal would be surprised much less often if it were not so busy willfully turning a blind eye to the rampant corruption taking place all over the county, every single day.”

Today’s Best Bets:

- As part of the Pride Connections Center of New Jersey’s 2nd anniversary celebration week, they are hosting a transgender panel discussion tonight at 6 pm that is slated to feature an original transgender version of The Vagina Monologues. If that’s not your thing, check out a free screening of the documentary Pane Amaro (Bitter Bread): The Italian American Journey from Despised Immigrants to Honored Citizens at St. Peter’s College at 7 pm. The filmmakers will be on hand for a Q&A session after the film as well.

In statewide news:

- New Jersey has replaced its absentee ballots with a “vote by mail” program that starts this year. What it means for you: no longer do you need to give a reason why you’re not voting in person, and instead of requesting ballots one at a time, you can get ballots via the mail for all future elections.

- Gov. Corzine has signed the so-called “EnCap Reform bill,” which requires businesses receiving any combination of government financial assistance totaling more than $50 million to file independently audited financial statements annually with the state treasurer. The state chapter of the Sierra Club, for one, is not too happy with the legislation.

- Turning to the gubernatorial race: The Record takes a closer look at the three candidates’ plans for combating the ever-present New Jersey scourge of high property taxes; Corzine says he’d consider raising the state’s gas tax — which is the lowest in the nation — during a second term or diverting money from other programs to keep the Transportation Trust Fund afloat; and New Jersey Citizens Action has endorsed Corzine for re-election.

- Whoops! The Star-Ledger has been forced to withdraw its sponsorship of Friday night’s gubernatorial debate after the paper endorsed independent candidate Chris Daggett this weekend. The endorsement is an apparent violation of state regulations, which called on them to wait until after the completion of the debate to issue an endorsement.

- Pedestrian deaths so far this year have jumped 34 percent statewide, the highest number of such fatalities in New Jersey since the turn of the century.