All the candidates except for King had made an appearance at the party by 11 pm, and many stated that low voter turnout worked to the detriment of the ticket’s chances. Manzo’s campaign manager Sean Connolly said he was “astonished” that so many people “stayed home.” Manzo attributed the low turnout to “voter apathy,” a sentiment echoed by Williams when he said that “people are tired of the same old business as usual.”

Manzo appeared disappointed by the loss, but said he was “not deterred.” Referring to the candidates who may have made it to runoffs, he said he is hopeful that “we’ll have a more independent council” in four weeks’ time.

Serrano arrived at the restaurant late, after a long day of campaigning. Saying she was “very emotional,” she exuded pride when she talked about what she called “a ticket with a conscience.” Outlaw was disappointed by the results. “I was really looking forward for [Manzo] to have this opportunity to serve the people of Jersey City,” she said. Cassidy echoed her disappointment, quipping that “money wins elections.”

Lavarro took a cautious tone, noting that independent challenger Andre Richardson was very close to his second-place position. Regardless of the result, he said that the fact that incumbent councilman Michael Sottolano did not win on the first ballot showed that “we desperately need change in this city.”

Clark was similarly cautious about his own close race, couching his remarks in the “contingency” that he should make the runoff. He emphasized that his primary goal in running against Ward F incumbent Viola Richardson was “to put a new person in office,” and reiterated his pledge to support any candidate who makes it to a runoff.

Those who knew their races were over did not let the agony of defeat get the better of them. Carroll said he had heard reports of a large number of provisional ballots that were discounted in Ward D and stated he intends to investigate the matter. Williams congratulated his opponents, calling them a “fine group of gentlemen” and wishing victor Phil Kenny good luck. Williams stated he “absolutely” intends to run for the seat again in 2013. First-time candidate Tarrazi said the campaign had been a “good experience” for him.

Among the slate’s volunteers who attended the dinner, the mood was somewhat more bitter. Saying he was “totally disappointed,” Darrell Laval called the low voter turnout a “disgrace.” Renee Martain had similar sentiments, saying the turnout showed “a total lack of community responsibility.”

There was hope in the room, however. Ludy Corrales said she was very happy to hear about fellow Filipino-American Lavarro’s shot at the runoff. Whether or not he makes it, though, she feels that the mere fact of Lavarro’s candidacy is history in the making. “We have to celebrate, especially if he makes it to the runoff,” she said.

The eight candidates that participated included Emilio DeLia and Andrew Hubsch from Dan Levin’s One Jersey City ticket; Joseph Cassidy, Betty Outlaw and Lori Serrano from Lou Manzo’s slate; Ronnie Greco and Frank Scalcione from Harvey Smith’s team (Noemi Velazquez was absent); and Abdul Malik from Phil Webb’s ticket. Independent candidate Marie Day did not attend, and the entire Team Healy At-Large contingent — Peter Brennan, Willie Flood and Mariano Vega — were noticeably absent.

Each candidate was given one minute for an introduction. Due to the time constraint, only a single candidate per slate was permitted to answer each question. The questions were asked by members of the audience.

The audience questions mirrored some of the concerns of Downtown residents, and included the looming property tax revaluation, dual job holding (double-dipping) and improving public schools. Ward E councilman and candidate Steven Fulop got to reverse roles at the forum by asking a question rather than having to answer one. He asked candidates to identify the major challenges facing constituents.

The candidates agreed that a revaluation would be painful, but offered few specific suggestions for lessening the burden. In addition, most candidates expressed their opposition to double-dipping.

Lori Serrano added that providing cars to public employees for personal use should be banned. Abdul Malik and Emilio DeLia stressed lack of accountability in government as a major problem. Dealing with problems of families and seniors, and encouraging young people to finish school were Betty Outlaw’s key platform points.

The final question also served as the closing statement since time was running out. It was noted by the audience member that there was a high degree of similarity among the candidates’ positions. What will each candidate bring as an individual to the position as council member? With the exception of Joseph Cassidy, who touted that his experience as a police officer would make hime “eyes and ears of public safety,” the candidates expressed their earnestness, and to be responsive to their constituents, but did not emphasize their qualifications.

“Before I came to the meeting I didn’t have a clear decisive position on who I was going to be voting for,” Paulus Hook resident Kirsten Greene said after the forum. “After hearing them speak tonight I at least narrowed it down to four or five but I have not decided yet.”

Forum moderator and President of the HPHA president Jennifer Wagner said the evening was a success.

“We had great participation both by our candidates and by our membership,” she said. “A lot of people don’t know the candidates’ names, let alone their positions. Our goal was voter education and to increase participation and we got positive feedback as people were leaving.”

Steve Gold contributed to this report.

Big thanks to JCList.com for shooting the video, to Tris McCall for allowing us to use his music, to the candidates for showing up, and to the Riverview Neighborhood Association for putting the event together.

TAX ABATEMENTS: All Candidates Were Allowed to Respond

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Andrew Hubsch, Noemi Velazquez and Lori Serrano

ROAD REPAIRS: Peter Brennan, Andrew Hubsch and Mariano Vega

SMALL BUSINESS CULTIVATION: Emilio DeLia, Lori Serrano and Ronnie Greco

TAXES AND GOVERNMENT WASTE: Betty Outlaw, Noemi Velazquez and Ronnie Greco

DEVELOPMENT AND CRIME IN GREENVILLE: Peter Brennan, Joseph Cassidy and Betty Outlaw

TAXES AND SENIORS: Mariano Vega, Emilio DeLia and Abdul Malik

Photo by Steve Gold

Candidates for the City Council At-Large seat gathered on Tuesday evening to introduce themselves and field questions from voters at a forum held by the Riverview Neighborhood Association (RNA) in the Heights. About 75 people crowded into the dining room of the Harborview Health Center to hear from the candidates.

Eleven of the thirteen candidates were present. From Mayor Healy’s ticket, incumbent council president Mariano Vega and councilman Peter Brennan attended; councilwoman Willie Flood did not. Also present were: One Jersey City candidates Emilio DeLia and Andrew Hubsch; Joseph Cassidy, Betty Outlaw and Lori Serrano from Lou Manzo’s ticket; Ronnie Greco, Frank Scalcione and Noemi Velazquez from L. Harvey Smith’s slate; and Abdul Malik, who is running with Phil Webb. Independent candidate Marie Day did not attend.

Each candidate was allowed two minutes for an opening statement, in which they were asked to describe their view of the role of an At-Large council member and name the major issues they see facing the Heights. These introductions were followed by ten audience questions. Because of the large number of candidates present, not everyone was asked to answer every question: three names were chosen randomly to decide who would answer each. However, a question about the value of tax abatements provoked so much interest from the candidates as well as the audience that all candidates were permitted to speak on the issue: organizer and RNA chair Becky Hoffman jokingly called it a “bonus.”

The questions covered a wide range, including Heights-specific issues such as the condition of roads and development plans, as well as hot-button citywide issues such as abatements, property taxes, the practice of holding municipal or county jobs while holding elected office, and support for small business. Overall, the tone of the forum was quite lively, with some candidates — Downtown businessman Frank Scalcione in particular — becoming intensely impassioned while speaking, and cheers and jeers coming from the crowd in equal measure.

RNA founding member Maria Tuzzo, a lifelong resident of Jersey City, capped the event with a brief but stirring appeal to those present to avoid voting on the basis of personality, looks, cronyism or other irrelevant criteria, but rather to cast a vote “to improve this city.”

A consistent thread in the questions as well as the responses was dissatisfaction with the current administration’s record. Greenville resident Monique Snow, who is backed by mayoral candidate Lou Manzo in her run for the 31st District Assembly seat, directed her question to Brennan, a former Ward A councilman. Citing what she called the lack of recreational facilities in her neighborhood, she asked, “what plans do you have for Greenville?” Speaking after the meeting, Snow said that “nothing has improved in Ward A” under the incumbents. For his part, Brennan had on hand a “complete manual of everything the city offers for recreation.”

While Brennan and Vega defended their respective records and laid claim to a catalog of positive changes, the challengers at various points cited a lack of accountability, fiscal mismanagement, corruption and high crime as reasons to remove the current administration.

Although the overall temper of the crowd seemed rather unfriendly to the incumbents, not everyone was impressed by the challengers. Jersey City resident Bob Pagano said after the forum that he would be voting for the Healy team. “There are always some candidates who think they can knock down the incumbents by talking about things like abatements,” Pagano said. “The incumbents are doing a decent job.”

RNA chair Hoffman said she was pleased with the turnout for the event and grateful that most of the candidates were able to make it. She did say, however, that the candidates “could have done a much better job” of addressing the specific concerns of Heights residents and of “answering the questions as completely as possible.”

In contrast to the rather tepid routinized performances of the mayoral candidates at the Hudson Media Group debate, those who participated in yesterday’s event were highly energetic and, for the most part, satisfyingly specific about their policy plans. Even with the time restrictions necessitated by the large number of candidates, each one was able to get across his or her unique approach to the office of At-Large council member. In the end, that’s the best result a forum like this can have.

- Cops say that the recent spate of gunfire in a small area of Greenville appears to be gang-related. “There seems to be some infighting going on within a couple of the gangs and there might be power struggles,” JCPD chief Tom Comey says. Meanwhile, some local merchants and residents say they are fed up with the violence.

- At-Large council candidate Joseph Cassidy was once again rebuffed by the courts yesterday in his quest to remove Mayor Healy from the May 12 ballot. Agreeing with a Hudson County Superior Court judge’s ruling on Monday, an appellate panel sitting in Hackensack denied Cassidy’s motion to keep Healy off the ballot because of his Bradley Beach arrest.

- “The DEP has lost the trust of the people of this city,” the Journal editorializes on the PPG settlement. The paper rightly notes that the state environmental agency dragged its feet after the 1990 court order for PPG to clean up the chromium-contaminated Garfield Avenue site, and calls for a step that we’ve been hearing a number of advocates call for as well. “Before the City Council rubber stamps the agreement perhaps federal intervention is needed to review the cleanup plan or, at a minimum, have the state Public Advocate look into it.”

- A JC man has pleaded guilty in a scheme that netted more than $573,000 through fraudulent applications for Homestead Rebate checks.

- The “Partnerships for Progress” Technical Workshop on Grant Preparation, aimed at specific Jersey City nonprofits interested in receiving federal stimulus grants, will be tomorrow, April 2, from 9 am-12 pm in the City Council Chambers at City Hall (280 Grove St.)

- Two students and one faculty member from Saint Peter’s College joined with members of Witness Against Torture and stood vigil in front of the White House for two hours every day during their spring break.

- The Daily News reports on how the Beacon’s developers shifted gears as the economy soured. They were scheduled to begin restoring a 13-floor building in the former Jersey City Medical Center complex, which was slated for 103 condo units. Instead, they decided to make the building “raw lofts” and now have only 26 units to unload rather than 103.

In statewide news:

- In both the public and private sectors, employers around the state are increasingly turning to unpaid furloughs as an alternative to layoffs.

- Senior and disabled residents who qualify for a 2007 property tax reimbursement because of the recent increase in income limits for the Senior Freeze (Property Tax Reimbursement) Program now have until June 1 to file applications. The original deadline for the newly eligible applicants to file their 2007 applications was March 31.

- The Tri-State Transportation Campaign has released an independent analysis of the NJ Turnpike Interchange 6-9 widening that finds that the $2.7 billion project is unnecessary and the same congestion relief can be achieved by other, less expensive and environmentally threatening, methods.

- Former Gov. Tom Kean says he is so angry about Gov. Corzine’s plan to cut arts funding that he is considering filing a lawsuit against Corzine.

- At NJCU for a presser yesterday, Gov. Corzine took some flak from students about the cuts to higher education included in his proposed budget.

- At-Large council candidate Joseph Cassidy has suffered a setback in his attempt to remove Mayor Healy from the May 12 ballot. At an emergency hearing yesterday morning, Cassidy’s attorney argued that Healy shouldn’t have been allowed to have a place in the ballot-position drawings, but a Superior Court judge ruled that Healy could. His ruling doesn’t seem to eliminate all of Cassidy’s options, as the judge ruled that Healy could be removed from the ballot at a later time if necessary. Speaking of the ballot-position drawings, they were held yesterday, and L. Harvey Smith received the highest position on the mayoral ballot. Here’s the rundown.

- A 19-year-old man was shot at Winfield and Ocean Avenues yesterday afternoon. Three suspects were picked up by the cops and charged with the shooting, which was the third in a seven-block radius in the last five days.

- HudCo prosecutor Ed DeFazio says the death of schools superintendent Charles Epps’ son “appears to be a tragic accident.” Jonathan Epps died Sunday as a result of a fall from a moving car last weekend in Hoboken.

- The Reporter takes a look at the life and times of native Mary Norton, the first woman elected to the U.S. House as a Democrat. The Jersey City native served 13 terms, from 1925-1951.

- Learning Community Charter School principal Susan Grierson is being awarded the School Leader Award today by the New Jersey Charter Public Schools Association at its annual conference in Trenton.

In statewide news:

- The Communications Workers of America and other unions filed three separate suits yesterday that argue Gov. Corzine’s emergency rule allowing government to furlough workers undermines existing contracts.

- Speaking of organized labor: Union membership in NJ was down in 2008 from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Union members made up 18.3 percent of the state’s workers in ’08, compared to 19.2 percent in ’07. The figure is still much higher than the national average of 12.4 percent.

- A panel appointed by Gov. Corzine has recommended that the state’s undocumented immigrants should be allowed to pay in-state college tuition and obtain drivers licenses. The panel also calls for a moratorium on Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. Corzine says that while he supports the tuition plan, the drivers license plan is “problematic.”

- A senior investigator for the state Department of Labor pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to taking more than $1.8 million in bribes from a series of temporary employment agencies he was supposed to be auditing.

- A hearing is set to begin on whether to lift a ban on homebuilding that presently applies to a 28-acre tract known as the Highland Cross site in the Meadowlands. Developer Linque-H.C. Partners will make its case to build as many as 800 homes to the the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission beginning tonight.

- The state Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday about the validity of municipalities’ residency restriction laws for sex offenders. Jersey City is one of nearly 120 NJ cities and towns that has such an ordinance. A decision is reportedly at least a month away.

- It’s Cover the Uninsured Week, and Jersey City’s hospitals are hosting information sessions to help introduce people to various low-cost insurance options. Jersey City Medical Center will have tables set up in its lobby until Friday, from 9 am-4 pm; while Christ Hospital will have a table outside its entrance on Friday from 9 am-3 pm. Twenty-five percent of Hudson County residents do not have health insurance.

- Newport real estate brokerage Metropolitan & Waterfront raised the ire of Hoboken mayor David Roberts by buying a billboard ad near the Mile Square City’s PATH station that reads “Cut Your Hoboken Property Taxes 47% … We’ll Help You Leave.” Hoboken, struggling to balance its budget, is facing a nearly 50 percent hike in property taxes. After placing calls to Mayor Healy, HudCo Executive Tom DeGise, Sen. Bob Menendez and Jamie LeFrak, Roberts apparently got what he wanted: the ad is no longer standing. The Journal editorializes that the two cities should “practice some detente.”

- The vacant buildings next to the Journal Square PATH station are finally being demolished to make way for a high-rise project. Construction is slated to begin at the end of the year.

- Staffers from U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s office will make a stop in the city next Tuesday, March 31, to help residents with federal issues and concerns. They will set up a mobile office at the new County Plaza Building (257 Cornelison Ave.) from 10 am-2 pm.

- The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, a live-action film inspired by Fantasia that stars Nicolas Cage, had a day of shooting near Exchange Place yesterday. They were reportedly shooting inside the WFMU building on Montgomery Street. The JJ has pics.

-Dr. Timothy C. Brennan, Jr. has been sworn in as the newest member of Hudson County Community College’s Board of Trustees.

In statewide news:

- With the state’s unemployment insurance fund having run out of money, Gov. Corzine says the state will have to borrow money from the federal government to continue to provide unemployment payments. NJ is one of 14 states having to make such a move.

- A new poll shows that 62 percent of NJ residents polled oppose offering illegal immigrants any type of limited driver’s license and only 20 percent favor extending in-state college tuition rates to undocumented immigrants living in the state.

- Gov. Corzine’s budget proposes collecting $1.4 million from 9,000 AIDS/HIV patients who have previously obtained free medicine from the state because they do not qualify for other assistance programs, and also seeks to raise $4.6 million through $2 Medicaid prescription drug co-payments, capped at $10 monthly. Both came under fire at budget hearings yesterday, and Corzine later indicated he is willing to back off on at least the Medicaid co-payments.

- NJ is poised to receive at least $190 million in federal stimulus dollars to train a green workforce to weatherize the state’s 3 million buildings, install wind farms off the Jersey Shore and cover roofs with solar panels, officials said at a green jobs symposium at Rutgers on Tuesday.

- The head of NJ’s Black Ministers Council says public school reform begins with revising tenure, arguing that no other profession gives lifetime job security after three years and that the system gives tenured teachers no incentive to do their best.

- Agriculture officials are hopeful that the state’s honeybees are recovering from a die-off that has plagued colonies throughout the nation.

- A NJ company thinks it has the answer for the woes of the print newspaper business: flavored ink strips in advertisements!

- New York-based grocery mini-chain Fairway is opening its first NJ store in Paramus.

- The JCPD says it rescued a 20-year-old woman on Saturday who said she was being held against her will by a pimp in Society Hill. According to reports, the woman was drugged last Monday and brought to JC from Ohio. She was eventually taken to a hotel in Chelsea to engage in prostitution but apparently refused. Then she was brought back to JC and held captive in the Society Hill townhouse. The alleged kidnapper lives in the same street in Society Hill as another alleged pimp who was arrested last fall for allegedly forcing heroin-addicted women to turn tricks in exchange for drugs and shelter. Weirdest fact in this report: “After giving a statement to police on Saturday, the woman was taken to the Journal Square PATH station where she said she would take public transportation back to Ohio” (emphasis added). Seems strange for cops to just up and drop off someone who’d allegedly been the victim of human trafficking.

- A JC cop shot a 20-year-old man from Kearny in the hand this weekend. The man was allegedly driving his car at the officer during a traffic stop at Linden Avenue near Route 169. The JCPD was responding to complaints about drag racing. The man who was shot got away and ended up in an Elizabeth hospital, where he told police he’d been carjacked. The Elizabeth cops, though, were reportedly suspicious, re-questioned him, and figured out that he’d been involved in the JC incident. The officer has surrendered his gun pending the outcome of the investigation, HudCo prosecutor Edward DeFazio says, adding that while the investigation isn’t yet complete, preliminary results suggest that the officer’s use of force was justified. The man who was shot is being charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault against a police officer, eluding police and making false reports.

- Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop is charging Fire Director Armando Roman of playing politics with promotions at the JCFD. Roman says the promotion of the firefighter in question, Terrance McGee, came because five or six captains are retiring and McGee is first on the list to replace them. Fulop was unconvinced. “[McGee] is close to the mayor and that is the reason [Roman] is promoting one additional captain after doing 17 last year,” the councilman tells Earl Morgan. “I don’t know what would prompt [Fulop] to say that,” Roman says.

- The $6.4 million pedestrian walkway from Newport to Hoboken’s train terminal is scheduled to open in four months. The NJ Transit project is part of a state-mandated Hudson River Waterfront Walkway master plan, which will create an 18.5-mile path from Fort Lee to Bayonne.

- Two of mayoral candidate Lou Manzo’s at-large council candidates talk to the Insider about the race. “It’s time to replace the criminals in City Hall with the real crime fighters,” says former county sheriff Joseph Cassidy. Former director of public works Betty Outlaw hits the Healy administration on crime and says that simply instituting a gun buyback program is not enough. “The primary deterrent to crime and youth violence is a preventive approach that is rooted in community involvement, church groups, recreational opportunity and education,” she says.

- With all the news about Alex Rodriguez and steroid use, the Journal wonders: “Whatever happened to an investigation of steroid use by members of the JCPD?”

- This year will mark the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage to what’s now known as the Hudson River. Despite the fact that the anniversary won’t happen until this fall, the Reporter has a preview of some events.

In statewide news:

- The state Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear the ACLU-NJ’s challenge to a 2007 directive from the Attorney General banning the distribution of leaflets or any other materials within 100 feet of polling places. The edict also required media outlets to provide two weeks notice for permission to conduct exit polling. The ACLU wants to distribute a wallet-sized card that outlines who may vote, what to do if you aren’t allowed to vote and a hotline number to call for help.

- The potential loss of $21 million in state funding for NJ’s stem cell program — as proposed by Gov. Corzine — is the latest blow to the state’s dreams of curing diseases, attracting top scientific talent and creating the premier stem cell research institute in the nation.

- Gov. Corzine spent all or part of 105 days outside of NJ in 2008, according to a review by the Star-Ledger. The 105 days amount to 30 percent of Corzine’s time, and the number is up from 85 in both 2006 and 2007.

- A movement led by the New Jersey League of Municipalities aims to halve the state’s dedicated tax dollars for local libraries. A state Assembly bill to that effect was introduced last week.

- A bill moving through the Legislature would require school districts to try to obtain the criminal history, if one exists, of new students over the age of 18, in addition to his or her academic records.

- Opera New Jersey and the NJ Symphony Orchestra will collaborate on three productions this July in Princeton and a “Carmen” at three venues around the state next February. The groups are heralding the move as being on the cutting edge of a trend — sharing resources during the recession — in the nonprofit arts industry.

- Mayoral candidate Lou Manzo got in on the ticket-announcing action yesterday, too. Former County Sheriff Joseph Cassidy and former Jersey City Public Works director Betty Outlaw will run for At-Large council seats on Manzo’s slate. They will join the candidates Manzo has already unveiled: Jimmy King in Ward C, James Carroll in Ward D and Lori Serrano for At-Large.

- Municipal Court Judge Wilson Campbell faces an ethics complaint for allegedly carrying on an affair with a bailiff assigned to his courtroom. Four other municipal judges have been charged with corruption in an unrelated ticket-fixing scandal.

- It’s the end of the Armanious family murder trials as the charges against Hamilton Sanchez are dropped. Prosecutors tried in vain to persuade Sanchez’s codefendant Edward McDonald, who has already been convicted of the crime, to testify against him. McDonald refused, saying that Sanchez had threatened him. The charges were dismissed without prejudice, which means that he could be indicted again if new evidence comes to light, but prosecutors acknowledged that McDonald’s testimony would have been the crux of the case against Sanchez.

- The Journal editorializes against the city’s plan to ease concerns over rising property taxes early in the year by lightening the load later in the year. According to Business Administrator Brian O’Reilly, property owners “pay the lion’s share of the taxes in the first and second quarters.” If that’s always the case, the JJ asks, then why not distribute the tax burden equally over the whole year? Here’s a hint: It may just have something to do with the fact that Jersey City typically doesn’t adopt a budget for a given fiscal year until that year is almost over.

- The corruption case against Jersey City bounty hunter Adel Mikhaeil got stronger yesterday when James Irizarry, an associate of Mikhaiel’s, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from Mikhaeil. Irizarry, the third person to admit to accepting bribes from Mikhaeil, took money in exchange for signing false documents that stated Mikhaeil had brought in fugitives that he hadn’t. Mikhaeil contends he was giving money to Irizarry as a friend. Two former Hudson County sheriff’s officers and a former detective in the prosecutor’s office are also implicated in similar bribery schemes with Mikhaeil. (The Journal’s report is not available online.)

- Two of the partners in the proposed Journal Square towers development are among those bilked by Bernie Madoff’s $50b Ponzi scheme. Their company’s spokeswoman says the project is undeterred. Two other Jersey City entities made the list.

- A Jersey City man has been arrested and charged on two counts of false public alarm after he allegedly phoned in bomb threats to the state building on Summit Ave. in Journal Square.

In statewide news:

- Governor Corzine sounded economic alarm bells yesterday, saying that if the federal economic stimulus package fails to pass, state budget cuts will be “dramatically more serious” than expected. Corzine also made some key changes to his pension-payment deferral plan in hopes of reviving it. Many municipalities, including Jersey City, are counting on the scheme to pass in order to meet operating costs.

- Playing to Gov. Corzine’s weaknesses, gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie vowed yesterday that, if elected, he will “gut COAH and … put an end to it.” COAH, the Council on Affordable Housing, is the state agency charged with seeing that New Jersey’s municipalities meet their affordable housing obligations. Its requirements have been a major political sticking point, especially as New Jersey’s municipalities are feeling the pinch of state budget cuts.

- Critics of the National Fugitive Operations Program, which aims to track down and deport undocumented immigrants with a serious criminal record, say that the program is flawed, and is inappropriately deporting undocumented immigrants without criminal records.

- Gov. Corzine gave residents of poor communities a boost when he updated the Environmental Justice Advisory Council, which is charged with advising the state Department of Environmental Protection on ways to lessen the effects of pollution on such communities.

- The state Supreme Court ruled that the use of a giant inflatable rat at labor union protests is protected speech which cannot be prohibited by Lawrence Township.

- The state Attorney General’s office has called false advertising on businesses around the state, including one in Jersey City, that promise “instant,” “same-day,” or  “1-” or “2-day” tax refunds. Businesses that offer refund anticipation loans, which often come with high interest rates, must make that clear in their advertising, or risk being cited and fined.

- State Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney has proposed a resolution calling for the resignation of Rutgers University President Richard McCormick. Many are calling for McCormick’s dismissal in the wake of his abrupt decision to fire Athletic Director Robert Mulcahy.

- Ticketmaster has apologized to Bruce Springsteen and his fans over its role in a ticket-gouging scheme.

- The origin of Manhattan’s “maple syrup events,” during which a strong sweet smell would permeate the air, has been traced to a North Bergen fragrance factory. The episodes have troubled Manhattan residents for years.

- The state Assembly passed a bill that requires landlords of multiple-dwelling units to act immediately on reports of bedbug infestations.