Bret Schundler Leads Effort to Found Jersey City Charter School: Former Jersey City mayor and New Jersey schools chief Bret Schundler is involved with one of the four charter schools approved by the state to open in September 2012 at 1825 Kennedy Boulevard.

Serrano Pleads Not Guilty: Failed Jersey City council candidate Lori Serrano pleaded not guilty in federal court yesterday to one count of mail fraud in the massive New Jersey corruption sting from the summer of 2009.

Pit Bull Bites 5-Year-Old Girl: A 5-year-old girl was sent to Jersey City Medical Center with several puncture wounds and a possible fractured leg after she was bitten by a pit bull last night on Van Cleef Street.

Cops Join Jersey City Target Shopping Spree for Kids in Need: Nearly two dozen underprivileged Jersey City kids went on a shopping spree at the Target in Downtown Jersey City yesterday, with help from some city cops.

Crime Blotter: A 28-year-old Jersey City woman was treated Wednesday night for a stab wound to the back of her left arm suffered during a fight with multiple women, police said.

In Statewide News:

Sick Leave Showdown on the State Senate Floor: Republicans yesterday tried to force a vote on a bill to limit terminal leave payouts to $15,000, which Gov. Chris Christie has conditionally vetoed as being too generous. The Democrats shot them down on a party line vote.

Bill Addressing End-of-Life Issues Moves On to Christie: A bill to encourage individuals to make decisions about their end-of-life medical care, and to set lifestyle goals for their final days, was approved by the legislature Thursday and now goes to Gov. Chris Christie.

Compromise on New Teen Driver’s License Rules for Parents: Parents and guardians would no longer have to leave their homes to brush up on laws governing teen drivers’ licenses under a compromise lawmakers reached to keep on track a proposal designed to improve teen driver safety.

Hudson County Rents Rise: The average asking rent for an available apartment in Hudson County has shot up 7.2 percent over the past year, with some luxury buildings seeing increases closer to 16 percent, according to a market report by the commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.

Free Parking in Municipal Lots: Beginning today and running until January 2, parking is free for two hours in any of Jersey City’s municipal parking lots to allow for holiday shopping.

Feds Drop One Corruption Count Against Serrano: Federal officials have dropped one of two counts against failed Jersey City council candidate Lori Serrano who is charged with diverting $10,000 in cash contributions made to candidates who were on her ticket. She now faces only mail fraud charges.

Hudson County’s First County Executive Dies at Age 85: Edward F. Clark, Jr., a former Hudson County freeholder and the county’s first elected county executive, died at his home Monmouth Beach on Saturday after a protracted battle with prostate cancer.

Occupy New Jersey to Rally at Christ Hospital: Occupy Jersey City is set to weigh in today on the pending sale of Christ Hospital in Jersey City to a California-based company.

PATH Holiday Poster Winner Announced: The Port Authority last week announced that Olivia Balcos, an 8th-grader at Academy 1 Middle School in Jersey City, took first place at PATH’s annual Holiday Poster Contest.

Outdoor Dinosaur Exhibition Coming to Hudson County: Several local officials were on hand yesterday afternoon to help unveil the future site of Field Station: Dinosaurs, a 24-acre educational, outdoor science exhibition that will open in Secaucus in May.

Skillman Avenue Residents See a Rise in Crime: Residents of Skillman Avenue in Jersey City say their street used to be a worry-free place to live. But a spate of car and house burglaries in recent weeks have shattered their sense of security.

Water Main Break Closed Tonnelle Avenue: A water main break on Saturday in Jersey City caused parts of Tonnelle Avenue between County Road and Manhattan Avenue in Jersey City to be closed to traffic for six hours, officials said.

Candled Blamed for Heights Fire: A lit candle that tilted over is being blamed for a two-alarm fire in the Jersey City Heights last night that sent an elderly woman to the hospital.

Crime Blotter: A dispute between tenants over the volume of a television set early yesterday erupted into violence, according to Jersey City police reports; a Jersey City man was arrested in a Saint Peter’s College dorm after entering a woman’s room and flopping on her roommate’s bed, hours after police say he slashed a man during a Greenville carjacking; a delivery man for a Jersey City fried chicken restaurant was handed a counterfeit $50 bill before being robbed at gunpoint in Greenville; a Jersey City man was assaulted by four males and robbed of $12, some clothing and brandy as he walked home from the Light Rail station at Virginia Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive Thursday night; Three teens have been charged with attempting to carjack a vehicle in Jersey City yesterday and then opening fire when the driver sped away.

Cultural Calendar:

Today at NJCU, check out the opening of the Art Faculty Biennial, featuring works by Mauro Altamura, Hugo Bastidas, Mary-Ellen Campbell, Dennis Dittrich and many more faculty members. The opening reception begins at 5 pm in NJCU’s Visual Arts Gallery and is free.

Then at 7:30 pm, famed jazz pianist Arturo O’Farrill joins the NJCU Jazz Ensembles for a concert at the Margaret Williams Theatre ($15).

In Statewide News:

NJ 43rd in Anti-Smoking Effort: A report released Wednesday by the American Cancer Society, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and four other organizations concluded the state ranks 43rd in the nation in funding anti-smoking programs.

NJ Bond Debt Rises: New Jersey’s bonded debt, already the fourth-highest per capita in the nation, increased 3.1 percent to $38.1 billion in the fiscal year that ended in June, according to a state debt report released Friday.

State Police Recruiting Black Candidates in Churches: Recruiters for the State Police returned to churches in some of the most crime-plagued cities this weekend with a renewed sense of urgency to attract more black candidates to the force.

Many NJ School Board Members Have Not Complied with Background Check Law: Roughly one-third of the state’s school board members have failed to comply with a law signed seven months ago that requires all members to undergo criminal background checks.

New Jersey Alimony Reform Group Wants to End Lifetime Payments: Arguing that New Jersey divorce laws should not be for richer or poorer, a group pushing for overhauls wants the state to end awards of lifetime alimony and legislate the terms of payments to former spouses.

BPU Moves to Block PSE&G Bid for Special Incentives from Federal Agency: In a filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) protested PSE&G seeking incentive rates for the $895 million North East Grid Reliability Transmission project, a line running from Hudson County to Roseland in Essex County.

Revitalizing NJ’s Healthcare Industry, One Hospital at a Time: Two bills under consideration in Trenton would use tax incentives to bring failed hospitals back to life and help smaller facilities expand.

Legal Challenges in Education in Cerf’s Hands: New Jersey’s Acting Commissioner of Education Christopher Cerf is the final administrative word on the dozens of legal challenges that are filed with the state Department of Education each year. They range from the routine to the rancorous, all with an individual’s job or education at stake.

Two Weeks Left to Fill Ward F Council Vacancy: There is still no word on who might fill the City Council vacancy created when former Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson won an at-large seat during last month’s special election. The mayor and council have just two weeks to fill the vacancy.

Jersey City Council Candidate Charged with Mail Fraud: A Newark grand jury yesterday charged former Jersey City Council candidate Lori Serrano with mail fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Traffic Light Cameras Generate More Than 3,000 Tickets: Since Jersey City’s second set of red-light cameras was activated at Jersey Avenue and 18th Street in October, the city has issued 3,126 tickets for violations caught by the cameras, a city official said.

Firefighters Battle Two Blazes: Jersey City firefighters were busy with almost simultaneous fires at vacant buildings last night.

Crime Blotter: A 23-year-old Jersey City man was gunned down in a Bidwell Avenue driveway Wednesday night and police are hunting for his killer; a man was robbed of $600 at gun-point Wednesday night on Reed Street.

In Statewide News:

Sen. Lautenberg Casts 9000th Vote: US Sen. Frank Lautenberg cast vote number 9,000 in the senate last night when he voiced an “aye” for the Defense Authorization bill.

Head of New Jersey Charter School Office Steps Down: New Jersey’s charter school director, Carly Bolger, on the job for less than a dozen months, will be stepping down at the end of this year to take a new job in Chicago public schools.

State Senate Committee Approves Sports Betting: Sports betting in New Jersey came a step closer to reality yesterday, with a Senate panel approving a bill to allow casinos and racetracks to apply for licenses to offer it.

NJ Black Bear Hunt Upheld by State Appeals Court: A state appeals court Thursday ruled a state-approved week-long black bear hunt can be held in Northwest Jersey beginning Monday.

NJ National Guard Leader Resigns: Maj. Gen. Glenn Rieth, longtime commander of New Jersey’s National Guard, is resigning after being caught having a physical relationship with a woman who works for him, government officials told the Associated Press on Thursday.

- JCFD Member Wins Golf Tourney: The 39-year-old Jersey City firefighter Kevin McSorley has won the NJSGA Mid-Amateur golf championship.

- Bus Driver Arrested: A Jersey City woman and private school bus driver was arrested Thursday afternoon and charged with driving while intoxicated as she was on her way to pick up developmentally disabled children in Montclair.

In Statewide News:

- Carl Lewis: A federal appeals court has ordered that Olympic track and field star Carl Lewis be included on the ballot for the June Democratic primary.

- Weatherization Program: The state Division of Criminal Justice has opened an investigation into the actions of a nonprofit agency given a lucrative contract to help New Jersey weatherize homes.

- Biz Contributions to Unemployment Fund: An Assembly committee advanced legislation Thursday that would slow a looming increase, as well as future decreases, in taxes paid by businesses into the state’s unemployment fund.

- Tolls: Could border wars break out over New Jersey’s plan to end off-peak discounts for Turnpike drivers who bought their E-ZPass out of state? Some folks seem to think so.

- State Parks: Within the next month or so, the Christie administration is expected to unveil a long-term steady source of funding for New Jersey’s 39 state parks. Environmental groups worry that it will include privatization measures.

- Photographing Children: Some parents are pushing for passage of a state Assembly bill that would make it a third-degree crime to photograph or videotape a child without a parent’s consent.

They were summoned to the chambers of U.S. District Judge Jose Linares to find out the status of corruption charges leveled against them after they were arrested in July 2009 as a part of a sweeping corruption probe that nabbed 46 government officials and religious leaders for allegedly taking bribes from government informant Solomon Dwek.

Specifically, Linares wanted to find out how government lawyers would continue their prosecution of the Manzos, but the hearing was canceled when the judge was informed that federal attorneys will appeal the February decision by the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals upholding Linares’ initial dismissal of extortion charges against the brothers.

Linares’ ruling said that the Manzos could not be charged under the Hobbs Act, a federal law barring government officials from using their positions to obtain payments, since they held no office at the time of their alleged bribe-taking. Lou Manzo was running for mayor at the time, and Ron was serving as a campaign adviser.

The Manzos were not the only ones trying to change their legal status. Former City Council candidates Jimmy King, Lori Serrano and LaVern Webb-Washington — who all ran, unsuccessfully, on Manzo’s mayoral ticket in the May 2009 municipal election ––were also in court Wednesday. King plead guilty in September to accepting two $5,000 cash payments while Washington plead guilty in October to accepting $15,000 in bribes.

King and Washington were interested in seeing if their respective legal situations would change in any way such as their convictions being overturned. Serrano has not entered a plea and was seeking to also have her case dismissed.

Now, all five defendants will have to wait months as federal attorneys will pursue an “en banc” hearing of all 14 judges in the Third Circuit of Appeals system to see if they will reverse the three-judge panel upholding Linares’ ruling, and allow for a rehearing of their appeal. Linares, who did appear in the courtroom when the hearing was canceled, has given government lawyers until April 4 to file paperwork necessary for the en banc hearing.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not comment about the cancelled hearing and their future legal moves.

After the hearing was canceled, as Manzo sat on a bench outside the courtroom, he could only smile and accept his fate – a long wait.

“I think it’s part of the government wearing you down,” he said, adding that he believed that the government is doing this to get him and his brother to eventually plead guilty.

Manzo was relishing the thought of getting the case thrown out against him and his brother, and then challenging the government for their prosecution of a number of defendants in this case. In particular, he would like to see a special prosecutor look into why the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office was allowed to engage in “misconduct” that Manzo claims went on during the sting.

The offenses Manzo cites include allegedly informing the U.S Attorney’s Office in D.C. that all the officials arrested in the probe were elected officials when local prosecutors knew they weren’t; using taxpayer money to influence elections when Dwek purchased tickets for political events during the 2009 election; and that several of the prosecutors did not recuse themselves from the corruption probe, even though they contributed to the 2009 campaign of their boss, former lead U.S. Attorney for New Jersey and now-Governor Chris Christie.

Serrano’s goals are much simpler than Manzo’s. The mother of two children, who had been working for the city’s Board of Education before she was arrested, just wants to have the legal cloud hanging over her removed so she can return to normal life.

“Put yourself in my footsteps; what do you think I want to see happen?” she said. “The best possible scenario.”

The process of bringing the accused to trial has progressed slowly throughout the last year; a year that has brought resignation, death, court and prison to some of those who were charged. Here’s an update on everyone from Jersey City caught up in the probe.

IN PRISON

Guy Catrillo

Catrillo, a former staffer in Mayor’s Action Bureau who in the spring of 2009 was Mayor Healy’s candidate to run against Ward E councilman Steven Fulop, was the first of those arrested to be sent to prison after pleading guilty last September to taking $15,000 in bribes. Today the 55-year-old longtime Jersey City resident is serving a sentence at the The Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, where he is known as Inmate 30121-050. He has a projected release date of July 5, 2011.

Phil Kenny

The former Ward B councilman was not among the Jersey City officials arrested in July of 2009, but he pleaded guilty in October 2009 to accepting $5,000 in bribes. On May 5 of this year, Kenny was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison and two years probation. He is serving his sentence as Inmate 30258-050 at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His projected release date is May 4, 2011.

IN LIMBO

Leona Beldini

The former deputy mayor, who was Mayor Healy’s campaign treasurer for the 2009 election, is so far the only person arrested to go to trial. On February 11 of this year, she was found guilty on two counts of accepting $20,000 worth of illegal campaign contributions. On June 14, Beldini was sentenced to three years in prison and forced to pay a $30,000 fine. That same month, her attorneys filed an appeal of the sentencing.

Lou and Ron Manzo

In the spring of 2009, former Assemblyman and perennial mayoral candidate Lou Manzo was taking another run at the city’s top office. He was arrested in the July sweep and corruption charges were brought against him and his brother Ron; together they were charged with accepting $27,500 in bribes. But in May, a federal judge ruled that the Manzos couldn’t be charged under the Hobbs Act — the federal law that governs many public corruption cases — because the law only applies to public officials. Both Manzos was considered a private citizen at the time. The government is currently appealing the judge’s ruling. Meanwhile, Ron Manzo is also set to stand trial as a codefendant in the government’s case against former Secaucus mayor Dennis Elwell. That trial has a scheduled start date of February 1, 2011.

LaVern Webb-Washington

The low-income housing activist, who unsuccessfully challenged Viola Richardson for the Ward F City Council seat in 2009, pleaded guilty last October to accepting $15,000 in bribes. She was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison on March 18 of this year. But a federal judge indefinitely postponed the beginning of her sentence — initially set for June 7 — in the wake of his ruling on the Hobbs Act and the Manzo brothers.

Jimmy King

The former head of the Jersey City Parking Authority, who ran unsuccessfully for the Ward C City Council seat in 2009, pleaded guilty last September to accepting $10,000 in bribes. On June 13 of this year, King’s sentencing was postponed, pending the outcome of Lou Manzo’s appeal.

Maher Khalil

The former deputy director of the Jersey City Department of Health and Human Services pleaded guilty last September to accepting $30,000 in bribes. His sentencing date is pending.

Michael Manzo

The former arson investigator with the Jersey City Fire Department, who was running for the City Council’s Ward B seat in the spring of 2009, pleaded guilty last December to accepting $5,000 in bribes. His sentencing date is pending.

Edward Cheatam

The former Housing Authority commissioner and Board of Education vice president pleaded guilty on September 20, 2009 to corruption charges. In his plea, Cheatam said he took $70,000 and funneled $15,000 to the re-election campaign of Mayor Healy. His sentencing date is pending.

AWAITING TRIAL

Mariano Vega*

The former council president, who “stepped aside” to become an At-Large councilman after the corruption arrest, has maintained his innocence from the get-go, and he officially pleaded not guilty in January to the charge that he’d accepted $30,000 in bribes. He and his attorneys will get to make their case in court when his trial starts on October 12.

L. Harvey Smith

The trial of the former state Assemblyman, Jersey City councilman and unsuccessful 2009 mayoral candidate on charges he accepted $15,000 in bribes is set to begin November 22.

Joe Cardwell

The political operative, who pleaded not guilty in January to charges he accepted $30,000 in bribes, is set to stand trial beginning on November 8.

Lori Serrano

The former board member and chairwoman of the Jersey City Housing Authority, who ran unsuccessfully for an At-Large City Council seat in 2009, pleaded not guilty last December to accepting
$10,000 in bribes. On February 18 of this year, a grand jury brought new mail fraud charges against Serrano for not reporting the $10,000 in bribes she allegedly took during the 2009 campaign. Her trial has not yet been scheduled.

John Guarini

The former Jersey City housing inspector pleaded not guilty in January to charges he’d accepted $40,000 in bribes. In May, his attorney tried to have the charges against Guarini tossed out, but a federal judge declined to do so. His trial has not yet been scheduled.

ARRESTED BUT NOT INDICTED

Joseph Castagna

Castagna, a former city health officer, was arrested on charges of accepting a $5,000 bribe to pass along to political candidate Michael Manzo. Castagna was suspended from his position after his arrest. In late August of last year, it was revealed that Castagna also faced a probe from the city’s police department for possibly issuing more food vendor licenses than allowed by law. In light of all the charges, Castagna retired from his position and his request to receive early retirement benefits was approved pending the outcome of the police investigation.

Richard Greene

Greene, a former aide to L. Harvey Smith, was arrested on charges of accepting a $5,000 bribe to pass along to then-mayoral candidate Smith.

NO LONGER HERE

Jack Shaw

Longtime Jersey City political operative Jack Shaw was found dead in his Paulus Hook apartment just 5 days after being arrested on charges he’d accepted $10,000 in bribes. An autopsy later revealed that Shaw died of a valium overdose, but it did not answer the question of whether or not Shaw took his own life.

- Bloomberg breaks down the potential NJ Transit fare increase for Jersey City bus commuters who head to the Port Authority: an additional $32.70 each month on top of the current $109 fare. Meanwhile, NJ Transit’s executive director says that the agency will also cut management positions — on top of increasing fares and reducing service — to help make up for Gov. Christie’s funding cut.

- Former At-Large City Council candidate Lori Serrano has been indicted on new charges for not reporting $10,000 in alleged bribes as campaign contributions during the 2009 campaign. Serrano has already been charged with accepting $10,000 in bribes from a federal informant.

- In a letter, Rev. Frederick Fowler takes the Journal to task for reprinting inane and often racist comments from its website in the print edition. “Where are your morals and your professionalism that you yourselves would allow such nonsense to be published?” he asks.

In statewide news:

- A day after Gov. Christie told school districts to brace for a potential 15 percent cut in state school aid, acting Education Commissioner (and former Jersey City mayor) Bret Schundler said yesterday that is only one of several budget scenarios being considered. Politicker has more from Schundler’s Trenton appearance.

- A new state audit finds that employees of New Jersey’s numerous state authorities enjoy better compensation than most state government workers, with eight authority executives making more than the governor’s $175,000 salary and nearly 750 authority employees making more than $100,000 a year.

- A state Senate committee has approved four bills that legislators say will reform the state’s financially struggling public employee pension and benefits system.

- A new Rutgers University study says it could take at least four years for the nation to recover more than 8.5 million private-sector jobs that were lost since 2007.

- Ronald Salahuddin, a former aide to Newark Mayor Cory Booker, has been indicted for allegedly steering city demolition contracts to a company in which he had a financial interest, conduct that federal prosecutors allege began within weeks of his appointment in 2006. Politicker has Booker’s response, which David Cruz says “is something Booker’s buddy, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, might’ve been wise to study.”

- While Gov. Christie’s transition team has recommended that the state Department of Environmental Protection “review and revise” the indoor air testing policy that led to the discovery of toxic vapors in homes in Pompton Lakes, environmentalists are warning that such changes could put residents at risk.

- A Senate committee has confirmed Andrew Eristoff as the state’s treasurer after a four-hour hearing that included questioning about Gov. Christie’s recent budget cuts.

- Newark Liberty International Airport finished last among large airports in a North American passenger satisfaction study released by J.D. Power and Associates.

- Nets to Newark: The basketball team has reportedly made a deal to break its lease at the Meadowlands’ Izod Center and move to the Prudential Center in Newark for two years. The team still expects to move to Brooklyn in 2012, despite the many roadblocks the arena there has run into.

- State legislation that would ban smoking at beaches, amusement parks and racetracks in New Jersey is now on hold.

- The federal National Labor Relations Board has issued a complaint against Jersey City-based nursing home operator Omni Health Systems. The complaint alleges that the company, which operates three Hudson County nursing homes, has violated several labor laws, including refusing to reinstate 14 striking workers and harassing and intimidating workers for participating in lawful union activities.

- County jail assistant director Tom Fricchione, who served as city councilman for Wards A and B between 1981 and 1989, was found dead in his home yesterday. Fricchione was also the treasurer of disgraced former Ward B councilman Phil Kenny’s 2009 election campaign.

- Former mayor Gerry McCann is mixing it up in a political fight in Rutherford.

- The Philadelphia scrap company Northeast Metal Traders Inc. is suing Jersey City’s Northeast Iron & Metal Inc. for allegedly infringing on its trademark and common law rights by using its name to attract customers. At issue is the Jersey City company’s website, www.northeastmetals.com, which the Philly company alleges violates its trademark.

- Horn Tootin’ Time: Blue Jersey has some nice things to say about us.

- Representatives from local hospitals showed up at yesterday’s Board of Freeholders meeting to question a proposed county contract with the Jersey City Medical Center for ambulance dispatching services.

- The Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO) won a court victory on Monday when a judge ruled that their use of the term “coke dealer” to describe a former aide to Union City mayor and then-Assemblyman Brian Stack was not defamation, even though the aide’s drug conviction had been expunged.

- Francine Shelton was sworn in Monday as Hudson County’s first female African-American undersheriff.

- Apna Bazar looks like its moving into the former Tiffin Box space on Kennedy Boulevard near India Square. As Jersey City Construction points out, the store’s sign could use a little proofreading.

In statewide news:

- Bad budget news: Gov. Corzine has detailed $839 million in cuts and savings to help the state close a budget gap of nearly $1 billion. Meanwhile, Gov.-elect Chris Christie is going to try to cut state spending by as much as 25 percent in fiscal year 2010-11.

- Good and bad ‘complete streets’ news: The New Jersey Department of Transportation has adopted a complete streets policy, a concept that requires new or rehabilitated roads to be built for all users, including walkers, cyclist, transit riders, and drivers. But the Tri-State Transportation Campaign says the new policy “contains overly broad exceptions and lacks any public process, both of which could undermine its effectiveness.”

- A report commissioned by Public Advocate Ronald Chen concludes that the state could save up to $27 billion over the long term by taking steps today to prevent childhood lead poisoning.

- President Obama has issued a disaster declaration and ordered federal aid to help repair damage in the shore communities affected by the November nor’easter.

- Gov. Corzine signed an executive order yesterday that created the “Non-Public Education Funding Commission,” a 23-member panel that will consider the challenges and educational needs of New Jersey’s 1,200 non-public school children and recommend how the state can play a role in improving their education.

- Officials now say that robbery may have been the motive in this week’s stabbing that killed a Jersey City mother and wounded her infant. No one has been arrested as of yet, and the baby remains in critical but stable condition at University Hospital in Newark.

- Former Ward B councilwoman and Jersey City Parking Authority director Mary Spinello has quietly set up a campaign account for the 2011 state senate Democratic primary in District 31.

- The Hudson County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 118 people on outstanding warrants and charged a county employee with interfering with the investigation.

- Teachers at the Liberty Academy Charter School have a meeting scheduled with the school’s board of trustees tonight after holding a sit-in at the school last week to protest changes to their health care plans that require employee contributions.

- Looks like New York mayor Michael Bloomberg will be coming to a Jersey City charter school next month; that’s just one of the items to come out of Bloomberg’s first meeting with Gov.-elect Chris Christie.

- Remember that Port Authority budget we told you about earlier this week? Yesterday the agency’s board passed it; no PATH fare increases or toll increases, but there will be 150 layoffs.

- Police in Manchester Township have arrested a 16-year-old Brick Township boy in connection with a bias crime at the home of a Jersey City firefighter.

- Look out for lane closures coming up soon at the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels.

In statewide news:

- Assembly speaker Joseph Roberts says he has not set a hearing date for the same-sex marriage bill. Meanwhile, advocates of the bill say it’s not only the right thing to do, but it would make economic sense as well.

- Lots of action in Trenton yesterday: The Senate approved a bill that would require restaurant owners with 20 or more locations nationally to post calorie information for food and beverages on all indoor and drive-through menu boards; a bill providing better reimbursement for the 60 family planning clinics operating in New Jersey that serve low-income and uninsured women; and a bill that would change the way the state’s paid family leave insurance payments would be calculated.

- Immigrant rights advocates are calling on lawmakers to pass a bill to allow all New Jerseyans to pay in-state college tuition, regardless of immigration status.

- Among the New York Times staffers taking the paper’s buyout this week is Tina Kelley, who helped launch and oversaw the Times‘ hyperlocal sites in New Jersey.

- We all know that Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy is Official 4 in the criminal complaints made public last week. Now we know that his former chief of staff, Carl Czaplicki, who is the director of the city’s Department of Housing, Economic Development & Commerce, is Official 3. Czaplicki, like Healy, has not been charged with anything.

- Federal investigators have subpoenaed information from the city regarding the seven city employees who were charged in the corruption sweep. The records, which are being collected by the city’s law department, include emails, phone records, appointment books, calendars, message pads and telephone logs.

- Outside of federal court in Newark, the attorney for L. Harvey Smith says the Assemblyman “is completely innocent and was just doing conscientiously his job as an elected official for the people of his district.” Meanwhile, Lori Serrano’s attorney says she “is caught up in the web of deceit.”

- The Record looks at the links between powerful development interests and New Jersey policymakers in the wake of the corruption probe. The paper, pointing to recent legislation tilted towards developers, finds the ties have never been stronger.

- Many of the politicians and officials caught up in last week’s sweep are likely to claim entrapment as a legal defense; they’ll say that the CW, Solomon Dwek, set them up just to get himself out of a jam. But legal experts tell the Star-Ledger that this strategy rarely works in court; they also rightly note that few of those accused will opt to face a trial, given the tapes that exist and the recent heavy sentences meted out in corruption cases. Look for a lot of plea deals, and perhaps some flipping on others — a scenario explored in a little more detail by Bob Braun.

- The Times asks the question: Why is New Jersey so corrupt? The paper finds a “culture of corruption so ingrained that it has become impossible to resist when the envelope appears.”

- Writing in TIME, New Jersey native Bill Saporito takes a moment to look at the bright side of last week’s bust: “It shows how wonderfully diverse New Jersey has become,” he writes. “Look at the names on yesterday’s arrest list, and it’s a beautiful rainbow of wretchedness.” Also: “None of those charged has been fingered by the Feds as being a member of the Mafia. So many new groups are now involved in corrupting New Jersey that the Mob must have been crowded out of the market. We’re talking progress, people.”

- An attorney in the PNC Bank case against Solomon Dwek notes that his role as an FBI informant was the “worst-kept secret in New Jersey.”

- The corruption probe has given Republican state Sen. Marcia Karrow a new reason to criticize the amount of money the state gives ailing cities in municipal aid. Karrow is calling for a freeze in the aid and an audit.

In other news:

- OK, we all know that New Jersey’s roads — particularly Jersey City’s — are in sore shape. Many of them are getting fresh looks — paving, light repairs, etc. — from an injunction of federal stimulus dollars. “But the stimulus money is a one-shot deal to finance repairs long delayed,” transportation planners tell the Times. “To redress years of neglect, states would need to find a way to significantly increase spending and refocus their priorities.”

- A Hudson County jury has awarded $70,000 to a corrections officer for economic and emotional damages stemming from alleged violations of worker compensation and discrimination laws.

- Six people were injured in a shooting early Saturday morning.

In statewide news:

- Gov. Corzine on Saturday tapped Bergen County Democrat Loretta Weinberg as his lieutenant governor. The Record has a good piece on her roots in local activism.

- Meanwhile, Corzine is calling for tougher gun control laws, and painting himself as tougher on crime than his opponent Chris Christie.

- Leaders at the agencies most responsible for New Jersey’s child-protection agency say the state will no longer publicly disclose the details of DYFS prior actions when a child it has supervised dies from abuse or neglect.

- The state Attorney General’s Office has filed a motion to dismiss the Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s lawsuit against the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection over that agency’s approval of permits for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to widen the Garden State Parkway.

- The wet June weather has wreaked havoc on the summer’s butterfly population, causing a steep decline throughout much of New Jersey.