We’re looking for someone who’s local, engaged in local and state news and interested in getting involved in our small, indie publication more for the love of their community than money — this is a paid part-time position, but we don’t have a mainstream-media bank account.

If you’re interested, submit a letter and resume to info@jerseycityindependent.com.

In an editorial published today, the Star-Ledger cites JCI‘s reporting last week as one more example of why “it’s time for a change” at the top of Jersey City’s school district. While the Ledger, which has called for Epps to leave before, does refer to district spokeswoman Paula Christen’s vague contention that Epps has only been taking vacation days “here and there” this summer, it points out — as we did in an editor’s note — that her comments raise plenty of doubts:

Paula Christen, Epps’ spokeswoman, countered to the Jersey Journal on Thursday that Epps has been in and out of the office all summer, taking vacation days “here and there,” without saying how many. Yesterday, she was apparently on vacation herself and unable to clarify.

As of today, JCI is still waiting on the request we made Friday for a full accounting of Epps’ vacation days this summer (the Journal has also requested this information).

Moreover, the Ledger again echoes our editor’s note to point out that to quibble over the number of vacation days misses the larger point about what’s going on for the teachers:

Yet for hundreds of recently laid-off teachers, the story is the same. They’re still anxiously awaiting Epps’ decision on whether or not they’ll be rehired in time for an orderly start to the school year. Increased state aid could save their jobs. But Epps has left them and their students in limbo, just like his contract with the district.

While JCI‘s editorial board has never called for Epps to resign, we’re certainly pleased that our reporting has raised some eyebrows.

Photo: Steve Gold

- Corruption: Jurors in the corruption trial of former Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell yesterday saw hidden-camera videos of two 2009 meetings between Elwell and Solomon Dwek, the federal informant who was posing as a real-estate developer.

- Library Donation: Jersey City nine-year-old Paul Valleau has donated a $1,000 check to the Jersey City Free Public Library’s Summer Reading Program, a 35-year-old initiative that serves nearly 500 youth with 16,000 books per year.

- Schundler: Virginia’s education chief was picked yesterday over former New Jersey education commissioner and Jersey City mayor Bret Schundler and three others to run Florida’s public school system.

- Tayari’s Storage Auction: Items reportedly belonging to Jersey City Deputy Mayor Kabili Tayari will be put up for sale at a public auction by a storage facility, though Tayari says it is all a misunderstanding and he is paid up on his bills.

- Cops Seek Help Seeking Alleged Rapist: Authorities are seeking the public’s help in capturing a man they say sexually assaulted a 22-year-old Jersey City woman earlier this month.

Today’s Best Bets:

- Ladies on the Mic takes over Groove on Grove today, with featured performances by Karen Davis, Melinda Davis, Chrissy Roberts, Kate Hedman, Plastiq Passion and The Aster Pheonyx Project (6 pm). The Actors Shakespeare Company at NJCU kicks off three days of performances of its latest ASC Labs production, Arcadia, at the West Side Theater (7:30 pm). And The King’s Speech gets screened for free in Van Vorst Park as part of the Films in Van Vorst series (8:30 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Dems to Intro Budget: Under pressure to regain control of the issues in Trenton, Democratic sources said Tuesday that legislators plan to introduce their own budget next week that will include money for police departments and property tax relief for the elderly.

- State Workers: Already reeling from legislation that will require state workers to pay thousands of dollars more each year toward their pensions and healthcare coverage, union leaders fear that Gov. Christie will be the first governor in state history to unilaterally impose contract terms on their members. As NJ Spotlight notes, they have cause for concern.

- Teacher Evaluation: The New Jersey Education Department has announced a $1.1 million grant program to encourage school districts to take part in a pilot program tying teacher evaluations to student performance.

- Christie Budget & Childcare Cuts: Gov. Christie’s proposed budget would cut funding for government-subsidized day care centers and preschools by $30 million.

- Using NJ’s Transpo $ for Flood Relief? U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey has proposed an amendment that would divert $1 billion of the money given to railroad projects in New Jersey and New York for relief in areas ravaged by flooding along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

- NJN: A political showdown over the fate of New Jersey public television is in the works in Trenton, where two lawmakers have introduced resolutions to kill the Christie administration’s deal giving WNET rights to management manage New Jersey public broadcasting.

- More Newspaper Layoffs: Pink slips have gone out to 36 people at four New Jersey newspapers owned by Gannett as part of 700 layoffs nationwide.

- Beach Badges for Military: Oceanfront towns now can provide free or discounted beach badges to active duty military personnel and their immediate families under a law signed Tuesday by Gov. Christie.

- ’100 Steps’: The long-delayed “100 Steps” restoration is one step closer to completion now that Jersey City officials have completed a deal with a developer to pick up the tab for most of the project’s cost.

- Tax Protest: Nearly 300 people gathered in Journal Square yesterday for a MoveOn.org-sponsored rally to urge big banks to pay more taxes.

- Abbey’s: The owner of Abbey’s Pub and Grill on Monmouth Street is furious at the city for tearing out the wheelchair ramp that led to his pub. Ironically, the ramp was demolished as part of the city’s efforts to make the neighborhood more handicapped-accessible.

- New Statue in Lincoln Park: Last week saw a new addition to Lincoln Park: an 18-foot statue commemorating the victims and survivors of the Great Irish Famine.

- NAACP: Dozens of members of the NAACP Jersey City chapter streamed into the Metropolitan AME Zion Church on Bergen Avenue last night to nominate and vote for officers of the organization, but results are apparently not yet known.

In Statewide News:

- Medical Marijuana: State employees tasked with monitoring the state’s medical marijuana program, as well as the state-licensed dispensaries of the drug, could face prosecution under federal law according to recent letter issued by U.S. Attorneys in Washington State.

- Education: As testing drives state education policy more and more, New Jersey has formally signed on with a national group developing the next generation of standardized tests, ones that take place over the course of the school year and could have computers asking the questions.

- Power Providers: For the first time in a decade, there are options for customers looking to cut their electricity bills, a trend retail energy suppliers hope will spur the state to make it easier for ratepayers to switch power companies.

- Carl Lewis: An administrative law judge will hear arguments on whether to allow Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis to continue to run for New Jersey Senate.

- Pulitzers: Star-Ledger reporter Amy Ellis Nutt was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing Monday for “The Wreck of The Lady Mary,” an exhaustive investigation into the mysterious sinking of a fishing boat off the coast of Cape May.

- Open Space: New Jersey is spending nearly $28 million to preserve 1,900 acres of land as open space in Monmouth, Mercer and Burlington counties.

- Small-Biz Lending: The number of U.S. Small Business Administration-backed loans to New Jersey businesses rose 13 percent in the first half of the fiscal year, while dollar volume rose 48 percent, despite an end to federal SBA incentives that fueled lending in the past.

- School Vouchers: As debate continues over New Jersey’s foray into private school vouchers, a new non-partisan analysis of the proposed Opportunity Scholarship Act backs some of the numbers that are being thrown around by supporters while contesting others. The proposal 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.

- Spectra & the BOE: The Board of Education is set to vote tonight on whether to accept a grant of a thousand dollars from Houston-based energy conglomerate Spectra Energy, the company bidding to extend a wholesale natural gas pipeline sixteen miles through Bayonne and Jersey City.

- Bus Service: Buses are running again on Bergen Avenue — albeit running on a modified schedule and under new ownership.

- Corruption Hearing Postponed: Yesterday’s highly anticipated status hearing on corruption charges against several Jersey City figures snared in 2009′s sweeping corruption probe was canceled as prosecutors continued to ponder whether to file another appeal of a ruling that would result in dismissal of many charges.

- Budget Protest: A group of local activists and NJCU students will protest the state’s proposed budget cuts in front of Citigroup in Downtown Jersey City this morning.

- The Monaco to Start Leasing: New Jersey’s tallest rental building, the two-tower Monaco on Washington Street, has received its first temporary certificate of occupancy and is ready to start leasing. Rents will start at $1,600 for studio apartments and $5,300 for three-bedroom penthouses.

- Live Ordnance Found: A live 120mm round was found yesterday morning at an East Linden Avenue scrap metal yard.

In Statewide News:

- Christie Wants More Veto Power: Gov. Christie has renewed his call to expand his office’s oversight of the state’s independent authorities. MORE from the Ledger.

- Property Taxes: Gov. Christie has fingered Democrats for a jump in the average property tax bill in 2010.

- Patch.com & Cory Booker: Hyperlocal behemoth Patch.com has announced that it is going to roll out coverage in Newark “in partnership with Newark Mayor Cory Booker,” an arrangement that Los Angeles Times media writer James Rainey criticizes in a column.

- Banning Bath Salts: Two members of the state Assembly plan to introduce legislation aimed at halting New Jersey sales of over-the-counter bath salts containing a powerful stimulant that may have played a factor in the weekend killing of a 22-year-old woman.

As a temp I worked for the Sassy publishing company at large which ran several other women’s magazines, including the seminal Ms. In order to get hired as a staffer I had to get noticed. I was mindful of always being super-friendly, resourceful, and above everything else, wearing extremely cute and quirky outfits. Delivering a package to the fashion editors’ den would invite very non-discreet once-overs from the editors, like you were the new girl strolling into the cafeteria on her first day of school. My heart pounded as some fashionista inevitably snapped, “Is that VINTAGE?” But I could tell she liked whatever it was she was asking about.

Though I ended up working in the art, not fashion, department one’s style-sense made a statement about your own inner-sassiness. Apparently I had it and seemed to be a good fit in every respect. My time at Sassy was short-lived, however, due to a major art department shake-up, but one experience there changed me forever.

Each year the magazine invited their readers to apply for every single masthead position — from managing editor to art director. They called it “The Reader Produced Issue” and for that month everything in the magazine was written, photographed, edited, and designed by real teenagers. If you wanted to work in editorial, you had to send writing samples; in fashion, you sent ideas for fashion spreads and so forth. In the art department I was tasked with opening hundreds of graphic design samples and photo collages — all with the expectation of accepting those few teens for positions in my department.

I took this selection process very seriously, like an admissions dean at a top-notch university. In fact, I was so impressed by some of the entries that I went against the “no returns” rule and sent many one-of-a-kind pieces back to those applicants who did a great job but didn’t make the cut. I’d pen a hand-written note saying, “We loved your entry so much and want you to know that you were in the top ten of our selections; you show a great deal of potential as a photographer — please stay with it!” I couldn’t bear to throw away the original sketches or photos that these teenagers had sent to us in hopes of winning the chance to produce the magazine. Later on, I received a whole bunch of gushing thank you notes, some saying that this was just as good as winning the actual position.

Finally our selections were made and we informed the winners that they would be flown to New York City, stay at a hotel (all on the magazine’s budget) and would be expected to get to work at the crack of 10 am for their first staff meeting. I chose a boy from upstate New York to be the fashion photographer. He later told me that his photographer dad had sold photos of him as a baby for stock images. One of those photos was purchased and retouched into the original “Bat Boy” image from the National Enquirer. We also selected these two exuberantly creative identical twins for the coveted job of art director — they would set the tone in terms of the magazine’s look.

Upon their arrival the teenagers’ excitement was palpable; most were in New York City for the very first time. They were meeting their publishing “idols” in the flesh, and they were about to take on a pretty serious responsibility: producing a national magazine basically on their own. When they were not working, we as staff members were assigned times to “chaperone” by taking them to restaurants and events throughout the city. I noticed that a few of the staffers groaned at this extra task. I, on the other hand, signed up to do everything possible with them: their first Indian food, the Circle Line, Empire State Building, strolling down St. Marks Place — I loved every minute of it.

It was obvious that this was a life-changing event for these kids. It was validation, from real and tangible authorities, that they were truly GOOD at what they did; they were promising writers, designers, and artists. They were chosen from thousands of applicants to go behind the scenes and generate the very magazine that they read from cover to cover each month. I completely related to their enthusiasm because I too was a bona fide fan of the publication. I got myself into the club via a complex web of connections and determination; it was my pleasure to assist their entry and quite possibly alter the course of their lives.

This experience, though a mere part of our responsibilities as Sassy staffers, impacted me greatly and awakened my love not just for all things “teenage” but for the satisfaction of working with kids during those very tender and impressionable years. To this day, I will occasionally run into some of those teens who in fact moved to New York and pursued careers in publishing and the arts; they always embrace me with such warmth and gratitude, including the willowy photo editor who cried out to me in an art gallery, “I was YOU!! I was YOU, Jayne Falcon!”

This preamble leads to Part II where I resurrect the teenage experience as a childbirth educator for pregnant teens in local Jersey City schools. Stay tuned.

- Habitat for Humanity Fights with a JC-Based Contractor: Habitat for Humanity’s local chapter and the Jersey City company Clear Flow Inc. have an ongoing dispute regarding work on an Ocean Avenue project.

- Dan Finn Classic: Six basketball games will be on tap Saturday at the 7th Annual Dan Finn Classic at the Jersey City Armory.

- Pedestrian Struck Near Washington Park: A female pedestrian was taken to the hospital in “very critical condition” last night after she was struck by a car at Webster Avenue and Paterson Plank Road.

- ARC Tunnel: Democrats are pushing to rescind a toll increase on New Jersey’s roads that was earmarked to pay for the trans-Hudson rail tunnel. Gov. Christie hopes to use the money to shore up the troubled Transportation Trust Fund instead. Meanwhile, the federal government has granted NJ Transit more time to decide on whether it will reimburse the U. S. Department of Transportation for $271 million spent on the tunnel.

Today’s Best Bets:

- Jersey City’s Black Water and Brooklyn-based The Press play a free show at Lucky 7′s (8:30 pm), while just down the block, Sean Donnelly hosts the latest installment of the Shut Up & Laugh comedy night at the Lamp Post, featuring performances by comedians Hilary Schwartz, Phil Rivo, Emily Epstein, Amy Daulton and Raquel D’Apice (9 pm)

In Statewide News:

- Killing the Higher-Ed Tuition Cap: Gov. Christie says he’s anxious to do away with caps on tuition increases at four-year state colleges, adding that college presidents should be free to seek “market prices” and be given broader autonomy for nearly all management matters.

- Affordable Housing: Both houses of the Legislature have passed a controversial bill that overhauls the state’s affordable housing system, but it is likely to be vetoed by the governor.

- Day Laborers & Wage Theft: A new Seton Hall Law School report finds that day laborers in New Jersey are routinely underpaid for their work and denied overtime. You can find the full report here.

- Jobs Bills: Finishing their “Back to Work New Jersey” package, Democrats in the state Legislature have passed about a dozen bills intended to spur the state’s economy. MORE from NJ Spotlight.

- Gov’s Nominees Set to Expire: Dozens of Gov. Christie’s nominations for posts with state commissions, agencies and judgeships are set to expire if the state Senate does not clear them by this afternoon. Yesterday, the Senate committee moved on 32 of the nominees, and a full vote is expected this morning.

- A&P Parent Company Gets Big Loan: Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., the bankrupt operator of almost 400 supermarkets under names including A&P and Pathmark, has won approval of an $800 million loan over objections from bondholders.

- Prudential Center: The Prudential Center was a hot ticket for concerts and shows last year, doing better than the Izod Center in the Meadowlands for the first time since the Newark arena opened four years ago.

- Ratepayer-Subsidy Bill: The legislature gave final approval yesterday to a controversial bill meant to lower the cost of electricity in New Jersey by having ratepayers subsidize the construction of new power plants — but it took new amendments and some behind-the-scenes lobbying to get the measure passed.

- Gravino Gets Seat on Turnpike Authority: After a contentious hearing yesterday morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee narrowly approved Ron Gravino as a commissioner on the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

- Media Layoffs: Gannett newspapers has reportedly announced plans to lay off half of its reporters at three central New Jersey newspapers as of February 4.

- Atlantic City & The Ponies: Bills to create an Atlantic City tourism district and boost horse racing received full approvals Monday night after a marathon session in the state legislature.

- Freeholder Reorg: Hudson County Freeholder William O’Dea of Jersey City is the chairman of the Board of Freeholders for 2011, receiving an unanimous vote of approval from his fellow county legislators at last night’s reorganization session.

- Police Chase: Four Newark men who led Jersey City police on a wild car chase Monday night were eventually arrested in Kearny and charged with resisting arrest and unlawful possession of weapons.

Today’s Best Bets:

- A new weekly open mic/jam session for musicians and others kicks off tonight at the Lamp Post. Hosted by Roland Ramos, “The Tempest” gets going at 8:30 pm. And Bryan Beninghove brings a guitar-less jazz quartet to Bar Majestic for a free show (8:30 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Higher Ed: New Jersey will take another swipe at reorganizing public graduate medical education in the state — revisiting a plan to merge portions of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey with Rutgers. The report that calls for the merger study also says there should be more public spending on the state’s beleaguered colleges and universities. MORE from the Times.

- Gas Tax: As the debate continues over whether New Jersey should increase its low gas tax to shore up the nearly bankrupt transportation fund that pays for road and bridge repairs, a new NJPIRG report cautions that gas taxes and other vehicle charges have rarely paid the full cost of building and maintaining highways. MORE from NJ Biz and the Asbury Park Press.

- Education: The state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this morning on whether Gov. Christie’s cuts in education funding are constitutional. MORE from Bloomberg News.

- Reform Jersey Now: Democratic state senator Loretta Weinberg is calling for state and federal investigations of Reform Jersey Now, a non-profit organization that pushed Governor Christie’s legislative agenda and was tied to some of the governor’s closest advisers.

- Residential Treatment Facilities Closing: The state will close two publicly-run residential treatment facilities that are home to 39 children with mental illness or who come from abusive families.

- AC-NYC Train Service Suspended for Winter: The rail line connecting New York gamblers to Atlantic City casinos is eliminating service between January 14 and May 13 due to low winter ridership.

- Dusty McNichol: The longtime statehouse reporter died suddenly Tuesday. He was 54. MORE from the Ledger, where McNichol won a Pulitzer Prize. Meanwhile, another former Ledger reporter, Eleanor Barrett, has died of a heart attack.

- NAACP: Jersey City Deputy Mayor Kabili Tayari was re-elected as president of the Jersey City NAACP branch Wednesday.

- Subway Extension into HudCo: Local lawmakers are giving a thumbs up to NYC’s preliminary plans to extend the 7 subway line into Hoboken and Secaucus. And as the Times points out, the Jersey City resident Steve Lanset had the same idea about five years ago; he even created the website SubwaytoSecaucus.com. Meanwhile, the Record notes that the proposal would not provide the transfer-free ride into New York that most North Jersey commuters would have gotten with the ARC tunnel project.

- Man Dies from Fire Injuries: The man who ran back into the burning building he owns on Clendenny Avenue last week has died.

Today’s Best Bets:

- It’s a great evening for local film buffs, with three screenings to choose from. The documentary War Against the Weak has a free screening at NJCU (7 pm; for more on the film, check out our preview discussion with the director); the action/comedy/zombie feature Death of the Dead will be shown at Fete Films’ latest gathering at the Paul Vincent Gallery just over the line in Hoboken (7 pm); and The Warehouse hosts a free screening of Synecdoche, New York (7 pm).

But if film’s not your thing, there’s still plenty going on. A reception featuring work from NEW cover artist Andrew Blaize Bovasso will be in Hamilton Square’s lobby (6 pm), the actor/activist Edward James Olmos will speak at Hudson County Community College (6 pm), and the Attic Ensemble gets its final weekend of Les Liaisons Dangereuses rolling with an 8 pm performance at Barrow Mansion.

For live music, you can check out saxophonist Allen Won, who will be performing for free at NJCU as part of the university’s Great Performers Series (7:30 pm); or swing by Bar Majestic for a free show featuring The Micks and DEViTO! (8 pm).

And Global Entrepreneurship Week continues in full swing today, with the main events being two evening fundraisers. The International Institute of New Jersey hosts a wine tasting and networking fundraiser at the Loew’s Theater (6 pm); while the group that puts the entire week together, Rising Tide Capital, hosts a “friend-raiser” at The Merchant featuring Oprah’s Big Give winner Stephen Paletta and live music from Kelly St. Patrick (7 pm).

In Statewide News:

- Municipal Convention: Not surprisingly, municipal officials gathered in Atlantic City this week for the League of Municipalities convention are focused on cost-cutting and shared services. MORE: Former governors discuss Gov. Christie’s first year in office at the convention.

- Superintendent Pay Cap: The state can’t rush the process and impose a new salary cap on superintendents before formal regulations are adopted, according to the lobbying group representing the schools chiefs.

- Christie Filing Against Offshore Natural Gas Pipeline: The Christie administration is backing up its opposition to a liquefied natural gas facility 16 miles off the New Jersey coast by seeking to intervene in the case before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; local activists in Jersey City are pressuring the administration to do the same thing here once Spectra Energy files its formal plans for a natural gas pipeline extension.

- Gift Card Plan Halted: A federal judge has put a temporary stop to New Jersey’s plan to generate up to $80 million from unused gift cards, calling cards and money orders. The judge’s restraining order is in effect until a hearing can be held.

- ELEC Complaint Against Dems: The state’s election watchdog agency has slapped the state Democratic Party with a complaint, charging that it made illegal in-kind contributions to Gov. Jon Corzine’s unsuccessful re-election campaign last year.

- Anti-Smoking Efforts: New Jersey ranks 46th in the nation in funding programs to prevent kids from smoking and to help smokers quit, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society.

- Menendez Recall: New Jersey’s Supreme Court is expected to rule today on whether a citizens group has the right to try to recall Sen. Bob Menendez.

- Tax Refund $ Still Out There: The IRS says it has nearly $7 million worth of tax refund checks to give to thousands of New Jerseyans that were returned to the IRS due to mailing address errors.

- Cop2Cop Turns 10: The counseling and suicide prevention service for police officers celebrated its 10-year anniversary this week.

- Margolin Leaving Ledger: Pulitzer-winning statehouse reporter Josh Margolin is leaving the Star-Ledger to take a gig at the New York Post.

The theme of this year’s residency, which begins in January and culminates in a March exhibition, is New News is Old News.

“In our society, the importance of news has shifted; some would argue that it has been elasticized or else devalued,” the call for work reads. “In many respects, we have created an endless source of updated information online, a bottomless pit of patter. We cannot possibly consume all the news and commentary published online, and while few people have the time to read the entire newspaper, even fewer can keep up with the minute-to-minute updates via Twitter, blogs, online publications, and RSS feeds.”

_gaia is looking for 10 artists “to consider this new concept of real time media and the ramifications of our evolving relationship with news.”

The artists who are accepted will meet as a group at _gaia’s Downtown studio each Sunday from January 16 through February 20 to discuss and critique works in progress over a potluck lunch. All accepted applicants must commit to all Sunday meetings, and at the end of the program there will be a group exhibition.

The deadline for submissions is December 13; for more information you can download the full call for work here, or email wonderwomen (at) gaiastudio.org with any questions.