Thursday, May 17, 2012
Public officials discuss Bancroft purchase behind closed doors.
News of the proposed public purchase of the Bancroft property on Kings Highway East has been hard to come by lately. After several well-attended, high-profile public meetings at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, the plan is now only discussed in closed session in public meetings, which means the public is shut out of the discussion. It happened again on Monday when the borough Board of Commissioners voted to go into a closed session to discuss Bancroft at the end of a nearly three-hour work session that was open to the public. The school board has used the same tactic, as well. Officials have said some negotiations need to be behind closed doors, such as discussions of personnel matters and the purchase of property. They…
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
NJ’s governor and Cory Booker channel Seinfeld in video parody for correspondents show.
Just because they're the state's two most prominent politicians doesn't mean they don't have a sense of humor. The office of Gov. Chris Christie yesterday released a lighthearted video co-starring Newark Mayor Cory Booker as a peripatetic go-to guy, riffing off his now national-scale image as a man of action following his rescue of a neighbor from a burning building several weeks ago. As the Democratic mayor of the state's largest city is depicted doing everything from coming up with a spare guitar for Bruce Springsteen to catching a falling baby, a faux-frustrated Christie hisses "Booker!" The video was produced for the New Jersey Press Association's Legislative Correspondents Club show.
Measure aimed at staving off 'relentless' toll increases, assemblyman says
A group of Ocean County state legislators have proposed a bill that would allow commuters to claim a tax credit if they spend $1,000 or more on highway tolls per year. Sen. Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Dave Wolfe and Greg McGuckin (all R-10) proposed the bill in their respective chambers Tuesday. If it becomes law, commuters would be able to receive a $1,000 state income tax credit if their E-ZPass toll accounts register $1,000 or more in toll payments in a given year. Holzapfel said the law is aimed at providing relief for commuters who have seen "relentless" toll increases in recent years. "By providing commuters with a means to offset a portion of their commuting costs, our bill recognizes that these taxpayers are paying more than …
Monday, May 14, 2012
A look at what commissioner will discuss in work session tonight.
The Haddonfield Board of Commissioners will meet for a work session tonight at 5 p.m. at the Municipal Hall. No ordinances or resolutions are passed in work sessions but public policy is discussed and sometimes agreed upon. Here's a look at tonight's agenda items:
Republican legislators propose naming a highway in northwestern New Jersey for the nation's 40th president.
"The Great Communicator" may soon have a stretch of New Jersey highway named after him. Under a bill introduced earlier this year by Republican legislators in the Democrat-controlled Assembly, the late President Ronald Reagan would have a state highway in northwestern New Jersey named in his honor, according to a Star-Ledger article. Only one former president—Warren Harding—has received such as an accolade in New Jersey, with a 4-mile section of Route 48 in Salem County named in his honor, according to the article. If approved by the state Assembly and Senate, and then signed by Gov. Christopher J. Christie, the proposed legislation would designate Route 15, a 19.5-mile state highway in northwestern New Jersey, as the "Ronald Reagan …
Local employers are looking to hire in a variety of fields.
Senator James Beach, Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald and Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt (all D-Camden/Burlington), will hold a job fair on Wednesday at the National Guard Armory in Cherry Hill. The event will bring together a diverse mix of local employers looking to hire, as well as helpful state services for unemployed individuals and struggling families. The job fair will be held Wednesday, May 16, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Cherry Hill National Guard Armory, 2001 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill 08002. For planning purposes, those wishing to attend are asked to register online or by calling 856-435-1247. “In these tough economic times, many New Jerseyans are struggling to find a job,” said Beach. “Our 6th District job fair will …
Sunday, May 13, 2012
The New Jersey Legislature bill concerns sex offenders and those who harbor them.
"Jessica's Law"—a bill that would require electronic monitoring for certain sex offenders—could advance in the New Jersey Senate when it comes up for a committee vote on June 4, an activist said. The bill (S-380) concerns the sentencing of sex offenders and those who harbor them. It seeks to create child protection zones. After a long battle for a vote, the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee is due to consider the measure next month, said Galloway resident Anna Jezycki, who has fought for the measure to become law. “I spoke with Sen. (Donald) Norcross last week and he told me it would come before a vote June 4,” Jezycki said. “There’s a couple of (bills) out there, but the one we’re standing behind is coming up for a vote.” A …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Conservatives are pleased, but one Democratic critic thinks Christie's veto is just to "burnish his conservative credentials" for a possible VP run with Mitt Romney.
After months of mulling his options, Gov. Chris Christie vetoed state legislation Thursday that would have established a health insurance exchange in New Jersey, a fundamental step in implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—known coloquially as "Obamacare"—in the state . Christie had until Thursday, May 10, to make a decision on Assembly Bill #2171, passed by the state Legislature in March, or the bill would have become law, with or without his signature. Christie said that because the U.S. Supreme Court decided to take on issue in March, just 10 days after the New Jersey Assembly passed the health exchange bill, the Affordable Care Act "might not survive [legal] scrutiny." "Because it is not known whether the …
New Jersey Arts Education Census Project surveys nearly all schools to compare arts education offerings.
A statewide survey of arts education programs in New Jersey schools to be released Thursday finds a correlation between schools with more arts education programs and greater proficiency scores on the language sections of the state's High School Proficiency Assessment. The report is a follow-up to one conducted in 2007, and is a joint project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the state Department of Education, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey Arts Education Partnership, ArtPride New Jersey Foundation and Quadrant Arts Education Research. According to Robert Morrison, project coordinator of the report and founder of Quadrant Arts Education Research, the report compiled survey responses from about 99 percent of the …
About half of poll respondents approve of President Obama's job performance.
Our Republican governor gets good marks from the Garden State, but so does our Democratic president, according to the latest poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind . Barack Obama also has a solid lead over Mitt Romney in New Jersey, according to the poll—especially among women. Read the full statement from FDU below, then take our own poll to let us know what you think? According the latest poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind, 50 percent of New Jersey voters say they approve of the way the president is handling his job, while 42 percent disapprove. These numbers mirror the support expressed by New Jerseyans for their Republican governor, Chris Christie, as reported yesterday: 56 percent approve of the job …
Maryann Campling
7:54 am on Friday, May 18, 2012
Messrs. Kenny, Hess, Kelly, etc. you are all absolutely correct in your observations and comments. I am still trying to process the fact that the BOE negotiated this deal directly with Bancroft. How did that happen?! And, is it "legal"? As an east-ender, who has been described as living on the outskirts of Haddonfield, I have contended with the threat of over/inappropriate development of the … more ›