News Round-up and Open Thread for Tuesday, September 12

by: Sharon GR

Tue Sep 12, 2006 at 09:25:54 AM EDT

• The US Justice Dept. states that forcing telephone companies to comply with subpeonas issued by the NJ Attorney General's Office may reveal state secrets. Our Fair State wants to investigate the release of customer records to the NSA, and counters that since everybody and their cousin knows about the program, there are no 'secrets' to be revealed. The State also argued that the federal lawsuit oversteps the boundary of state sovereignty.
• The city of Newark may lay off up to 20% of its municipal workforce in response to a huge budget deficit. Between 400 and 800 employees could lose their jobs in an attempt to cut waste and slow spending, according to Mayor Cory Booker.
• Union Local President Jerry Collins is "cautiously optimistic" that the nurses' strike at RWJ University Hospital will end this week. A federal mediator has become involved in talks between the hospital and the nurses, who have been on strike for almost three weeks.
• An airline employee let a relative bypass security yesterday, resulting in a shutdown of part of terminal C in Newark Liberty Airport. The man was stopped when he tried to board an airplane without a boarding pass. On the 9/11 anniversary. Really.
• The civil trial about the Trenton Mayoral election began yesterday, with Tony Mack attempting to show election fraud, including disenfranchised voters and other election law violations. If Mack wins the case, the May 9th vote re-electing Mayor Doug Palmer may be declared void.
• No contamination: The state has new regulations requiring day-care centers in Our Fair State to show they are not within 400ft. of a contaminated site before they can open. The regulations are in response to the center in Franklin which was found to be on contaminated soil.
• Some contamination: Gov. Corzine and local residents feel that plans allowed or being considered by the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission for decontamination at two South Jersey sites are inadequate. The former Heritage Minerals in Manchester Twp (Ocean County) has removed radioactive waste to levels acceptable years ago when the plan was developed and plans to build 2,450 senior housing units on the site; critics want it cleaned up to currently acceptable levels. ShieldAlloy in Newfield (Gloucester County) wants to cap their radioactive waste on-site "with dirt and rocks" at a significant cost savings rather than ship it to specialized landfills.
• State Sen. Bill Gormley is pushing for Atlantic City to become a leader in off-shore wind power, proposing at least 100 windmills. State DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson has said the state will take a serious look at offshore wind to meet the goal of 20% of the state's power by renewable resources by 2020.
• Former Gov. Tom Kean SENIOR defended the ABC crapodrama about events leading up to 9/11 yesterday, even though he hadn't seen the final version. That's lovely.

Open Thread: What's on your mind, Blue Jersey?