FIRST NEWS PLUS for Monday June 23, 2014
New Jersey's First News, hosted by Eric Scott, written and produced by Matthew White and Patrick Lavery. Full podcast available below. Digital support, with additional links, by Dan Alexander.
Jersey City Violence - Weekend violence erupts in Jersey City. First, 23 year old Marcus Brown was shot and killed late Saturday night. On Sunday, three women suffered injuries after two gunmen fired shots into a crowd near a downtown housing complex. The gunmen are still at large in both cases.
- Authorities ID 23-year-old Jersey City murder victim / Jersey Journal
- 3 women shot in Jersey City / NJ1015.com (Associated Press)
US Ties Portugal - Cristiano Ronaldo's nch-perfect stoppage-time cross set up Varela for the equalizing goal Sunday in Portugal's 2-2 draw against the United States at the World Cup.
- Ronaldo helps Portugal earn 2-2 draw against US / NJ1015.com (AP)
Armed Security Officer - Wantage is attempting to become the first in the state to add a gun-carrying security officer to its payroll. Officials At High Point Regional High School plan to allow the retired state trooper to carry a handgun. They say the position is needed because the small town does not have a its own police force.
Pension Payment in Court - On Wednesday a court will hear arguments in a lawsuit seeking to stop Gov. Christie (R) from slashing this year's pension payment by roughly $900 million dollars. Senate President Steve Sweeney (D) sponsored the bill that requires the state to pay $1.6 billion so you can guess how he hopes the case will turn out.
- Sweeny hopes Christie loses pension lawsuit / NJ1015.com
Reconsidering Residency Requirements - Lawmakers may be reconsidering a 3-year-old law that requires public employees to live in the state. Last week, a state Senate committee advanced a bill that would exempt school district employees in 10 counties from the measure.
Sail Atlantic City - In an effort to diversify revenue streams, Atlantic City's mayor wants to make the struggling resort town a destination for cruise ships. Don Guardian (R) says a study finds that the city's waterways can accommodate ships up to 200 feet long. He wants to transform ac into a go-to port for smaller cruise lines.
- Atlantic City's mayor floats idea of port for tour-cruise lines / Press of Atlantic City
Online Gambling Partnership - Resorts casino hotel announced partnerships with European firms Sportech and Nyx Gaming for internet gambling. They will join Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker to form an online betting option that could rival New Jersey's market leaders, Borgata and Caesars Interactive.
- Resorts inks deal with 2 firms for online betting / NJ1015.com (AP)
Stay-at-home dads - Social scientists have identified a new trend: more fathers are opting to stay closer to the home fires, either by choice or chance.
- More fathers staying home / NJ1015.com
Weath Gap Widens - Have you noticed? The wealth gap in jersey continues to get wider and there is growing concern the trend could be hurting the economy.
- Wealth gap widening in NJ / NJ1015.com
Confronting the threat of war - Secretary of State John Kerry has arrived in Iraq, a nation that saw the departure of American troops just three years ago and now faces threat of a civil war. Kerry's scheduled to meet today with Iraq's Shiite prime minister and top Sunni and Kurdish leaders. He wants to help foster a power-sharing agreement in Baghdad in hopes of diluting an insurgency fueled by widespread Sunni anger at the Shiite-led national government.
- Kerry confronts threat of new war in Iraq / NJ1015.com (AP)
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