Editors, assignment editors, photo editors:
David Porter is the state supervisor for New Jersey.
If you have stories of statewide interest, breaking news or questions about the report, please send them to aptrenton(at)ap.org or call the control bureau for New Jersey, in Trenton, at 800-645-0091 or 609-392-3622.
Repeats of state and national stories, along with the photos that accompany them, can be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com and reruns are also available from the Service Desk at 800-838-4616.
TOP STORIES:
HEALTH CARE-NJ
TRENTON —New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he is disappointed the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld key parts of President Barack Obama’s federal health care overhaul, but he did not say if he would try to guide New Jersey to buck two key provisions for states under the federal law: expanding access to Medicaid and setting up a new health insurance exchange. By Geoff Mulvihill.
UNIVERSITY MERGER
NEW BRUNSWICK — Rutgers’ main governing body has conditionally backed a revised state plan to overhaul New Jersey’s higher education system. The vote Thursday was 9-to-1. By Angela Delli Santi.
PORTABLE GAMBLING DEVICES
ATLANTIC CITY — New Jersey is expected to give final legislative approval to a plan to allow Atlantic City casino patrons to use hand-held gambling devices away from the casino floor. By Wayne Parry.
SEPT 11-WTC SPHERE
NEW YORK — The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s executive director says he supports including a spherical sculpture that survived the Sept. 11 attacks as part of an on-site memorial, an idea that clashes with current plans. The sphere has sat in lower Manhattan’s Battery Park for a decade but must be moved to make way for park renovations. By David Porter.
MEMBER EXCHANGE:
MEMBER EXCHANGE-FOSSIL SITE
MANTUA — Paleontologists and geologists have been uncovering fossils in The Inversand Co.’s manganese greensand pit for years, and — according to Ken Lacovara, a Drexel University associate professor of biology and director of the paleontology and geology program — the site could represent “the very last moment of the Cretaceous Period.” By Jessica Driscoll. An AP Member Exchange from the Gloucester County Times.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:
CONTAINER STOWAWAYS
NEWARK —A cargo ship that U.S. authorities thought might be carrying stowaways was expected to leave Port Newark on Friday after a search of more than 160 sealed containers turned up no one.
AP Photos NY112, NY113, NY111, NJJC101, NJJC103, NJJC106.
HOT WEATHER-NJ
TRENTON — Forecasters are predicting hazy, hot and humid weather conditions in New Jersey on the first weekend before the July Fourth holiday.
TALKING & TEXTING-PENALTIES
TRENTON — The New Jersey Senate on Thursday is set to consider a measure making it easier to convict drivers of vehicular homicide or assault by auto when they kill or injure someone while using a cellphone.
DRUG BILLS
TRENTON — The state Senate is set to consider two bills that would change the way New Jersey’s criminal justice system deals with drug users.
DOW AG-JUDGESHIP
TRENTON — A former New Jersey attorney general’s nomination to become a judge cleared a hurdle Thursday.
BAGGAGE SCREENERS
NEWARK — Officials have fired eight screeners at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey after they were captured by surveillance cameras sleeping or violating other standards.
SCHOOL BUS ACCIDENT
PARSIPPANY —Police say 39 children from a Pennsylvania sports camp have received minor injuries in an accident involving four school buses on Interstate 80 in New Jersey.
BUS FIRE
OLD BRIDGE — Officials are trying to determine what caused a fire aboard a New Jersey Transit bus that was taking passengers from Lakewood to the Port Authority Bus terminal.
SMALL PLANE CRASH
WEST CHESTER, Pa. — A New Jersey man was injured when his small plane crashed while landing at a suburban Philadelphia airfield, striking two other planes and narrowly missing a parked fuel truck.
MISSING WOMAN-SLAIN
NEWARK — Six people are charged in the kidnapping and murder of a Jersey City mother of five.
AMMUNITION PLEA
CAMDEN — A southern New Jersey man has admitted providing ammunition to the son of imprisoned former Philadelphia-south Jersey mob boss Nicodemo “Little Nicky” Scarfo and an associate.
PHILLY ARCHDIOCESE-SHORE HOUSE
PHILADELPHIA — The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is selling a 19-room beachfront property used by retired priests as it faces a $17 million budget deficit and millions in legal bills associated with a child sex abuse case.
SPORTS:
BKN–NBA DRAFT
NEWARK — A good draft class, with some bad teams waiting for those players, will commence at the Prudential Center in Newark on Thursday night. The top five selections will go to: New Orleans, Charlotte, Washington, Cleveland, and Sacramento. Draft begins at 7 p.m.
BKN–DRAFT-NETS
EAST RUTHERFORD — With no pick in the first round, and their big get awaiting on Sunday — point guard Deron Williams, who is expected to re-sign on the first day of free agency — the Nets don’t expect to make a huge splash on Thursday night. But GM Billy King and Co. are still going to work anyway
WIMBLEDON-MCHALE
WIMBLEDON, England — Christina McHale of New Jersey reached the third round at a fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament. Now comes the hard part: Trying to make it to the fourth round, something she’s never done.
AP Photos WIM119, WIM118, WIM121, WIM122.
PHILLIES-HOWARD
LAKEWOOD — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard takes a big step forward in his recovery from last season’s postseason injury when he begins a rehab assignment with the minor league Lakewood Blue Claws. By Wayne Parry. Game time 7 p.m.
HKN–SALARY CAP SET
NEW YORK — The NHL salary cap is going up, allowing teams to spend about $6 million more on players this season. Before opening labor talks, the league and the NHL Players’ Association announced the cap has been set at $70.2 million. That’s a significant jump from last year’s cap of $64.3 million, and continues the trend of increases since the cap system was established in 2005.
