New Jersey

N.J. pulls funding for Jersey City French museum project, calling it 'no longer viable' • New Jersey Monitor

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2 days ago

June 29, 2024

N.J. pulls funding for Jersey City French museum project, calling it 'no longer viable' • New Jersey Monitor

State officials have yanked funding for a planned French art museum in the heart of Jersey City after determining the project is no longer viable, according to letters obtained by the New Jersey Monitor.

The state Economic Development Authority sent a letter Saturday to the president of The Centre Pompidou museum in Paris telling him the North American location Pompidou wants to open in Jersey City’s Journal Square section will not receive the tens of millions in aid New Jersey has promised. Lawmakers have reallocated state funds previously set aside for the Jersey City Pompidou outpost, a state official wrote in a separate letter to the head of the Jersey City agency overseeing the project.

“Due to the ongoing impact of COVID and multiple global conflicts on the supply chain, rising costs, an irreconcilable operating gap, and the corresponding financial burdens it will create for New Jersey’s taxpayers, the Legislature has rescinded financial support, leaving us to determine that this project is unfortunately no longer feasible,” Economic Development Authority chief Tim Sullivan wrote in a Saturday letter to Laurent Le Bon, the Pompidou’s president.

In the other letter, sent Saturday from Michael Greco, deputy executive director of the Department of State, to Jersey City Redevelopment Agency chief Diana Jeffrey, Greco asked the agency to return $6 million the state department has given for the project but has not been spent yet. The $24 million lawmakers had allocated in the 2024 budget and the $18 million the was part of the 2022 budget has been returned to the state’s general fund, the letter says.

“Based on the Legislature’s actions, there is no longer any State support available for this project,” Greco wrote.

The state’s decision to reassign funds meant for the museum, called the Centre Pompidou x Jersey City, is not a surprise. The city’s mayor, Steve Fulop, went public in April with claims that New Jersey officials were taking funding away from the Pompidou to retaliate against him for retracting his endorsement of first lady Tammy Murphy’s now-scuttled bid for the U.S. Senate.

Fulop is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor next year.

Jersey City and Pompidou officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Economic Development Authority has acknowledged it had doubts about the financial viability of the Jersey City Pompidou project, citing a $19 million hole in the museum’s operating budget. Jersey City had been hoping for a $2 million annual subsidy for the museum, but that will not happen, Greco’s letter says.

Jersey City has until Aug. 1 to return the $6 million provided by the Department of State, the letter adds.

The Centre Pompidou x Jersey City plan has long been criticized by Republicans, who opposed using state funds for it. As Sullivan and Fulop traded barbs over the funding last month, Republican lawmakers wrote a letter to the state urging the funding to go toward a “more responsible purpose.”

The museum was originally slated to open in early 2024, but that was pushed to as late as 2027. When city officials announced plans for the museum in 2021, they said it would reinvigorate Journal Square and transform it into an arts, entertainment, and tourism hub.

In the letter to Pompidou’s president, Sullivan commends its staff for their collaborative work and says he hopes to continue strengthening the “economic and cultural bond” between France and New Jersey. He added he is disappointed by the outcome.

“While the door on this particular project has now been closed, we are eager to explore possibilities of opening new doors, with our partners in France, in the years to come,” he said.

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New Jersey

Devils Sign Defenseman Colton White | RELEASE | New Jersey Devils

Published

7 mins ago

July 1, 2024

Press Room

Devils Sign Defenseman Colton White | RELEASE | New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils announced today that the team has signed unrestricted free-agent defenseman Colin White to a two-year, two-way contract. The details of the contract are as follows: 2024-25: $775,000 at the NHL level and $250,000 at the American Hockey League (AHL) level ($300,000 guaranteed); 2025-26: $775,000 NHL/$275,000 AHL ($325,000 guaranteed). The announcement was made by President/General Manager Tom Fitzgerald and Devils’ Assistant General Manager/Utica Comets General Manager Dan MacKinnon.

White, 27, spent the past two seasons with the Anaheim Ducks organization after he signed a two-year contract with Anaheim during the 2022 offseason. The rearguard recorded a career-high 46 contests and six points (0g-6a) with Anaheim in 2022-23. Last season, White played in the AHL with San Diego, scoring eight points (1g-7a) with his lone goal registering as the game-winner, in 53 games.

Born on May 3, 1997, New Jersey selected White in the fourth round, 97^th overall, in the 2015 NHL Draft. The 6’1”, 185lbs. blueliner logged his NHL debut with New Jersey on March 13, 2019, and played in 38 games with the Devils until 2021-22. White spent five seasons with the organization and played in 196 career games with Binghamton/Utica starting in 2017-18. Additionally, he logged a career-high 30 points (7g-23a) and two game-winners at the AHL level in 2018-19 with Binghamton.

A native of London, Ontario, White played his Junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with Sault Ste. Marie from 2013-14 to 2016-17. He totaled 93 career points (21g-72a) in 256 regular-season contests for the Greyhounds and was named an alternate captain for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns. White was an OHL All-Star in 2016-17 and the blueliner appeared in 46 career playoff games while collecting nine points (1g-8a).

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New Jersey

NJ Trump Golf liquor licenses not renewed after probe into post-conviction eligibility

Published

7 hours ago

July 1, 2024

Press Room

NJ Trump Golf liquor licenses not renewed after probe into post-conviction eligibility

New Jersey officials have not renewed liquor licenses at two Trump Golf courses after after a probe into whether the former president’s New York felony conviction disqualifies him from holding one.

The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General said Friday the licenses Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck and Trump National Golf Club – Bedminster expired Sunday; the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control issued interim permits to allow the facilities to continue serving alcohol until a hearing on the renewals, scheduled for later this month after Donald Trump’s criminal sentencing.

New Jersey state law says those convicted of a crime “involving moral turpitude” may not hold a liquor license. The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment Monday, but previously said the former president is not the license holder.

But the ABC’s review “indicates that (Trump) maintains a direct beneficial interest in the three liquor licenses through the receipt of revenues and profits from them, as the sole beneficiary of the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust,” a New Jersey AG’s office spokesperson said.

More: Biden and Trump debating on age, mental fitness spirals into golf challenge

What was Trump convicted of?

Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in a New York criminal court.

The jury found Trump authorized a plan to reimburse former lawyer Michael Cohen for $130,000 in hush money issued to porn star Stormy Daniels and spread the payments across 2017 disguised as legal expenses.

Cohen previously pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws for the payment to Daniels, which was issued ahead of the 2016 election to keep her quiet about a sexual encounter with Trump that allegedly happened a decade earlier.

Trump denies Daniels’ story and is expected to appeal the conviction. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11.

NJ liquor law requires ‘reputable character’ and bars ‘moral turpitude’

New Jersey liquor law states that “no license of any class shall be issued to any person under the age of 18 years or to any person who has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude.”

Other potentially applicable legal guidance comes from ABC Bulletins and case law.

“A person must have a reputable character and would be expected to operate the licensed business in a reputable manner. This discretionary concept acknowledges the issuing agency’s authority to consider prior disorderly persons offenses, (or) known organized crime history… when assessing whether to issue/renew a license application.” according to a bulletin previously shared by the AG spokesperson.

Before former President Trump was sworn into office in 2017, Trump filed an ownership change at the Trump National Golf Club – Bedminster, the Courier News and Home News Tribune, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported at the time.

The ownership change, including some complicated corporations and limited liability companies, reflected his broader strategy of moving most of his business interests under Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust and appointing his son, Donald Trump Jr., as the trustee.

A third Trump Golf course, Trump National Golf Club Philadelphia, was included in the initial probe into liquor license eligibility, but the New Jersey AG’s office said their license was renewed on June 3.

A final judgement on whether Trump’s criminal conviction disqualifies the businesses from holding liquor licenses will be issued after his sentencing, according to the New Jersey AG spokesperson. At the hearing scheduled for July 19, the burden of proof is on the applicants to show they remain qualified for the license.

Contributing: Nick Muscavage, Courier News and Home News Tribune

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New Jersey

5 New Restaurants That Opened In North Jersey In June 2024

Published

14 hours ago

July 1, 2024

Press Room

5 New Restaurants That Opened In North Jersey In June 2024

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — Summer has arrived — time to get out and eat outdoors. If you’re interested in trying a new downtown or a new kind of cuisine, there are plenty of options in the region. Here are five restaurants that opened in North Jersey — or unveiled something special — in the last month.

Poké Bowl Hillsborough

Poké Bowl Hillsborough opened on June 21. It offers a variety of poké including build-your-own poké bowls, poké salads, and sushi burritos. Signature bowls, signature burritos, boba teas, brewed teas, and yogurt drinks are also offered. It’s located at 601 Route 206 in Hillsborough. Find out more here.

The Game Bar, East Rutherford

The Game Bar, a new gastro pub, held its soft opening last week as part of Hasbro’s new “Gameroom” in American Dream. The attraction at the retail/entertainment complex has interactive versions of board games, from Trivial Pursuit to Simon. Its restaurant, the Game Bar, is decorated with Scrabble decor and serves up sliders, fries, and other appetizers and dishes. Find out more here (scroll down).

Paris Baguette, Hoboken

It’s got unique pastries, freshly packaged coffee, sandwiches, salads, breads, cakes — and lots of space to work. The newest Paris Baguette opened in Hoboken this month, across from Elysian Park, where “On The Waterfront” was filmed decades ago. Back in 2022, the cafe chain pledged to open 40 new stores around the country by year’s end. Paris Baguette is located at 1000 Maxwell Lane, with an entrance on Sinatra Drive. Find out more here.

Bagels By Jarrett, West Orange

Bagels By Jarrett in West Orange isn’t new, but it unveiled something different last month — five-dollar price cuts on several dishes, part of a national trend of offering affordable meals with sensible portions. The meals are not $5 each, but they are discounted. “Everything I’ve always done has been crazy, so why not lower prices to make more money?” said owner Jarrett Seltzer. Read more here.

Candy Land Shake Bar, East Rutherford

While we’re talking about the new Gameroom by Hasbro, located in American Dream, let’s talk dessert. Besides the gastropub offering food and drinks, the attraction also has a Candy Land Shake Bar serving up classic and crafted shakes. You can grab a cookies and cream, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or even blueberry shake for $10. But if you want something really special, try a “Crafted Shake” for $18, ranging from the Princess Lolli with strawberry syrup, a block of cheesecake, and sprinkles, to Sloppy Gloppy with brownie chunks, marshmallows, crushed Oreo, and more. Read all about it here. The American Dream is the retail/entertainment complex on Route 3 in East Rutherford.

Are you opening a new restaurant in North Jersey? Let Patch know so we can tell our readers (it’s news, not an ad, so it’s free). Email us here.

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