Republican State Committee paid $1,232.29 for part of Tuesday trip, while Christie will pay another $2,151.50 for Tuesday and Friday flights; See everywhere Christie has taken helicopters Watch video

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie and the state Republican Party will repay the state for two trips on a State Police helicopter to get to his son's baseball games.

The most recent ride, on Tuesday, drew national widespread criticism from those who questioned the governor's use of helicopter when he flew from downtown Trenton to Montvale, in Bergen County, to watch his son Andrew play baseball, and then to Princeton, where he met with a group of wealthy Republican donors from Iowa who traveled to New Jersey to try to persuade Christie to run for president in 2012.

The Republican State Committee has paid $1,232.29 for the flight from the Tuesday baseball game to Princeton, the Republican State Committee said today.

"The check has already been delivered," said party spokesman Rick Gorka.

Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the governor, said Christie is reimbursing the state $1,232.30 for the flight to the game.

In addition, Christie is also paying $919.20 for a flight on Friday to see his son play in another baseball game. That flight was not previously disclosed.

"Though the superintendent of the State Police noted yesterday the travel does not cost taxpayers additional dollars, the governor understands the sensitivity about this kind of thing and believes he owes it to the public to ensure that this is not a distraction," Drewniak said in a statement.

He arrived by helicopter at that game, held in Morris Township, at about 4:30 p.m., according to sources there who requested anonymity because of the tight-knit nature of the school community.

Christie's office said Wednesday that he wouldn't repay the state for the cost of the $2,500-an-hour Tuesday flight. State Police said the flights did not cost the state anything extra because they were part of required training for pilots.

Democrats have sharply criticized the governor, saying he was misusing the helicopter for personal and political purposes.

Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) appeared on a left-leaning MSNBC talk show Wednesday night to say the trip showed "a certain arrogance."

"I'd like to see the governor, for once, stand up and say, 'You know what, I made a mistake,'" she said on The Ed Show. "And I'm assuming that he will reimburse the state of New Jersey."

"The governor does not reimburse for security and travel," a spokesman for the governor, Kevin Roberts, said in an e-mail. "The use of air travel has been extremely limited and appropriate."

Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), chairman of the state party, said Christie "crossed the line" by taking the helicopter. And Assemblywoman Joan Quigley (D-Bergen) said his trip was "an outright abuse of taxpayer dollars."

"I'm sure every resident of this state would love to have access to these helicopters when they’re stuck in traffic on the Turnpike or Parkway and missing an important appointment," she said. "Sadly, we don’t all have that luxury."

Assemblyman Alex DeCroce (R-Morris), the Republican leader in the Assembly, said Democrats were simply trying to score political reports.

"I think the public wants to see tax reform, health reform and pension reform," he said. "As much as they may want to make a big deal over the helicopter thing, that's not what they want to see."

Christie's office also released new and revised details on his helicopter flights today. He has logged 33 trips since his inauguration last year, fewer than previous governors. That includes flights to town hall meetings, a tour of flooded areas in Passaic County and a charity event at the Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald, where his wife works.

Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno took one flight on her own, and the governor's staff used a helicopter another day.

"It is a means of transportation that is occasionally used as the schedule demands. This has historically been the case in prior administrations as well, and we continue to be judicious in limiting its use," said Christie’s spokesman Michael Drewniak in an email on Tuesday.

Staff writers Megan DeMarco and Chris Megerian contributed to this report.

Previous coverage:

• Gov. Christie helicopter ride has Assemblywoman calling for hearing

• Christie refuses to reimburse N.J. for traveling by helicopter to see son's baseball game

• Gov. Christie's helicopter rides raise ire of Democratic lawmaker

• Gov. Christie arrives at son's high school baseball game in State Police helicopter

• Poll: Was it inappropriate for Gov. Christie to take a helicopter to his son's baseball game?

• Your comments: Gov. Christie takes state helicopter to son's H.S. baseball game

TRENTON — A state Senate committee has advanced a bill to move New Jersey's presidential primary election back to June. The bill was released today by the State Government Committee and now heads to the full Senate. In 2008, New Jersey held its presidential primary in February hoping to gain more influence over presidential politics. But a number of...

Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-LedgerView from the gallery of the Assembly Chamber at the Statehouse in this file photo. The state Assembly approved a bill today involving combined primary elections.

TRENTON — A state Senate committee has advanced a bill to move New Jersey's presidential primary election back to June.

The bill was released today by the State Government Committee and now heads to the full Senate.

In 2008, New Jersey held its presidential primary in February hoping to gain more influence over presidential politics. But a number of other states had the same idea, and New Jersey wound up sharing the spotlight with 24 other states.

The regular primary election for state offices is held in June, and the bill calls for the presidential primary to be held on the same date.

State officials estimate the move would save $8 million to $10 million every four years.

A slightly different version of the bill has been approved by the state Assembly.

Related coverage:

• N.J. Senate committee to decide whether to still hold separate presidential primary

• N.J. Assembly to vote on measure to move presidential primary to June

• Assembly panel advances bill to move presidential primary to June

• Editorial: Move N.J.'s presidential primary to save money, not to wield influence

TRENTON — New Jersey became the first state in the nation to mandate every newborn will be screened for congenital heart disease, under a bill Gov. Chris Christie signed into law today. The tests, pulse oximetry, or "pulse ox," measures the percent of oxygen in the baby's blood and the effectiveness of the baby’s heart and lungs. A sensor...

Jeff Zelevansky/For The Star-LedgerA newborn baby pictured in this file photo at Columbus Hospital in Newark.

TRENTON — New Jersey became the first state in the nation to mandate every newborn will be screened for congenital heart disease, under a bill Gov. Chris Christie signed into law today.

The tests, pulse oximetry, or "pulse ox," measures the percent of oxygen in the baby's blood and the effectiveness of the baby’s heart and lungs. A sensor taped to the newborn’s foot beams red light through the foot to measure the blood oxygen content, according to the legislation, (A3744/S2752).

“Before they leave the hospital, the 102,000 babies born in our state each year will now have a simple, painless screening test to ensure that any hidden, but potentially life-threatening heart defects will be detected,” said Health and Senior Services Commissioner Mary O’Dowd, who is expecting her first child later this month. "We expect the pulse oximetry test to detect about 100 congenital heart defects in infants each year, enabling early treatment and preventing life-threatening injury or death," she said.

Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell, (D-Hudson), the father of a son born with a congenital heart defect, was one of the bill's sponsors. “This measure is about saving lives. Our newborns deserve the best care we can offer them, and pulse ox testing should be included in that care,'' O'Donnell said.

About 100 heart defects a year are detected in newborns in New Jersey, according to a statement from the governor's office.

“As the father of four, I know the birth of a child should be a joyous occasion for parents and family,” said Christie, who signed the bill at St. Clare's Hospital, Denville. “This legislation will help identify infants who may have hidden, serious heart problems before they leave the hospital, making a significant difference in the lives of these babies, their families and their treating physicians.”

TRENTON — Even before the deal is complete, opposition is mounting against the state’s plan to sign a management agreement with Channel 13 WNET to operate New Jersey’s public television network. Members of the Legislature — who must sign off on any contract — and union officials are calling on Gov. Chris Christie to reconsider shifting management of New...

Frank H. Conlon/For the Star-LedgerNews Anchor Jim Hooker preps for the evening news broadcast at the New Jersey Network Studios in Trenton in April 2010.

TRENTON — Even before the deal is complete, opposition is mounting against the state’s plan to sign a management agreement with Channel 13 WNET to operate New Jersey’s public television network.

Members of the Legislature — who must sign off on any contract — and union officials are calling on Gov. Chris Christie to reconsider shifting management of New Jersey Network to WNET, the country’s flagship public broadcaster.

Union officials say an agreement with WNET will mean the loss of all 130 jobs as the new operation will run with a lean staff of 15 to 20.

"Its headed for disaster," Communications Workers of America spokesman Dudley Burdge said of the future of NJN.

Treasury officials are expecting to announce next week that they have reached an agreement with WNET, the New Jersey-licensed but New York City-based PBS station, according to sources with knowledge of the talks. WNET will incorporate a new nonprofit in New Jersey to run the television side of the current NJN operation. The Caucus Educational Corp, a nonprofit producer of public affairs programs headed by Steve Adubato, Jr., will be among those providing New Jersey-centric shows.

State officials also are considering bids for the sale or management of NJN’s radio network, and they will announce that winner at the same time as the TV deal, sources say. The Legislature then has 15 days to review them before voting on the proposal.

The union, which filed grievances against the state in the fall, filed a lawsuit in Mercer County last week claiming the pending layoffs violate its current contract. It has bought radio spots, too, to make its case against the deal.

Assemblyman Thomas Giblin (D-Essex) said he wants lawmakers to hold hearings before the 15-day review period ends. A member of the bipartisan Legislative task force that explored the issue last fall, Giblin said he fears a deal was struck before the formal process was completed.

"Rumors that existed six months ago are coming to bear," Giblin said about a deal involving Caucus and WNET. "It's something that should be looked at."

Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester), who had a 20-year broadcasting career before turning his attention to politics, is puzzled by the administration’s willingness to give the network away. Although the state will retain the licenses, WNET will pay the state no money for the opportunity to manage the station. However, it will gain access to New Jersey audiences and donors.

"This deal is not good for taxpayers. They will not have an independent voice looking out for them," Moriarty said. "We are underserved by the media markets in New York and Philadelphia. They only cover New Jersey when there’s a triple homicide or tornado or hurricane at the shore."

Moriarty and others also question why WNET rose to the top when others, including Montclair State University and the NJN Foundation, were in the running.

"I’m not closed-minded about finding a way to get this to another organization and save the state money," Moriarty said. "I am closed-minded to the fact that we’re going to give it away to another state, close down the studio and lay off employees."

Burdge said he is troubled by WNET’s recent financial struggles, and its handling of the merger with Long Island public broadcaster WLIW 10 years ago. He cited recent layoffs — WNET laid off 140 employees in 2009, according to published reports — and has run into problems with the Justice Department over its use of federal grants.

But the dismantling of WLIW, the broadcaster based in Garden City, really irks the union leader. When WNET and WLIW merged in 2002, the two corporations promised more local programs and stronger community ties.

"They promised all this stuff," Burdge said, adding that those programs have since disappeared.

Assemblywoman Nellie Pou (D-Passaic), who sharply questioned State Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff at a budget hearing last month, said she is still waiting for answers to her questions. At the hearing, Sidamon-Eristoff declined to respond because he did not want to jeopardize the ongoing negotiations. She said a hearing about the agreement is a good option.

"There’s no information anywhere at this point," she said. "It’s important to get that information from the treasurer or the administration to help us respond, to give us the comfort level we need. This is a huge asset to New Jersey."

For more New Jersey arts coverage, follow Peggy McGlone on Twitter at twitter.com/PeggyMcGlone.

LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP — New Jersey might redo its proposed beach access rules to more clearly spell out the public's right to reach the beach, a top environmental official said today as several in a crowd of hundreds gathered at a public hearing likened the proposal to segregation-era racial politics. Ray Cantor, a top aide to Environmental Protection Commissioner...

Andrew Mills/The Star LedgerBeach Haven on Long Beach Island is shown in this 2010 file photo.

LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP — New Jersey might redo its proposed beach access rules to more clearly spell out the public's right to reach the beach, a top environmental official said today as several in a crowd of hundreds gathered at a public hearing likened the proposal to segregation-era racial politics.

Ray Cantor, a top aide to Environmental Protection Commissioner Robert Martin, acknowledged that many people have concerns about the proposed rules, which rely more on cooperation from local towns than on threats from state regulators.

Before the fourth and final public hearing on the proposal, Cantor said the department may amend its proposal to more clearly spell out public access rights. He didn't give many examples of possible changes, but said one modification might be an amendment specifically stating that fishermen are allowed on beaches at night.

"I met with some fishermen last night," he said. "They thought that towns can keep them away from certain areas at night. To offer changes to these regulations, we'll consider that and we may come back with additional amendments."

If that happens, it could delay the adoption of new rules by about six months, he said.

Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society, a coastal advocacy group, said allowing towns to shunt most of the public to certain beaches and away from others smacks of segregation-era racial politics.

"We're setting up a system of separate and unequal beach experiences," he told Cantor during a tour of Loveladies before the public hearing. "If you can't afford this, you go to Island Beach State Park and get your 10 square feet of sand."

Bill Wolfe, a former DEP employee, took the metaphor a step further.

"I recall whites-only drinking water fountains," he said, drawing huge applause from the overflow crowd that spilled out into the parking lot. "That's what you have going on down here."

Cantor said the department hasn't heard anything in the first three public hearings to make it change its approach of working with shore towns instead of dictating to them.

Hundreds of New Jersey residents have packed four public hearings, the overwhelming majority of whom blasted the rules, saying they don't trust the state to fight for the public's right to reach the beach. They say giving more authority to local towns will let them side with wealthy oceanfront homeowners who want the public kept away from their homes.

In a briefing for reporters before the hearing, Long Beach Township Joseph Mancini said his town will add 15 to 25 additional public parking spaces in the Loveladies section of the township, which has restricted public beach access for decades. The township is adding a fifth public access point to Loveladies through a section of municipally owned scrub pine trees in the coming weeks, Mancini said.

It's also adding new parking at Bayview Park across from its municipal building about 5 miles south of Loveladies but won't provide shuttle service to Loveladies, where many streets dead-end at expensive beach homes with signs stating "Private Property, No Public Beach Access."

Under the Public Trust Doctrine, a legal concept adopted by New Jersey that dates to the Roman Emperor Justinian, the public has the right to swim in coastal waters and walk along shores. Courts have held that the public has the right to walk or sit on the sand up to the mean high water mark.

Margaret O'Brien, a Holgate resident, urged the crowd of several hundred residents that spilled outside into the parking lot to stand up for their rights.

"We became a public trust beach when we were one of the 13 colonies," she said. "That beach belongs to everyone in this room. Don't let them take your rights away!"

The state rewrote its beach rules earlier this year after a court struck down old ones requiring access points every quarter-mile along the shore, as well as parking and bathrooms nearby.

The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the south Jersey beach town of Avalon that claimed the state overstepped its bounds by requiring too much public access, as well as unreasonable requirements such as 24-hour, round-the-clock access to beaches and marinas.

The stricter set of regulations had been issued under former state environmental Commissioner Lisa Jackson, now head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The new rules ask — but don't require — coastal towns to adopt a public access plan spelling out exactly where the public can get to the beach. For towns that balk, the state has several punishments it can mete out.

One is cutting the town off from funding to help municipalities buy and preserve open spaces. Another is ranking that town lower on the state's funding recommendation list for money to replenish beaches, which often erode through frequent use, storms and other natural process. And a third is denying the town permits for beach and dune maintenance

The agency wants to work cooperatively with towns to guarantee beach access. But many fear the state will let local governments make it more difficult, if not impossible, for outsiders to use their beaches.

David Brogan of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association praised the new rules for freeing businesses from costly public access requirements, saying the proposal "brings back sanity and common sense."

Several marina owners also praised the DEP for scrapping a requirement that their businesses provide 24/7 public access.

Democrats continue to criticize Governor Watch video

TRENTON — OK. He’ll pay for the helicopter rides.

But he isn’t apologizing.

With his use of State Police helicopters to attend two of his son’s baseball games and a dinner with political donors going viral, Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday reversed himself and wrote a check to the state for $2,151.50 to cover the cost of being taken out to the ballgames.

The state Republican Party, Christie said, will pay the remaining $1,232.29 to cover the cost of hustling him to the governor’s mansion in Princeton for dinner with a delegation of wealthy Republican donors from Iowa intent on persuading him to run for president in 2012.

He said by flying to the games he was trying to balance his role as a father — "sometime when you are a governor you do not control your schedule" — with that as the state’s chief executive.

An unrepentant Christie said he only repaid the state so people will quit talking about it, adding that it would result in a surplus in the State Police’s budget.

"I want to make sure the public understands that I’m doing this because of the duty I feel to them to have my attention and everybody’s attention focused 100 percent on the real problems of the state and not the political theater or media theater that people enjoy at times," Christie said at a news conference Thursday in Denville.

As far as the state’s Democrats, who sensed a vulnerability on the part of the governor, it appeared his effort to stymie criticism wasn’t successful.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), chairman of the Democratic State Committee, said Christie had "taken his arrogance to the next level" by refusing to admit that he owed the money to the state.

"The fact is, it’s the governor himself who has blurred the line and today admitted that he used taxpayer resources to attend personal and political events," Wisniewski said in a statement.

Christie’s use of the State Police helicopters instantly became the focus of attention on Tuesday when he landed at his son’s baseball game in Montvale, then got into a State Police car to travel the remaining 100 yards to the field. After watching five innings of the game he and his wife, Mary Pat, took the car back to the helicopter and departed for dinner about 75 miles away.

It was disclosed shortly before Thursday’s news conference that he had also flown by helicopter on Friday to see another of his son’s games.

For two days Christie’s office maintained that Tuesday’s trip was appropriate and did not need to be repaid even as calls for the reimbursement grew and criticism mounted on both ends of the political spectrum.

On Wednesday, State Police Supt. Rick Fuentes issued a statement saying that the flights had "no additional cost to taxpayers" because pilots would have to be in the air training regardless of whether the governor was on board.

The use of State Police helicopters has been a flashpoint for governors for decades. In the past, the practice had been to reimburse the state for flights not related to official business. In 2002, the Democratic Party paid the state $18,200 for 14 flights by Gov. Jim McGreevey that were deemed political or personal, including one to a wedding.

Christie said the state Republican Party paid for the portion of the trip from Montvale to Princeton for dinner because he didn’t want to it be interpreted as a political donation on his part.

The governor’s office also released a list of 33 helicopter trips Christie has taken since assuming office in January 2010 and one trip by Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. The list included four town hall meetings, nine trips to New York City and a handful of stops at the southern end of the state in Cape May or Atlantic City.

Christie said that he makes the decision when to make use of a helicopter, adding that State Police only make recommendations about they think he should do.

In defending the flight, Christie evoked his role as a father, saying it was important for him to be at his son’s game since it was a playoff game and he only has one more year of high school left.

Christie also pointed to the crash involving former Gov. Jon Corzine, saying that attention to a governor’s use of a state helicopter is the type of "silliness" that led to him "nearly killing himself."

"I’m not going to do that myself," he said. "I’m not going to go 95 miles per hour on the highway and put myself and the EPU at risk either."

Thursday’s news conference was not without its share of political theater. Christie took the opportunity to respond to criticism by Assemblywoman Valarie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) that his priorities were off because he left his son’s game in the fifth inning, calling her a "jerk" and saying that she should be embarrassed.

"We know what Mrs. Huttle cares about more is scoring cheap political points," he said.

Vainieri Huttle called the comments "disappointing," but said she didn’t think they warranted a response.

Assembly Majority Leader Joe Cryan (D-Union) did, however. He said Christie "instinctively resorts to insult when legitimately criticized."

Chris Megerian contributed to this article.

TRENTON — Candidates in the hotly contested Democratic primary in Union County’s 20th Legislative District have dominated political fundraising over the last three weeks, according to a report issued by the Election Law Enforcement Commission this morning. The primary election is Tuesday. The slate of state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) and Assembly incumbents Joseph Cryan (D-Union) and Annette Quijano...

Noah K. Murray/The Star-LedgerSen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) and two other incumbents raised $174,000 in less than three weeks.

TRENTON — Candidates in the hotly contested Democratic primary in Union County’s 20th Legislative District have dominated political fundraising over the last three weeks, according to a report issued by the Election Law Enforcement Commission this morning.

The primary election is Tuesday.

The slate of state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) and Assembly incumbents Joseph Cryan (D-Union) and Annette Quijano (D-Union) topped the list of money raised at $174,000 between May 6 and May 24. Cryan’s separate Assembly campaign committee reported raising an $74,388, while Lesniak’s separate Senate account reported $77,775.

The three face a slate led by Elizabeth Schools Assistant Superintendent Jerome Dunn, who’s running with Elizabeth Councilman Carlos Cedeno, a former Elizabeth School Board member, and Tony Monteiro, a former councilman and school board member. Their candidate committee, which had its campaign funds partially frozen last month after a challenge by their opponents in state Superior Court alleging they failed to adequately report their campaign contributions, raised $122,722.

Many of the challengers’ donations are from employees of Elizabeth public schools.

State Sen. Brian P. Stack (D-Hudson), who faces no opposition in the primary on Tuesday, raised the second most of any candidate, taking in $136,983.

State Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-Morris), who faces a primary challenge by Morris County freeholder and Wharton Mayor William Chegwidden, raised more than any other Republican at $88,465.

Demcrats raised about twice as much as Republicans during that period, with all their candidates taking in almost $1.4 million to Republicans’ $690,000. Since the beginning of the campaigns, Democratic candidates have raised $20.6 million to Republicans’ $10.5 million.

Related coverage:

• Democratic legislative candidates have double the money of Republicans, report says

• N.J. Republicans raise more money than Democrats so far this year

• N.J. Republicans enjoy substantial increase in fundraising

• Christie's attendance at National Republican Congressional Committee fundraising dinner nets $10M

• Gov. Christie to join Henry Kissinger for N.Y. fundraiser to bolster N.J. Republican Party

• N.J. GOP gaining on Democrats' fundraising supremacy

TOMS RIVER — Gov. Chris Christie will hold his 19th town hall meeting of the year on Tuesday in Toms River. Christie has been taking his town halls to towns across the state, an opportunity for him to talk about his proposals, bash the Democratic-controlled Legislature and field questions from the audience. Tuesday's event will be held at the...

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerN.J. Governor Chris Christie at a town hall meeting at the Roxbury Township Municipal Complex in Morris County last year. Christie will hold his 19th town hall meeting on Tuesday at the Toms River National Guard Armory.

TOMS RIVER — Gov. Chris Christie will hold his 19th town hall meeting of the year on Tuesday in Toms River.

Christie has been taking his town halls to towns across the state, an opportunity for him to talk about his proposals, bash the Democratic-controlled Legislature and field questions from the audience.

Tuesday's event will be held at the Toms River National Guard Armory located at 1200 Whitesville Road. The meeting begins at 3 p.m. and doors will open at 2 p.m.

Town hall meetings are free and open to the public and seating is filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Previous Coverage:

• Gov. Chris Christie, N.J. residents argue during town hall meeting in Bergen County

• Gov. Chris Christie to hold next town hall meeting in Nutley

CAMDEN — The graduation ceremony for an informal alternative school in Camden today brought together a pair of key New Jersey political adversaries in Republican Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic powerbroker George Norcross. Christie, brash and outspoken, and Norcross, who is said to have immense power among lawmakers though he usually stays in the shadows when it comes to...

Star-Ledger fileDemocratic powerbroker George Norcross, left in this file photo, says he will open a number of charter schools in Camden.

CAMDEN — The graduation ceremony for an informal alternative school in Camden today brought together a pair of key New Jersey political adversaries in Republican Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic powerbroker George Norcross.

Christie, brash and outspoken, and Norcross, who is said to have immense power among lawmakers though he usually stays in the shadows when it comes to political issues, connected over a common interest: Increasing the educational options for children in the state's underperforming school districts.

Norcross, executive chairman of the insurance firm Connor Strong & Buckelew, announced that he would help launch several charter schools in Camden, a city of about 80,000 residents that ranks among the nation's poorest and most crime-ridden.

He urged lawmakers to pass a bill within the next 30 days that would offer state tax credits to businesses in exchange for funding scholarships to send children from a handful of low-performing districts to other public or private schools.

The schools would get public money and would have support from the foundations of Norcross' family and Cooper University Hospital, where he's chairman of the board. He didn't offer other details about how many schools there would be or how they would be run.

While the bill has the support of both Democrats and Republicans in the state Legislature, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, D-Newark, won't let it advance in the Assembly. The state's main teachers unions also oppose it, saying the bill would divert money from public schools that need it.

The public schools in places like Camden are broken, Norcross said.

"I'm not so sure that you can reform something that is so lost," he said.

That's an area where Christie and Norcross agree.

The Camden Education Resource Network, which offers classes to dropouts, has become one of New Jersey's main symbols of the problems in public schools for Christie. His acting education commissioner, Chris Cerf, was also at today's commencement. Christie attended a similar ceremony two years ago when he was running for governor.

The school doesn't have public funding and doesn't offer diplomas that are recognized by the state. But some private career schools do take graduates, and Camden County College accepts them as long as they pass entrance exams.

Student speakers talked about years of selling or using drugs, being sent to prison, dropping out of public schools or just not learning much there.

One of the several student speakers was Ebony Kellum, who spoke with two other graduates by her side — husband David Kellum and son Lawrence Brown.

She said she wanted something better for her son as he was struggling at Camden High School and found the alternative. "I looked at my husband and said, 'If he's out there (taking classes at the school), we need to do it, too,'" she said. "I'm proud to be standing with my son."

Now, Brown is hoping to join the Army, David Kellum wants to enroll in a culinary program and Ebony Kellum hopes to go to nursing school.

"I want you all to be among the last people to go through what you're going through," Christie told a group of just over 100 graduates.

Related coverage:

• New Jersey Education Commissioner to keynote charter school symposium at Rutgers–Camden on April 14

• N.J. approves 23 new charter schools

FLEMINGTON — Gov. Chris Christie arrived at his son's playoff baseball game this afternoon in a State Police SUV, his usual mode of transportation. Christie was the subject of a national flap when he took a helicopter to his son's game on Tuesday in Montvale. It was later revealed he had taken a helicopter to a game last Friday...

Ginger Gibson/The Star LedgerGov. Christie arriving at his son's baseball game in a State Police SUV. He recently came under fire for arriving at a previous baseball game in a new State Police helicopter.

FLEMINGTON — Gov. Chris Christie arrived at his son's playoff baseball game this afternoon in a State Police SUV, his usual mode of transportation.

Christie was the subject of a national flap when he took a helicopter to his son's game on Tuesday in Montvale.

It was later revealed he had taken a helicopter to a game last Friday in Morris Township.

Christie arrived during the second inning to a scoreless game.

Previous Coverage:

• Unrepentant Gov. Christie says he wants to end the drama, writes check for $2,151 for helicopter travel

• Gov. Christie reimburses N.J. for use of state helicopter to attend son's baseball games

• Gov. Christie helicopter ride has Assemblywoman calling for hearing

• Christie refuses to reimburse N.J. for traveling by helicopter to see son's baseball game

• Gov. Christie's helicopter rides raise ire of Democratic lawmaker

TRENTON — On the eve of a hotly contested primary election, the state Supreme Court today lifted a restraining order preventing candidates tied to the Elizabeth Board of Education from spending thousands of dollars contributed by teachers and other school employees on the race. The move frees up all proceeds from a political fundraising gala two weeks ago honoring...

Star-Ledger file photoRaymond Lesniak brought about the lawsuit, which attempted to freeze Elizabeth school employees' spending for campaign donations.

TRENTON — On the eve of a hotly contested primary election, the state Supreme Court today lifted a restraining order preventing candidates tied to the Elizabeth Board of Education from spending thousands of dollars contributed by teachers and other school employees on the race.

The move frees up all proceeds from a political fundraising gala two weeks ago honoring Elizabeth schools superintendent Pablo Muñoz.

Attorneys for the board called it a victory for free speech.

"It was an obvious illegal restraint and a violation of the First Amendment," said Michael Stein, who represented the board, which was a party to the case.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), who is being challenged by those associated with the school board in Tuesday’s primary and brought a lawsuit seeking to freeze their spending, said the Supreme Court got it wrong.

"The Supreme Court has given the green light to those who have repeatedly violated campaign finance and ethics laws," he said.

The court battle came in the wake of a report last month in The Star-Ledger documenting widespread nepotism and patronage within the Elizabeth school board, fueled by nearly constant fundraising efforts that targeted teachers, administrators, janitors and other employees.

Many of those employees said in interviews and lawsuits that they felt compelled to buy campaign fundraiser tickets, under pressure by supervisors and board members. Attending campaign events, they said they were told, was in their best career interest.

Board members have denied the allegations.

At issue in the case before the Supreme Court were several campaign funds and a weekly newspaper supporting the challengers, including Jerome Dunn, the Elizabeth assistant school superintendent running for Lesniak’s Senate seat. Also running are two former school board members, Tony Monteiro and Carlos Cedeño, both of whom are running for the Assembly.

In a filing Wednesday with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission, the joint committee supporting the three — Democrats for Change in the 20th Election District — finally accounted for $122,866 in campaign funds earmarked for the election, much of it from school board employees.

In the lawsuit the court ruled today, Lesniak said the campaign committees violated school ethics laws by pressuring board employees to contribute to the candidates. He also said the committees had not filed campaign finance reports detailing the source of their funding, as required by law.

Acting on the complaint, Superior Court Judge William L’E. Wertheimer, sitting in Union County, froze most of the assets of the challengers more than a week ago. Dunn, his two running mates, and the board of education — which had also been named in the lawsuit — then argued unsuccessfully last Friday to get the restraints lifted.

Stein, in arguments before Union County Assignment Judge Karen Cassidy, called the restraints unconstitutional.

"Political expenditures are speech and therefore restraints on expenditures is a restraint on speech," he told the judge. "They put a freeze on this committee’s ability to spend any money."

Attorneys for Lesniak and his running mates argued the group had violated school ethics rules and campaign finance regulations.

Cassidy would not lift the restraints, nor would an appellate panel earlier this week.

Yesterday, however, the Supreme Court, without comment, reversed both lower courts and dissolved the restraints.

Dunn was pleased with the ruling. "The desperate efforts by my opponent, Ray Lesniak, to use the courts to cripple the campaign is over. This permits us to get our message out to the voters," he said.

Lesniak said the matter was far from over. "We will continue the court cases to impose penalties for the repeated and massive violations of campaign finance and ethics laws," he said.

Homeland Security Committee wants State Police Supt. Rick Fuentes to testify on Christie's use of the helicopter

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie and the state Republican Party have reimbursed the state more than $3,000 for his use of State Police helicopters, but the head of the Assembly's Homeland Security Committee still wants some answers.

The committee chairwoman, Annette Quijano (D-Union) sent a letter to State Police Supt. Rick Fuentes today asking him to testify before her committee about the governor's use of the helicopter, including a flight to a charity event in New York hosted by his wife's company.

Quijano also wants more details about a flight that included only staff and not the governor, and another with just Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. A spokeswoman for the governor's office declined today to release any more details about the trips.

The Star-Ledger has an outstanding request with the State Police for detailed logs of the helicopter flights.

"My committee would like to determine who approves these trips, the standards employed for approval and how the arrangements are made," Quijano wrote to Fuentes.

The Assemblywoman is asking Fuentes to testify before the Homeland Security Committee on June 14.

Leslie Barbaro/The RecordGov. Chris Christie emerges from a Chevy Suburban this afternoon to watch the NJSIAA semifinal game of Pope John High School vs. Delbarton School at Diamond Nation in Flemington.

A State Police spokesman, Sgt. Stephen Jones, said Fuentes has not yet received the letter and was not sure what he intended to do.

Christie, who is being wooed by some Republicans to run for president in 2012, attracted unwanted national attention this week after he took a state helicopter to his son's high school baseball game Tuesday in Montvale and then to a political dinner in Princeton. It was later disclosed that he also took a helicopter to a game on May 27.

For two days, Christie refused to reimburse the state for the cost of the helicopter.

On Thursday he reversed himself, saying it was becoming a distraction and that he would pay. He wrote a check to the state for $2,151.50 for transportation to the games, and said the state Republican Party would handle the remaining $1,232.29 to cover the cost of flying him from Tuesday's game to Princeton for dinner with GOP donors from Iowa who want him to run for president.

Today, Christie arrived at his son's playoff game in Flemington and later left in a State Police SUV, his usual mode of transportation.

Previous Coverage:

• Christie takes car to son's high school baseball game

• Unrepentant Gov. Christie says he wants to end the drama, writes check for $2,151 for helicopter travel

• Gov. Christie reimburses N.J. for use of state helicopter to attend son's baseball games

• Gov. Christie helicopter ride has Assemblywoman calling for hearing

• Christie refuses to reimburse N.J. for traveling by helicopter to see son's baseball game

• Gov. Christie's helicopter rides raise ire of Democratic lawmaker

Art teacher who fought with Gov. Christie at town hall meeting is running for Assembly Watch video

Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerMarie Corfield, an art teacher from Flemington, will be running for a shot at an Assembly seat in Tuesday's primaries. Corfield came to prominence after a heated exchange with Gov. Christie that was widely televised.

TRENTON — Tuesday's primary elections for all 120 New Jersey legislative seats may not do much to shift political power in the state or its political parties, but they offer plenty of story lines.

A longtime Democratic lawmaker is being challenged from the left and has felt threatened enough that he's enlisted the help of former President Bill Clinton. A teacher lectured by Gov. Chris Christie in one of his signature YouTube moments is trying to become a lawmaker herself. And an insurgent group of Passaic County Republicans is hoping to make inroads in Trenton by winning some open seats.

"It could make for interesting spectator sport," said Patrick Murray, a Monmouth University pollster and political scientist.

In New Jersey, the real political action generally comes in the fall general elections. It's not that there's not intrigue within parties. It's just that it's often not on display on the ballots.

"A lot of the intraparty battles went on behind the scenes," said Ben Dworkin, a political scientist at Rider University.

Voters will pick candidates Tuesday for November general elections, when they'll elect one senator and two Assembly members from each of 40 districts.

There are contested races in just 10 of 40 Senate races — three Democratic and seven Republican — and 16 of 40 Assembly districts — eight for each party.

Every Senate primary features at least one sitting lawmaker. There are 11 districts where fewer than two current lawmakers are seeking Senate seats.

The wildest primary may be in the 20th District in Union County.

There, state Sen. Raymond Lesniak and Democratic Assembly members Joseph Cryan and Annette Quijano are facing party challenges. Lesniak's opponent is Jerome Dunn, a public school administrator in Elizabeth. The incumbent assembly members are being challenged by Elizabeth councilman Carlos Cedeno and former school board member Tony Monteiro, largely because of their support of a bill that would use business tax credits to attract donations that would be used to send some children to private school.

The challengers have sent several mailings.

According to the state's Election Law Enforcement Commission's reports for the entire election cycle, Lesniak and his team have responded with massive campaign spending exceeding $2.5 million, including robocalls from Clinton.

"They're not going to win," Murray said of the challengers, "but boy, they're going to make this interesting."

While contested elections aren't the norm across the state, they are for Republicans in Passaic County.

The splinter group GOP Strong, which positions itself as more conservative than the county Republican organization, has made inroads in county and municipal offices there and is trying to take some seats in Trenton.

The group is backing candidates in a half-dozen districts, all of which are dominated by Democrats. "The candidates that GOP Strong has are basically citizen candidates," said Paul Duggan, a spokesman for the group. "They don't live on patronage row."

GOP Strong's best chance of an upset in November may be in the 38th District, which was made less Republican-heavy through redistricting this year.

There, establishment Republicans are supporting Hawthorne Mayor Richard Goldberg against GOP Strong's Joseph Gant and lawyer Fernando Alonso, who has previously run for Congress and the state Senate, against GOP Strong's Scott A. Verrone. A fifth candidate is also vying for the nomination, Wojciech Siemaszkiewicz, a Polish-born New York Public Library employee who has run for the Assembly twice before.

The Republican winners in the district will face incumbent Democrat Connie Wagner and Maywood Mayor Timothy Eustace.

Pundits are also watching the Republican primaries in the 1st District in Cumberland, Cape May and Atlantic counties. That's an area where all three legislative seats are now held by Democrats, but where Republicans have an edge in voter registrations.

The county Republican organizations are backing senate candidate David DeWeese, coach of the Wildwood Catholic boys basketball team and a former municipal judge, and Assembly candidates Samuel Fiocchi, a Cumberland County freeholder, and Suzanne Walters, mayor of Stone Harbor.

They're running against three small-business owners: for the Senate, Thomas Greto; and for the Assembly, Paul Halley and Peter Boyce, who has twice run for Congress.

Two of the most prominent political newcomers in this year's primaries are unopposed.

Nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, who lives in Medford, is trying to become a Democratic senator in the Republican-dominated 8th District in New Jersey's Philadelphia suburbs. With Republicans challenging his candidacy on grounds that he has not lived in the state for the required four years, he could be removed from the general election ballot.

Richard Kanka of Hamilton, the father of Megan Kanka, the girl whose murder led to creation of Megan's Law all over the nation, is running for the 14th District Senate seat as a Republican.

A third is Marie Corfield, a Flemington public school art teacher who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Assembly in central New Jersey's 16th District.

Last year, she challenged Christie on his cuts to schools during a town hall meeting. As he talked, she rolled her eyes and swung her head to the side. Christie didn't appreciate it.

"I stood here and very respectfully listened to you," he said. "If you want to put on a show and giggle every time I talk, I have no interest in answering your question."

The exchange got nearly 1 million hits on the governor's YouTube channel. And it's led to some media exposure for Corfield, who has appeared on Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" and elsewhere to talk about it.

Her platform centers on maintaining New Jersey's public schools.

Rather than pay N.J. for the chance to run the TV network, the nonprofit group will get a $2M grant and keep $2M in tower rental fees from private companies

Frank H. Conlon/For the Star-LedgerNews Anchor Jim Hooker preps for the evening news broadcast at the New Jersey Network Studios in Trenton in April 2010.

TRENTON — The new nonprofit group Channel 13 WNET incorporated to operate New Jersey’s public television network will not only pay nothing for the management rights, but will actually receive $4 million in fees and grants as part of the agreement.

Rather than pay the state for the opportunity to run the network, the new WNET subsidiary will receive a $2 million grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that was previously awarded to New Jersey Network. It will also get to keep about $2 million in tower rental fees that private companies pay to NJN, according to sources familiar with the ongoing negotiations who requested anonymity because of the confidentiality required of the bidding process.

A formal announcement of the agreement is expected this week.

WNET’s bid was selected over at least four others, including Montclair State University’s application, which sought no state funding and committed the school to raising $7.2 million from outside supporters.

The state will retain the licenses to the television network, and the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority will continue to oversee it.

Officials also are considering bids for the purchase or management of the state’s public radio network. That decision also is expected this week.

NJN, the state-owned-and-operated agency in place for 43 years, will be shut down when the new agreements take effect July 1.

Some people are not letting the old station close down quietly. The deal was being assailed from several quarters last week, and that was before the $4 million in grants and revenue was generally known.

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), a member of the committee that provides funds to the CPB, criticized the proposal and suggested that he may ask the Federal Communications Commission to look into it. The FCC regulates the radio, TV and satellite industries.

"We shouldn’t allow this New Jersey resource to be sold down — or in this case, across — the river. As far as I’m concerned, all options are on the table, including having the FCC review this arrangement," Lautenberg said.

"The New Jersey Network must remain truly in New Jersey, for New Jersey and about New Jersey."

Lautenberg also questioned the choice of WNET over Montclair State University, which boasts an HD-capable broadcasting studio used for its undergraduate degree program.

The senator spoke to university officials on Friday about their application, said Caley Gray, his spokesman. Gray said that in addition to providing funds, the university’s bid promised to maintain a nightly newscast and the network’s other public affairs programs, commitments absent from WNET’s proposal.

University officials did not return messages seeking comment.

The state will sign a five-year agreement with WNET, which will partner with Caucus Educational Corp. and broadcast its New Jersey-centric programming, sources have confirmed. CEC is led by Steve Adubato Jr., a veteran broadcaster who produces four regular series focused on New Jersey issues. CEC and WNET have co-produced programs for almost two decades. Adubato also writes a weekly freelance column for The Star-Ledger.

After the deal is struck, the Legislature has 15 days to act on it.

Viewers can expect to see some of the same national PBS programming currently broadcast by NJN on its various stations, as well as new local programming.

The nightly newscast, a hallmark of NJN, and its other existing shows probably will not continue.

The decision on the successor to NJN is the last step in a 15-month effort to spin off the public broadcasting network from government control. Gov. Chris Christie proposed the idea in March 2010, when he said the state could no longer afford to be in the TV business and keep NJN’s 130 employees on the state payroll.

In 2009, the state spent more than $11 million to run the network of radio and television stations.

The fate of NJN’s employees is unclear.

After a series of public hearings and months of closed-door dealings, Christie and the Legislature agreed on a bill that gave the state treasurer the right to negotiate the deal, which lawmakers have the right to refuse.

Last week, several members of the bipartisan task force that examined the issue last fall called for public hearings about the agreement.

A coalition of NJN supporters, including several key Trenton Democrats, will make their case at a public event Monday afternoon at the Statehouse.

For more arts coverage, follow Peggy McGlone at twitter.com/PeggyMcGlone.

Gov. Chris Christie signed bipartisan legislation to end the program, canceling the scheduled release of Rasuel Gunn and others

Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger Interview with an inmate at state prison, Rasuel Gunn, at Albert Wagner Youth Correctional Facility in Bordentown.

TRENTON — With his release from prison days away, Rasuel Gunn packed his mail and family pictures into his laundry bag. Even though he had been denied parole, he was still getting out five months ahead of schedule thanks to a controversial early release program.

"The lady said I was going home," said Gunn, 21, in prison for handgun possession. "I thought I was leaving."

But on May 9, the day Gunn was scheduled to walk free, Gov. Chris Christie signed bipartisan legislation canceling the program. Gunn was stuck in his prison dorm, his newly issued train ticket suddenly useless. Little did he know he had just played a bit part in a high-octane political drama.

To Christie, the state is safer with inmates like Gunn finishing their full sentences behind bars. After two inmates allowed out early were charged with homicide soon after their release, the governor led the charge to cancel the program.

But Gunn and most of his fellow inmates are getting out eventually, and the challenge is making sure they don’t go back. About half of all state inmates are in prison again within three years of their release, costing taxpayers an average of $48,000 each annually, statistics show.

Although everyone agrees it’s a problem, there’s less consensus on what to do about it. It’s a politically charged topic, and some politicians have been fearful of being portrayed as soft on crime. The push to crack down has led to strict mandatory minimum sentences and "three strikes" laws around the country. More recently, overstuffed prisons have spurred other policymakers to evaluate ways to keep people out.

New Jersey is one of the few states to reduce its prison population, but the debate continues here, too. Besides scuttling the early release program, Christie has also backed off his preliminary support of another proposal to shift drug-addicted inmates into residential treatment programs, according to that bill’s sponsor, Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union).

"They don’t want to take the political risk," said Lesniak, adding: "Basically what they’ve told me is that any early release, as meritorious as this is, as helpful as this is in preventing recidivism, they don’t want to take the risk of anyone committing murders."

Christie’s administration is developing its own proposal in conjunction with the Manhattan Institute, a New York City-based think tank. A draft report recommends a focus on putting ex-offenders back to work to keep them from returning to crime, but the plan has yet to be released.

"This is policy that’s still being examined, and would therefore be premature to discuss in detail at this point in time," said Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts. "It should be clear that Gov. Christie makes the safety of the public a first order priority."

SHUTTING THE DOOR

The early release program, which was sponsored by Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Mercer), was supposed to reduce recidivism by allowing inmates out ahead of schedule and placing them under parole supervision. Christie called that a flawed concept and said the program interfered with the parole board’s discretion to determine who should stay in prison.

When Christie signed the bill ending the early release program on May 9, he canceled the release of four inmates scheduled for that day. The Star-Ledger requested interviews with the four the next day; only Gunn agreed.

In many ways, Gunn is a fairly typical New Jersey prison inmate, if a bit on the young side, according to the most recent Department of Corrections statistics.

Like 36 percent of adult offenders, he’s between the ages of 21 and 30. He’s black (like 61 percent of inmates), from Essex County (15 percent, the most of any county) and does not have a high school diploma or G.E.D. (like 38 percent of prisoners 21 and under).

Gunn was arrested less than a month after his 18th birthday in Newark in 2009. He was a passenger in a stolen car as his friend tried to outrun the police, said Katherine Carter, a spokeswoman for the Essex County prosecutor. The car crashed, and Carter said police saw Gunn ditch a pistol while trying to escape. He was charged with five crimes, including resisting arrest, and eventually pleaded guilty to one charge of unlawful weapons possession.

Asked why he had the .45-caliber pistol, Gunn said, "It’s a crazy city out there."

He was sentenced to a maximum of three years in prison last October. Like many of his fellow inmates, Gunn said he’s ready to go straight. "Everybody on the tier cries all day, talking about how they don’t want to come back to jail," he said.

But many do. "They do good for a month. Then they’re back in the system," Gunn admitted.

He knows something about that, having accumulated a juvenile record for drug and weapons offenses before being tried as an adult for the first time last year. This time, he insisted, it’s different.

"Back then, I was young and dumb," Gunn said. "When I get out this time, I know what to do."

MAKING PLANS

Gunn’s sentence will end in September, and it’s unclear what his prospects are then.

"The good thing is, he has taken the first step where it appears that he has some aspirations," said Jeff Mellow, a John Jay College criminal justice professor. "But that is only the start. What he needs is the appropriate support."

Mellow said a variety of factors — housing, education, steady work, mental health counseling — can help keep ex-offenders on the straight and narrow, and Gunn has few of those areas figured out.

He plans to move in with his father in Newark and finish high school. Then he wants to get a "good job," although he’s not sure what kind. Eventually he plans to move in with his mother in Bethlehem, Pa., leaving Newark behind.

"I’ve been around the same people all my life," he said. "I want a new environment."

Something different than prison. Gunn recalled being called into a meeting with a parole officer where she asked him if he wanted to get out through the early release program. The answer was so obvious it was comical.

"I said yeah," he said. "She started laughing. She said, 'They all say yeah.'"

Gunn added, "Nobody wants to be in jail."

TRENTON — When Rep. Rush Holt heard about FBI storerooms stacked with untranslated documents and U.S. businesses losing contracts for want of bilingual negotiating power, it became clear to him the country had a language problem. The solution, decided Holt (D-12th Dist.) and others who advocate more extensive foreign-language instruction, lies in bolstering the nation’s budget-strapped K-12 programs. As...

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerMyrna Milan (center, back to camera) leads a college prep Spanish class at North Brunswick High School. U.S. Rep. Rush Holt and U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg introduced a foreign language bill which would provide more funding to public school foreign language classes like this one.

TRENTON — When Rep. Rush Holt heard about FBI storerooms stacked with untranslated documents and U.S. businesses losing contracts for want of bilingual negotiating power, it became clear to him the country had a language problem.

The solution, decided Holt (D-12th Dist.) and others who advocate more extensive foreign-language instruction, lies in bolstering the nation’s budget-strapped K-12 programs.

As a start, Holt and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) have introduced legislation in both the House and Senate to provide $50 million in federal funds for public school students to learn foreign languages, starting in kindergarten.

"This modest bill addresses a big gap in language training," Holt said Thursday. "The United States has a real problem with foreign languages and we need to address it for economic reasons, reasons of national security, quality of life and cultural enrichment."

As school districts across the country face state and federal budget cuts, language programs are often the first to go, foreign-language educators and lobbyists said.

In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie cut $825 million from education last year, prompting many schools to replace foreign-language teachers with instructional CDs and computer programs. On the federal level, Congress cut $50 million from foreign-language education this year and the House Education Committee has proposed cutting an additional $27 million.

Holt said the Foreign Language Education Partnership Program Act (HR 1966), will make the country more globally competitive and secure.

"When you see foreign companies prospecting for minerals needed or international banks looking for partnerships, the companies that have facility with language often land those contracts," he said.

The bill would directly fund teacher recruitment, high school study-abroad scholarships, language certification and the appointment of supervisors to oversee new programs.

In New Jersey, French and Spanish are most widely offered in schools. Arabic and Chinese, cited as two of the most critical languages by federal Education Secretary Arne Duncan, are on the rise. Still, they account for less than 4 percent of languages taught nationally, according to a study by the Center for Applied Linguistics, a nonprofit research and education organization.

The study found that from 1997 to 2008, foreign-language instruction declined from 31 percent to 25 percent in elementary schools and from 75 percent to 58 percent in middle schools.

"When we talk about foreign language learning, we’re not talking about a skill to use in a restaurant or a family vacation, although that’s wonderful," said Maryann Woods-Murphy, the 2009-2010 New Jersey Teacher of the year and a Spanish instructor at Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale. "We’re talking about vital skills to move the democracy to its greatest potential."

In New Jersey, the study of world languages in public schools is required from kindergarten through eighth grade. There is also a five-credit high school graduation requirement. But with tight budgets, enforcements have relaxed, prompting some districts, like Randolph and Manalapan-Englishtown, to purchase the Rosetta Stone computer program for use in language classrooms in lieu of teachers.

Frank Belluscio, director of communications for the New Jersey School Boards Association, said one-third of New Jersey school districts have had to scale back their world-languages programs.

"As we know, there’s a critical need for the U.S. to be competitive in a world economy and to give students the skills and knowledge they’ll need to succeed," he said.

While most people support foreign-language instruction, not everyone agrees the federal government should be funding it.

Steve Lonegan, director of the New Jersey chapter of the conservative group Americans for Prosperity, said the nation’s debt burden is a bigger problem than its intellectual capacity.

"This is a big country with a lot of people speaking a lot of languages. I don’t think there’s a shortage of those languages," said Lonegan, a former Bogota mayor and gubernatorial candidate whose opposition to a McDonald’s Spanish-language billboard made news in 2006. "The nation’s debt will yield far more negative consequences on our global competitiveness than if we have enough people who can speak Chinese."

But Martha Abbott, director of education for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language, a national foreign language interest group, said the proposed funding’s not enough.

"Fifty million from the federal government is really a drop in the bucket," Abbot said. "It’s important for people to really get behind this because our days of being a monolingual nation are over."

TRENTON — Legal fees in New Jersey's fight over a scrapped Hudson River rail tunnel have passed $1 million and are growing. NJ Transit hired a Washington-based law after the Federal Transit Administration demanded the return of $271 million that the state received toward the project. Gov. Chris Christie scrapped the tunnel in October because he feared the cost...

erry McCrea/The Star LedgerU.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (seen at podium) is joined by U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, members of the House of Representatives, state legislature and local trade union members at an ARC Tunnel press conference in September. The project was canceled by Gov. Chris Christie a little more than a month later.

TRENTON — Legal fees in New Jersey's fight over a scrapped Hudson River rail tunnel have passed $1 million and are growing.

NJ Transit hired a Washington-based law after the Federal Transit Administration demanded the return of $271 million that the state received toward the project.

Gov. Chris Christie scrapped the tunnel in October because he feared the cost would far exceed estimates.

NJ Transit spokesman Paul Wyckoff said the agency is watching out for taxpayers by fighting the payment.

Wyckoff says lawyers for both sides remain in discussions.

Related coverage:

• Scrapped ARC tunnel leaves some in Somerset, Hunterdon wondering what projects to pursue

• Christie vows to fight Obama administration in court over $271M for scrapped ARC tunnel

• Gov. Christie is not surprised by federal transportation officials' demand for canceled ARC tunnel funds

• Federal government demands N.J. re-pay $271M for commuter tunnel Gov. Christie canceled

• N.J. legal tab to fight $271M federal bill for scrapped ARC tunnel reaches $800K

• N.J. officials tout Christie's five-year, $8B transportation plan

Nearly 15,000 public workers are expected to retire in first half of year

TRENTON — For the second year in a row, public employees across New Jersey are retiring at a record rate, state figures show.

Nearly 15,000 public workers are expected to retire from January through the end of July, a slight increase from the same period last year, when a record number of state employees left their jobs.

The steady rise in retirements comes amid economic uncertainty, with changes in pension and health benefits for public employees remaining at the top of the state’s political agenda. As a result, an increasing number of the more than 500,000 state and municipal employees are choosing to retire rather than risk having their benefits cut by legislators.

"People have a certain set of expectations, and at some point, it just makes sense to retire," said Jim Ryan, a spokesman for the state Policemen’s Benevolent Association.

Ryan said retirements, combined with layoffs, have left police departments across the state understaffed and in many cases without the streetwise experience needed to conduct adequate investigations.

"If there is a shooting or a fight between gangs, a veteran police officer knows the neighborhood," he said. "It’s going to take time to fill in the gaps."

The numbers provided by the state Treasurer’s Office show that State Police officers are also retiring at a record pace, a trend that the superintendent, Col. Rick Fuentes, recently told a state Senate committee was disturbing.

By the end of July, records show, 144 state troopers are expected to retire, significantly higher than any 12-month period since at least 2000. In the previous decade, an average of 61 state troopers retired each year.

Overall, more than 20,000 public workers retired last year, a 60 percent increase over 2009 and the highest number in at least a decade, according to the state Department of the Treasury.

The unexpected surge may eventually force the state to pay more money into its troubled pension fund.

Every three years, the state examines such assumptions as retirement rates and employee levels, which serve as the basis for pension payments, and adjusts accordingly. The next study will look at the three-year period from June 2008 to June 2011, when retirements jumped.

Susan Chew, 55, of Hammonton, a forensic scientist with the State Police, said she would join the ranks of those retiring if she could lock in her benefits as her husband did last year.

"There’s just too much uncertainty right now, so we’re stuck here," said Chew, who will mark 25 years with the state in 18 months. At that time, she will be able to lock in her benefits.

But for now, she said, she and her husband have delayed plans to build a retirement home in Virginia until state lawmakers and Gov. Chris Christie work out an agreement.

"I know the state and the pension is in bad shape," Chew said, "but we’ve contributed, and I don’t think it’s fair to go after us." Her unit is about 60 scientists short because of attrition, she added.

Other states considering cuts in benefits — including Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin — are seeing a similar increase in retirements.

While teachers led last year’s surge — nearly twice as many left as in many previous years — state workers and non-uniformed employees at the local level are leading this year’s increase, the figures show. If the trend continues, more than 13,000 of these state and local employees will retire in 2011, a 30 percent jump from last year.

"This is very destructive and indicates a low level of morale that workers are leaving jobs in this bad economy," said Hetty Rosenstein, president of the Communication Workers of America, which represents about 40,000 state workers.

Rosenstein blamed the wave of retirements on Christie’s public comments, in which he has spoken disparagingly of public employees and the benefits they receive.

"If you attack people who have dedicated their lives to public service, say they’re overpaid when they are not, say their benefits are too generous, when they’re not, then it’s going to have an impact on morale," Rosenstein said.

She added, "That’s just bad governance."

Though they are unpopular with the unions, Christie’s sharp attacks on the benefits received by public employees have helped bolster his popularity not only at home but also among conservative Republicans nationwide.

Christie’s office declined to comment for this article.

While public employees ponder whether to remain at their jobs or retire and lock in their benefits, Christie and Democratic leaders are trying to work out the details of health and pension reform.

Under all of the proposals that have been floated so far, public employees who have spent a prescribed amount of time on the job — generally 25 years — would not have their benefits cut upon retirement.

TRENTON — New Jersey is considering a pilot program to see if it could save money by placing highway maintenance in the hands of the private sector. The Transportation Department is preparing to solicit bids. DOT spokesman Joe Dee told The Record newspaper bidders would be asked to provide the costs of filling potholes, plowing snow, mowing medians and...

Andrew Mills/The Star LedgerNorthbound traffic flows on the Garden State Parkway at mile marker 70 in Waretown. The state is considering a pilot program that would privatize highway maintenance in the state. It has not been decided which roads would be used in the pilot program.

TRENTON — New Jersey is considering a pilot program to see if it could save money by placing highway maintenance in the hands of the private sector.

The Transportation Department is preparing to solicit bids.

DOT spokesman Joe Dee told The Record newspaper bidders would be asked to provide the costs of filling potholes, plowing snow, mowing medians and even removing deer carcasses.

Dee told the newspaper there are no plans to lay off DOT maintenance workers. They would be moved elsewhere if a private vendor is selected to maintain a section of highway.

Details about what roads would be part of the program have not been determined.

Related coverage:

• N.J. Turnpike Authority extends toll collectors' contract but plans to eliminate all jobs in 2 years

• Report: Gas tax, car charges only cover half the cost of road maintenance

A bill to help grant veteran-owned businesses state contracts once again awaits action in the state Assembly, according to a report on MyCentralJersey.com. The bill's language was proposed by Gov. Chris Christie, after he vetoed a previous bill that would set aside 3 percent of all state contracts to business owned by veterans. The new legislation proposes the state...

CHRIS KLEPONIS/AFP/Getty ImagesA bill to encourage veteran-owned businesses to bid for state contracts awaits a hearing in the state Assembly. This file photo shows some memorabilia left near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. on Memorial Day weekend.

A bill to help grant veteran-owned businesses state contracts once again awaits action in the state Assembly, according to a report on MyCentralJersey.com.

The bill's language was proposed by Gov. Chris Christie, after he vetoed a previous bill that would set aside 3 percent of all state contracts to business owned by veterans. The new legislation proposes the state Treasury to encourage veteran-owned business to bid for state contracts.

The bill was unanimously passed by the state Senate in late April and is awaiting a Military and Veterans' affairs committee hearing in the Assembly.

Read the full story here.

Related coverage:

• Norcross bill would benefit business enterprises owned by veterans

• Beach legislation to create veteran-owned business set-aside program clears N.J. Senate