State Wrap: Suspected Spread of Measles in Camden County, Diddy Performs in Hoboken

A Camden County man diagnosed with measles . Collingswood’s Pop Shop is among a list of eight South Jersey locations the man visited before learning he had measles. Other locations are in Cherry Hill, Magnolia and Lawnside.

“Measles is a serious disease,” Bob Smith, Camden County health officer, said at a press conference Thursday morning. “It can lead to complications that are very, very serious. Complications include inner ear infection to meningitis to things like pneumonia or croup.”

On Friday, Camden County opened a temporary hotline to address the public's concerns over measles.

***

Brick Township was one of just two communities statewide that out of 14 where such a question appeared on the ballot for Wednesday's school elections.

Brick voters approved $8.6 million in above-cap spending in a narrow, 51 percent to 49 percent, joining those in Lambertville, Hunterdon County, in approving the ballot measure. In 10 other municipalities, the story was different. Votes ranged from narrow—53 percent opposed the referendum in Mount Holly, Burlington County—to an outright mandate against the referendum in Medford, Burlington County, where a staggering 84 percent of voters rejected the measure.

In most of the municipalities where referendums were rejected, the margin was 60 percent or higher.

***

Demolition of the Washington Building , the Morris County Board of Freeholders were told Wednesday.

County engineer Stephen Hammond said the county accepted a low bid of $693,737 from LVI Demolition Services Inc. to take down the 50-year-old brick structure at the corner of Washington Street and Schuyler Place in Morristown. Work is expected to begoin in mid-May, he said. The county is expected to construct

***

s Chandelier Room celebrated its on Wednesday night, and spared no expense throwing the biggest party in town.

The invite-only affair boasted performances by Swizz Beats and Diddy, as well as a guestlist that featured Amar’e Stoudemire, Adrienne Bailon, Audrina Patridge, Omarion, Carolyn Manzo with and Gossip Girl’s Tika Sumter.

***

After a long and contentious budget process, Montclair's classroom aides voted Tuesday to approve an agreement with the Montclair Board of Education that .

In a vote conducted by the Montclair Education Association, the district's 250 full- and part-time aides voted to approve the deal which will allow them to stay on the district's payroll.

***

A Hopatcong man pleaded on 4/20, the unofficial pot-smokers' holiday—to . Michael T. Smith, 22, was charged with the second-degree crime of manufacturing more than 10, but less than 50 marijuana plants on Dec. 29. He's scheduled to be sentenced on May 27.

***

The glass and concrete structure, a long part of the Mathis Plaza on Rt. 166 in Toms River, has finally . Demolition started Tuesday and was completed early Wednesday afternoon, on the South Toms River park that sits on the Toms River, directly across from Huddy Park.

***

On Tuesday, Gov. Christie signed S2465/A3587, a bill that permits the combination of voter petitions and applications by elected governing bodies to create Municipal Consolidation Study Commissions. Christie's office said that by allowing the applications to be “mixed and matched,” it is easier for grassroots organizations to sidestep politics and create the study commissions, the first mandated step toward municipal consolidation.

***

U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Rep. Donald Payne (D-10) were joined by Council President Donald Payne, Jr., city officials and Newark firefighters on Tuesday to announce that the Newark Fire Department was awarded $7.1 million in federal funding to hire 70 new firefighters. The funding is being made available through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program and will be used to fill vacancies left by recently retired Newark firefighters.