N.J. Transit Faces More Scrutiny; Landmark Designation Sought for Boston Icon
Damage done to the Hoboken Terminal after a commuter train crash. Chris O'Neil / AP Photo
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Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Possible state worker strike looms in California; feds charge county executive in New York with corruption; and an ethical quandary for Chicago officials involving the Cubs.
HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY
RAIL SAFETY | After one of its trains crashed into Hoboken Terminal, killing a woman and injuring more than 100 other people, New Jersey’s commuter railroad is facing possible investigation by state legislators. U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker have also called on the feds to probe New Jersey Transit safety and funding, including the agency’s $10 million request to help install a GPS-based positive train control system. The second-largest commuter railroad in the U.S., New Jersey Transit has had a much higher accident rate than the other top 10 since 2011, causing more than $6 million in damage and 13 injuries to passengers. [NJ.com]
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
SIGN | With Boston University having recently agreed to sell the building on which the city’s iconic, 3,600-square-foot Citgo sign sits, the municipal Landmarks Commission is drafting up protections for it that would prohibit significant changes. Permanent landmark designation requires public hearings, as well as Mayor Marty Walsh’s and City Council’s approval. The sign has featured prominently on the Boston skyline since 1940. [The Boston Globe]
Here are some other state and local government news items that caught our eye...
The 95,000 members of California government’s largest union, SEIU Local 1000, will vote on whether or not to strike over salaries next week. [The Sacramento Bee]
“Do you think that I go home and sleep well knowing those people are down there when it’s 105 [degrees] and they’re on asphalt?” Yakima, Washington, Mayor Kathy Coffey asked during a public meeting, frustrated with complaints about the city’s homeless problem while Yakima County sits on $2.5 million that could help alleviate the situation. [Yakima Herald]
County Executive Edward Mangano, who runs one of the U.S.’s wealthiest counties, Nassau County, New York, was arrested on federal corruption charges along with his wife, Linda, and Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto. [Reuters]
In a mostly positive retirement speech, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe did suggest his jurisdiction consider adding a mayor because City of Angels press conferences tend to trump county news: “I think that would bring more attention, if you had someone that could speak on behalf of the county.” [Press-Telegram]
The Detroit Department of Transportation on Wednesday announced the launch of a new online bus tracking map, which shows the position of buses on city streets in real-time. Color coding of the dots that represent buses on the map indicate whether they’re on time or running five, 10 or 20 minutes late. [Detroit Department of Transportation]
Eight people, including three firefighters, were injured when a natural gas leak in northwest Portland, Oregon caused a pair of explosions that destroyed a 110-year-old building in a trendy entertainment and shopping district. Portland Fire Chief Mike Myers said of the incident: "I have not seen devastation like this in my entire career." [The Oregonian / OregonLive]
The Cubs are making a run in the playoffs and the question of whether Chicago city officials—the mayor and aldermen—can accept tickets to the games as gifts has been up for debate. According to Steve Berlin, executive director of the city’s Board of Ethics, officials who accept tickets from the team, and purchase them at face value, must perform a “ceremonial duty or action” at the game to avoid getting into hot water. [Chicago Tribune]
Although the city of Bozeman, Montana, has settled most of the litigation over fumes seeping from an old municipal landfill, a handful of cases linger. One family filed a lawsuit this week, alleging the city acted negligently and that conditions at the landfill subjected them to health risks and hurt the value of their property. The owners of 29 of 44 lots in a Bozeman subdivision have taken legal action related to the landfill against the city. [Bozeman Daily Chronicle]
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