N.J. Ends Bistate Tax Deal With Pennsylvania; Challenging Alabama's 'Discriminatory' Judicial Elections
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Mel Evans / AP Photo
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Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Pittsburgh bridge within 30 minutes of collapsing; NYC brings in streetcar heavy hitter; and Illinois schools drivers on police.
TRENTON, NEW JERSEY
TAX AGREEMENTS | Gov. Chris Christie has decided to end a bistate deal with Pennsylvania, which allows commuters to pay income taxes in the state where they live, as opposed to the state where they work. Getting rid of arrangement is expected to bolster The Garden State’s budget. But it would also force many South Jersey commuters, who work across the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, to pay heavier taxes. Higher income earners from Pennsylvania, who work in New Jersey, also stand to pay more. Christie’s move to ax the agreement is tied to wrangling between him and Democratic legislative leaders over other budget issues, specifically public-employee health benefits. [NJ Spotlight]
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
VOTING RIGHTS | The Alabama State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is spearheading a voting rights lawsuit that would end at-large elections of judges to the state’s Supreme Court and all other appellate courts. Plaintiffs argue the process is racially discriminatory toward blacks, who represent more than a quarter of Alabama’s population but have never served on the state’s civil or criminal appellate courts. Only three blacks have sat on the state Supreme Court in 36 years. The at-large method "unlawfully dilutes the voting strength of African Americans and prevents them from electing candidates of their choice," according to the lawsuit. Election by single-member districts is the preferred alternative. [AL.com]
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
BRIDGE FIRE | After a welder accidentally started a fire that put Pittsburgh’s Liberty Bridge at risk of collapse, the contractor overseeing a reconstruction project on the span could face fines up to $213,000 per day. The fire occurred last Friday on the 88-year-old bridge, which crosses the Monongahela River. High temperatures from the blaze damaged a critical support beam, and an engineer for Pennsylvania’s transportation department said earlier this week that the bridge was likely within 30 minutes of falling down if the flames were not extinguished. As of Wednesday morning, the bridge remained closed. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
STREETCARS | New York City is bringing back the streetcar, and they’re looking north for inspiration. This summer, the city hired the former chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission, Adam Giambrone, to run the project. Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposed 16-mile route would run from Astoria, Queens to Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Mr. Giambrone plans to bring lessons learned in Toronto—streetcars without dedicated lanes suffer from bad traffic, and drivers whose lanes are taken over by streetcars are rarely happy—to the project. [The New York Times]
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
POLICE | A new law in Illinois mandates that all driver’s education classes must include instruction on what to do if you’re stopped by the police. The lesson, “Being Pulled Over by Law Enforcement,” is already being taught to 190,000 Illinois students who are enrolled in driver’s education at public high schools in the state. State Sen. Julie Morrison was a co-sponsor of the bill. "Being pulled over by an officer is really stressful," she said. "I think it's really important, especially in this time that we're in, that kids and new drivers learn what is expected when they are stopped by an officer, how to respond correctly … “ [Chicago Tribune]
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
BOUNDARIES | A federal judge dismissed Klickitat County’s lawsuit against the U.S. government to force a boundary decision regarding the Yakama Nation reservation. The U.S. District Court judge found the county lacked standing but did not make clear who has jurisdiction over 99,000 acres southeast of Mount Adams called Tract D. Klickitat wanted to stop the U.S. Interior Department and Bureau of Indian Affairs from exercising jurisdiction. [The Associated Press via Hastings Tribune]
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