+ $ 1 / FINAL EDITION F R I D AY, J A N U A R Y 1 6 , 2 0 1 5 A F F I L I AT E D W I T H Faces old and new help fill Giants, Jets coaching vacancies. PAGE 30 MEADOWLANDS Done deal: Izod Center closing The sports authority votes to shut the arena by month’s end, keep it closed for at least two years and shift scheduled events to Prudential Center. Those acts, however, could opt out of their contracts instead. IN TODAY Oscars hit by charges of racism So, just how racist and misogynistic are the Oscars? That was the question being asked — and frequently, heatedly answered — as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its nominees for the 87th annual Academy Awards. Of eight nominated films for best picture? Not one in which a woman is the sole, central character. Of 20 nominees in the acting categories? Not one minority performer. / Page 22 By Ted Sherman NJ Advance Media for The Star-Ledger New Jersey on Thursday abruptly pulled the plug on the 34-year-old state-owned Izod Center arena in the Meadowlands, citing $8.5 million in losses and mounting state subsidies. With little warning and no public notice, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority voted to shut the arena by the end of the month and shift the remaining few events on its schedule — including Chris Brown and Trey Songz in February and the Maroon 5 World Tour in March — to the Prudential Center in Newark, eight miles away. Officials said the Izod Center’s losses left them no choice but to temporarily shut the facility. In its agreement with Prudential, the state will keep the arena dark for at least two years, receiving $2 million in compensation for the added events. “We’re in a situation none of us like,” said Michael Ferguson, chairman of the state authority. “Operating this authority is not easy. Easy solutions don’t exist.” The authority acted despite emotional pleas from local officials, union leaders and members of the Legislature, who urged the board to keep the arena open while at least seeking bids from a private operator. But officials in Newark, home of the Prudential Center, were overjoyed at the news. “This is a long time coming,” North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos said in a statement. “It never made sense to keep open an outdated arena that is less than 10 miles away.” He added, “I commend the Inside Brendan Byrne: The former governor was proud to share his name with the arena. / Page 3 A timeline: Key moments in the Izod Center’s long history. / Page 3 In Sports: Some of New Jersey’s most unforgettable moments happened there. / Page 29 SEE IZOD, PAGE 3 The right medicine for Jersey SETON HALL, HOSPITAL TO CREATE SCHOOL AT FORMER PHARMA SITE TRENTON Christie’s not bound by pension law, lawyer says By Samantha Marcus NJ Advance Media for The Star-Ledger New Jersey’s highly touted 2011 pension law is unconstitutional when it commits Gov. Chris Christie to make a full payment into the troubled pension system, but not when it comes to concessions that public workers agreed to in exchange, an attorney for the state said Thursday. Assistant Attorney General Jean Reilly told a Superior Court judge that the Legislature can change workers’ contributions or suspend cost-of-living adjustments — two crucial pieces of the overhaul — but that doesn’t mean the state has to make the payment into the system as spelled out in the law. “They’re not irrevocably bound together,” Reilly said near the end of a five-hour hearing as a dozen unions try to force the governor to make the state’s entire contribution this fiscal year. The statement later prompted Judge Mary Jacobson to ask: “When the state’s not holding up its end of the bargain, (how can you) expect the individual employees to hold up theirs?” Reilly said the state budget trumps all laws and cuts can be made to the pension system in tough economic times. The point was crucial to the billion-dollar showdown between union lawyers and the Republican governor over an issue that has dominated Trenton since Christie took office. Jacobson did not issue a ruling on Thursday or say when it could be expected, but the decision 1st PRIVATE MEDICAL SCHOOL IN N.J. IN DECADES 14 ACRES THE SCHOOL WILL OCCUPY 2017 YEAR THE FIRST CLASS COULD BEGIN 2,500 PROJECTED SHORTAGE OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS IN N.J. BY 2020 (PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/THE STAR-LEDGER) By Adam Clark and Kathleen O’Brien / NJ Advance Media for The Star-Ledger bold plan forged by Seton Hall University and one of the state’s largest hospitals to create the state’s first private medical school in decades hosp was described by officials Thursday as a boost to both the state’s wa economy and its national profile. Seton Hall University will partner with Hackensack University Health Network to start the school, which is expected to open its doors to students in the fall of 2017. The two institutions will remake the former Hoffman-La Roche pharmaceutical facility on Route 3 that straddles the Clifton-Nutley border — a complex whose future had been a concern of local officials since the company left in 2013. The move allows Seton Hall to expand its post-graduate education to include medicine. The university president, A. Gabriel Esteban, noted most of the country’s top 50 universities have medical schools, and pointed out the new school will vault Seton Hall into the ranks of those schools that have both a law and medical school. For the hospital system, based in Hackensack but growing through acquisitions, it will allow it to have a full-time partnership with a university. At a news conference, state and local officials billed the proposed four-year school as an economic boost to the surrounding community and state, although many details have yet to be settled, such as the name of the school and its overall cost. “I think this is a plus, plus for all of us,” said U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-9th Dist.). “This is a big deal, my friends. The consequences of this will be seen for years to come.” The school is expected to occupy about 14 acres of the more than 100-acre campus and become the anchor tenant of the site redevelopment, said Bob Garrett, president and chief executive of Hackensack University Health Network. La Roche is in the midst of finding a developer to purchase the land, but the planned medical school is negotiating its lease with La Roche, Garrett said. The two institutions will evenly split the cost SEE SCHOOL, PAGE 3 SEE PENSION, PAGE 12 Today’s Weather Mostly sunny, with a northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, remaining mostly clear at night. High: 40° Low: 12° / Forecast, Page 2 Index Advice / 19 Business / 6 Comics / 21 Editorial / 10 Horoscope / 19 HS Sports / 33 Lottery / 2 New Jersey / 9 Obituaries / 14 Puzzles / 19 Real Estate / 23 Sports / 29 Today / 18 Towns / 13 TV Grid / 20 =0+3+5+b+f 30-50% OFF SLEEPER SECTIONAL! REG. $1285.70 sale $699 entire store! M L K E V E N T Going on Now! GRAND OPENING EAST HANOVER! 98 Route 10 West, Next to Babies “R” Us across from Novartis (973) 564-0056 JENNIFER C O N V E R T I B L E S Call 1-800-JENNIFER for New Jersey locations. www.jenniferconvertibles.com Price already reflects discount. Merchandise pickup may not be convenient or available in your area. Delivery charge additional. Savings may not be based on actual sales. Not all products available in all showrooms.
© Copyright 2024