ASBURY PARK PRESS :: MONMOUTH EDITION

APP.COM $1.50

WEDNESDAY 04.06.16

Yankees drop the ball

Lose to Astros 5-3 in season opener. 1C

REMOVING HAZARD IN HOMES

CHRISTIE BACKS
$10M LEAD FUND
About-face comes after 2015 Press investigation
found state diverted money elsewhere for years

PHOTOS BY BOB BIELK/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A sign on the Wonder Bar advertising some of the musicians

appearing in the Asbury Park Music in Film Festival.

Asbury hopes
big festival
gives boost
to business
This weekends event expected by
many to pack the city with tourists

ANDREW FORD/STAFF PHOTO

Gov. Chris Christie announced $10 million in state funding to remove lead paint in low- to moderate-income homes.

KALA KACHMAR @NEWSQUIP

COUNTDOWN

Asbury Park officials and business owners are looking forward to

showcasing the all the city has to offer during this weekends Asbury
Park Music in Film Festival, a series
of events thats expected to draw
people from all over the country.
The festival features a multitude
of film showings, premieres,
screenings, workshops, music
events and speakers at different
venues throughout the city from
April 8 to 10.
Asbury Park Mayor John Moor said he expects the
city to be packed this weekend, which will boost
business, parking revenue and show off the citys musical, cultural and historical vibrancy.
Its first-class. Theres a great lineup, Moor said.
It shows how many different venues we have. The
Wonder Bar, the House of Independents and the list
keeps on going. People see that theres more than just
the Stone Pony.
In 2014, the city lost the Garden State Musical Festival to Atlantic City, which Moor said was a huge loss
for Asbury. But its been replaced with the three-day
festival, put on by the Asbury Park Press and APP.
com, Monmouth Medical Center, a Barnabas Health
facility; and the Asbury Park Music Foundation, to
honor the citys rich musical history and its impact in

2 DAYS

ANDREW FORD @ANDREWFORDNEWS

AND RUSS ZIMMER @RUSSZIMMER

TRENTON - Gov. Chris Christie, in a public policy

about-face, Tuesday backed spending $10 million to remove lead paint from the homes of low- and moderateincome New Jersey families.
Christie announced the Department of Community
Affairs will work through nonprofit organizations to
retain contractors to assess and remediate lead paint
hazards in homes. The program will provide up to
$20,000 per home.
Were working hard and making sure that lead poisoning, while its a concern, does never become an epidemic in New Jersey, Christie said.
The move follows more than a year of criticism of

There's been fiction about how this works and

that we're not spending this money, that this
money has been diverted.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE

the Christie administration and state lawmakers for

shorting a state fund aimed at reducing the threat
from excessive lead exposure a particular concern
in urban communities, where older and poorly maintained homes are more common.
An Asbury Park Press investigationfound that over
several years, more than $50 million for the states
See LEAD, Page 4A

See FESTIVAL, Page 5A

ASBURY PARK MUSIC IN FILM FESTIVAL

l When: Friday through Sunday at various sites
l What: Films, discussions and live performances
l Online: Visit APMFF.com for tickets, event info

An Asbury Park Press investigation published in early 2015 found that over several years, more than $50 million
intended for the states lead-paint protection fund had been diverted to pay routine state bills and salaries.

Pier for Long Branch to be designed

DAN RADEL @DANIELRADELAPP

LONG BRANCH - From the Shore to Manhattan by

water in an hour? Maybe.
The city awarded a $2.4 million contract to TDG-NJ
Planning Architecture Urban Design to draft a conceptual design for a pier and commuter ferry terminal
during the last City Council meeting in March.

Cruz, Sanders hope for renewed momentum as Wisconsin votes in primaries. 1B

ADVICE
CLASSIFIED
COMICS
LOCAL
OBITUARIES

7D
1E
6D
3A
13A

The citys vision is for commuters and tourists to be

ferried between Long Branch and Manhattan.
City officials said the design will give them a plan to
take to the market in as little as a years time to seek
private investors. A timeline for pier construction has
not yet been laid out by city officials.
See PIER, Page 10A

OPINION
SPORTS
TABLE
WEATHER
YOUR MONEY

16A
1C
1D
10C
6A

VOLUME 137
NUMBER 83
SINCE 1879