• Gov. Chris Christie attends a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Hackensack University Medical Center North at Pascack Valley in Westwood at 10:45 a.m., then heads to Atlantic City for the 2:30 p.m. opening of Margaritaville Atlantic City at Resorts Casino.
• Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sen. Barbara Buono meets with Communications Workers of America Local 1033, 5 p.m. at the Trenton War Memorial. Tonight, she holds a fundraiser in Hammonton.
• Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno speaks at the 30th annual Parade of Wreaths ceremony marking Memorial Day at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, co-sponsored by the Thomas B. McGuire Foundation and the New Jersey State Police.
  • From there, it's a busy public calendar throughout Monmouth County for Guadagno: a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Angler's Marina & Beach Boutique in Sea Bright at 1 p.m.; "Open for Summer" visits in Avon-by-the-Sea to Jewelry By the Sea at 2:45 p.m. and the Atlantic View Inn Bed & Breakfast at 3:30 p.m.; a Manasquan beach ribbon-cutting ceremony at the inlet gazebo pavilion at 4:30 p.m.; and the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners Shore Regional Annual Dinner at the Bella Vista Country Club in Marlboro at 7 p.m.
• Senate committees meet -- well, two of them do. Another five whose turn it is to meet are skipping this round.
  • Higher Education (10 a.m., CR7) Eliminate the requirement that every full-time student at a New Jersey college maintain health insurance coverage.
  • Military & Veterans' Affairs (1 p.m., CR1) Create a New Jersey Cold War medal for veterans who served between 1945 and 1991.
• State Department of Law & Public Safety holds an 11 a.m. news conference in Trenton regarding "Operation Swill," a year-long investigation into 29 bars and restaurants that allegedly filled premium-brand liquor bottles with cheaper alcohol to shortchange customers.
• Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin joins officials from the state Division of Travel and Tourism and the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, as part of the consortium's 11th Annual State of the Shore event, to provide an update on Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts, 12:30 p.m. at D'Jais Bar & Restaurant in Belmar.
• Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable III, joined by Human Services Commissioner Jennifer Velez, provides an update on the Section 8 Special Admissions Housing Choice Voucher program, which helps low-income residents displaced by Superstorm Sandy move into permanent housing. Scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on the boardwalk outside Convention Hall in Asbury Park; if it's raining, they'll relocate to City Hall.
• A coalition of organizations kicks off a campaign to push for an override vote on the fracking waste bill before the Legislature breaks for the summer, noon on the Statehouse steps. Participants include Jeff Tittel of the Sierra Club, Jim Walsh of Food & Water Watch and Tracy Carluccio of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network.
• U.S. Rep. Rush Holt hosts a 1 p.m. news teleconference with current and former New Jersey students to oppose a bill that would allow student loan interest rates to jump to as high as 10.5 percent.
• New Jersey Public Interest Research Group Law & Policy Center releases a new report, “Prescription for Danger,” about safety violations by compounding pharmacies. One of those facilities in Tinton Falls recalled its drugs in March after some was found to be contaminated by mold.
• The state Division of Consumer Affairs' annual Consumer Bowl game-show style competition wraps up with the finals, starting at 9:30 a.m. in Trenton, pitting students from four schools: Irvington High School, Freehold Township High School, Moorestown Friends School and Voorhees High School (in Hunterdon County ... not in Voorhees Twp, naturally). This year's contest emphasizes the types of scams consumers face after disasters such as Sandy.
• The Morris County court system's Drug Court holds a commencement and graduation ceremony at 1:30 p.m. at the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown.
• The Burlington Vicinage Advisory Committee on Minority Concerns holds a workshop on expunging a criminal record, 6 p.m. at the Burlington County Library in Westampton.
• State Council on the Arts meets, 11 a.m. at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood.
• Rowan University Board of Trustees holds its spring retreat, 8:30 a.m. in Glassboro.
• Council on Developmental Disabilities meets, 10 a.m. in Trenton.
• State Agriculture Development Committee meets, 9 a.m. in Trenton.
• Health Care Facilities Financing Authority meets, 10 a.m. in Trenton.
• State Board of Chiropractic Examiners meets, 9:30 a.m. in Newark.
• Law Revision Commission meets, 4:30 p.m. in Newark.
• Appellate Judge Carmen Messano turns 60.
• Superior Court Judge Maureen Sogluizzo turns 59.

Assembly Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver has begun the formal process of challenging the Gov. Chris Christie administration on its recommendation to award $1.27 billion in state grants to colleges for construction projects because the “administration has refused repeated attempts to assist in the Legislature’s review of the lists by not providing information on why the projects on the list were selected.’’

Oliver in a letter to Christie, copied to Chief of Staff Kevin O’Dowd. also wrote: “With the Legislature required to authorize the project awards and the review committee’s competitive process complete, it is inexplicable and contradictory to sound public policy-making for the administration to ask legislators to authorize the recommendations for approved projects absent a comprehensive and complete understanding of why certain projects were awarded funding, while others were rejected.’’

Oliver previously has expressed concern on the legality of New Jersey providing construction funds to a private Lakewood Talmudic school.

The recommendations include $10.6 million for a new library and academic center to Beth Medrash Govoha, an all-male, Orthodox Jewish yeshiva in Lakewood.

The higher education bond proposal adopted last June originally excluded primarily religious schools but was amended. Oliver, who was among the bill's primary sponsors, said she did not think the changes intended to allow the funding to be used for exclusively religious schools.

Some lawmakers have also expressed similar concerns about the $645,323 that would go to the Princeton Theological Seminary.

Christie during a press conference in Belmar said Oliver’s actions are politically motivated.

"Despite the governor implying that I am playing politics because I am posing legitimate questions regarding his administration's recommendations in awarding $1.2 billion in taxpayer funds approved by the voters, the basic questions remain unanswered,’’ Oliver responded in a statement. “In his remarks today, the governor disclosed that $46 million has been provided to a yeshiva in the form of Tuition Assistance Grants, and that I have not questioned that as an ardent supporter of TAG. Had I been policing the day-to-day actions of higher education administrators, I certainly would have questioned those expenditures as well. TAG eligibility requirements, as set forth by the NJ Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, explicitly state that to be eligible for a Tuition Aid Grant, students must not be enrolled in a program leading to a degree in theology or divinity. That leads me to believe that there are thousands of students in New Jersey who have been denied the opportunity to pursue their dream of higher education because $46 million could potentially have been awarded inappropriately.’’

Buono chaired the budget committee during the second half of Gov. Jon Corzine's term, 2008 and 2009 -- meaning, it coincided with the steep recession that crippled jobs and budgets in New Jersey and elsewhere.

The ad, titled "Timeline," seeks to connect Buono to Corzine and narrows its earlier criticism about increases in taxes and fees to the 23 it says were done specifically during her two years as budget chair. It also notes she voted in 2006 for the increase in the sales tax. The ad also dings Buono for a $13.4 billion increase in state debt between 2008 and 2010 (though the increase in the first two years of Christie's term, nearly $13.2 billion, was almost as large).

In all, the campaign has acknowledged nearly $2.5 million in spending on television and radio commercials so far. As of two weeks ago, Christie had raised nearly $6.2 million for the primary; he's not taking part in the state's matching-fund program, which allows him to raise and spend beyond the program's limits.

Here's the accompanying statement released by campaign spokesman Kevin Roberts:

“As the architect of Jon Corzine’s budgets, Barbara Buono was central to those disastrous policies that brought New Jersey to the brink of catastrophe. In just two short years, Sen. Buono voted to increase taxes and fees 23 times, while overseeing a $13.4 billion increase in state debt and the stunning loss of 240,000 of our families' jobs. Barbara Buono may be ‘very proud’ of her tenure as Jon Corzine’s budget chair, but New Jerseyans know that we cannot go back to the failed era of more taxes, more debt and fewer jobs under Jon Corzine and Barbara Buono.”

UPDATE: Buono's communications director, David Turner, responded by calling Christie "an economic disaster" who refuses to be held accountable for vetoing job-creation efforts passed by the Legislature and reducing direct property tax relief. "Unfortunately for the 400,000 people unemployed and the families crushed by skyrocketing property taxes, Governor Chis Christie's only response to New Jersey's sputtering economy is to blame his predecessor," Turner said via email. Meanwhile, the Democratic Governors Association called Christie a "shameless politician" running negative campaign ads while appearing in federally funded post-Sandy tourism ads that show him in a positive light.

The ad's below. Here's the supporting documentation provided by Christie's campaign.

The 30-second spot balances a biographical introduction (complete with a photo of her late father, an Italian immigrant and butcher, who died when she was 19) with criticisms of Gov. Chris Christie's on job creation, property taxes and college tuition.

The campaign is spending more than $1 million to air the ad, starting this week, on network and cable television in the New York market (which covers the more populated northern half of the state). The website Politico reported that the campaign has bought $1 million of commercial time from May 28 through June 4, the date of the primary.

Buono has raised nearly $988,000 to date, according to filings with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission. ELEC has provided her nearly $1.35 million in $2-for-$1 public matching funds to date; other contributions still being reviewed by ELEC could yield nearly $384,000 more, not counting the impact from future donations. In all, a candidate is eligible to receive $3.5 million in matching funds for the primary.

Here's the statement Buono campaign manager Jonathan Ducote released about the ad, titled "Another New Jersey":

“Our new television ad sets the record straight on Gov. Christie's failed economic record and introduces New Jerseyans to Sen. Buono’s humble upbringing as the daughter of an immigrant butcher. The New Jersey that Sen. Buono grew up in was rich with opportunities for working and middle class families, but those opportunities are slipping away under the governor's policies. While he has turned a blind eye to the middle class over the past three years, Sen. Buono will fight everyday as governor to build a New Jersey where every child has the same chance to succeed that she had.”

The ad is below, and here's a link to the supporting documentation provided by the Buono campaign. If the Christie campaign responds, we'll add that later.

• UPDATE: Gov. Chris Christie holds a news conference to mark the reopening of the boardwalk in Belmar at 11:30 a.m., then walks the boards to greet visitors.
• Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno visits Alpine Learning Group in Paramus at 11 a.m., then heads to Sayreville for a series of "Open for Business" post-Sandy visits -- at 1 p.m. at the Wawa on Washington Road, 1:45 p.m. at Camillo's Restaurant & Pizza and 2:30 p.m. at the Sayreville Pharmacy.
• Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sen. Barbara Buono holds a campaign fundraiser with Bergen County Democrats at The San Carlo in Lyndhurst, then visits Sen. Nellie Pou's birthday-themed fundraiser at The Brownstone House in Paterson at 8:30 p.m.
• Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa holds a 10:30 a.m. news conference at the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office in Bridgeton to announce the next gun buyback program, with Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae, the police chiefs in Bridgeton, Millville and Vineland and local clergy.
• Department of Environmental Protection holds a public hearing on rules that would make permanent its "permit by rule" approach that eliminates or reduces DEP reviews for some Superstorm Sandy rebuilding projects, 5:30 p.m. at the Long Branch Municipal Building.
• Health Commissioner Mary O'Dowd hosts a presentation about mold awareness, assessment and removal for residents and business owners in Union Beach, where 1,400 homes were flooded after Sandy, 10:45 a.m. at the Union Hose Fire Company.
• Rutgers University hosts a day-long conference in New Brunswick, “Climate Change Preparedness in New Jersey: Leading Practices and Policy Priorities,” focusing on climate change preparedness and resilience in New Jersey. Speakers include former Gov. Jim Florio.
• The state Motor Vehicle Commission holds a news conference to outline planned changes to the handicapped placard & license plate program, designed to prevent them from being used fradulently by people who don't require the assistance. People with a disability will have to recertify their medical condition every three years. Participants in the news conference include MVC chief administrator Raymond Martinez; Bridgewater Police Chief Richard Borden; Joseph Amoroso of the state Division of Disability Services; and Joseph Young of Disability Rights of New Jersey. Event is at 10:30 a.m. at Bridgewater Commons near the California Pizza Kitchen.
• UPDATE: NJ Transit holds a “We Are Listening” forum to hear from commuters, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., New York Penn Station's 7th Avenue Lower Level Concourse by the customer service podium).
• State Board of Agriculture meets, 1:30 p.m. in Bordentown.
• School Employees' Health Benefits Commission meets, 10 a.m. in Trenton.
• Meadowlands Commission meets, 10 a.m. in Lyndhurst.
• North Jersey District Water Supply Commission meets, 10 a.m. in Wanaque.
• Board of Massage & Bodywork Therapy meets, 9 a.m. in Newark.
• Superior Court Judge John Coyle Jr. turns 70.

There’s bad blood between Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, a Democrat, and Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., a Republican, and it’s a battle Sweeney is winning. He used his power to pull GOP bills from Monday committee hearings.

So far the ill-will hasn’t carried over into the Assembly but that doesn’t mean Jon Bramnick, the minority leader in the lower house, is happy with the status quo.

“I haven’t seen any specific spillover. Are we getting Republican bills posted? Yes, at a minimal amount, which is consistent with history,’’ Bramnick said.

Kean is involved in his party’s effort to unseat Sweeney in this year’s election and wouldn’t allow Sweeney to hold an emergency vote on a gun bill last week. Kean said the vote didn’t qualify as an emergency.

That was the lesson driven home to Michael O’Connell from the Pringle Quinn Anzano law firm by state Sen. Donald Norcross during a Senate committee hearing Monday.

O’Connell was on hand to testify on a transportation bill on behalf of Hertz, the rental-car giant which recently announced plans to move its corporate headquarters from Bergen County to Florida.

When O’Connell said Hertz had added more green vehicles to its fleet “to help with the environment and help with the economy,’’ Norcross let him have it.

“If you care so much about the economy, why are you leaving the state?’’ said Norcross, a Democrat from Camden County. “Gee. You can leave the state – and no economic impact. That’s pretty good. If you care so much about the state, I suggest you stay.’’

The company, which will still have rental agencies in New Jersey, won’t move its headquarters until 2015. Officials have said they were drawn to Lee County, Fla., by the lower cost of living and Florida’s strong tourism industry as well as the Sunshine State’s offer of $85 million in relocation incentives.

• Gov. Chris Christie speaks at the 29th Annual Statewide Law Enforcement Memorial Service at the Ocean Grove Auditorium at 11 a.m. He then heads to Paterson for a 3 p.m. campaign event at D'Classico Restaurant.
• Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sen. Barbara Buono's public schedule: the Tropicana Diner in Elizabeth at 9 a.m. for the next stop on her 'Diner Talks: Everyone Gets a Seat at the Table' tour; a meeting with the United Food & Commercial Workers/Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union District Council in Maplewood at 10 a.m.; and a meeting with American Federation of Teachers Local 4277 at Thomas Edison State College in Trenton at noon.
• Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno takes part in the Comcast New Jersey Leaders & Achievers scholarship recognition ceremony, 4:30 p.m. at the Trenton War Memorial near the Statehouse.
• Senate Law & Public Safety Committee meets to consider five gun-related proposals, 1 p.m. in Committee Room 10.
• The Assembly Budget Committee wraps up its review of the proposed state budget with updates on revenue projections from the Office of Legislative Services at 10 a.m. and state Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff at 2 p.m., in the Statehouse Annex's Committee Room 11.
• Protestors angered by the IRS's treatment of Tea Party applications for tax-exempt status demonstrate at noon at IRS offices in Cherry Hill and Mays Landing.
• The Sussex County court system's Drug Court holds a commencement and graduation ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Historic Courthouse in Newton.
• Election Law Enforcement Commission meets, 11 a.m. in Trenton.
• State Ethics Commission meets, 10 a.m. in Trenton.
• Casino Reinvestment Development Authority meets, 11 a.m. in Atlantic City.
• State Capitol Joint Management Commission meets, 10 a.m. in the Statehouse's Room 103.
• State Police Retirement System meets, 10 a.m. in Trenton.
• Governor's Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse meets, 10 a.m.
• Delaware River & Bay Authority meets, 10 a.m. in New Castle, Del.
• Real Estate Commission meets, 9:30 a.m. in Trenton.
• Fire Alarm, Burglar Alarm & Locksmith Advisory Committee meets, 9:30 a.m. in Newark.
• Assemblyman Sean Kean turns 50.

The bills are among more than 30 proposed in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting. The remaining measures await additional action by lawmakers.

The legislation advanced on Monday deal with school security, improved firearms information sharing among law enforcement and unlawful weapon disposal.

• A3583 creates a task force to explore areas to improve school safety. It passed 78-0.
• A3797 requires collection and reporting of certain firearms information to interjurisdictional databases and requires information relating to the crime of firearms trafficking be included in annual Uniform Crime Report. The vote was 51-27.
• A3796 provides a 180-day window for persons to dispose of certain unlawfully possessed firearms. The vote was 48-24.

Also voted on was A3717, tightening mental health oversight of gun owners by making it mandatory for the state to submit certain mental health records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), but due to a glitch the measure must go through another Senate vote.

The Assembly originally approved the measure in February but it was amended by the Senate earlier this month and inadvertently omitted voluntary records as part of the data that is to be transmitted to NICS. The Assembly vote in favor of the bill was 67-11.

Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff (NJTV screengrab)

The revenue difference identified by state Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff is being driven by energy taxes in the current budget, which are forecast to come in $183 million short of expectations. That's close to the $200 million gap forecast by OLS.

That shortfall is offset by the Treasury Department's increased expectations for current-year collections of income taxes (up $20 million), sales taxes ($25 million) and corporate taxes ($25 million). OLS had forecast those three taxes would be down $81 million combined, when compared with the February forecast.

There are also smaller differences among smaller sources of tax collections.

For the coming year's budget, the Christie administration is making only small changes to its revenue forecast -- with upward bumps in income ($70 million), sales ($70 million) and corporate ($25 million) taxes offset by a $198 million reduction from other sources.

David Rosen, Office of Legislative Service budget & finance officer (NJTV screengrab)

State Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff will testify shortly to the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee about the administration's updated forecast -- which, in the end, is the forecast that matters, as Christie gets to certify the numbers in the budget.

But the projections from the Office of Legislative Services certainly help frame the debate and provide a jumping-off point for negotiations between the executive and legislative branches. Had budget officer David Rosen increased the OLS' revenue projections, the discussions about a tax cut would likely be heating up.

Instead, the adjustments to the forecast announced by Rosen this morning scaled back expectations. The OLS forecast is now $444.2 million lower than the February outlook for the current budget year and $492.4 for the coming budget year.

Of that, nearly $350 million is due to energy taxes. That could be due to reduced energy consumption -- either due to efficiency efforts or even the days and, in some places, weeks that electricity and natural gas wasn't used after Superstorm Sandy. It might also be due to reduced prices for gas this past winter. Whatever the reason, OLS forecasts the state is going to realize $203 million from energy taxes this year rather than $403 million, followed next year by $312 million rather than $460 million.

The second major difference between the two forecasts is for Internet gaming. In February, the Christie administration projected that would yield $180 million in added tax revenue in the coming year. The OLS forecast calls from $30 million; Rosen said the effort is not going to get off the ground until October at the earliest and that the consensus among casino industry participants and analysts OLS has spoken with is that the new gaming could yield $40 million in taxes in its first 12 months.

Though she's currently a state senator and has represented Middlesex County in the Legislature for nearly 20 years, polls have indicated that two-thirds to three-fourths of voters don't know enough about her to form an opinion. So the ad takes that on by teaching viewers how to pronounce it -- BWOH-no, not like Sonny Bono, or the rocker Bono, though it rhymes with Cuomo, the New York governor's last name.

While Buono's name recognition issue isn't actually about her name's pronunciation, it is true that lots of people seem to have trouble saying it right. At a hearing about AshBritt's debris-removal contract a few months back, a company executive called her "Senator Bueno" -- as in, Spanish for good -- before correcting himself. At a 2009 campaign rally with Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Frank Lautenberg accidentally said "Senator Barbara Boner" -- some off-color slang he quickly corrected.

The ad's running online only, so its ability to raise her ID among the masses has challenges of its own. As of this morning, it had been viewed 282 times in its first couple of hours on YouTube.

• Gov. Chris Christie, with Memorial Day weekend approaching, visits the Lavallette boardwalk at 11 a.m., then talks with reporters around 11:20 a.m.
  • Tonight, Christie attends a fundraiser for the Burlington County GOP at the Moorestown Community Center.
• Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno also promotes the approaching summer at the Shore in Brigantine, with visits to Hooper's Seafood Cafe at 10:45 a.m. and the Pirate's Den Restaurant at 11:30 a.m.
• Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee gets updated forecasts for state revenues from the Office of Legislative Services (at 11 a.m.) and state Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff (at 1 p.m.). The treasurer also takes questions on his department's budget and spending on interdepartmental accounts.
• Assembly voting session, 1 p.m. in Trenton, with 80 bills on the agenda. Among them are four bills related to gun violence, workers' compensation for first responders, revamping economic development incentives, creating a legislative task force to keep tabs on implementing health exchanges, requiring schools to teach middle-school students about responsible use of social media and allowing foods mislabeled as "Jersey Fresh" to be confiscated.
• Senate committees meet.
  • Community & Urban Affairs (11 a.m., CR1) Allow local Urban Enterprise Zones to pay for storm related recovery costs.
  • Environment & Energy (10 a.m., CR10) Dedicate $200 million a year, through 2044, for buying open space, including flood-prone area, farms and historic sites.
  • Health, Human Services & Senior Citizens and Legislative Oversight, joint hearing (1 p.m., CR1) Testimony from invited guests about the conversion of not-for-profit hospitals into for-profit properties and whether oversight independent monitors is needed.
  • Labor (11 a.m., CR6) Require the state to put together consumer report cards about training providers.
  • Transportation (10:30 a.m., CR7) Discussion, but no vote, on a proposal to charge a per-mile fee on cars registered in New Jersey -- 0.83906 cents a mile, or just over $125 a year for a car driven 15,000 miles -- while exempting fuel for such cars from the state's gasoline tax.
• The Republican legislative leaders, Sen. Thomas Kean Jr. and Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, hold a 12:15 p.m. news conference at the Statehouse to discuss legislative priorities.
• U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, U.S. Rep. Albio Sires, Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith and officials from the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and the longshoreman's union hold a 10:30 a.m. news conference at Bayonne's Mayor Dennis P. Collins Park to talk about progress in raising the Bayonne Bridge.
• U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance is joined by breast cancer patients and survivors and officials with The Steeplechase Cancer Center at Somerset Medical Center and Susan G. Komen, North Jersey affiliate, for a 10 a.m. news conference at the medical center to discuss legislation intended to help educate women about breast reconstruction and care options following cancer treatments.
• As part of Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, Motor Vehicle Commission chairman and chief administrator Raymond Martinez joins Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden and officers from more than a dozen municipalities in Monmouth and Ocean counties for a safety rally starting at noon at the county police academy in Freehold.
• Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission meets, 10:30 a.m. in New Hope, Pa.
• Kean University Board of Trustees meets, 4 p.m. in Union.
• Lake Hopatcong Commission meets, 7 p.m. in Ledgewood.
• Shell Fisheries Council's Atlantic Coast section meets, 7 p.m. in Port Republic.
• State Board of Court Reporting meets, 9:30 a.m. in Newark.
• Superior Court Judge Christine Farrington turns 60.
• U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson turns 59.
• Sen. Nellie Pou turns 57.
• Superior Court Judge Lawrence DeBello turns 56.
• Timothy Lydon, executive director of the Senate Democrats' office, turns 41.

Born in Paulsboro in 1929, Rachel (Young) Dancer lived most of her life in New Egypt on the grounds of the Dancer Farm known as Egyptian Acres until moving to Florida. She had been living in Lighthouse Point, Fla., until she moved to Pompano Beach several months ago.

She is the mother of New Jersey State Assemblyman Ronald S. Dancer, a former mayor of Plumsted Township, and three other children, Susan (Dancer) Moyher of Hndersonville, N.C., Shaldonna Lee (Dancer) Chaisson of Port St. Lucie, Fla., and Richard Dancer, of Pompano Beach; nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

Shortly after they were married on Sept. 21, 1947, Rachel and Stanley, with money Rachel had saved for college, purchased their first horse for $250, a gelding with bad tendons named Candor, sired by Scotland. Candor began racing in 1948 and earned $12,000 in purse money over the next three years.

Rachel also was the co-owner of numerous champion standardbred racehorses, including three Hambletonian winners, Egyptian Candor (1965), Super Bowl (1972) and Bonefish (1975). She owned three Little Brown Jug winners, Lehigh Hanover (1962), Most Happy Fella (1970) and Keystone Ore (1976). Super Bowl and Most Happy Fella were Triple Crown winners and horses of the year, while Keystone Ore was a horse of the year. She was the breeder of Egyptian Candor.

In a twist of fate in the 1965 Hambletonian, Egyptian Candor was driven to victory by another Hall of Famer, Del Cameron. Stanley Dancer had opted to drive Noble Victory, who had trouble with an off track that day and finished third. Second place went to Armbro Flight, driven by another Hall of Famer Joe O’Brien.

Rachel also co-owned with Stanley the 1978 New Jersey Standardbred of the Year, Mistletoe Shalee, named for their daughter who is affectionately called Shalee. The filly, bred and foaled at Egyptian Acres, was so special that a run-in shed and paddock was built at the end of a new garage added to their Egyptian Acres house so Shalee could watch the horse close-up. Rachel noted this allowed her young daughter to go outside and give sugar cubes to the filly.

In 65 starts, Mistletoe Shalee won 38 races and was second 13 times and third six times, earning $502,510. She dominated the top fillies and mares at The Meadowlands and won such prominent races as the Jugette, Tarport Hap, Adioo Volo and Lady Maud.

Rachel served several years as a member and chair of the New Jersey Sire Stakes Board of Trustees and cohosted New Jersey Sire Stakes Fair Meets for many years.

Funeral arrangements will be private.

With New Jersey spending $25 million in federal disaster aid on a tourism campaign, not all of the money is being plowed into the six TV commercials featuring Gov. Chris Christie but those spots are consuming the lion’s share of the money.

The MWW public relations firm, which won the state tourism marketing contract, and partner Brushfire Inc. plan on spending $10.5 million on production and media buys for the six commercials. Christie is all of them but each contains a version without the Republican governor.

Another $3 million will go to radio commercials. The first radio spot does not include Christie.

The campaign also allocates $2.5 million for “out of home’’ marketing, such as use of billboards, and about $850,000 for online. The rest of the money is budgeted for promotional events and activities designed to attract Shore visitors and “administrative costs,’’ according to contract documents.

The statements are contained in proposed online gambling regulations that will be published June 3 by the Division of Gaming Enforcement within the Attorney General’s Office. The 60-daliy comment period ends Aug. 2 with final adoption following review and response to all comments.

The administration also believes it’s possible there can be a boost to development and jobs in Atlantic City even though people will no longer have to travel to the city to bet on casino games.

“If, as a result of Internet gaming, some gaming patrons are dissuaded from travel, the casino industry may experience some decrease in onsite gaming with an associated adverse impact on the gaming and derivative casino workforces. To offset any potential decrease in patron visitation to Atlantic City, effective marketing and promotional efforts through casinos licensees’ Internet gaming operations could induce a greater number of gaming patrons to travel to Atlantic City. In this scenario, Internet gaming may become a boon to the Atlantic City casino workforces. Further, increased casino revenues realized through Internet gaming may result in the expansion of existing casino facilities and, thereby, greater workforce needs,’’ the document says.

• Gov. Chris Christie takes a campaign stroll through Burlington's downtown with Mayor Jim Fazzone starting at 11:30 a.m., followed by a noon announcement at The Promenade -- and given that Fazzone is a Democrat, it seems possible that another crossover endorsement is pending.
  • Christie then heads to Ski Beach Park in Ventnor to tour a home being rebuilt and meet volunteers working on the house from Habitat for Humanity and Discovery Communications, which runs TV stations including Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet. Morris County resident Buddy Valastro from "Cake Boss," set in Hoboken, is among those helping with the rebuilding.
• New Jersey Democratic State Committee continues its 17th annual conference at Bally's Atlantic City, ending tomorrow. Likely gubernatorial nominee Sen. Barbara Buono delivers a luncheon address at noon. At a 7 p.m. dinner reception, the keynote speaker is U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, whose brother Julian, the mayor of San Antonio, keynoted last year's Democratic National Convention.
• Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno attends a Sandy benefit concert at Rumson Country Day School at 6 p.m.
• Senate President Stephen Sweeney delivers the keynote address at Rowan University’s commencement ceremony, 10 a.m. on the Glassboro campus’ University Green.
• The U.S. Labor Department releases April job figures for all 50 states.
• Department of Community Affairs hosts a Rental Housing Fair to assist individuals and families displaced by Superstorm Sandy, 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Atlantic City Convention Center.
• U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. are on hand on Rutgers University's Busch Campus in Piscataway for the opening of a $10 million, federally funded expansion of RUCDR Infinite Biologics, the world’s largest university-based biorepository, which provides genomic research technologies that seek to understand the causes of common human diseases..
• Historian Michael Beschloss is presented the 2013 Stephen E. Ambrose Oral History Award by the Rutgers Living History Society in a ceremony that starts at 10 a.m. on the university's Douglass Campus in New Brunswick.
• The state judiciary's Camden vicinage sponsors an expungement seminar at the Camden County Library in Atco at 1:30 p.m. Assistant Camden County Prosecutor Robert K. Uyehara Jr. is the guest speaker.
• Pension & Health Benefits Review Commission meets, 10 a.m. in Trenton.
• Physician Assistant Advisory Committee meets, 9 a.m. in Newark.
• Today and Saturday, the New Jersey Ancient Order of Hibernians holds its bi-annual state convention in Hamilton. It's giving an award to Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo for helping oppose the nomination of political cartoonist Thomas Nast to the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
• On Saturday, "Hands Across the Sand" events are held in various places around the country, to express opposition to offshore drilling, seismic testing, hydraulic fracturing and pipelines. Among the events is one at noon in Bradley Beach, following an 11:30 a.m. news conference by U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., New Jersey Sierra Club director Jeff Tittel and Surfrider Foundation northeast director John Weber.
• On Saturday, the Americans for Prosperity Foundation-New Jersey and Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity host a "citizen watchdog summit" at the Atlantic City Convention Center. Speakers include James O'Keefe.
• On Sunday, Rutgers University holds its 247th commencement ceremony in Piscataway. Former state Supreme Court Associate Justice Virginia Long, a 1966 graduate of the Rutgers-Newark law school, delivers the keynote address.
• Today's birthdays: Superior Court Judge Peter Ryan, 70; Superior Court Judge Susan Claypoole, 63
• Saturday's birthdays: Frank Gargiulo, who got elected to the Assembly for one term in 1985 as a Republican in Hudson County and is now a North Bergen commissioner and superintendent of the Hudson County Schools of Technology, turns 74; Superior Court Judge Alfonse Cifelli, 66; Superior Court Judge Donna Gallucio, 58
• Sunday's birthday: Superior Court Judge Greta Gooden Brown, 56

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics latest survey of residents found the number of employed residents rose by more than 11,000 last month, reversing two down months. Meanwhile the size of the state's labor force fell for a third straight month. Those trends combined to push unemployment to 399,500 -- its first time under 400,000 since April 2009, the same month the unemployment rate was last as low as 8.7 percent.

The government's separate survey of businesses found New Jersey's economy added 4,100 private-sector jobs in April while losing 800 public-sector positions. An increase of 3,700 education and health services jobs accounted for the biggest share of April's new jobs.

Over the course of the last 12 months, there has been a net increase of 69,100 jobs in New Jersey -- including 59,600 in the private sector, the largest year-over-year increase in both total jobs and percentage growth since the 12 months ending in December 2000.

"The marked decline in unemployment over the last year mainly reflects the ongoing gains in jobs we are experiencing. April saw the largest 12-month gain in the number of employed residents that New Jersey has seen in seven years, with an increase of more than 60,000 compared to April 2012," Charles Steindel, chief economist for the state Department of the Treasury, said in a news release.

Still, not all is rosy in the state, New Jersey Policy Perspective president Gordon MacInnes said via email.

"While we're certainly glad to see New Jersey's jobless rate drop below 9 percent for the first time since 2009, it would be foolish to claim victory and to assume that the state's economy has recovered. It hasn't," MacInnes said. "There remain 400,000 people officially looking for work and many more who have given up, our jobless rate remains much higher than the nation's, and New Jersey has still recovered less than half the jobs it lost in the Great Recession, while neighbors like New York have recovered all of them plus added even more. Add to that the relatively low-wage nature of our new jobs, and it's clear: New Jersey needs to do more to create good jobs."

Other sectors, in addition to education and health, that added positions in April included leisure and hospitality (+2,100), trade, transportation, and utilities (+1,700), information (+1,600) and financial activities (+1,400). Job losses occurred in professional and business services (-4,700), manufacturing (-1,200), construction (-300) and other services (-100).

The job gain previously announced for March was revised downward by 500 jobs to an increase of 7,600 jobs.

• Gov. Chris Christie has a meeting with President Mikheil Saakashvili of the Republic of Georgia at the Statehouse at 1:30 p.m., then holds a town-hall meeting focused on Superstorm Sandy recovery at 3:15 p.m. at Saint Stanislaus Kostka School in Sayreville.
• Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno attends the Downtown New Jersey Conference at  Avenue restaurant in Long Branch at 10 a.m. At 7 p.m., she attends the Northern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce Crystal Beacon Awards Dinner at The Addison Park in Aberdeen.
• Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sen. Barbara Buono is joined by Metuchen Mayor Tom Vahalla and Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler at the Eastern Region Community Media Conference, 8:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick.
  • Buono also hosts a fundraiser for her campaign for governor, 6 p.m. at KC's Corner in South Plainfield.
• New Jersey Democratic State Committee holds its 17th annual conference at Bally's Atlantic City, today through Saturday.
• Monthly employment data for April is released by the state Department of Labor & Workforce Development.
• NJTV is hosting a town-hall style meeting about Superstorm Sandy -- "What Worked. What Didn't. What's Next" is the subtitle -- at 7:45 p.m. at Monmouth University's Pollack Theatre in West Long Branch. Panelists include experts in engineering, real estate, transportation, infrastructure and power, building codes, climate change, nonprofits and charities and government representatives from local mayors to state and federal officials.
• U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez takes part in an ad hoc meeting of the Democratic Steering & Outreach Committee with craft brewers, including Gene Muller, the founder and general manager of the Flying Fish Brewing Co. in Somerdale.
• Department of Environmental Protection and New Jersey Historic Sites Council announce the winners of the 23nd Annual Historic Preservation Awards, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hunterdon County Historic Courthouse in Flemington.
• Economic Development Authority meets, 10 a.m. in Trenton.
• Highlands Water Protection & Planning Council meets, 5 p.m. in Chester.
• State Investment Council meets, 10 a.m. in Trenton.
• Lottery Commission meets, 10 a.m. in Lawrenceville.
• Health Care Administration Board meets, 9:15 a.m. in Trenton.
• State Board of Accountancy meets, in Newark.
• State Board of Professional Engineers & Land Surveyors meets, 10:30 a.m. in Trenton.
• State Board of Examiners meets, 10:30 a.m. in Trenton.
• Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology Advisory Committee meets, 10 a.m. in Newark.
• Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority meets, 7:30 p.m. in Rahway.
• Sen. Brian Stack turns 47.

• Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno addresses the Metropolitan Business & Citizens Association annual scholarship luncheon at the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City at 12:30 p.m., then makes "Open for Business" visits to two spots in Spring Lake -- Joe's Deli at 3:15 p.m., then Whispers Restaurant at 4 p.m.
• New Jersey State Bar Association holds its annual meeting at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, today through Friday. Speakers over the course of the three days include former Govs. James Florio and Donald DiFrancesco, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner and three current associate justices (Barry Albin, Helen Hoens and Anne Patterson).
• A new group calling itself the Coalition for Affordable Power holds its first news conference, 11:30 a.m. in a Statehouse meeting room across from the Assembly chamber. Its members include the AARP New Jersey, Chemistry Council of New Jersey, NJ Large Energy Users Coalition, NJPIRG & NJ Citizen Action.
• UPDATE: New Jersey Transit hosts a "We Are Listening" forum to solicit input from commuters, 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Hoboken Terminal.
• UPDATED: Assemblywomen Connie Wagner, Valerie Vainieri Huttle and Holly Schepisi trek across the New York border for an 11 a.m. news conference at the Orangetown Parks Department Facility in Pearl River, N.Y., with three New York state lawmakers to urge Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign a bill creating a bi-state commission that will work to reduce flooding in Bergen and Rockland counties. New Jersey passed its version of the law in 2011.
• The state judiciary's Camden vicinage sponsors an expungement seminar at the Cherry Hill Public Library at 1:30 p.m. Assistant Camden County Prosecutor Robert K. Uyehara Jr. is the guest speaker.
• Sen. Kevin O'Toole holds a town-hall meeting at the Woodland Park Municipal Building at 7 p.m.
• Public Employees’ Retirement System meets, 10 a.m. in Trenton.
• Casino Control Commission meets, 10:30 a.m. in Atlantic City.
• Racing Commission meets, 2 p.m. at Monmouth Park in Oceanport.
• Delaware River Port Authority meets, 9 a.m. in Camden.
• Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority meets, 7 p.m. in Tinton Falls.
• Civil Service Commission meets, 10 a.m. in Trenton.
• State Board of Dentistry meets, 9 a.m. in Newark.
• Human Relations Commission & Advisory Board meets, 9:30 a.m. in Trenton.
• Commission on Radiation Protection meets, 9:30 a.m. in Ewing.
• Acupuncture Examining Board meets, 9:30 a.m. in Newark.
• Superior Court Judge Bradford Bury turns 60.