Regional Briefs – December 10, 2015

New Jersey Town Rejects Plan to Build Mosque

BERNARDS, N.J. – A New Jersey town on Tuesday rejected a plan to build a neighborhood mosque, the Courier News reported. The Bernards planning board voted 6-0 to reject the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge’s request, citing “lack of details” for parking, traffic and buffer zones for nearby homes.

NY, NJ and CT Team Up on Security for End of Year

ALBANY – Law enforcement in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will work together to protect New York’s mass transit this month. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order Tuesday giving the two states jurisdiction for 30 days on buses, trains and ferries.

Work on Route 17’s Rebuilt Exit Is Finished

WALLKILL, N.Y. – Work was completed Tuesday on the $75 million reconstruction of Exit 122 on Route 17 that’s part of the ongoing effort to upgrade the highway to federal interstate standards, The Associated Press reported. This included building a new bridge over the highway and realigning nearby streets.

Groups Back $15 Minimum Wage for NY Nonprofit Staffs

ALBANY – NY nonprofits may have to pay their workers a $15 minimum wage if three advocacy groups get their way, The Associated Press reported. But the groups want taxpayer dollars to pay for it through higher government grants.

Ex-IBM Employee Stole Invaluable Software Code

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – A former IBM employee in China was arrested on Monday for stealing one of the company’s valuable trade secrets — a computer code that it spends millions of dollars annually to protect, The Associated Press reported. Xu Jiaqiang appeared Tuesday in White Plains federal court.