OCEANPORT - If it weren't for recently-adopted sports betting, one could assume Monmouth Park could easily go bankrupt and become the home to the latest sprawling condo complex, with plenty of space for Phase I, Phase II and even Phase III. The Asbury Park Press reports the non-profit that owns Monmouth Park owes $30 million to a management company who runs the racetrack.

STATEWIDE - While it feels like marijuana is virtually legal in New Jersey, you might want to keep the bong tucked quietly at home. USA Today did an "investigation," revealing that the Garden State has the highest rate of marijuana arrests in the nation. In 2016, there were 32,270 marijuana possession arrests here - more than murder, rape, assault or any type of theft.

ASBURY PARK - A $15 minimum wage for teenagers? C'mon, we like our teens as much as you, but the effort by "Make the Road New Jersey" yesterday to circulate petitions for a required $15 an hour for high schoolers dilutes the whole argument. A mandatory $15 an hour is designed to ensure struggling poor families can somewhat afford to live in New Jersey. If employers were also ...

ON THE RAILS - It's getting a little tiring to keep slamming NJ Transit. But the rail agency, for a myriad of reasons, keeps canceling trains this summer. Every morning rush, trains simply don't show, prompting commuters to jam on stuffy, overcrowded trains on 90-degree days, knowing they will be late, again, for work. Now, Trenton lawmakers are demanding legislative hearings to ...