New Jersey

New Jersey saw the largest declines in gross gaming and tax revenues among the 22 states in which commercial casinos operated in 2012. Philadelphia remained the No. 1 racetrack-gaming market in the country last year, with $835.3 million in gross gaming revenue generated, led by Parx in Bensalem for the third consecutive year. And increasingly, patrons between ages 21 and 35 are frequenting casinos - about 39 percent of those surveyed for the first time - visiting nongambling amenities such as nightclubs and restaurants.

Powerball's jackpot is on a faster trajectory, and California could be the cause. Two weeks ago, the most populous state in the union joined Powerball, and immediately set a record, selling $8,408,180 million worth of tickets in its first three days. That's "an all-time record for any new Powerball member," according to a California Lottery news release. More sales mean faster growing jackpots. A week ago, the grand prize was $80 million, and the last six times that happened, five times it rose by the minimal increment, first to $90 million, then to $100 million.

New Jersey's first medical marijuana dispensary has been cleared to begin selling the drug to patients who register with the state Department of Health. After weeks of setbacks, Greenleaf Compassion Center received a permit Monday to open for business in a former drug paraphernalia shop in Montclair, Essex County. The nonprofit organization will be allowed to offer only strains with reduced potency. Health Commissioner Mary O'Dowd said Greenleaf had passed its final inspections, but could not say when the dispensary would open for business.

WASHINGTON - How do you raise $1.9 million in three months? If you're Newark Mayor Cory Booker, you tap into a network of admirers that includes some of Hollywood's biggest producers, media moguls, and name-brand developers. Then you bring in Wolfgang Puck to cook. Ron Howard gave $5,000 to the Democrat's burgeoning 2014 Senate campaign. So did Rob Reiner. Executives from Disney and Warner Brothers donated. Ivanka Trump and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg contributed $5,200 apiece.

NEWARK, N.J. - The location of the trees that Joyce Kilmer wrote were more lovely than any poem has long been in dispute, with a handful of towns from Massachusetts to Indiana claiming to have inspired the verse. But a New Jersey historian said he now has irrefutable proof that Kilmer was stirred by the woods of the Ramapo Valley when he wrote the well-known words, "I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree. " Alex Michelini, founder of the Joyce Kilmer Society in Mahwah, said Friday that a letter written in 1929 by Kilmer's widow, Aline, to a graduate student shows that "Trees" was written on Feb. 2, 1913, at the couple's former home in Mahwah.

LOS ANGELES - New Jersey coach Peter DeBoer shook up his lineup with the Devils down to their last gasp in the Stanley Cup Finals. Forward Petr Sykora and defenseman Henrik Tallinder cracked the lineup for Game 4 on Wednesday night. And the Devils pulled out a 3-1 victory to stay alive. The Kings lead the series, three games to one. Tallinder has been out since January because of a blood clot, but apparently was ready to play in this series. "Peter Harrold played great, gave us some good minutes," DeBoer said.

Question 1 Do you approve an amendment to the New Jersey Constitution, as agreed to by the Legislature, to allow contributions set by law to be taken from the salaries of Supreme Court Justices and Superior Court Judges for their employee benefits? (93% of the vote) Yes . . . 1,274,618 No . . . 774,121 Question 2 Do you approve the "Building Our Future Bond Act"? This bond act authorizes the State to issue bonds in the aggregate principal amount of $750 million to provide matching grants to New Jersey's colleges and universities.

TRENTON - More than five years after New Jersey passed a law to start tracking prescription drug use, the state will launch a database to monitor use of dangerous drugs with the intent of helping doctors spot abusers more quickly and authorities stop drug dealers. The database, which has been collecting information since Sept. 1, contains more than four million prescriptions. Starting this month, doctors and pharmacies, including mail-order operations, can access detailed patient information on prescriptions for painkillers, steroids, sedatives, and stimulants.

In his inaugural, Gov. Corzine said he would "never settle for less than excellence. " What does that mean to you in terms of how the state operates? What should he do to ensure that fellow state leaders uphold that same standard? Share your ideas in essays of 250 words or fewer. E-mail us by Wednesday at sjvoices@phillynews.com, fax 856-779-3221, or write to The Inquirer, attn: Community Voices, 53 Haddonfield Rd., Suite 300, Cherry Hill, N.J. 08002. Please put "Corzine" in the subject line.

The results of New Jersey municipal and school board elections are available by phone and online. Camden County Board of Elections 856-401-VOTE (8683) or 1-800-418-9427 www.philly.com/camden Burlington County Board of Elections 609-265-5062 www.philly.com/burlington Gloucester County Board of Elections 856-384-4500 www.philly.com/gloucester

Brittany Read remembers Lauren Regan as the coach who turned her into a goalie in seventh grade. "She saw something in me, and if it wasn't for her I don't know if I would have ever done it," said Read, a junior who is set to play goalie in college for the University of Louisville. Many Eastern girls' lacrosse players can tell similar stories about Regan, who coached most of team's juniors and seniors in youth lacrosse before coaching them in high school. Stories like Read's were the driving force behind the team's trip to Regan's home before this season.

WASHINGTON - How do you raise $1.9 million in three months? If you're Newark Mayor Cory Booker, you tap into a network of admirers that includes some of Hollywood's biggest producers, media moguls, and name-brand developers. Then you bring in Wolfgang Puck to cook. Ron Howard gave $5,000 to the Democrat's burgeoning 2014 Senate campaign. So did Rob Reiner. Executives from Disney and Warner Brothers donated. Ivanka Trump and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg contributed $5,200 apiece.

Canadian astronaut Cmdr. Chris Hadfield has tweeted another fun photo from space showing Pennsylvania, New Jersey and neighboring states from a heavenly perspective. "Chesapeake to Cape Cod to Lake Huron - in a glance, so much history, geology and geography," @Cmdr_Hadfield posted on Twitter. In the shot from the International Space Station, the white sands of the Jersey Shore's barrier islands are clearly visible and the Delaware River seems to disappear as it narrows north of Trenton.

NEWARK, N.J. - The location of the trees that Joyce Kilmer wrote were more lovely than any poem has long been in dispute, with a handful of towns from Massachusetts to Indiana claiming to have inspired the verse. But a New Jersey historian said he now has irrefutable proof that Kilmer was stirred by the woods of the Ramapo Valley when he wrote the well-known words, "I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree. " Alex Michelini, founder of the Joyce Kilmer Society in Mahwah, said Friday that a letter written in 1929 by Kilmer's widow, Aline, to a graduate student shows that "Trees" was written on Feb. 2, 1913, at the couple's former home in Mahwah.

Delaware County police have searched the two homes and work truck of the estranged husband of a Collingdale woman who has been missing for almost three weeks. Melissa Ortiz-Rodriguez, 30, had planned a weekend visit with friends in Newark, N.J., on April 19 but failed to show up. Her estranged husband, Jose Luis Rodriguez, reported her missing four days later after she did not show up for a new job and failed to pick up their two daughters, ages 7 and 11, from school. Rodriguez told investigators that she usually took public transportation when visiting friends.

TRENTON - State Sen. Barbara Buono's campaign fund-raising in her bid to be governor lags so badly that without a major push in the next four weeks, she risks not maximizing state matching money in her run against Gov. Christie. On Monday, Buono, a Democrat, reported having raised "just under" $1.9 million, including $1.1 million in matching funds. To be able to spend the maximum of $5.6 million on the June 4 primary, she must bring get close to $1.2 million more from donors.

New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono shouldn't let her supporters squash a bill that would force secretive advocacy groups to disclose their donors. Sitting on legislation that would give New Jersey voters a hint of who is trying to influence the race for governor is as hypocritical as it should be embarrassing for the Middlesex County state senator. She sponsored a similar bill that died for lack of support last year. So-called issue-advocacy or dark-money groups are organized under a section of the tax code that allows them to conceal their donors.

An emotional visit to Trenton by four families who lost children in the Newtown, Conn., shootings should have sharpened the debate over New Jersey legislation that would sensibly limit ammunition clips to 10 rounds. As the Connecticut families told the New Jersey lawmakers last week, limiting the number of rounds in a high-capacity magazine can save lives, as evidenced by the fact that 11 students were able to escape when the Newtown shooter, Adam Lanza, paused to reload. The 13th bullet fired by confessed shooter Jared Lee Loughner took the life of the 9-year-old granddaughter of former Phillies manager Dallas Green in the Arizona shooting that left six dead and critically wounded former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords.

New Jersey saw the largest declines in gross gaming and tax revenues among the 22 states in which commercial casinos operated in 2012. Philadelphia remained the No. 1 racetrack-gaming market in the country last year, with $835.3 million in gross gaming revenue generated, led by Parx in Bensalem for the third consecutive year. And increasingly, patrons between ages 21 and 35 are frequenting casinos - about 39 percent of those surveyed for the first time - visiting nongambling amenities such as nightclubs and restaurants.

TRENTON - In a Capitol where Democrats rule both legislative chambers, it's not unusual to see Senate President Stephen Sweeney, whose South Jersey district trends more conservative than some of its North Jersey counterparts, clash with the more left-leaning Assembly leadership. Yet political observers say they're stumped by Sweeney's opposition to a gun-control bill most of the state Democratic Party supports. Sweeney is refusing to let the Senate vote on a bill that would decrease magazine capacity limit in New Jersey to 10 bullets from the current 15. The Assembly passed a bill in February lowering the limit, but it wasn't among the dozen gun-control bills heard in Senate committee last week.