QUICK HITS

1 Groups sue New Jersey to block wind farm:

Three anti-wind power groups are suing New Jersey to overturn a key environmental approval for a wind energy farm planned off the coast of Long Beach Island. Save Long Beach Island, Defend Brigantine Beach and Protect Our Coast NJ filed suit in appellate court on April 26 challenging a determination by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection that the Atlantic Shores wind farm project meets the requirements of a federal coastal protection law. Atlantic Shores is one of three proposed wind farms off New Jersey’s coast that have preliminary approval.

2 Dems criticize Meta ad policy:

Several Democrats serving as their state’s top election officials have sent a letter to the parent company of Facebook, asking it to stop allowing ads that claim the 2020 presidential election was stolen. In the letter addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the secretaries of state from Colorado, Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Vermont said allowing such ads will further erode trust in elections and fuel threats of political violence against election workers, which already has led some to leave the profession.

3 Maui sues cell carriers:

Maui County, Hawaii, is suing cellular carriers for failing to inform police of widespread service outages during the height of last summer’s deadly wildfire. The county is suing Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA, Spectrum Mobile and AT&T. The county says it sent at least 14 alert messages to cellphones, warning residents to evacuate. But the county didn’t know those messages weren’t received because of cell tower failures. The lawsuit says the county would have used other warning methods if the carriers reported the service outages as required by federal law.

4 Part of I-95 closed for days:

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont says the major traffic artery linking New England with New York will be closed for days around the area where a tanker fire damaged a bridge over Interstate 95. The tanker truck filled with gasoline burst into flames in a three-vehicle crash Thursday on I-95 in southwest Connecticut. The East Coast’s main north-south highway subsequently closed, causing major traffic jams. The crash caused damage to the bridge above it, which the governor said will need to be demolished and replaced. The hope is to reopen the interstate by Monday morning.

5 Whistleblower dies:

Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor who alleged he was fired from his job at a major Boeing contractor in retaliation for raising concerns about the 737 Max jet, died Tuesday after a brief illness. The Seattle Times reported that he died of a “sudden, fast-spreading infection.” He was 45.