The rivalry has flared anew over the proposed arena in downtown Newark in North Jersey that would be the new home of the NBA Nets and NHL Devils (most people in South Jersey root for the 76ers and Flyers anyway). The main reason the enabling legislation to fund the new arena never got to the floor of the state assembly before the summer break was that assembly speaker Jack Collins (R-Salem County), from South Jersey, wouldn't let it. The sticking point is that he wanted some of the largesse to fall on South Jersey (see earlier stories).

Now, according to a published report, legislation could hit the floor by early fall -- with a $100 million bag of goodies targeting South Jersey added on for good measure. According to the report, negotiations over the past few weeks have brought all parties close to an agreement.

No one involved in the negotiations will comment yet, but according to the report, about half of that $100 million would go for some major road improvements in Cape May County, where traffic congestion has long been the result of the region's attraction as a tourist destination. Another $20 million would reportedly go for a new convention and civic center in Pennsauken.