The Morning Briefing - April 23, 2015
ON AIR – Gov. Chris Christie was back on Jimmy Fallon’s show last night, laughing off the latest bunch of jokes about his weight. The governor says he feels like he is on the show every night, with Fallon’s routine of jokes about Christie. When Fallon told Christie “You look great!” Christie asked facetiously, “If I look great, what the hell with all the jokes every night?” In turn, Fallon thanked Christie for “all the material.” Also, we got to see Christie answer a little girl’s question, “What is your favorite dessert?” That promoted a promotion of “The Tonight Dough,” which Christie describes as “the greatest ice cream ever.” Click here to see it.
JACKSON – Expect environmentalists to tie themselves to roller coasters in protest, as opposition mounts against a plan by Great Adventure to mow down 19,000 trees to build a solar farm. Former Gov. Jim Florio, and others, is calling it a huge mistake. Great Adventure says it can’t build the solar panels in the acres of parking lots because of “safety concerns” and “space limits,” reports the Asbury Park Press. If theme park designers can shoot people from zero to 128 mph in 3.5 seconds, like the “Kingda Ka” ride, they can figure how to reconfigure a parking lot.
TRENTON – Gun advocates, and others who consider killing animals to be a form of relaxation for the whole family, are livid that the state appeals court thinks people accused of domestic violence should not be granted a gun permit. They make a good point: an arrest is not a conviction. But the court thinks that adding a gun to a volatile situation is not a good thing. Tough one here; expect this decision to be appealed to a higher court.
CEDAR GROVE – Gov. Chris Christie’s balancing act – as the chief executive of this state and as a potential Presidential candidate – gets even trickier today. He is somehow booked for his 136th town hall, this time in Cedar Grove, before jetting up to Boston for a fundraiser coordinated by his political action committee. The message in Cedar Grove is about how New Jersey really needs state pension reform. Then, he will be up in Boston, likely talking about how he is winning the war on pension reform.
ATLANTIC CITY – It appears as if the Stockton University president is the sacrificial lamb, in a fateful plan to purchase the shuttered Showboat casino for $18 million and build classrooms, dorms and event space. Herman Saatkamp apparently jumped the gun, as the adjacent Trump Taj Mahal is enforcing a restrictive covenant that requires the Showboat to remain a casino. The Record reports Saatkamp and his lawyers were aware of the restriction, but threw caution into the wind, leaving the university liable for millions of dollars. Whatever happened here, Saatkamp has done an amazing job converting Stockton from a sleepy college in the Pinelands into a university that people north of Bass River (Exit 50) actually recognize.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
VENICE, CA – Venice officials are running on the “full disclosure” platform, calling for women to be allowed to sunbathe nude. It’s all about “equal opportunity” and “tourism,” says the Venice Neighborhood Council, voting an overwhelming 12-2 to support women’s rights on the beaches of Venice. After giving women the right to vote, and then equal pay, this seems to be the next critical step in the long-term suffrage movement.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was the list that had the British going ga-ga: It was this day in 2011 that the guest list for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was released, with no one permitted to mention the young prince’s bald spot.
WORD OF THE DAY
Gaberlunzie – noun
Definition: A wandering beggar
Example: Did you buy a Star-Ledger from that gaberlunzie on the Route 280 ramp at King Boulevard?