The Morning Briefing - May 29, 2015
STATEWIDE – Gov. Chris Christie has decreed Common Core standards in public education “simply not working,” and is now suggesting that it all get thrown out the school window. The governor is creating a team to establish new standards just for New Jersey, to possibly replace the five-year-old federal guidelines that the governor once supported. We’re unclear of motive here. Is Christie now against Common Core because he is willing to devote his own time and energy into a painful revamp of our public school system? Or is this a calculated move of a Presidential candidate mirroring the talking points of other Presidential candidates against Common Core, like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker?
BELMAR – No clue if Gov. Chris Christie will be strolling the boardwalk with his iconic ice cream cone, but you can catch a glimpse of him in Belmar and Point Pleasant Beach today to mark the Jersey Shore “open for business” campaign, one week after the Memorial Day weekend. Meanwhile, frustrated Sandy victims are talking to NJ.com, questioning why thousands of families are still homeless, blaming the state for mismanaging millions of dollars in federal money and launching a “Finish the Job” campaign.
CARLSTADT – Since Alexander’s closed its doors in Paramus, the famous mural on the side of the department store has been in mothballs, waiting to be displayed somewhere. It seemed like, finally, the plan would be to move it from the Carlstadt DPW to the Art Factory in Paterson, which has a 200-by-40 foot space ready to display the art, the Record reports. But now Carlstadt Mayor William Roseman is holding it back, concerned the giant mural would be used as a cash cow as opposed to a piece of art. Huh? Isn’t all popular art used as a cash cow? See the Mona Lisa and the Louvre museum, now opening a $3.6 million private room for the painting.
GLOUCESTER COUNTY – If you are going to be driving around in a rental car with an illegal gun, a friendly tip: make sure to remove all contents before returning the vehicle. NJ.com reports a Clementon man mistakenly left a .40 caliber handgun in the trunk and called Enterprise to say he, uh, left something back there. The company found the loaded weapon and called cops, who visited the man at home, nailing him on the gun and the crack cocaine that was also discovered.
IN THE MEDIA
ON THE AIRWAVES – CBS News will deliver a tearful goodbye to Bob Schieffer this Sunday, as he retires from “Face the Nation” after 24 years at the helm. The 77-year-old reporter is one of the last remnants from the golden age of broadcast journalism, a guy with a superb reputation, believability and thoroughness. In this sad era of hackneyed 24-hour news, celebrating the polarity of our angry politics, Schieffer could be relied upon for cautious perspective and professionalism. We’re losing another great one.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
BOSTON – Remember the piles of snow from winter? Nah, we don’t really recall either, but Boston amazingly still has a 75-foot-high snow pile in its seaport district after record winter snowfalls. The Boston Globe says the frozen block has been a gross magnet for trash, including plenty of dirt, bicycles and traffic cones. DPW officials call it a vile pile and “a science experiment waiting to happen,” as temperatures creep into the 80s. To date, 85 tons of junk has been pulled from the ice block, as workers chip away.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1987 that Michael Jackson officially had too much money, making national headlines in his bid to buy the Elephant Man’s remains.
WORD OF THE DAY
La-di-da – adjective
Definition: pretentious or snobbish
Example: Do I really sound like some la-di-da lawyer?