The Morning Briefing - September 25, 2015
ON THE RAILS – Pope Francis will be putting the mass in mass transit today, as NJ Transit pontiff-icates how to handle the pope-demonium. There will be more buses and trains, as throngs travel into Manhattan on a wing and a prayer. Meanwhile, Philly is gearing up for a pope-tastic weekend, with NJ Transit expanding the sale of special papal tickets from Atlantic City to the 30th Street Station. NJTransit urges us all to buy tickets online, to buy roundtrip and to always have faith.
TRENTON – Back in March, every Republican in the State Senate voted to support a law that brings in local cops to decide if a person with a documented mental illness could apply for a gun. Sounds like good, sensible legislation. But, for a reason likely connected to Presidential politics, Gov. Chris Christie vetoed it. And then, back to the Senate to see if lawmakers would override the governor. Nope. Only two GOP senators voted yesterday to override – Sen. Jen Beck and Sen. Chris Connors. Legislation dies.
CAMDEN – Huge redevelopment dreams in Camden, where local officials are hyping a $1 billion project to recreate the waterfront. A big-time private investor, Liberty Property Trust, has grandiose plans to buy up 16 acres at the Ben Franklin Bridge and construct a massive mixed-use project. They are talking about two huge office towers – an amazing infusion of private money to create 1.7 million square feet of office space, plus retail, homes, and a hotel, to hopefully steal plenty of business from Philly.
NEWARK – Gov. Chris Christie will be in a private, closed-door meeting at 1:30 p.m. with the United Kingdom’s secretary of state for justice. Why? No clue. But we were hoping he would have been at Rutgers this morning for a great news story – the dedication of the Rutgers-New Brunswick Honors College, a beautiful building and terrific residential program designed to keep New Jersey’s best and brightest attending college at home.
IN THE MEDIA
Not too long ago, a reporter would spit the coffee from his Styrofoam cup in surprise, with word that the wife of a politician was named the editor of a local news organization that covers him. But, oh, how things have changed, as Kathy Cryan, wife of Union County Sheriff Joe Cryan, plans to bring “objective online reporting to Union” while running the local TAPinto.com site. The next obvious step: politicians covering themselves.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
TEMPE, Ariz. – It just seemed like school spirit for the Arizona State University Sun Devil, as he playfully jumped on the back of a Tempe councilman during Friday’s game. But “Sparky” didn’t realize the councilman just had major back surgery. There was a “pop,” as a muscle in the man’s back tore. ASU has officially apologized for the mascot’s “excessive exuberance,” KNXV reports, and has offered to pay the medical expenses to reconstruct the guy’s back, again. The councilman said he plans to wear a “warning” sign at the next ASU game….and to stay the heck away from Sparky.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1997 that broadcaster Marv Albert agrees to a plea deal for sexual assault. Here’s the official transcript:
Judge: “Marv, did you throw your longtime lover on the bed and repeatedly bite her in the back, among other really kinky stuff?”
Marv: “Yesss!”
Happy Love Note Day! (Aw, shucks)
WORD OF THE DAY
Grubbling – verb
Definition: Groping, but less organized.
Example: “I’ve been grubbling in my pants to find my darn keys.”