The Morning Briefing - November 2, 2015
NEWARK – Kind of wondering how we are going to get around the city today, as the traffic-clogged downtown will be further locked down with President Obama’s visit. Cops figure the city will be a complete mess of honking cars and clueless pedestrians from noon to 10 p.m., as President Obama hits Rutgers Law School and perhaps will play ping-pong in Military Park. Air Force One touches down at 1:05 p.m. in Newark; the big events are planned for 4:15 p.m.
NEWARK – It’s great and all, but why is President Obama in Newark? He needed a rough-and-tumble, crime-infested city as a backdrop to call for efforts to help former inmates successfully re-enter society. (Caution, Mr. President: Sunset is now 4:51 p.m.) President Obama could have selected Camden – the postcard for “grittiness” – but it looks like Gov. Chris Christie already adopted the South Jersey city as his official rough-and-tumble backdrop. And we all know Democrats and Republicans hate to share.
CAMDEN – Well, we can all guess where Gov. Chris Christie will be today. No longer eager to embrace President Obama in a warm bear hug, Christie will be safely ensconced in another media market, joining Camden Mayor Dana Redd in a round-table discussion about public safety. Christie suggests media cover him, rather than that lame duck up in Newark.
NEWARK – With the President heading to Newark – and let’s keep mentioning there is ping-pong in Military Park – he should swing by South 9th Street. At 10 a.m., Habitat for Humanity Newark is handing over the keys to a new home to a veteran who had lost all his belongings in Superstorm Sandy. It is all part of the “Veterans Initiative,” coinciding with Veterans Day, in which the non-profit is focusing on building homes for returning veterans who need a hand-up, not a handout.
ABSECON – So much for the future of humanity, as a good Samaritan learned a harsh lesson about pulling over to help a stranded motorist who just smashed up his car on Route 30 early yesterday. NJ.com reports a minivan driver pulled over to see if everyone was ok. The guy in the car crash then hopped in the minivan and spun off toward Pleasantville. So much for gratitude.
IN THE MEDIA
ATLANTIC CITY – The voice of Atlantic City is no more. Pinky Kravitz, a longtime radio broadcaster who promoted Atlantic City on the air for 59 years, died over the weekend. He had continuously hosted "Pinky's Corner" on WOND-AM 1400 since 1958. He also hosted a weekly television program, "WMGM presents Pinky!" for many years on WMGM TV-40, and for years wrote columns for a variety of media, most recently for The Press of Atlantic City. It all earned him the nickname of “Mr. Atlantic City."
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – We are not going to offer our two cents about how the Mets blew a 2-0 lead in the ninth last night. (The pain is too great.) But we are going to offer a heartfelt thanks to this Amazin’ team for a great season and a memorable October. No one expected the Mets to be this good, this fast, which makes us already counting the days toward spring training in 2016. Life of a Mets fan…
GREENSBURG, Pa. – A local guy beat the living heck out of four parking meters, figuring each of them must hold an endless fortune of quarters and dimes. Police say the total damages were $4,000, as the guy rammed his truck into the meters and pulled them out of the ground – all caught on surveillance video. The total amount of coins equaled $30; the man is now charged with theft. Next time, perhaps he’ll try gambling with a slot machine.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1993 that New Jersey elected its first female governor in history – Christine Todd Whitman.
WORD OF THE DAY
Avarice – noun
Definition: Excessive greed
Example: The political candidate’s avarice led him to amass an enormous personal fortune, and this was all somehow an attraction to low-income, less-educated voters in Southern states.