The Morning Briefing - November 18, 2015
ATLANTIC CITY - Scratch Day One off the calendar for the League of Municipalities conference, as attendees drag themselves up this morning to find anything better than what is inside the in-room coffee maker. Politicians filled the parties throughout Atlantic City last night, as thousands joined in for handshakes, backslaps and perhaps a light cordial or two. It all churns up once again tonight with the 5 p.m. parties quickly replacing a day of seminars for those so inclined to participate, or required to do so.
ATLANTIC CITY - Thrill seekers who headed to the depths of the Borgota's Mur.Mur Club last night to witness the North Jersey bromance of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Paterson Mayor Joey Torres and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop quickly realized it was not the easiest place to find the mayors, or anyone else. That's not to say the politicos weren't there, but the hip, dark environs with free-flowing alcohol and pumping music made it nearly impossible to see or hear anything. Maybe we talked to these guys. Who knows?
WALL - A State Police trooper, whose last name is "Roadside," is now on the side of the road, suspended without pay on charges he drove drunk in a marked cruiser, rear-ended another car on the Garden State Parkway last month and then allegedly offered her $1,000 if she didn't report it. NJ.com says the trooper's lawyer notes this dedicated cop is a 29-year veteran and isn't talking about the charges.
MORRISTOWN - New Jerseyans continue to make an impact on the nation as we travel, such as a drunken Morristown guy arrested in Fairfax, Va. on Sunday for assaulting a guy with a sub sandwich. NJ.com reports the man threw the sub and then fled in a car. Fairfax cops were immediately on the scene for this caper, pulling over the Pride of Morristown and charging him with assault, battery and DWI.
IN THE MEDIA
NEWARK - When New Jersey Network closed down four or so years ago, it was unclear what the future would hold for Michael Aron - the undisputed dean of the New Jersey press corps. The phoenix has risen, once again, in his new gig with NJTV and somehow securing the top spot on Politicker's list of the Top 100 most influential non-politicians in New Jersey.
STATEWIDE - New Jersey's media is making national news this morning, as it continues to fight the odd ruling of a Bergen County judge in 2013, when he decreed that the government can deny requests for public records. Of course, the media can't let that slide, as the lawyers are now before an appeals court debating privacy vs. transparency. Fascinating, if you are into this kind of stuff, and it's prompting plenty of attention from other states where politicians despise nosy reporters.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was on this day in 1997 that a rare black pearl necklace was auctioned off for a record $907,000, prompting wives all over to mutter, "Yeah, I got a blender for my birthday."
WORD OF THE DAY
Bathycolpous (bath-ee-kol-pus) - adjective
Definition: deep-bosomed
Example: At a League of Municipalities party, perhaps there was a bathycolpous reveler at Mur.Mur. We'll never know.