The Morning Briefing - November 19, 2015
ATLANTIC CITY – Strong words from a former governor at the League of Municipalities, as Gov. Jim Florio told a panel of fellow governors yesterday that Gov. Chris Christie needs to show up and do his job. Christie, obviously not in the room and certainly not at the conference, has to deal with some “horrendous problems,” such as the state pension mess, that require a full-throttle effort. “I really wouldn’t want to give the state of the state in January, because the state of the state is deplorable,” Florio said.
BLOOMFIELD – Any League of Municipalities seminar on honesty and ethics has yet another case study, as a Bloomfield councilman is now looking at five years in the slammer on charges of bribing a local business owner. Councilman Elias Chalet will need a damn good explanation to the judge, with prosecutors claiming he took a $15,000 bribe from a business owner who wanted the township to buy his commercial property, NJ.com reports. The councilman is looking at five years in state prison and up to $150,000 in fines.
FAIR LAWN – Here’s some more alleged crime from the public trust: A Fair Lawn cop has apparently been raiding the local ambulance corps’ supply closet, taking sanitary wipes, blankets, gloves and other boring stuff. The 27-year veteran was apparently on duty during his thievery, amassing more than $800 in items. That translates into charges of theft and a suspension without pay, making one ponder: Was that pair of rubber gloves really worth it?
PRINCETON – Woodrow Wilson has always been a source of incredible pride for Princeton University, but the former university president is being derided as a racist and some students want his name forever erased from the school. Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber agreed that Wilson was racist and the university needs to acknowledge that fact. But President Wilson also made enormous contributions to Princeton, as well as the world, so perhaps removing his name from all programs and buildings would be excessive, school officials ever-so-gently suggest.
MENDHAM – There’s a great story about a 29-year-old woman whose interest in helping orphans in Nepal has landed her as CNN’s Hero of the Year. Maggie Doyne will receive $100,000 for her BlinkNow foundation. It all began when she was a recent Mendham High School graduate who visited Nepal on a backpacking trip. She used $5,000 in babysitting money as the seed money to build a school. She has since raised enough money to build a home for 50 children, as well as a women's center and a health clinic. “If you had told me when I turned 18 that I was going to be the mom of 50 kids, I would have told you that you were totally crazy,” she said. Amazing woman.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
GRAND FORKS, ND – It’s been three long years, and now the University of North Dakota finally has a new mascot. You, and many other University of North Dakota fans, may recall the big brouhaha that occurred in 2011, when the NCAA ordered the school to drop the “Fighting Sioux” because it was deemed racially offensive. The school fought back, to no avail, and has been stuck mascot-less for years. But now, this morning, the university is now home to the “Fighting Hawks” – unless local birds file a complaint.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1992 that International Men’s Day was founded, to be celebrated annually on November 19. Never heard of this before, but apparently all men are to be fighting today against discrimination from others and celebrating male achievements. Or, maybe we can just be allowed to take a nap.
WORD OF THE DAY
Ennui – änˈwē - noun
Definition: a feeling of utter weariness or boredom
Example: After sitting through two days of seminars, and now entering the third, the League of Municipalities delegate was experiencing unbearable ennui.