The Morning Briefing - December 14, 2015
IN THE WOODS – Don't put away that neon-orange hat and plaid flannel jacket just yet. Ignoring the protests of wildlife advocates, state officials are extending New Jersey’s black bear hunt four more days, from Wednesday to Sunday. NJ.com says 472 bears were killed during the six-day blam-blam that ended Saturday, far fewer than the 700 kills they were counting on to thin the state's 3,500-bruin population. So, back into the woods the hunters must go. For those bears who read the Morning Briefing, consider yourselves warned.
SAYREVILLE – Police have caught more than a UFO on tape. With really funny Facebook posts – like a hastily-sketched flying saucer on a Post-it note – these clever cops have captured nearly 9,000 “likes” for their police department's page. The Home News-Tribune reports that officers have even closed a few cases thanks to tips from their loyal Facebook followers. Department spokesman Capt. Glenn Skarzynski calls the social media site the “community policing for the 21 century.” Like.
CHERRY HILL – “The Greatest” house in Camden County is up for grabs again. Muhammad Ali's former five-bedroom Tuscan-style villa is back on the market for the knock-out price of $750,000, the Courier-Post reports. It was listed for $2 million a few years ago, but financing problems KO'd two separate deals. The heavyweight boxing champ owned the villa in the early 1970s, when it was downright groovy. The villa offers a heated in-ground pool, a greenhouse, tennis and volleyball. There’s even a shuffleboard court – for Ali to have over George Foreman and Joe Frazier for a friendly tournament or two.
ROSELLE – With so many embracing xenophobia in some bizarre effort to “protect” democracy, Roselle is focusing on inclusivity. Tonight, at 6 p.m. at the Roselle Public Library, the borough will begin issuing municipal ID cards to allow all residents – regardless if Donald Trump likes them or not – to carry an official form of municipal identification. Public safety officials say the program allows for better crime reporting, while equity advocates laud the program for helping all people, no matter their immigration status. Hundreds of residents are expected to join Mayor Christine Dansereau and members of Borough Council tonight to celebrate the fact that we are better, together.
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Welcome back, governor. That is the message for Chris Christie, who has clawed his way back onto the main stage for the fifth Republican debate, moderated by CNN during primetime tomorrow. Christie is one of nine GOP hopefuls who will be sharing the stage, with Trump somehow still front and center, flanked by right wingers Ben Carson and Sen. Ted Cruz, now surging in Iowa. Political scientists remain mystified.
STATEWIDE – Assemblyman Jamel Holley continues to beat the drum for more crib safety in New Jersey. He has now introduced legislation that would make it illegal for stores to sell supplemental mattresses – which some parents are unknowingly using in pack-and-plays and putting their babies at risk for suffocation. While the manufacturers continue to chase dollars and sell these products online and in stores, the federal government is considering a universal ban. Holley, who helped lead a letter-writing campaign to secure the ban, doesn’t want to wait for the feds to make up their minds, saying the state needs to protect its babies now.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
NEW YORK – If your loved one keeps demanding a “one-of-a-kind” holiday gift that shows you truly care – yet offers you no clues on how to actually acquire this undisclosed item – we have a solution. Join us at the Morbid Anatomy Museum Holiday Flea Market in New York (424-A 3rd Avenue), where you can pick up such specialized gifts as animal skulls, taxidermied birds, antique medical instruments and even a bowl full of human teeth. Folks, why wrack your brain for the perfect gift when you can just buy one?
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Suddenly a white polyester suit, with bell bottoms, becomes all the rage, as “Saturday Night Fever” debuts in New York City on this day in 1977.
WORD OF THE DAY
Pajuxy – adjective
Definition: This is Sioux word meaning crooked.
Example: Is that bowlful of teeth perched a bit pajuxy?