The Morning Briefing - January 22, 2015
FLORHAM PARK — A local retreat for priests has been anything but relaxing, with one priest apparently attacking another with a four-foot crucifix that he swung through a glass door, NJ.com reports. And that incident just seems to be one in a string of ungodly behavior for this odd couple, according to a lawsuit, with one priest accusing the other of spitting in his face; pinning him against the wall; taking his checkbook and writing checks to himself and using his credit card without permission. There was also an arrest of one of the priests last April, charged with threatening to kill the other in a dispute over a car. Hard to figure out who is right or wrong here; let’s leave it up to a higher authority.
EDISON – A national transportation research group is talking this morning about how the bad shape of New Jersey’s roads is costing motorists $2,000 a year – when you factor in repairs, accelerated depreciation of cars, additional tire wear, injuries sustained in auto crashes and lost production time while you stew in traffic. The group, called TRIP, will be outlining the gory details at a New Jersey Alliance for Action meeting for anyone who can successfully navigate the crumbling roads.
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL – Pollsters sure love their fictional match-ups. So, according to Quinnipiac University, if the Republican primary election for President were only held in New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie would clearly win. But then, the large majority of Democrats in New Jersey would rise up, with Hillary Clinton defeating Christie by double-digits in a head-to-head match-up in this Jersey battle. “Clinton would wipe out all of the other Democrats, and then she’d wipe out Christie,” the pollster says, with a 52-39 margin. What does this all mean? Apparently, our governor can’t rely on Jersey to back him for President.
TRENTON – The state League of Municipalities is ringing alarm bells about an apparent behind-the-scenes scheme in Trenton to merge the state’s disastrous pension fund with the healthy municipal pension fund, NJ 101.5 reports. The League considers the state’s fund to be a “ticking time bomb that has already exploded,” and wants it nowhere near the municipal fund. Why blend the funds? For Christie, it makes the state fund not look as terrible. But for the municipalities, such a deal would raise costs and penalize towns that responsibly contributed to their pension fund over the years. The League tells mayors: Be vigilant.
STATEWIDE – NJTV is reporting on a loophole in the Open Public Records Act, in which marketers for local businesses are using the municipal clerks to do their research. For example, NJTV notes, a pet company has told Woodbridge’s municipal clerk to supply a list of all property owners with a licensed cat or dog, while a home-improvement company based in Washington State wants every building permit issued in the township since January 1, 2000. Apparently, there is currently no limit on public information requested by commercial entities. Expect that to change.
Read more here.
ONLINE – Apparently, says the Pew Research Center, there is no connection between higher levels of stress and the use of social media. The center studied 1,801 adults nationally and learned that, among women, using social media actually decreased stress. Fine, but interesting to see how social media affects the typical teen – like the girl who gets “unfriended” by half her class for wearing a skirt on the day that everyone says they planned to wear pants. Or for the boy who learns on Instagram that all of his friends are at the cool kid’s house, and he is home, on his sixth hour of Madden ’15.
ATLANTIC CITY - Gov. Chris Christie will be back today for his third summit on how to save the state’s struggling gaming mecca, where four casinos have shuttered and three others have declared bankruptcy. There will be talk of the Democratic plan to let casinos make payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) and some proposals to reduce the city's debt. There will also be talk from Republicans about a five-year property tax freeze. Meanwhile, says the Press of AC, Christie will be calling for an emergency manager to oversee the city’s finances. No clue what proposals will work, but it’s good to see everyone at the same table.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. – One woman has a good point to bring up to a marriage counselor, after her husband decided to demolish their house without even telling her. Police arrived at the house on Monday to see the man using an excavator to knock down the house. He didn’t even bother to remove any household items, such as furniture, groceries or clothes. It all just went into a Dumpster. If that wasn’t bad enough, cops said the impulsive fellow didn’t even call the local utility companies to shut off the gas, electric and water as he was ripping through the house. Why destroy it? He told cops it had a “bad foundation.”
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1987 that the New Jersey Devils founded the “334 Club,” after a blizzard with 20 inches of snow dropped on the Meadowlands before the game. Of the 11,247 fans who bought tickets, a hearty 334 of them braved the elements to make the game against the Calgary Flames, with the Devils winning 7-5. From there, the 334 Club was founded.