The Morning Briefing - January 13, 2016
TRENTON – Gov. Chris Christie hopes and prays yesterday’s “State of the State” address is his last, as an election to President would mean his early release. But for the many who think he will be sticking around for the next two years, it was interesting to hear what he had to say and didn’t say. He talked about some Republican issues of national interest – like drug treatment, education, the economy and those Democratic union bosses he says are robbing us all blind. He performed well; damn well for a guy who spends 72 percent of his time elsewhere. But he did not touch on some important stuff, like how the state would pay for its desperately needed transportation projects or what is happening with Atlantic City, teetering on a state takeover.
TRENTON – A big winner in yesterday’s State of the State was the state’s charter schools, which Gov. Chris Christie called “innovation in our education system.” The governor said that 39 charter schools have opened during his tenure, bringing the state total to 89. There was a big nod to North Star Academy in Newark, where charter school teacher Allison Cuttler started a “Girls Who Code” club. Moreover, more than a quarter of all black students statewide who passed the AP computer science exam last year came from her class. “Charter schools in New Jersey have been successful in spite of our regulatory environment — not because of it,” Christie said. A powerful argument for innovation.
TRENTON – Typically, those delivering “State of the State” addresses don't pay very much attention to other political speeches delivered the same day. But Gov. Chris Christie made an exception, taking time out yesterday to slam President Obama’s “State of the Union” address, calling it “a fantasy wish list by a president who has failed us. It's the world as he wishes it was; not the real world his failed leadership has left to all Americans.” Such a comment grabbed the attention of the White House – as Christie intended – with the President’s press secretary quickly dismissing “such a colorfully negative critique."
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS — Talk about a ginormous letdown. Ecstatic employees at Grissini's Restaurant really thought they won Saturday's $949 million Powerball prize. For a whole 20 minutes, the 42-person wait staff, cooks and bartenders cheered and hugged. They screamed with delight and cried tears of joy. One dishwasher even threw in the towel and quit on the spot, WNBC-TV reported. One of the $210 worth of Powerball tickets the group bought for Saturday's drawing was an exact match – just not for that day's drawing – but for last Wednesday's. After screams and tears of another kind, it was back to some solemn work at Grissini's. (Tonight’s Powerball is now at $1.5 billion)
UNION BEACH – Heartbreaking news for true pork roll lovers. “Pluggy's Too” – one of the Jersey Shore's most popular pork roll purveyors – is gone for good. A window sign in the Florence Avenue deli says it closed last week for a short one-week break. But its Facebook page now says the vacation is permanent. The reason remains a mystery, the Asbury Park Press reports. Pluggy's built a decades-long loyal following for its aptly named $4 Belly Buster stuffed with layers of pork roll, egg, bacon, sausage, cheese and potatoes. It was so tasty you could hear your arteries hardening as you tried to eat it.
ATLANTIC CITY – Some big news for the $2.4 billion Revel – it is now actually heated. The Press of AC reports the hulking, 6.2-million square feet of failure is no longer out in the cold, after being unheated for more than eight months. The developer, Glenn Straub, had been in a massive battle with the energy supplier, who was demanding to get paid. The city stepped in, threatening fines and lawsuits if the temperature dipped below 40 degrees inside. Straub said the building is now so toasty that he is even willing to sleep there.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
LIMA, Ohio – Reuters is telling the story of an Ohio man on the lam for drunk driving charges, who sent the cops a more flattering mug shot of himself, after seeing two mug shots that Lima, Ohio cops posted on the department’s Facebook page. Donald "Chip" Pugh, 45, posted a selfie of himself wearing sunglasses in a car, with this message: “Here is a better photo that one is terrible.” The police posted the photo on Facebook with this response: “We thank him for being helpful, but now we would appreciate it if he would come speak to us at the LPD about his charges.”
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL – The Guardian is already looking forward to next year’s “State of the Union” address, delivered by Presidential Donald Trump. The media already has a very, very early copy of the speech text, with such remarks as: “I defeated Hillary Clinton. She ran an OK race. But in the end, voters were able to see what I had been saying all along: that Hillary Clinton is a woman. A woman with feeble woman arms and a feeble woman’s brain. I am a man with big strong arms and a great big brain. I won. That’s what I do: I win.” Read the full text here.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 2002 that President George W. Bush made international news after choking on a pretzel while watching a football game in his private residence. The Choker-in Chief fainted, fell to the floor, bruising his lip and cheek.
WORD OF THE DAY
Cuckold (KUK-old) — noun
Definition: A man married to an unfaithful wife.
Example: This is the most depressing place; might as well call it the “Cuckhold Tavern.”