The Morning Briefing - February 16, 2016
TRENTON – Any true-blue New Jerseyan should be in Gov. Chris Christie’s corner today, as the governor outlines his plans to somehow use his proposed fiscal ’17 budget to begin getting the state back on track. Without reading the budget, we can assume it will not have enough money earmarked for pensions, as that’s just not possible. And we can assume the governor will be talking plenty about the “hard choices” that have to be made, as well as the “sacrifices” by public employees. This is not the time for sugar coating or delaying reality. We have a hard-charging, lame duck governor with nothing to lose. Let’s get something done before the craziness of the 2017 gubernatorial election. This is Chris Christie’s moment to show leadership; to heck with, finally, what conservative Iowa corn farmers think.
TRENTON – Of course, in 2016, you can’t have a budget address without a trailer on YouTube. There were about 200 views this morning for this video. It tells us nothing new, but it has a key message for beleaguered New Jersey taxpayers: Gov. Chris Christie isn’t messing around. No new information here, but, heck it is entertainment. See it here.
MANSFIELD – It could be the crime of the century in Mansfield, where local cops are trying to figure out who dropped a toilet on a victim’s driveway, featuring a frozen raccoon stuffed in the tank. NJ.com reports the crime happened early yesterday at an undisclosed residence. The township's Animal Control Officer and the state Division of Fish and Wildlife have been called in to lead this investigation. Perhaps this is the beginning of a trend in Warren County. Next up: a squirrel squeezed in a urinal, followed up the ol’ bird in a bidet prank.
PATERSON – It's a game of one-upmanship between the city council and zoning board. First, the problem-plagued zoning board vowed to sue the city again last week. This time, the board is trying to force the city to replace three Muslim members who've been boycotting meetings claiming bias and harassment by their fellow members. Now Councilman Ken Morris upped the ante, telling the Paterson Press the council should do a clean sweep of all nine zoning board nuisance-makers, noting that the board took the city to court twice before over hiring and salary disputes. Developers, business owners or anyone else awaiting variances should bring a travel pillow to upcoming meetings as hearing applications seems to be a secondary priority.
LAKEWOOD – The ongoing courtesy busing – which once seemed to be careening off a cliff – now seems to have some control. Of course, trust with the community has taken a huge hit, with claims that school officials asked for $6.2 million for the remainder of the school year when they only needed $3.5 million, the Asbury Park Press reports. (Insert “Oof” here.) To avert the busing crisis for 10,000 schoolchildren, the Township Committee could throw $2.5 million in surplus to avoid the mess, with the school district somehow finding an extra $1 million. No idea how this impacts other line items, like books and computers. But, hey, there could be a solution, for this one moment.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
TOLEDO, Ohio – Sure, gas is cheap these days. But a computer glitch led to a brief price war between two gas stations in northwest Ohio, allowing motorists to fill their tanks for 26 cents. WTOL-TV blames it on a computer malfunction at one station for three hours, prompting the station across the street to drop its prices in a desperate effort to remain competitive early Sunday. The computer malfunction was fixed as quickly as possible, but not until some drivers experienced what it was like to fill up a Model T in 1910.
NEW YORK – Eliot Spitzer: We missed you. Welcome back to the tabloids, with claims you have now gotten “physical” in a different way, this time with a younger woman in a swanky $1,000-a-night Plaza suite. The New York Post says police are looking into the 25-year-old's accusation that Spitzer, 56, roughed her around after she ended their two-year tryst to return to her native Russia. Life's been bumpy for Spitzer since he resigned as governor in 2008 after blowing more than $15,000 on hookers. His bitter divorce came with a $7.5 million lump-sum payout and a $240,000-a-year for life deal with his ex-wife. And in December, Spitzer's apparently real two-year romance with a 33-year-old political publicist ended. Perhaps it’s because he never took her to The Plaza.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1868 that the Jolly Corks, in New York City, decided to get super serious and renamed themselves the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. We prefer the Jolly Corks.
WORD OF THE DAY
Indefatigable (in-di-FAT-i-gah-ble) — adjective
Definition: Incapable or seemingly incapable of being fatigued; tireless.
Example: The indefatigable State Legislature will ensure not a nickel is wasted in the fiscal ’17 spending plan.