The Morning Briefing - March 10, 2016
ATLANTIC CITY - The Pai Gow poker room at the Borgata pales in comparison to the high stakes game taking place today in Trenton, as the Senate Budget Committee debates the financial takeover of New Jersey's infamously struggling gaming resort. Politico hears that Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian will be busing in residents to protest. But it may be too late. Moody's Investor Services - an impartial observer in the madness - says a takeover and property tax stability could nearly wipe out the city's $102 million budget hole within four years. We side with the bean counters.
STATEWIDE - The next time a bridge collapses in New Jersey - and potential voters are put in peril - expect our lawmakers to be screaming about the need to finally fix our crumbling overused spans. But why wait? New Jersey last year was ranked once again one of the 10 worst states in the nation in the number of crappy old bridges. One-third are in desperate need of attention. Get this: last year, there were 2,310 bridges that needed repairs, couldn't handle all the traffic or failed basic safety standards. Only seven states ranked worse, NJ.com. But why talk about all this when we can write yet another story about Donald Trump?
SAYREVILLE – For more years than anyone cares to remember, the “Gateway to the Shore” was a 40-acre pond of glowing, yolk-like pollution that sat off the Garden State Parkway near the Raritan tolls. Now, as part of a $2.2 billion redevelopment, passing motorists are bidding a not-so-tearful farewell to this pool of titanium dioxide waste byproducts, generated by the old National Lead manufacturing facility. O’Neill Properties, the redeveloper, begins the overhaul with a massive Bass Pro Shops, a 200,000-square-foot mega outdoor sporting goods store, the largest of its kind in the country. Much better than a toxic pond that seemed to decide for itself when to change colors.
NEWARK – NJ Transit sure loves all the advertising revenue it reaps from those countless signs on its platforms, buses, etc. – just as long as none of those messages mock the agency. In the current climate, with unions clamoring for contracts, NJ Transit has adopted new policies that ban any messages disparaging the agency, criticize others, or promote any political messages about the economy, politics, morality or religion, Politico reports. Sure, there are obvious questions of free speech here. But, hey, if you don’t like it, you can always walk to work.
ON THE RAILS – Those going out Saturday night may want to make it an early evening. Is it because of Daylight Savings Time and we all lose an hour of sleep? Good answer, but no. Actually, it's because, at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, the trains could stop running, as the unions go on strike. This is all great news for Uber drivers looking to reap a potential fortune from stranded late night revelers who couldn’t give a hoot about Daylight Savings Time.
NEWARK – Advocates who have been fighting to keep Saint Michael’s Medical Center open in the Central Ward are celebrating today, after the state Attorney General's Office and the state Health Department signed off the sale of the hospital to Prime Healthcare Services, a national company that has an established track record of turning hospitals around. This means 1,400 jobs will be saved and Newark gets to keep a a hospital that has been serving the city for more than 150 years.
IN THE MEDIA
RARITAN – Newspaper chains, struggling for revenue, have found a potential new income source: suing towns who don’t grant public record requests. Raritan officials are handing over $650,000 to Gannett – publishers of the local Courier News – to settle a six-year-old lawsuit and get the lawyers paid. The newspaper asked for employee salary and overtime information in an electronic format. At first, town hall said that information didn’t exist, but then wanted to hit Gannett with $1,100 to convert it over. Then, Gannett was able to prove during a 2012 trial that the borough had access to the information, as was requested. Gannett believes this is the biggest settlement, to date, in New Jersey for a case regarding the Open Public Records Act.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
WASHINGTON – Let’s assume that one guy really, really hates Reagan National Airport. How could we make such a statement? Because, of the 8,670 noise complaints the airport received last year, a stunning 6,500 came from the same person. The Washington Post notes that is akin to this person making 18 complaint calls every day for the entire year. Call it dedication mixed with anger and a heavy dose of crazy.
PORTLAND, OR. – They're really high on Bernie Sanders here. So high, in fact, that marijuana dispensaries and growers have teamed up to fundraise for the Vermont Democrat, an outspoken marijuana reformer. Calling 74-year-old Sanders “the most cannabis-friendly Presidential candidate,” High Times reports some city pot dealers and growers – all perfectly legit here – launched “Burn One for Bernie,” selling special one-gram doobies for $10. A local pipe-maker is peddling $60 sets of ceramic pipes called “Burners for Bernie.” All pledge to donate 10 percent of their profit to Sanders' campaign. And, unlike whatever Donald Trump's been smoking, at least ganja won't turn you orange.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
There was a bad start for New Mexico State University on this day in 1893, forced to cancel its first graduation ceremony because the only graduate was robbed and killed the night before.
WORD OF THE DAY
Exiguous: (ig-ZIG-yoo-es) - adjective
Definition: Meager
Example: I can say I grew up with meager means, but it sounds so much more impressive if I use “exiguous.”