The Morning Briefing - March 21, 2016
JERSEY CITY – It will be a memorable Easter season for the kiddies who got to see the Easter Bunny get into a huge fistfight at the Newport Mall on Sunday. According to a video posted on Twitter and now viral, the battling bunny seems to be fighting with customers as they wait in line to take their holiday photos with “ol' Peter Cottontail.” As the “brawl at the mall” unfolds, you can see the bunny pummeling people next to the seasonal displays. No clue yet what caused the melee. You can see the video here or pretty much anywhere.
TRENTON – As we begin the first full day of spring, the Record offers an assessment of what the heck is happening here. It ain’t pretty, the newspaper notes, as the Christie legacy is unfolding with unsolved messes in state pensions, property taxes, transportation, urban education and Atlantic City, as well as meddling issues, such as if hospitals should pay property taxes. There’s also a Democratic-led Legislature that is not so scared of Gov. Chris Christie anymore, as well as all those gubernatorial candidates throwing out ready-to-use solutions to pretty much anything. Throw in a dejected, lame-duck governor who really thought he would be the leader of the free world, a press corps that hammers him daily for being apathetic and a business elite focused on the real estate listings in Florida. All in all, it’s Monday morning in New Jersey.
STATEWIDE – Attention: It may soon be illegal to stick a camera up a woman’s skirt. Assemblywoman Annette Quijano is calling it “sad” that New Jersey actually needs a law to prohibit “upskirting.” The Legislature sent that measure to Gov. Chris Christie's desk last week, the Press of Atlantic City reports. The law would make “upskirt” photos or filming punishable by up to 18 months in jail and a $10,000 fine, or 3-5 years in jail and $15,000, if pictures get published or posted online. Sponsor Sen. Kevin O’Toole said: “Today’s Peeping Toms aren’t hiding in bushes with binoculars. They’re sitting next to us on a train or walking by a dressing room with camera-equipped smartphones.”
PATERSON – You might assume a “hookah lounge” lets patrons smoke from hookahs, right? Yet, that came as an apparent surprise to city officials who revoked a business license Friday for the “Moonlight Café & Hookah Lounge.” Councilman Andre Sayegh told the Paterson Press the café violated a state law that bans indoor smoking, and it racked up complaints for noise, loitering, drug deals outside and sex acts in nearby parked cars. The cafe's owner says he sells flavored tobaccos and his patrons practice the Middle Eastern custom of hookah smoking. What's next? Perhaps walking into a casino and shouting: “I'm shocked … shocked to find there's gambling!”
NEWARK – St. Benedict’s Prep – which has been making miracles in Newark for generations – proudly touts a 98 percent graduation rate, and the fact that 85 percent of its graduates ultimately earn a college degree. How does the school do it? “60 Minutes” tries to find the secret in the sauce, in this episode airing last night.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
PHILADELPHIA – Tourist buses won't be visiting mob boss Angelo Bruno's home anytime soon. Sure, Mafia buffs might find the “Gentle Don's” rowhouse a grisly attraction. After all, it's where a shotgun blast in 1980 ended Bruno's two-decade reign as Philly's “capo di tutt'i capi.” But, the city Historical Landmark Advisory Board just doesn't think it's got historical significance, WHYY reported. Not like, say, the Betsy Ross House or Edgar Allen Poe's home. The late mob boss's 74-year-old daughter still lives there and hoped a brass plaque on her front door might come with tax breaks. The landmark panel wasn’t swayed. Besides, what kind of mob-related souvenirs could its gift shop sell?
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Guaranteeing generations of enlightened Tennesseans, the state Legislature adopted the Butler Act on this day in 1925, making it a crime for any public school teacher to mention any theory that could contradict the Bible’s account of creation.
WORD OF THE DAY
Splendiferous - (splen-DIF-er-es) - adjective
Definition: Splendid
Example: Have a splendiferous Monday morning!