The Morning Briefing - May 19, 2016
** The Morning Briefing is taking a brief morning break, returning Tuesday, May 31
HAMILTON - Gov. Chris Chris Christie was a no-show, but still the source of much amusement at last night's N.J. Legislative Correspondents' Club dinner. Performers parodied everything from Christie's failed presidential bid to his Donald Trump endorsement to his attempts to rescue Atlantic City, with NJTV's Phil Alongi's deep baritone voice stealing the show once again. Five potential gubernatorial candidates did show up and played along with a "Dating Game" parody, hosted by Miss New Jersey Jessielyn Palumbo, each contestant giving an off-the-cuff response to her questions. Miss New Jersey passed on picking a winner, opting instead to say she was fleeing to Florida, perhaps to join hedge fund billionaire David Tepper. Making the final remarks in Christie's place was Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, a likely GOP gubernatorial candidate, who delivered a classy, profanity-free, insult-free roast. Big departure from Christie's remarks last year.
TRENTON - You're either going to pay $200, or through the nose, to see Donald Trump today. The GOP presidential frontrunner is doing his "Make Republicans Debt-Free Tour" through the Garden State, first at a 5 p.m. rally at the Lawrenceville National Guard Armory. Unlike his other rallies elsewhere, tickets to this one cost a reasonable $200 so he can help Gov. Chris Christie pay off $400,000 in campaign debt. Trump is also the main attraction at a second, more intimate fundraiser - which costs $25,000 per person - to bail out the N.J. Republican Party, drowning in $525,000 Bridgegate legal bills. The Record points out it would only take the generosity of 21 well-heeled guests to retire that debt.
PERTH AMBOY - The state's only Latina mayor, Wilda Diaz, put her third-term candidacy front and center yesterday, announcing her council slate and touting her administration's successes. Unmentioned among her many successes is Diaz's ability to build accord, evident in her choice of Jelmin Caba as a running mate. Caba, a local small business owner, ran unsuccessfully for city council in 2014 against a Diaz-backed slate. He now joins incumbent Councilman Fernando Irizarry on the Nov. 8th ticket. What a difference just a few years can make.
STATEWIDE - The handwriting might be on wall, but it's vanishing from classrooms. So, state Sen. Brian Stack and Assemblyman Ron Dancer proposed legislation to require all public schools to teach kids to read and write in cursive. How quaint. Eight other states have passed similar mandates and 11 others are considering it, Politico reports. Concerned that computer dependence is replacing handwriting skills, the National Association of State Boards of Education complied data showing that learning cursive makes youngsters smarter; helps brain development; and improves reasoning, memory and motor skills. Besides, you can't text graffiti.
EDISON - Bennies aren't coming to Jersey just for our beaches and boardwalks. Many are looking for the finest Indian cuisine in the tristate area. And a mile-long stretch of Oak Tree Road between Edison and Iselin is Ground Zero. The latest plug for "Little India" comes from Saveur- a gourmet cuisine and travel magazine that just outed this Indian enclave to its 2 million-plus readers. Saveur touts Oak Tree Road as an ideal destination for authentic subcontinental dishes from Gujarat to Karnataka and from West Bengal to Uttar Pradhesh. Forget a fried Oreo on the boardwalk - try sambar (spiced lentil soup), or idli (fermented rice and lentil steamed dumplings), and chole bhatura (fried bread with chickpea curry). And remember, we live here and we don't give directions.
IN THE PARK - Parks are going to the dogs these days. Over 50 New Jersey towns already have public dog parks and more are in the works, perhaps as a way to use up idle cash in those Open Space Trust funds. Kearny just opened one of the newest, spending $300,000; Edison and Metuchen went halfsies on the cost of a co-managed pooch park; and Long Hill is considering one. There's even dog park on the drawing board for cash-crippled Paterson. Most are fenced so Fido doesn't flee. Better ones are nicely landscaped and have benches, tables, water fountains, poop-bag dispensers, trash cans and (for target practice) faux hydrants. A few dog parks are even staffed, like those in Lakewood and Berkeley, where users pay annual fees of $20 for their first dog, $10 for a second. Wow; and we just use free toilets.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
IN THE MEDIA - Even the dead want the last word in this polarizing presidential campaign. And some are using their obituaries. In Alabama, the Associated Press says, relatives of a 34-year-old deceased woman asked that her obituary include: "In lieu of flowers, do not vote for Donald Trump." Earlier this month, a Massachusetts man's obituary ended with his last request that "people not vote for Hillary Clinton." And the family of a Virginia woman wrapped up her obituary on Monday saying: "Faced with the prospect of voting for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, Mary Anne Noland of Richmond chose, instead, to pass into the eternal love of God." Perhaps she already counted out Bernie.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was on this day in 1795 that New Hampshire patriot Josiah Bartlett died. Bartlett, who served as that state's governor and Supreme Court chief justice, also signed the Declaration of Independence. Over 200 years later, writer Aaron Sorkin resurrected the name Josiah Bartlett as President of the United States in the TV series, The West Wing, a role played by Martin Sheen.
WORD OF THE DAY
Snollygoster - [snol-ee-gos-ter] - noun
Definition: An unprincipled person, especially a politician, whose actions are motivated by self-interest rather than values.
Example: It gets harder each Election Day to vote for the least objectionable snollygoster.
WEATHER IN A WORD
Sun! (At least for now)