The Morning Briefing - June 7, 2016
AT THE POLLS - It's finally primary day in New Jersey. But the Associated Press already saw fit to declare Hillary Clinton the presumptive Democratic nominee. And ever-presumptuous Donald Trump already has his GOP nomination in the bag. It's a letdown for those of us still deluded enough to think Jersey has a voice in these primaries. But, hey, we still want to be heard. Voter registrations, after all, jumped by 157,426 statewide to 5.5 million since last June. Undeclared voters climbed 81,000 to 2.6 million; Democrats, up 43,600 to 1.8 million; and Republicans, up 29,460 to nearly 1.1 million. Well, for whatever it's worth, vote early and often. Polls close at 8 p.m.
AT THE POLLS - Feeling left out in today's primary election? If you are one of the 2.6 million unaffiliated voters not thrilled by Republicans or Democrats, you can still vote today. How? Well, you've gotta pick a team. Just stop at your local polling place, wake up one of the 90-year-old poll workers, and say you're ready to be affiliated with the state's 1.8 million Democrats or 1.1 million Republicans. After some confused blithering and dithering, a flutter of paperwork, and a spilled box of Dunkin Donuts, you will officially join a political party on the spot. And, then you can vote for someone in that party. Welcome, finally, to America's two-party system.
TRENTON - Our state lawmakers don't really reflect us. That's what the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy discovered by putting our state Legislature under a microscope. Most Senate and Assembly members tend to be older, white, well-educated, professional men. The state's population, on the other hand, is predominantly younger, working-class and far more ethnically-diverse, the Philly Voice reports. While 51-percent of Jerseyans are women, only 30-percent now serve in the Statehouse. Just 35 of our 120 state lawmakers are women. That's not unexpected, says Montclair State professor Brigid Harrison: "Women have a notorious time getting nominations from party bosses. It is a classic old-boy's network." After all, most women hate smoke-filled backrooms.
Here's the full Legislative Profile.
HILLSIDE - Still amazed how you can order 500 pounds of Japanese grass seed and find it sitting at your front door the next morning? Amazon officials will be at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey this morning to provide some insight into the secret sauce of its worldwide logistics. Amazon will tour the food bank's 285,000-square-foot warehouse, check out all the shipping and receiving operations and then make some suggestions on how food can be delivered to New Jersey's needy in a more efficient way. It's all part of a growing relationship between the food bank and Amazon: its greatest source of donated food.
BLOOMFIELD - You can blame town leaders for trying, as a court ruled that they low-balled a property owner whose condemned land they were taking through eminent domain. Bloomfield wanted to pay $440,000 for two-thirds of an acre, including a historical train station once run by the Erie Lackawanna Railroad, NJ.com reports. But a jury said "Whoa," ordering the town to pay seven times more for the land, nearly $3 million. Bloomfield may appeal, still arguing the land can't be redeveloped. Or maybe it should have paid what the land is worth, avoiding this mess.
CLIFTON - About a dozen homeless people are now, well, homeless, after Clifton officials bulldozed their debris-filled encampment under the Ackerman Avenue bridge. The Record reports the city, with volunteers, tried to get the individuals into shelters. On Monday, a crew was brought in with removal equipment to clear away mattresses, heaps of clothing, paintings hanging from chain-link fences, cats, beer cans and other stuff. After the demolition, some of the local residents remained, as they begin to rebuild.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
BREWSTER COUNTY, TX - Residents of a rural county in Texas are convinced we are all going to hell, after a court ordered the sheriff to remove the crosses from his police cars. Each car had a decal depicting a cross, which the nationwide Freedom From Religion Foundation argues is akin to government promoting Christianity. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, knowing his constituent base, argued the decals were more about history, and less about Christianity, as a symbol of service and sacrifice. But, alas, the godless heathens have won this round.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 2011 that a new generation of kids was ensured never to see natural sunlight, as Nintendo introduced the Wii U. It was awesome: a touch-screen display that finally bridges portable and tablet-based games and console video games, to the glee of 10 year olds.
WORD OF THE DAY
Fanfaron - [ fan·far·on] - noun
Definition: An empty boaster; a braggart or swaggerer prone to ostentatious displays.
Example: Vote today for your favorite fanfaron.
WEATHER IN A WORD
80.