The Morning Briefing - June 20, 2016
LODI - An exotic dancer wants a federal court to whack the owners of two Route 17 strip clubs who - believe it or not - aren't giving her the respect she deserves. Her federal class-action lawsuit against The Harem and Satin Dolls - the second is the real-life Bada Bing from "The Sopranos" - claims managers unfairly used fees and fines to shake down dancers, who end up earning much less than minimum wage, the Record says. The woman also claims more than 100 of her co-workers were forced to split their hard-earned tips with "house moms," security workers and disc jockeys. And those tips weren't chump change, often more than $300 a pop for private dances in VIP rooms. Warning: Paulie Walnuts handles all appeals.
TRENTON - Lawmakers are relieved that they've figured a way to raise $2 billion a year for much-needed transportation projects throughout the state. Yet, says the Record, that amount doesn't get us much. (Insert "Say What??") After decades of ignoring critical infrastructure repair, the state has dug itself into a fine mess. So, we get hit with this gas tax for our crumbling highways, bridges and rails, which transportation leaders will then laud as a really, really good start. Maybe, just maybe, we should have increased the gas tax at some point since 1988, the last time lawmakers got serious about taking care of infrastructure that is 50 to 100 years old.
HOWELL - It's impossible to imagine a gym teacher at Howell Middle School has a future in education, after an undercover reporter nailed him for bragging about cocaine use and how he hides from the cops. Local police are investigating him, as well as Project Veritas, which targets public employees by secretly recorded encounters. NJ 101.5 reports the teacher is on paid suspension, while cops are also trying to figure how Project Veritas got access into the middle school under a fictitious name and false pretenses. Pretty amazing; Project Veritas created a bogus company that presented the teacher with a "Stay Ahead Award" during an assembly inside the school for his anti-drug work. There's so much to this story. Start here.
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL - State Democrats dissed "The Wiz," deciding Assemblyman John Wisniewski and Scotch Plains Democrat Reni Erdos will no longer be New Jersey delegates to the Democratic National Committee, Blue Jersey reports. The state Democratic Committee voted Saturday to remove Wisniewski and Erdos after what blogger Rosi Efthim said was supposed to be a party unity meeting. Wisniewski and Erdos got bumped apparently because they're the state's only two "super delegates" pledged to support Bernie Sanders at July's Democratic National Convention in Philly. Says Efthim: "Step out of line, lead the effort for the primary candidate you believe in, challenge party orthodoxy, and it doesn't matter how long your service to the party might be, or what you've done to move New Jersey forward - you get punished." Read her Blue Jersey post here.
PERTH AMBOY - Saying city residents are "fed up with politics as usual," businessman Miguel Nunez thought it would be good idea to give them a big, heaping dose between now and November. Nunez just made it a three-way race for mayor, attempting to unseat Wilda Diaz and her team, with his own two-person council slate, Politickernj reports. Councilman Joel Pabon already planned to block Diaz from winning a third-term. Nunez, running with council hopefuls and city critics Virginia Lugo and Miriam Quiles, says he wants "all the people of Perth Amboy ... to shout 'Enough!'" Agreed. With so many candidates, expect this race to be super nasty. Voters will be getting way too much politics - as usual.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
VALLES CALDERA NATIONAL PRESERVE, N.M. - A marathon can be challenging enough - even without the random bear attacks. One runner is recovering this morning, after she was attacked while running 26.2 miles through a national preserve in northern New Mexico. Luckily, this time, there were only some bites and scratches from the Saturday run, with officials suspecting the bear attacked when the runner spooked her cub, who had run up a tree. Other joggers helped her until emergency crews arrived, graciously sacrificing their race times.
ON THE SHELF - As if Donald Trump isn't cartoonish enough, the presumptuous Republican presidential nominee is now a coloring book character (once again). A Saint Louis publisher tells N.J. Advance Media the new adult coloring book: "The Real Man: Donald J. Trump, Making America Great Again" strives to be factual and authentic. That's why its cover depicts Trump amid flag-waving supporters and shows missiles destined for terrorists and his infamous Mexican wall. Last fall, a Tennessee company released "The Trump Coloring Book," less realistically depicting the mogul as a superhero; playing "Battleship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un; and welcoming aliens (but only from outer space). There's also a "Trump 2016: Off-Color Coloring Book." Maybe we can cash in on this craze, Jersey-style, with "I'm Behind Trump: So, Sit Down & Shut Up!"
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
They became the two most famous polyps in American history, removed from President Ronald Reagan's colon on this day in 1986.
WORD OF THE DAY
Vagary - noun
Definition: An erratic, unpredictable, or extravagant manifestation, action, or notion
Example: There were so many vagaries in last night's fast-paced NBA final.
WEATHER IN A WORD
Solstice.