The Morning Briefing - June 27, 2016
TRENTON – It has been seven long, long years, but it looks like the state Legislature will finally muster the votes to override Gov. Chris Christie’s veto. Some Republicans tell media they are voting against the boss to finally allow a permanent, dedicated source of state cash to preserve open space. "The voters have spoken, and this is what they want," said Assemblyman Christopher "Kip" Bateman (R-Monmouth), tells NJ.com. About $100 million in open space money has been collected since 2014, but left unspent, because Christie has twice vetoed the legislation, for some reason.
IN THE CLASSROOM – Clowning around in class? Throwing food at lunch? Don't worry kids, Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle has your back. She wants to prohibit public and charter schools from expelling kids from preschool through 2nd grade, unless they show up to class with a gun; and only allow suspensions for sexual or violent acts. Other misbehavior by kids under age 8 can best be dealt with other ways, the lawmaker says. WHYY's Newsworks reports that Huttle's bill already cleared the Assembly's Education Committee, but it's getting poor grades from the state School Administrators Association which says suspensions and expulsions for kids that young are really rare, so a law isn’t needed.
FORT LEE – Two more motorists with $30,000 in unpaid Port Authority tolls between them were nailed last week trying again to beat E-Zpass lanes at the George Washington Bridge. One had over 300 toll violations worth $19,000; the other racked up 150 violations worth $9,000. Cops have also bagged three other big-time toll cheaters since April, together owing the Port Authority another $28,000. Yet, it's like grains of sand on the Belmar beach compared to the $114 million in unpaid tolls the Port Authority failed to pursue from drivers who've zoomed through E-ZPass lanes since 2011, the N.Y. Daily News reports. That includes a few deadbeat drivers who owe $100,000 or more.
MATAWAN – Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, some local towns are marking 100 years since the great shark attacks on the Jersey shore. The first recorded attack was July 1, 1916, with 12 days of panic that inspired the movie “Jaws.” We are talking five grisly shark attacks from July 1 to July 12 of that year; four people were killed. The first was in front of the old Engleside Hotel in Beach Haven, with the victim dying in the lobby. Then, a hotel worker was hit in Spring Lake, and then two more killed in Matawan Creek by July 12. Then, boom, thirty minutes later, a kid gets attacked. NJ 101.5 reports it all prompted a full, freaked-out response, with helicopters flying above and wire netting stretching across the water, all with heavy media coverage. The perfect trappings for a movie plot.
AUDUBON PARK – Before we get slapped as Trump-haters, convinced that the orange-tinged bombastic buffoon will destroy 240 years of democracy for personal gain, we must mention Donald Trump's been a real inspiration to a pair of local Democratic officials, convincing them to go Republican. The party switch by Mayor Larry Pennock and Councilman John Carpinelli is the talk of this 99-acre Camden County burg which has fewer people and stores than most Jersey malls. Pennock tells Philly.com party affiliation really shouldn't matter much to his 1,012 constituents. But, hey, for the sake of balance, let's note these Democrats now have Trump stickers on their bumpers. See? Editorial fairness.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
PETALUMA, Calif. – So, what does it take to be the ugliest dog in the world? Well, you need to be really old. Your legs need to be bowed out like a frog. And a couple of oozing sores are a bonus. The prime example is a 17-year-old Chinese Crested Chihuahua, winner of this year's World's Ugliest Dog contest, besting 15 other malformed pooches, The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports. Bonus points were given this year for stench, poor complexion, matted fur and a host of other inherited and acquired maladies. The winning dog – let’s call him the “worst in show” – got $15,000, which will help pay for the removal of a tumor that recently appeared on his gums.
BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Me. – The wife of America's lowest-paid governor is giving “public service” a whole new meaning. Ann LePage, wife of Gov. Paul LePage, has landed a summer job at a busy seafood restaurant. Serving up trays of baked haddock and Maine lobster isn't some political stunt, the state's First Lady tells Bangor Daily News. Rather, she's saving up to buy a new Toyota RAV4. She was keeping it all hush-hush until the governor spilled the beans at a Town Hall meeting, mentioning she'd taken a job to “supplement” his $70,000 salary. Mrs. LePage has become a hit with customers, one saying: “I really hate a lot of our politicians nowadays who have the wealth … (but) no clue what the average person out in the world is doing.” Bet she earns more than her husband this summer.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Bad news for untamed horses on this day in 1652, as New Amsterdam becomes the first city in the new land to establish a speed limit.
WORD OF THE DAY
MacGuffin – (muh-GUFF-in) – noun
Definition: An object, event, or character in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion despite usually lacking intrinsic importance
Example: I’m kinda the MacGuffin at the office; no one has a clue who I am.
WEATHER IN A WORD
80s.