The Morning Briefing - July 7, 2016
TRENTON – Progress grinds to a halt, with the state identifying more than 900 state, county and local construction projects that go on hiatus Friday, as Gov. Chris Christie and state lawmakers spend a week or so hashing out a deal. NJ 101.5 reports there are more than 1,400 contracts being suspended at the Department of Transportation and New Jersey Transit. On the DOT side, that’s equal to more than $775 million and, of course, countless jobs and companies. There are 222 projects at New Jersey Transit funded through the Transportation Trust Fund worth around $2.7 billion. Who, if anyone, is winning here?
MAYS LANDING – Perhaps the big news today in South Jersey is the search for the hackers who somehow were able to change the message on an electronic roadway sign to the word "poop." The Press of Atlantic City reports “poop” was flashing repeatedly yesterday in Mays Landing near a road construction project. The message remained until state transportation notified the contractor doing the work to, uh, check out the message.
NEWARK – They'll soon be hosting wine and cheese soirees at the former headquarters of New Jersey's once mighty Star-Ledger. Crozier Fine Arts is turning the newspaper's now vacant – and gigantic – building at 1 Star-Ledger Plaza into an art storage facility, with viewing galleries, private vaults, packing areas and space for art cleaning and conservation, reports Essex County Place. Crozier Fine Arts acquired the former landmark for $7.5 million in 2015, with plans to open later this summer. In other news, the newspaper's former parking garage is to become home to North Star Academy charter school. More great news to report – if Newark still had its own daily newspaper.
ON THE FARM – Does the mention of fresh peaches put Georgia on your mind? Well, cut that out. We New Jerseyans go wild for our big, juicy farm-fresh tomatoes, but peaches are our other big bumper crop. And, they're just starting to hit supermarkets, produce stands and restaurants all along the East Coast, says The Produce News. Farmers began growing peaches here in the 1600s. Today it's a $35 million industry that produces more than 60 million pounds of peach varieties like Flamin' Fury, Sentry, Lady Kim, Klondike and Sugar Giant, all available until September. The Garden State is America's fourth-largest peach grower behind California, South Carolina and Georgia. Still a little fuzzy about Jersey peaches? Learn more at www.jerseypeaches.com.
STATEWIDE – Most of America's 30 “Safest Cities to Raise Children” seem to be right here. In fact, New Jersey has more towns than any other state on the new 2016 list compiled by SafeWise, a Utah-based security consulting firm. Researchers apparently combed through crime data, graduation rates and school rankings and looked at kid-friendly amenities like parks and recreation programs to make their picks. Here are New Jersey's 11 kid-safe towns in order of their SafeWise ranking: (5) Middletown, (6) Old Bridge, (10) South Brunswick, (14) Manchester, (15) Monroe, (16) Franklin, (18) Toms River, (20) Edison, (24) Bridgewater, (26) Jackson, and (30) Hillsborough. See the entire list for yourself.
ATLANTIC CITY – Hillary Clinton seemed to be really enjoying herself in Atlantic City yesterday, standing beneath a faded Trump Plaza sign and gleefully pointing out all of Donald Trump’s failures in the once-gleaming city. She was introduced by a local contractor who says he was bilked out of $500,000 to install glass at Trump Taj Mahal. Then, there was mention of the 3,500 lawsuits against Trump over three decades. And, of course, swipes at Gov. Chris Christie, with this gem from Clinton: “If your governor would start doing his job instead of following Donald Trump around holding his coat, maybe we could really get New Jersey’s economy moving again.” Your move, Mr. Trump.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
STATEWIDE – The next time you guzzle down some cola, think about the latest research from the Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, which found that drinking more than a liter a day will destroy your sperm count. We are talking the loss of 20 million per milliliter or so of the little swimmers. That still leaves you with 35 million per milliliter, but begs the question about what the heck is in soda that kills sperm? Other scientists are also piling on, with experts from Nicolaus Copernicus University and the Prof. Franciszek Łukaszczyk Memorial Hospital in Bydgoszcz, Poland, saying that soda is linked to erectile dysfunction. At least now there’s one excuse.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Bankrupt, nervous parents can thank the University of Delaware, which unveiled on this day in 1923 the opportunity to have a junior year abroad.
WORD OF THE DAY
Yankee (YANG-kee) – noun
Definition: A native or inhabitant of New England
Example: Do you think Red Sox fans consider themselves to be Yankees?
WEATHER IN A WORD
Ka-Boom!