The Morning Briefing - September 9, 2016
VINELAND – Just 10 more measly petition signatures is all this city's first Hispanic mayor needed to get on this November's ballot for re-election. But, by yesterday's filing deadline, Mayor Ruben Bermudez came up short of the 377 signatures needed on his nominating petition. The mayor thought he had it in the bag, until the City Clerk declared 61 of his petition names “defective.” That left Bermudez scrambling for new, valid John Hancocks, the Vineland Daily Journal says. So, even after this one-term mayor overcame a recall drive, discrimination lawsuits and criticism for filling city jobs with his family's friends, he ends up sidelined. What a lame duck.
STATEWIDE – If you take a tennis ball and chuck it out the window, chances are you will hit the side of a retail bank. There’s no question the state is chock full o’ banks, but gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy thinks this is just the beginning. He envisions a “Bank of New Jersey” – similar to the 100-year-old Bank of North Dakota – which would fund state infrastructure improvements, partner with smaller community banks, offer better terms on student loans and – the most interesting part – throw all the profits into the state coffers, NewarkInc. reports. Sure, it all sounds great. Just don’t ask the opinion of the other banks.
STAFFORD – Every so often, it pays to mock your mayor. It certainly did for a local man now getting a $34,000 settlement from this Ocean County town after he ridiculed its mayor, then sued over retaliation. The retired Navy officer created a spoof Facebook page for Mayor John Spodofora, lampooning him as “John Spodophony.” The retiree later sued the township, saying the mayor tried getting even by having police investigate him for identity theft and computer hacking, but no criminal charges were filed, the Southern Ocean Times says. The out-of court deal called for Stafford's $34,000 payment to be kept hush-hush, but the N.J. Libertarian Party got copies under the FOIA and made it public. Mayor Spodophony: Not pleased.
DOWN THE SHORE – Shore birds are getting more action these days than Happy Hour in Seaside. While we all coped with this summer's riptides, nesting shore birds were having the time of their lives. It's been “an excellent breeding year for beach-nesting birds,” the N.J. Conserve Wildlife Foundation tells The Sandpaper. Topping the summer's list of wildly-copulating, successfully-procreating love birds are American Oystercatchers, Piping plovers, Least Terns and Black skimmers.
ATLANTIC CITY – When online betting began in New Jersey in 2013, there was some concern about fueling the addiction, with this non-stop, full-access to “the action.” We haven’t heard much about the impact, but are amazed to read a Rutgers University study that shows that just one person made a startling $78.76 million in Internet bets last year. We assume this person, who likely has not seen daylight or spoken to a live person in years, is woefully near-sighted, lives on delivered take-out and has significantly less female interaction than our shore birds.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
PORTLAND, ME. – Beer drinking just might keep college kids awake long enough to learn something in chemistry class. At least, that's what University of Southern Maine professor Lucille Benedict hopes. Since her students probably don't soak up enough suds in dorms, frat houses and off-campus clubs, Benedict – who runs the school's quality control research lab – is using her students as guinea pigs to taste-test new brews, the Portland Press Herald says. Their "scientific findings" get turned over to the Maine Brewers Guild, which helps brewmasters improve their beers. Benedict says beer-testing lets students “use science to solve real-world problems … since flawed brewing can ruin good beer.” Parents: your tuition dollars at work.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
True love was in the air on this day in 1994, when the MTV Awards featured newlyweds Michael Jackson and his blushing bride, Lisa Marie Presley.
WORD OF THE DAY
Petrichor [PET-trê-kor] – noun
Definition: That fresh, pleasantly earthy scent in the air after a summer rainfall.
Example: State lawmakers may now tax the petrichor to shore up the Transportation Trust Fund.
WEATHER IN A WORD
Soupy.