The Morning Briefing - November 10, 2016
TRENTON – The political future of Gov. Chris Christie has somehow found itself, once again, on the front page of the newspaper, as the formerly left-for-dead politician who gambled with a February endorsement of Donald Trump is about to cash in. Christie is one of the most unpopular governors in New Jersey history, chronically absent, disinterested and buried in the Bridgegate mess. But that may all be water under the bridge if he can sneak into the White House with a gig that doesn’t need Senate approval. Chris Christie: Chief of Staff?
TRENTON – The other big winner here is Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who had been under a seven-year gag order from the governor not to speak to the press or discuss any issue unrelated to ribbon-cuttings and groundbreakings. But, if and when Mr. Christie goes to Washington to work for Gordon Gekko, she is going to be front and center in dealing with the Atlantic City mess, as the state Local Finance Board has unanimously agreed to allow the state to take over the city. Will she have the chops to be governor? Let’s see what she will do with Atlantic City.
NEW BRUNSWICK – It is not very often you turn 250 years old, which is why Rutgers is spending the day marking the big anniversary of Nov. 10, 1766, when Queens College first opened its doors in New Brunswick to educate congregants of a Dutch reformed church. The school has had a great history – getting kicked out of the city by the Brits during the Revolutionary War, going broke in 1795 and 1816, firing every faculty member, but one, in 1859, and thankfully going co-ed in 1972. (Yeah, yeah, and the birthplace of college football.) Celebrations abound at the campuses in New Brunswick, Camden and Newark, with fireworks, 25,000 cupcakes and a scarlet-lit Empire State Building tonight.
WAYNE – The glorious plan was for the top-seeded Wayne Hills High School football team to walk all over Roxbury tomorrow night, as it marched toward yet another state championship. But the NJSIAA has stripped the team of its eight wins, after three players, who are brothers, didn’t sit out the mandatory 30 days after transferring from St. Joe’s in Montvale last October. There is a rush of desperate appeals from the school district and parents, hoping to plead their case before an administrative law judge today, in the hopes the team can suit up. Yeah, this is heart-wrenching for this team, but why have rules if you don’t follow them?
DEAL – If you are going to hail a cab to rob a house, it’s probably best to pay the fare. That life lesson has now been learned by two suspects, who hired a taxi to go to a Deal house, where they grabbed booze and a TV, and then told the cabbie to take them back to Asbury Park on Friday. But the robbers then stiffed the cabbie, prompting him to call police and happily spill the beans about what he saw. Bail is set at $20,000; assume the cabbie was happy to offer a free ride to the Deal police station.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Interesting to be in the war room at Hershey, Pa., as the PR and marketing strategists heard the story of a college kid who had his Kit Kat stolen from his car. “How do we make a real splash here,” they wondered. “Perhaps we give him a lot of Kit Kats. Like a 1,000. Or 10,000. Or 1 million!” After debate, discussion and plenty of market analysis, the magic number was decided. The company sent 6,500 Kit Kats to Kansas State University student Hunter Jobbins, The Wichita Eagle reports. The student has been handing them out all week, as the manufactured news story continues day after day. Hershey bean counters likely note they could have gotten the same PR buzz with, perhaps, 1,000 Kit Kats, which will be promptly noted in the memo to corporate brass.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 2014 that Ford Motor Company began using aluminum instead of steel in the body of its most popular truck, the F-150 -- creating better fuel efficiency but devastating truck drivers who love vehicle magnets.
WORD OF THE DAY
Quaff [\ˈkwäf, ˈkwaf\] – verb
Definition: To drink a liquid very quickly
Example: Expect President Obama to quaff many drinks before meeting with President-elect Trump.
WEATHER IN A WORD
Sunny