The Morning Briefing - January 25, 2017
STATEWIDE - Go ahead New Jersey: Swear proudly! A new study says people from New Jersey use profanity more than ... well, almost everyone. But, it also shows that we just might be more trustworthy and forthright. Psychologists from Maastricht University in the Netherlands surveyed scores of people worldwide about their cursing habits and scrutinized 70,000 social media posts. Researchers tell the online magazine Quartz: "the positive relationship between profanity and honesty is robust," so turning the air blue with vulgarities shows "genuineness." F@#k yeah!
WEEHAWKEN - There have been plenty of stories of cops cracking down on these outrageous toll cheats, who think no one will ever nail them for zipping through E-Z Pass. The latest person to not read the news - or not care - is a jitney bus driver who was discovered to owe more than $50,000 in unpaid tolls and fees. Apparently, her transponder was for use with cars, not buses. The West New York woman now has to deal with 653 violations and having her bus impounded. A silver lining: At least she isn't the trucking company owner charged earlier this month with - gulp - more than $1 million in unpaid tolls and fees.
RUMSON - Bruce Springsteen is pulling out of this affluent borough, with a deal in the works to sell eight acres and a Georgian-style mansion to one of his Ridge Road neighbors, Redbankgreen reports. The mansion was the Springsteen family's primary residence after buying it 1983, but they haven't lived there in years. The Boss sold a smaller home next door last year to Brooklyn Nets player Randy Foye for a cool $1.74 million. Take heart Monmouth County: Springsteen and his songwriter-wife Patti Scialfa seem happily hunkered down in their Mansion on a Hill, a 368-acre Colts Neck farm.
PERTH AMBOY - With "The Wiz" running for governor, Democrats in his district wasted no time replacing him for Assembly with Yvonne Lopez, executive director and CEO of the Puerto Rican Association for Human Development Inc. John Wisniewski, former state party chair, has served 21 years in the Assembly. TAPInto New Brunswick says 19th District mayors and party chairs from Carteret, Perth Amboy, Sayreville, South Amboy and Woodbridge already moved to endorse Lopez, a well-respected community leader and former banking executive, to join Sen. Joe Vitale and Assemblyman Craig Coughlin on this year's ticket. The Middlesex County Democratic Organization makes its formal candidate nomination in February. Surprises are highly unlikely.
NEWARK - Sure, many believe Newark is changing for the better. But that doesn't mean you should be stupid - like leave your car with the engine running. Because chances are you will never see it again. Cops say 22 percent of the cars stolen this year were left unattended with the engines running, noting this is an obvious "duh" move and you are basically inviting local residents to go for a joyride on your dime. And if you believe that locking the doors will prevent thieves, a double "duh" for you. Cops say the local populace has no problem smashing windows to gain entry before zooming off to the chop shop.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - At the University of Michigan, they are calling it "pee-cycling." The school proudly installed a toilet and urinal yesterday at a campus engineering building that converts pee into fertilizer. We're talking about about a new-fangled "split-bowl toilet," which somehow separates solids and liquids. Poop goes where it is has historically gone - to a treatment plant. Pee is diverted into a special holding tank, and will ultimately be spread throughout the grounds of the university's botanical gardens. Taking this a step further, the university is urging "urine contributors" to register their thoughts on a tablet computer affixed in the restroom. This is all part of a $3 million National Science Foundation grant. Thanks, Obama.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1974 that McDonald's founder Ray Croc bought the San Diego Padres for just $12 million. Unfortunately, thoughts of changing the team mascot to the Hamburglars didn't stick.
WORD OF THE DAY
Ab Ovo [ab-OH-voh] - adverb
Definition: From the beginning
Example: If New Jersey addressed its pension mess ab ovo, maybe we wouldn't be so many billions of dollars in debt.
WEATHER IN A WORD
Sun!