The Jaffe Briefing - July 19, 2017
OUR TAKE ON THE NEWS IN NEW JERSEY
TRENTON - Why just gamble, when you can drink too? That is the message behind the new state lottery game, Quick Draw, which is being offered in bars, restaurants and bowling alleys. Much more interesting than buying a lottery ticket or two at the 7-Eleven, this game involves a TV screen, some fast-paced action and players shelling out up to $10 a pop, with a $1 million grand prize. So, drink up fellas and get ready for some action, courtesy of the New Jersey Lottery, coming to a bar near you.
NEW YORK - Gov. Chris Christie continues to make history, likely the only person who ever snagged a foul ball with his left hand, high fives a fan, passes the ball to a wide-eyed kid and then gets booed. That's what happened last night in the third inning, with the Mets playing the Cardinals. A great quote from the sportscaster: "Nice to see him get from the beach to the ballpark." See it here.
EATONTOWN - The mayor thought he killed a local "chicken ordinance," but apparently it's goose isn't cooked yet. Mayor Dennis Connelly vetoed a recent Borough Council measure allowing homeowners to keep up to a dozen hens on residential properties smaller than five acres. Citing legitimate concerns about salmonella, neighbor disputes and enforcement, Connelly said the risks outweigh pleasing a gaggle of small-bit poultry farmers. The Asbury Park Press now says the Council is poised to override the mayor at it's July 26 meeting. Will the mayor end up with egg on his face?
FLORHAM PARK - With the thump of its rubber stamp, the state Bureau of Aeronautics has approved a long fought heliport at the New York Jets' training facility. No fuss, no muss and no public hearings. Once built, all it needs is a quick state inspection before Jets executives can chopper in the the next generation of players who could be the team's saviors. Locals have argued since 2013 that this heliport would be noisy, pose dangers, and is unnecessary because Morristown Airport is just minutes away, NJ.com says. Doesn't matter; any quarterback who can actually throw a spiral probably deserves his own helicopter ride to the Jets.
BEACH HAVEN - There's strong... and then there's Jersey Strong.Check out this guy who pulled a three-foot-long sand shark out of the ocean with his bare hands on Sunday. Lifeguards then sent it back out to deeper waters to reunite with all the other sharks. An obvious note to our readers: Don't ever try this at home.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. - Plenty of heat at a roadside taco stand, where a local threatened to pull a gun on the taco guy for making up the wrong order. The Los Alamos Monitor reports the customer was arrested Sunday following a heated exchange at Rigoberto's Taco Shop. As the argument raged over jalapenos, salsa and guacamole, the suspect vowed to retrieve a gun out of his car over the allegedly botched tacos. That got him hauled to jail, where the tacos can't compare with Rigoberto's Taco Shop.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Many think "going green" is a relatively new concept. But it was on this day in 1942 that Henry Ford met with famed agricultural chemist George Washington Carver to chat about how peanuts and soybeans can be used to produce plastics, paint, fuel and other products for cars. Ford - way before his time - believed the world would eventually need a substitute for gasoline, and supported the production of ethanol. In 1942, Ford would unveil a car made from soybeans.
WORD OF THE DAY
Phlegethon - [FLEG-uh-thon] - noun
Definition: A stream of fire or fiery light.
Example: The ball shot off the bat like a phlegethon, expertly snagged by Gov. Chris Christie.
WEATHER IN A WORD
Ninety