The Jaffe Briefing - October 27
OUR TAKE ON THE NEWS IN NEW JERSEY
MORRISTOWN - There's no Halloween celebration at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School because a lot of kids don't celebrate the holiday. Gotcha. Totally get it. So, instead, school officials have planned a big day of special events on October 31, in which the kids will work together to "escape" their classrooms by solving puzzles. Then, all the kids will meet in the gymnasium for a special event: a school-wide Bingo game. How special! How fun! The kids can even wear Halloween costumes! But, um, wait: we thought this school was not celebrating the holiday.
NEWARK - Who says the Senate isn't the country's most congenial body? Certainly not Sen. Bob Menendez, who had his Senate pals ride up yesterday to the Brick City to defend his character. As defense attorneys argued for a mistrial in Menendez's corruption case, Sen. Cory Booker and South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham testified as character witnesses for Menendez's honesty and trustworthiness, the Record reports. But when asked by the lead prosecutor if they are familiar with the evidence presented to the jury for the past two months, both Booker and Graham admitted they were not. But, they reminded the court, Menendez is still a swell guy.
ON THE ROAD - Drive down any highway in New Jersey: There's a Rite Aid, then a Walgreens, then a CVS. Then repeat, and repeat. But we may soon getting a reprieve from the steady diet of ubiquitous drug stores. One of the clones, Walgreens, is planning a $4.38 billion deal to buy nearly 2,000 Rite Aid locations, including several of the 260 Rite Aids in New Jersey. As they gobble each other up, maybe there will finally be room for even more Christmas pop-up stores, already open near you.
STATEWIDE - Hey kids, your fake ID is suddenly more valuable. The minimum age to purchase cigarettes in New Jersey is jumping to 21 years of age on November 1. Convenience stores are preparing for the switch with some new signage, although it's suspected it will take some time for every employee in every Rite Aid/Walgreens in New Jersey to learn about the new age requirement. Meanwhile, it is hard to fathom any 20-year-old smoker will be stocking up on cartons in the next couple of days. Figure s/he could just continue to voluntarily blacken his lungs by shopping online; WikiHow explains how.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
STATEWIDE - The midnight matinee may become your movie of choice, with word that Regal Cinemas is considering surge pricing in determining your admission price. Just like Uber and Lyft, the theaters will bang you for more money during peak times, as part of a grand experiment to squeeze more money out of your wallet. It is still unclear if Regal will be trying this out in New Jersey, but we are pleased the pricing will also be adjusted for those who endure god-awful movies, like "The Mummy" with Tom Cruise. Or, you can just save the $75. Stay home, watch Hulu, and microwave a bag of popcorn.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
WORD OF THE DAY
Preta - [PRAY-tuh] - noun
Definition: A wandering or disturbed ghost in Hindu mythology
Example: I'm dressing as a fat preta for Halloween. You?
WEATHER IN A WORD
Cooler