The Jaffe Briefing - February 8, 2018
OUR TAKE ON THE NEWS IN NEW JERSEY
SOUTH JERSEY - The grand assumption is that the population of South Jersey is all in Philadelphia this morning. Schools closed. Businesses closed. Just a bunch of "Let's Go Eagles" flyers blowing through the empty suburban streets. With 2 million people jamming into the city for the big parade, fans have filled SEPTA, PATCO and NJ Transit trains from the wee hours of the morning, with a lot of westbound-only trains. It's gonna be a great party, with only 400 or so references to Rocky Balboa. Meanwhile, north of Trenton, where we proudly eat our Taylor Ham and properly root for New York teams, we are trudging in to work.
STATEWIDE - Here's a NJ.com stat you'll get a kick out of: There's one horse for every 323 people in the state. Neigh-sayers are amazed you don't run into more of them, as there are more than 8 million humans with free rein in New Jersey. There's not exactly a lot of land for horses, jockeying for space. Somehow, some way, there are 27,658 horses here, or four horses for every square mile. Following that formula, there are now about 7,000 horses hoofing into Philly for parade. At the spur of the moment.
TRENTON - While it is apparently an official holiday in South Jersey, there's actual work to do in Trenton. And that is where you will find Gov. Phil Murphy this morning, chatting up all his new pals at the New Jersey Conference of Mayors. Politico says the governor will be hyping a clever end-around of the federal property tax cap, which now caps deductions at $10,000. He wants a bill in the state Legislature, allowing municipalities to create charitable funds so the entire property tax bill remains tax-deductible. Our hope is that delicious scheme is for both federal and state tax deductions.
NEWARK & CAMDEN - Ever since Snooki became a speaker at Rutgers University, and then a guy known as President Obama, there's always some drama about who will be headlining the commencements. TAPInto New Brunswick says RU is still dangling an invitation for former VP Joe Biden to arrive on the banks in May and hopes to hear in April. Meanwhile, it is all set for the Newark and Camden campuses. There's Dana Elaine Owens - whoops, "Queen Latifah," - formerly of East Orange, handling the May 14 commencement in Newark, while Anita Hill, the law professor caught up in the Clarence Thomas mess, heads to Camden on May 17.
OCEAN CITY - Nothing's worse than a rained-out beach day. But imagine you run a town that depends on sunny weather to balance the books. Last summer's crummy weather resulted in a big loss in beach tag revenue for top tourism towns, like Ocean City, NJ 101.5 reports. Long Branch saw a $151,000 drop from the summer 2016, while other tourism towns are grumbling, as well. Meanwhile, landlocked towns whose best water attraction is a lawn sprinkler couldn't care less about the summer weather. It's a reminder that our shore towns should count their bennies and their blessings.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
BOSTON - If you are unsure if she is "The One," we strongly recommend you veer away from "Pauli's North End" restaurant on Valentine's Day. That's because the eatery is offering a special menu item - the "Big Boy Burger." It costs a whopping $3,000, but includes an engagement ring lodged into the bun. You don't want your girlfriend of seven, eight or nine years sitting in a booth, munching on a run-of-the-mill cheeseburger, noting all the teary-eyed women around her, taking photos with their Big Boys. Here is your lame excuse, "Uh, honey, the restaurant needed 48-hour notice, so, uhhh..."
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 2012 that Elizabeth Taylor's collection of artwork by Vincent Van Gogh, Camille Pissarro and Edgar Degas sold for more than 13.7 million pounds at Christie's in London. Of greater interest, these are three men who actually weren't married to Taylor at some point.
WORD OF THE DAY
Tucket - [TUCK-ut] - noun
Definition: A fanfare on a trumpet
Example: The tucket will be sounding cheerily at 11 a.m. as the Eagles step off for the big parade.
WEATHER IN A WORD
Shiny