The Jaffe Briefing - March 1, 2019
EN ROUTE TO NJ - With another Walk to Washington in the books, the many, many attendees who didn't bother to attend the annual dinner at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel have taken their aspirin, drank a bottle of water and are are now wondering: what did the governor say during the keynote address? Well, some reporters were there, as well as others expected to attend. And they say Gov. Phil Murphy is again floating his controversial millionaire's tax, as well as much-needed reforms in corporate tax incentives. All the real details will surface 2 p.m. Tuesday, in front of the sober crowd of state legislators who will attend his annual budget message at the Statehouse.
BEACH HAVEN - Which came first? Failure to pay overtime or failure to pay adequate hourly wages? That's the big question at the Chicken or the Egg, an LBI landmark that has been slapped with $768,548 in back wages, damages and penalties. Why? For refusing to pay adequate wages and overtime, while violating employer requirements for foreign laborers. The settlement involves a total of 25 employees, including two foreign workers, who are getting a total of $366,869 in back pay. Seems this popular eatery really laid an egg. (OK, sorry for that one.)
NEW BRUNSWICK - Lots of burning questions as to why Middlesex County jail guards supposedly pepper-sprayed an arrestee's genitals after strip searching and roughly manhandling him. The South Amboy man, 29, has filed a lawsuit against the county over the 2017 alleged mistreatment, the Home News Tribune reports. Arrested for assaulting an Edison cop, the lawsuit claims jail guards broke the man's ankle using "excessive and unreasonable force." After stripping him and "unnecessarily" pepper-spraying his genitals and face, they left him naked in a cell until he was arraigned and released on bail by a Superior Court judge, it is claimed. His criminal charges were later reduced and resolved in municipal court. But the memories apparently linger, as the county declined comment, pending litigation.
TRENTON - It's easy to dismiss "anti-vaxxers" as hyper-protective parents at best or wingnuts at worst. And they're not doing much for their cause by ignoring scientific evidence, such as the fact that there's absolutely no link between vaccinations and autism. In response to all this, New Jersey may develop a registry of adverse reaction to inoculations. Problems would be documented, and information would be available to parents, physicians, hospital staff, and other healthcare providers. This could go a long way toward silencing the vaccination rumor mill. The legislation now sits in committee in both the Senate and Assembly. NJ Spotlight gives this story a shot.
VERNON - An animal rights activist freed a trapped, crying bear cub, earning a 15-day Sussex County jail sentence and a $1,200 fine. The woman admitted in municipal court this week that she set free the bear cub last fall, with help from a Park Ridge man. State Fish and Wildlife officers set two, barrel-shaped traps at the Great Gorge Village condo complex after residents said they were charged by a "momma bear." The activist - arrested three times since 2016 at bear hunt protests - tells the New Jersey Herald that the cub's wailing was "truly horrible... so I made a moral decision to let it go. It was the right thing to do." Her lawyer considers the charge un-bear-able.
ASBURY PARK - Well, it's official. Now, every single food and drink has been officially "paired." Don't believe us? Then head to the Asbury Festhalle and Biergarten on Sunday, when you can enjoy a flight of beers paired with....Girl Scout cookies? Yup, from noon to 5 p.m., you can soak up your Samuel Adams with Samoas or have a thin beer with a Thin Mint. Really, the options are endless. Perhaps a Pabst with a Peanut Butter Pattie? In the end, just make sure you leave with a Thanks-A-Lot.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
ANAHEIM, Calif. - For those who still think there's nothing wrong with parking in front of a fire hydrant, the Anaheim Fire Department has a photo for you. In a new Twitter post, firefighters ask: "Ever wonder what happens when a car is parked in front of a fire hydrant and a fire breaks out? Is a closer parking spot worth the broken windows and the citation and towing fees?" The post includes four photos showing the sedan's rear side windows smashed to make way for a fire hose. It prompted a bit of a virtual firestorm, with some arguing why firefighters couldn't just put the hose over the car. Firefighters then needed to explain how hoses need to be straight, every minute counts and - wait - why are we even arguing this? That driver needed to got hosed.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1962 that the first K-Mart opened, beating the first Walmart store by four months. Kmart became known for its Blue Light Specials in its deep-discount, fast-collapsing stores, while Walmart is known for its 11,695 international locations, each bringing in a $1 million or so each week.
WORD OF THE DAY
Latpanic - [LAT-pan-ək] - noun
Definition: A person of Hispanic or Latino descent who is in constant fear of being deported under current or pending U.S. immigration policies.
Example: They say I tremble like a latpanic, and there's nothing funny about that.
WIT OF THE DAY
"I did not attend his funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain
WEATHER IN A WORD
White
THE NEW 60
A Jaffe Briefing Exclusive by Andy Landorf & John Colquhoun
