The Jaffe Briefing - March 26, 2019
NEWARK - Should a person who shouts "Damn!" while addressing the City Council be hauled away by police? It's a question that has caught the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Jersey, TAPInto Newark reports. An ACLU attorney sent Council President Mildred Crump a letter March 11 reminding her of case law that opposes restrictions on speech, especially during Newark's often-scrappy council meetings. The attorney also says police should rarely - if ever -enforce rules of decorum in the council chambers. The letter noted two incidents when speakers were yanked from the podium as they shouted critiques on city issues. In one incident, Crump told the city clerk to issue a warning letter to a speaker, threatening to ban her from council meetings for a year. What's most important? Freedom of speech or the city council's self-created policies?
TRENTON - Up in smoke? Burned at both ends? Call it what you want, but it appears that recreational marijuana will not be coming soon to a town near you. If you live under a rock and haven't heard yet, the state Senate did not vote on the much-anticipated, totally-hyped marijuana bill yesterday. Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leadership just couldn't amass the votes, even after positioning the legislation as a "civil rights" issue and promising expungements for those who have been busted for possession. It's back to the drawing board, with the hopes of some horse trading, to wrangle those last few votes before the new state budget is adopted by June 30. Expect some hold-out lawmakers to get tons of enthusiastic support for their pet projects, whatever they may be.
DOWN THE SHORE - Enjoy the beaches, but only certain ones. New Jerseyans have been historically blocked from taking a dip wherever they darn please, as private stretches of glorious surf and sand are staunchly protected by residential permits and parking restrictions. That's about to change, though, to the disappointment of some very rich, martini-swilling folks with exclusive enclaves. The Legislature has sent a bill to Gov. Phil Murphy that ensures natural resources like beaches and waterfronts are completely accessible. The governor says he'll sign, but the new law still doesn't address sticky issues like fees and permits that keep the masses away. How's that for sand to the face? Read more in today's NJ Spotlight.
NORTH BERGEN - Encore! Encore! That's the curtain call North Bergen High School students are getting from Broadway and Hollywood after their stunning stage production of "Alien: The Play" went viral. Only a few hundred people plunked down the $5 to see last week's two-night student performance, based on the scary 1979 sci-fi horror flick. But, a parent's online video drew international attention for the play, with 2.7 million hits, prompting celebrities like Elijah Wood and Paul Scheer to offer rave reviews, suggesting students take it on tour. The drama club's adviser tells The Jersey Journal: "We're a real small drama program, doing small plays for the local community," so such wide acclaim "is a surreal experience." North Bergen Mayor Nicholas J. Sacco says his nonprofit foundation will underwrite additional performances, due to all the demands for an Encore!
WESTFIELD - For the residents of one Westfield neighborhood, there's nothing entertaining about the "Watcher" who has freaked out residents of one home on the Boulevard. Yet, the "Westfield Watcher" will be the focus this Friday of an episode of BuzzFeed's "Unsolved" series. You can stream it at 6 p.m. on the show's YouTube channel. Here is the teaser for this overly-told story: "Several days after Maria and Derek Broaddus closed on the almost 4,000-square foot home, they received a letter from someone who claimed to be watching the home and that his family had been watching the home for years. The Broadduses purchased the house for $1.3 million to raise their three children, not far from where Maria Broaddus had grown up, but the idyllic home turned out to be less than wonderful...." Oooo. Wondering what will happen next....
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
PORTLAND, Maine - Unclear what's in the water at Maine Medical Center, but we want none of it. Nine nurses in the maternity ward are all pregnant and are all due between next month and June. WMTW-TV reports all these moms-to-be have pledged to help each other deliver their babies, which could leave precious little availability for any expecting member of the public who may also require their emergency services this spring.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 2015 that "The Most Interesting Man in the World" was spotted in the carpool lane in Fife, Washington. And that's why a Washington State Patrol trooper decided to pull over a car with this "unusual" passenger - a cardboard cutout of the actor who portrays "The Most Interesting Man in the World" in Dos Equis beer ads. The driver's response? "He's my best friend." The State Patrol later tweeted: "I don't always violate the HOV lane law ... but when I do, I get a $124 ticket."
WORD OF THE DAY
Crupore - [KROO-də-vohr] - noun
Definition: One who eats raw food
Example: Pass the crudités to the crupore - and don't scrimp this time on the zucchini.
WIT OF THE DAY
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school." - Albert Einstein
WEATHER IN A WORD
Cool
THE NEW 60
A Jaffe Briefing Exclusive by Andy Landorf & John Colquhoun
