The Jaffe Briefing - December 4, 2019
PISCATAWAY – The cost of special education can be absolutely enormous – with taxpayers paying more than $100,000 in tuition to send children with complex disabilities to private specialized schools. There’s no question these students should receive the best care possible, but isn’t there another viable option? Yes, says Mark Finkelstein, the long-time superintendent of the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey, a public entity, which provides the same quality education for about half the price. How does his team do it? Find out in today’s Jaffe Briefing podcast.
TRENTON – With only 5% of New Jersey’s waterways meeting federal clean-water standards, a lot of folks are interested in the state Department of Environmental Protection’s new rule overhauling how stormwater runoff is managed. That’s understandable; runoff is the single biggest source of pollution in our state waterways. So, you’d think the DEP would shout its new edict from the mountaintops. But, as NJ Spotlight reports, the DEP didn’t quite run off at the mouth about the runoff rule, preferring instead to quietly sign the new regulations yesterday. Could the silent treatment have anything to do with the strong opinions the rule has provoked, both for and against? Figure it out at NJ Spotlight, but – hey – keep it under your hat.
PISCATAWAY – With word that Gov. Phil Murphy will be at Rutgers at 10:30 a.m. this morning to join in the celebration/press conference announcing Greg Schiano’s triumphant return to salvage – once again – the university’s football program, perhaps we are turning the corner. Maybe with the governor fully behind RU in such a public way, he can help raise money for all the new football facilities that will be required. Who knows? Perhaps some of the Murphy fortune could become a well-received donation. Rather than focusing his fundraising efforts for Democrats nationally – in his new, distractive role as chair of the Democratic Governor’s Association – he can concentrate on the football rebuild, as well as many other educational initiatives taking place right at home, at Rutgers, where fundraising is desperately needed.
ON THE FARM – Everybody seems to be searching for that perfect evergreen to drag home and drape in holiday decorations. Luckily, all sorts of conifers grow in the Garden State, available for sale on a lot near you. Agriculture Secretary Douglas Fisher tells NJ 101.5 that our Christmas tree farmers produce 80,000 homegrown trees annually on nearly 5,000 acres. Our small state now ranks sixth in the U.S. for its volume of Christmas tree farms. And choosing the best tree, Fisher says, can be a multi-generational tradition with many of today’s families visiting “the same farms where their granddad ... got a tree. Now they're getting (them) with their sons or daughters.” And help out your favorite tree farmer; buy his $4 cup of hot chocolate too.
BACK ON THE FARM – Those hazlenuts roasting on your open fire are also likely home-grown. Rutgers researchers now have groves of hazelnut trees at 20 farms across the state, searching for a sustainable new cash crop so farmers don’t need to rely on pricy add-ons, like that $4 hot chocolate. TAPInto New Brunswick says this pilot program is the latest phase of a two-decade-old university study that included genetically enhancing hazelnut trees to produce a high-quality, high-yield crop that’s resistant to deadly fungus. If scientists are successful, our blueberries, cranberries and tomatoes may need to step aside – at least for the holidays.
IN THE MEDIA
SKAGWAY, ALASKA – Hey, pal, wanna own a newspaper? It’s absolutely free. You just need to somehow sell advertising in the backwoods of rural Alaska, in a metropolis of less than 1,000 people. But Larry Persily, the owner of The Skagway News, thinks if you truly love local journalism, you could be the right person for the job. In an exclusive interview with the Jaffe Briefing, he told us that, no, this isn’t a joke. In fact, to date, more than 100 aspiring newspaper owners have reached out to him with plenty of questions. He divulges that the local newspaper industry in remote Alaska is “financially sketchy” and readership is on the decline. But locals are still talking about how The Skagway News, established in 1897, covered the shooting death of notorious gangster Soapy Smith, in 1898 – likely the last big news to grace the front page. So, if you are interested in becoming a small-time editor, Larry asks that you reach out to him by next month and throw your hat in the ring. Who knows? Maybe you could be the big “winner,” as you depart Jersey and head 3,700 miles west for life on The Chilkoot Trail. Or just stay here and buy a TAPinto franchise.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
STANFORD-LE-HOPE, ENGLAND – If your dog wants popcorn, give it to him. Otherwise, he could be like the pooch in England, who somehow turned on the family’s microwave and caused the kitchen to erupt in flames. The Essex County Fire & Rescue Service rushed to the house, where a husky turned on the microwave containing a bag of bread rolls. The homeowner noticed all the smoke from a security camera, via his handy app, and called the fire department. Luckily, there were no injuries – other than the torched rolls. But firefighters reminded us – yet again – to not store food in a microwave. You never know what those pets will do.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Two months after the late drummer John Bonham took his Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin broke up, on this day in 1980.
WORD OF THE DAY
WIT OF THE DAY
TODAY'S TRUMPISM
WEATHER IN A WORD
Chilly
THE NEW 60
A Jaffe Briefing Exclusive
by Andy Landorf & John Colquhoun
