The Jaffe Briefing - January 2, 2019
WANTAGE - New Jersey has its first udderly cute story of the year. It began in the wee hours last Thursday night, when a pregnant cow fell off the second level of a truck headed to a slaughterhouse in Paterson. "Brianna" fell eight feet onto Route 80 and wandered around the highway until Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue was able to corral her, NJ.com reports. But what would happen next? Would she be sent to slaughter? And what about her baby?? Well, calm down, folks. The slaughterhouse let the sanctuary keep Brianna and she gave birth to a beautiful little female calf, named "Winter." They will be together forever. And, yes, there's a pic.
STATEWIDE - Some interesting news for the new year: Your home is just one year closer to being underwater. Yep, sea rise is still a nagging problem, and a new report shows more than 60,000 New Jersey homes and properties are "at risk" to sea level rise within the next 25 years or so. The Surfrider Foundation gives New Jersey a failing grade in its policies to protect us from climate change, erosion and extreme weather. But we are not alone, as nearly half the states assessed by the foundation earned a "D" or "F." Pumping all that sand onto our beaches has been a great temporary fix, for a billion bucks or so, but those waves are just getting bigger and bigger.
PLEASANTVILLE - An Atlantic City teen was relieved to ring in the new year yesterday, after he was shot twice - in two separate incidents - in the waning days of 2018. Local cops say the victim was hit in the back with some sort of projectile on Sunday, while hanging out in Pleasantville. Relieved to be released from the hospital, he was back in Pleasantville on Monday, where he was hit again. This time, it was a bullet to the butt. Again, he was treated and released, with no major injury. Cops tell the AP that there have been arrests, but motives remain sketchy as to why this kid is being used for target practice.
STATEWIDE - New Jersey ranks high on a lot of lists, mostly involving property taxes, debt and traffic. So let's take a moment to celebrate a high ranking that's actually good. The Record reports that New Jersey is about to reclaim the mantle as the state least interested in buying guns. The newspaper scanned some federal data, showing New Jerseyans went through fewer firearms-permit background checks per capita last year than any state in the country. With some of the strictest gun possession laws in the nation, New Jersey is likely to return to the top spot for fewest background checks. Unlike most states, we seem to agree that the less guns, the better.
OFF THE RAILS - PATH trains run in the red, and so what? There needs to be at least one affordable, dependable way in which a New Jerseyan can get into New York. The New York Times reports the PATH is set to lose more than $400 million next year, as it shuttles riders from Newark, Harrison, Hoboken and Jersey City at just $2.75 a pop. The PATH is run by the Port Authority, which has to cover the deficit somewhere. And perhaps that's another reason why it is so expensive to travel through a Port Authority tunnel or on a bridge or out an airport. Get some of your money back; ride the PATH.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
ULYSSES, Kan. - It's the new year. Ready to hate someone? Check out this overachieving kid from Kansas who will be graduating from his local high school andHarvard University in May. Being the overachiever that he is, the 16-year-old brainiac will, of course, be attending both commencement ceremonies in May. He will be the only student, in the history of students, to successfully pursue a four-year high school degree and a bachelor's degree from Harvard at the same time, The Hutchinson News reports. Harvard, moving forward, plans to change its policy in educating high schoolers, thus making this kid a "one and only."
A NEW YEAR'S GIFT FOR YOU
It's the first day back to work for many of us in 2019, and that means a need for some inspiration. Click here to get your game on for a great new year.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1971 that it was no longer a slam dunk, as the hapless "New Jersey Reds" - losers of 2,495 consecutive basketball games - somehow defeated the Harlem Globetrotters 100-99 at the buzzer.
WORD OF THE DAY
Canorous - [kə-NOR-əs] - noun
Definition: Pleasant-sounding; melodious
Example: May we all sing a canorous melody to welcome in the new year.
WIT OF THE DAY
"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man."
- Benjamin Franklin
WEATHER IN A WORD
Chill
THE NEW 60
A Jaffe Briefing exclusive
by Andy Landorf & John Colquhoun
