The Jaffe Briefing - January 28, 2019
PISCATAWAY - You'd think a sports story featuring a multi-millionaire who just happens to be governor would be about glowing success. But somehow the Sky Blue FC women's soccer team is becoming a real pain for Gov. Phil Murphy, as multiple news outlets present him as a slumlord owner. Not good headlines for a guy who rakes in more capital gains in one year than most New Jerseyans earn in 40 years of paychecks. Besides the team only winning one game all of last year, there are widespread allegations of broken toilets, shower-less locker rooms, pigsty housing and pervy landlords, making it impossible for Sky Blue FC to recruit any decent players. Not even a personal plea from Murphy is convincing the No. 6 overall draft pick - a Jersey girl - to play in New Jersey. Rather, she is fleeing to Sweden, where apparently the toilets work, the soccer teams win and the players are respected.
STATEWIDE - Could the most humorless people in New Jersey be potheads? Perhaps, as nearly half the accountants surveyed in a recent poll say that legalizing marijuana could be a nice boost to the state's economy. This survey, courtesy of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants, reports on NJ 101.5 that legalizing the drug would bring in plenty of cash without the need to raise existing taxes. The majority of these accountants also thinks the sales tax rate should hover around 12 percent or so, rather than the 25 percent rate that Gov. Phil Murphy has proposed. With the accountants on board with legal weed, perhaps, quite soon, you could finally look forward to those tax meetings.
STATEWIDE - If New Jersey politicians thought all those grassroots groups that sprouted in the run-up to last year's midterm elections would wither once Election Day passed, they should reconsider. NJ Spotlight reports that, for the most part, these groups show every sign of staying in the arena - and they've got big plans. Some of them will be keeping an eye on our Congressional representatives, others are hyper-focused on state and local issues. These spirited citizens vow they'll be watchdogging New Jersey politicians for a long time to come. After all, there's plenty to watch. Follow the trail with NJ Spotlight.
ONLINE - If you happen to be poking around the "hot new releases" page on Amazon this morning, prepare for a shocker. The Number 1, the Number 2 and the Number 3 "hot releases" are all by New Jersey's all-time favorite author, Chris Christie. His hugely-hyped, tell-all book is set for release for tomorrow, with his hardcover, at $18.30, in the top slot. You could also get the Kindle edition, at $14.99, now in the No. 2 slot. And, if that doesn't work for you, try the audiobook, at No. 3, which is free with an Audible trial. Get your prized copy of "Let Me Finish" here. And get it signed by cutting and pasting here:
FORT LEE - A police sergeant used old-fashioned muscle to rescue 20-month-old Luca Choe from an odd, little predicament. The toddler got himself wedged inside a plastic toy box. Little Luca's peculiar pickle went viral on social media and made national news, something his mom, Soona Choe, tells CBS News she plans to embarrass him with the photographic evidence for years to come, including on his wedding day. Police Sgt. Rick Hernandez, who showed up at the family's home armed with the Jaws of Life, ended up breaking apart the plastic box with his bare hands. Hernandez says: "When I got there, (Luca's) expression was just priceless. He had this face on, like 'Yeah, I did it.' It was pretty cute."
LINDEN - Strike! Strike! Strike! Twelve frames in a row. That's how 10-year-old Kai Strothers became New Jersey's youngest bowler ever to score a perfect game in league competition. The Maplewood fifth-grader is also only the second youngest bowler in the U.S. to roll a flawless 300 game, a feat he accomplished at Jersey Lanes on Jan. 19. His mom, Sharonda, tells NJ.com her son "eats, sleeps and drinks bowling" after she makes sure he does "all of his school work." Good thing too, after colleges began courting Kai after he beat up on some varsity high school bowlers in a big regional tournament last year.
IN THE MEDIA
Four years ago today, The Washington Post posted a list of the top local political reporters in New Jersey, deemed among the most "under-appreciated reporters in the political world." Interesting to note, in just four years, who has stayed and who has gone. From 2015: Michael Aron of NJTV, Matt Friedman and Chris Baxter of The Star-Ledger, Mark Bonamo of PolitickerNJ, Jill Colvin of the AP, Josh Dawsey and Heather Haddon of The Wall Street Journal and Melissa Hayes and John Reitmeyer of The Bergen Record, Dave Levinsky of the Burlington County Times and Matt Katz of WNYC.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 2014 that Apple admitted devastation by the fact it "only" sold 51 million of the iPhone 5 in the fourth quarter of 2013. That's four million less that the amount it hoped would fly of shelves. (Fun fact: More than 1 billion iPhones have been sold between 2007 and 2017.)
WORD OF THE DAY
Foray - [FOR-ay] - noun
Definition: An initial, often tentative attempt to do something in a new or different field or activity
Example: Rooting for a Swedish women's professional soccer team is my first foray outside the U.S.
WIT OF THE DAY
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"We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops."
- Henry Youngman
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WEATHER IN A WORD
Brrr
THE NEW 60
A Jaffe Briefing exclusive
by Andy Landorf & John Colquhoun