The Jaffe Briefing - August 18, 2021

STATEWIDE – Not long ago getting a vaccination appointment was a really big deal. And it looks like we will all be lining up again, as the feds are recommending that we should all get a booster shot after eight months of being fully vaccinated. Well, let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work, folks, as this massive, historic, national vaccination drive kicks into the next phase of keeping Americans healthy and alive. Why a booster? Well, everyone is rightfully concerned about the Delta variant and scientists believe the vaccine protections weaken after a few months or so. Plus, with so many people fed up with masks, remote learning and hand sanitizer, the more protections we can get, the better. So, get in line.

ATLANTIC CITY – Dang. It’s not even football season, and already the state’s gamblers have found a way to shatter records for internet gambling. It’s tremendous news for our nine casinos and three horse tracks, which collectively won $450 million just in the month of July, a monthly record. NJ.com reports the figures are crazy – a 70% jump over July 2020. The big winner was Hard Rock, which saw its winnings increase by nearly 79% to $55.5 million. There were more than $578 million in sports bets taken last month. Dare we forecast that number will jump to $1 billion when college and pro football kicks off? We’ll be watching (and wagering).

PEMBERTON – It wasn’t until death did they part, and then all bets were off. A local widow created a GoFundMe page to ensure her dearly departed husband would get a proper cremation, with all the bells and whistles. She wrote it was all about the devastated children, who would really appreciate it. Over a two-month period in 2019, 28 generous, teary-eyed do-gooders contributed to her fundraiser, collecting more than $2,000. Great, right? No, because the widow left her husband’s body in the morgue and used the cash to buy whatever the heck she wanted. She is now indicted on felony theft charges, NJ.com reports, with an arraignment planned. But – gotta ask – whatever happened to that cremation? 

BRIEFING BREATHER

A "jiffy" is about one trillionth of a second.

STATEWIDE – Welcome back UEZ! (No, not “Uzi” machine guns.) Instead, New Jersey is bringing back the Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) program, designed to help small businesses in distressed urban communities. The legislation appropriates $42.5 million to get things going, with total funding capped at $82.5 million a year. The UEZ program brings lower sales taxes and financial incentives to struggling downtowns, hoping to entice shoppers. Politico reports sales tax for business purchases of up to $100,000 will be exempt, a great boost for aspiring business owners. You may recall that Gov. Chris Christie famously killed the UEZ program in 2016 and raided whatever money was left in the local accounts for state coffers, calling it a “failed 30-year experiment” that would cost New Jersey $2.33 billion in lost revenue over 10 years. Well, it’s back.

HIGHLAND PARK - Jeff Boyd and Matthew Hersh don’t have a bridge they’d like to sell you, but they have one they want your help to rename. The duo has launched a campaign to have the brick-arched, 134-year-old Albany Street Bridge renamed after Rutgers researcher Selman Waksman, who won a Nobel Prize for discovering the microbe that led to the creation of the antibiotic to stop tuberculosis. As TAPinto New Brunswick reports, Boyd, a Rutgers scientist, and Hersh, a Highland Park councilman, haven’t quite figured if there’s a formal process for renaming something such as a historical bridge. To start, they’re seeking local political support on both sides of the bridge, spanning Highland Park and New Brunswick. Any previous issues? Well, that’s water under the bridge.

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

ALL OVER – Girl Scouts are peddling a new cookie so, of course, that’s big national news. The cookie, known as the “Adventureful'' is a hybrid of sorts, with lots of brownie inspiration. Girl Scouts describe it best: a cookie “full of indulgent brownie-inspired flavor with a combination of chocolatey and caramel flavors, and smooth and crispy textures.” Others have other comments, such as CBS noting it looks like a brownie behind bars. No matter where you stand, the Adventureful will have some heavy competition, as Thin Mints remain the most popular Girl Scout cookie, with 24% support in the latest polling data. That is followed by Samoas at 16% and Tagalongs at 10%. Our favorite, since you are asking? A frozen Thin Mint.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

The future of Reagan’s Republican Party hinges on George Bush and Dan Quayle, selected to be the nominees at the GOP national convention on this day in 1988.

WORD OF THE DAY

Defenestration – [dee-fen-uh-STRAY-shun] – noun

Definition: Throwing someone or something out the window

Example: Last night’s event culminated with my defenestration.

WIT OF THE DAY

“You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it.” 

-Edith Head

BIDEN BLURB

“I'm not big on flak jackets and tie-dyed shirts. You know, that's not me.”

-Joe Biden

WEATHER IN A WORD

Muggy