The Jaffe Briefing - November 17, 2021

STATEWIDE – When you hear about these billions of dollars in state surplus, all of our financial problems are gone, right? NJSpotlight – always with a heavy dose of reality – reports Gov. Phil Murphy is looking down the barrel at $2 billion in court-mandated school construction, with 24 “priority projects” in 18 poor school districts. And that price tag doesn’t include land acquisition, demolition, etc. in some of the most congested urban areas of the country. So, Passaic will get a new high school, Garfield will welcome two new elementary schools, and Bridgeton will see three major school renovations, for example. Unclear if this massive state school construction project can ever be done, as buildings just age and age.

ATLANTIC CITY – InsiderNJ, a website for people addicted to state politics, is smart to release its annual political rankings when the largest concentration of politicos are around to read it. And, so, the Insider list of the most powerful unelected people in 2021 promises to generate some chatter at the League of Municipalities convention, now underway. It is often more interesting to see who is not on the list, and then trying to figure out what was a glaring oversight and what was a clear snub. The No. 1 on this year’s list is certainly a surprise, but makes a lot of sense based on shear power. The slot is reserved for the two retired judges heading up the redistricting of the legislative lines across the state, which will certainly topple lots of political apple carts in the state Legislature and Congress.

STATEWIDE – And speaking of annual things, the wild turkeys are back – just in time for Thanksgiving. So, why do we care? Because the turkey population is steadily growing, the Asbury Park Press reports, and is a real nuisance in the burbs. And that means more trashed trash cans, pecked cars and other messes. The newspaper notes the state had 134 complaints last year about wild turkeys, which had basically disappeared in New Jersey by the mid-20th century. But the state reintroduced them in 1977 with 22 birds. Now, there are more than 20,000 wild turkeys in New Jersey, prompting spring and fall hunts. But with the population spurt, you can only shoot so many.

BRIEFING BREATHER

Moonshiners used "cow shoes" to disguise their footprints during Prohibition.

OFF THE RAILS – With the ink barely dry on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, New Jerseyans are already asking, rightfully so: When will construction begin on the Gateway Tunnel? It’s a fair question, especially since this massive transportation upgrade under the Hudson River should have happened a generation ago. NJ.com says funds from the feds' share of the $11.6 billion project could be in place by the end of next year, meaning some actual work by the summer 2023. Of course, that’s a lofty goal depending on a huge amount of factors far beyond our pea brains. But, like any major, urban infrastructure project, delays will surface from the craziest of places.

IN THE MEDIA

ISELIN – The editor of The Star-Ledger, Kevin Whitmer, is retiring at the end of the year. A great guy, here’s part of his farewell announcement: “Why leave? In short, it is time — time for a new perspective and new leadership as our newsroom emerges from 16 long years of industry turmoil and budget cuts, and now turns the corner on a road to growth and an incredibly promising future. The next leader will step into this great opportunity with the resources to do more journalism and make a number of hires. There haven’t been many editors in our state for a long time now who can start a job and say that. As for me, it is time to step away, recharge, do some work on myself and think about how I want the next few years of my life to look. That might be consulting, teaching, volunteering or maybe some wonderful mix of all three.”

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

FREEDOM, MAINE – Apparently, running was not fast enough for a roadrunner, who hitched a ride from Las Vegas to Maine for his cross-country extravaganza, ending Nov. 13. He was found in the storage area of a moving van, with nothing to eat or drink for four days on his journey. Once he is fit again for long travel, and properly warmed back up to the desert climate of which he is accustomed, the roadrunner will leave all the great things about Freedom, on board an avian carrier back to Las Vegas. Bird sanctuary officials would not tell one inquisitive news reporter how much weight he lost on his journey to Maine because – duh – they did not weigh him before he left.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

It was this day in 1940 that the Green Bay Packers became the first NFL team to fly to a game.

(It should have been the Eagles.)

WORD OF THE DAY

Facetious – [fuh-SEE-shuss] – adjective

Definition: Joking often inappropriately; meant to be funny

Example: Some blame Bond for driving cars with facetious gadgetry.

WIT OF THE DAY

“All I have to say is: Jessica Simpson is the most beautiful woman on the planet!”

-Jessica Simpson

BIDEN BLURB

“I cannot believe that a French man visiting Kiev went back home and told his colleagues he discovered something and didn’t say he discovered the most beautiful women in the world. That’s my observation.”

-Joe Biden

WEATHER IN A WORD

Warming