The Jaffe Briefing - March 8, 2022

TRENTON – Can you feel the excitement? That’s because it’s state budget day, when Gov. Phil Murphy will deliver his sixth annual budget talk – returning to a live audience inside the Statehouse. All the action goes down at 2 p.m. in the Assembly chambers, in which property tax relief will be hyped with the hopes of many standing ovations on the Democratic side. Murphy already leaked a big talking point last week, outlining a grand plan to provide rebates to about 1.8 million taxpayers. There’s also lots of chatter about throwing more money at schools, as well as further efforts to shore up the state’s pension system. With the state still flush in COVID cash, expect many voter-friendly hand-outs.

STATEWIDE – There’s already been plenty of stories about the anticipated staff shortage at hot summer venues, from boardwalks to seaside restaurants to popular bars. The state DEP doesn’t want to miss out on competing for this shallow pool of workers for its state parks, historic sites and other attractions all over New Jersey. A press release went out yesterday – sort of a hybrid of a “help wanted” ad – in which the DEP laid out all the many exciting places that need summer help. But unlike working the fryer at a funnel cake shack on the boardwalk, the DEP says its jobs could actually lead to careers to “restore, preserve, and protect our natural, cultural, and historic resources.” Now, the DEP can’t phone you. You have to take the first step! Visit www.nj.gov/dep/workinparks

STATEWIDE – And yet another concern for summer employers: the war in Ukraine. Jersey Shore businesses rely on the federal Summer Work Travel Program, which provides special permission to foreign workers through J-1 visas.  Many arrive at the Jersey Shore from Russia and Ukraine, to work at Playland’s Castaway Cove in Ocean City, for example, for many, many hours on end. Last year, the state’s summer tourism lost thousands of young foreign workers because of COVID. This year, a war.

BRIEFING BREATHER

The cheesiest pizza featured 154 varieties of cheese.

ELIZABETH – If you’ve got water, you probably want a ferry. Town officials are eager to offer their own special way into Manhattan. On the heels of South Amboy, Carteret and likely other towns touting plans for ferry service, Elizabeth is now in the business too. TAPInto reports that Elizabeth has been talking for years about offering a high-speed ferry to the South Street Seaport, a nice, easy 30-minute ride for up to 122 riders. And now, the “Elizabeth Fast Ferry,” named the Klara Ann, will take to the water from the Elizabeth Recreation Pier, another glorious way in which to encourage redevelopment and tourism.  The ride seems lovely: under the Bayonne Bridge, passing the Statue of Liberty and Governor’s Island, before arriving at Pier 15. And yet another perk: the ferry will also provide easy shuttle service to Newark Liberty Airport, as it runs from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily. No start date is announced, but visit here for the latest.

NORTH JERSEY – The common thinking was that the suburban real estate market would cool as the pandemic melted away, as people rushed back to the cities. The Record sees things differently, reporting that 2022 seems to have the most competitive housing market in years. Why? An expectation of rising mortgage rates. The number of available homes on the market in Bergen County dropped 21% in January, while the media price is up 5.4%, to $560,000. The same story is playing out in Essex, Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties, the newspaper learned. Translation: hopeful home buyers should still bring their checkbooks to showings, agree to buy properties without decent inspections and expect senseless bidding wars for not-so-perfect homes.

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

DENVER – A local thief may have lost his mind, taking off with a freight truck full of human heads. The suspect broke into a freight truck park last Wednesday in East Denver, grabbing a box labeled “Exempt Human Specimen.” That specific cargo is to be used for medical research, KDVR reports. No arrests have been made, as authorities suspect the cargo may be dumped once the thief realizes what he stole. Cops continue to hunt down these human remains, using, of course, their heads.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

There’s at least one big baseball fan who loves the spitball  – MLB Commissioner Ford Frick, calling for the pitch to be legalized on this day in 1955.

WORD OF THE DAY

Hoary – [/ˈhôrē/] – adjective

Definition: Old and trite

Example: Still wearing my 1990-era concert T shirts, I think I’m edgy. Others quietly mock my hoary wardrobe.

WIT OF THE DAY

“Everything will probably never be okay. But we have to try for it.”

-Vladimir Putin

BIDEN BLURB

“Putin may circle Kyiv with tanks, but he will never gain the hearts and souls of the Ukrainian people.  He will never extinguish their love of freedom. He will never weaken the resolve of the free world.”

-Joe Biden

WEATHER IN A WORD

Dropping