The Jaffe Briefing - April 29, 2022

LONG BRANCH – Ahh. Summertime is approaching and, once again, everyone will flock here. So, for transportation officials, it seems the absolute pitch-perfect time to close ramps at Exit 105 on the Garden State Parkway for the next nine months to replace the bridges that connect to Route 36 – the direct artery to Long Branch. So, that means beach-goers will be squeezed on the local lanes as the trip to such popular destinations as Pier Village will be much, much longer. And for those leaving the beach? Ha! Good luck, again. Those heading north on the Parkway won’t be able to get on the express lanes from Route 36. Expect more havoc as northbound motorists think they can sneak past all this traffic by going through Sea Bright and Rumson to the Parkway. That’s a funny one. While we are nowhere near as brilliant as state transportation officials, and dare question their authority, why wasn’t this project scheduled after Labor Day to be completed by Memorial Day?

PASSAIC – The river looks like milk? No worries! That is the message from city officials, who have no clue how this milky substance with a consistency of paint flowed through local waterways in Passaic on Wednesday. Mayor Hector Lora says there is no “immediate danger” from this river water – which could perhaps be 2% fat, almond, soy or lactose-free. No one really knows. A resident meandering through Third Ward Memorial Park on Wednesday wondered why the color of the brook turned white and thought the mayor should know about it. The DEP was then dispatched to do some testing, saying the water was free of toxins. It was quickly learned the milky water came from Clifton and it's surmised that someone, somewhere was emptying an industrial-sized swimming pool. After flushing out the system last night, everything seems nice and clear again.

ON THE ROADS – When you drive through a bridge or tunnel and then watch the money in your EZ-Pass account vaporize, you gotta figure the Port Authority is making a fortune. Yet, NJ.com reports, things are still not so rosy, following the financial hit of the pandemic. The bi-state agency, which runs the airports, Port Newark, the PATH and other big transit assets, is $3 billion in the red from the pandemic’s dark days when everyone was ordered to stay home. But there is a big bounce-back, as the first-quarter revenue is surpassing all projections, and everything appears to be back to pre-pandemic levels. So, how does the Port Authority cover the $3 billion loss? Perhaps yet another cost analysis of the $16 cheeseburger h in Terminal B.

BRIEFING BREATHER

New Jersey grows two-thirds of the world’s eggplants.

HACKENSACK – Bergen County officials are getting their hands slapped for awarding an $80 million contract without dealing with that pesky nuisance known as public bidding laws. The state Supreme Court has halted the massive renovation of the county’s historic courthouse. A competing construction company successfully sued the county after it was passed over for the very lucrative work. The successful argument: a county can’t use its improvement authority to slide around the state’s very established public contract law. Simply setting up a special “selection committee” to “review and evaluate” any proposals and then developing a ”short list” doesn’t fly. Rather, the chosen developer needs to be the “lowest responsible bidder,” following established public advertising for the big job. Translation: When public money is being used, everyone must play by the same, super-specific rules.

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

STATEWIDE – No longer Kool? There is a big push to finally get rid of those super-smooth menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars. The FDA is getting serious, again, about banning these things, which encourage tobacco use by not tasting as terrible as other things that people chain smoke. The effort is not new. For at least a decade, the FDA has been wringing its hands over this issue, following the passage of the 2009 Tobacco Control Act that made menthol that only approved “special flavor” in the U.S. And it is time for it to go, especially as menthol is famously marketed within poorer cities, focusing on minority groups and others who have no easy access to health care.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

It was this day in 1997 that the Atlanta Braves marked their 19th victory in April. No one here cares.

WORD OF THE DAY

Postprandial – [pōs(t)ˈprandēəl] – adjective

Definition: During or relating to the period after dinner or lunch

Example: After hitting the diner this morning for the “meat-lover’s special” with extra meat, I returned to my desk in a postprandial food coma.

WIT OF THE DAY

“Courage, determination and hard work are all very nice, but not so nice as an oil well in the backyard.”

-Mason Cooley

BIDEN BLURB

“Let me be clear: We will not let Russia intimidate or blackmail their way out of sanctions. And we will not allow them to use their oil to avoid consequences for their aggression.”

-Joe Biden

WEATHER IN A WORD

Breezy