The Jaffe Briefing - May 31, 2022

STATEWIDE – The future is electric vehicles, no matter how much you love that old gas guzzler. State officials are now eying electric school buses, the obvious future and a terrific replacement for antiquated vehicles belching exhaust in a neighborhood near you. There’s even proposed legislation that would require the state Department of Environmental Protection to develop a three-year pilot program for as many as 18 school districts to buy battery-powered buses and charging equipment, with the state earmarking $15 million a year, NJ.com reports. And, there’s GOP opposition, of course, with Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn, R-Monmouth, saying the Assembly should be focused on student learning loss and mental health issues, rather than electric buses. Fair enough, but the state Legislature needs to tackle all issues, not just those for Page 1.

TRENTON – There’s a lot to unpack in a report from the state’s disability ombudsman, saying New Jersey can’t ensure that people with disabilities can be safe in group homes and noting that residents are being mistreated “on a regular basis.” There’s talk of verbal and physical abuse, the withholding of food, medication mix-ups and unsanitary conditions. Yes, this is quite messed up, as the watchdog claims “abuse and neglect” is regularly occurring, as part of his 30-page report.   ”I cannot tell you how prevalent it is or why it occurs, but families share their horrifying pictures and stories with us on a regular basis,” says ombudsman Paul Aronsohn, pulling from a litany of complaints from residents of the state's 2,037 congregate care programs and their families, the Record reports. State officials say they are looking into Aronsohn’s research, but also does its own checking up and, of course, defends its oversight of group homes.

BRIEFING BREATHER

Alfred Hitchcock didn’t have a bellybutton

FORT LEE – Anyone travelling over the George Washington Bridge this weekend got a big dose of Memorial Day traffic. But no one could have anticipated what would have further snarled traffic Saturday night. Somehow, some way, a deer managed to slide past the EZ-Pass without a tag, hoofing its way onto the New Jersey-bound lower-level lanes around 8:20 p.m.  Dismayed cops and emergency response spent about 15 minutes trying to capture the galloping deer, which somehow survived all this, as motorists honked, yelled and discovered new expletives they’ve never before uttered, as all lower westbound lanes were completely shut down. Police took the deer to nearby Fort Lee Historic Park, for it to safely frolic, while traffic once again crawled into New Jersey.

IN THE MEDIA

LONG BRANCH – Unclear the key point of a weekend column on NJ.com, where a crusty columnist who consistently reminds readers he grew up at the Jersey Shore was slamming the ongoing renaissance of Long Branch. He admits the town was “a dump” in the 1970s, but then appears to argue he wishes it remained a dump, home to cheap pizza and cheaper beer amidst the hopeless poverty. He mocks all the overpriced redevelopment that has pulled the city out of despair. And, in his overboard argument, using the hearsay comments of another old curmungeon, he reported on an unnamed restaurant that sells lamb chops for $112. No clue where that is, as a high-end oceanfront restaurant, Avenue, has an average entrée of $40, while Sirena next door sells its filet mignon for $32. And the columnist slams the “ugly” new high-rises, designed for people about three tax brackets higher than his, the target market for such overindulgence. The writer suggests the new residents of Long Branch need a good dive “to get drunk and have fun.” Yet the high-end party is already raging, without the need to share a $5 pizza with the old timers, reminding everyone where the go-go bars used to be.

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

ATLANTIC CITY – Those in the market for a summer beach house are finding the biggest bargains since that time they plunked down $350 for Park Place. The resort town immortalized by the Monopoly board game has just been named the most affordable beach destination for homeowners nationally by realtor.com. The median listing price among Atlantic City homes is just $169,900 – a crazy bargain in Jersey Shore’s manic real estate market. Considering how the pandemic-led demand has caused a massive surge in vacation home values across the country, AC is a steal – without the need for your “Get Out of Jail Free” card.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

It was this day in 2005 that we all finally learned the identity of Deep Throat from Watergate fame – Mark Felt, a former FBI agent.

WORD OF THE DAY

Junket – [JUNK-ut] – noun

Definition: A trip that is paid for by someone else, such as a promotional trip made at another's expense, or an official's trip made at public expense.

Example: A junket to Toledo?  No thanks.

WIT OF THE DAY

"I’m a sixties girl from Philly. Before Joe, the men I dated wore jeans and clogs, and my hair was down past my waist, and some of theirs was too."

-Jill Biden

BIDEN BLURB

“Jill doesn't pay much attention to the polls, though she did say the other day: Instead of introducing myself as Jill Biden's husband, maybe I should introduce myself as her roommate.”

-Joe Biden

WEATHER IN A WORD

Steamy