The Jaffe Briefing - June 1, 2022
NEWARK – There are some polling places in the city that are still not accessible to people with disabilities. Yet that glaring issue will not be addressed for the June 7 congressional primaries or the run-off for three city council seats on June 14. Why? Because a state judge yesterday stopped short of demanding the Essex County Board of Elections make all polling places accessible in time for the upcoming elections, TAPInto Newark reports. Newark filed a lawsuit on May 20, after Mayor Ras Baraka complained that “thousands” of voters couldn’t access polling places during his big re-election victory last month. The city pointed to one voter carried down a flight of stairs to a basement voting booth at Benjamin Franklin School because a security guard there refused to unlock a door that would have given her wheelchair access. Perhaps it is just not feasible to mandate full accessibility by next week – as these polling sites have been inaccessible for decades. But many, many more elections are on the horizon and the issue isn’t going away.
SOUTH AMBOY – City officials have been talking for 30 years or so about the need for a ferry service to Manhattan. And, now, things are happening very, very quickly, as ceremonial shovels of dirt were flying yesterday to mark the construction of the ferry terminal, with work to begin this summer. TAPInto Raritan Bay reports a slew of officials, including Rep. Frank Pallone and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, were on hand yesterday to talk about the $23.3 million in state and federal funding that has been earmarked to make this project a reality on Radford Ferry Road. The most obvious indication a ferry is coming? The number of real estate projects that have launched in recent years, with developers hyping their close proximity to the ferry. And, according to city officials, many, many more projects are being considered – all prompted by this quick boat ride to NYC.
SKILLMAN – Want to force authorities to open an old murder investigation? Launch a podcast. WNYC has created a terrific series called “Dead End: A New Jersey Political Murder Mystery.” It is so good, in fact, that the Attorney General has finally reopened an investigation into the unsolved murder of a prominent couple killed in their home in 2014, WNYC is reporting. The podcast examines the deaths of John and Joyce Sheridan, as well as what appears to be a completely botched investigation by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, initially claiming the killings were a murder-suicide. In 2016, a letter signed by 200 people, including three former governors, called for the AG to look into these mysterious murders. But it took a wildly-popular podcast to finally get the attention needed.
BRIEFING BREATHER
Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
STATEWIDE – A popular phone number in New Jersey: the 1-800-GAMBLER hotline. When New Jersey legalized sports gambling, it created a windfall of cash for state coffers – evident in the fact that New Jerseyans wagered $144 million just for this year’s Super Bowl. But, as the Record reports, the number of sports gambling addicts has also spiked, likely by the fact that anyone can easily place a wager from their smartphone, while the betting apps flood the airwaves with advertising during the games. One study says New Jersey ranked seventh among the states for gambling addiction, while The National Council on Problem Gambling estimates that 2 million Americans have a severe gambling problem. The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey says there is a 20% suicide rate among those with gambling disorders, deemed "the highest suicide rate of any addiction." The 1-800-GAMBLER hotline in New Jersey now receives 19,000 to 20,000 calls yearly, as it enjoys the highest annual sports betting handle of any state. So, yes, there’s a steep price our state is paying in exchange for all this new revenue.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
MINNEAPOLIS – A couple who Zoomed into religious services at a synagogue hosting a bat mitzvah forgot to turn off their camera, giving congregants a clear view of the special way these lovebirds celebrate the Sabbath. The video – dubbed “Debbie Does Deuteronomy” by the New York Post – went on for about 45 minutes before someone called to alert them that they were inadvertently putting on a May 14 sex show before the entire congregation of Temple Beth El, as well as a very entertained class of 13-year-olds. The couple has not been identified, but images from the video have been making the rounds on social media. Oh, the Oy of Sex.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 2013 that Russian enacted a country-wide smoking ban, somehow enforced over 6.6 million square miles.
WORD OF THE DAY
Cuckold – [kəkōld] – noun
Definition: A man whose wife is sexually unfaithful, often regarded as an object of derision.
Example: Did you hear about the elderly cuckold? How scandalous!
WIT OF THE DAY
"Now, I know that he's taken some flak lately but no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald. And that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?"
-Barack Obama
BIDEN BLURB
“Republicans seem to support one fella -- some guy named Brandon. He's having a really good year, and I'm kind of happy for him.”
-Joe Biden
WEATHER IN A WORD
Cooler