The Jaffe Briefing - June 29, 2022
Jaffe Briefing will be on break, returning Tuesday, July 5**
TRENTON – As media tries to chip away at the new $50.6 billion state budget in the final hours before lawmakers adopt the plan and flee Trenton for the holiday, Politico is focusing on line items related to public schools. Despite the overflowing coffers, the state’s public schools will remain underfunded by $600 million or so, not reaching full, constitutionally-mandated funding levels like usual. Taxpayers will make up the difference. State officials respond that the new budget includes $2 billion in property tax relief, so, hey, the treasury can’t fund everything. Or, in this crazy budget year, can it?
NEW BRUNSWICK – Over the years, the common thinking was that Rutgers was getting the short-shrift from state lawmakers, never getting the state funding needed to support the many needs of such a major Big 10 university. But no one can complain, at least for the moment, as the state will be handing $100 million to RU to help renovate the hopelessly antiquated, but lovable RAC, as well as provide some seed money for the indoor football facility that Greg Schiano has been calling for. And it’s not just about athletics, NJ.com reports, as $150 million will be provided to support the university’s medical schools and another $50 million to help fund the Hub, that massive, $665 million research complex being constructed on Albany Street. It all shows that Rutgers is finally getting a strong voice in the halls of Trenton. The state, for the moment, is embracing the big picture.
ON THE ROADS – Shaving a few cents off a gallon of gas is a big deal at the moment. And the fact that Costco will be limiting its pumps to only Costco members as of July 7 is not sitting well with many motorists in search of cheaper gas. But is this restriction illegal? Nope, NJ.com reports. As long as the company pays its motor fuel taxes, it can sell its gas to whomever it pleases. (As well as 220-ounce jars of mayo.)
BRIEFING BREATHER
Gerald Ford once worked as a cover model for Cosmopolitan magazine.
STONE HARBOR – It’s egg-laying time for turtles in town, and that’s bad news for motorists who have no clue. Case in point: a driver slammed on the brakes Tuesday afternoon for a turtle sitting in the middle of Stone Harbor Boulevard, a popular turtle crossing in town. That caused a three-car crash, with no serious injuries. The motorist should have clearly read the Facebook postings on the Stone Harbor Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 page, which explained that late June is when turtles move out of the wetlands onto dry land to lay their eggs, risking their lives as summer tourists zoom here and there. “Please make sure when you stop for a turtle, that the drivers behind you have time to stop,” the firefighters say. “We realize the desire to not hit a turtle, but you and others are just as important.”
ATLANTIC CITY – The casinos are full, the boardwalk is humming. So that must mean something bad will soon befall the state’s gaming resort, famously home to fits and starts. And that bad thing can occur just before the holiday weekend, when even more tourists jam AC, as casino workers plan a July 1 strike against the Borgata and the three casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment — Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah’s and the Tropicana. Then, the plan is to hit the Hard Rock on July 3 with the strike, if new labor deals are not in place. The union believes a strike could cost Caesars, Harrah’s and Tropicana a total of $2.6 million a day in losses, while the top-performing casino, Borgata, could lose $1.6 million daily. How can this all be avoided? With really “significant” wage increases, union officials say.
IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS
CURICO, CHILE – A sleepy crowd watching a scoreless soccer game suddenly sprung to life when a playful pup got into the action at last weekend’s Chile-Venezuela national women’s match. The pup took his position – belly-up – in front of Chilean goalkeeper Christine Endler. Amused, she gave the dog a few belly rubs. When she stopped, it sprinted down the field like a run-away striker – much to the delight of the fans inside Estadio La Granja. The wayward whelp found some more belly rubs by the Chilean sideline, and the fans responded with a chorus of whistles. As Yenny Acuna and Javiera Toro of Chile handed off the dog to the safe embrace of an off-field official in what was undoubtedly the best assist of the game, the crowd gave the pooch one last round of applause, HuffPo reports. No word if this pooch is in the doghouse for stealing the show.
A RETIREMENT NOTE
CRANFORD – For the past three years, Jaffe Communications had the opportunity to work with Bill Parness, who rolled his PR practice into the firm as part of his grand retirement plan. Bill will be leaving us tomorrow at the end of his contract, marking a retirement from four decades of daily work in the industry. Bill was one of the key editors of the Jaffe Briefing over the past three years, finding and eliminating many, many early-morning typos, as well as servicing a national base of clients with sheer tenacity. It’s reassuring to know Bill will be sticking around with the new title of “senior consultant,” between his many planned vacations and hobbies, as we continue to learn from him.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
It was this day in 1989 that Rep. Buz Lukens, an Ohio Republican, was found guilty for paying to have sex with a 16-year-old girl. Of no surprise, he was no longer a Member of Congress by 1990.
WORD OF THE DAY
Parse – [PARSS] – verb
Definition: To divide (a sentence) into grammatical parts and identify the parts and their relations to each other
Example: As we can’t meet for a drink inside a bar, want to get together and parse a few paragraphs?
WIT OF THE DAY
“I think everyone's against abortion.”
-Rupert Murdoch
BIDEN BLURB
“I do not believe that we have a right to tell other people, women, that they can't control their bodies.”
-Joe Biden
WEATHER IN A WORD
Terrific