Boys Club
Who among us hasn’t peed on himself while driving drunk, then been permitted to retire from his job as fire chief, then been allowed to collect “$671.86 per day for 241.5 unused sick days” he’d accumulated over the years? Also, did Rahway have a fire chief and a fire director, and were they both William Young?
This is why we need a universal basic income and a big padded room to store our lost males in. We could refit the Echelon Mall!
Elsewhere in What-the-Hell’s-Going-On-Out-There: You may have heard it’s surprisingly hard to fire schoolteachers who have an established history of abuse or sexual misconduct toward children. But a bill that would at least require schools, etc., to review the employment histories of prospective employees before they hired them passed the state legislature. It goes to Phil Murphy’s desk. Yay journalism.
We’ve been following the saga of illegal cabins on Hope Creek in Lower Alloways, and Bill Gallo has an optimistic update. “I have renewed faith in our Legislature as well as the elected and appointed officials not only in Trenton, but here in Salem County,” is a sentence from that story.
The City Council of Atlantic City (we’re still working on the style guide) voted in favor of allowing adult beverages to be consumed in open containers in certain parts of the Tourism District.
They have no authority, but it’s still nice to see the community rally in support of al fresco cocktail hour.
Matt Szczur was on the Padres opening-day roster yesterday. He scored a run without even getting a hit! He’s amazing.
Elsewhere in feats of journalism from across your region:
Atlantic City to host service marking 50 years since MLK assassination–To commemorate the civil rights activist and his efforts through faith and the community, the Atlantic City chapter of the NAACP will host a service in his honor, said Kaleem Shabazz, an Atlantic City councilman and president of the local chapter. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Booker, Norcross pitch bill to attract more teachers to poor, urban districts–CAMDEN - At Rowan University's new Camden quarters Thursday, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Donald Norcross rallied supporters around legislation they introduced in February to address what they call a national shortage of teachers. www.courierpostonline.com
BETTER DATA EQUALS BETTER PUBLIC POLICY–Imagine the possibilities: online maps and other tools that allow patients and policymakers to visualize how much Medicaid spends on specific medical procedures — and how these costs vary between counties, towns, or election districts. Then envision layering on data related to disease outbreak, income and education, healthcare availability, even race. www.njspotlight.com
Brigantine Mayor Guenther looks back on 26 years of weathering storms–BRIGANTINE — The city flooded on one of Phil Guenther’s first days as mayor in December 1992. Emergency management officials had called and asked him what to do next. www.shorenewstoday.com
Man overdoses in car burning in yard–An Atlantic County man overdosed and was revived by police while his car burned on a the front lawn of a stranger's house in Gloucester City, authorities said. www.courierpostonline.com
Little Egg contractor who bilked Sandy customers has disappeared–A Little Egg Harbor contractor has not been found since he was indicted on accusations he took thousands of dollars from customers and failed to start work or even buy supplies, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. www.app.com
Veteran Local Newsman And Tribune Editor Passes Away At Age 81–SOUTHAMPTON—He was a man who lived by old fashioned virtues—he could spell, use a dictionary, and was always punctual until the end. pinebarrenstribune.com