Murphy Staffer Accused of Rape
A volunteer for the Phil Murphy campaign has accused a member of the governor’s administration of sexual assault, alleging the chief of staff for the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, Al Alvarez, raped her in April 2017.
Katie Brennan, who is now the chief of staff at the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, said she pursued every form of justice available but “the system is broken.”
“It is clear that leadership from the Murphy administration is needed to create meaningful policy change on several levels to make sure future victims do not have to endure what I have,” she said.
Wind Project Problem
A consultant told the BPU it should reject plans for an offshore wind project off the coast of Atlantic City. The 25-megawatt project, proposed by EDF Renewable Energy, had previously been supported by the Rate Counsel. Thank you to the valuable Spotlight for this story.
Send Nigerian Dwarf Goats
We had a poison ivy problem back in August that left half of Route 40 (Elinor) incapacitated and looking like something from the Middle Ages, even though she wore gloves and long sleeves, but anyway, long story short, Nigerian dwarf goats are adorable and love to eat poison ivy and have been on loan at a middle school in North Jersey where they’ve been “roaming and munching on the ivy and other weeds in the school’s courtyard” since September, per this amazing story from northjersey.com.
“Bea is the smallest and the most affectionate of the three; Mamba is the leader of the pack, and Scorch is a bit standoffish.”
Please send them here!
Also, when they’re done roaming and munching, their poop “helps fertilize the garden.”
“It’s been a huge win for all of us,” the principal reportedly said.
For more feats of journalism from across South Jersey, see below:
Chatsworth Cranberry Festival On Oct. 20-21–WOODLAND—An annual celebration of New Jersey’s cranberry harvest—the third largest harvest in the U.S.—will mark its 35th anniversary during the weekend of Oct. 20 and 21 in Chatsworth, the downtown area of Woodland Township. pinebarrenstribune.com
The 50 N.J. school districts where teachers make the least money–New Jersey has plenty of teachers who are making a decent living — right? Well, it's true that the state has some of the nation's highest-paid teachers. But it's also true that there are many teachers who are struggling to make ends meet. www.nj.com
RAIKES, HERMITS PLOW THEIR WAY TO 27-14 WIN OVER HOLY SPIRIT–RICHLAND — How many high school football teams have a featured running back who is 6-foot-1, 290 pounds? glorydaysonline.com
Surprising new stats show how many unauthorized immigrants applied for N.J. college aid–Gov. Phil Murphy signed controversial legislation last spring making New Jersey one of the few states in the nation to offer taxpayer-funded financial aid to help immigrants living in the country illegally pay for college. www.nj.com
THE LIST: TOP TEN COUNTIES IN NJ FOR FEDERAL FARM SUBSIDIES–The U.S. Department of Agriculture is in the process of accepting and evaluating applications from farmers affected by the retaliatory tariffs China has placed on American farm products in response to tariffs the Trump administration has levied on some Chinese goods. www.njspotlight.com