Happy Monday Campers! Don’t mind the flooding. There’s nothing we can do about it.
In realer news, Carl Icahn is selling Tropicana. Yay him.
New Jersey: It Happened Here!
Chris Christie said the other day it was “disconcerting” to see that the former FBI Director, James Comey, had inserted himself into the political process by reopening an investigation into Hillary Clinton eleven days before the election.
“There’s a rule at Justice that 60 days before an election, you do nothing about somebody who is going to be on the ballot,” Christie apparently said.
Those comments prompted Christie’s former consigliere, David Wildstein, to type up the three times Christie had inserted himself into politics when he was U.S. Attorney:
* 2002 when Christie issued a “clearance letter” for Joseph DiVincenzo eleven days before a primary election
* 2002 when he authorized a raid 47 days before a primary on the offices of Jim Treffinger, the front-runner for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator.
* 2007 when Mims Hackett and Alfred Steel were arrested as they were up for reelection. That one was 61 days out though I guess so we’re good. A rule’s a rule!
At Politico, Matt Friedman has a feature on Jeff Van Drew who is likely to be your next Congressman. Van Drew “has voted against raising the minimum wage and gay marriage. He often sides with industry on environmental issues and carries an A rating from the NRA” so he’s a “showcase for whether the Democratic Party nationally will tolerate politicians” like him to win back the House, Friedman writes.
Kevin Riordan had breakfast with George Norcross the other day and Norcross sounded a bit like his buddy Donald Trump, Riordan notes, when he called something “fake news” and said the media was “lazy.”
When powerful people call reporters lazy it just means they want you to write what they say and stop futzing around with the questions. That’s what a real go-getter would do!
In sports news, Glory Days has another cool story on the Luko family in Egg Harbor City, where they have three different high school athletic teams to root for.
For more feats of journalism from across your region, see below:
Yet more proof that Trump’s tax cuts slammed New Jersey–WASHINGTON -- A new study adds to the body of evidence showing the Republican tax plan's disproportionate effect on New Jersey. More than 4 in 10 Garden State taxpayers took advantage of the federal tax break for state and local taxes in 2015 and their average deduction of $17,850 far exceeding the $10,000 cap imposed in the law, according to the report by the Pew Charitable Trusts. www.nj.com
Law says if Murphy raises sales tax, your 23-cent gas tax hike should go away. Don’t count on it.–When your gas tax went up in 2016, your sales tax went down. And state lawmakers vowed that if New Jersey's sales tax was raised again, that 23-cent gas tax increase should go away. It was part of an effort to make sure the tax cuts enacted to balance out the controversial gas tax hike would actually last. www.nj.com
ACIT student from Absecon wins award at Garden State Film Festival–HAMILTON TOWNSHIP — Atlantic County Institute of Technology student Amanda Paule, a senior from Absecon, won the award for the Best Home Grown Student PSA at the 16th annual Garden State Film Festival, which took place March 22-25 in Asbury Park. www.shorenewstoday.com
ICE MOVES TO DEPORT EGYPTIAN DISSIDENT WHO SAYS HE FACES HANGING BACK HOME–A New Jersey physics teacher who says he faces death by hanging in Egypt because he's a pro-democracy dissident is being held at an immigration detention center in New Jersey and may soon be deported. www.njspotlight.com
WHETHER UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS GET STATE FINANCIAL AID NOW DOWN TO MURPHY–A New Jersey college education could become affordable to more young, undocumented immigrants as early as this fall, with legislation making them eligible for state financial aid now awaiting Gov. Phil Murphy’s expected signature. www.njspotlight.com
ONE ON ONE WITH PAYMON ROUHANIFARD, CAMDEN’S DEPARTING SUPERINTENDENT–Almost five years on the job, Camden school superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard announced unexpectedly last week that he will step down from the state-appointed post at the end of the school year. www.njspotlight.com
Okuti, Sick run through raindrops to win half-marathon in A.C.–Harbert Okuti of Sleepy Hollow, New York, and Hollie Sick, of Cherry Hill, won the AmeriHealth NJ April Fools Half Marathon on Sunday in Atlantic City. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Atlantic City Mayor Gilliam refects on ‘whirlwind’ first 100 days–ATLANTIC CITY — Mayor Frank M. Gilliam Jr.’s first 100 days in office have been unlike any other in the city’s history. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
NJ manufacturers: Trump tariff price spikes costing us more–Frank Crisafulli, the owner of Central Metal Fabricators in Howell, initially wasn't worried about the U.S. tariff on steel and aluminum, sure that the warnings were overblown. www.app.com
Two Women Arrested After Fleeing Crash And Then Attacking Other Driver–Two New York women were arrested after they allegedly fled a hit-and-run, and then assaulted the the other driver and crashed his car when he followed after them. breakingac.com
Center for Non-Profits survey: ‘Clear and persistent gap’ between demand, resources in N.J.–There’s a “clear and persistent gap” between the demand for programs and services provided by New Jersey’s nonprofit organizations and the lack of resources available to them to be able to provide those services, according to a new report by the Center for Non-Profits. www.roi-nj.com
Murphy, Oliver intend to revive pair of community economic programs–A pair of neighborhood improvement programs aimed at strengthening downtowns and encouraging private investment in communities would see their funding restored under Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed budget, the governor and lieutenant governor announced Thursday. www.roi-nj.com