Shutdown
Federal workers had a rally to end the government shutdown, which is a month old and shows no signs of coming to an end. SNJ Today’s story is here.
Chris Franklin, at NJ.com, has a story here.
You should read them.
Separately, we are compiling a list of donation points and special offers that local businesses are offering furloughed workers. Contact us with suggestions or to be included, we’ll publish it on our site and social media feeds.
Pine Barrens
Phil Murphy named Kelly Mooij and Theresa Lettman to the Pinelands Commission, or as Matt Friedman at the Politico Playbook put it, “ACTUAL ENVIRONMENTALIST TO SERVE ON ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.”
There are lots of reasons to love the people who do the Playbook but that headline’s up there. Having re-read the Bridgegate testimony recently, it’s shocking how much of our government is staffed by/presided over by persons who have little interest or expertise in whatever job they’re technically assigned to do, and instead have all kinds of interest and expertise in using the levers of power at that job to further the careers of their patrons.
But if you vote for people who tell you government is the problem, it’s reasonable to expect they’re going to treat you, fellow citizen, and me as the enemy.
MLK Day
Nanette LoBiondo and the Press of AC and SNJ Today and BreakingAC have handsome coverage of the MLK Day events in town yesterday. NanLo noted the “abrasive” winds participants braved to partake. Don’t know about you but between the sand and the temps in the teens yesterday, I felt pretty abraded.
Living Wages
Cat Country has a story on the living wages across eight South Jersey counties. That’s Cat Country–as in, the local pop country station–going all workers-rightsy this fine January morning.
Imagine the duchess’s feelings, as we used to say.
Public Land
Philadelphia has decided to hit the pause button on sales of public land to private developers after “a series of embarrassing stories” that revealed “inappropriate windfalls.”
I’m sure stuff like that never happens in [insert name of your municipality].
For more feats of journalism from across your sunny, ice-blasted region, do see below…
Sweeney, eager for major reforms, takes case to business leaders: ‘Big thing I’m asking for is help’–“If we don’t reverse the trend that we’re in right now, we’re in a death spiral,” Sweeney (D-West Deptford) told the group. “I’m using pretty hard words, but you know it. You’re in this world, you’re dealing with it.” www.roi-nj.com
NJ SUPREME COURT DISMISSES MASSIVE BACKLOG OF MUNICIPAL CASES AND WARRANTS–The New Jersey Supreme Court has dismissed all of nearly 790,000 outstanding municipal cases and warrants for minor offenses that have been pending for more than 16 years, implementing a key recommendation of last July’s critical report on the municipal court system. www.njspotlight.com
Super Blood Wolf Moon lunar eclipse photos from N.J. and around the world–Photographers across New Jersey braved bitterly cold temperatures and gusty winds to capture stunning images of Sunday night's "Super Blood Wolf Moon" total lunar eclipse. www.nj.com
THWEATT’S 28 POINTS, CRUSADERS’ THREES TOO MUCH FOR PLEASANTVILLE TO OVERCOME–PLEASANTVILLE — There simply isn’t a way for most high school basketball teams to match up with Taj Thweatt, an athletic 6-foot-7 junior forward at Wildwood Catholic and one of the top players in the state. Host Pleasantville held him in check in the first half, limiting Thweatt to just nine points, but in the second half he exploded for 19 points to lead the Crusaders to a 75-66 victory, their eighth straight. glorydaysonline.com
Biggest mystery about Phil Murphy team in Katie Brennan hearing may not get answered–Lawmakers investigating why a Murphy administration official was able to hang on to a plum job despite a rape allegation have been unable to answer this basic question: Who hired Al Alvarez for the $140,000-a-year job in the first place? www.northjersey.com