Lil’ Richter
True Fact about Route 40: We have a bona fide earthquake-story reporter on staff in the form of Elinor, who was Reuters correspondent in Mexico City for five years and reported on many, many “sismos” as we used to call them down there.
El’s job was to stay in the big, swaying skyscraper and write “snaps” as the building was evacuated. I know because I once rode my bike over to the office three miles to make sure it was still standing, after our apartment started rocking and the power went out.
Anyhow. One more reason you should follow Route 40: Best-in-class South Jersey earthquake reportage!
Yesterday’s temblor was downgraded to 4.1, epicenter in the great state of Delaware. It was shallow, El says, which is maybe why we felt it.
P’ville Fire Update
The Pleasantville family who lost everything in a fire but the clothes on their backs the other night “will soon have a new place to live” the endlessly energetic Lynda Cohen reports at BreakingAC. The Capone-Ortegas are waiting on a certificate of occupancy.
While she’s at it, Lynda C. has the deets on a former Galloway Rec employee who admitted to stealing nearly $7,000 in summer camp fees.
A “Snowy Owl Explosion?”
Sounds messy! But we could have one this year, “as a result of a strong breeding season,” Justin Zaremba reports.
They Don’t Make Hillbillies Like They Used To
Jim Nabors–the original Private Pyle–died yesterday at 87 in Honolulu, and the Press of AC did something super-cool which was to run a review of Gomer Pyle’s two-week stand at the Trump Plaza in 1993.
“Six songs into his opening night set, Jim Nabors’ show went straight into the toilet,” it begins.
“And the audience loved it.”
Heck of a lede, Dave Spatz.
PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR PODCAST
At the end of October we sat down with Mark Ganter of Little Water Distillery for a live interview to discuss entrepreneurship in South Jersey and the story behind the distillery’s launch. It was the second episode in our Business Bootcamp series, which showcases the stories of local business owners and provides networking opportunities for entrepreneurs. You can listen to the podcast by searching for Route 40 on your favorite podcast platform, or via our site.
AND PLEASE COME TO OUR NEXT BOOTCAMP
And you can get your tickets here for Episode 3 in the Business Bootcamp series, featuring Nicole Jacoby Psounos of LAN Restaurant Group (Greens and Grains, The District Bar, Banzo) on Tuesday Dec. 5 at 6.30 pm. (Tickets are FREE to Route 40 members, email us for the code).
***HYPOTHETICAL MILLENNIAL WATCH***
Alastair Boone at CityLab had a story the other day about “the M word” (Millennials): why they’re leaving New Jersey, why it’s a problem and what to do about it.
I’ve never met a Millennial, but I feel I have this deep affinity for Millennial culture. The Millennial, we read, tends to gravitate “toward dense, mixed-use, walkable areas” and New Jersey has a limited supply of these. Indeed we rank 47 out of 51 (including the District of Columbia) in terms of Millennial Gravitational Pull.
Zeroing in on the problem, one futurologist observes that New Jersey has three distinct habitats:
– towns (probably expensive) that already have “dense, walkable development patterns”
– sprawling, car-dependent suburbs with buildable space
– sprawling, car-dependent suburbs without buildable space
But what about Atlantic City? We’re small, walkable and chock-full of bus parking lots just waiting to be transformed into kombucha bars!
All we need is something to fill these kids lives with meaning while supplying a living wage.
If He Hadn’t Hugged Obama…
Mad Magazine named Chris Christie’s 4th of July wallow on the beach one of the 20 “Dumbest People, Events and Things of 2017.”
In other news, Diggerland is expanding, half of New Jerseyans say Bob Menendez should resign, the state SPCA is close to being dissolved after a report that called it a “haven for wannabe cops” and the Spotlight has another one of its (great) interactive maps, this one on the impacts of the GOP tax bill on students’ tax bills.
EDITOR’S NOTE: You may have noticed some tonal changes lately to the Roundup. That’s because Monkey #2 (Bill) in the two-monkey army that is the Route 40 Editorial Crew has been writing them. We hope the change hasn’t been too disruptive. As always, we welcome your feedback.
All the other news that’s fit to print on the Route 40 Roundup…
Northfield Legion Honors World War II Hero–It has been 75 years since Harvey D. Johnson, a 23-year old pilot from Northfield stationed in London, made a decision that would save hundreds of lives but cost him his. www.shorenewstoday.com
NJ Could Join Montana and Pennsylvania with Environmental Bill–They are considered so in Pennsylvania and Montana, and if some lawmakers and environmentalists get their way, New Jersey would be the third state in the nation to designate a healthy environment as an inalienable right. www.njspotlight.com
Airport Growth Zone–There’s been an ongoing effort over the last few years to diversify the Atlantic City economy in response to the sagging gaming industry, and the state has stepped in by offering lucrative growth-zone tax incentives to lure businesses to the seaside resort. www.njspotlight.com
N.J. moves closer to banning this gun accessory used in Las Vegas shooting–New Jersey on Thursday got one step closer to banning a firearms accessory allegedly used by the gunman in the Las Vegas mass shooting. www.nj.com
Man charged with manslaughter in death of Atlantic City lifeguard–A 34-year-old Camden man has been charged with aggravated manslaughter after an Atlantic City man died on Thanksgiving night, nearly three weeks after suffering head injuries. www.nj.com
Cape Democratic Party chairman nominated to be county prosecutor–Gov. Chris Christie nominated Cape May County Democratic Party Chairman Jeffrey Sutherland on Thursday to serve as the county’s next prosecutor. www.pressofatlanticcity.com