Jaffe Morning Briefing
By JAFFE COMMUNICATIONS
December 14, 2018
TRENTON - In his 30 years or so in print journalism, Charlie Stile knows his readers. This stalwart columnist at the Bergen Record knows what his readers will find interesting, how they like to be told a story and even when they are most likely to read his columns. Usually, that time is Friday ...
TRENTON - Even with a joint committee on legalizing cannabis in New Jersey, it looks increasingly doubtful that there will be a vote in 2018. It really seemed like recreational marijuana would have been legalized this fall, but there's a lot of smoke hanging arond. How should the state tax the ...
JERSEY CITY - For some, the chronic traffic at the Holland Tunnel is not what's really ticking them off these days. Rather, they are infuriated with the holiday décor. Someone at the Port Authority decided to stick a triangular tree over the letter "N" instead of "A" - and made the crossing a ...
MENDHAM - Not too long ago, the job of White House Chief of Staff was highly-coveted and well-respected for its massive influence within the Beltway. Now, it's the place you go to kill your career. There is a big "Help Wanted" sign hanging on the door knob at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., likely scrawled ...
ON THE ROADS - Well, duh. A new report shows that North Dakota is the top state in the nation when it comes to driving. Well, of course. No one lives there. You can speed for miles and miles and not see a soul. And other great states to drive in? Well, duh, again. Those "top states," according to ...
PRINCETON - If you add up all the brain power at Princeton University, it could figure a way to teach trigonometry to a flea. Yet the university has been struggling with all the bicycle thefts around the leafy campus. NJ.comreports the latest effort is for police to create "bait bikes." They are ...
STATEWIDE - Does New Jersey hate Christmas? Of course not, but that's not stopping one of those clickbait online survey companies from ranking the state 47thout of the 50 states in our level of bah humbug. This "source," called GetCenturyLink, was even nice enough to slap New Jersey with a Grinch ...
PRINCETON - Princeton's all-male acappella group, the Tigertones, is apparently off-key in this era of #MeToo. And that's why it is no longer performing the song "Kiss The Girl" from Disney's "The Little Mermaid." You may recall that Prince Eric sang the song in the 1989 cartoon, when Ariel's voice ...
THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL - When political scientists look back at the 2018 midterm elections, it will be impossible to ignore the suburban moms who helped turn the tide in the 7th and 11th Congressional districts. These highly-educated and highly-engaged women were stunned over the election of President ...
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL - As all sights are set on "Trump 2020," political factions are dealing with a new normal: a truly engaged electorate. State officials will be making the results of last month's election "official" in New Jersey today, showing the largest voter turnout in a Congressional ...
STATEWIDE - Technically speaking, it's called the "New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory and Expungement Aid Modernization Act." Not exactly the sexiest name in the history of state law, but New Jersey's potheads are unfazed. That's because this 147-page document, to be debated today in Trenton, is the ...
OLD BRIDGE - The guy with a massive Christmas display has made national news this morning, as everyone seems entranced by his ongoing war with township officials. The lights go on Saturday night, for the 15th straight season, but the town is demanding Tom Apruzzi pay $2,000 a night for security and ...
ON THE RAILS - Is New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo our savior? He heads to Washington today to try and knock some sense into President Trump about the obvious and desperate need for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River. Cuomo says he is "tentatively" scheduled to meet with Trump and his ...
STATEWIDE - By now, you know it's Giving Tuesday. Your email exploded for hours with requests from every worthy New Jersey organization desperate to fight through the clutter to capture your fleeting attention. Yes, you care about the elderly, about the sick, about the poor, about the hungry, about ...
Happy Thanksgiving! The Jaffe Briefing will return Monday, November 26 TRENTON - Weed smokers have been waiting years - even decades - for this moment. And it may seem like a mirage in all the fuzzy haze, but state lawmakers have circled Monday, Nov. 26 as the ...
MAHWAH - Books can be bulky, dusty and may cause paper cuts. But, that's not why public school kids here have new limits on how often they can check-out library books. The school district just wants to put more emphasis on "technology instruction," and less on good, old-fashioned reading.
STATEWIDE - As it will require a joint effort among state lawmakers to pass a weed bill, with a Nov. 26 public hearing as the next step, expect declining prices to be a burning issue. Green-eyed legislators calling for legalized pot in New Jersey point to the gobs of sales tax revenue that could be ...
STUCK - It's as if the entire state forgot how to deal with snow at the exact same time. The autumn storm created havoc during yesterday's commute, with cops responding to hundreds of crashes. Hours of traffic. Roads closed. Speed restrictions on major highways. Cars piled all over the place, or ...
STATEWIDE - What?? Early dismissals in schools around the state? And for what?? Snow? Are you kidding? Isn't it just mid-November? A real winter weather advisory? A big wintry mix of sleet, snow and rain to hit in north and central Jersey this afternoon? Up to six inches? Really? ...
WAYNE - There are many stupid reasons to drive drunk. But, a 57-year-old West Milford man came up with a real doozy, telling cops he drank too much and rear-ended another car Sunday night "because the Jets suck!" Apparently, this driver guzzled way too much whiskey, after suffering through his ...
SCOTCH PLAINS - You love Bowcraft? Like, really, really so? Wow, now is your golden chance to grab the ideal souvenir, as Bowcraft is closing is doors after seven decades of thrills and chills. A Somerville company is selling all the rides, as the 13-acre site is bulldozed and turned into another ...
STATEWIDE - Imagine real funding for the Gateway Tunnel, for our weary commuters. Or restoration of the full federal tax deduction on state and local taxes, for our weary wallets. Or a ban on oil drilling off our treasured shore. All these things could very well happen, NJ.com reports, with the ...
NOT IN NJ - Chris Christie for Attorney General? There was a time, not too long ago, that idea would make people spray mouthfuls of coffee all over their computers. But, these are even stranger times with New Jersey being the West Wing's whipping boy. So, the fact that Christie is on the short list ...
OFF THE RAILS - A big winner in Tuesday's mid-term election could be the Gateway Project, the political football that many argue is the most paramount infrastructure project in the nation. The President has famously ignored the $13 billion plan, after Chris Christie cancelled an earlier version, to ...
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL - Finally, bleary-eyed Democrats were able to creep out of their homes this morning, and see some light. After two years of living in bizarro TrumpWorld, with both houses of Congress comprising bobble-headed sycophants scared to run afoul of wacky White House talking points, ...
TODAY IS ELECTION DAY - GO VOTE Click HERE to verify your registration Click HERE to find your polling location Or call 1-877-NJ-VOTER (1-877-658-6837) ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL - For $36 million, you can spend the rest of your life on a luxury ...
AT THE POLLS - New Jersey is proudly welcoming 150,000 new registered voters, but will they show up tomorrow? That's the hot-button question as state Democrats salivate with the opportunity to overthrow some House seats in New Jersey. Voter registration has jumped nicely in New Jersey, mostly ...
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL - The big message this campaign season: If you want to make a change, Vote! And it looks like New Jerseyans have finally gotten the message, as the Department of State reports there are 150,000 new registered voters gearing up for Tuesday's mid-term elections, NJ ...
MOORESTOWN - Halloween is officially over; that can only mean one thing: Holiday sales! Yup, it's time to breathlessly race to the mall, while you still have time to Buy, Buy, Buy! It is the ideal time for NJ 101.5 to tell the story of a Moorestown art teacher on an anti-consumption campaign. Julia ...
Election Day is Tuesday, November 6 Click HERE to verify your registration Click HERE to find your polling location Or call 1-877-NJ-VOTER (1-877-658-6837) NEW BRUNSWICK - We root and root and root. But there is absolutely nothing left in the ...