Saturday, April 30, 2011

Christie picks a fight, commuters get the shaft

Carl Lewis at the "green carpet" for...Image via Wikipedia
Governor Christie removed a black man from the state Supreme Court and his lieutenant governor has removed Carl Lewis, above, from the ballot.


The bill collectors won't go away (A-1).

The only winner in this titanic struggle between Governor Christie and the Feds over $271 million in rail-tunnel money is the hand-picked Washington, D.C., law firm that has mishandled the job despite billing more than $800,000 in fees.

So, it looks like rail commuters will be standing in the aisles until a new tunnel is built, and that might take years.

Sour notes

Look at that bratty 3-year-old bridesmaid spoiling the photo of the royal couple on Page 1 of The Record today.

A far better choice would have been a little girl who lives in Hackensack and has listened to the noise of "planes overhead" since she was born -- an issue the paper's jet-setting owners do their best to ignore.

The deal between the Turnpike Authority and the toll collectors union "will save about $35 million," so Staff Writer Karen Rouse should get off her tush and explain why tolls won't be cut as a result (A-3). 

Minority views

A letter to the editor suggests the removal of Carl Lewis from the ballot is part of a pattern to limit " minority voter representation" in New Jersey (A-11). 

Maybe Governor Christie is just taking a page from the playbook of Editor Francis Scandale, who has successfully limited minority representation in the newsroom.

Horses' asses

The lead story on the Local front -- a section put together by head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes -- is about horse racing.

Sykes seems to have returned to using big photos of non-fatal accidents to fill space (L-1), but why is the caption blaming a minivan driver for a collision with a landscaping truck that crossed double-yellow lines?

Calling all peepers

The Quotes of the Week at the top of L-1 today include a Wood-Ridge woman named Pat, who says a new rail station would force her "to live with my blinds closed."

But Wednesday's story also reported a 20-foot wall would "block commuters' views" of the neighborhood.

Let's hope Peeping Toms haven't been rushing over to her house since her name appeared in the paper.


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