Grinding axes for the rich and powerful

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The Record has run so much coverage of the battle over Pascack Valley Hospital, you'd think North Jersey is turning red with blood.

Three huge hospitals are battling over the reopening of Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood -- and the potential profits -- so why are the arguments of two of them presented in an elaborate story on Page 1 of The Record today? 

Should Editors Francis Scandale and Deirdre Sykes, and Staff Writer Mary Jo Layton be grinding axes for The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and Englewood Medical Hospital and Medical Center?

The bottom of A-1 has the second story recently about a North Jersey rabbi who risked death in the early 1960s to end racial segregation in the South.

But where is the story about Orthodox Jews trying to end segregation in Englewood's elementary and middle schools today?

More ax-grinding

Editorial Page Editor Alfred P. Doblin grinds more axes for Governor Christie, who has made a deal with a Democrat, Senate President Stephen Sweeney, to slash public-employee benefits (A-11).

But next to the editorial, Margulies' cartoon pulls no punches on this attempt to crush union rights under the guise of fiscal responsibility.

Local yokels

The hot news in Sykes' Local section concerns the revival of a well -- a single well -- in Garfield (L-1). 

Also on the Local front, two major stories focus on Tenafly, where Publisher Stephen A. Borg lives in a $3.65 million McMansion, but the section has no news from Englewood, Hackensack, Teaneck and many other towns.

Sunday's paper

Rep. Anthony Weiner's weiner is front page news, but readers want to know if newsroom workers are gossiping about Frank Scandale's frank.

Road Warrior Columnist John Cichowski rewrites a study by the Tri State Transportation Campaign on the number of senior pedestrians who were killed from 2007-09 (L-1).

Cichowski cites the statistics to his editor when he refuses to leave the office and cover a story.

Your Money's Worth Columnist Kevin DeMarrais writes about ways to prevent scamming of the elderly (B-1). 

Where are the columns and stories on the challenges facing older drivers, who are killing themselves and others in large numbers?

The Greek way

On the Better Living front, Corner Table Columnist Elisa Ung discovers Greek restaurants serve a lot of vegetables -- nearly four years after she became the restaurant reviewer.

On O-2, Margulies' cartoon exposes Governor Christie's business-friendly environmental policies -- while the assignment editors keep soft-pedaling them.