Utility pole news undercuts new editor

Every North Jersey utility pole has a special place in the heart of Editor Deirdre Sykes, who is determined to chronicle their demise with photos in The Record's Local section.

Editor Marty Gottlieb delivers another strong front page in The Record today, but the Local news section's continued reliance on photos of vehicles hitting utility poles makes a mockery of his efforts.

Head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes and her incompetent flunkies have run numerous photos of fender benders, roll overs and vehicles damaging utility poles as fillers in the Local section in a desperate scramble to find local news.

Sykes, her minions and her local columnists, Mike Kelly and John Cichowski, are the personification of laziness, and they seem little changed since Gottlieb arrived last month from The New York Times.

A utility pole in Englewood Cliffs apparently was so revered that Sykes ordered her layout editor to place a  small photo and some text on L-1, directing readers to the earth-shaking news on L-3.

There, readers find a blown-up photo of an SUV and the pole, which "took a beating in an accident on Hudson Terrace in Englewood Cliffs on Friday," according to the caption.

Gee whiz.

Ring worm

Also on L-3, a story on Jay Patel, a Mahwah millionaire who allegedly cut down 221 trees on a neighbor's lot to improve his view, doesn't say whether the judge can order him strung up from any remaining branches in the vicinity.

There is no Hackensack news today.

Exposing Christie

The respected Standard & Poors rating agency exposes Governor Christie's voodoo budget economics, saying his revenue projections are much too rosy (A-1).

The story suggests Christie's proposal to cut income taxes will form a major plank in his re-election campaign next year.

A story on A-3 reports the governor wants to loot a Clean Energy Fund to the tune of $210 million to help him balance the budget, which would give a big tax cut to millionaires.

Old wives' tales

Back on Page 1, a story on streamlining elder-care services continues The Record's heavy coverage of seniors who are destitute and eager to stand in line for free lunches.

The paper basically ignores all of the wealthy seniors in Bergen County, as well as older drivers who need information on where they can go to improve their driving skills.

Three embarrassing corrections appear on A-2 today.