Christie to reporter: 'Are you stupid?'

The Record's editors have egg on their face for not pointing out a man who annoys neighbors by keeping chickens can buy free-range eggs in any supermarket.

It's hard work, but you''ll find amazing stuff buried deep in at least one of the front-page stories in The Record today.

Governor Christie appeared at a news conference in Monmouth County to address a water-service disruption, but refused to answer questions about his demand for a legislative session on Monday (A-10).

The story, "Christie orders special session," goes on:

"When Record reporter Chris Harris asked whether Christie would address the Legislature ... , he said, 'Did I say on topic? Are you stupid? On topic, on topic. Next question.'"

This explains why The Record's editors have never asked Christie about his weight or what the state is doing about childhood obesity. 

They don't want to be called stupid.

Tax-cut mirage

Another nugget you'll find deep in the story:

Under Christie's income-tax cut, "the benefit would not be seen until April 2013, and amount to about $50 for most filers in the first year (A-10)."

$50? That figure is different than what has appeared before. 

In February, The Record reported Christie's plan to cut income taxes will benefit the wealthy far more than the middle class, yielding only an $80 savings for someone earning $50,000 a year. 

No yolk

Also on A-1 today, Editor Marty Gottlieb devotes a lot of room to neighbors' complaints about a Fair Lawn man who keeps roosters and chickens in his backyard.

On A-10, the offending homeowner is quoted as saying the crowers and cluckers ensure his family eats eggs from free-range chickens that are treated humanely.

But the story fails to note he can find those eggs in any supermarket. And an editorial on O-2 about a Wayne man who keeps chickens makes no reference to the Page 1 story.

Fake estate

The main element on the front page today, "Bergen home prices come down to earth," doesn't discuss  the greed of bankers and real estate agents (A-1).

A Tenafly couple crow about locking in an interest rate just below 4%, but the story doesn't reveal the astounding amount of interest they will pay over 30 years: It will approach the price of the house.

Locals are yokels

Another Sunday Local section from head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes and Deputy Assignment Editor Dan Sforza contains no Hackensack, Teaneck or Englewood news nor anything from other large communities.

But a big part of L-1 is devoted to planned road work for Super Bowl fans in 2014 -- that's right, 2014 ; and L-3 has a story on college baseball. 

I guess there was no other local news, judging from the filler photo of a no-injury, car-engine fire on L-7.

Christie's fibs

On the front of Business today, BIZBLOG reports Christie's job-growth claim for New Jersey, made earlier this month, was wildly exaggerated, but that his deputy governor continues to use it. 

Maybe Gottlieb should be ordering an A-1 take-out on all of Christie's big and small lies since January 2010, and not laying an egg with Page 1 news on backyard chickens.