New normal is baseball, crime, animal news and politics

The entrance to Costco Wholesale's bigger store in Teterboro during a preview party on Tuesday night. The store opened for business on Wednesday morning. The old warehouse store in Hackensack will reopen next year as a Costco Business Center catering to small businesses, but open to all members.

Costco offers organic and non-organic produce at low prices.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Editor Martin Gottlieb of The Record must be so tired of the news business.

That's the only possible conclusion judging from the last three days of Gottlieb's lazy, inconsequential front pages:

Baseball and animal news, a Teaneck man charged with killing his mother and brother, and ignoring the issues in presidential and congressional races to report on fundraising.

Today's paper, for example, goes over in great detail how much Governor Christie has raised in his quixotic bid for the White House (A-1).

Then, on A-3, a long story reports Rep. Scott Garrett's fundraising has slowed.

Garrett, a seven-term conservative Republican from Wantage in Sussex County, represents a good chunk of Bergen County.

Staff Writer Herb Jackson, the paper's so-called Washington correspondent, who wrote today's story on Garrett, has written far less about issues.

In fact, Jackson has called previous Garrett elections solely on the basis of the congressman's fundraising ability.

Local news?

The only Hackensack news today involves police wounding a murder suspect who "confronted officers with a large knife" (L-1).

Residents who want to know why their property taxes are so high would like the paper to look into inflated school and administrative salaries, and why the Board of Education pays lunchroom aides at two schools $22 an hour.

The principal of the high school is paid more than $172,000 a year, just a few thousand less than Christie.

Between the bread

A rave informal dining review of Bogie's Hoagies in Hawthorne would be far better if the critic reported whether the chicken, beef and ham used in the sandwiches are naturally raised (BL-16).

But I guess Staff Writer Elisa Ung was distracted again by her raging obsession with dessert, including "the fudgiest brownie, served in a dangerously generous chunk" and an "enormous chunk of bread pudding, studded with cranberries and chocolate pieces."

When it comes to sugar, this woman is out of control.

This is yet another review from outside Bergen County, which Ung seems to be neglecting for some reason.  

Thursday's paper

Thursday's A-2 corrected two major errors, but I had to rescue my Sports section from the recycling bin to look at another major boo-boo.

A Record reader says Sports Columnist Steve Popper erred when he reported Lamar Odom was found unconscious Tuesday in "a Las Vegas brothel."

The reader noted:

"As all of the news sources showed he [Odom] was at the bunny ranch, which is 60 or so miles away. Actually, prostitution is illegal in Las Vegas. Every other news source has the right location."

Sun glare blamed

A second school crossing guard was injured critically by a driver who may have been blinded by sun glare.

Thursday's L-1 story doesn't name the driver who knocked down the Westwood senior, a retired engineer, or whether any charges will be filed.

Nor is there any reporting on whether car manufacturers can produce a windshield that cuts down on glare.

Wednesday's paper

On Wednesday's A-1, The Associated Press story on the Democratic debate reported Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' comment on the media-manufactured controversy over Hillary Clinton's emails.

"The Secretary is right," Sanders said of Clinton. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails."

Voters want to discuss "the real issues," Sanders said, reiterating a message The Record and other media continue to ignore.

Best headline

The headline in The Record on Wednesday's L-6 was good, but the one in an email from the Hackensack Daily Voice site was better.

First, The Record:

"Man attempting suicide

survives being hit by train"

But the Daily Voice did a tabloid turn on the events over a Jerry DeMarco byline:

"Hackensack man hit by train

 loses arm, walks home"