Trick-or-treat edition

Image by notladj via Flickr

Edgewater has great views of the Hudson River, but it is badly polluted as well.

The front page of The Record of Woodland Park today is dominated again by another in a series of contaminated Superfund sites -- sad tales of bureaucratic delays, powerless residents, skyrocketing costs and continuing pollution.


But nowhere in this takeout by Staff Writer Scott Fallon does the paper question its own role in allowing the cleanup to drag on for nearly 30 years. Is it enough for a powerful newspaper -- once every five or 10 years -- to report on how screwed up the federal Superfund program is?

From the photograph on the front of Local today, you'd think a head of state died. A horse-drawn hearse carrying the remains of John Abraham certainly seems unusual for a Teaneck police officer. 

Nearly a week after he died, readers still know nothing about why his Ford-built police car veered violently out of control at a high rate of speed and smashed broadside into a telephone pole across from police headquarters. 

He was a on a double shift, but the paper doesn't know why or ask if he was overworked. Did the Police Interceptor, which has a history of safety problems, fail him? Did he have a heart attack? Fall asleep? Was he even wearing his seat belt? 

Instead of trying to get answers from a number of sources, Staff Writer Joseph Ax is waiting for the next handout from the police chief. 

Why are the funerals of the 3- and 5-year old siblings from Wayne buried on L-7? They were shot to death by their father on Oct. 18 -- a story that was all over Page 1. 


Road Warrior John Cichowski, who has never had to stand up on a rush-hour train or bus into the city, arrogantly says we can live without new train tunnels under the Hudson River. He feels supremely comfortable in the pockets of the automobile dealers who advertise so heavily in the former Hackensack daily.


There is no Hackensack news in this trick-or-treat edition from Editor Francis Scandale, head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes and their lazy minions. Hackensack reporter Monsy Alvarado is being beaten regularly by by even the crappy weekly papers.


In the edition dated Nov. 1, The County Seat reports Maywood, Rochelle Park and South Hackensack have begun the process of pulling their students out of Hackensack High School.



In Better Living, Restaurant Reviewer Elisa Ung promotes the latest book by a former waiter and reports his advice on tipping in many situations -- from food deliverers to valets to skycaps to furniture movers. But nowhere in her Sunday column does she provide his guidance on how much to tip in a restaurant. Your guess is as good as mine on whether 15 percent still is the standard -- or is it 20 percent?


I've blasted Columnist Mike Kelly on numerous occasions, but today on the Opinion front he forcefully delivers his opinion on the pay-to-play stench remaining after the puzzling acquittal of Ridgefield Mayor Anthony R. Suarez. Now, if he'll just take another photo to replace the shit-eating grin that runs with his column.