More old ground in disappointing Sunday edition

On the ferry to Manhattan. Crossing the Hudson this way is a lot more civilized -- and far more expensive -- than taking a crowded NJ Transit bus or train.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

My car is still hitting big potholes on streets and highways, even in the parking lot of the Weehawken ferry.

But The Record's Sunday edition today is nearly devoid of municipal news or even any attempt to explain why towns and the state can't afford to repair hundreds of these driving hazards.

Instead, Editor Marty Gottlieb cedes precious front-page space to two burned-out columnists and a second-day story that elevates the suffering of dogs above that of humans in Paterson (A-1).

Many questions

The main element on Page 1 -- "County cop fights for life after crash" -- doesn't discuss whether Officer Daniel Breslin was following procedure when he stopped his marked SUV in a travel lane of Route 46.

Breslin was in critical condition after a car driven by an allegedly drunk driver slammed into his police vehicle around 1:50 a.m. Saturday.

Columnist Mike Kelly wonders whether local police departments are prepared to deal with domestic terrorism (A-1).

He mentions the Teaneck department, which is best known for a Cedar Lane speed trap that catches unsuspecting drivers crossing the Anderson Street Bridge from Hackensack.

Media fog

Columnist Charles Stile claims the George Washington Bridge scandal has exposed Governor Christie "as a bully who attacks opponents in unmercifully harsh, dismissive language" (A-1 and A-8).

But only Stile and other Record reporters and columnists have ignored the GOP bully's mean-spirited policies, dating to 2010, as they fell all over themselves to promote him as a presidential contender.

Ignoring towns

In Local, a brief on this week's school board election in Hackensack doesn't tell readers anything about the two incumbents and two challengers who are seeking two vacancies beyond listing their names (L-2). 

Business continues to ignore Main Street and lavish coverage on such chain retailers as Best Buy and Bed Bath & Beyond (B-1).

Somehow, a food truck serving naturally raised, grass-fed beef short ribs and organic polenta has broken through all the publicity in Better Living for low-quality, drug- and hormone-filled meat (BL-2).

Margulies, Oxford

The only thing worth looking at in Opinion is the Margulies cartoon, which lampoons all the work Christie has given to lawyers while New Jerseyans join growing unemployment lines (O-2).

Oxford, England, has never been on my must-see list.

But today's thin Travel section contains nearly two pages about the university city, thanks to a story by former Record reporter Tatiana Schlossberg, daughter of Caroline Kennedy.

Schlossberg informs readers she is studying history at Oxford (T-1).