Readers care more about deer than slain Paterson girl

The owner of this former Shell gas station property on Cedar Lane and River Road will be receiving a Teaneck Township Council commendation for maintaining an eyesore longer than many others. But The Record's local editors have warned their reporters not to waste their time writing about Cedar Lane or other struggling downtowns in North Jersey. 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Editor Martin Gottlieb of The Record goes tabloid today with a Page 1 story on the slaying of a 12-year-old Hispanic girl on the violent streets of Paterson.

But you know he ran the story against the advice of his local editors, who urged him to play up the divisions in wealthy Allendale over 45 deer that are terrorizing residents (L-1).

The account of Genesis Rincon's death "just after sunset on Saturday" doesn't explain why the story wasn't on Page 1 of Sunday's paper.

Where are cops?

And there is a lot missing, including background on Governor Christie's state aid cuts to Paterson and other poor cities and whether police were laid off as a result. 

In fact, there is no mention of what a poor job the Police Department is doing to protect residents of the 4th Ward, which accounted for nearly half of the city's 31 reported shootings in the first four months of this year (A-1).

In 2013, there were 19 gun-related homicides in Paterson, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, compared to 28 murders on the island of Montreal, which has a population of 1.9 million (A-6).

Today's column on Christie's visit to Paterson -- by clueless Editorial Page Editor Alfred P. Doblin -- doesn't even mention whether the GOP bully's aid cuts accelerated gun violence in the Silk City (A-9).

Venison for poor

Meanwhile, in Allendale, residents and officials are divided over a proposal to allow bow hunting in the Celery Farm Natural Area to stop "marauding deer" (L-1).

Why not round up gunmen in Paterson, take them to the Celery Farm and kill the deer to provide food to hungry Paterson residents?

Second look

I hope commuters who read Sunday's front-page Road Warrior column didn't  jump into their cars this morning and start looking for hitchhikers in Fort Lee, hoping to save $6 for carpooling across the George Washington Bridge.

The addled John Cichowski left out a good deal of information on getting the carpool discount, which is far from automatic, even if you have the required two passengers.

First, you have to register your E-ZPass with the agency that issued it, and before you cross the bridge, you have to stop in a CASH/E-ZPass lane and ask for the discount so the toll taker can verify there are three people in your vehicle (dummies and dead bodies might work, too).

You save 24/7

One you have complied with those requirements, the carpool discount is available at any time 24/7, not just during the rush hour.

See the Facebook page for Road Warrior Bloopers for the full rundown on Cichowski's retread:

Beware worthless advice from the Road Warrior