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| A third story of residential units has been added to the State Street redevelopment project in Hackensack, a building that is expected to have 222 units above a parking garage when it is completed in 2015. |
By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR
The major takeouts on The Record's front page today raise a lot of unanswered questions about the George Washington Bridge lane-closure scandal and Atlantic City (A-1).
The so-called Analysis by Staff Writer Shawn Boburg doesn't address the chief question on readers' minds -- why is the federal grand jury investigation of the politically inspired traffic jams in Fort Lee (Sept. 9-13, 2013) taking so long?
Professor Brigid Harrison is quoted as saying the GOP bully's administration no longer controls "the narrative" (A-7).
If that's so, why does The Record persist in flattering coverage, such as the gushing stories on Governor Christie's purely political visit to Mexico last week?
Reporters love quoting Harrison, but shouldn't The Record acknowledge when it does so that she is one of its Sunday columnists?
Maybe, it's time for the lazy newsroom editors to cast a wider net for experts.
I'm not going to bother with the The GWB Files interactive presentation at NorthJersey.com, but wonder why the nefarious motives for the lane closures weren't discovered before the November election, when Christie won a second term.
Is the photo caption on A-7 correct in saying the lane closures lasted "five days," not four?
Behind 8 ball
Is 36 years after Atlantic City's first casino opened really the right time to report on what the shore resort can learn from Las Vegas (A-1)?
Staff Writer John Brennan, a brain-damaged former sports reporter, doesn't even mention Vegas' $3.99 buffets and all the ridiculously cheap hotel rooms that lure millions to the desert.
Revel, the $2.9-billion boondoggle that just bit the dust, opened with $400-a-night rooms and the smallest casino in Atlantic City, dooming it to failure.
Sending Brennan to Las Vegas is a huge waste of money, and a waste of readers' time.
If you think his report is laughable, check out Mike Kelly's silly, shit-eating-grin perspective on Atlantic City (O-1).
Rich districts
Do school districts in wealthy towns like Tenafly and Fort Lee get more coverage in The Record (L-1 and L-3)?
Publisher Stephen A. Borg lives in Tenafly, but when is the last time the Woodland Park daily covered the Hackensack district, which spends more money per pupil than Ridgewood?
Editors get high
The Business editors couldn't find a North Jersey company that was as interesting as a Denver marijuana store (B-1).
The 4-page section supplied by The Wall Street Journal every Sunday is a testament to how hard the local business staff works to bring readers North Jersey news.
Readers looking for a discussion of restaurant issues, such as tipping or high liquor prices, will be disappointed in The Corner Table column from Elisa Ung today (BL-1).
Traveling music
The Record's already thin Travel section is devoting less and less space to reporting on the high cost of vacations (T-1).
For years, Travel Editor Jill Schensul has reduced her workload by running a full page of readers' vacation photos on T-2.
Today, the Travel cover is filled with reader selfies (three of the five on T-1 are from Venice, Italy). More appear on T-4.
In the biggest selfie on T-1, Adam Nolte of Wyckoff doesn't look too happy. Did he pay the gondolier?
Didn't any of The Record's black and Hispanic readers send in selfies?
Evonne Coutros
The byline of Evonne Coutros last appeared in The Record on March 3, 2014, over a story about Wyckoff, one of the towns she covered, according to NorthJersey.com.
Her byline also appeared in The Hellenic Times as far back as 1989, when she also was employed at The Record.
Coutros had a knack of landing interviews with the biggest celebrities, but The Record's editors usually assigned her to cover news from Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Ho-Ho-Kus, Franklin Lakes and other small towns.
A reader of Eye on The Record recently asked if Coutros died. I don't know.
She was 57 and lived in Closter, I believe.
In your March 6, 2013, blog post you mention that the State Street development will haven only 141 parking spots. Do you know if that's changed? I just wonder where the tenants will park in this 222-unit building. While you can live without a car in Hackensack, I would think new renters might have at least one car.
ReplyDeleteAnd have you heard any updates on the proposed development of the lot across from the ice skating rink, as well as The Record's old place? (Just wondering if plans are still proceeding on more rental units).
Thanks.
No. I don't think the parking situation changed. I recall something about spaces in the Atlantic Street garage. There is a parcel across the street with empty buildings that could become a lot.
DeleteLook at the official Hackensack Web site. I recall a recent email from the site on other developments, including a huge project at Main and Mercer streets.
Coutros is dead. 58.
ReplyDeleteThe cause?
Delete