Next challenge for obese teen swimmer is to lose weight

From lead foot to foot falling asleep. Seen on Monday in the A&P shopping center on Lemoine Avenue in Fort Lee.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Charlotte Samuels of Ridgewood is a fine role model for long-distance swimmers, but her obesity is sending the wrong message to millions of teenagers.

Today's Page 1 story in The Record continues the paper's adoring coverage of the 16-year-old girl, who became the youngest person to complete the Triple Crown of swimming (A-1).

Big deal. Does this story really belong on the front page?

The Record's stories have avoided her obesity like the plague.

Good or bad?

Does her weight help or hurt her? Today's story by Staff Writer Christopher Maag, the transportation reporter, doesn't provide a clue.

Readers who manage to get to the continuation page on A-7 are told that after she swam across the English Channel, she was "in a contemplative mood, thinking about the power of girls and women, and the larger meaning of her accomplishment."

"I've heard so many stories about girls who had someone say something to them, and then they get eating disorders," Charlotte says, but Maag doesn't say whether she is referring to herself.

"But being a girl is awesome," she continues. "If you believe in yourself, then you can accomplish anything."

Like losing weight and, hopefully, influencing other teens during the obesity epidemic, Charlotte.

Christie idolatry

Governor Christie's plan to revive Atlantic City failed, as have so many of his other initiatives, but Columnist Charles Stile still won't declare the GOP bully the worst leader New Jersey has ever had (A-1).

Christie had something to say about the George Washington Bridge lane-closure scandal for the first time since March, and his comments are buried (A-4).

Meanwhile, New Jersey is warning investors its revenue shortfall could get worse before it gets better (A-3).

Crown Vic destroyed

Another Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor bit the dust in Hackensack on Tuesday, and head Assignment Editor Deirdre Sykes was so glad she had a filler photo for the Local news front (L-1).

Police agencies continued to buy the Crown Victoria despite well-known defects, which were blamed for the deaths of state troopers and a Paramus officer, and suspected in the death of a Teaneck officer.

The Record never bothered to explore the reasons towns continued to buy the defective Crown Victoria-based Police Interceptor before production ended in 2011.

Also on the Local front, Joe Talamo is called a "Pascack Valley legend," but my reaction is, Joe Who?