Today, with the help of the New Jersey ACLU, Gawker filed a civil complaint against the office of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie under the state's Open Records Act. We're seeking records of Christie's communications with Fox News chairman Roger Ailes. Christie claims they should remain secret under the state's executive privilege. We disagree.
Are you looking to go to New Jersey's Round Valley State Park? (It features "swimming, boating and camping in summer, and cross country skiing and sledding in the winter"!) Just don't use Google Maps to get there, as you may end up at Laurie Gneiding's house.
Jersey Shore brawler Ronnie Ortiz-Magro had his day in court in New Jersey today for the fight that he was in during season one of the show. No, not that fight when he was on the boardwalk with Sammy, the other fight where he knocked a guy out outside of Karma. So confusing!
Last week, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie quietly used his line-item veto powers at the last minute to cut about $1 billion in Democratic spending from the state budget, items which state Senate President Stephen Sweeney says were conditional to his support for the deal. Sweeney, in response, has been calling Christie a "mean old bastard," "rotten bastard," "bully" and "punk" whom he wants to "punch... in his head." This must be doing serious damage to New Jersey's reputation as the most polite state in the union.
After a three-day adventure in the wilds of New Jersey, officials were able to tranquilize and capture a baboon that had escaped from Six Flags Great Adventure. The monkey seems to have had a grand adventure, traveling across backyards, down highways, and over a golf course on a general course east, possibly toward Manasquan, which has one of the nicer beaches on the shore. Thus far Great Adventure is unable to confirm, officially, that the baboon is a resident of its safari park, but spokeswoman Kristin B. Siebeneicher said it "seems likely that it is one of the Safari's baboons." We should hope! [ABC6; Newark Star-Ledger]
Physics professor David C. Flory, of Fairleigh Dickinson University, is in police custody after he was arrested on 40 counts of promoting prostitution. The allegedly pimping professor was nabbed while sitting at a Starbucks in Albuquerque.
The office of Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is claiming that Fox News chairman Roger Ailes is a confidential adviser whose interactions with the governor should remain secret under New Jersey's executive privilege.
A 39-year-old woman in Hamilton, N.J., was engaged in what the police describe as "extracurricular activities" (mock trial, maybe?) at Ahavath Israel cemetery when a falling tombstone injured her leg. The injuries were not serious, and the cemetery decided not to press charges, but two things stand out to us: One, the woman and "a male friend" were visiting the grave of "a relative" when they decided to get down. And, well, we're not against graveyard sex, per se, but we think people should stick to graveyards where their relatives aren't buried, out of respect.
It's obviously not uncommon for a barber to cut a customer's ear. With scissors. James Dillard, a 40-year-old barber from Trenton, NJ, allegedly cut his customer's ear in half on Thursday. With his teeth.
An 11-year-old girl from Pleasantville, N.J. died on Friday afternoon after falling about 100 feet from a Ferris wheel at Morey's Piers in Wildwood, N.J. Abiah Jones of Pleasantville, N.J. was riding by herself in a car when she fell from the wheel and landed on the ground below; she was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. An eyewitness says Jones fainted after "peeking over the railing" and fell; so far, no mechanical malfunctions have been detected. Jones was in Wildwood for the "Education Extravaganza," an annual event that draws thousands of schoolkids to the piers. Apparently she is the first person to die at the amusement park since the Morey Organization took it over in 1969. [NYDN, NYT. Image by danellesheree via Creative Commons]
The good Governor Sandwiches of New Jersey, Chris Christie, is in a real pickle back home after he took an state police helicopter to his son's baseball game yesterday.
Since last December, some dude named Don Johnson from Pennsylvania has been single-handedly beating the crap out of Atlantic City casinos. So far he's won over $15 million from just three: Borgata, Tropicana, and Caesars Palace. The Press of Atlantic City caught up with Johnson, and corroborated his claims with casino officials.
Attention! Parents! Alert! Is your child out, in the public? A sex perv may be photographing your child right now, for his own, nefarious/sexual purposes. That's why New Jersey lawmakers have proposed a bill that would ban photographs of kids.
The big mayoral race in North Bergen, New Jersey is coming to a close tomorrow. Are you a North Bergen resident who doesn't care who wins and will vote for whichever politician has the best TV commercial? Then longtime mayor Nick Sacco would be honored to have your vote! Watch youthful voters and old hippie ladies alike sing, "I don't know where you be from, but I be from North Bergen, son," while expressing their approval for Mayor Sacco. [via Tom Scocca]
After coming out while in office in 2004, former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey joined the seminary and tried to be an Episcopal priest. Now it turns out the denomination doesn't want him and, shockingly enough, the decision has nothing to do with his shacking up with another man.
The state of New Jersey instituted a "millionaire's tax" (those making over $500K had their state tax rate raised to 9% from about 6.5%) in 2004, because its multimillionaire governor at the time was a socialist who hates success. Now, a new study has documented the devastating effect that this penurious and unfair tax scheme had on the state, as all the millionaires packed up and fled for friendlier locales:
