Layoffs At Asbury Park Press

Nudniks Tout $1500 Prize, Don’t Report Layoffs

No news. Empty newsstands stored in the Asbury Park Press’s empty parking lot in Neptune. July, 12 2013

Between 13 and 40 people were laid-off at the Asbury Park Press last week, as part of a nationwide RIF in parent company Gannett’s newspaper division.

Gannett, a publically traded company, is not saying how many employees they have cut loose. The Gannet Blog, which first reported the story which was picked up by the Associated Press, estimates that 200 newspaper employees have been let go from the Asbury Park Press, The Burlington Free Press in Vermont, The Arizona Republic in Phoenix and The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky.

The Asbury Park Sun was the first New Jersey news outlet to report the story.

The Asbury Park Press Neptune Nudniks have yet to find the story newsworthy, preferring instead to report how they won a $1500 prize from the Associated Press Media Editors for their Superstom Sandy coverage.

“We are honored by the great recognition the journalism community has given to the entire staff of the Asbury Park Press and APP.com for their unflagging
dedication during such a terrible storm, which affected each of us in some way,” said Hollis R. Towns, executive editor/vice president for news at the Press.
“Our team worked tirelessly before, during and after the storm to ensure the community received the most accurate, useful information as quickly as
possible.”

In the same article, the Nudniks touted a prize they received yesterday from the National Association of Black Journalists for their “Gripped by Violence” report on shootings in Asbury Park.

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Work Horses or Show Horses?

Rush Holt doing Steve Holt. Who is Steve Holt? facebook photo

Frank Pallone doing Frank Pallone

Congressmen Frank Pallone and Rush Holt have each been trying to close the canyon in the polls between themselves and Newark Mayor Cory Booker for the Democratic nomination to succeed the late U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg be asserting that they are “work horses” that get the job done while Booker is a “show horse” celebrity.

There’s not much evidence that it is working.  Nor is there much evidence that Pallone and Holt are indeed “work horses.”

In the 24 years Pallone has been in Congress, 6 bills that he sponsored became law.  The Affordable Health Care Act, aka ObamaCare was not one of them.

Holt has been in Congress 14 years. Three of his bills have become law.

Of those nine bills Pallone and Holt have successfully navigated to the president’s desk for signature, two were to name post offices.  One post office for each of them.

Booker may be a “show horse,” but what do Pallone and Holt have to show for their years in Congress?

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Booker won’t run for President in 2016

Former Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vic Scudiery and Newark Mayor Cory Booker

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, the front runner for the Democratic nomination to replace the late U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, yesterday told Poltico, that he “unequivocally” will not be a candidate for President or Vice President in 2016.

“I think that people want me to be the next U.S. Senator from New Jersey,” he  said, adding, “I would not consider [a presidential run]. At this point, my  focus is 100 percent on being the next U.S. Senator and doing a great job  finishing out the unexpired term of Sen. Frank Lautenberg, and then doing six  years [in a full term].”

“There’s a lot of work to do here in the state of New Jersey and I’m excited  about it,” he said, adding later, “No presidential, no VP, no.”

No one asked Congressman Frank Pallone if he was going to run for President.

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Scudiery Aggressively Out To See Pallone Defeated

Former Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is

Victor V. Scudiery, the Monmouth County businessman and former 23 year Chairman of the Monmouth County Democrats, is backing up his endorsement of Newark Mayor Cory Booker in the August 13 Special U.S. Senate Primary with an aggressive negative endorsement of Congressman Frank Pallone.

Scudiery is launching a personally financed campaign this morning designed to weaken Pallone’s support in his 6th Congressional district home base of Monmouth and Middlesex Counties. Scudiery’s efforts are independent of and without the prior knowledge of the Booker for Senate campaign.

The $45,000 campaign includes a mailing to 75,000 likely Democratic primary voters, print ads in local weekly newspapers and a web based ad campaign on local websites.

“I might even spend more by the time the 13th (the August 13th primary) comes around,” Scudiery said this morning.

“He’s all about himself, not for the people,” Scudiery said of the congressman whose tenure coincided with his own marathon as party chairman, “When I brought him to events, non-political events, like for senior citizens, Italian-Americans or small businesses, people would always say, ‘Frank, you never got back to me, I need your help,’ He’s been an embarrassment.  He rarely followed through. When he did follow through, it was usually with excuses, not results.”

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5 Reasons Why I Loved My SeaStreak to Citi Field Trip

By Greg Kelly

Baseball and boats. They do go together and in wonderful fashion this past month with me and my two children. Highlands, NJ-based SeaStreak Ferry recently served up a grand helping of sun and fun for me and mine. Here are five grand slam memories of the outing with my fabulous son and daughter:

1) Bond Building—Both of my kids are knowledgeable sports fans. Both like the Mets. I’ve been a fan since 1969—the Amazing Mets signature year. My 19-year-old son Kyle (he’s entering his second year at George Washington U in DC) and my 17-year-old daughter, Lauren (soon to be a senior at High Tech High School in Lincroft) and I were the guests of SeaStreak and their superb direct ferry service to Citi Field. That’s the home of the New York Mets. And I’ll remember always the happiness that we shared that day. It was a magic time. I’ve been talking to my kids about the Mets since they were little. Lauren went through a time where she watched all the games and got me back into watching. Kyle has a head for the history of the game and went with me to my first ferry-ballgame excursion.

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Franchisee of T.G.I. Friday’s Targeted in “Operation Swill” to Pay $500,000 for Replacing Premium Alcohol with Cheaper Substitutes

-Briad Group Will Employ Compliance Officer and Update Employee Training and Inventory Software —

photo via facebook

TRENTON – Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman and Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Director Michael Halfacre today announced that the Briad Group, a franchisee of the T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants in New Jersey raided in May as part of “Operation Swill,” will pay a fine of $500,000 and not contest charges that eight of its restaurants were serving customers alcoholic beverages other than what they ordered.

“Briad’s restaurants were scamming customers by serving them a cheap substitute for what they ordered,” said Acting Attorney General Hoffman. “This unlawful practice took advantage of consumers who were cheated out of what they thought they were purchasing. This fine should send a clear message to every bar and restaurant throughout New Jersey that customers should get what they pay for every time without exception.”

ABC and Division of Criminal Justice Investigators raided 13 T.G.I. Friday’s owned by Briad during “Operation Swill” and seized approximately 250 bottles of spirits from those locations. Eight of those establishments were charged and included in the settlement. Those locations were in West Orange, East Windsor, Old Bridge, Piscataway, Freehold, Marlboro, Hazlet and Linden.

As part of the settlement, Briad will employ an ABC-appointed monitor through June 30, 2014. The compliance officer will have the full cooperation of Briad’s restaurants and its employees as well as access to all books, records, compensation programs and any other information the monitor deems appropriate. The compliance officer will then report his findings to the ABC. In addition, Briad will make internal changes that include updating employee training and inventory software.

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Nuzzi Accepts Morgan’s Apology Via Twitter

click for larger view

Barbara Morgan, Anthony Weiner’s potty-mouthed hack, apologized in the press to Olivia Nuzzi for her vulgar rant over the Fordham junior’s New York Daily News spread.  Morgan said she thought she was off the record.

It was reported that Morgan said she called and emailed Nuzzi a personal apology.

Nuzzi wouldn’t confirm that she received the personal apology, but she took to twitter to announce her forgiveness.

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend. August 2-4, 2013 #STTS

SPONSORED BY SEASTREAK

By Greg Kelly

Friday, August 2

• Manasquan Summer Sidewalk Sale – MORE INFO

• The Diary of Anne Frank by Center Players (Freehold) – MORE INFO

• Highlands Clam Festival – MORE INFO

• Manasquan Firemen’s Fair – MORE INFO

• Saving Kitty at NJ Repertory Theatre (Long Branch) – MORE INFO

• Shakespeare by the Sea (Spring Lake) – MORE INFO

• Memories of Elvis (Middletown) – MORE INFO

• The Wizard of Oz at Algonquin Arts Theatre (Manasquan) – MORE INFO

• Pat Roddy (Belmar) – MORE INFO

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Holmdel) – MORE INFO

• Return to Asbury 2013 – MORE INFO

• Children of Eden at St. John’s Community Playhouse (Hazlet) – MORE INFO

• Visit Martha’s Vineyard via Seastreak Ferry (Highlands) – MORE INFO

• Seining at the Bayshore (Port Monmouth) – MORE INFO

• Embroidery for Beginners (Ocean Grove) – MORE INFO

• Red Bank Ghost Tours – MORE INFO

• 107.1 FM Live Broadcast from Pier Village (Long Branch) – MORE INFO

• La Cage Aux Folles (Asbury Park) – MORE INFO

• Exotic Driving Experiences at Raceway Park – MORE INFO

• “No Relation Quartet” at TRT (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• Back-to-School & Fall Preview Sale at Jersey Shore Premium Outlets (Tinton Falls) – MORE INFO

* * *

Saturday, August 3

• Highlands Clam Festival – MORE INFO

• Coin, Card & Currency Show (Colts Neck) – MORE INFO

• Manasquan Firemen’s Fair – MORE INFO

• NY Mets vs. Royals via Seastreak Ferry (Highlands) – MORE INFO

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Weiner’s Potty-Mouthed Hack Rips Nuzzi

Potty-Mouthed Barbara Morgan, left. Anthony Weiner’s better side, right

Weiner for New York Mayor spokeswoman Barbara Morgan was more upset that Olivia Nuzzi wrote in her New York Daily News article that the Weiner campaign staff is inexperienced than she was about Nuzzi’s revelations that Weiner called his interns “Monica” and that much of his staff joined the campaign to curry favor with the candidate’s wife, Huma , who is on Hillary Clinton’s staff, rather than to get Weiner elected, according to a vulgarity laced rant at TalkingPointsMemo.

Which more than proved Nuzzi’s point about inexperience.

Morgan used language in reference to Nuzzi that Dan Jacobson wouldn’t print in the Tri CityNews and that, if uttered by a male spokesperson or Vice President of the United States, would cause more of an uproar than Eliot Spitzer’s socks.

Prior to joining the Weiner campaign, Morgan was the Director of Communications and Media Relations at the New Jersey Department of Education, a job she started in May of 2012 and is still listed as current on her LinkedIn profile.

MMM is not going to inquire with NJ DOE about Morgan’s departure.  We’re just glad she’s gone.

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Sen. Rand Paul: Gov Chris Christie Is The King Of Bacon

Christie: New Jersey is a donor state.  Doubts Paul will cut pork he’s bring home to Kentucky

By Matt Rooney, SaveJersey.com

The Christie/Paul 2016 skirmish got ugly on Tuesday evening, Save Jerseyans.

Responding to Christie, who inferred that Paul was a hypocrite for bringing home to Kentucky, Paul told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that ”[t]his is the king of bacon talking about bacon,”

Sigh…

Watch:

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