The List: Who Spent the Most on Lobbying in New Jersey Last Year?

The List: Who Spent the Most on Lobbying in New Jersey Last Year? (via NJSpotlight)

Lobbying is a big business in New Jersey. The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission reports that more than $58 million was spent last year by businesses, organizations, and lobbyists to try to influence lawmakers, the governor, and the general…

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Booker, Lonegan call each other ‘extreme’ during first U.S. Senate debate

Booker, Lonegan call each other ‘extreme’ during first U.S. Senate debate (via NJ.com)

TRENTON — Democrat Cory Booker and Republican Steve Lonegan repeatedly pegged each other as “extreme” during a heated U.S. Senate debate this afternoon. In the first of two televised debate between the candidates — who are running in New Jersey’…

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N.J. Supreme Court to issue major affordable housing decision

N.J. Supreme Court to issue major affordable housing decision (via NJ.com)

Keith A. Muccilli/For The Star-Ledger TRENTON — The state Supreme Court will hand down a long-awaited decision today on how many affordable-housing units New Jersey’s towns must provide for their lowest-income residents. At issue, again, is the…

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Lonegan pokes fun at Booker with red carpet affair in Newark

Lonegan pokes fun at Booker with red carpet affair in Newark (via NJ.com)

NEWARK — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Lonegan glided up the red carpet, his wife at his side, and posed as the flash bulbs popped tonight. Then Lonegan, the former mayor of Bergen County’s Bogota, walked inside a Newark restaurant, into…

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More financial troubles at New Jersey’s newspapers

The Asbury Park Press’s building is for sale.  The Press of Atlantic City is for sale.

This morning, The Star Ledger announced that they are laying off 34 people, including 10% of the newsroom.

In a poll published on January 8, Monmouth University’s Patrick Murray said that since 2005 newspapers as the primary source of news has decline from 48% to 27% among New Jerseyans.  The shift has favored the interent where 28% now get their news, up from 6% in 2005.  Television as a news source has also declined since 05, according to Murray.  48% got most of their news from TV in 05.  Now 34%, still the highest percentage, are informed by television.

There is not much good news for the industry looking forward, according to Murray’s report. 45% of 18-34 year olds now look to the net as their primary news source, up from 33% in 2009.

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Seastreak providing transportation and lodging to NY for family and friends of crash victims

Seastreak LLC has announced that it will provide free transportation to NY, via ferry or car service, to friends and family members of those who were injured in this morning’s accident at Pier 11.   The company will also provide lodging for those who may need to stay in New York overnight.

For additional information and to make arrangements call Seastreak at 1-800-BOATRIDE (800-262-8743)

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Seastreak Ferry Out Of Highlands Crashes at Pier 11

Photo credit: Stephanie Agresta via facebook

Seastreak Manager Jack Bevins told MMM that the ferry that crashed into Pier 11 in Manhattan at 8:45 this morning was out of Highlands, not Atlantic Highlands as has been reported by multiple media sources.

News12 is reporting that 30-50 people have been injured, one critically.

The Star Ledger is reporting that there were 326 commuters and 5 crew members on the boat.

Seastreak issued a statement acknowledging the accident and pledging to work closely with Federal, State and local authorities to determine its cause.  They said their thoughts and prayers are with the injured.

Donovan Mannato of Rumson was on the top deck of the ferry when the crash occurred.

“As we were approaching the pier I was packing up my Ipad and closing the seat tray when I felt and severe impact,” Mannato said, “my head hit on the tray in front of me and I saw a gentleman who was standing fly several feet and land on the ground where he laid for quite sometime. There were two glass doors cracked but still in their frames.  It was obvious that people had hit those windows.

“When I got up to get off the boat I saw a man severely injured with people surrounding him at the bottom of the stairs. When I finally got downstairs, there were many people bleeding and with head injuries being tended to by passengers who were not injured.”

Mannato said he has a shiner under his eye and a stiff neck. He has not yet received medical attention.  He is concerned for the recovery of those more seriously injured.

Seastreak has cancelled the 5:55 departure from E 35th Street and the 6:10 departure from Pier 11.

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APP wants to know: Why no action on Lakewood?

Because The Asbury Park Press Is No Longer Relevant

The Asbury Park Press is outraged that Governor Chris Christie did not make the problems of the Lakewood school system a primary topic of his town hall meeting in Freehold yesterday.  The Neptune Nudniks are also upset that Congressman Chris Smith hasn’t returned their calls for comment or held a press conference about the Lakewood schools since the paper and pay site ran their series CHEATED about the problems in Lakewood schools last week.

Christie spent much, if not most, of his town hall meeting yesterday talking about education reform.  His focus was on tenure reform as a way to improve results in our failing urban schools and to stop paying “a Kings Ransom for failure” by flushing 15% of the state’s tax dollars into failing schools as New Jersey has done for decades.

If ever there was evidence that The Asbury Park Press has become irrelevant, it is their heavily promoted Cheated series, yesterday’s town hall meeting, combined with today’s rants by the Nudniks that Christie and Smith are not paying attention to them.

Why didn’t Christie talk about Lakewood yesterday to hundreds of residents in the APP’s coverage area?   Because no one asked him.  The governor was talking about education.  The APP had just finished a “special series” on the Lakewood schools.  Not one person in the audience of the town hall made the connection and asked the governor a question about Lakewood.

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