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Politico
2 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
2 cases of eminent domain
Good Monday morning! I'm back after a week's vacation. Thanks to my colleagues for filling in here. I went to Buffalo for a bit. Jealous? If you knew what beef on weck tastes like, you would be. I avoided working on a busy week. I missed my 10th anniversary writing this newsletter, the lieutenant governor choices as well as the hubbub over Habba. But at least right before I left I laid out a scenario that wound up taking place. It looks like Habba's back in now, barring a court challenge. But I'm still not completely sure. So stay tuned. But for now, I want to riff on two big New Jersey stories, one of which became national news and a cause celebre on the right, and one that has gotten very little amplification outside of the state. Late last week, CNN became the latest national news outlet to feature the saga of the working farm in Cranbury, surrounded by warehouses, that the Democratic-led town wants to seize to meet its state-imposed affordable housing mandate. This controversy has been reported on for a couple months, making waves on the right — but drawing protest from at least one New Jersey environmental group as well — and even caught the attention of the Trump administration. I get it. Even if the fact that the owners of this 175-year-old 'family farm' actually live in New Mexico and lease it to farmers — something usually buried in stories about it, if mentioned at all — it's hard to be on the side of a government seizing some of the last farmland in the Central Jersey suburbs. Meanwhile, in deep red Toms River, the mayor is beginning to back off his plan to seize Episcopal church-owned property it wanted to use for a 17-bed homeless shelter to instead build things like recreational fields and pickleball courts. This story was well-covered by the New Jersey press, especially the Asbury Park Press. And there was lots of protest. But while it got some national coverage, it didn't generate the same online outrage, and no one from the Trump administration weighed in. Why? Well, those more cynical than I might believe that the outcry over the Cranbury farm was less about ideological objections to the government seizing private property and more about ideological objections to the use of that property. Just imagine if a liberal government tried to seize a conservative church's property to build a recreational facility. FEEDBACK? Reach me at mfriedman@ WHERE'S MURPHY Out of state for vacation until Aug. 12. QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'You can't edit history; people remember it. If something's true, you can't sue for defamation, which requires something to be false. … It's not false, it happened.' — Bruce Rosen, attorney for Red Bank Green reporter Brian Donohue and publisher Kenneth Katzgrau, on a since-dropped municipal complaint from a man who had demanded they remove mention of his expunged arrest from a police blotter they published in 2024. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Bill Bradley, Ed Farmer, Yvonne Lopez WHAT TRENTON MADE IF IT KILLS THEM — 'NJ Transit budget has record $1.4B in state aid. Will next governor continue that?' by The Record's Colleen Wilson: NJ Transit's budget for the fiscal year that started July 1 is 5% larger than last year's, rising by $152 million to $3.2 billion. For the last five years, NJ Transit has relied on federal aid stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic to help close revenue gaps in its operating budget, but the 2026 fiscal year — which runs July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026 — is the first time since the pandemic that the federal COVID aid is no longer available. The new corporate transit fees will help fill that void. NJ Transit is expected to receive about $1.4 billion in state aid this coming year — a historic amount that is nearly double the state assistance received last year … Investing in public transit — and expanding service — more than pays for itself, said a report published in June by the Regional Plan Association. For every $1 invested in NJ Transit, the system returns nearly $5 in economic, environmental and social benefits for those who use public transit and those who don't, the report found … Zoe Baldwin, vice president of state programs at the Regional Plan Association, an independent nonprofit civic organization, said she hopes the report helps reframe the conversation around how the governor and Legislature fund NJ Transit.' IT'S LEGAL TO BECOME FERTILIZER, BUT NOT FERTILIZER FOR A BACKYARD WEED PLANT — 'Would you turn your body into garden soil? Human composting is coming to N.J.,' by NJ Advance Media's Jackie Roman: 'The house plants in Dianne Thompson-Stanciel's Tinton Falls home are thriving with the help of a new compost. The leaves on her monstera deliciosa are a bright evergreen, their vines climbing taller than ever before. Her once stubborn peace lily is now vibrant and glossy. Despite the flourishing greenery, Thompson-Stanciel said she doesn't have a green thumb. 'That's all Ken,' she said. When her late husband Kenneth 'Ken' Stanciel Sr. died in February, his body was flown across the country to one of the few companies certified in natural organic reduction, often referred to as human composting … Soon, New Jersey residents won't have to board a flight post-mortem if they want their remains turned into compost. The practice could be coming to the Garden State under legislation that passed the Senate and Assembly in June … If approved, New Jersey would join 13 other states that have legalized human composting since 2019.' — 'N.J. has thousands of bridges — almost 400 of them are structurally deficient, but officials say they are not unsafe' — 'Hudson electeds and commuters decry PATH delays at Port Authority meeting' — 'Top N.J. students would automatically get into colleges under plan to stop 'brain drain'' — 'LG race will put at least one job in play' TRUMP ERA DIX MOVE — 'N.J. Reps. Conaway, Norcross blast lack of transparency in plans to use Joint Base MDL as immigrant detention center,' by WHYY's P. Kenneth Burns: 'It's been more than a week since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth informed the Reps. Herb Conaway Jr. and Donald Norcross that Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey will serve as a detention center for undocumented immigrants. The two New Jersey representatives toured the military base Friday morning and criticized the Pentagon for not alerting authorities at the base about their plans or sending them any details. 'In fairness to the commanders on the base, they are as much in the dark as we are about what may happen,' said Conaway, whose district includes MDL. Hegseth told Conaway last week that MDL and Camp Atterbury in Indiana were approved for 'temporary use' to house immigrant detainees. Norcross, who is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Conaway were critical of the lack of communication and transparency from the Trump administration on their plans to use the base.' HAS CIATTARELLI FOUND ANYTHING ON WHICH HE DISAGREES WITH TRUMP YET? — 'Picatinny Arsenal could lose 1,000 jobs in Army restructuring, NJ Dems, GOP warn,' by The Daily Record's William Westhoven: 'A federal proposal to enact a 'strategic transformation' of the U.S. military has drawn sharp criticism from both Democratic and Republican leaders in New Jersey, who fear the changes could cut operations and as many as 1,000 jobs at Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County. The reactions to what is known as the Army Transformation Initiative started at the top with Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, but also include Republican leaders such as state Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco. 'Beyond its critical national defense mission, Picatinny serves as a major economic engine for our region and the state, providing high-quality careers for thousands of New Jerseyans,' Bucco, whose district includes Picatinny, said in a joint news release with Murphy on July 22.' — 'What Makes Jersey Run: Gov. Tom Kean chats about Trump, Christie, Ciattarelli, the GOP …' — 'Tom Kean Jr.'s 'big bill' vote hurts N.J. — and his father's legacy | Opinion' R.I.P. —'Army ROTC cadet from Ridgewood dies during training in Kentucky' LOCAL JAIL FAIL — 'Union County says migrant jail 'off the table' for old county lockup,' by New Jersey Monitor's Dana DiFilippo: 'Union County's manager said officials will not permit the county jail to be used for immigrant detention, ending months of speculation and community concern that the largely shuttered property would be sold to a for-profit prison company for immigration enforcement. County Manager Edward Oatman said officials never intended such a use when in March they authorized a request for proposals to repurpose the old jail. They merely aimed to evaluate potential uses for the property, he added. 'While one inquiry did reference the possibility of detention-related use, we quickly recognized that such a direction would not align with Union County's values,' Oatman said in a Thursday statement.' DO IN AC — 'What will New York City casinos mean for Atlantic City?' by The Press of Atlantic City's Wayne Parry: 'A moment Atlantic City has long feared is drawing nearer: Gambling companies have submitted eight bids for the three licenses expected to be awarded in or near New York City by the end of this year. But lost in the general anxiety over what three new casinos on New Jersey's doorstep might do to Atlantic City's casino industry is this fact: Four of the eight proposals for New York come from companies that already operate casinos in Atlantic City. In effect, they are bidding to compete against themselves. So The Press of Atlantic City asked: If you get a license for a New York casino, will you commit to keeping your Atlantic City casino(s) open? Two said they would: MGM Resorts International, which owns Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, and Bally's Corp. … Two others would not say: Caesars Entertainment, which operates three Atlantic City casinos — Tropicana, Caesars and Harrah's Resort — and Hard Rock International, which owns Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.' REPUBLICAN SCHILL — 'Hudson County Republican party welcomes Sheriff Frank Schillari to the team,' by Hudson County View's John Heinis: 'The Hudson County Republican party is welcoming outgoing Sheriff Frank Schillari to the team after he left the Democratic party on Tuesday. 'This is more proof both that the GOP is the big tent party of, by, and for Americans and that we are the law and order party,' Hudson County GOP Chair Jose Arango said in a statement … His remarks aren't shocking, given that he already informally welcomed Schillari to the party via a Facebook post, as did 9th District GOP congressional candidate Rosie Pino, on Wednesday, shortly after Schillari switched parties.' BUT A UNITED VAN LINES STUDY SAID… — 'Overcrowded N.J. school district is spending $9M to block more apartments from being built,' by Nyah Marshall: 'A vacant lot, once slated for apartments, will be purchased by the Edison Township Board of Education for $9 million in an effort to combat overcrowding in the district's schools. The 9.5-acre site, located at 430 Talmadge Road, has been under consideration by the district for five years. Developers had proposed building 250 apartments on the land, but school officials warned the project would worsen the district's overcrowding issues by bringing more families into the town. On Tuesday, the Edison Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution to move forward with purchasing the site. According to the resolution, the board 'intends to utilize the property for an athletic field or other school purposes.' R.I.P. — 'Donald Bradley, former Newark council president, dies at 91,' by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: 'Former Newark City Council President Donald Bradley, who represented the city's South Ward from 1989 to 2006, died yesterday. He was 91. During his seventeen years as a councilman, Bradley advocated for increased facilities for teenage drug treatment programs, expanded senior housing, and more youth centers in New Jersey's largest municipality. He served as council resident from 1992 to 2006. Bradley was appointed to the council in January 1989, four days after Donald Payne, Sr., resigned to take his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.' — '[Hawthorne] just joined suburbs fighting state's affordable housing law' — 'HCDO Chair Guy slams Schillari for joining GOP: Democratic 'voters rejected him'' — 'Camden's new high school uniform policy bars students from wearing all black, and not everyone is happy' — 'Ex-cheerleader sues [Elmwood Park] school district over years of alleged bullying' — 'Red Bank: Mayor ousts Viscomi from library board for deportation comment' EVERYTHING ELSE TURF WAR — 'Plastic turf fields are taking over America,' by The New York Times' Ken Belson and Hiroko Tabuchi: 'The debate over whether to install turf over grass fields has become a referendum on sports, health, the environment and the use of scarce public resources … The rift has been particularly intense in Ridgewood, N.J., a bedroom community of 26,000 residents and about 15 miles west of Manhattan. Disputes over turf have spilled onto local blogs and into public meetings, where some of the village's powerful youth sports leagues — there are at least 10 — have lobbied for replacing grass fields at schools and parks with synthetic turf to give their athletes more chances to play, rain or shine. 'It is a sports-crazed town with lots of sports-crazed, Type A parents and sports-crazed, Type A kids,' said Mark Sullivan, a Ridgewood resident who coached softball and baseball, which his daughter and son played … Scientists have presented their findings about the chemicals in the fields to village officials. And one turf critic, a beloved girls' soccer coach in Ridgewood, said she had been fired for speaking out about its health and environmental risks … New Jersey has been a focus for the industry … Over the past decade, Ridgewood's Village Council has gone from skeptical to gung-ho … Lorraine Reynolds, who opposed turf fields during her five years on the Council before she left in June, said that 'the sports leagues are a powerful lobby.'' DIENERS — 'Diners are closing amid high costs and changing culture. What's next for the Jersey icon?' by The Record's Matt Cortina: 'On appearances, Nick Kallas would seem to be bullish on diners. The Broad Street Diner in Keyport, which he owns with his wife, Maria, was named one of the best in the country last year by Time Out, and the pair recently bought and renovated the Roadside Diner in Wall … But Kallas is also realistic about the challenges of running a diner in 2025: Costs are high and consumer habits are changing. 'Business, listen: It's … We're doing OK,' said Kallas. 'There's not much left anymore, between the rise of utilities and the cost of food prices. We're surviving, but it's just a paycheck.' New Jersey is considered the diner capital of the world, but the challenges Kallas alludes to may be leading to the demise of the diner as we know it. Owners are curtailing their hours, wait lines are thinning, menu prices are increasing and, anecdotally, some say quality is dipping. And diners are closing: Though we still have hundreds in operation, as many as 150 diners have closed in New Jersey in the last decade.' — 'N.J. woman's rare 1-in-700,000 birth needed an assembly line of nurses'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How 'benny' became the Jersey Shore's favorite dirty word
SPRING LAKE – The party never stopped. Watching from her home in Spring Lake, June B. Rozniak grew more and more resentful of the group renting a neighbor's home for the summer, making a mockery of what she saw as a 'lovely seaside community.' They partied during the day, 'cavorting in the golden sunshine' stinking up the air of barbecue fluid. They partied at night, returning home from the bars after 2 a.m. to 'hearty cries of welcome and the festive sounds of man at play echo through the night.' Richard Nixon had just resigned from the presidency less than two weeks before. But at least he'd been able to shed his 'albatross,' as she called it. She was stuck with these…these…out-of-towners. Tourists. Bennies. After complaining to a myriad of township officials, Rozniak put her complaints in writing in a biting opinion column for the Asbury Park Press. That column, published on Aug. 18, 1974, was the first time the Press published any reference to 'benny' or 'bennies,' at least as far as this reporter could find in an online archive, searching back to the 1940s. 'One of the first rules of the house is to go native. This means stripping to the barest possible dress, going barefoot and wearing a jaunty hat. Unfortunately, this uniform appearance has the reverse of the desired effect and they immediately become 'Bennies,'' Rozniak wrote. 'The next rule is to affix one's hand to a beverage of some sort, not to be removed until Sunday evening before departure.' While Rozniak's essay was the first time the Press used the word, she didn't invent it. Later articles quoted longtime residents who said they'd heard the term used by locals as far back as the 1940s — long before MTV sent its rag-tag group of "Jersey Shore" partiers to Seaside Heights. The caricature of the "benny" has become weaved into the culture of the Jersey Shore, the mental image of a fake-tanned, gold-chained New Yorker snuffing a cigarette out on the beach as iconic as Tillie's smiling face or a seagull stealing a french fry. Even the Shore's minor league baseball team got in on the action. This summer, the Jersey Shore BlueClaws rebranded themselves as the "Locals" for three games against the Hudson Valley Renegades — renamed the "Bennys," with a fanny-pack-sporting, cooler-toting pigeon as their mascot. The Bennys are here: Why the Jersey Shore can't deal with it Part of the term's staying power is the lexicographic mystery behind it. "Benny" has become the Jersey Shore's favorite dirty word, but its origins remain just as elusive as they were back when Rozniak included her own definition in her 1974 column. "Even my grandkids today, they'll refer to them as bennies," Rozniak, now 87, said in an interview from her home in South Carolina. "I don't know where I ever heard it from, but I certainly can't say I made it up. I wish I did!' The divided state of New Jersey While the term 'benny' might be unique to the Jersey Shore, people have been identifying and shunning outsiders since the dawn of humanity itself. 'It's very common for cultures to have ways that are a little bit inside baseball to define who's a member of their group, and who's an 'other,' who is different from them,' said Monmouth University provost Richard Veit, who teaches history and anthropology – including New Jersey history. 'Using language like 'benny' and 'shoobie,' those are pejorative terms but that's part of a culture working to define itself.' In short: It's human nature. Finding a pejorative for summer tourists is even commonplace. Coastal Long Island locals will dismiss the 'citiots' (city + idiots) who come to the Hamptons from New York City, for example. And year-round residents in the coastal South still use 'snowbird' as a pejorative for the folks (including many from the Jersey Shore) who live in Florida or the Carolinas during the winter months. 'Using this pejorative language is a culture working to define itself,' Veit said. What makes 'benny' special, however, is the mystery. After all this time, nobody knows when it started or what it means. Not really, anyway. When Rozniak used the term, she thought it referred to the tourists coming to the Shore for the 'benefits' of the sunshine and salt water. Veit buys into the theory that 'benny' comes from an acronym, referring to Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark and New York – where the bennies might have traveled from. Some believe it has to do with the $100 bills — the 'Benjamins' — flaunted by gaudy tourists. There's an apocryphal story about an umbrella rental stand – Benny's – favored by day-trippers to the beach. The first definition I ever heard referred to the expensive Mercedes Benzes clogging up the Garden State Parkway. For every theory out there, there's some evidence that debunks it. The early trains to the Shore didn't connect to the B.E.N.N.Y. cities, and $100 in 1940 would have been equivalent to nearly $2,300 in today's dollars – far more than any visitor would carry when boardwalk concessions and rides cost a few cents. What the stink? Why tourists are called 'bennys' Op-Ed: Bury the word 'benny' in the Jersey Shore sand (While no one can agree on where 'benny' comes from, there is general consensus that 'shoobie,' a more common pejorative along the southern Jersey Shore, comes from day-trippers carrying their supplies to the beach in shoeboxes. Personally, I always preferred the definition popularized by the 1990s Nickelodeon cartoon 'Rocket Power,' which referred to people wearing shoes and socks on the beach as 'shoobies.') The debate is what makes 'benny' a uniquely Jersey thing, Veit says. After all, this is a state where arguments are a part of the culture, where nobody can agree on the name of breakfast meat (it's pork roll) or whether Central Jersey exists (it most certainly does). 'New Jersey is one small, united state divided,' Veit said. 'It has all these different regional cultures. When folks at the Shore are calling someone a 'benny,' that person may only be coming from an hour or 90 minutes away.' Benny go home? But beyond the definition, there's a more existential quandary about bennies: At their core, they're tourists – and tourism is the lifeblood of the Jersey Shore. According to the Tourism Economics research group, the tourism industry generated $8.6 billion in Monmouth and Ocean counties last summer. While some of that spending undoubtedly came from the people who are here in the sweltering July heat and the icy December winds, the effect of tourism on the Jersey Shore economy is undeniable. "I've always welcomed the bennies. I was one for many years. They're down here to spend money. That's why they came, they're on vacation -- and when you're on vacation, you let loose," Jersey Shore Chamber of Commerce president Danielle Wolowitz said. "Tourism is the bread and butter of what a lot of businesses at the Shore rely on, and it's really only for 90 or 120 days." Bumper stickers imploring 'Benny go home' first popped up in Point Pleasant Beach in the late 1970s. And just like today, officials implored people to stop driving away the Shore's main economic driver. In an August 1978 Press article about the bumper stickers – the first time the Press printed the phrase – a Point Pleasant Beach councilman said 'it ought to be 'Bennies welcome' instead of 'Bennies go home.'' A month later, New Jersey Hospitality and Tourism president William Clegg asked, sarcastically: 'Do we need tourists? Does a tree need roots?' The Shore got a little taste of what happens when bennies go home. After Superstorm Sandy ransacked much of the Jersey Shore in 2012, tourism spending in Monmouth and Ocean counties slowed to a halt after years of growth. And when social distancing restrictions were in place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism spending dropped by nearly a quarter. "The locals definitely stepped up and shopped local, but they can't make up that volume," said Wolowitz, who owns Top That! Donuts in Point Pleasant Beach. "There are maybe 5,000 full-time residents here, and that's not carrying you for the whole year. The residents may not like the added traffic or the added waits at restaurants but, for the small business owners, this is our Super Bowl." MORE: How the Shore economy sustained amid COVID-19 But that doesn't mean they shouldn't show a little bit of respect. Perhaps the one agreed-upon definition of a benny is that not every tourist is a benny. For every extra in MTV's 'Jersey Shore,' there's a family of four enjoying a much-needed getaway on the beach and boardwalk. When Rozniak drew the distinction in 1974 – they became bennies when they stripped down to their bathing suits and started drinking, 'properly dressed and refreshed' – she was onto something. But even the litterers, partiers and left-lane-hoggers are part of what makes the Jersey Shore the Jersey Shore. Without them, what else would we have to talk about – the weather? Besides: Labor Day is almost around the corner. Time flies when you're grumbling about the bennies. Before long, we'll enjoy the 'local summer' as we always do – whiling away one of the last good beach days of the year, when the beach is free and the water is warm and the scene is quiet, save for the occasional snicker from a laughing gull. The seagulls are a welcome visitor, no matter the time of year. We all know who they're laughing at, anyway. Mike Davis is an investigative reporter with the Asbury Park Press, where he's covered local news, politics, transportation and the cannabis industry. His work has changed laws, prompted government investigations and even won a few awards, which make his parents very proud. Contact him at mdavis@ @byMikeDavis on social media platforms or send an encrypted message via Signal @bymikedavis.22. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: What does benny mean, anyway? Jersey Shore locals love to hate their tourists Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
VOTE: Who is the Larson Ford Shore boys soccer No. 1 prospect among rising sophomores?
The start of the fall season is right around the corner, and the soccer standouts on the pitch will help kick off a new school year - and it's time to highlight the rising sophomores (Class of 2028). More: Shore high school sports top prospects for 2025-26: 85 boys soccer players Advertisement It's up to APP readers to pick which returning standouts will be the Shore's top sophomore soccer prospects for the 2025-26 school year. Take a look at the nominees in the poll below and cast your vote. The polls will remain open until 10 p.m. on July 24 and there is no limit on voting. If the poll does not immediately load, refresh the page. If you have had trouble voting in the app, try a mobile or desktop browser. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: VOTE: Top NJ Shore boys soccer Class of 2028 rising sophomores poll
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
Jersey Shore traffic watch: Roads clear early morning on July Fourth
Hitting the road to celebrate the Fourth of July at the Jersey Shore? Stay here for the latest traffic updates throughout the day. The Shark River Drawbridge on Route 71 between Belmar and Avon by the Sea in Monmouth County is currently closed for emergency repairs. Motorists are urged to use alternate routes. There's construction on NJ 70 westbound in Manchester Township. The right lane is closed. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore traffic: Updates for Garden State Parkway, Shark River bridge
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
When does Love Island end? Here's when to expect the season finale
Love Island USA has become a phenomenon this year, dominating the social media feeds of Millennial and Gen Z users. And many are now wondering when will we find out who the winning couple is? Here's what we know: The seventh season of Love Island USA is coming to an end in a couple of weeks. The last two seasons had 37 episodes, with the final one being the reunion. If the current season follows suit with 37 episodes as well, the season finale will air on Sunday night, July 13. The show airs on Peacock. Typically, during the season finale, the three or four remaining couples go on their final date before the show announces which couple the viewers voted for and crowned as winners. The finales of the last two seasons featured four finalist couples. Juan Carlos Castillo is a New Jersey-based trending reporter for the USA Today Network. Find him on Twitter at _JCCastillo. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: When does Love Island end? Love Island season finale date
