The dust may be settling following Wednesday’s Bridgegate sentencing, but the political scandal that wrecked Gov. Chris Christie’s presidential ambitions still hangs like “a big gray cloud” over the governor, or at least that’s what the Washington Post opined in a piece Thursday.
Christie, meanwhile, isn’t letting the scandal slip away quietly either, with aides coming to the governor’s defense and blasting a federal judge’s comments about the toxic culture in the governor’s office that led to the scandal.
A new question for state residents on Thursday was if there was anyone in the governor’s office the day before, when both Christie and Lt. Gov Kim Guadagno – who is supposed to fill in for her boss when he’s out of town – were in Washington on the same day.
And, in another only-in-New-Jersey moment, the news on Thursday was filled with stories about political infighting among members of several local governments in the state, including a case where a councilwoman who changed her mind about resigning wasn’t allowed to return to her post.
Quote of the Day: “I don’t think a lot has changed. He still maintains the same level of micromanagement, and frankly, that’s what was at the core of this.” – Assemblyman John Wisniewski, on Gov. Chris Christie’s management style in the wake of the Bridgegate scandal.
Judge condemns Christie’s culture. What’s changed?
In meting out punishment to a pair of Gov. Chris Christie’s former associates on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton made it clear, for the first time, what she thought emboldened the governor’s top aides to veer from public service to public corruption by shutting down lanes to the George Washington Bridge for political payback.
Dustin Racioppi, The Record Read more
Analysis: Bridgegate shows how the ‘big gray cloud’ of scandal doesn’t go away
Wednesday was supposed to be Chris Christie’s coming out party. After Donald Trump passed him over for vice president and dumped him as head of his transition team, the president tapped the New Jersey governor to lead a national effort to combat the opioid addiction crisis.
James Hohmann, Washington Post Read more
Christie’s office defends itself after Bridgegate judge’s comments
Gov. Chris Christie’s office defended itself against comments a judge made Wednesday after she sentenced two former Christie aides to jail time for their roles in the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal.
Matt Arco, NJ.com Read more
Judge lifts censorship order in victory for newspaper
A state judge has thrown out an order that censored The Trentonian newspaper, and attorneys for the publication on Thursday hailed the ruling as a victory for First Amendment rights in New Jersey.
Salvador Rizzo, The Record Read more
Settlement may be near in battle over N.J. mosque
A settlement may be forthcoming in the four-year legal saga between the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge and the township over the construction of a mosque in the Liberty Corner section of the township.
Dave Hutchinson, NJ.com Read more
What New Jerseyans really think about Obamacare
As President Donald Trump continues his vow to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, a new poll shows most New Jerseyans are fans of the health care law known as Obamacare.
Brent Johnson, NJ.com Read more
National Democratic leaders to hold N.J. rally blasting Trump
The Democratic National Committee’s two newest leaders are coming to Newark to rally their party and present a united front against President Trump’s policies that they say threaten working families.
Karen Yi, NJ.com Read more
The State’s Sick Day Payout Problem
Public workers in a majority of New Jersey’s municipalities, school districts, and all but two of its counties are due almost $1.9 billion in pay for unused absences when they retire, with at least one employee slated to receive as much as $500,000.
Colleen O’Dea, NJSpotlight Read more
Trump’s low N.J. approval inching toward Christie territory
President Donald Trump’s already-low approval rating in New Jersey dropped nine percentage points over the last two months, according to a poll released Wednesday.
Brent Johnson, NJ.com Read more
After Christie praises them, N.J. addiction doctors blast Trump budget cuts
As Gov. Chris Christie spends his last year in office focused on expanding addiction treatment, President Donald Trump has been seeking massive cuts to the National Institute of Health’s budget.
Claude Brodesser-Akner, NJ.com Read more
Was N.J. without a governor on Wednesday?
Was New Jersey without a governor for a while on Wednesday?
Gov. Chris Christie and his second-in-command, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, both took separate trips to the White House during the day.
NJ.com Read more
NJ silent; Indicted Lakewood rabbi won’t leave school
State and local education officials remained silent Thursday about the future funding of a special-needs school here after its director was indicted on theft and money laundering charges involving more than $630,000 in public school funds.
Payton Guion, Asbury Park Press Read more
Judge rules in legal battle between mayor and her own city council
A judge ended a legal fight Wednesday that had pitted the mayor against her own city council — a matter that is also likely to put taxpayers on the hook for thousands of dollars in legal fees.
Spencer Kent, NJ.com Read more
N.J. Supreme Court asked to intervene in Salem County election dispute
The county clerk wants the New Jersey Supreme Court to intervene in the dispute over how to handle the reduction of the freeholder board.
Bill Gallo Jr., NJ.com Read more
Wallington won’t take councilwoman back after she resigns, changes mind
Republican Councilwoman Sharon Robie resigned on March 13 from the council, fearing harassment to her family over the way she voted while on council, she said. However, when she attempted to regain her seat at the March 27 work session saying she had made the decision in haste, the three GOP council members refused and appointed former council candidate Bryan Olkowski to fill her unexpired term.
Kelly Nicholaides, The Record Read more
Christie OKs tax cut for Newark businesses that hire locals
The city’s plan to offer tax cuts as an incentive for businesses to hire Newarkers is finally a go.
Karen Yi, NJ.com Read more
When veterans become cops, some bring war home
William Thomas, a retired Newark police sergeant, left his home in a body bag.
Simone Weichselbaum and Beth Schwartzapfel, The Marshall Project Read more
Focus on psych tests as more vets apply to be police
Military veterans, including a relatively small group of men and women who may have been psychologically scarred in combat, made up almost 20 percent of those tested at a Bergen County screening center that determines whether a person is mentally fit to become a police officer.
Abbott Koloff, The Record Read more
Little Falls fills vacant council seat
The Township Council has chosen Marc Benitez to fill a seat left vacant by a councilman who stepped down last month.
Lindsey Kelleher, The Record Read more
Poll Gives Politically Energized Stack an 84% Approval Rating in Union City
State Senator Brian P. Stack’s endorsement earlier this week of Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer gave a game over feel to the incumbent’s reelection contest, or she hopes. The politically hyperkinetic Stack rarely endorses in local contests, so his two front fight on behalf of Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and now Zimmer has gotten the attention of other Hudson County power players.
Insider NJ Read more
Christie at St. Joe’s to discuss opioid addiction
Gov. Chris Christie, appointed this week by President Trump to oversee a national commission to fight the opioid epidemic, said a program at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center which has drastically reduced narcotics prescribed in the emergency department should be replicated nationally.
Mary Jo Layton, The Record Read more
Last-minute reprieve for care program in South Jersey school district
Parents whose children attend a South Jersey before- and after-school program that was to shut down Friday have won a last-minute reprieve thanks to a new provider stepping in to run the program.
Melanie Burney, Inquirer Read more
EDITORIAL: NJ overdue for election reforms
Assemblyman John Wisniewski, a Democratic challenger for governor, says New Jersey’s political process is rigged, putting too much power in the hands of county party leaders that effectively eliminates competition before voters even have the opportunity to make a choice.
Asbury Park Press Read more
Let police, fire unions run their pension system
The state Legislature’s overwhelming bipartisan vote to give New Jersey’s police and firefighter unions greater control over their own pension funds is an important step in ensuring the future stability and viability of the retirement system and could provide an alternative model for public pension systems that have been systematically underfunded by entities controlled by governors and state treasurers.
Steve Sweeney Read more
