2 tickets hit $636M Mega Millions jackpot – but neither is from N.J.

2 tickets hit $636M Mega Millions jackpot – but neither is from N.J. (via NJ.com)

The second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history finally has a winner — two of them in fact. The lucky tickets that will split a $636 million prize were sold in San Jose, Calif. and Atlanta. There were also 20 tickets sold that matched five numbers…

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You might be drunker than you think

In case you missed the Today Show this morning, here’s the video of the Rossen Reports segment shot last week at Raven and the Peach in Fair Haven last week.

Watch me dance stumble through the field sobriety test.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Explainer: How Redistricting Can Shape Elections — and What Happens When It Does

Explainer: How Redistricting Can Shape Elections — and What Happens When It Does (via NJSpotlight)

What’s responsible for the extreme divide between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, and to a lesser extent, in Trenton? Some political observers believe part of the problem is the way we draw legislative and congressional districts. These days…

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Freeholders support traditional and religious holiday celebrations and displays in schools

By Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

At the December 10, 2013 meeting of The Board of Chosen Freeholders, a resolution was passed regarding Assembly Bill 4481 which provides school districts with the option of educating students about the history of traditional winter celebrations and allows students, faculty and other staff to offer traditional greetings regarding the celebrations. Some examples of the traditional greetings would be Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays.

Furthermore, Assembly Bill 4481 also provides the option to allow a school district to display on school property scenes or symbols associated with traditional winter celebrations, including a Menorah or a Christmas image such as a nativity scene or a Christmas tree; however the scene must display a scene or symbol of more than one religion, or one religion and at least one secular scene or symbol.

In addition to holiday displays, the legislation provides that a school district may include musical selections with religious themes at winter or holiday programs if the winter or holiday program includes musical selections of more than one religion or one religion and music secular in nature.

I felt that this piece of legislation was something that was very important to bring back into our schools because it encourages the support of understanding the importance of individuals and families keeping with tradition. Not only was I a strong supporter of this piece of legislation but I received the full support of The Board in particular my fellow board member, Freeholder John Curley.

Assembly Bill 4481 which allows school districts to teach about traditional winter celebrations, display holiday symbols on school property, and include musical selections with religious themes is legislation that I will continue to support in hopes of seeing those old family values and traditions restored to what they once were.

            With the Holidays come family gatherings, office parties, socializing with friends and Year End football game get-togethers. These are occasions each and everyone of us looks forward to all year.

            The Board of Chosen Freeholders wishes the residents of Monmouth County a very safe and happy holiday season.

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N.J. Senate pulls gay marriage bill

N.J. Senate pulls gay marriage bill (via NJ.com)

TRENTON — State Senate Democrats have pulled from consideration a bill that would write gay marriage, already legal in New Jersey by court order, into the law books. Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg said Sunday that she decided to follow the…

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Drinking on the Today Show

The segment was bumped by the Short Hills Mall shooting story.  It is now rescheduled for Tuesday between 7:30am and 8am.

Tune into NBC Monday morning between 7:30 and 8 or set your DVR  to catch some familiar faces, including your favorite blogger, demonstrating the dangers for drinking too much during the holiday season, or anytime, especially if you plan to drive.

The Today Show, in conjunction with the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Fair Haven Police Department, hosted a holiday party for a small group of Monmouth County residents at Raven and the Peach last week.

The drinking, followed by sobriety tests and interviews, should serve as an important warning. Hopefully, those of us who participated will not look too ridiculous.

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Keep an eye on Kennedy

As was the case in the early days of the 2008 presidential campaign, which started the day after George W. Bush’s reelection in 2004, Hillary Clinton is considered a lock for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.

Along came Davids Plouffe and Axelrod to snatch the 2008 nomination away from Hillary in favor of an unknown and untouchable freshman U.S. Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama.

Presidential campaigns are big business.  If James Carville and Company cruise Clinton to the nomination without a fight, Plouffe and Axelrod stand to lose out on millions in consulting fees as well as their seats at the pinnacle of power.

For most of her adult life, President John F. Kennedy’s daughter Caroline, kept a low profile and went by her married name, Schlossberg.

After Clinton was named President Obama’s Secretary of State, Kennedy Schlossberg briefly entertained the idea of running for the New York U.S. Senate seat vacated by the appointment.

Now that she is Obama’s Ambassador to Japan, Caroline is officially a Kennedy.

A Caroline Kennedy for President campaign is a long shot. But not as long as shot as Barack Obama’s candidacy was in 2005.

You have to wonder why she would start using her maiden name after 27 years, if she wasn’t running for something.

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Bridgegate: What difference does it make?

Some members of New Jersey’s press corps, along with Senator Loretta Weinberg, Assemblyman John Wisniewski and the Democratic National Committee seem think they finally have an issue to thwart Governor Chris Christie’s rising star.   They’re hoping traffic jams in Fort Lee will prevent Christie from becoming President of the United States.

The Star Ledger has an article this morning quoting Democrats and academics saying “the scandal” could hurt Chrisite’s national ambitions.

But questions about the incident have fueled a scandal that even Christie’s masterful team of brand managers can’t make go away.

The Record’s Charles Stile writes that “Christie won’t easily shake GWB flap.”

Stile and The Star Ledger’s reporters have it wrong.  Christie deftly accepted “ultimate responsibility” for the mistakes made in Fort Lee last September, while deflecting blame, at his press conference on the matter on Friday. As NJTV’s Michael Aron said on Reporters Roundtable, the issue is ‘fundamentally over.”   If the ‘Bridgegate’ story gets any ink at all in 2014 and beyond, it will be deep in the back pages.

It’s doubtful that the subpoenas that Wisniewski, as Chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, issued will result in any smoking gun that proves that Christie or anyone in his inner circle other than Port Authority’s Bill Baroni or David Wildstein knew about the George Washington Bridge lane closures that tied up traffic in Fort Lee for a few days is September.  Even if a smoking gun is discovered, as Hillary Clinton would shout, “What difference does it make?”

Now that Christie is a legitimate presidential contender, the front runner in the early polls, it is perfectly appropriate that the press and his opponents attempt to make mountains out of traffic jams and other mole hills as part of the vetting process for a president.  Barack Obama got a pass from the press and his opponents in 2008 and 2012. Look what that got us.

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The Buck Stops With Christie

Governor Christie: I wouldn’t characterize myself as angry Matt. It just you know, I don’t like when mistakes are made, because of the question you asked me, right? Like, are you ultimately responsible? Yeah. I mean it’s OK when I make the mistakes, you know, that I’m responsible. When others make the mistakes I’m you know, it bothers me. But I think anger would probably be a little bit too strong a word. Bothered probably would be the better word, you know? I was bothered by it but, you know, folks around here – when I’m angry you tend to be able to see it. I don’t hide it all that well. I’m not angry but I’m bothered when people make mistakes that wind up reflecting poorly on their performance, because their performance is the performance of this Administration, and so I’d rather have us all doing things well, and so I’m bothered whenever that happens. But, you know, as I said before, I commend Senator Baroni for his service, for his four years there. I know how hard that job is and he worked very hard at it. So did Mr. Wildstein at the job he had and, you know, it’s unfortunate for them that a mistake got made near the end of their tenure but, you know, that’s just the way life works sometimes and no, I wouldn’t call myself angry, but bothered, yeah. I mean, I’d rather not be doing this, but, you know, this is the job. So, you know, when you lead this is what you’ve got to deal with sometimes, but other times, you know, I’m standing behind here when the folks that work for me have done extraordinary things, herculean things, that I get to smile and stand here and put my arms around them and take credit for it. So if you’re going to do that you got to be prepared to do this too, and that’s OK. I’m a big boy. I can handle it.

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Meet Deborah Gramiccioni

Governor Christie: I am sending to the Port Authority somebody who has been one of my most trusted friends and advisors for the last ten years, and my instruction to her is the instruction that I have given to her in every task I’ve asked her to undertake for me, to use her best judgment, to put integrity first, and to make sure that she makes the tough decisions that need to be made in order to make sure that the taxpayers of this state and in the case of the Port Authority, the toll payers of the region are protected and respected. I want to thank Senator Baroni for his four years of service to the people of the state and of the region, and I look forward to changes that will result from Deb’s leadership along with Chairman Samson and the other Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. So I’m going to introduce Deb to make some remarks and then I’ll come back to take your questions. Thanks Deb.

Deborah Gramiccioni: I would just like to thank the Governor for his continued faith in me. It has been an honor to work for the Governor the past ten years, first as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, then as director of the Authorities Unit and now as Deputy Chief of Staff. I also want to thank my policy team. I’m going to miss all of you, and I’m ready to get to work.

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