TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalToms River Mayor-elect Mo Hill says 44 town hall employees must reapply for jobs
TOMS RIVER - Change is underway in town hall, as 44 employees received notice Nov. 22 requesting that they advise the incoming administration of Mayor-elect Maurice B. "Mo" Hill Jr. if they are interested in remaining in their jobs after Hill becomes mayor.
Letters were issued to the so-called "confidential" employees, who were appointed to their town hall jobs by Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher. Kelaher, who has served as mayor since 2008, is stepping down after his third four-year term.
The letters were sent by Gregory P. McGuckin, a Republican state assemblyman who represents the 10th District in the legislature, and is also head of Hill's transition team. McGuckin served as a councilman with Hill and was council president for several years before choosing to seek an assembly seat.
While the letters caused concern in town hall, Hill said that issuing them is standard procedure at the start of a new administration.
Read more: https://www.app.com/story/news/politics/ocean-county/2019/11/27/toms-river-mayor-elect-says-44-town-hall-employees-must-reapply-jobs/4297957002/
(Asbury Park Press)
Papa John's founder ate 40 pizzas in 30 days, says 'it doesn't taste as good'
Papa John’s founder John Schnatter says the pizza company’s quality of food has gone downhill since he was removed as CEO.
Schnatter stepped down as the public face of Papa John’s at the end of 2017 after he publicly criticized NFL leadership over football players’ protests during the national anthem. Six months later, he resigned as chairman of the board due to backlash over his use of the N-word on a conference call with shareholders.
In a new interview with Kentucky TV station WDRB, Schnatter said the company he started in 1984 has declined over the past two years.
“I’ve had over 40 pizzas in the last 30 days, and it’s not the same pizza,” Schnatter said. “It’s not the same product. It just doesn’t taste as good... The way they’re making the pizza is just not fundamental to what makes a Papa John’s pizza."
Read more: https://www.syracuse.com/business/2019/11/papa-johns-founder-ate-40-pizzas-in-30-days-says-it-doesnt-taste-as-good.html
https://twitter.com/bubbaprog/status/1199167890370510848
'F*** you!' table-throwing rapist tells judge as he goes away for 50 years
Syracuse, NY -- Shamik King got a long leash Tuesday as he hurled insults at a prosecutor and a judge during sentencing in the rape of a 74-year-old stranger.
But County Court Judge Stephen Dougherty had the last word as he sentenced King to 50 years in prison over the rapist’s shouted insults.
“F*** you!” King said repeatedly, among a slew of other slurs, as the judge raised his voice to speak over the defendant.
King’s behavior was actually less disruptive than in previous appearances: he was kicked out of his own trial in August after throwing a courtroom table during jury selection. A jury found him guilty in 30 minutes of the August 2018 attack of the elderly woman as she slept inside Skyline Apartments, 753 James St.
Read more: https://www.syracuse.com/crime/2019/11/f-you-table-throwing-rapist-tells-judge-as-he-goes-away-for-50-years.html
College basketball: Stephen F. Austin shocks No. 1 Duke in overtime
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Nathan Bain hit a layup at the overtime buzzer and Stephen F. Austin knocked off No. 1 Duke 85-83 on Tuesday night, ending the Blue Devils’ 150-game home winning streak against nonconference opponents.
The Lumberjacks became the first non-Atlantic Coast Conference team to beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium in nearly 20 years and the second unranked team to upset a No. 1-ranked team on its home floor in two weeks after Evansville went into Rupp Arena and stunned Kentucky 67-64.
“I told our players, ‘Banners can’t beat us tonight,’” Stephen F. Austin coach Kyle Keller said. “The players have to beat us.”
https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/1199547982519164928
Duke had the ball in the closing seconds of overtime, but Tre Jones missed a jumper with about 15 seconds left and Wendell Moore rebounded it. With the Lumberjacks’ high-pressure defense hounding Duke, the ball kicked way from Matthew Hurt in a scramble with about 3 seconds left — directly to Bain, who went the length of the floor for a buzzer-beating layup.
Read more: https://www.syracuse.com/sports/2019/11/college-basketball-stephen-f-austin-shocks-no-1-duke-in-overtime-video.html
New York faces its largest budget crisis in a decade. This is the reason why.
ALBANY - New York faces budget deficits between $6 billion and $8 billion over the next three years amid ballooning costs for Medicaid.
Budget documents released Friday afternoon showed the state faces its worst fiscal problems since the recession in 2010, when a $10 billion budget gap needed to be closed.
The state Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo will need to come up with a balanced budget for the next fiscal year that starts April 1.
A $6 billion budget gap for the 2020-21 fiscal year could mean deep cuts in programs and services.
Read more: https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/albany/2019/11/25/new-york-faces-its-largest-budget-crisis-decade-why/4274198002/
Minority Voters Chafe as Democratic Candidates Abandon Charter Schools
ATLANTA — The night before Democratic presidential candidates took to a debate stage here last week, black and Latino charter school parents and supporters gathered in a bland hotel conference room nearby to make signs they hoped would get the politicians’ attention.
“Charter schools = self-determination,” one sign read. “Black Democrats want charters!” another blared.
At issue is the delicate politics of race and education. For more than two decades, Democrats have largely backed public charter schools as part of a compromise to deliver black and Latino families a way out of failing district schools. Charters were embraced as an alternative to the taxpayer-funded vouchers for private-school tuition supported by Republicans, who were using the issue to woo minority voters.
But this year, in a major shift, the leading Democratic candidates are backing away from charter schools, and siding with the teachers’ unions that oppose their expansion. And that has left some black and Latino families feeling betrayed.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/26/nyregion/charter-schools-democrats.html
When to Peak? Amy Klobuchar Has Given It Some Thought
HENNIKER, N.H. — For months, Senator Amy Klobuchar has been the Democratic presidential candidate turning down the music at the party.
As Senator Elizabeth Warren promised “big, structural change,” and Senator Bernie Sanders offered his brand of “political revolution,” Ms. Klobuchar was steadily reminding voters of the factors that have long mattered in national politics, at least before the election of a certain current president: expense, experience and electability.
Now, as the moderate wing of the party reasserts itself in the primary campaign, her message of plain-spoken politics is drawing greater attention.
“What was happening early on was that there was this belief that only those guys had bold ideas,” Ms. Klobuchar, of Minnesota, said in an interview, as she campaigned across New Hampshire this weekend. “I have plans, too. I have bold plans, too. And no one has a monopoly on good ideas.”
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/26/us/politics/amy-klobuchar-2020.html
Gov. Cuomo signs bill banning new mercury flooring in schools
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has signed a bill banning new mercury flooring in schools and setting limits on exposure to the neurotoxin.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) and Assemb. Judy Griffin (D-Rockville Centre), also prohibits schools from installing additional levels of flooring on top of mercury-emitting surfaces that would conceal the old flooring.
The Amityville, Merrick and Miller Place school districts closed facilities this year after finding mercury vapor coming from rubberlike synthetic flooring.
“I applaud the governor for taking action,” Amityville Superintendent Mary T. Kelly said Tuesday. “One of the issues we were confronted with was there weren’t any standards for this type of environmental concern, and for us any type of mercury vapor presence is too much in terms of ensuring the safety and well-being of our children and our staff.”
Read more: https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/mercury-flooring-gov-cuomo-1.38941860
New York Waterway ferries pulled out of operation causing massive commuter delays
Nearly two dozen ferries operated by the New York Waterway were taken out of service Monday morning due to safety issues.
The U.S. Coast Guard ordered the suspension of 23 ferries due to concerns over fire and emergency system safety, ABC reported. The NY Waterway ferries bring commuters across the Hudson River, and operates out of four piers in Manhattan.
“We do pride ourselves on safety," Jennifer Schuck, of NY Waterway, told ABC after news broke of the ferry suspension. "We have interior protocol that may have not been followed properly, so we are going to be looking into that as well. So believe me, this will never happen again.”
The Coast Guard reportedly continued inspection of the ferries throughout the day Monday. Some of the ferries resumed service, while others remained offline.
Read more: https://www.metro.us/news/local-news/new-york/new-jersey-nyc-ferry-service-delay-after-boats-pulled-out-operation
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Gender: MaleHometown: South Texas. most of my life I lived in Austin and Dallas
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