COMMENTARY

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I love the concept of the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, but I admit there are times I wonder did I really need to know that. There is such a thing as too much information and there is the reverse…see New Jersey Transit and how it prepared for Superstorm Sandy.

While I am not ready to fully condemn the agency that operates bus, light rail and commuter rail services, I am reluctant to forgive the multitude of sins committed prior to Sandy; but mostly their unwillingness now, more than six months after the epic storm, to discuss what it did to prepare for the Superstorm.

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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been quite a busy man this week among the paparazzi.  Making his way along the Jersey Shore as a demolition crew took apart the sad remains of the Seaside Heights boardwalk roller coaster – not to mention with royalty at his side, Prince Harry. And Wednesday the cameras caught the governor once again, but this time outside of 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan – Goldman Sachs.

You are probably asking yourself: What is the New Jersey Governor doing entering Goldman Sachs? Well the answer is simple, according to Reuters.com, spokespeople for Goldman and the Governor’s office. Christie entered the investment banking firm around 11:30 a.m. looking in good spirits since recently announcing that he underwent lap band surgery to deal with his weight problem. The Republican governor was on hand for the Global Macro conference, which invites politicians, regulators, diplomats, CEOs and other power players to talk about big-picture trends.

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Superstorm Sandy destroyed so many low lying areas of New Jersey along the shore that, still seven month later, victims are looking for answers to put back the pieces. On Thursday, Governor Chris Christie had some answers for those victims in the communities of Sayreville and South River – a new federally funded buyback program.

As reported by the Associated Press, properties that have flooded repeatedly since the hurricane will have the opportunity to sell their homes during the first phase of this $300 million buyback program. According to the Governor, who returned to Sayreville to announce this voluntary program, the money will be enough to buy back 1,000 in the communities along the Raritan River, Passaic River basin and the Jersey Shore, as well as a second round of funding to be expected sometime in September.

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NOW THAT'S FUNNY

Police have arrested three people for drug and prostitution activities at the Vincente K. Tibbs Senior Citizen Building in Englewood, New Jersey.  The charges include possession of crack cocaine and running a prostitution ring.  James Parham (age 75), Cheryl Chaney (66) and Selma McDuffie (54) are the suspects.

Well, everyone is working later in life these days. No need to slow down just because you’re over 60!

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A New Jersey teen who blogged about her depression was saved from overdosing on pills by an Internet follower of hers from California.

Jackie Rosas, 18, of Cathedral City contacted a national suicide hotline about the girl’s message to begin the series of events that saved the New Jersey teen.

“She blogged she was going to end her life,” Rosas said to The Desert Sun. “She had been fighting this depression, and my instinct was that she was serious. She wrote something like: ‘I’m going to kill myself. There is no other option.’”

Rosas also got in touch with local police, but Rosas could only provide a link to the girl’s blog and her first name.

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An 11-month old baby has died in a bathtub in her foster home in Newark.

Essex County prosecutors say the case is still under investigation.

New Jersey Department of Children and Families Commissioner Allison Blake said her agency was "working closely with law enforcement to investigate an allegation of neglect regarding supervision of this child in the bathtub," NJ.com reported.

The child’s biological mother, Kenyatta Ealey says the foster family was negligent when her daughter, Kaniiyah, drowned on Wednesday, according to News 12 Westchester.

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Things could have turned out entirely different for Caleb "Kai" McGillvary, otherwise known as “Kai, the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker.”

For a time, things were different. In February, McGillvary, 24, saved a California utility worker when a man he had hitchhiked a ride with hit the worker’s car, and then got out and attacked the person.

The Fresno Bee reported that Jeff McBride got out of his car and began assaulting Rayshawn Neely, saying, "I am Jesus and I am here to take you home." Kai then came to Neely’s aid by hitting McBride with the hatchet he happened to be carrying.

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Waiting for the trial on Monday could have been a trial in itself – it started almost 3½ hours late – but the large room in Manalapan Municipal Court was well-populated with animal welfare people willing to wait. Many wore buttons that showed a cat and read, “She (or He) had no chance.”

They were supporting plaintiff Stuart Goldman’s case against three NJ animal control officers (ACOs) and a health officer (the person to whom ACOs typically report), accused of having cats killed before the seven-day holding period required by law.

Animals impounded in NJ must be kept for seven days to give opportunity for rabies disease surveillance and for owners to reclaim them, according to NJSA 4:19-15.16. Instead, Goldman argued, the three ACO-defendants, all employed by Manalapan Township, had regularly procured the killing of cats without regard to the seven-day hold period.

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A three day intense hostage situation, in Trenton, ended Sunday in tragedy. Authorities stormed the house and took out the suspect, 38-year old, Gerald Tyrone Murphy at around 4 a.m. after a 36 hour standoff.

“Preliminary information from the investigation now being conducted indicates that following our entry, a single shot was fired by our entry team to stop a threatening action against one of the children by Murphy. Murphy was wounded, taken into custody and transported to the Fuld Medical Center by Trenton EMS. He has since died of his injuries,” Trenton Police Col. Rick Fuentes said at a news conference.

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Prosecutors are charging a Toms River man with having unsecured firearms in his home that were accessible to children.

The 4-year old son of Anthony Senatore took a .22 caliber rifle from Senatore’s bedroom and shot his 6-year old neighbor in the head from about 15 yards away.

NJ.com reported that Senatore’s son and Brandon Holt were playing "pretend shooting" on April 8, a neighbor said. Holt was in a go-kart when he was shot. He died the next day at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.