NJ Gov. Christie Shows Softer Side Before Budget Address

Army Officer, Wife Accused of Child Abuse

May 012013

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MORRIS COUNTY, N.J) — A U.S. Army major and his wife are facing federal child-abuse charges for cruelty to their six children, three of whom were adopted. The alleged acts of cruelty include breaking their bones, denying them medical attention, withholding water and force-feeding them hot sauce, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said Wednesday.

John E. Jackson, 37, and Carolyn Jackson, 35, worked at the Picatinny Arsenal Installation in Morris County, N.J. Because the alleged crimes occurred on a military base, they will be tried in a federal court.

The Jacksons are charged in a 17-count indictment with one count of conspiracy to endanger the welfare of a child, 13 counts of endangering the welfare of a child and three counts of assault.

“Carolyn and John Jackson are charged with unimaginable cruelty to children they were trusted to protect,” Fishman said in a statement. “The crimes alleged should not happen to any child, anywhere, and it is deeply disturbing that they would happen on a military installation. Along with the FBI, we will continue to seek justice for our communities’ most vulnerable victims.”

The Picatinny Arsenal Installation did not return a request for comment.

The alleged abuse occurred from 2005 until 2010, when the Jacksons engaged in a “constant course” of neglect and cruelty to their three adopted children and told their three biological children not to report the physical assaults, saying the punishments were “training” the adopted children how to behave, according to the indictment.

The indictment alleges that the Jacksons withheld water from their children and assaulted them with objects, causing fractured bones. The report also says the parents caused the children to consume food meant for suffering, including red pepper flakes, hot sauce and raw onion. They also allegedly caused one child to ingest excessive sodium or sodium-laden substances while being deprived of water, leading to a life-threatening condition.

The defense teams for the parents did not return a request for comment.

The children are in the custody of the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency.

Several support websites and online groups for Carolyn and John Jackson have been developed since the abuse allegations first became known in 2010.

One website, ReuniteJackson7, maintains the Jacksons are innocent and asks for donations for legal fees. New Jersey attorney Grace Meyer’s address is listed on the website as the place to send in donations. When ABC News contacted Meyer, she said she doesn’t know who is behind the website. She added that she had not received any donations and was unaware that her name was on the website.

Meyer said she represented the family from 2010 through last year.

“I represented them for two years in court. I believe God is in control of this and I just know they’ll be exonerated,” Meyer said.

If the Jacksons are convicted, each faces a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison on each of the 17 counts. Each count also carries a maximum $250,000 fine.

Both are scheduled to appear in a U.S. District Court Thursday at 11 a.m. before Judge Mark Falk.

NJ Gas Station Manager Says He Sold Winning Powerball Ticket

Mar 252013

Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images(BORDENTOWN, N.J.) — The single Powerball ticket sold in New Jersey that matched all six numbers in Saturday night’s $338.3 million jackpot drawing was sold at a popular truck stop close to the New Jersey Turnpike, according to the store’s manager.

The manager of Love’s Travel Stops & Country Store in Bordentown, N.J., said he was in the process of changing shifts when he received a call from a happy driver claiming to have the winning ticket.

“Upon listening to his voice he did sound happy, kind of like a relief like he wouldn’t have to work as hard and nice to hear that for someone,” store manager Isaiah DeVries told ABC News early this morning.

DeVries says the ticket was most likely sold to a regular.

“I’m sure if I were to see his face I would recognize him. He claimed to be a usual here in the store,” DeVries said.

Lottery officials are expected to hold a press conference later Monday to officially announce the location of where the winning ticket was sold.

Love’s is a popular stop for many truck drivers passing through the Garden State. Eric Johnson has been a truck driver for five years, and realizes he was in the right spot but just didn’t have the right numbers.

“I wish it was me. I’m happy for him, but I wish it was me. Being a truck driver is hard,” Johnson said.

If the winner takes the lump sum of $211 million, that person could afford 105 private submarines, 24 Caribbean islands and 17 vintage Ferrari Testa Rossas.

People at Love’s had been dreaming big for days leading up to the drawing, but only one man will be driving off into the sunset a millionaire.

“Shucks it wasn’t me, but congrats for him. Pretty happy for him,” DeVries said.

In case you were wondering, the winning numbers were 17, 29, 31, 52, 53 and Powerball 31.

The price of a Powerball ticket doubled in January 2012 from $1 a game to $2, which has accounted for the swelling jackpots.

“We redesigned the game and with more money going into the game, the jackpot prize pool has doubled so more people are playing because the jackpot is growing higher,” Multi-State Lottery Association President Jim Haynes said.

Powerball is offered in 44 states and your chances of striking it rich are one in 175,000,000, meaning you’d have been 25 times more likely to win an Academy Award.

After all, dreaming big is part of the Powerball fun, even for the more than 80 million people whose tickets are now worthless.

“For $2, it’s inexpensive entertainment and you can buy a part of the dream,” Haynes said.

Winning $338 Million Powerball Jackpot Ticket Sold in New Jersey

Mar 242013

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Image(NEW YORK) — A single Powerball ticket sold in New Jersey matched all six numbers in Saturday night’s drawing, meaning some lucky Jersey resident has won the sixth largest jackpot in history.

No real details about the person who purchased the ticket and won the $338.3 million jackpot have been released, but officials at the New Jersey State Lottery said more would be revealed on Monday.

If the winner chooses to take the lump sum payout, he or she will receive $221 million.

In addition to the win in Jersey, thirteen other tickets matched five numbers but were missing the Powerball. Those tickets will earn a payout of $1 million each, according to lottery officials. They were sold in New Jersey, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia.

One Power Play Match 5 winning ticket sold in Iowa, worth $2 million.

The winning numbers were 17, 19, 31, 52, 53 and Powerball 31.

The jackpot has been reset to $40 million.

Christie Joins GOP Governors in Expanding Medicaid

Feb 262013

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages(NEW YORK) — New Jersey Governor Chris Christie — an opponent of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare — announced Tuesday that his state will participate in Medicaid expansion that is a centerpiece of the law’s attempt to give health insurance to the uninsured.

Christie is the eighth Republican governor to buy into the Medicaid expansion, which was made optional by the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Obamacare.

“While we already have one of the most expansive and generous Medicaid programs in the nation, including the second-highest eligibility rate for children, we have an opportunity to ensure an even greater number of New Jerseyans who are at or near the poverty line have access to critical health services beginning in January 2014,” Christie said at the State House Tuesday during an address on the New Jersey budget.

Half of the states have agreed to participate in Medicaid expansion, according to the Advisory Board, a health consulting firm.

The program will get its funding from the federal government for its first three years and begin contributing 10 percent of the costs in 2020, Christie said.

The announcement came as a bit of a surprise as Christie has often criticized the Affordable Care Act, but it also comes in the wake of an announcement from the Obama administration that states can lower their Medicaid payments to doctors and health care providers.

The New Jersey governor was quick to distance himself from Obama’s signature health care legislation Tuesday.

“I am not a fan of the Affordable Care Act,” Christie said. “I think it’s wrong for New Jersey, and I think it’s wrong for America.”

The governor twice vetoed state legislation that would have created health care exchanges under the ACA, saying the federal government had not made clear how much such a system would cost his state.

But Tuesday he reasoned that if New Jerseyians refused the Obamacare funds in the Medicaid expansion program, they would simply be spent on health care ventures in neighboring states.

“I will make all my judgments as governor based on what I believe is best for New Jersey.”

The New Jersey Star-Ledger first reported Christie’s plans hours before his press conference.

NJ Gov. Christie Shows Softer Side Before Budget Address

Feb 262013

ABC News(TRENTON, N.J.) — The office of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday released a video teasing some of the issues the governor will highlight in his budget address Tuesday afternoon.

Named “Saving Lives Lasts Forever,” the video shows Christie’s State of the State address last month, as well as the governor who is up for re-election this year greeting constituents in diners, schools, hospitals and other locales.

Christie is also heard saying, “When you are governor, they often ask you if you are worried about legacy. If you are worried about legacy, you are probably focusing on the wrong thing. But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be conscious of it.”

“And there are certain things that you do that you know will be temporary,” Christie says. “There are certain things you do that you hope will be permanent. Budgets come and go, taxes go up and down, but saving lives, saving lives that lasts forever.”

The video ends with the words “Recover. Rebuild. Restore.” written across the screen.

It’s a softer Christie than the tough-talking governor we often see. The video shows the possible 2016 presidential contender who’s more like the man seen in the days after Superstorm Sandy slammed into New Jersey, when he was hugging those affected and helping the most vulnerable, than the one known to tell New Jerseyans and Republicans alike to “shut up.”

The video seems to reflect the Christie administration’s more long-term priorities, including education and the economy. And it’s likely we will hear him discuss on Tuesday how he intends to balance the state’s budget amid tight funds and the need to rebuild after Sandy. It’s also possible that Christie will mention how he intends to deal with a possible expansion of Medicaid.

The address comes a day after news broke that Christie, 50, was “not being invited” to next month’s Conservative Political Action Conference, according to a source close to the event. The confab of conservative activists has almost 40 featured speakers, including presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who’ll deliver his first public address since losing in November.

Officially, CPAC says the schedule is still being finalized. Despite angering members of his own party in the past, Christie is one of the most popular governors in the country. A state poll by Quinnipiac earlier this month found a 74 percent approval rating for Christie, the highest of any New Jersey governor in 17 years of Quinnipiac polling in the state.

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