Twenty-eight years before Donald Trump’s turbulent run for the presidency, the developer was trying to win votes in Paramus for a project he vowed would transform the crossroads of the borough, the intersection of Routes 4 and 17.

Trump eventually abandoned the project — a massive mall, hotel and office complex called Trump Centre with two high-rise buildings, one 12 stories and the other 13 stories, which he promised with his characteristic braggadocio would be “the finest shopping center in New Jersey and beyond.” Along the way, he gave Paramus and North Jersey residents a preview of some of the talking points of his presidential campaign, including blustery claims about his building prowess and his ability to fix a long-standing government problem, lawsuits and insults against the competition, and an allegation that the approval process might be stacked against him.

The Trump Centre saga coincided with the years when Trump’s celebrity status was soaring. His book “The Art of the Deal” was on the bestseller lists; he had started his own airline, the Trump Shuttle; he had purchased the Plaza Hotel. Soon after, his finances and personal life hit a rocky patch with the divorce from Ivana Trump, the tabloid scandal with Marla Maples, and bankruptcy filings involving a casino and the Plaza.

But when Paramus first learned that Trump, then 41, wanted to plant his name on the most important piece of real estate in the borough, his celebrity status was so strong that he, and many residents, figured the project was unstoppable.

Read more: http://www.northjersey.com/news/donald-trump-had-a-plan-in-the-80s-to-make-paramus-great-again-1.1683926

[font color=330099]Trump couldn't make Paramus great again so why does anyone think that he will make America great again?[/font]

WASHINGTON — Gov. Chris Christie is back on the fundraising circuit, trying to bring in money to help fund the White House transition should Donald Trump be elected president Nov. 8.

"All signs point to an incredible turnout for Donald Trump that will put him over the top and make him our next president," Christie, who is chairing Trump's transition effort, said in a fundraising email.

"We've been hard at work developing an action plan for what comes next after Mr. Trump wins – including appointing a cabinet, lifting bad regulations and executive orders and crafting a bold legislative agenda," Christie said.

The transition committee can accept donations of up to $5,000.

Read more: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/10/look_what_christies_now_raising_money_for.html

NEWARK — And now it's in the hands of jury.

After six weeks and 35 witnesses, the defense and prosecution in the Bridgegate trial finished summations Monday, handing the case over to seven women and five men who will determine the fate of two former Christie administration insiders charged in a bizarre scheme of Jersey-style political retribution.

In a dramatic final day, defense attorney Michael Critchley decried the government's chief witness as someone with "a sick mind" whom he dubbed as the "Bernie Madoff of New Jersey politics."

At the same time, prosecutors, in their rebuttal, told jurors the evidence showed that "when they thought no one else was watching," the two defendants engaged in a scheme to punish a mayor over his failure to support Gov. Chris Christie.

Read more: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/bridgegate_jury_hears_last_appeal_by_the_defense.html

TRENTON — Two doctors accused of inappropriate sexual conduct have agreed to surrender their licenses to practice medicine in New Jersey, Attorney General Christopher Porrino announced Monday.

Bergenfield internist Raja K Jagtiani agreed to forfeit his license when he pleaded guilty last month to criminal sexual contact involving five patients and three female employees, according to Porrino's statement on behalf of the state Board of Medical Examiners.

In a separate action, Jadan H. Abbassi, an anesthesiologist in Clifton, surrendered his license for good to settle allegations he engaged in inappropriate behavior with a patient. Abbassi denies he did anything wrong, Porrino said.

"Doctor-patient trust serves as the bedrock of the medical profession, and sexual exploitation of patients is the gravest imaginable violation of this trust," said Attorney General Porrino. "We will continue to ensure that these licensed predators are weeded out of our medical community."

Read more: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/10/nj_doctors_forfeit_licenses_amid_sexual_misconduct.html

If Democrats win the Senate majority on Nov. 8, Delaware is likely to have two senators chairing committees simultaneously for the first time in nearly a century.

Sen. Tom Carper will be the senior Democrat on two committees – Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee – which positions him to chair either. And Sen. Chris Coons is in line to chair his first full committee – the Select Committee on Ethics.

“That helps us advocate for Delaware because it increases our role within the leadership of our caucus,” Coons said.

Delaware’s tendency to re-elect its senators has helped them acquire seniority and advance to leadership positions. Vice President Joe Biden chaired both the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees during his 36 years representing Delaware, and the late Sen. Bill Roth, a Republican, chaired both the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs.

Read more: http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2016/10/30/de-senators-could-both-chair-committees-if-dems-win-senate/92853916/

The state's top law enforcement official says Delaware needs to rework "complicated and cumbersome" drug laws that sometimes tack on harsher sentences for "arbitrary" reasons.

"It is time for us to revise our criminal drug laws to make them more simple, more fair and more logical," Attorney General Matt Denn said in a news release.

Denn says he will craft specific proposals for the General Assembly to consider after working with law enforcement, victims advocates and substance abuse experts. But he laid out broad themes for what he hopes that legislation would accomplish:

Simplifying drug laws so that they are easier for police, attorneys and judges to apply.

Removing "sentencing enhancements" that impose stiffer punishments based on geographic areas, which Denn argues are causing urban residents to face harsher consequences that suburban or rural residents.

Eliminate other enhancements that "do not appear logical," like tougher penalties for drug crimes that involve the use of a car.

Putting more resources into drug treatment programs for inmates and defendants who enter diversion programs instead of going to jail.

Read more: http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2016/10/31/denn-drug-laws/93085432/

A vehicle in Vice President Joe Biden's motorcade was involved in a crash with a Delaware State trooper and two other vehicles Monday morning in Wilmington, according to state police.

The crash occurred at about 8:30 a.m. at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Adams Street in Wilmington, said Master Cpl. Jeffrey Hale, a spokesman with Delaware State Police. Four vehicles were involved.

Biden was not injured in the crash and the vehicle he was traveling in was not involved, Hale said.

Police believe a vehicle in the motorcade hit a state trooper's vehicle and two other vehicles, Hale said. It's unclear if those vehicles were parked or moving, he said.

Read more: http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/traffic/2016/10/31/joe-biden-motorcade-crash/93052288/

Nate Beeler/Columbus Dispatch

Maryland elections officials expect record turnout during early voting this year, which runs from Thursday, Oct. 27 to Thursday, Nov. 3 at select polling locations. Here's a look at how daily early voting stacks up against the 2012 general election, the first time early voting was used in Maryland during a presidential contest. The state has since expanded the number of early voting centers and increased the number of days those centers will stay open.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bal-maryland-early-voting-2016-vs-2012-20161028-htmlstory.html

[font color=330099]The chart that appears in the article indicates that during the first four days there were about 400,000 voters in 2016 compared to about 313,000 voters in 2012.[/font]

The Hogan administration will ask the Board of Public Works to approve $82 million in spending cuts from the current state budget, including cuts to colleges and universities, local governments and Medicaid.

The proposal, which will go to the board next week, reflects an expected revenue shortfall. The board is made up of Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and two Democrats, Comptroller Peter Franchot and Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp.

Budget Secretary David R. Brinkley outlined the proposed reductions to the state's $43 billion budget in a conference call Friday. He presented the action as part of Hogan's strategy to address an expected budget gap of $175 million to $225 million.

Brinkley echoed points raised by the General Assembly's chief budget analyst, Warren Deschenaux, at a briefing this week. Deschenaux, who in the past has been a target of Hogan administration criticism, had warned lawmakers that the state can't continue to spend more than it is bringing in.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-budget-cuts-20161028-story.html