Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, of Marlboro is back and opening her second clothing store. Her first is in Madison, N.J. and her new one is near Metro North in Beacon. 

When Snooki starred on Jersey Shore, she was single, a graduate of Marlboro High School, where she was a cheerleader. Now she is married to Jionna LaValle. They have three sons. The new store will be a Snooki Store.

Ulster County finally has per capita income of $50,462
The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Federal Government reports that in 2018  that its per capita income topped $50,000 at $50,462. The national average was $54,446, and the state average, $68,668. The average in Orange County, $51,848, and Dutchess County, $56,625.

New York State has the second highest wealthiest county: Manhattan, with a per capita income of $193,940 and a population of 1,628,701. The wealthiest is Teton County, Wyoming (Jackson Hole), with a population of 23,088, which is less than the City of Kingston.

The population of Ulster County fell to 178,999. It has been declining for the past 15 years.

The Social Progress index has bad news
Porter’s Social Progress Index has bad news for the United States. Among the world’s more than 190 countries it ranks 28th. Social Progress has many categories, some of which the United States ranks high, and some very low.

I will give you the bad news first. First the name of the category, and then the US rank: access to quality education, 97; environmental quality, 119; greenhouse gas, 189; property rights for women, 59, political rights, 64; discrimination and violence against minorities, 100; equality of political power, 84; equality of political power by gender; women with advanced education; 22; childhood mortality, 45; maternal mortality, 73; death due to infectious disease, 42; water and sanitation, 35; personal safety, 57; Homicides, 95; traffic, and quality education.

Here are good numbers. Access to quality universities, 1; mobile phones, 1; basic human needs, 29; food needs;1; and outdoor air pollution, 28. 

Trump’s next Supreme Court nominee will oppose abortion
President Donald Trump’s opinion is that to get the support of his evangelical base, his nominee to replace Ruth Bader-Ginsburg must oppose abortion. It does not matter if they are a good or a lousy judge, as long as they oppose abortion.

Trump wants them to take away a woman’s right, when 70% of women support this legal right.

This is an issue, which women understand, and which Trump does not as he is a male. The supreme court judges, who want to take this women’s right, are all men. They are also all Catholic. What do these men know about abortion, that women don’t know?

Women do not want to have an abortion, but face situations that make them have one. They may learn that the man, who got them pregnant, does not want to be a father and leaves the girl to go it alone to raise the baby. Then she does not want to have his baby. Undoubtedly there are many variations to this story.

Such a ruling would effect poor women different from ones with some means. A friend of mine sent her daughter to London. For some a plane ride to Montreal or Toronto means nothing, and for others it means everything.

It is well known that the biggest reason a couple has an abortion is money. That reason has not changed. That is likely the reason that the Bronx, the poorest metropolitan county, leader in abortion. 

What do Trump or the Republican supreme court judges know about this? Probably nothing.

One of my godsons got a girl pregnant when he was 17. I He did know where his father lived, and his mother could not take care of herself. Her family was going to get him so many jobs. None of them panned out. They broke up. He has not seen his children in years. Did I tell you that he got another woman pregnant? Do Trump and the judges know someone like this?

Unfortunately, I do.

Smart principals get the best teachers

There are school principals that can spot a good teacher in a second, and others who could be married to one, and did not know she was outstanding. I would ask local high school seniors, who I interviewed, who was their favorite teacher?

The same names kept coming up. Years ago one of the names of the teachers at the New Paltz Elementary School kept coming up, but only one. Then we began running the academic results of the New Paltz and Highland Elementary school side by side. Year after year Highland elementary was beating New Paltz in both English and Math. Many of its Highland Elementary teachers had been hired by Don Baines. He called his teachers good people.

Paul Georgini of Marlboro had that magic touch, too. I got to know the names of all of these Marlboro Elementary School teachers because the kids told me about them.

There were other great principals who could get a good teacher in a moment. Money was not the reason.

The same can be seen in baseball. Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman yearly gets one great find after another. Cashman got Luke Voit from the Cardinals. He now leads the American league in home runs.   

Cashman can see talent. Their opposite is the Dolans, who own the New York Knicks. They have the money, but they don’t win.