Despite controversies regarding their finances and a public fight with Newark Mayor Cory Booker, the New Jersey Devils are one step away from the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup Finals, and perhaps a championship.

The Devils are currently in a PATH series against their metropolitan rival, the New York Rangers. The moniker “PATH series” is due to the Port Authority Trans- Hudson (PATH) train system that allows access to both the Devils home arena, the Prudential Center, and the Rangers home at Madison Square Garden. Although the Rangers are the top seed in the Eastern Conference, they have had their hands full this postseason. They have gone the full 7-game distance in their first two series, beating the 8th seed Ottawa Senators in the first round, and the 7th seed Washington Capitals in the Conference Semifinals.

New Jersey has also had an uphill climb in the playoffs. As the 6th seed, they scored a first round upset over the 3rd seed Florida Panthers in a thrilling first round 7-game series. The Conference Semifinals were much more convenient, as they dispatched another tri-state rival - the 5th seed Philadelphia Flyers - in a mere five games.

Citing the imprudence of imposing obligations on New Jersey citizens while questions of constitutionality are pending with the Supreme Court of the United States, Governor Chris Christie vetoed legislation that would have begun to establish a health care exchange in New Jersey in line with the federal Affordable Care Act. The creation of health care exchanges in each state is provided for in the Affordable Care Act as the vehicle for individuals and businesses to access care and comply with the “individual mandate.”
 
“I am concerned that a hastily created exchange in New Jersey will impose unnecessary obligations upon the State’s taxpayers,” Governor Christie said. “The very constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act is cloaked in uncertainty, as both the individual mandate to procure health insurance as well as the jurisdictional mandate to establish an exchange may not survive scrutiny by the Supreme Court.”

An Assembly panel on Monday (May 14) advanced two separate Democratic measures that would allow the automatic expungement of criminal records of nonviolent offenders in certain situations.
           

The first bill (A-355), sponsored by Assembly members Reed Gusciora, Jerry Green and Albert Coutinho, would automatically expunge a person’s criminal record under certain circumstances.
           

The second bill (A-2829), sponsored by Assembly members Jerry Green and Bonnie Watson Coleman, would automatically expunge the criminal record of nonviolent drug offenders who have completed New Jersey’s drug court program.
           

The bills would not affect crimes with an absolute bar to expungement.
           

The first bill (A-355) would eliminate the requirement that a petition must be filed by the person seeking the expungement. Instead, an expungement would be automatically provided to the person once the requisite amount of time has lapsed since the conviction, provided the conviction appears in a criminal history record maintained by the state police. In addition to authorizing automatic expungement, the bill reduces the statutory waiting periods for the expungement of records for various crimes.

Before this year, not too many people knew were familiar with Richard John Santorum. However, he led an impressive campaign to seek a nomination that may lead to the highest office in the country. That campaign ended prematurely on April 10.

“We made a decision to get into this race at our kitchen table, against all the odds, and we made a decision over the weekend that while this presidential race is over for me, and we will suspend our campaign effective today, we are not done fighting,” said Santorum at a press conference.

Santorum ended his campaign for the Republican Presidential nomination due to the health of his daughter Isabella, who has Edwards syndrome, also know an Trisomy 18. The decision all but clinches the nomination for opponent Mitt Romney.