2014 in Review: January

How I kicked off 2014

My dog in the first hours of the New Year.

The polar plunge into the Delaware, at the Riverside Bar and Grill.

The entire group taking the polar bear plunge.

The year 2014 began on Wednesday, January 1st, 2014. I kicked it off actually in Mother's Bar and Grill in the circle in Easton, having a glass of champagne and downing a Yuengling. I spent the next morning at Riverside Bar and Grill, watching my dad dive in the Delaware River for charity, and then I watched football for a few days. Around the middle of the month, I joined Organizing for Action (OFA) in New Jersey to organize in Northern New Jersey, mostly around getting people informed about the Affordable Care Act, supportive of action on climate change, and supportive of further gun-safety measures, but also around immigration reform. My base for work was Morristown, NJ. In addition to all of that, I made my way up to Madison Square Garden with my buddy Rob to see the Lakers and Knicks play.

January is usually a big month for news, and 2014 was no different. What were some big January stories:

• Bill O'Brien left as head coach of Penn State University after two seasons to take over the Houston Texans. O'Brien lead the program through the darkest days after the Sandusky scandal broke. He would be replaced later by James Franklin, formerly coach at Vanderbilt.
• Bill de Blasio became Mayor of New York, replacing twelve-year incumbent Michael Bloomberg. Liberals were very heartened by the victory. Mayor de Blasio has had an up and down first year, getting many of his legislative priorities through council, but also struggling with his messaging, and his relationship with the police.
• "BridgeGate" struck Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, as questions arose about members of his administration ordering land closures on the George Washington Bridge as revenge against the Mayor of Fort Lee, NJ for not supporting him. While Christie and his team have not seen indictments yet, several U.S. Attorney's offices are investigating the scandal still.
• Colorado welcomed legalized marijuana to the state. They have exceeded their wildest hopes on tax revenue from legalization, while neighboring states plan to sue them now.
• Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan left as mayor after ten years at the helm, replaced by Bob Donchez, a long-time councilman.
• The Eagles lost their NFC Wild Card round game at home to New Orleans. The Eagles had won the NFC East.
• Florida State and hated embattled Quarterback Jameis Winston defeated SEC Champion Auburn to win the NCAA BCS Football National Championship. They broke a run of SEC, and state of Alabama-based national champions.
• Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas were elected to the Baseball Hall-of-Fame, while Bobby Cox and Joe Torre were also selected as managers. All were very deserving, though some very deserving players missed.
• The Charleston, West Virginia area suffered from a chemical spill in their water that made it unsafe to drink in the area. "Big government socialists" rushed in drinking water for the locals and helped clean up the river.
• Peyton Manning and his Broncos defeated Tom Brady and his Patriots to win the AFC title and send Manning to his third Super Bowl.
• The Seattle Seahawks won an absolute classic NFC title game over the San Francisco 49ers. It rates amongst the best games I've watched.
• A-Rod sued Major League Baseball for their suspension of him for the 2014 MLB season. He ended up losing the suit and missing the season.
• Bruce Springsteen went on Jimmy Fallon's show and re-wrote "Born to Run" to make fun of Chris Christie's bridge scandal.
• Clayton Kershaw signed a contract extension with the Dodgers for over $300 million, the largest deal ever handed out.
• Bob McDonnell, the former Governor of Virginia, left office as Governor and was later indicted.
• The Grammy Awards proved their irrelevance some more, picking Macklemore and Daft Punk over the Jay Z's of the world.
• President Obama delivered his State of the Union on the 29th, and I watched in Montclair with local activists. I felt it was one of his stronger speeches, but it moved nothing politically.
• Congressman Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island) threatened to throw a reporter off of the balcony in the capitol. Incidentally, Grimm plead guilty to the tax evasion charge the reporter wanted to know about. Democrats nominated maybe the worst candidate ever, and Grimm crushed him in November.
• Tom Wolf started his television ad-buy for the Pennsylvania Governor nomination in January, helping him to swamp the opposition for the nomination.