Newark has a new mayor for the first time in almost two decades. The Nets and Devils are both in the playoffs. The Giants, Jets, Metrostars… er RedBulls have new stadium plans. The New Jersey Turnpike added a new exit 15X. Jersey City is becoming the new Williamsburg. New Yorkers are actually commuting to work in Hoboken offices.

Despite all this good news, the Garden State is still dealing with a bear problem. The bears aren’t just a scare for some intrepid campers, but are now freaking out suburban residents. This afternoon, the police over in Irvington, NJ decided that it was best to kill a bear hanging out in someone’s backyard than to tranquilize him.

As if I needed anymore reasons to head over to Chengdu…