Chris Christie

TRENTON - Rutgers officials are scrutinizing practice videos of all sports to see if any coach engaged in behavior like the type that cost men's basketball coach Mike Rice his job, the university president announced Monday. The inquiry into Rice and how university officials responded is also going deeper as the school announced that it plans to hire a consultant to conduct an independent review. University president Robert Barchi, speaking Monday during a town-hall meeting on the school's Newark campus, said he wants any instances of bullying or homophobic language to be reported immediately.

TRENTON - Gov. Chris Christie continues to maintain a strong lead in his re-election bid. But the woman who wants to defeat him in November is gaining some ground in a new poll. A Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released Friday shows Christie holds a 30-point lead among registered voters surveyed. That's down from 42-points in a Rutgers-Eagleton survey conducted in February. The new poll shows Christie's support has dropped six points while Democrat Barbara Buono gained six points. However, Buono continues to suffer from name recognition and 61 percent of her supporters expect the state senator to lose.

Elle magazine has declared Kerry Washington a bona fide star and an A-list celebrity! Finally! The 36-year-old Scandal beauty graces the June cover. Kerry tells the mag she didn't initially plan to go into acting. "I imagined I'd be a clinical psychologist, with a focus on how performance shapes identity," says Kerry, who did a double major, in sociology and anthropology, at George Washington University. "I'd figure out ways to use role-playing in the healing of people.

WPHT-AM radio gabber Chris Stigall is paid to spout opinions. He shared a few with the Daily News about: Philadelphians: "Extremely passionate. Know exactly what they believe. Have an opinion. You'll never meet a [wishy-washy] Philadelphian. I don't think you can survive in this city and not know what you think about virtually everything. " Mayor Nutter: "Smart. Getting tougher. Liberal, sadly, but, of the liberal options, maybe the one I'm most comfortable with. " Pennsylvania Gov. Corbett: "Reserved.

TRENTON - Barbara Buono is losing. Yes, it's still more than six months until an election in which she tries to unseat a popular governor. And yes, beating Chris Christie - named last week to Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world, for God's sake - was never going to be easy. But at this early stage, the little-known Democratic state senator from Middlesex County is outmatched in the crucial areas of polls, party unity, and cash. Buono is participating in the state's donation matching program, which gets her $2 in public funds for every $1 she raises.

TOMS RIVER, N.J . - With the presidential election looming just a week after Superstorm Sandy's devastation, authorities in New York and New Jersey were scrambling Monday to make voting as manageable as possible while election watchers warned any shortcuts could compromise the integrity of the balloting. Election officials in both states were guardedly optimistic that power would be restored and most polling places would be open in all but the worst-hit areas for Tuesday's election.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE said that New Jersey's 15-year-old drug-court program will be expanded as part of a plan to ease inmates' transitions back into society and to get help for addicts who are involved in many crimes. The move came with an admission from the Republican governor. The so-called "War on Drugs," which brought harsh penalties to drug offenders, hasn't worked, he said. "We're missing the best in terms of how we can help these folks turn their lives around," he said.

Who's running against Chris Christie? No one, it seems. Credible opponents are dropping like Jersey skeeters at the onset of the first frost. Newark Mayor Cory Booker, former acting Gov. Dick Codey, Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr., and Senate President Steve Sweeney have all demurred. That leaves lesser-known State Sen. Barbara Buono. So, as he faces reelection, Christie couldn't have arranged the stars any better. In nearly every poll, he's scoring a solid thumbs-up of 60 to 70 percent or more.

SEA GIRT, N.J. - All eyes were fixed on Gov. Chris Christie yesterday as he met with New Jersey National Guard members but stayed away from news reporters. The governor traveled to Sea Girt for a private breakfast with veterans and an awards ceremony for national guardsmen at the National Guard Training Center. The ceremony featuring parachute jumpers, flyovers by Black Hawk helicopters and F-16 fighter planes, and a 19-gun salute seemed very presidential, though Christie made no mention of his political aspirations during a speech to guardsmen.

Are you arguing with a public- union employee, with an overtaxed middle-class dad or with your kid's teacher and need a little backup from the biggest mouth in New Jersey? There's an app for that. The NJGOVRANTS app, filled with some of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's best gems, is available for download today on Apple's App store. The app was created by political comedian/writer Joey Novick, a former elected official in New Jersey and no fan of Christie's. Here are some of Christie's quotes you'll find on the app. Remember to read them with Christie's gruff New Jersey accent: _ "When you ask me questions, I'm going to answer them directly, straightly, bluntly, and nobody in New Jersey is going to have to wonder where I am on an issue.