A day of protests over the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer were held across the nation and in New Jersey, followed by a night of widespread reports of looting and confrontations with police. Multiple cities put in place curfews, including Washington, DC, where the lights of the White House were shut off at 11 pm as fires burned outside its gates. The New York Times
Three children-centric opening dates in New Jersey were announced for programs limited during the coronavirus crisis. The state will allow all childcare centers to reopen June 15, non-contact organized sports activities can resume June 22 and youth day camps, including municipal summer rec programs, were given a July 6 start date. North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to announce specifics of the second stage of the plan to reopen New Jersey June 1. The second stage includes the opening of more retail locations, allowance of outdoor dining locations and capacity-limited museums and libraries. News12 New Jersey
Atlantic City casinos may be reopened around July 4, but Gov. Phil Murphy stressed strict social distancing and occupancy limits will have to be enforced to make sure COVID-19 is not easily spread. Like indoor-seating at restaurants, the governor noted casinos present a unique problem because of stagnant air and close contact among patrons and staff. The Daily Record
The limits to indoor gatherings are expected to be raised by the second weekend of June. During his daily press briefing on May 29, Gov. Phil Murphy stated “as long as our health metrics continue to trend in the right direction, I anticipate being able to raise the limits on indoor gatherings in a way that will allow for greater indoor religious services for the weekend of June 12.” North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy is under increasing partisan pressure to speed up the pace of reopening the state’s economy. Republican state lawmakers recently sent a letter saying the state’s reopening strategy has been “arbitrary and inconsistent” and complained about Murphy’s reopening approach in treating the entire state as one region—a different approach than in the neighboring states of New York and Pennsylvania. The Wall Street Journal
State health officials were interviewed in an attempt to root out leaks exposing divisions in the state’s coronavirus pandemic response and how a consulting firm got a contract against the objections of his health commissioner, according to published reports. The interview subjects include a state epidemiologist and an assistant health commissioner who was fired on May 28. The Record
The entire Hudson County legislative delegation, including Senate Deputy Majority Leader Sandra Cunningham, will support Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposal to borrow $9 billion to help the state deal with the fiscal crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise joined the Hudson legislators in backing the plan they say will avert massive public sector layoffs, including police officer, firefighters, EMTs and public school teachers. New Jersey Globe
Hudson County school districts will lose millions of dollars in state funding after the state reduced proposed school aid by about $335 million statewide. Union City, Bayonne, West New York and Kearny will all lose at least about $3 million, with both Union City and Bayonne losing a little under $5 million. The Jersey Journal
The Weehawken Planning Board voted to approve Hartz Mountain Industries application to build at the Atir Site in Lincoln Harbor. The 259-unit complex made up of two 14-story towers will have 200 onsite parking spots, with an extra 80 spots for visitors. Hudson Reporter
And finally…60 Minutes took a look at Hackensack University Medical Center convalescent plasma therapy that is producing promising early results. CBS
