New Jersey health officials will be on hand when the vaccine is administered for the first time in the Garden State. On Dec. 15, Gov. Phil Murphy and New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli will visit and inspect University Hospital’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School on the first day the Pfizer’s vaccine is offered. North-JerseyNews.com
The U.S. will buy 100 million additional shots of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine—doubling its initial order of the vaccine. The expanded order would ensure continuous vaccine delivery through the end of June 2021, at a total cost of $3.2 billion. Moderna’s vaccine will be evaluated by an expert FDA panel on Dec. 17. PoliticoNJ
OPINION: A Long Winter Ahead Despite Good COVID-19 News. During the holiday season, it is sobering to think the more Americans are expected to die each day for the next two months then on 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. We must battle through the coronavirus fatigue and keep up with the health protocols that have shaped our lives since March—wearing a mask, continuously washing your hands, staying in our bubbles this Holiday season—in order to lessen the deaths of loved ones and those in our community. But the availability of a vaccine does feel like the beginning of the end for New Jersey in its battle against the coronavirus. North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy reaffirmed New Jersey will continue to allow indoor dining at restaurants with capacity limits and a 10 p.m. curfew despite plans from neighboring New York City and Pennsylvania to close those businesses amid surging coronavirus cases. Murphy said the only thing that would change his mind is if the number of people hospitalized spikes to a level that’s putting significant strain on New Jersey’s 71 hospitals. NJ.com
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid by Texas and other Republican-led states to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory, seemingly dashing President Donald Trump’s last-ditch hope that the justices effectively hand him a second term. In a brief order Dec. 11, the Justices summarily refused the unusual case Texas filed against four swing states whose voters favored Biden. “Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections,” the court wrote in its unsigned order. PoliticoNJ
The Electoral College, meeting in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, will formally cast votes Dec. 14 for President. Vermont and Indiana, at 10 a.m. local time, will be among the earliest states to convene electors, while Hawaii won’t start its process until nine hours later. President-elect Joe Biden received 306 electoral votes after the votes were cast in the U.S. compared with President Donald Trump’s 232. The Wall Street Journal
An $823.6 million full funding grant agreement to construct a new Portal North Bridge reached its final hurdle when the Federal Transit Administration submitted it to Congress for a 30-day review. The review, required by statute, is the final step prior to the official approval of federal funding to replace the 110-year-old bridge, which allows trains to cross the Hudson River. New Jersey Globe
A newly-released report from the New Jersey Autonomous Vehicle Task Force has provided what Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean says maps “the road ahead” for bringing driverless vehicles to the state in a smart and safe way. The task force, created in 2019 by the state, was charged with studying autonomous vehicle technology and making recommendations on how to govern the use of self-driving cars, recently presented its findings to Gov. Phil Murphy and the legislature. North-JerseyNews.com
The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission announced, starting Dec. 14, all MVC Vehicle Centers will be open by appointment only. The move comes as locations across the state have had to close due to staffing concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. Insider NJ
State regulators are seeking to suspend the liquor licenses of four bars and restaurants in North Jersey for violating public safety protocols during the pandemic. Bars and restaurants cited were Graystone Inn in Little Falls (40-day suspension sought), Eddy’s Bar & Liquors in Bayonne (15 days), Wicked Wolf in Hoboken (10 days) and Reilly’s Bar & Grill in Kearny (30 days). NJ1015.com
New Jersey lawmakers advanced a bill to prevent cops from facing demotion, discipline or pay cuts because they didn’t arrest more people. A department would be barred from considering the number of arrests made or citations issued when evaluating an officer’s overall performance, under a proposal unanimously approved by the State Senate Law and Public Safety Committee. Current law allows those statistics to be one of the factors considered when officials weigh promotions, demotions, dismissals, discipline and salaries. NJ.com
Police and protesters collided outside the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack over the weekend as demonstrators rallied in support of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees on a hunger strike inside the jail. Police deployed pepper spray and made arrests shortly before 6 p.m. Dec. 12 outside the jail after both sides clashed when protesters marched there from the city courthouse, where police were positioned with shields and other riot gear. The Record
Sexual assault victims would get copies of police reports, notification when prosecutors are filing charges against their assailants and a chance at an alternative form of “restorative justice” should they decide not to report the crime to authorities, under a package of bills the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee approved Dec. 14. Additionally, the Senate panel approved a bill that would expand who may file a sexual harassment complaint if they work for state government or another state entity to include employees, interns, volunteers and members of any state agency or gubernatorial transition office or person doing business with the state. NJ.com
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) rolled out its Spring sports schedule with April 1, 2021 start date for most athletes. Boys golf competition begins April 9, 2021, while the opening day for all other Spring sports is slated for April 19, 2021. Post season for Spring sports will be held from June 1-20, 2021 with golf and tennis dates still to be determined due to the use of third party facilities. Practice for baseball and softball pitchers and catchers are allowed to start March 26, 2021. North-JerseyNews.com
And finally…With snow in the forecast this week, here is a checklist for New Jersey residents and businesses to prepare. News12 New Jersey
