The daily average for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the United States is now more than 100,000, higher than in any previous surge except last Winter before most Americans were eligible to get vaccinated. The influx of patients is straining hospitals as deaths have risen to an average of more than 1,000 a day for the first time since March. Hospitalizations nationwide have increased by nearly 500% in the past two months, particularly across Southern states, where ICU beds are filling up, a crisis fueled by some of the country’s lowest vaccination rates and widespread political opposition to public health measures like mask requirements. In Florida, 16,457 people are hospitalized, the most of any state, followed by Texas, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The New York Times
Dr. Anthony Fauci says getting everyone the shot is key to ending the pandemic as about 80 million Americans who can get the COVID-19 vaccine still haven’t. “We could turn this around and we could do it efficiently and quickly if we just get those people vaccinated,” said Dr. Fauci. “That’s why it’s so important now in this crisis that we’re in, that people put aside any ideological, political or other differences and just get vaccinated. We want them to come forward for themselves, for their own health, for those of their family as well as for the community.” News12 New Jersey
While small, over the past three weeks the number of Garden State kids hospitalized with the virus has doubled. Numbers collected in a New Jersey Hospital Association survey show there were seven pediatric hospitalizations with confirmed COVID-19 during the last week of July, and that number increased to 14 during the week that ended on Aug. 21. Dr. Meg Fisher, a pediatric infectious disease expert and advisor to New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli, said the increased number of positive cases in kids is probably due to a combination of the Delta variant being very contagious, and the fact that more testing is being performed. NJ1015.com
New Jersey voters believe the two biggest issues facing the state are the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and taxes, according to a new survey from the Monmouth University Polling Institute. In a poll released Aug. 18, 41% of voters said the coronavirus outbreak is their biggest concern, followed by property taxes (32%), the economy and cost of living (15%), income tax (9%), sales tax (7%) jobs (7%), and other taxes (4%). When it comes to handling the pandemic, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy led Republican Party nominee Jack Ciattarelli by a more than 2-1 margin, 46% to 21%. Murphy leads on jobs and the economy was closer but still distinct, garnering 35% support over Ciattarelli’s 21%, according to the poll. North-JerseyNews.com
Robert Treat Academy temporarily switched to remote instruction at two campuses after on-site testing found 11 staff members tested positive for the coronavirus. The charter school in Newark, teaching in-person to about 700 students since the start of its school year on Aug. 2, made the decision to close its two campuses on Aug. 25 after the school hired a lab to conduct testing on its staff the day prior. NJ.com
Officials of the Jersey City School District don’t expect any student mandates for the COVID-19 vaccine in the near future after the Hoboken school district announced it would require vaccination or weekly testing for students 12 and older. “There will be a time when we will get to that,” Jersey City Superintendent Franklin Walker said, noting that as of now, the order would have to come from the state. “It requires that the government gets involved and they provide guidance on those things based upon all the resources that they have that is available. … I am an educator and what I do is I rely on those individuals that have the expertise in those areas to provide guidance so that we can put the district in a position to be the safest that it can.” The Jersey Journal
A U.S. drone strike on Aug. 29 destroyed an explosives-laden vehicle that the Pentagon said posed an imminent threat to Afghanistan’s main airport, as the airlift of Afghans fleeing Taliban rule shut down just two days before the scheduled final withdrawal of American forces. The U.S.-led coalition told Afghans awaiting transport out of the country that for them the airlift was over. “We regret to inform you that international military evacuations from Kabul airport have ended,” it said in a text message sent Aug. 29, “and we are no longer able to call anyone forward for evacuation flights.” The airlift has flown more than 117,000 people out of the country since Aug. 14, most of them Afghans. The Wall Street Journal
Sen. Bob Menendez hit back at the Supreme Court of the U.S. (SCOTUS) after it directed the Biden Administration to reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy instituted under the Trump Administration. Calling it a “disastrous step” for the country, Menendez argued it was contrary to the nation’s long standing status as a nation made up of immigrants, and a safe harbor for those fleeing violence and crises—such as Afghan refugees. “I urge the Biden-Harris administration to take swift action in using its executive power to curtail and put a lawful end to the implementation of this disgraceful policy,” stated Menendez. North-JerseyNews.com
A state law will keep low-income New Jersey renters from being removed from their homes through the end of the year despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. While a majority of the Supreme Court ruled the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overstepped its authority that banned evictions through Oct. 3, New Jersey renters can’t be evicted through the end of August or the end of the year, depending on their type of eviction case and income level. New Jersey Herald
OPINION: The Budget Battle in the Democrats Big Tent. Rep. Josh Gottheimer’s battle to nail down a firm date for a vote on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was a preview of the debate Democrats are headed for over the next couple of months when it comes to the reconciliation budget. The leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus has stated “We will only vote for the infrastructure bill after passing the reconciliation bill.” We look forward to the media and politicians scrutinizing the motives of the left wing of the party with the same vigor that the nine centrist in the House faced the last two weeks when it comes time to vote Sept. 27. North-JerseyNews.com
State authorities have charged Passaic County Surrogate Bernice Toledo with falsifying records after she allegedly appointed a longtime friend and political supporter to be the administrator of a $600,000 estate over the objections of the deceased man’s cousin. The attorney general’s announcement comes 18 months after the state Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct said in a complaint that Toledo “lacked candor and misrepresented the nature and extent of her relationship” with Keith Stewart, whom she named administrator of Mark Halchak’s estate after Halchak’s January 2017 death. The Record
North Jersey lawmakers were among those on Aug. 24 that voted to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021. Reps. Tom Malinowski, Donald Payne Jr., and Bill Pascrell Jr. were among New Jersey’s representatives to vote in favor of the bill, designed to restore protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that sponsors say were gutted by the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder Supreme Court decision in 2013. “John Lewis was my friend for 24 years. The Voting Rights Act was his most sacred legacy. Today we are reaffirming our commitment to democracy,” said Rep. Pascrell. “We face a perilous time with nearly 400 separate bills across the country waging war on voting.” North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey’s average temperature has warmed faster than that of any other state in the last 100 years, with Summers becoming hotter, Winters not as cold and Springs and Falls generally warmer. New Jersey Autumns warmed up by 2.47 degrees, winters by 2.98 degrees, Springs by 2.10 degrees and Summers by 2.34 based on data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Daily Record
A proposed $190-million renovation of Newark Penn Station moved forward on with Gov. Phil Murphy’s announcement that NJ Transit has released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the initial planning and design phase. The project includes the installation of modernized amenities, pedestrian spaces and improvements to infrastructure, some to meet the impact on climate change on future transportation needs. New Jersey Globe
The Hudson Tunnel Project should qualify for advancement to the next phase of the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants Program, based on a new financial plan submitted Aug. 27 by the Gateway Program Project Partners. The plan seeks approximately $5.6 billion in FTA Capital Investment Grant funding, or approximately 44% of the CIG-eligible project costs. It is supported by more than $6 billion in commitments toward estimated construction costs by New York, New Jersey and the Port Authority to support the commission’s borrowing of low-interest federal loans. Amtrak has strengthened its commitment to contributing $1.4 billion toward the project’s construction costs and has moved quickly to acquire real property in Manhattan for the project. The estimated cost of $12.3 billion includes $10.1 billion for the new tunnel and $2.2 billion for full rehabilitation of the existing tunnel. ROI-NJ.com
Newark is taking a new approach to the way it handles some emergencies, hiring 10 social workers to its police department for its latest officer recruits. The goal is to include social workers in responding to nonviolent calls to prevent them from escalating. Advocates want the city to make more resources available to the community, hoping to prevent confrontations with police in the first place. NJ Spotlight News
And finally…The New Jersey hometowns of Olympic gold medalists Sydney McLaughlin and Athing Mu honored the two athletes this past weekend. NJ1015.com
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