OPINION: Critical Race Theory, Columbus and Balance as History is Revised. What Americans need to do more today is shut up and listen to the arguments presented by the other side, not their echo chambers promoting the latest meme on Facebook. We are for the inclusion of more voices that give a true representation of the American experience. Don’t cancel Columbus, Jefferson or any of the other flawed humans that built this country because of their actions over 200 years ago, but give a more illuminating picture of the man and the times they lived in. We need to look to raise the understanding of how we became the nation we are now in a fuller picture so that we can move forward together in bigger and better ways for our future. North-JerseyNews.com
Vice President Kamala Harris said the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need to address problems in American society during a visit to North Jersey Oct. 8, from not only fixing decaying roads and bridges but to make childcare affordable and available, and to take steps to protect against storms like Hurricane Ida, which have become more intense due to climate change. “Here’s the bottom line: We have a moment born out of an awful crisis—extreme loss of lives, loss of jobs, loss of normalcy—to do something that’s not just about taking a small step forward but is transformational,” said Harris during her visit to the Garden State to highlight the need for more childcare funding and to urge all Americans to be vaccinated against COVID-19. “There’s a public awareness and a demand that we go big in fixing the big problems.” NJ.com
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) wants the centrists to be clear about what they want in attempting to come to an agreement on a budget bill but warned that the entire party shouldn’t have to move all the way to them. “I am delighted that the Democratic caucus and the President are prepared to think big and not small,” said Sen. Sanders. “(Centrists) have a right to fight for their ideas, they have a right to get concessions for their ideas, as does every other member of the caucus, but it does seem to me to be basically unfair and undemocratic for two people to say it’s my way or the highway.” The Wall Street Journal
Federal investigators descended on two state-run veterans homes last week as part of the U.S. government’s investigation into deficiencies in care at the nursing homes that had one of the highest COVID death tolls in the nation. A spokesman for the Attorney General’s office confirmed investigators from the U.S. Department of Justice interviewed residents and staff at the beginning of the week at the Menlo Park veterans home and Wednesday and Thursday at its sister facility in Paramus. The Daily Record
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The federal government is expected to take a significant step this week toward offering COVID-19 booster doses to a much wider range of Americans as advisers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) meet on Oct. 14 and 15 to discuss recipients of the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. On Thursday, the FDA’s advisory panel of vaccine experts will discuss safety and efficacy data regarding booster shots for Moderna recipients. On Friday, the group will discuss Johnson & Johnson boosters. The agency typically issues decisions within a few days of advisory committee meetings. Additionally, the expert committee will hear a presentation from scientists at the National Institutes of Health on the effectiveness of mixing different brands of vaccines. The New York Times
New Jersey on Oct. 10 reported another 1,292 confirmed COVID-19 cases and seven more confirmed deaths, as the number of counties listed as having high rates of community transmission continues to shrink. The state’s seven-day average for newly confirmed positive tests is 1,447, down almost 12% from a week ago and 16% from a month ago. All but five of New Jersey’s 21 counties continue to be listed as having “high” rates of coronavirus transmission, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Somerset and Union counties were downgraded to substantial transmission. NJ.com
An Essex County man recently pleaded guilty he conspired to fraudulently obtain more than $700,000 in federal COVID aid. Jefferson Robert, 31, of Newark, admitted in federal court to conspiring to commit wire fraud, after he opened bank accounts with a fraudulent passport in another individual’s name in order to claim Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). North-JerseyNews.com
The New Jersey State Parole Board routinely refuses to release parole-eligible inmates from prison, leaving many behind bars far longer than sentencing judges intended, the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender says in a recent report calling for more oversight. The 1979 Parole Act requires inmates to be paroled as soon as they’re eligible unless the board determines “by a preponderance of the evidence that there is a substantial likelihood that the inmate will commit a crime” if released on parole. But report found the board instead regularly denies parole to inmates, basing their decisions on psychological reports, risk assessment tools, and victim impact statements they keep confidential from parole applicants. New Jersey Monitor
Thirteen families of children who either died or became severely ill from a viral outbreak in 2018 at a pediatric nursing home in Wanaque have reached settlements totaling $6.2 million with the facility’s former owners and other entities. Eleven children died and 25 others were sickened at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation from an adenovirus that spread rapidly in part because the facility had poor infection control measures, investigators found. The Record
CarePoint Health has announced it will transition from a for-profit system to a nonprofit. The Hudson County facilities in the system are considered safety net hospitals, or hospitals with the highest number of inpatient stays that were paid by Medicaid or were uninsured. At Christ Hospital and Hoboken University Medical Center, these patients make up approximately 60% of the current patient mix. Hudson Reporter
The 38th Legislative District’s three Democratic incumbents—State Sen. Joseph Lagana, Assemblywoman Lisa Swain and Assemblyman Christopher Tully—are all seeking re-election. Republicans have put forward a slate of Richard Garcia for State Senate and Alfonso Mastrofilipo Jr. and Gerard “Jerry” Taylor for Assembly. Garcia said he is running because “we need oversight back to Trenton — a lopsided, one-party government cannot provide that.” If elected, Garcia said he will “put small business and our workers before any special interests or lobbyists and put all state residents over political parties.” North-JerseyNews.com
The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission recently distributed nearly $1.8 million in additional funds in the governor’s race. GOP candidate Jack Ciattarelli received just over $1.1 million, while Gov. Phil Murphy received only $640,000. Since the June primary election, Ciattarelli has outspent Murphy $8.9 million to $5.7 million, but he now only has $1.2 million in cash on hand, versus Murphy’s $7.3 million. New Jersey Globe
Students of all New Jersey public and private colleges will receive a one-stop listing of their costs, estimated debt and loan options in a financial aid higher education “shopping sheet.” The shopping sheet has been available to prospective students since 2019, when Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law a bill that requires state higher education institutions to provide the information to all prospective students. From this year on, the sheets must be made available to all enrolled students in addition to incoming freshmen. Students can expect to see a broad overview of what they will owe annually in their accounts for each year they are in school. New Jersey Herald
And finally…What is open and closed on Columbus Day today. NJ.com
