Democratic incumbent Phil Murphy and Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli will meet for the last of two gubernatorial debates tonight at 8 P.M. on the campus of Rowan University in Glassboro. The debate is sponsored by NJ PBS, Rowan University and WNYC 93.9 FM and 820 AM. NJ Spotlight reporters David Cruz and Colleen O’Dea, Rowan Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship director Ben Dworkin and WNYC’s Morning Edition host Michael Hill will serve as moderators. New Jersey Globe
Vice President Kamala Harris made two stops in New Jersey last week to push two key initiatives of the Biden Administration’s agenda: the need for affordable care and receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Harris, joined by Gov. Phil Murphy and Rep. Mikie Sherrill on Oct. 8, toured the Ben Samuels Children’s Center at Montclair State University before participating in a roundtable with childcare providers and working parents from North Jersey to discuss the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on childcare for families. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, two million women have left the workforce,” Harris said. “The main reason that many of them did is the unavailability of childcare. And let’s be very clear: A working person cannot go to work if they have children if there’s no one to take care of their children. It is that basic.” North-JerseyNews
As COVID-19 infection rates fall again, workers are trickling back to the office at the highest rate since the pandemic began. The number of workers returning to traditional office space has been edging higher since the week of Labor Day, when an average of 31% of the workforce was back in the 10 major cities monitored by Kastle Systems. The average hit 35% during the week that ended Oct. 1 and 36% during the week that ended Oct. 8, a new high during the pandemic period, said the security company that tracks access-card swipes. The Wall Street Journal
About 3% of Paterson employees—a total of 43 people—have lost pay for not complying with the mayor’s order requiring COVID-19 vaccinations or testing, according to a city report. Among those losing pay in Paterson are 13 public works employees, 12 in the Fire Department and eight in the Police Department for the policy that went into effect Oct. 1. Those in the Police Department include five civilian employees and three officers. Four Paterson workers who were asymptomatic found out they had COVID-19 because of the city’s testing requirements. The Record
New Jersey on Oct. 11 reported another 854 confirmed COVID-19 cases and six more confirmed deaths as the latest wave of the pandemic continues to show signs of waning. The state’s seven-day average for newly confirmed positive tests dropped to 1,410, down 12% from a week ago and 21% from a month ago. The statewide rate of transmission increased to 0.93, up from 0.91 the day before. There were 866 people hospitalized with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases across 69 of the state’s 71 reporting hospitals as of Sunday night. NJ.com
A confidential mental health help line was launched Oct. 11 for nurses and their family members in New Jersey. Funded by the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund and the New Jersey Nursing Initiative, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the New Jersey Hospital Association are running the Nurse2Nurse help line staffed by current and retired nurses based at Rutgers Behavioral Health Services that serves as resource for nurses who were and continue to be at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic to make sure they get the mental help they need. The number to call is at 844-687-7301. News12 New Jersey
Gov. Phil Murphy signed a Memorandum of Understanding to share crime gun data in an effort to prevent gun violence and enhance public safety with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Oct. 7. The agreement allows law enforcement agencies from the four states to distribute the data across state lines in order to detect, deter, and investigate gun crime, as well as identify and apprehend straw purchasers, suspect dealers, firearms traffickers, and other criminals. “By sharing vital gun crime information with New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, we are equipping our law enforcement agencies with the necessary resources and intel to analyze, track, and deter gun violence,” said Murphy. North-JerseyNews
A series of tweets criticizing Republicans and their Christian conservative allies put state Motor Vehicle Commission chief administrator B. Sue Fulton on the defense at her Senate Armed Services Committee considered her nomination as assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs. “I think you’ve got some explaining to do,” said U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SC) who called Fulton out for a Jan. 12, 2018, tweet saying, “Let’s be real. When one of our two national political parties is unable to call out racism, our system is broken. It’s not a political statement to say the GOP is racist; it’s a moral statement, and one backed up by an increasing mountain of evidence.” NJ.com
A holiday shopping crunch is predicted as cargo gets jammed in port traffic. “Merchandise that isn’t in distribution centers now—or within the next month or so—is not going to be available to purchase for the Christmas season,” stated Tom Heimgartner, a trucking operator in Port Newark, who says cargo is backing up at U.S. ports and clogging distribution centers in a monumental transportation traffic jam. Supply-chain experts blame shortages of everything from shipping containers to port workers and truck drivers who can make more money working for Amazon. NJ Spotlight News
Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R-25) challenged Gov. Phil Murphy to lower taxes now after pledging during the last gubernatorial debate that he would not raise any and hoped to cut taxes in a second term. Bergen called on Murphy to use his power to push Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-19) to bring bills that would lower taxes to the floor for a vote. “Will you commit to pushing these through and making them law, or are you just lobbying empty promises for election sound bites?” Bergen said. North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey medical marijuana patients could see their options doubled with regulators set to issue new licenses later this week. The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission on Oct. 15 is expected to award licenses for new medical marijuana cultivation centers, as well as licenses for vertically-integrated medical marijuana operations—where the license holder grows, manufactures and sells the drug, according to the commission’s agenda for its meeting. The licenses are part of a 2019 request for applications by the state Department of Health, which oversaw the New Jersey Medical Marijuana Program until the commission was established. The process was halted for over a year due to a lawsuit by applicants whose applications were rejected due to a file format issue. The Daily Record
Two South Jersey municipalities are set to merge, for the first time in a decade and the third time in a quarter-century. The borough of Pine Valley in Camden County, home to one of the top golf courses in the world and the borough’s reason for existing, and its 21 residents have voted to consolidate into Pine Hill. NJ1015.com
And finally…New Jersey cideries are gearing up for a busy Fall season with new tastes and events. New Jersey Herald
