OPINION: Washington Inaction Affecting Our Pocketbooks. With costs rising in the supply chain since the start of COVID, companies in the U.S. are having trouble getting goods to America. It is a de facto tax increase for Americans as these prices are being passed down to the consumer because companies are operating on such thin margins. It threatens our national economic recovery at a time when America is ramping up to leave the pandemic behind and a federal budget that creates jobs urgently needed. If the last 19 months have taught us anything, leadership matters. President Joe Biden needs to become much more engaged—by first insisting on an infrastructure vote today and bringing more urgency in budget negotiation to get a deal done. North-JerseyNews.com
GOP lawmakers are arguing that the Biden Administration’s policies would exacerbate supply-chain issues and elevated inflation ahead of the Winter holiday shopping season, driving up the risk of empty store shelves and higher holiday prices. Republicans believe the Democrats’ social policy and climate plan currently being debated in Congress would exacerbate the squeeze by injecting potentially trillions more dollars of government funding into an already sizzling economy. The Wall Street Journal
The U.S. Energy Information Administration says all major home heating fuels will skyrocket in the months to come, thanks to higher fuel costs and an expected colder Winter forcing higher demand. Compared with last Winter, the agency forecasts propane expenditures will rise by 54%, heating oil by 43%, natural gas by 30%, and electricity by 6%. Three-quarters of homes in New Jersey use natural gas, according to the Census Bureau. On average, natural gas users across the country should expect an average bill of $746 for the Winter. That’s 30% higher than last year. If the Winter is 10% colder than average, consumers will pay 50% more than last year. NJ.com
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Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state whose leadership in several Republican administrations, has died from complications from COVID-19, his family said on Facebook. He was 84. “General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from Covid 19,” the Powell family wrote on Facebook. “We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American.” Powell, who helped shape American foreign policy in the last years of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st, was fully vaccinated, according to the family’s statement. CNN
Protests are scheduled around New Jersey today as the COVID-19 vaccine deadline for teachers and state workers has arrived. A joint rally of 1,000 people outside the Statehouse in Trenton is expected, organized by the state’s public workers, including teachers, healthcare workers, first responders, and others. Those involved will be protesting vaccine mandates as well as mask mandates for kids. News12 New Jersey
Americans who received Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine should be able to receive a second shot of the vaccine two months after their first dose under an emergency authorization, FDA vaccine advisory committee members said in a 19-0 vote. The independent vaccine experts’ vote came after an hours-long discussion of the underlying data J&J submitted to the FDA. The company had proposed a booster after two months for people at high risk, such as the elderly, and after six months for most people. PoliticoNJ
Gov. Phil Murphy is supportive of New Jersey following in New York City’s footsteps by requiring people show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to dine in a restaurant or attend an entertainment event. But the Democratic governor said no plan would be put in place until lagging vaccination rates in minority communities improve. NJ.com
RWJBarnabas Health recently passed the benchmark of 10,000 doses of monoclonal antibody infusions given to COVID-19 patients, allowing an overwhelming majority of those treated to avoid hospitalization and recover at home. The 11 acute care hospitals in the RWJBarnabas network throughout the state are collectively reporting a 96% success rate. To be eligible to receive this treatment, a patient must have tested positive for the coronavirus within 10 days of symptom onset, and not be in need of oxygen or hospitalization of any kind. NJ1015.com
The USA Today Network of New Jersey papers endorsed Gov. Phil Murphy for a second term as governor. The papers cited Murphy’s leadership of the state’s reaction to the coronavirus pandemic as compared to the one GOP challenger Jack Ciattarelli has backed. The endorsement, which highlighted his climate change initiatives as well as his handling of state finances, was given despite the paper noting Murphy’s serious missteps with regard to long-term care facilities and state run veterans’ homes in the pandemic’s early weeks and called for a review of the Murphy Administration’s performance. The Record
New Jersey plans to invest $700 million in federal COVID relief funds to offer more opportunities for childcare. “We know that childcare is one of the key challenges facing families—especially single moms—as they rejoin our workforce,” said Gov. Phil Murphy. “Through these investments, we are committed to providing the necessary support to ensure that this challenge does not become an obstacle.” Among the initiatives are expanding subisicies for eligible families $1,000 bonuses to help providers recruit new child care employees and retain current child care staff and licensed child care centers grant availability will range from $20,000 to $80,000. North-JerseyNews.com
All of New Jersey’s key sources of tax revenue saw healthy growth over the first quarter of the state’s fiscal year despite the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Revenues were up by more than 30% compared to the same period last year, according to the latest tax-collection figures released Oct. 15 by the Department of Treasury. Department of Treasury officials did warn the current surge in tax collections is likely to ease as the fiscal year continues, including in the Spring when the state begins covering the cost of beefed-up tax breaks for things like retirement income and college savings. NJ Spotlight News
Assemblywoman Nancy Muñoz (R-21) appears set to become the next minority leader of the New Jersey State Assembly after forging a coalition with John DiMaio (R-23). DiMaio will drop his bid for the post and become the Minority Conference Leader, the number two slot in the Assembly GOP leadership. The new minority whip will be Antwan McClellan (R-1), a freshman lawmaker from Cape May County. Assemblyman Ned Thomson (R-30), who had been campaigning for the post, will reportedly exit the race and back Muñoz. A fourth candidate for leadership, Brian Bergen (R-25), remains in the race. New Jersey Globe
State Sen. Anthony Bucco, Assemblywoman Aura Dunn and Assemblyman Brian Bergen are all seeking re-election in the 25th Legislative District, billing themselves as “the commonsense taxpayer advocates in Trenton.” The Democrats slate of Morris Township Mayor Jeffrey Grayzel for state Senate and Mountain Lakes councilwoman Laura Barnett and former Wharton councilwoman Patricia Veres for Assembly is running on a platform prioritizing pandemic recovery, affordability, protecting women’s health, preventing gun violence and the environment. North-JerseyNews.com
The New Jersey Apportionment Commission unanimously adopted bylaws and designated the Office of Legislative Services as its secretary Oct. 15 as it sets out to redraw state legislative district lines. Under the current map, Democrats hold 25 of the 40 seats in the Senate and 52 of the Assembly’s 80 seats. But more than just party registration and competitiveness will be taken into account when redrawing district lines. The commission will have to consider communities of interest—Latino, Hispanic, and Asian communities are underrepresented in the Legislature—on top of varied legal and constitutional standards. New Jersey Monitor
The New Jersey Transit (NJT) Board of Directors recently approved the largest contract in the agency’s history for the construction of the new Portal North Bridge. The $1.6 billion contract to Skanska/Traylor Bros Joint Venture awarded Oct. 12 for the project spans 2.44 miles of the Northeast Corridor line to build retaining walls, deep foundations, concrete piers, structural steel bridge spans, rail systems, demolition of the existing bridge, and related incidental works. “Few infrastructure projects are as critical to the nation as replacing the aging Portal Bridge,” said Gov. Phil Murphy. “With today’s step, NJT is rapidly moving towards beginning the first phase of the largest infrastructure project in the United States.” North-JerseyNews.com
Students at two Paterson schools damaged by flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida will be starting in-person classes on Oct. 18. Teachers and other staff members at Schools 20 and 24 were to report for work in-person on Oct. 15. Repairs will be continuing at both buildings — through Oct. 29 at School 20 and Dec. 16 at School 24. Students will not have access to areas where the work will be done, officials said. The Record
Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker joined federal officials in announcing an interim plan designed to clean up the lower Passaic River. The scheme calls for work to begin immediately, with options for EPA to address remaining contamination later on. The work will cap and dredge about 387,000-cubic yards of contamination, with additional capping and dredging ready for areas with potential for erosion, or high concentrations of contaminants. The program is an expansion to address the contaminated sediment in the upper nine miles of the Lower Passaic River Study Area of the Diamond Alkali Superfund site. North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey has licensed 14 new marijuana businesses, bringing a long-awaited expansion of the state’s medical marijuana program that exceeds original plans. These are licenses for medical marijuana businesses only—that’s all that New Jersey has so far, even though voters said yes to legal marijuana for people 21 and older last fall. The commission is expected to soon begin licensing new businesses that would sell weed to the public. All of the businesses given licenses Oct. 15 are certified minority- or women-owned. NJ.com
Vernon’s lawsuit accusing the Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority (SCUMA) of overcharges for sewer services for more than a decade was dismissed. The judge ruled the time limit to object to the fees charged by SCMUA expired 20 days after the original bond issue was proposed in 2008. Vernon accused the county authority of overcharging for sewer services and intentionally misrepresented flow rates for the entire system. New Jersey Herald
And finally…It is time to restart a rebuild for the New York Football Giants yet again after being outclassed against the Los Angeles Rams. SNY-TV
