Gov. Phil Murphy, still in the lead by double digits. That is the result of the latest Monmouth University Polling Institute in which 50% of registered voters responding to the survey support Murphy while 39% back GOP challenger Jack Ciattarelli. The surprising 11-point margin is the first poll this month to show Murphy with a double digit lead. “We’ve had a couple of debates and a slew of advertising since the last Monmouth poll. Ciattarelli has chipped away at Murphy’s lead but hasn’t delivered the knockout he needs,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute. North-JerseyNews.com
President Joe Biden is expected to unveil a framework this morning for the legislation that Congressional Democrats have been crafting to deliver on his Build Back Better reconciliation budget. The White House expects full Democratic support for the proposal, with President Biden going to Capitol Hill to huddle behind closed doors in the morning with House Democrats to discuss the package and then deliver remarks at the White House in the late morning. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been aiming to hold a vote Thursday on the $550 billion Senate-passed infrastructure measure, but Progressives have blocked the vote until the larger social safety net bill proceed in tandem with the infrastructure package. NBC News
University Hospital is requiring employees who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to get a booster shot by Dec. 24. The Newark hospital, the state’s only public acute care facility, is believed to be the first in the state to mandate a booster for some of its workers. The requirement allowed for exemptions based on medical or religious reasons. NJ.com
Sussex County health officials will soon add more pop-up clinics to offer COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots as well as seasonal flu vaccines after a favorable response from the community. Sites in Byram Township and Sparta were scheduled to be the last of six pop-up sites set up by the county Office of Public Health Nursing throughout the county over the past two weeks. But Lama Chaddad, the Sussex County Division of Health director and public health epidemiologist, said they are “in the process of planning more clinics to come” due to high demand. New Jersey Herald
Gov. Phil Murphy said he is not planning a blanket COVID-19 vaccine mandate on Nov. 3. That statement comes after a controversial conservative activist group released secretly recorded video showing Murphy campaign aides saying that the governor would impose broader vaccine mandates after the election is over. In a prepared statement to The Lakewood Scoop, the Governor’s office stated “This video does not depict any member of the administration or anyone involved in public health policy….The Administration has never had plans nor is it making plans for a blanket COVID-19 mandate.” North-JerseyNews.com
Hoboken has opened applications for the city’s COVID-19 Rental Assistance Grant Program, providing up to $5,000 to tenants financially impacted by the pandemic. Low-to-moderate income individuals and families residing in Hoboken who are unable to pay rent due to the coronavirus pandemic can apply with their landlords through a two-part application process that preserves tenant and landlord privacy. Through the program, grant funding will be paid directly to the tenant’s landlord. To qualify for rental assistance, tenants must be a Hoboken resident, have been current on rent through March 31, 2020 and show the need for rental assistance directly or indirectly due to the pandemic. The Jersey Journal
New Jersey is rolling out a new pandemic stimulus plan for undocumented immigrants as applications are now being taken for the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund. Gov. Phil Murphy set aside $40 million in the state budget to provide stimulus payments for those in New Jersey with an illegal immigration status, if they can prove they were excluded from other government stimulus programs, including unemployment benefits. It is estimated that 10.7 million immigrants are eligible for the state program. NJ1015.com
Key state Treasury officials are planning to meet Oct. 29 to decide whether to formally move ahead with paying off some of New Jersey’s debt, which grew after a round of emergency borrowing last year amid the coronavirus pandemic. The agenda lists “authorization to defease certain outstanding General Obligation Bonds of the State,” according to the notice, which was posted online by the Office of Public Finance. The meeting comes several months after Gov. Phil Murphy and fellow Democrats who control the Legislature decided to set aside billions of dollars in a new fund set up specifically to address state debt. NJ Spotlight News
Federal GOP lawmakers are questioning the vetting process used to bring Afghans to the U.S., saying standard screening steps were bypassed during the chaotic evacuation effort that took place following Kabul’s fall two months ago. An internal memo, drafted by Republican aides to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee who visited U.S. military bases used to process Afghans domestically and overseas, said that certain standard steps for refugees, such as in-person interviews and document verification, were skipped or delayed. Additionally, those without paperwork or identifying biometric or biographic information were allowed to give their own names and dates of birth for entry into U.S. government tracking systems as well as screenings didn’t include an assessment of the individual’s ties to the U.S. The Wall Street Journal
Matt O’Donnell, the state’s cooperating witness in a political corruption sting operation, pleaded guilty on two counts connected to his use of straw donors to obtain public contracts for his law firm, O’Donnell McCord, that could require him to serve three years in a state prison. O’Donnell admitted to illegal activities regarding his work as the Mount Arlington borough attorney and as a tax appeal attorney for Morristown, Bloomfield and Morris County. In a revised plea agreement last month, O’Donnell admitted guilt to one count of second-degree conspiracy to commit misconduct by a corporate official and one count of third-degree conspiracy to commit tampering with public records and information. New Jersey Globe
All but two of New Jersey’s representatives joined the majority of U.S. House members in voting to hold former White House adviser Stephen Bannon in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the select committee probing the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. “Refusing a subpoena is obstructing justice,” Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-9) said in a fiery House floor speech prior to voting yes on H.Res. 730. “Do you agree with the rioting terrorists, or our democracy? We must hold all involved accountable. This includes those who attacked the police and those organizers who spread the lies and the president who organized it. This is America, not Russia.” North-JerseyNews.com
President Joe Biden nominated Philip R. Sellinger, a former federal prosecutor and prominent Democrat, to serve as the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey. Sellinger, re-elected in June to serve as a Democratic State Committeeman from Morris County, is the co-managing shareholder of the New Jersey office of Greenberg Traurig, a national law firm and served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1981 to 1984. Sellinger’s name jumped to the top of the list after he received the backing of New Jersey’s two U.S. Senators, Bob Menendez and Cory Booker. ROI-NJ.com
U.S. Senate Republicans grilled Attorney General Merrick B. Garland over the Justice Department’s initiative to address threats of violence and harassment directed at school administrators, teachers and school board members, incidents that have increased as education has become a culture war battleground. Republicans have cast the Justice Department effort as an attack on the right of parents to voice their concerns on issues like mask mandates and the teaching of themes related to race, seeking to turn it into an issue that they hope will resonate with voters. But Garland made clear during his testimony that his schools directive was meant only to address violence and threats of violence and said numerous times that the Supreme Court and the First Amendment prevent the department from cracking down on free speech, even when very heated. New Jersey Monitor
The New Jersey Department of Education has yet to provide guidance or sample lessons on how to include diversity and inclusion instruction in their curricula required for K-12 schools this year. The one-page law, which took effect in March, requires the Commissioner of Education to provide guidance and sample lessons to school districts on developing instructional materials that promote themes of diversity, inclusion, and equity, and examine the impact of unconscious bias and economic disparities in society. A department spokesperson said they are “actively working to provide school districts sample learning activities and resources to support school districts in the implementation.” The Daily Record
Ridgewood High School fields sustained another round of damage after a nor’easter dumped close to four inches of rain this week. The district is still assessing the most recent damage after the Hohokus Brook flooded the stadium and Stevens Field west of the high school. The cost of repairs to the fields from previous storms—Henri in August and Ida in September—was estimated at $260,000. The Board of Education and the Village Council have agreed to form a joint task force to investigate this problem and explore possible solutions. The Record
Bayonne Superintendent of Schools John Niesz is calling on Gov. Phil Murphy to amend the law when it comes to remote instruction that can currently be invoked only when a district closure lasts more than three consecutive school days. “The school district closed for the school day on Oc. 26, 2021 in the abundance of safety and security of our 10,000 students,” Niesz said. “We could not choose a remote learning option, since the emergency did not last more than three days. I tried in vain to advocate for a remote option for our school district to the Department of Education, to no avail. I implore you to reconsider the option for school districts to choose a remote option when our cities and towns in conjunction with the State of New Jersey declare a state of emergency.” Hudson Reporter
Heavy rains this week caused what state police described as a partial collapse of a dam at a private pond in Demarest. Riondas Pond, on the property of an unidentified resident near Academy Lane, had a previously constructed notch in the embankment that eroded. The dam was damaged by overtopping during the remnants of Hurricane Ida on Sept. 1. News12 New Jersey
And finally…The Christmas Light Show and Outdoor Winter Village is set to return to Skylands Stadium starting Nov. 24. The Record
