Republican Jack Ciattarelli is expected to concede in the governor’s race today to Gov. Phil Murphy. Ciattarelli has scheduled a press conference at 1 p.m. in his hometown of Raritan on Friday to “address the people of New Jersey about his campaign.” Ciattarelli currently trails Murphy by 2.9%—or roughly 74,000 votes. The GOP challenger wanted a full accounting of the ballots cast before making his decision to acknowledging Murphy as the winner. PoliticoNJ
A federal judge handed down the harshest sentence stemming from the Jan. 6 failed insurrection attempt of Donald Trump supporters to a North Jersey resident who punched a police officer on that day. Hardyston resident Scott Fairlamb was given a sentence of 41 months on Nov. 10 after pleading guilty in August to assaulting a police officer and obstructing a governmental function. During the sentencing hearing, federal prosecutors showed evidence of Fairlamb’s “swift, violent” assault on a D.C. Metropolitan police officer through videos and screenshots. In addressing the court, Fairlamb expressed contrition for his “irresponsible, reckless behavior…This is not who I am, not who I was raised to be. I truly regret my actions that day. I have nothing but remorse.” North-JerseyNews.com
A federal appeals court issued an injunction blocking the National Archives from turning over to Congress Trump White House documents related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a day before the House committee investigating the attack was set to receive the first batch. The move, by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Nov. 11, will preserve the status quo while lawyers for former President Donald Trump, Congress and the Biden administration submit briefs over the next two weeks. The briefs will address whether the court should further block any transfer of papers as the litigants turn to arguing over the merits of the case, which raises novel issues about an ex-president’s executive privilege powers. The court will then hold arguments on Nov. 30. The New York Times
Morristown High School will be closed to in-person learning until Nov. 22 due to a recent increase of at least 10 COVID-19 cases. Students will begin remote learning and all sports and other activities have been suspended. News12 New Jersey
President Joe Biden said his administration would keep the needs of veterans at the front of its pandemic-recovery efforts. President Biden during a Veterans Day address said his administration would work with Congress to get veterans the necessary healthcare services and highlighted the COVID-relief package he signed into law in March that includes funding for retraining veterans who have lost their jobs in the pandemic and for housing assistance. The Wall Street Journal
Four separate bills designed to ease the lives of active military personnel and veterans were pushed forward by the Assembly’s Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee this week. The bills were designed to address issues connected to annual allowances for disabled military veterans, allowing free beach access, address school enrollment issues related to relocation and make it easier for veterans to obtain state jobs. Co-sponsored by Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (R-26), certain disabled veterans would see an increase in annual payments under new legislation. “The amount given to disabled veterans through these programs has not changed in 40 to 50 years….This is a reasonable increase that recognizes their lives were forever changed during war,” said DeCroce. North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy announced a new initiative aimed at increasing mental health awareness and reducing suicide among New Jersey’s veteran population. The Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families will coordinate local, state, and federal agencies around the shared mission of mitigating suicide. “New Jersey’s veterans and service members are a source of immense pride for our state,” Murphy said in a statement. “This initiative recognizes the struggles that many of our bravest men and women face and will engage all aspects of government in meeting the challenge of preventing and reducing suicides.” New Jersey Globe
New Jersey’s excluded workers fund has received nearly 3,600 applications in its first two weeks, according to the Department of Community Affairs. Announced by Gov. Phil Murphy in May, the $40 million fund provides one-time payments to eligible residents, with a maximum of $2,000 per household. Households with annual incomes of up to $55,000 can apply, and must provide proof they experienced hardships due to the pandemic. Documents can include bank statements, letters from landlords, unpaid medical bills relating to COVID-19, or a notice from employers or a child’s school. New Jersey Monitor
In the ongoing war of words between Chris Christie and former President Donald Trump, the former governor offered this response to Trump’s attack on him for saying it was time to move on from 2020: I was re-elected, you weren’t. “I’m not going to get into a back-and-forth with Donald Trump. But what I will say is this: When I ran for reelection in 2013, I got 60% of the vote. When he ran for reelection, he lost to Joe Biden,” Christie said in an interview to air on “Axios on HBO” Sunday. “I’m happy to have that comparison stand up, because that’s the one that really matters.” NJ.com
Frank Pallotta said he isn’t surprised a new GOP challenger entered the race for the 5th Congressional District as “others are attempting to jump in this race to capitalize on the strong showing we had last year” against Rep. Josh Gottheimer. Pallotta’s comment came after Nick De Gregorio, a veteran from Bergen County, announced his candidacy to be the Republican nominee in 2022. Nick D’Agostino, the president of the Sussex-Wantage Regional Board of Education, previously stated he is seeking the party’s nomination as well. InsiderNJ
“Deeply disturbed” is how Gov. Phil Murphy was described by allegations of hazing within the Wall High School football program, about two months after he signed a law designed to prevent such actions in New Jersey. Authorities are investigating the hazing allegations that include an incident involving six older players swarming and attempting to pin down a younger player in the locker room as pleas to stop echoed in the background of a video. The Wall School District has canceled the football team’s playoff game scheduled for Friday and a number of teachers or coaches have been placed on administrative leave in connection with the hazing. NJ.com
Gov. Phil Murphy will announce the state will help fund the purchase of 11 miles of defunct NJ Transit track-bed in Essex and Hudson counties, paving the way for the creation of a 135-acre rail-to-trail linear park connecting Montclair and Jersey City. The rail-trail, to be called the New Jersey Greenway, comes from a deal brokered by the conservation nonprofit the Open Space Institute for the land to be purchased by local, state, county and federal sources from the Norfolk Southern Rail Corp. for $65 million by January. The New Jersey Greenway will run from Montclair near the Bay Street Station to Jersey City, ending near the Grove Street PATH station. The Record
New Jersey drinking water utilities must now provide more details of their plans to upgrade their pipes and other infrastructure and will be subject to enforcement by the Department of Environmental Protection, which will post the status of their works on its website. The new requirements are contained in a bill signed into law this week that amends the Water Quality Accountability Act, a 2017 law that set standards for the renewal of New Jersey’s aging network of drinking water pipes. NJ Spotlight News
Governors of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut announced Nov. 9 an accord on how to split $14.2 billion of federal aid aimed at bolstering mass transit, which suffered a huge loss in ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement came after months of back and forth over how to fairly apportion the funds which Congress provided in the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act. New Jersey will get $2.66 billion, a billion less than they were entitled to. “Nothing is more critical to our region’s economic recovery than our mass transportation system. With this agreement, we ensure a reliable and safe commute as workers return to their offices,” said Gov. Phil Murphy. North-JerseyNews.com
Morristown would allow licenses for two marijuana businesses in the downtown area under regulations proposed at a recent council meeting. The town’s ordinance would change the town zoning code to allow for both recreational and medical dispensaries. Two businesses would be allowed to operate at a time around the town’s core district along Morris and South streets and in the mx2 district near Martin Luther King Avenue. Smoking marijuana in public spaces would not be allowed and dispensaries cannot be within 200 feet of houses of worship or 1,000 feet of any school. The Daily Record
A North Jersey company that once planned to build the world’s largest glass recycling plant in Andover Township has started selling off its assets. More than two dozen trucks, including tractor-trailers and dump trucks owned by Jersey City’s Pace Glass, are on the auction block as part of liquidation proceedings. The company needs to pay back its creditors and is facing a lawsuit filed in October by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. State officials have accused the company of allowing contaminated stormwater runoff to flow off Jersey City properties it has used to illegally stockpile crushed glass mixed with solid waste. New Jersey Herald
The Nabisco property in Fair Lawn has been sold to a development and construction company in a $146.5 million deal that will see the iconic building torn down. A deed recorded with the Bergen County clerk shows that CLPF Greek Fair Lawn LLC purchased the property in early October, a company that specializes in industrial design and previously developed distribution centers, manufacturing sites and food storage for companies including Wakefern Food and PharMEDium. The Record
And finally…Bruce Springsteen’s Johnny 99, a song about the closing of an auto plant in Mahwah.
