What does the Congressional map redistricting entail? Who is doing it? And what does it all mean? We attempt to answer your questions on a map that must be submitted by Jan. 18, 2022. What is definitely known is that the borders of the 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th CD’s will be different due to population shifts in North Jersey. With Reps. Albio Sires, Bill Pascrell and Donald Payne, Jr.’s districts overpopulated, their districts will shrink. Conversely, House members Josh Gottheimer, Tom Malinowski, and Mikie Sherrill could add Democratic voters that will strengthen their chances for re-election in districts that were GOP strongholds until that last couple of election cycles. North-JerseyNews.com
President Joe Biden called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether oil-and-gas companies are keeping gasoline prices high illegally, in the latest effort by the White House to respond to public concerns about costs for everything from fuel to groceries. President Biden alleged that there is “mounting evidence of anti-consumer behavior by oil-and-gas companies,” noting gasoline prices had risen about 3% from a month earlier even as the price of unfinished gasoline, which hasn’t yet been blended with other liquids for use in vehicles, was down more than 5%. “This unexplained large gap between the price of unfinished gasoline and the average price at the pump is well above the pre-pandemic average,” the President wrote. “Meanwhile, the largest oil-and-gas companies in America are generating significant profits off higher energy prices.” The Wall Street Journal
House of Representatives voted to censure Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) for posting an animated video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and assaulting President Joe Biden. The formal rebuke of the far-right congressman is the first censure since 2010—only the 24th in the history of the republic—and stripped him of his committee assignments as well. All but two Republicans opposed the move against Rep. Gosar, whose conduct G.O.P. leaders have refused to publicly condemn. The New York Times
State Sens. Joe Pennacchio (R-26) and Michael Testa (R-1) are proposing a bill to prevent critical race theory (CRT) from being taught in New Jersey public schools as well as prohibit public schools teachers from engaging in political, ideological, or religious advocacy in their classrooms. “Every student should be empowered through lessons emphasizing the opportunity they have to succeed through their own hard work, individual merit, and the personal character they demonstrate to others,” said Pennacchio in a press statement Nov. 16. “That’s wholly incompatible with critical race theory, which would indoctrinate students with the limiting belief that people are inherently privileged, oppressive, racist, sexist, or morally deficient due to little more than the circumstances of their birth.” North-JerseyNews.com
Curriculum mandates have become a point of contention at Board of Education meetings in Wayne. The Wayne Education Association, the union that represents teachers and secretaries in the district, said they are receiving the same verbal attacks as board members over the curriculum changes signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2019 requiring the implement of more inclusive instruction regarding sexual education, diversity and equity. But some teachers say that they are being accused of teaching topics that are not included in the curriculum changes, specifically critical race theory. News12 New Jersey
Only 17 schools in New Jersey are known to have closed due to COVID-19 cases since the 2021-22 school year began in late August, according to the state Department of Education. The closure list includes 12 public schools — out of nearly 2,500 public schools in the state — and five of the approximately 140 state-approved private schools for students with disabilities. NJ.com
New Jersey on Nov. 17 reported another 1,570 COVID-19 cases and 24 confirmed deaths along with 19 new in-school outbreaks linked to 166 cases among staff and students. The state’s seven-day average for confirmed positive tests continues to increase to 1,449, up about 28% from a week ago and 11% from a month ago. The state’s transmission rate increased Wednesday to 1.11 from 1.08 the day before. NJ.com
An AAA survey of New Jersey drivers finds COVID-19 concerns surrounding travel has dropped dramatically, and more people are ready to hit the roads for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. AAA is projecting that almost 1.3 million New Jersey residents will travel over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, an increase of almost 14% over last year and just shy of the record number of Thanksgiving holiday travelers in 2019. Ninety percent, or 1.2 million, of New Jersey travelers will be driving to their holiday destinations. When asked about COVID, the survey found that only 6% of New Jersey residents feel traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday poses a “significant” risk for COVID compared to 34% who felt that way last year. NJ1015.com
New Jersey was one of four states where drug-related deaths did not increase during the coronavirus pandemic. The 2,918 deaths provisionally reported by the federal Centers for Disease Control on Nov. 17 for the 12-month period ending in April in New Jersey were 1% less than the 2,948 deaths reported over that same period for a year earlier. Only Delaware, New Hampshire and South Dakota did better. The Record
New Jersey’s latest general election has left lawmakers dissatisfied and with a growing appetite for reform on how votes are counted. Republicans have suggested removing the six-day grace period for postmarked ballots that reach officials after Election Day, while State Sen. Troy Singleton (D-7) intends to introduce a bill that would permanently allow officials to tally mail-in votes before Election Day. New Jersey Monitor
Plans for a new high school and other facilities projects are being developed by the Hoboken Board of Education to help the school district support a growing student population. Voters will get to weigh in on the plans in a special election scheduled for Jan. 25, 2022 with plans to be presented to the Planning Board in early December and that community meetings will follow. The text of what will be on the ballot has not yet been completed. The Jersey Journal
Four municipalities in North Jersey received state grants to fund efforts to revitalize “threatened, but viable” neighborhoods. Boonton, Hackensack, Hawthorne and Newton were picked with 16 other municipalities for the Neighborhood Preservation Program, which is administered by the state Department of Community Affairs. The grants of $125,000 to each town must be used for revitalization projects, such as lighting upgrades, playground equipment, public gardens, shade trees and grants to small businesses. New Jersey Herald
An abandoned rail line stretching from Jersey City to Montclair is about to get a huge makeover. Gov. Phil Murphy announced Nov. 11 New Jersey’s intent to buy the nearly nine miles of property connecting the two towns for the creation of the Essex-Hudson Greenway, the Garden State’s first new state park since 2006. The news follows years of advocacy aimed at transforming the abandoned former Boonton rail alignment and the park will include walking paths, bike lanes, and other recreational uses. “This new park will be a crown jewel of our state park system, providing much-needed recreational space to New Jerseyans and out-of-state visitors, while revitalizing and protecting environmentally-sensitive areas. This is our High Line moment,” the governor declared. North-JerseyNews.com
Forty-three acres of land across Morris County are being considered for purchase and preservation. The Morris County Open Space Trust Fund Committee recommended the Board of County Commissioners approve $1.3 million to acquire and preserve the land located in Dover, Montville, Parsippany and Chatham Township. The four locations range in size from one-fifth of an acre to nearly 20 acres. The Daily Record
New Jersey’s public-worker pension-fund managers are preparing to make another big climate-related investment while they continue to resist calls to immediately divest all holdings in fossil-fuel companies. Up to $600 million in pension-fund assets will be committed to a Canada-based investment firm’s “global-transition fund,” according to a proposal reviewed by members of the New Jersey State Investment Council. The fund administered by Brookfield Asset Management is looking to turn a profit by backing renewable energy utilities and other companies pursuing decarbonization. NJ Spotlight News
Lidl, a German grocer gaining a new foothold in the U.S., will build a market at the site of a former gas station on Wagaraw Road in Hawthorne. It will be the borough’s only food store — and the first since Grand Union shut down on Lafayette Avenue in 1982. The Record
And finally…A partial lunar eclipse this week is expected to turn the full moon of November 2021 into a reddish-orange color for more than an hour. NJ.com
