OPINION: Time to Tell the Truth About Inflation. Empty grocery shelves, the continually climbing gas prices and the high cost of Thanksgiving dinner this year add up to the ultimate kitchen table issue: inflation that tightens your pocketbook and slows down the economy. Inflation, in political terms, is more often a crisis of feeling and actions—the country is going in the wrong direction, deciding to hold off on a purchase and the dread of having to dip into savings to pay the bills. As we listen to the business experts and economists when it comes to our financial picture, what we hear is not a pretty sight and it’s time for politicians, starting at the top, to deliver the unvarnished truth and a plan to address it. North-JerseyNews.com
As Americans travel this week for Thanksgiving dinner, new virus cases are rising once more, especially in the Upper Midwest and Northeast. More than 90,000 cases are being reported each day, comparable to early August, and more than 30 states are seeing sustained upticks in infections. In the hardest-hit places, hospitalizations are already climbing. The New York Times
New Jersey on Nov. 21 reported another 1,482 COVID-19 cases and four confirmed deaths as the statewide rate of transmission continues to increase above the key benchmark that indicates the outbreak is once again expanding. The state’s seven-day average of coronavirus cases dropped slightly Sunday to 1,643 but remained up 23% from a week ago and 34% from a month ago. The state’s transmission rate rose again Sunday to 1.21, up from 1.2 on Saturday. NJ.com
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Nov. 19 endorsed booster shots of the coronavirus vaccines for all Americans over 18. The C.D.C. said that Americans over age 50, as well as those 18 and older living in long-term care facilities, “should” get booster shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. All other adults over age 18 “may” get booster doses, the agency decided. Recipients of Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine already were cleared to get a booster at least two months after the initial shot. News12 New Jersey
Gov. Phil Murphy argued he kept property taxes at bay and laid the groundwork for a stronger economy during his first four years in his first major address after a re-election victory at the League of Municipalities annual convention in Atlantic City. “The investments we’ve made and the economic development policies we’ve pursued are primed to not just help communities smartly grow and redevelop, but they are critical to making our state more affordable,” he said. “I’d like to have small (property tax) increases turn into significant decreases…Every dollar we provide to our school districts is a dollar that they don’t have to ask from property taxpayers. Everything points back to making our state more affordable for middle-class families, and for everyone.” NJ.com
Each of New Jersey’s 686 school districts will receive some funding for building maintenance and construction projects, announced Gov. Phil Murphy Nov. 19. The state’s Schools Development Authority (SDA) will distribute $75 million to school districts across the state, with $50 million going to the 31 SDA Abbott districts that are home to some of the state’s poorest communities. The remaining $25 million will go to all other districts. The funds can be used for emergency upgrades and other infrastructure projects, including for COVID-19 updates such as modernizing or adding HVAC systems. New Jersey Monitor
State officials are urging New Jerseyans to be more vigilant in protecting themselves and their children as the number of online data breaches and threats from online child predators continues to rise amid the coronavirus pandemic. The New Jersey State Police’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force said that reports of child luring, sextortion, and other types of online child exploitation increased by nearly 50% in 2020 when mandatory school closings required students as young as kindergarten to log onto the internet for remote learning. “Cyber predators continue to capitalize on our reliance on the internet by targeting unsuspecting online consumers, businesses, and our children,” said Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. North-JerseyNews.com
A red SUV plowed through police barricades and into a Christmas parade in Waukesha, WI. Nov. 21, killing five people and injuring more than 40, including children. Police have recovered the vehicle and a person of interest is in custody. A motive was unknown with the city’s police chief stating “It is unclear at this time whether the incident has any nexus to terrorism.” The Wall Street Journal
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture will distribute $10 million from the American Rescue Plan to food banks throughout the state. The food banks, given based on the number of people they serve, include Community Food Bank of New Jersey ($5.3 million), Food Bank of South Jersey ($1.5 million), Fulfill ($1.5 million), Mercer Street Friends ($1.1 million), NORWESCAP ($300,000) and Southern Regional Food Distribution Center ($300,000). NJ1015.com
The North Jersey delegation all voted for the passage of the Build Back Better Act Nov. 19. According to supporters, the House’s version maps $2.1 trillion in spending over the next decade to battle climate change, expand health care, make childcare more affordable, increase funding for colleges, savings for those on Medicare, and offering tax cuts to the middle class by removing the cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction. “The core issues of my work for the 11th Congressional District since my first day in office have been simple — addressing the SALT deduction cap, lowering prescription drug prices, and making New Jersey more affordable for families in our communities. On all of those points, I’m proud to say this legislation delivers,” said Rep. Mikie Sherrill. North-JerseyNews.com
State Sen. Tom Kean, Jr.’s stock trades have drawn criticism from Democrats as he gets prepared for a rematch with Rep. Tom Malinowski in 2022. During the coronavirus pandemic last year, Kean sold at least $175,000 worth of stock, including in Johnson & Johnson, which developed one of the three approved vaccines to fight COVID-19. And earlier this year, the Kean Family Partnership, which he owns a one-third interest in, bought at least $15,000 worth of stock in Becton, Dickinson & Co., a Franklin Lakes-based medical company that produces COVID-19 tests, according to his federal financial disclosure form. Kean’s trades are being raised as Republicans have been hammering Malinowski for his own trades, accusing him of “pandemic profiteering.” NJ.com
President Joe Biden’s expected announcement that he’ll replace U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors Chairman Ron Bloom has won applause from Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr., a vocal critic of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. “he President took a big move towards rebuilding America’s Post Office. Ron Bloom has been an enabler and cheerleader for Louis DeJoy as he’s dismantled our Post Office,” Pascrell said. “That President Biden will replace Mr. Bloom will be music to the ears of tens of millions of Americans outraged at the endemic delays created by Louis DeJoy.” New Jersey Globe
Paterson Councilman Michael Jackson engaged in a physical altercation with a 1st Ward auto shop owner last month while confronting the businessman about an alleged fire safety violation. A neighbor’s video recording of the Oct. 14 incident clearly showed Jackson throw two punches during the dispute. Jackson maintained he was defending himself after he said the man initiated the fight by striking him. Jackson cited a portion of the video prior to his punches that showed Parra’s arm moving near Jackson and Jackson’s head moving back. The Record
Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. welcomed a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which examined the opportunity zones tax incentive program. Pascrell noted the program has been the subject of a number of reports of huge windfalls for investors from projects not meeting the stated goals of the tax incentive. The GAO report examined the zone designation process and states’ experience with the program; the characteristics of zone investors and investments; and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) procedures to ensure opportunity zone incentive recipients were fulfilling tax obligations. “Lack of available data on investments being made in zones across the nation is both a problem for oversight and a liability for the government,” said. Pascrell. “We need such reporting requirements to know: Are opportunity zones yet another tax incentive making the rich even richer? Is this program crony capitalism on steroids with the government picking winners and losers?” North-JerseyNews.com
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop unveiled a new inclusionary zoning plan that will require new buildings of 15 units or more to include 10-15% on-site affordable units, depending on the income level of the census tract they’re in, and will not allow for developers to offer other benefits in exchange for building affordable housing. The plan is a revamped effort to put an inclusionary zoning ordinance in place in Jersey City after the last attempt ended with a court striking it down in August. The council passed that plan last October over objections from community members who criticized loopholes allowing developers to duck their affordable housing obligations by offering community “give-backs” like school buildings or making contributions to the affordable housing trust fund. Those measures ultimately attracted a lawsuit from the Fair Share Housing Coalition, which Jersey City lost. The Jersey Journal
Attorneys for Sparta, Sussex County and the Lake Grinnell Homeowners Association are discussing how to pay for repairs to the dam and possible state fines if the work is not done in a timely manner. The discussions center on the amount each entity will pay for the repairs to the dam that has a “poor” rating as they face a deadline and threat to refer the case to the state Attorney General for legal action and potential draining of the 51-acre lake. New Jersey Herald
Former borough council president Carrol McMorrow has notified Englewood Cliffs that she intends to sue for $11 million, alleging she was “illegally terminated” as borough administrator. McMorrow filed an initial notice of claim for damages in state Superior Court earlier this month, weeks after being dismissed by the borough council on Sept. 13. The notice alleges McMorrow was fired as acting borough administrator after just nine months on the job in retaliation for pursuing harassment charges against a council member and for filing a previous lawsuit against the borough that was settled last year for $400,000. The Record
And finally…Monument honors newly discovered graves of Continental Army soldiers in Oakland. The Record
