Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli pointed to vaccination levels in the state as well as residents understanding the protocols needed to limit the spread of the coronavirus as hopeful signs the state will have a healthier Winter. “Remember we just started vaccinating on Dec. 15 (2020), so we saw a peak mid-January of almost 3,000 hospitalizations,” said Persichilli. “Now, if we did nothing, that might happen again, but because of our high vaccination rate, we’re hoping that severe disease, hospitalizations will be moderate….That’s our hope.”But the commissioner warned hospitalizations “could still reach 2,000 or more” at its projected peak in mid-January 2022. North-JerseyNews.com
A former school secretary filed a lawsuit accusing the Paterson school district of disability discrimination for requiring her to work in-person during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite her medical problems. The secretary, Shelly Black, cited her 2019 heart attack and chronic medical issues, saying that working in-person would put her health at risk. Black’s lawsuit called the district’s requirement she work in-person “outrageous, coercive and unconscionable,” and forced her to retire to protect herself. The Record
A public relations company hired last year by a troubled Sussex County nursing home ravaged by the pandemic is suing the facility, claiming they have yet to receive tens of thousands of dollars in payments. Mercury Public Affairs, is seeking upwards of $157,500 from Alliance Healthcare Holdings, who manages Andover Subacute II for services they say they provided to help boost the facility’s reputation after police found 17 bodies piled in a “makeshift” morgue at the height of the pandemic. Mercury contracted with Alliance’s CEO Chaim “Mutty” Scheinbaum in April 2020 to provide crisis, reputation and issues management and strategic media relations, according to the lawsuit filed in Sussex County Superior Court. New Jersey Herald
New Jersey on Nov. 25 reported another 2,376 COVID-19 cases and 16 confirmed deaths, while statewide coronavirus hospitalizations were above 800 for the fourth straight day. The 2,376 positive cases announced are the most the state has reported in one day since Sept. 16. The statewide transmission rate remained at 1.23 for a fourth straight day as all of the state’s 21 counties now qualified as having “high” rates of transmission. NJ.com
An increasing number of countries moved to restrict travel from South Africa and other countries in the region, a day after South African authorities identified a concerning new coronavirus variant with mutations that one scientist said marked a “big jump in evolution.” Britain, France and Israel announced bans on flights from South Africa and several neighboring countries on Thursday, citing the threat of the new variant. The governments of Croatia, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Japan and Singapore announced on Friday that they would impose similar restrictions. The New York Times
Stocks, oil prices and government-bond yields slumped after South Africa raised the alarm over a fast-spreading strain of the coronavirus, triggering concern that travel restrictions and other curbs will spoil the global economy’s recovery. Futures pointed to losses of about 1.7% for the S&P 500 and 2.2% for the Dow Jones Industrial Average when the U.S. stock market opens for a holiday-shortened trading session Friday. Brent crude slid 5.9% to under $77 a barrel, putting the global energy benchmark on track for its biggest one-day loss since July, amid concerns that potential limits on movement could reduce demand for transportation fuels. The Wall Street Journal
Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration outlined more than a quarter billion dollars in federally funded spending in a proposal shared with a legislative panel Nov. 23. The governor’s proposal includes nearly $253 million in spending priorities that range from additional hospital funding, rental assistance, and money for school construction projects to items apparently unrelated to the pandemic, like the recently announced Essex-Hudson Greenway Project and a giant trash pile in Vernon. The proposal will need approval from the Joint Budget Oversight Committee to go into effect. New Jersey Monitor
New Jersey’s accountants are telling Gov. Phil Murphy that he should make cutting taxes his top priority during his second term. The New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA) conducted a survey of its more than 900 CPAs that placed reducing property taxes as being the issue that the leader of the state should focus on first. Coming in second was tackling overspending and waste in New Jersey’s government agencies. Improving the state’s infrastructure ranked third. Accounting professionals additionally said the governor should focus on reforming the state’s public worker pensions system and reducing business regulations. North-JerseyNews.com
This year’s New Jersey governor’s race was the second-most expensive gubernatorial election in state history when adjusted for inflation. Candidates and outside groups spent a combined $90.7 million across the primary and general elections, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. The election saw $41.7 million in independent spending, accounting for 46% of total spending in the race and a 69% increase from the state’s previous high of $24.5 million. Candidates—including Murphy, Ciattarelli, and Ciattarelli’s four Republican primary opponents—spent $48.9 million during the course of the election. InsiderNJ
The Union City Board of Commissioners has adopted an ordinance that allows for early voting for the upcoming May 2022 municipal election. According to state law, early voting is allowed for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday prior to the Tuesday election day. Early voting will use electronic poll books and optical scan voting machines, or other machines that produce a verifiable paper ballot. Hudson Reporter
State Sen. Joseph Cryan (D-20) introduced legislation on Nov. 22 that would make it a crime for a candidate to seek or accept a campaign contribution in direct consideration of a future action. The bill expands the definition of public servant under New Jersey’s bribery laws to include candidates seeking office but separates campaign speeches and promises that generate lawful campaign contributions. New Jersey Globe
Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) has ideas for $7 billion worth of projects to connect offshore wind farms to New Jersey’s electric grid. The company, along with business partner Ørsted, has submitted seven proposals to PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator, and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. The grid operator and utility regulator are together trying to figure out how to sensibly and efficiently bring ashore energy from offshore wind farms. PoliticoNJ
Six police departments in New Jersey were awarded a grant under the federal Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. New Jersey police department awards went to Bayonne ($1.5 million to hire 12 officers), Camden County ($2.5 million to hire 20 officers), New Brunswick ($2.3 million for six officers), Paterson ($3.8 million for 20 officers), Plainfield ($1.25 million for 10 officers) and Prospect Park ($500,000 for four officers). The Jersey Journal
Cannabis businesses will be allowed to operate in Dover under new regulations approved at Nov. 23’s Board of Aldermen meeting. The 15-page ordinance, approved unanimously, establishes zoning codes and licensing requirements for recreational marijuana dispensaries as well as seting up an application process to open a dispensary in town. Businesses are allowed in the town’s general commercial district along McFarlan Street, before Morris Street, and industrial zone along Richboynton Road and Clinton Street. The Daily Record
And finally…Click to check on Black Friday store hours. NJ.com
