The top concern for American families right now is paying everyday household bills, and inflation specifically, according to the latest Monmouth University poll. About 3 in 10 Americans named either everyday bills (15%) or inflation specifically (14%) as the biggest concern facing their family right now. This far outpaces COVID-19 (18%) or any other single issue as the top kitchen table worry in the country. No matter which issue they identified as their top concern, close to half of respondents (46%) said federal government actions have hurt their top concern. This number was up from July 2021 when just 34% felt that the federal government had hurt their family regarding their top concern. North-JerseyNews.com
Inflation jumped to the highest level in nearly 40 years, as federal data released on Dec. 10 showed supply chain disruptions, rapid consumer demand and rising housing costs combined to fuel the strongest inflationary burst in a generation. The Consumer Price Index climbed by 6.8% in the year through November, the fastest pace since 1982. After stripping out food and fuel, which can move around a lot from month to month, inflation climbed by 4.9%. Prices were up 0.8% from October—slightly slower than the prior monthly increase. The New York Times
A possible compromise to restore the full federal deduction for state and local taxes (SALT) would cut taxes for 96% of New Jerseyans. Under the proposal, taxpayers making up to $400,000 would be able to deduct up to $80,000 in state and local income and property taxes. The $80,000 figure is included in the House-passed 10-year, $1.75 trillion social spending bill, with no income limit. The average deduction in each of New Jersey’s 12 congressional districts exceeds the current $10,000 cap. “This is not untaxed income,” said Rep. Mike Sherrill. “This is income that’s taxed to invest in our states. Life’s pretty good in New Jersey. We want to keep it that way.” NJ.com
The backup of container ships waiting to enter the nation’s busiest port complex isn’t letting up but has moved farther from shore. While 30 vessels sat within sight of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach this week, more than 60 others destined for the port complex remained in waters farther out to sea, some hundreds or even thousands of miles away, including ships that reduced speed during their voyage from Asia to delay their arrival. The ships are complying with a voluntary system set up last month by maritime officials because of fears the ports can’t safely accommodate the crush of waiting vessels as Winter weather sweeps in with strong winds and rough seas. The Wall Street Journal
A group of parents say they will file an appeal after a judge refused to block Gov. Phil Murphy’s mask mandate in schools. While U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty agreed the mask mandate may be a hardship and could have some educational disadvantages, he ruled the mandate was not in violation of the New Jersey State Constitution and a “rational” way to control the spread of COVID. NJ1015.com
U.S. health authorities again expanded the nation’s booster campaign by opening extra doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to several million 16- and 17-year-olds. The Food and Drug Administration gave emergency authorization for the cohort to get a third dose of the vaccine made by Pfizer once they’re six months past their last dose. Hours later, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted the last barrier as Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the agency’s director, issued a statement strongly encouraging those teens to get their booster as soon as it’s time. News12 New Jersey
A Middlesex County vocational and technical school switched to remote learning due to an uptick in COVID cases. The East Brunswick Campus of the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools started fully remote instruction beginning on Dec. 9 with plans to resume in-person learning until Jan. 3, 2022. NJ.com
Long Valley Middle School was back in session Dec. 9 after two weeks of remote learning following a COVID-19 outbreak among dozens of students traced to a PTA-sanctioned social event. Washington Township School District Superintendent Peter Turnamian announced the switch on Nov. 24 after at least three students tested positive for COVID. Six days later, 35 COVID-19-positive cases had been tied to a PTA-sponsored sixth grade “Neon Night” on Nov. 19 at Sky Zone in Mount Olive, prompting the district to send all middle school grades home for remote learning. Another 24 COVID-19-positive cases were identified as close contacts related to the outbreak. The Daily Record
New Jersey lawmakers advanced a bill to require the state Department of Education to measure pandemic learning loss and report its findings by the end of May. The proposed legislation mandates state education officials to examine student achievement from March 2020 through June 2021. Under the bill, the commissioner would also be required to report by September 2022 on the pandemic’s impact on schools generally, including students’ technology access, attendance rates, special education services, graduation rates, teacher shortages, and district-sponsored child care programs. New Jersey Monitor
New Jersey reported another 4,532 COVID-19 cases on Dec. 9, the highest single-day total since April 1. The state reported 11 deaths as the number of people being hospitalized and the statewide transmission continue a steady post-Thanksgiving surge. Of the 1,452 hospitalized, 264 patients were in intensive care , with 116 of them on ventilators. The statewide transmission rate increased to 1.39, up from 1.36 the previous day. NJ.com
Hoboken City Hall will be reopening for City Council meetings after nearly two years since shuttering their doors due to the pandemic. Hoboken announced that City Council meetings, which have been virtual since March of 2020, will be returning in a hybrid format starting next year in 2022, where members of the public will be able to attend meetings either in person or on Zoom. Resident who want to attend in-person can enter City Hall for meetings at 6:40 p.m., with meetings starting at 7 p.m. In-person capacity will be limited to 25 people on a first-come, first-serve basis, with masks required, along with temperature checks at the door and social distancing as precautions for COVID-19. Hudson Reporter
The U.S. Senate cleared away the last major hurdle to raising the debt ceiling, approving legislation that would all but guarantee that Congress will be able to move quickly in the coming days to steer the government away from a first-ever federal default. The breakthrough came after 14 Republicans joined every Democrat to effectively end their party’s monthslong blockade of debt-limit legislation, allowing the bill to advance in the 50-50 Senate. The legislation later passed by a similar margin, 59 to 35, with 10 Republicans joining Democrats for final passage. President Joe Biden is expected to quickly sign the bill into law. It would establish a one-time fast-track process for Congress to increase the statutory borrowing limit by a set amount that is still to be determined. The New York Times
Fredon Mayor John P. Flora announced his entry into the Republican primary in the 5th Congressional District. The district, currently served by Democrat Rep. Josh Gottheimer, includes most of Sussex and Bergen counties and parts of Warren and Passaic. Flora, a former township school board member, joins three other announced candidates: 2020’s nominee Frank Pallotta, Fair Lawn resident Nick De Gregorio and Sussex-Wantage Regional Board of Education President Nick D’Agostino as announced candidates for the June primary. New Jersey Herald
Former gubernatorial candidate Phil Rizzo announced his campaign to be the GOP for Congressional District 11. Rizzo joins seven other Republicans seeking support for the chance to take on Rep. Mikie Sherrill: Morris County Commissioner Tayfun Selen, a former Chatham Township mayor; Morris County Republican State Committeeman Larry Casha, a former Kinnelon council president; former assistant Passaic County Prosecutor Paul DeGroot; screenwriter Hillery Brotschol, former RNC staffer Tom Toomey, realtor Patrick Quinn; and attorney Robert Kovic, a former Ridgefield councilman. Sherrill’s 2020 opponent, former U.S. Senate tax counsel Rosemary Becchi, has expressed some interest in running but has not taken steps to assemble a campaign. InsiderNJ
People convicted of assaulting transit crew members on the job could be kicked off the bus or train for a year and face stiffer fines and more jail time under a new Assembly bill. The legislation, in response to increased violence reported against NJ Transit train crews and bus drivers, unanimously passed the transportation and independent authorities committee Dec. 9. The bill (A-6013) makes the assaults on a public or private transit employee “targeted because of their job,” a third degree aggravated assault crime with higher penalties of 3 to 5 years in prison and up to a $15,000 fine. Now, it is a fourth degree crime with lesser penalties of 18 months in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. NJ.com
Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck unveiled three statewide law enforcement policies that would affect no-knock warrants, recording rights, and diversity hiring efforts. For the no-knock warrant, law enforcement would be required to take reasonable steps to identify the occupants of the premises to be searched prior to warrant execution, county prosecutors would need to approve a no-knock warrant, and they would have to track the number of applications and authorizations for such warrants. Bruck in a statement announcing said the three new rules would reaffirm New Jersey’s commitment to policing standards and its place as a national leader on the issue. North-JerseyNews.com
The Assembly Judiciary Committee on Dec. 9 voted to advance legislation that says, “laws concerning marriage and civil union shall be read with gender neutral intent.” An earlier bill stated no religious group or institution “shall be compelled to provide space, services, advantages, goods, or privileges related to” marriage that is in violation of their beliefs and indemnified them from lawsuits. The Senate pulled the bill and has not acted on it since. The bill, NJ A5367 (20R), advanced this week does not include any religious exemptions, effectively leaving it up to courts. The measure cleared with bipartisan support, as Assemblymember Christopher DePhillips (R-40) joined three Democrats to vote in favor of it. PoliticoNJ
A long-anticipated bill to prevent private development in Liberty State Park was passed from one committee of the State Senate to another Dec. 9. The Senate’s Environment and Energy Committee voted to clear the Liberty State Park Protection Act, sponsored by State Sens. Loretta Weinberg (D-37) and Brian Stack, (D-33), and send it to the Budget and Appropriations Committee. “Ensuring that the park continues to remain as a recreational area free for everyone to enjoy is crucial,” Stack said. “It is a much-needed green space in the city’s densely populated concrete landscape and offers unique educational opportunities to the community.” The Jersey Journal
Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. recently announced a $700,000 federal grant for the Paterson Police Department to establish a Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) in the city. A part of the Department of Justice’s Local Law Enforcement Crime Gun Intelligence Center Initiative, the program would allow local police to utilize state-of-the-art technology to find crime guns and to effectively prosecute perpetrators. “Big cities like Paterson have been the epicenter of America’s gun violence epidemic. With this grant, Paterson PD will have new tools and technology to swiftly identify guns used for criminal purposes and prosecute those who put our community in harm’s way,” the Congressman said. North-JerseyNews.com
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh has called for “a thorough and extensive search” for a new city schools superintendent. “Cast a nationwide net,” said Sayegh. “We can’t afford to have our children shortchanged.” The mayor said finding a replacement for Eileen Shafer represents “the first real test” since the Paterson Board of Education regained control over the city schools after the state ran the district for three decades. The Record
Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-25) didn’t report for his Paterson Public Schools job on seven days in June, but he still got paid for all that time, according to district records. Wimberly was in Trenton on those days performing his duties as a New Jersey legislator but those absences didn’t affect his Paterson school paycheck because of a longstanding state law, district officials said. That law, which was enacted in 1966, says a school employee who also serves in the Legislature “shall be entitled to time off from his duties as such employee, without loss of pay, during the periods of his attendance at regular or special sessions of the legislature and hearings or meetings of any legislative committee or commission.” The Record
And finally…Hoboken will unveil a 6-foot bronze statue of iconic crooner Frank Sinatra by renowned sculptor Carolyn D. Palmer on Dec. 12, the singer’s birthday. The Jersey Journal
