OPINION: Attempted Coup Leaders for Trump Must Be Held Accountable. Even in an election year where the control of Congress may change hands, we believe the most important political story to watch will be the House’s investigation of Jan. 6. Committee members are following the facts and attempting to hold those responsible in the political world accountable. All Americans should want to get to the bottom of what happened and deliver punishment for those responsible for organizing it. North-JerseyNews.com
The anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot will arrive with the congressional committee investigating the attack confronting a series of difficult questions, including how forcefully to flex its subpoena power and whether the Supreme Court will stymie a major element of its inquiry. As the nine-member panel continues to examine the events leading up to the attack on Congress, it is waiting for the Supreme Court’s ruling on the request from former President Donald J. Trump to block the committee’s access to White House records related to the riot. The committee also has not ruled out moving to subpoena members of Congress, the former President and former Vice President Mike Pence. The New York Times
Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency for five South Jersey counties expected to be hardest hit by a Winter storm on the first day back for many Garden State school districts. The five counties are Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland and Ocean—matching the areas that are under a winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service that is forecasting up to 8 inches of snow in parts of the state. The northern half of the state may see some snow, but appears likely to escape the storm with accumulations less than 1 inch or no snow at all. News12 New Jersey
School districts across New Jersey have announced they will resume classes remotely this week as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Newark, Jersey City, and Paterson have already announced virtual starts. Along with Jersey City, numerous Hudson County schools will have students learning from home starting Jan. 3. And the Hackensack school district for at least the first week of January has all students remote learning. NJ.com
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the expectation is that schools will do everything they can to remain open for in-person instruction amid the Omicron surge even as “there will be bumps in the road, especially (Jan. 3).” Cardona acknowledged that in the coming weeks, last-minute staffing shortages caused by the pandemic could cause some short-term school closures. PoliticoNJ
New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy has tested positive for COVID-19. The announcement followed a rapid antigen test and the family’s return from an eight-day vacation to Costa Rica. New Jersey’s First Lady is asymptomatic while Gov. Murphy and the rest of the family have tested negative. The Daily Record
Gov. Phil Murphy toured the new federally funded COVID-19 testing site in East Orange, hopeful that more testing for the coronavirus can stop the “omicron tsunami” that is ripping through the state. “The speed at which omicron is spreading is staggering,” Murphy said late last week. “The best way we can get a handle on this phase of the pandemic is through testing. When you get tested and know your COVID status, you can take the necessary steps and precautions to limit the further spread.” The Record
New Jersey on Jan. 2 reported another three COVID-19 deaths and 24,710 confirmed positive cases, breaking a streak of record-high days. Statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations continued to increase as well, to 4,280, the highest level since May 8, 2020, when the initial wave in cases was starting to ease. The positivity rate for tests conducted on Dec. 29, 2021, the most recent day available, was 32.8%. NJ.com
A growing number of New Jersey children are testing positive for COVID-19, and some are getting sick and being hospitalized. In New Jersey last week about 18,000 tested positive, up from about 2,000 a week in the Fall. At the beginning of December, there were 11 children in the hospital with COVID or under investigation for the virus, but by the end of last week, that number had grown to 87. NJ1015.com
A pair of state bills that would expand access to safe-syringe programs for opioid users and decriminalize hypodermic needle possession has advanced. A-4847, which was cleared by the Assembly Health Committee, would give the state Department of Health (DOH) more control over where to locate syringe access programs, while the Assembly Judiciary Committee passed A-5458 to repeal a 1987 law that makes it a crime to have or distribute a syringe without a medical prescription. “People struggling with addiction will often find a way to obtain and use drugs regardless of the potential risks. Our state loses thousands of residents each year to overdoses alone. If we want to help our fellow community members avoid these tragic outcomes, we must offer the resources and safer alternatives they need,” said Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-37), a lead sponsor of the measures. “Research has shown time and again that harm reduction measures work.” North-JerseyNews.com
Families are bracing for bank balances to suffer later this month when the monthly child-tax-credit payment expires. More than 30 million households started getting up to $300 per child in July after Congress temporarily transformed an annual tax break into a near-universal monthly benefit in which researchers found families spent the money on essentials like groceries and stashed it as emergency savings. The continuation of the tax benefit is part of the Build Back Better Act currently stalled in the U.S. Senate. The Wall Street Journal
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and the nine-member Jersey City Council were sworn in for upcoming terms in a ceremony on New Year’s night. Managing the recovery from COVID, Fulop said, would define his upcoming term. “Looking ahead in Jersey City, the next four years will be viewed through the lens of what we learned from COVID and what we did to help our city and its residents regain their footing since the pandemic started,” he said. “That’s the challenge and that’s the test we’re facing.” Following the swearing-in ceremonies, the council met for its annual reorganization meeting and voted to return Councilwoman-at-Large Joyce Watterman to the council presidency. The Jersey Journal
A judge has ruled that Bayonne Mayor James Davis can be deposed in a lawsuit filed by a former employee that alleges that Davis engaged in “sexting” conversations. The suit filed by former deputy register Stacie Percella in 2018 claims she was fired in retaliation for filing a federal lawsuit against the city in 2014. That lawsuit alleged hostile environment discrimination, due to Percella’s actions as a vice president of the local civil service employees union as well as rebuffing Davis’s alleged sexual overtures. Hudson Reporter
Lawrence (Larry) Friscia announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. In a press release, Friscia said that he will promote policies aimed at stemming inflation, which he views as “an invisible regressive tax afflicting all of us.” The Florham Park native said he would be “a fierce defender of our rights, especially those associated with the freedom of expression. He will speak for us, whether or not Big Tech likes it.” InsiderNJ
Morris County Democrats elected former Parsippany Mayor Michael Soriano to serve as their new Democratic State Committeeman in a special election held on Jan. 2 to replace Philip R. Sellinger. Soriano defeated T.J. McCourt by a 58%-38% margin, with 4% going to former Boonton Alderman James Plaisted. Sellinger resigned his seat last month after the U.S. Senate confirmed him as the new U.S. Attorney for New Jersey. New Jersey Globe
And finally…Rowan University will be the site of New Jersey’s first veterinary school. NJ Spotlight News
