State Senate Minority Leader Steve Oroho (R-24) and State Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-26) filed requests for records regarding the $52.9 million settlement with the families of 119 veterans who died at state-run veteran nursing homes in Paramus and Menlo Park during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The documents we are seeking will help us to understand what went wrong at the start of the coronavirus pandemic so we can develop effective policies that better protect our seniors and veterans,” Oroho said in a statement. “This isn’t about playing ‘gotcha’ with the administration, we’re trying to save lives.” North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey students will spend fewer days out of the classroom if they test positive for COVID or are exposed to someone who has the virus under new school health guidelines released by the state Jan. 12. Notably, students and school staff who test positive for COVID should quarantine at home for five days after they experience symptoms or receive a positive test. and can return on the sixth day if their symptoms have improved or if they are symptom free. This cohort should continue wearing masks as much as possible for days 6 to 10. As for those exposed to someone with COVID, but who have not tested positive or shown symptoms themselves, they stay home from school for at least five days. If they test negative, they can return to school on the sixth day and should wear a mask until the tenth day. New Jersey Herald
The Paterson school district is postponing a return to classrooms, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. Students in New Jersey’s third-largest city are now scheduled to resume in-person instruction on Jan. 24. The city school district previously had planned to welcome students back on Jan. 18. Schools in Paterson switched to remote learning upon returning from the holiday break Jan. 3. The Record
The number of new COVID-19 cases in New Jersey has fallen slightly this week as it has in several major East Coast cities that health officials and politicians believe the surge caused by Omicron may be cresting over the peak. Most notably, the amount of the Covid virus detected in wastewater in Boston, which has been a leading indicator of case trends in the past, has plunged by about 40% since its peak just after Jan. 1. The New York Times
NJ Transit will receive $1.6 billion in federal coronavirus transit aid, which comes as the agency reports a sudden drop in ridership due to the statewide surge of positive tests for the omicron variant of COVID-19. The monies are being allocated from the American Rescue Plan, designed to prevent service cuts and transit worker layoffs due to revenue losses from coronavirus-related ridership declines. Weekday rail ridership, which had been at 55% of pre-pandemic levels, dropped to 30% to 35% in the last few weeks, and weekend ridership which had hit 80% of pre-COVID levels, plummeted to 40% to 50%. Prior to Christmas week, systemwide bus bus ridership was at 70% of pre-COVID-19 levels but has dropped to 50% during the recent surge of new COVID-19 cases. NJ1015.com
Rep. Josh Gottheimer rolled out new bipartisan legislation—The Invest in Law Enforcement Act—in Dumont Jan. 10 designed to help local police departments across the country. “Cutting to the bone only weakens any profession; it pushes good people out, it diminishes the overall quality, and fuels a race to the bottom. That’s especially true in law enforcement,” said Gottheimer. “(The bill) sends an important message: we want our police officers to feel supported, especially when they are struggling with the realities of their profession. We want them to know that we have their backs and that they are appreciated for the job they do.” Among the measures include funding for body cameras, grants to retain police officers, monies for de-escalation, and domestic violence response training and provide resources for officers’ mental health. North-JerseyNews.com
The Biden Administration scheduled an auction next month to lease more than 480,000 acres along the coast of New Jersey and New York to be used for wind turbines, a proposal that officials say could vault the region into being the manufacturing and supply hub of the offshore wind sector. It would be the first offshore wind sale under President Joe Biden and when fully developed, could power almost 2 million homes. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold an auction for leases in six areas of what is known as the New York Bight on Feb. 23. Gov. Phil Murphy praised the “once in a generation project,” promoting that a “regional cluster” makes for a “very compelling” reason for equipment not only being installed in the region but building them here, which would create jobs. “Offshore wind holds a tremendous promise for our future,” he said. NJ Spotlight News
The federal government would authorize $50 million a year in grants to protect and restore the New York-New Jersey Watershed under legislation introduced Jan. 12 by the U.S. senators from both states. The bill would set up a new federal program under the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service to protect the watershed from climate change, pollution and untreated sewage. The legislation would authorize grants through 2027 to help protect fish and wildlife, improve water quality, increase public access, reduce the risk of flooding and educate the public about the watershed. NJ.com
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy rejected a request from the bipartisan Jan. 6 House Committee to voluntarily provide information about his conversations with then-President Donald Trump before, during and after the U.S. Capitol riot. McCarthy, calling it a politically motivated abuse of power, argued the committee wants to “interview me about public statements that have been shared with the world, and private conversations not remotely related to the violence that unfolded at the Capitol. I have nothing else to add.” McCarthy joins Reps. Scott Perry (R-PA) and Jim Jordan (R-OH) in refusing to participate, saying the Jan. 6 select committee is illegitimate. The Wall Street Journal
Gov. Phil Murphy is not giving up with his choice of a North Jersey woman to fill the vacancy on the state’s Supreme Court. Murphy announced Jan. 11 his intention to renominate Rachel Wainer Apter to the New Jersey Supreme Court to fill the vacant seat of Associate Justice Jaynee LaVecchia, who retired on Dec. 31, 2021. “Since first nominating Rachel Wainer Apter to the New Jersey Supreme Court last year, I have only grown more confident in her character and the integrity she will bring as a future Justice,” said Murphy. Wainer Apter’s nomination has been held up by New Jersey’s unwritten rule of senatorial courtesy being evoked by State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-39). North-JerseyNews.com
Kellyanne Conway, a former Trump White House advisor and campaign manager, has signed on to help Cresskill businessman Fred Schneiderman take on Rep. Josh Gottheimer in New Jersey’s 5th district. Schneiderman also announced that he’s hired Jamestown Associates, a top-tier Republican media firm headed by New Jersey native Larry Weitzner. Jamestown created TV ads for both of Trump’s presidential campaigns and for dozens of successful U.S. Senate, gubernatorial and congressional races. New Jersey Globe
Ricardo Rojas, a progressive organizer in Hudson County, will run for the Democratic nomination in the 8th Congressional District, challenging Robert Menendez Jr., the announced candidate and son of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez. Rojas is a co-founder of the Progressive Democrats of New Jersey and their Hudson chapter, the Progressive Democrats of Hudson County as well as the campaign manager for candidate Hector Oseguera, who challenged retiring Rep. Albio Sires in the 8th district, and multiple County Commissioner candidates in 2020. Hudson Reporter
Toby Anderson, an Iraq War veteran and healthcare businessman, will run to be the Republican nominee in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district, currently held by Rep. Mikie Sherrill. Anderson joins a crowded field that includes Morris County Commissioner Tayfun Selen, Morris County Republican State Committeeman Larry Casha, former Assistant Passaic County Prosecutor Paul DeGroot, former Ridgefield Park Councilman Robert Kovic, attorney Larry Friscia, and screenwriter Hillery Brotschol. Two other candidates formerly running in the 11th district have left the race for other districts—2021 gubernatorial candidate Phil Rizzo to the 7th and former Republican National Committee staffer Thomas Toomey to the 6th. New Jersey Globe
Northern Highlands Regional High School District will ask voters on March 8 to approve an $8.8 million project that would include a new field house and field renovations. The proposal includes a $3.8 million two-story field house on the site of its former tennis courts, and a $3.1 million renovation of its so-called Lower Field east of the high school. An additional $1.9 million in renovations and upgrades are also proposed for the school, including reclaiming four classrooms by moving the fitness center to the field house. The Record
And finally…New Jersey ranks 10th in Wallethub.com’s best states to raise a family in.
