There are new rules for students and school staffers when it comes to how many days to miss school due to COVID-19 exposure. The New Jersey Department of Health on Jan. 12 updated its guidance that allows students and school staff who test positive or have been exposed for COVID to quarantine at home for five days after they experience symptoms or receive a positive test. For the fully vaccinated who have been exposed to COVID but who have no symptoms, this cohort does not need to stay home from school. North-JerseyNews.com
The U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 13 blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a vaccine-or-testing mandate for large employers, but allowed a more limited mandate requiring healthcare workers at facilities receiving federal money to be vaccinated. President Joe Biden welcomed the ruling in his favor, saying in a statement that it would save the lives of healthcare workers and patients, but expressed disappointment that the court had overturned the employer mandate, which he said was “grounded squarely in both science and the law.” The employer decision now leaves the country with a patchwork of state laws and policies, largely leaving companies and businesses on their own. The New York Times
New Jersey’s only public acute-care hospital is among six around the country slated to receive a military medical team to help address a surge in COVID-19 patients and staff shortages. Newark-based University Hospital, which has had more than 700 employees out sick with the coronavirus in the past 30 days—more than any other hospital in New Jersey—will be getting a team of 23 military medical workers. University Hospital CEO Dr. Shereef Elnahal said he did not yet know the specific specialties of the medical team members who will arrive, but “it doesn’t matter because we’re struggling in pretty much every area.” NJ.com
A Sussex County nursing home made positive changes, reeducated staff members and met federal compliance within five weeks after being hit with a troubling health inspection report amid an explosive COVID-19 outbreak in April 2020. Woodland Behavioral and Nursing Center, formerly Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation II, paid civil penalties of $220,235 accrued during a 15-day period when patients were in “immediate danger” but has since remained in compliance. The information comes as the facility reports the worst COVID-19 outbreak among all 670 long-term facilities in the state. New Jersey Herald
New Jersey Congressional Redistricting Commission Chairman John Wallace Jr. defended his choice of the Democrats’ map over the Republican map, saying that it was “more party-blind” and incorporated more testimony from the public than the GOP’s redistricting proposal. “I should have stated that the Democrats’ map better satisfied the standard for Partisan Fairness…The Republicans, on the other hand, presented their proposed districts by their experts and did not refer to public testimony to the degree the Democrats did. Thus, the Democrats’ presentation helped to reinforce my decision to select their map,” explained Wallace. North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill into law that preserves the legal right for women and girls to obtain an abortion in New Jersey, a protection advocates say is necessary because the conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court may overturn the 49-year-old Roe v. Wade decision later this year. The new law (S49) authorizes the state Department of Banking and Insurance to study whether the cost of an abortion is an impediment to low-income and uninsured women getting one. Murphy signed a separate law (S413) requiring medical professionals in New Jersey who prescribe contraceptives to write prescriptions for 12 months at a time, and for state-regulated insurers to cover the cost. “Together, these pieces of legislation will protect access to time-sensitive care,” Murphy said. The Record
State Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-22) wants to see more information made public about the spending lawmakers add to the New Jersey budget every year just before they vote to approve it. “There’s no doubt that the government at the end of the sessions runs really fast and sometimes members (of the Legislature), and the public as well, don’t have enough time to review this stuff,” stated Scutari. “We’ve got to do better on that, for sure. People have to have an opportunity to review budget items, and that goes for all types of legislation.” NJ Spotlight News
Assemblyman Bob Auth (R-39) and Assemblywoman DeAnne DeFuccio (R-39) have become the first elected officials to back Nick De Gregorio in his bid to take on Rep. Josh Gottheimer in New Jersey’s 5th district. “Nick is our choice to represent us in Congress because we know he will use the same strength and determination as he did while honorably serving his country overseas to fight for the Fifth District in Congress,” said Auth and DeFuccio in their endorsement statement. De Gregorio faces two opponents in the GOP primary: businessman Fred Schneiderman and 2020 party nominee Frank Pallotta. New Jersey Globe
New Jersey’s anti-bullying law, one of the toughest in the country, just became tougher. The new law, signed Jan. 10 by Gov. Phil Murphy, increases penalties for parents and guardians and requires school districts to beef-up their policies aimed at preventing bullying. The measure amends New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights. State Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-26), the lead sponsor of the bill (S 1790/A 1662), said he is “the Legislature has aggressively moved to control bullying in our schools, but it hasn’t been enough,” he said in a statement. “Victims of bullying are prone to attack 24 hours a day by schoolmates or rivals texting from their phones or flexing social media muscles online.” North-JerseyNews.com
The U.S. Department of Justice arrested 11 members of the far-right militia group the Oath Keepers on Jan. 13 with seditious conspiracy in organizing an attack on the U.S. Capitol and disrupting the Electoral College certification of the president, including the founder of the group. In their indictment, the DOJ described how the Oath Keepers recruited allies; organized teams and weapons including knives and batons; organized training in paramilitary combat tactics; used force against police attempting to protect the Capitol; and continued to plot via social media and other means following Jan. 6. New Jersey Monitor
Gov. Phil Murphy on Jan. 13 nominated Acting Department of Correction Commissioner Victoria Kuhn for the job permanently after a national search that followed the ouster of Marcus Hicks, the second state corrections commissioner in a row to be ousted over conditions at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. While winning the support of high-profile prison reform advocates and the state’s corrections officer unions alike, some critics have called for an outside reformer to take the helm of the troubled department. NJ.com
Uniform and plainclothes police officers in Morris Plains are now wearing body-worn cameras while on duty. The total cost for the bodycam rollout, including upgrades to the department’s IT infrastructure, was $56,965. Cloud storage was added to accommodate the enormous amount of memory needed to archive the bodycam video footage. The majority of the total bodycam rollout expenditure was covered by $42,789 obtained through the state grant program. The balance was allocated from the borough budget. The Daily Record
The Biden Administration plans to spend more than $27 billion in spending over the next five years to repair dilapidated bridges across the country, including full funding for structures that aren’t part of the federal highway system. The work will be funded under the roughly $1 trillion infrastructure bill that passed Congress with bipartisan support and signed into law last year. State and local governments generally have to contribute up to 20% of the costs of bridge work to win federal funding but that requirement for bridges not connected to the federal highway system is being removed. The Wall Street Journal
Jersey City officials and a coalition of Hudson County bike groups are opposing the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s $4.7 billion plan to widen the Hudson County extension through Bayonne and Jersey City to the Holland Tunnel and replace the aging Newark Bay bridge. The opposition is based on concerns the project won’t alleviate congestion and would create more traffic and air pollution from vehicles cutting through Bayonne and Jersey City neighborhoods when traffic backs up on the extension. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop wrote to the Turnpike Authority, asking them to consider alternatives to widening because of concerns that the project would adversely affect the city’s residents. NJ.com
Weehawken has taken a stand against the planned expansion of the current New York Waterway ferry refueling and maintenance facility in the township. “The township of Weehawken is opposed to any plans that would enlarge the existing maintenance facility and is opposed to the current maintenance facility in the township of Weehawken,” Mayor Richard Turner said, reading the resolution aloud. “The Weehawken Township Council encourages all interested parties to work together to achieve a resolution to the maintenance facility operations and that these operations will not be in the township of Weehawken.” Hudson Reporter
The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission pulled a planned vote to begin construction on a new $180 million gas-fired power plant at the agency’s sewage facility in the Ironbound section of Newark. The move came at the request of Gov. Phil Murphy, who released a statement asking for the delay as “it is imperative that the project adheres to the Administration’s core values on environmental justice.” The governor’s statement called for “a more thorough environmental justice review and robust public engagement process, ensuring that the voices of the community are heard.” InsiderNJ
Student loan collecting company Navient agreed to cancel $1.7 billion in debt owed by more than 66,000 borrowers across the U.S. and pay over $140 million in other penalties to settle allegations of abusive lending practices. The settlement with 39 state attorneys general includes $57.2 million in debt relief and $3.1 million in restitution payments to New Jersey borrowers. NJ1015.com
Paterson school district officials say they are unsure exactly when they will reopen 16 classrooms at School 5 that have been closed and undergoing repairs after being flooded during a nor’easter late last October. The damaged classrooms were on the building’s second and third floors, and the flooding stemmed from leaks in the school’s roof and facade that have been a problem for more than a decade, officials said. About 290 students at School 5, or 40% of its enrollment, have been remote learning since Nov. 1, 2021. The Record
And finally…An Oakland restaurant is encouraging diners to get tested by offering a COVID-19 test with a purchase of an adult beverage. News12 New Jersey
