New Jersey’s COVID-19 count passed two milestones during the January three-day weekend. On Jan. 15, the number of total deaths passed 30,000 followed by the number of cases totaling more than 2 million on Jan. 17. But key numbers that had been considerably higher just last week—daily new cases, rate of transmission, hospitalizations—are beginning to decline slowly. However, lagging indicators such as deaths, ventilators in use and patients in intensive care units continue to rise. “Hospitalization are down again…cases are down,” Gov. Phil Murphy said during a Jan. 16 press conference. “Those are all very good signs—still not out of the woods, but all very good signs.” North-JerseyNews.com
Most of the schools where students were learning from home this week due to COVID-19 will be reopening their classrooms on Jan. 18, according to a breakdown from the state education department. Nearly 86% of the 685 schools that were relying entirely on remote learning, as of Jan, 14, are scheduled to resume in-person instruction following the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday. The 589 schools planning a return include buildings in some of the state’s largest school districts—Newark, Jersey City, Elizabeth and Trenton. NJ.com
A wave of Omicron cases may be cresting in the northeastern United States, but the number of COVID-19 patients is at a record high and climbing, overwhelming hospitals whose staffs have been hollowed out by the coronavirus. Public health leaders warn that while the number of Americans getting infected every day remains dangerously high, there is no guarantee that the population is building enough natural immunity to hasten the day the virus becomes a manageable part of daily life. The New York Times
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky acknowledged that she hasn’t been clear enough with the American public during her first year running the agency. Dr. Walensky says the pandemic threw curveballs that she should have anticipated and e made it clearer to the public that new rules and guidelines were subject to change if the nature of the fight against COVID-19 shifted again. “I think what I have not conveyed is the uncertainty in a lot of these situations,” stated the director. The Wall Street Journal
Gov. Phil Murphy and Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver will be sworn in at 12 noon Jan. 18 for another term. Murphy said he expects his inaugural address to be “thematic…I think you’re going to see a range of things. We’re not going to be anybody different. I don’t think you’re going to see us behave in any meaningful way that’s different from the first term. We’ve stood for that stronger, fairer, forward notion from Day One.” New Jersey Globe
Public New Jersey colleges and universities will offer a program beginning this Fall to provide free third- and fourth-year tuition and fees for many in-state residents. Under the Garden State Guarantee program, students whose parents or guardians have a verified adjusted gross income of $65,000 or less will pay nothing for tuition and fees in their junior and senior years. In addition to families whose AGI is $65,000 or less, the program will assist students whose parents or guardians earn between $65,001 and $80,000 per year, ensuring they will pay no more than $7,500 for tuition and fees in their final two years of school. ROI-NJ.com
Gov. Phil Murphy enacted two pieces of legislation guaranteeing reproduction rights for women in New Jersey, laws that had been sponsored by outgoing State Sen. Loretta Weinberg and Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle. In addition to abortion rights, the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act will codify the right to access contraception, the right to terminate a pregnancy and the right to carry a pregnancy to term. “Women across the United States are being threatened as reproductive rights are in serious jeopardy,” said Vainieri Huttle at the signing ceremony. “Twenty six states are prepared to restrict access to reproductive care. The future of choice remains uncertain nationwide.” North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy visited the Eastside Firehouse in Passaic on Jan. 17 to commend firefighters for their heroism during this weekend’s chemical plant fire. “The heroism and bravery of each of these folks just takes your breath away,” the governor said. The 11-alarm blaze at Majestic Industries and the Qualco chemical plant on Passaic Street was contained through the efforts of about 200 firefighters from some 100 neighboring towns. The fire raged from Friday night through Saturday. The Record
Rutgers received $29.6 million from the Big Ten last year, about $18 million more than it had been getting annually during its first six years in the league. The league distributed a combined $157 million less to its members in the 2020-21 fiscal year than it did the previous year, with revenues taking a hit from the pandemic. The Daily Record
Americans, beset by product shortages, rising prices and the arrival of omicron, sharply cut their spending in December after a burst of early spending in the fall that helped bolster the holiday season. Retail sales fell a seasonally adjusted 1.9% in December compared with the previous month when sales increased 0.3%, the U.S. Commerce Department said Jan. 15. Sales at department stores fell 7%, restaurant sales slipped 0.8% and online sales fell 8.7%. News12 New Jersey
New Jersey’s dairy industry could see some relief after an Assembly Committee cleared legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Parker Space (R-24). The bill would direct the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to pay coverage premiums for dairy farmers participating in a federal safety-net program. “Milk producers, many of whom have been farming in New Jersey for several generations, are hurting from increased costs. This bill helps keep dairy farming alive and well in New Jersey,” said Space. North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey has abolished its remaining fines and fees levied in juvenile court and will soon erase any outstanding debts children and their families may have accumulated from those convictions. The bill eliminates a Drug Enforcement and Demand Reduction penalty, the costs for a serological test for HIV/AIDS in some cases, the costs of a court-directed remedial education or counseling program, a civil penalty of at least $2,000 for responding to a false public alarm, a $25 forensic laboratory fee and a $15 Law Enforcement Officers Training and Equipment Fund fee Effective in about 10 months, any unpaid outstanding balances of the monetary penalties, including civil judgments and warrants, will be dismissed. NJ1015.com
The Weehawken Township council offered an ordinance for early voting ahead of the May 2022 municipal elections. The three days of voting would take place the weekend prior to the election on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There would be no voting the Monday before Election Day, and voting would resume on Tuesday. Hudson Reporter
And finally…A list of concerts set for the Prudential Center in 2022. NJ.com
