Gov. Phil Murphy raised the prospect that the mask mandate for students and school personnel could end before June as new cases continue to decline from their peak and other key health metrics improve. “Yes, I think there’s a real shot of that. I really do,” Murphy responded during a Thursday television morning interview. “I don’t mean this calendar year. (We are) speaking about the school year that ends in June.” Murphy opened the door for no masks in classrooms as the rate of transmission was under 1.00 and the hospitalizations were below 5,000 for the first time since Jan. 3. North-JerseyNews.com
First Lady Jill Biden returned to North Jersey to talk of additional COVID relief funds available to community colleges Jan. 20. Accompanied by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cordona, the First Lady, a college professor, made her announcement at Bergen Community College in Paramus, just minutes from Mahwah, where she attended two years of elementary school as a child. Community colleges and rural institutions will be able to apply for $198 million in COVID relief funds through a grant from the American Rescue Plan program starting next week. The funds are part of a supplemental support program for colleges and universities—many of which serve low-income students and are still struggling to cope with the pandemic. The Record
Paterson has scheduled a Saturday makeup day for its approximately 25,000 students, with students receiving remote instruction from 8:20 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 22. The district is making up for a canceled school day Oct. 26, 2021, when Paterson canceled classes after Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency due to an approaching nor’easter. NJ.com
A new executive order revokes the required use of masks inside businesses and public venues in Morristown. The new rule comes after New Jersey’s transmission of COVID-19 rate dropped below 1.0. Businesses and public venues can still require face coverings or face shields for staff and encourage guests to wear one. The Daily Record
New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development figures for December show the state added 10,100 jobs, according to preliminary estimates by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. New Jersey has now recovered 561,200 jobs, or about 78% of the number lost in March and April 2020 due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The unemployment rate for the Garden State fell by 0.4 of a percentage point, to 6.3%, for the month. ROI-NJ.com
The final hurdle needed to qualify for federal funding to start building the $12.3 billion Gateway Rail Tunnel was cleared Jan. 20 when the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) raised its rating of the project. FTA officials announced the tunnel project’s rating had been raised to “medium-high,” meaning that the Hudson River Tunnels are eligible to move forward in the Capital Investment Grants program process to access federal funding for the project. Federal funding could be as much as $5.6 billion, or approximately 44% of the projects cost to build two new rail tunnels under the Hudson River and rehabilitate the existing 111-year old tunnels. Amtrak would fund $1.4 billion and also has purchased Manhattan property needed for the project. The state governments of New Jersey and New York would fund up to $6 billion, through low interest, long-term railroad infrastructure loans. New Jersey Herald
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will receive an estimated $1 billion over five years for water infrastructure upgrades with monies allocated from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed last year. The federal funds will enable some utilities and municipalities to build sewer systems that are better able to cope with the bigger storms that are coming with climate change, install filtration systems to keep so-called forever chemicals out of drinking water and to remove combined sewer overflows which dump a mix of stormwater and raw sewage into waterways during big storms. NJ Spotlight News
Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker expressed outrage at voter suppression efforts taking place across the country during the debate where Democrats were unable to overcome Republican opposition to a voting rights bill and filibuster reform in the U.S. Senate. “Sixteen Republicans who supported the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act still serve in this body today. To them I say, ‘Join us.’ What has changed?” asked Menendez. Booker argued there was clear evidence that areas with high concentrations of Black and Brown voters were being targeted, saying residents of entirely Black neighborhoods were 74% more likely to spend more than 30 minutes at polling places when compared to White neighborhoods. “We must live in a nation where everyone is equal, not in rhetoric, or in slogan, or in salutes, but everyone is equal in the experience they have to [participate] in democracy. The vote is the bedrock of our nation; it is the foundation of the country,” said Booker. North-JerseyNews
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has asked Ivanka Trump to cooperate with the panel voluntarily. In a letter to Trump, the committee said it is interested in her knowledge of then President Donald Trump’s efforts to convince then-Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, to prevent ratification of the 2020 presidential election results. A spokeswoman for Trump did not indicate whether she planned to cooperate and noted she didn’t speak at her father’s rally in which he encouraged supporters to march to the Capitol. The Wall Street Journal
The F.B.I. is treating the attack on a suburban Fort Worth, TX, synagogue on Jan. 15 as “an act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community,” Christopher A. Wray, the bureau’s director. “This was not some random occurrence,” Wray told viewers of a webinar hosted by the Anti-Defamation League Jan. 20. “It was intentional, it was symbolic and we’re not going to tolerate antisemitism in this country.” The New York Times
With the backdrop of the rise of antisemitic and hate crimes in the U.S., Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation establishing the New Jersey Nonprofit Security Grant Program after a three-year pilot program managed by the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP). “In light of the evil antisemitic attack on the Colleyville synagogue this past Shabbat, making the nonprofit security grant program permanent is the first, minimum step forward in bringing more security resources to the Jewish community,” said Dov Ben-Shimon, CEO of Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, the largest Jewish organization in New Jersey. This legislation creates a permanent security grant program and makes available grants of up to $50,000 for nonprofit organizations at greatest risk of attack for the purchase of equipment to harden vulnerable targets. North-JerseyNews.com
The U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas’ six-week abortion ban to remain in effect indefinitely, issuing an order Jan. 20 blocking litigation against the law while the state’s highest court weighs a procedural question related to the measure’s enforcement. The court’s order was unsigned and, as is typical, provided no explanation. The three liberal justices dissented, arguing the order undermined the court’s December decision permitting abortion providers to proceed in limited fashion with their lawsuit against the Texas law. “This case is a disaster for the rule of law and a grave disservice to women in Texas, who have a right to control their own bodies,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan. The Wall Street Journal
Members of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus intend to resume a push to pass a bill enabling towns to create civilian complaint review boards overseeing the police. The measure, sponsored by Assemblywoman Angela McKnight (D-31) in the lower chamber, has yet to receive a companion bill in the Senate, though Sen. Ron Rice (D-28), the former longtime chair of the caucus, intends to reintroduce the bill in the upper chamber. “Hopefully the Legislature would take a good look at it,” Rice said. “Hopefully the Senate president would understand it as an attorney who’s been in the role of defending and prosecuting and whatever else he’s done as a lawyer. Hopefully we’ll get some movement and we’ll get some conversations, at least get some hearings.” New Jersey Monitor
New Jersey has stiffened penalties for those who impersonate a veteran or a member of the armed forces for their personal gain. Methods of impersonation, according to the law, aren’t limited to remote applications; they include wearing the uniform that’s authorized for use by veterans or active military members, and claiming to be the recipient of any decoration or medal. This type of crime would be upgraded from third degree to second degree if the bad actor benefits in the amount of $75,000 or more. A crime of the second degree can result in 5 to 10 years behind bars, and a fine of up to $150,000. NJ1015.com
The Secaucus Mayor and Town Council decided not to change the timing of Board of Education elections this year. Under the proposal, the November elections for Board of Education trustees would have been moved back to April, and the school district’s budget would have been added to voters’ ballots. Town officials said the decision to keep the elections in November this year was made because potential candidates would have only had short notice to file to run and because the school district is facing financial challenges. The Jersey Journal
And finally…Meat Loaf, the heavyweight rock superstar loved by millions for his “Bat Out of Hell” album, has died at the age of 74. News12 New Jersey
