OPINION: Economic, Social Roadmap After COVID Needed to Unite America. Now is the time to take a deep breath and demand what our political leaders in Washington and Trenton need to focus on as we emerge from the lastest—and hopefully last—wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The first is getting the financial house on both a federal and state level in order. That is followed by a plan for what happens if/when the next surge in a pandemic, specifically health protocols to keep the spread at a low level, minimize the effect to the economy and not to overrun our hospitals and frontline workers. A bipartisan economic and social roadmap to understand where we are going is an absolute necessity—not to win an election but to unite our country moving forward. North-JerseyNews.com
The bipartisan heads of the National Governors Association said Omicron has brought the country closer to the endemic stage of the virus. “We’re not going to manage this to zero,” said Gov. Phil Murphy on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” Jan. 30. “We have to learn how to live with this.” As Omicron declines, Gov. Asa Hutchinson (AR-R) called on the federal government to help states ramp up testing capacity and access to treatments. “That’s where the federal government needs to step up,” Hutchinson said. “Let’s take advantage of this going down to be prepared for what’s around the corner.” The New York Times
Joe Rogan said his show has grown “out of control” and pledged to be more balanced and informed about controversial topics and guests. In a Jan. 30 10-minute Instagram video post in response to Neil Young’s objections to his podcast and host Spotify, Rogan said “It’s a strange responsibility to have this many viewers and listeners. It’s nothing that I’ve prepared for. I’m going to do my best to balance things out.” The podcaster pledged to have more guests on the show that present different opinions from contrarian ones right after he hosts controversial guests. The Wall Street Journal
The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol subpoenaed on 14 people who participated as fake electors following the 2020 presidential election. Groups from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin all allegedly sent lists of so-called alternate electors to the National Archives. The groups had met in December 2020 to sign documents assigning their respective states’ Electoral College votes to former President Donald Trump—though their states actually voted to elect Joe Biden as President. The move came the day before Trump said he would consider pardoning those prosecuted for attacking the U.S. Capitol . New Jersey Monitor
New Jersey attorney Mark Sheridan wants prosecutors to examine similarities between the September 2014 deaths of his parents and a recently solved Jersey City murder that took place four months earlier. Democratic political consultant Sean Caddle pleaded guilty Jan. 25 to hiring two men to kill Jersey City political operative Michael Galdieri, who had worked with Caddle. Galdieri was stabbed to death and his apartment set on fire. Sheridan’s parents, John and Joyce, were found dead that same year, both of stab wounds. Their bodies were left in a room in their Somerset County home that had been set on fire. Prosecutors initially called the case a murder-suicide but eventually walked that back under pressure from the Sheridans’ children. PoliticoNJ
New Jersey on Jan. 30 reported another 21 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 2,603 cases, the fewest single-day case total since Dec. 6—likely due in part to a decrease in testing on account of the weekend Winter storm. There were 2,954 patients hospitalized among the state’s 70 of 71 hospitals with confirmed or suspected coronavirus and the statewide transmission remained at 0.54 Sunday for the second consecutive day. NJ.com
Legislation sponsored by State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-39) creating the Nursing Home Advisory Council and introducing penalties for long-term care facilities that violate state and federal regulations was signed into law earlier this month. The legislation directs the state’s Department of Health to scale penalties for nursing homes that repeatedly violate state and federal rules, including stricter penalties and special focused inspections. “Over the last two years, thousands of elderly residents in New Jersey’s nursing homes lost their lives due to coronavirus infection. This legislation will make sure that we have accountability going forward and that any long-term care facility that violates state or federal regulations is held responsible,” said Schepisi. North-JerseyNews.com
Rep. Josh Gottheimer is the latest addition to the Democrats’ list of House members who could face tough re-election campaigns as polls show Republicans with an edge in this Fall’s midterm elections. Gottheimer became the fourth New Jersey Democratic representative—more than any other state—on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Frontline” program, which provides extra help for incumbents expected to be in tight races. Also on the House Democratic list are 3rd Dist. Rep. Andy Kim, 7th Dist. Rep. Tom Malinowski and 11th Dist. Rep. Mikie Sherrill. NJ.com
Republican Tom Kean Jr. has $933,018 cash-on-hand in his bid to unseat two-term Rep. Tom Malinowski in New Jersey’s 7th district after raising $501,030 in the fourth quarter of 2021. The former minority leader of the New Jersey State Senate, Kean has raised $1,149,040 for his rematch with Malinowski since entering the race in July. Malinowski has posted strong fundraising numbers as well, with a haul of more than $900,000 during last year’s fourth quarter and a $2.7 million warchest. New Jersey Globe
A gym owner who made national headlines during the pandemic for defying the state’s COVID-19 closures plans to run for the U.S. House against Rep. Andy Kim. Ian Smith, the owner of Atilis Gym, defied Gov. Phil Murphy’s mandates that gyms keep their indoor spaces closed to the public and was arrested in July 2020 on charges of fourth-degree contempt and obstruction and violation of a disaster control act. News12 New Jersey
Hillery Brotschol has ended her bid to be the GOP nominee in the 11th Congressional District. Brotschol said her withdrawal from the race is a result of it “(becoming) clear that I do not have the support nor financial resources necessary to continue my run.” InsiderNJ
Rep. Josh Gottheimer is continuing his push on Capitol Hill to enact more measures that will better protect against the threats of terrorism, antisemitism and extremism, both in the U.S. and abroad. In pushing the U.S. Senate to pass the Darren Drake Act which he described as “commonsense, bipartisan bill aimed at stopping ISIS-inspired, lone-wolf, and domestic terrorists from easily acquiring trucks and other vehicles to wreak havoc and cause mass destruction and death.” Additionally, the Congressman is leading a bipartisan group of 42 House lawmakers calling for an end to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s “discriminatory and unwarranted treatment of Israel.” North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy is not concerned that the state may not meet a Feb. 22 deadline for selling legalized cannabis for recreational use to the public. “I’d rather get it right than get it fast,” said Murphy. “We all want it sooner than later but let’s make sure it’s right. That to me is the most important. It’s going to be an industry that’s going to be around 50, 100, 200 years from now. Let’s get it right.” NJ.com
Monday is the last day to sign up for health insurance coverage through Get Covered New Jersey, the state-run marketplace for coverage through the Affordable Care Act. So far, more people have enrolled for 2022 coverage in New Jersey than in any year since 2014, when the so-called Obamacare health plans became available. In November and December, 307,000 New Jersey residents signed up, an increase of 21% from the 2021 enrollment year. The Daily Record
Gov. Phil Murphy wants to make Acting Commissioner Victoria Kuhn the permanent head of the New Jersey Department of Corrections with his recent announcement Kuhn is his choice to lead the department. Kuhn, who has served as acting commissioner since June 2021, will need to spearhead several new initiatives as the state still contends with the fallout of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women scandal that saw female inmates subjected to physical and sexual abuse. “Since Victoria was first asked to lead the Department of Corrections, she has impressed myself and many others with her dedication to reform and integrity,” said Murphy, who had promised a national search for the position last year. North-JerseyNews.com
Hawthorne will have to replace an estimated 23 miles of underground pipes because of a law aimed at ridding the state’s water systems of lead service lines. The most conservative cost estimate to complete the project is $15 million—a figure that does not take into account the price to tear up and repave local streets. The law, signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in July, was the first of its kind in the U.S. to put a deadline on eradicating the hazardous metal from water supplies. It requires utilities to inventory their lead pipes and to replace them within the next decade. The Record
The Warren County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution endorsing re-designating the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area as a national park and preserve by Congress. The commissioners resolution said designating the recreation area as a national park “is to place this jewel of our national heritage into the crown of the national park system where it has always belonged…upgrading the Delaware Water Gap would create greater awareness and prestige for our region. This could also mean more funding for maintenance, visitor amenities and other improvements as well as support the local economy.” New Jersey Herald
The Teaneck Township Council has authorized a study into whether an area of State Street between Palisade Avenue and Queen Anne Road should be designated as in need of redevelopment. The area includes 19 lots in all, with most on State Street and a few on nearby Palisade Avenue and the Plaza. The redevelopment designation would be non-condemnation, meaning the township could not use eminent domain. The Record
Juan Perez, a Bayonne City Councilman At-Large, will run for re-election alongside Mayor James Davis and his team in the upcoming May nonpartisan contest. Perez is a former Hudson County Sheriff who was elected in 2014 as the city’s first Hispanic councilmember on a slate with Davis, then re-elected in 2018. Hudson Reporter
And finally…Brian Daboll will be introduced as the head coach of the New York Football Giants at a press conference today. NJ.com
