State Senate Republicans’ efforts to gain more information about the settlements of families whose loved ones died at New Jersey Veterans Homes from COVID have been rebuffed. According to State Senate Minority Leader Steve Oroho (R-24) and State Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-26), Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests were seeking details from the Murphy Administration’s about a $53 million settlement for veterans home deaths during the coronavirus pandemic. “The legislature and the administration need to work together to responsibly restore normalcy to our schools, businesses and lives,” said Oroho. “(However,) the Administration should recognize the questions aren’t going away and stop stonewalling. Among other pressing issues, the truth needs to come out about the loss of life in nursing homes and the role the Administration’s policies played in the tragic outcomes, if for no reason other than ensuring these mistakes aren’t repeated in any future emergency we might face.” North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey Republicans introduced another bill to curtail Gov. Phil Murphy’s emergency powers, but is expected to be co-sponsored by at least one Democrat this time around. The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) and expected to have State Sen. Vin Gopal (D-11) as a prime sponsor, would automatically sunset state of emergency declarations issued by the governor 60 days after they come into effect unless majorities in both chambers vote to extend them by 30 days. Currently, the law allows a state of emergency to continue until the governor rescinds the declaration. The bill would grant the Legislature similar oversight over public health emergencies that last longer than 60 days. New Jersey Monitor
Even as the omicron surge continues to drop, a new Monmouth University poll finds Garden State residents are still concerned about COVID but only to a certain point. Almost two years after the pandemic began, 70% say it’s time we just accept it’s here to stay and get on with our lives with 89% of Republicans feeling this way, 71% of Independents and 47% of Democrats agree it’s time to accept the virus and move on. Additionally, the poll finds 52% support having some sort of facemask and social distancing guidelines—down from 63% back in September. NJ1015.com
U.S. regulators are reportedly urging Pfizer to apply for emergency authorization for a two-dose regimen of its COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months to 5 years old while awaiting data on a three-dose course, aiming to clear the way for the shots as soon as late February. Early Pfizer data has shown the vaccine—which is administered to younger kids at one-tenth the strength of the adult shot—is safe and produces an immune response. But last year Pfizer announced the two-dose shot proved to be less effective at preventing COVID-19 in kids ages 2-5, and regulators encouraged the company to add a third dose to the study on the belief that another dose would boost the vaccine’s effectiveness much like booster doses do in adults. News12 New Jersey
A senior U.S. diplomat accused Russia of trying to destabilize Ukraine, and a Kremlin representative in turn criticized Washington for stoking fears and tensions as the two sides squared off in a fractious debate in the United Nations Security Council. Ambassadors from the U.S., Ukraine and member-nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization questioned Russia’s motivations, its troop buildup and what they described as its threat to Ukraine’s and Europe’s security, during Jan. 31’s Security Council meeting. “The situation we’re facing in Europe is urgent and dangerous, and the stakes for Ukraine and every other U.N. member state could not be higher,” said U.S. UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who called for the meeting. “This is as clear and consequential a threat to peace and security as anyone can imagine.” The Wall Street Journal
Then-President Donald Trump was more directly involved than previously known in exploring proposals to use his national security agencies to seize voting machines as he grasped unsuccessfully for evidence of fraud that would help him reverse his defeat in the 2020 election, according to a published report. Six weeks after Election Day, Trump directed his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to ask the Department of Homeland Security if it could legally take control of voting machines in key swing states. Additionally, Trump pressed Giuliani to make that inquiry after rejecting a separate effort by his outside advisers to have the Pentagon take control of the machines. And the outreach to the Department of Homeland Security came not long after Trump, in an Oval Office meeting with Attorney General William Barr, raised the possibility of whether the Justice Department could seize the machines, a previously undisclosed suggestion that Barr immediately shot down. The New York Times
Gov. Phil Murphy was among the 30 governors who met with President Joe Biden following the annual National Governors Association’s Winter meeting in Washington. As vice chair of the association, Murphy kicked off the session with Biden by discussing the importance of the relationship between White House and the governors. Biden singled out New Jersey as one of the states using some of the federal funds it received under the $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus law to combat gun violence and increase the number of counselors and mental health workers in schools. NJ.com
Gov. Phil Murphy recently ventured to Paterson to announce the investment of over $15 million to combat gun violence. In seeking to fund police officers and non profits, the Murphy Administration will allocate $7 million in gunshot detection technology and other law enforcement equipment to reduce gun violence using federal American Rescue Plan funds as well as awarding 25 non-profit organizations $8.2 million in grant funding for community-based violence intervention programming, the largest such investment in New Jersey’s history. “Combating gun violence is a multi-faceted problem that requires a multi-faceted approach,” said Murphy in his remarks in Paterson on Jan. 27. “The funding will provide resources to both law enforcement agencies and community partners, equipping them with much-needed resources as we continue to fight the epidemic of gun violence.” North-JerseyNews.com
The New Jersey State Parole Board was correct in denying parole to 85-year-old Sundiata Acoli, convicted of killing a state trooper in 1973, because it deemed he might reoffend if released, the state attorney general’s office argued before the New Jersey Supreme Court on Jan. 31. The board is well-qualified to make that decision and concerned about recidivism, Assistant Attorney General Stephanie Cohen told the court, saying “deference must be afforded” to that decision. Advocates say that without parole Acoli would essentially be serving a death sentence since he is suffering from dementia and complications from COVID-19 he contracted in prison. NJ Spotlight News
Philip Carchman, the court-appointed tiebreaker on the New Jersey Apportionment Commission, is opposing a bid by former Senate President Steve Sweeney to stop the panel from moving forward on redrawing the state’s legislative districts until Mercer County Assignment Judge Robert Lougy decides whether he should be reinstated. Carchman’s lawyer told the court that a postponement of commission meetings would force the cancellation of public hearing and “stripping New Jersey’s residents of the opportunity to engage the commission. If the commission’s work is halted during the pendency of this litigation, it is certain that the Commission will violate its constitutional deadline to adopt a new legislative map.” New Jersey Globe
The State Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee recently moved forward with a package of bills that would reduce property tax within the state, providing relief to homeowners and renters alike. The bills, co-sponsored by State Sen. Troy Singleton (D-7), would boost municipal payments from energy tax receipts, increase the tax deduction for renters, and allow for mortgage forbearance. “The measures we passed seek to not only reduce the property tax burden on our families, but provide much needed savings for renters and deserved mortgage relief for homeowners,” said Singleton. North-JerseyNews.com
State Sen. Edward Durr (R-3) introduced legislation to repeal the new abortion rights law, bar most abortions after 12 weeks and impose potential prison sentences on providers who violate the law. Durr’s bill would require physicians—who would be the only people allowed to perform abortions—to “make a determination of the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child” before conducting the procedure, or get the “reasonable” opinion of another physician. The only exceptions to the ban would be if the woman’s health is in danger because of the pregnancy or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or, in the case of a minor, incest, but only if the rape or incest has been reported to a law enforcement agency or the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency. PoliticoNJ
New Jersey’s largest legalized marijuana growers are worried they’ll have to take drastic measures if the state does not open up later this month as planned. “We may have to start destroying product, and we may have to start potentially letting people go because part of the anticipation is you ramp up your staffing, as well,” said James Leventis, an executive for Verano New Jersey, which has a cultivation and processing facility in Readington Township and three stores in the state. “You’re hired for a job with the idea that this market will develop. I’m very concerned we will continue to see these delays. It’s looking very stark right now.” NJ.com
Paterson’s community improvements director, David Gilmore, recently had a termination hearing and will find out in about six weeks whether he will lose his job over allegations of sexual harassment. Gilmore, who is considering running for mayor in May, was suspended without pay on Dec. 16, 2021. Initially, officials said the suspension would last for five days, but the penalty has remained in effect pending the outcome of the charges against him. Gilmore’s supporters have said the sexual harassment case against him was orchestrated by Mayor Andre Sayegh allies. The Record
A prominent Bayonne businesswoman, Carissa Lintao, is running for City Council member At-Large in the May 10 municipal election. Lintao is the CEO of Apptuitive, an award-winning marketing agency focused on mobile app marketing and has been hailed as “a trailblazer” by Forbes Media. Currently the youngest person running for City Councilmember At-Large at age 24, Lintao wants to help fuel the growth of the city’s small business community by supporting and encouraging the entrepreneurs operating behind the scenes. Hudson Reporter
And finally…The New York Times has purchased Wordle, the word game that has exploded over the web this year. NJ.com
