Two North Jersey State Senators—a Republican and a Democrat—are calling for an investigation into how New Jersey handled its response to the coronavirus pandemic at nursing homes. Introduced Feb. 10 by State Sens. Joe Pennacchio (R-26) and Nia Gill (D-34), SR-48 would create a special seven-member committee with subpoena power to probe what happened in long-term care facilities. In a tweet announcing the measure, Gill wrote, “For New Jerseyans to get the answers they deserve, we must have a transparent and public investigation. We must have a comprehensive report on how our system of care failed seniors and their families and how we can improve these systems going forward.” North-JerseyNews.com
Surveyors for the state Department of Health said the Woodland Behavioral Health and Nursing Center at Andover “failed to appropriately prevent abuse and neglect” of its hundreds of residents in a report issued Feb. 10. The nursing home in Sussex County was ordered by the health department to immediately curtail all new admissions and threatened with possible closure. At the same time, the department appointed a state monitor to conduct a complete review of Woodland’s operations, which also found serious lapses in infection control. No other nursing home in New Jersey is currently under the oversight of a monitor. NJ.com
The New Jersey Supreme Court refused to intervene and stop Gov. Phil Murphy’s vaccine mandate for state and county correctional officers, leaving unvaccinated staff two days to get a shot or get fired. Several police unions, led by the New Jersey State Policemen’s Benevolent Association, had asked the state’s highest court for an emergency stay on Murphy’s order after a three-judge appeals panel decided against them Feb. 11. In a three-page response Feb. 14, Justice Stuart Rabner wrote the unions failed to show that blocking the vaccine mandate was consistent with the public interest and was needed to prevent irreparable harm. New Jersey Monitor
New Jersey lawmakers approved Gov. Phil Murphy’s request to delay his annual budget address by two weeks despite Republican opposition. State law requires New Jersey governors to give the budget speech to the Legislature no later than the fourth Tuesday in February. Murphy asked for approval to deliver the message on March 8 instead of its scheduled date of Feb. 22 this year with the hopes of delivering it in the Assembly chambers for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic, as the number of cases continues to decline. NJ1015.com
Bipartisan legislation looking to reform a major component of a North Jersey homeowners tax bill was passed unanimously by the State Senate on Feb. 14. Sponsored by State Senate Minority Leader Steve Oroho (R-24) and State Sen. Vin Gopal (D-11), S-354 would establish the School Funding Formula Evaluation Task Force to evaluate the state’s financial education support. The task force being proposed would study the effectiveness of the School Funding Reform Act of 2008 (SFRA) and provide recommendations for improvements. “The state’s dubious funding formula controls the purse strings for school aid,” said Oroho (R-24). “The task force’s evaluation will help identify flaws and inconsistencies that contribute to funding imbalances. This will be an important step in improving the way taxpayer money is expended for education.” North-JerseyNews.com
State lawmakers are poised to introduce legislation backed by Gov. Phil Murphy that would limit the cost of life-saving drugs for some residents in New Jersey, and rein in the rising price of healthcare. The suite of bills includes capping the costs for some emergency drugs, specifically insulin, asthma inhalers, and EpiPens; allocating money to collect and analyze drug pricing across the entire supply chain; and a call for oversight over third-party companies that manage prescription drug plans. The Daily Record
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had pulled back some troops from the Ukraine border while noting that large-scale military maneuvers were continuing as Western officials warned that combat units were moving into forward positions. The announced pullback of around 10,000 troops, out of a force estimated to have numbered about 130,000, came amid a new round of shuttle diplomacy aimed at defusing the crisis. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the situation regarding Ukraine, a day after visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. The Wall Street Journal
Gov. Phil Murphy formally appointed Laurie Doran to helm the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, making her the first woman to run the office. Doran has been running the office in an acting capacity since June 2021 and first came to state government in 2018 as head of the Intelligence and Operations Division after a three-decade career at the federal Central Intelligence Agency where she recruited spies and tried to develop relationships in Russia after the collapse of the USSR. Insider NJ
Donald Trump’s longtime accounting firm cut ties with him and his family business last week, saying it could no longer stand behind a decade of annual financial statements it prepared for the Trump Organization. The decision, which was disclosed to the company in a Feb. 9 letter from the accounting firm, comes amid criminal and civil investigations into whether Trump illegally inflated the value of his assets. The firm, Mazars USA, compiled the financial statements based on information the former president and his company provided. The letter instructed the Trump Organization to essentially retract the documents, known as statements of financial condition, from 2011 to 2020. The New York Times
New Jersey has settled a lawsuit with Academy Bus that will see it pay a record amount due to it defrauding NJ Transit (NJT). Academy Bus, LLC and several related entities and individuals will pay a total of $20.5 million to resolve the state’s lawsuit accusing the defendants of overcharging NJT by underreporting missed bus trips while overbilling for hours and miles driven. The agreement represents the state’s largest-ever False Claims Act settlement outside the healthcare sector. “This settlement sends a clear message: defrauding the state doesn’t pay,” said former Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck. North-JerseyNews.com
An Atlantic County man has pleaded guilty to theft of government property for swiping two microphones from a lectern belonging to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the home of Congress. Robert L. Petrosh Jr., of Mays Landing, pleaded guilty in early January and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 25. He faces a fine and up to six months in prison, but his plea agreement shows federal prosecutors have agreed to a reduction of his estimated sentence and he has no prior criminal convictions. NJ.com
Rep. Josh Gottheimer said he’s building support for legislation in Congress to provide $50 million annually for training, body cameras and other needs at local police departments. Gottheimer said 29 Democrats and 17 Republicans have already signed on as co-sponsors of the bill, with commitments from several others in the House and interest from U.S. Senators to sponsor legislation in that chamber. According to the Congressman, there are 75 or more police departments in the 5th District that would benefit from the financial aid and that “95% of police departments in this country would fall under this bill as well.” New Jersey Herald
Hackensack has hired a consultant to examine the workings of its Police Department, which has undergone reform after a recent history of turmoil. The city is paying retired Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Chief of Detectives Robert Anzilotti and his company, R3 Strategies & Solutions, $60,000 to take a comprehensive look at the department, including its organizational structure, overtime expenses and community engagement. A report is to be completed before the end of June. The Record
The man who killed a Newark police detective 29 years ago is medically eligible to be freed under the state’s compassionate release law, but he does not deserve his freedom, a judge ruled Feb. 14. Superior Court Judge Ronald Wigler denied release to Al-Damany Kamau, who is bedridden with end-stage multiple sclerosis, ruling from the bench that “this defendant deserves the same compassion that he showed Detective (John) Sczyrek and Detective (Ralph) Rizzolo, which is zero.” NJ Spotlight News
A nearly two-year moratorium on rent increases in rent-controlled Hoboken buildings may be abolished soon as the City Council is proposing to end the measure that froze rent for tenants in rent-controlled buildings when the coronavirus pandemic began in Spring 2020. Legislators would technically be ending it before they originally intended to as the standing law designates the end of the moratorium as two months after the end of Hoboken’s State of Emergency for the pandemic but the city’s Office of Emergency Management has not ended the State of Emergency. The Jersey Journal
It’s Election Day in Maywood. After two candidates finished the November general election tied at 1,437 votes, local voters will return to the polls to fill a seat on the borough council. Democratic incumbent Katherine Bennin faces Republican Danyel Cicarelli, a former school board member, in today’s special election rematch. New Jersey Globe
Haworth Mayor Tom Ference has stepped down from his position to focus on recovering from heart surgery. Ference, who recently underwent triple heart valve repair and replacement surgery, made the announcement at last week’s Borough Council meeting. Jackie Guenego, who served as the council president, became acting mayor, effectively immediately. Ference had served as mayor since 2018 and spent 28 years as the Haworth Planning Board chairman before his election to office. The Record
Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis announced Loyad Booker, Jr. will run as the final member of his council slate in the nonpartisan May 10 municipal election. Booker, a decorated combat veteran and former Bayonne police officer, would become Bayonne’s first Black council member if elected. The recently retired Booker works as an instructor at the Hudson County Public Safety Training Center, helping newly hired officers prepare for the job. Hudson Reporter
And finally…The Sea.Hear.Now Festival is making its return to Asbury Park on Sept. 17 and 18. NJ1015.com
