Passage by Democrats allowing the state budget address from Gov. Phil Murphy to be delayed two week drew the ire of Republicans in both the Assembly and State Senate. North Jersey Republicans said the delay is politically motivated, unnecessarily delays an important process and is just the latest example of Murphy not cooperating with legislators on both sides of the aisle during the entire pandemic. “He has thumbed his nose at us and has constantly run the state as a one-man band,” said Assemblyman Hal Wirths (R-24), the Assembly Republican budget officer. “When we asked him not to do the public health emergency, he went and instituted it anyway, which kept our kids masked up, put prisoners back on the street, and made workers’ comp claims get paid unnecessarily.” North-JerseyNews.com
Federal regulators are threatening to cut off the troubled Woodland Behavioral Health and Nursing Center in Andover from all Medicaid and Medicare funding in two weeks, in the wake of a damning report citing the nursing home for health care violations that threatened the lives and safety of the more than 450 residents who live there. In a Feb. 9 letter to nursing home administrators, CMS officials said the facility was not in compliance with federal requirements to continue to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid program, giving them three weeks to correct the problems. A termination of federal funding would effectively shut down the facility in Sussex County, one of the largest nursing homes in New Jersey, which is heavily dependent on Medicaid as well as Medicare reimbursement to operate. NJ.com
Roughly 4,000 employees at the New Jersey Department of Corrections weren’t vaccinated against COVID-19 by a Feb. 16 deadline, but it will take a while to sort out if around half will win sought exemptions. William Sullivan, president of PBA Local 105 which represents officers in the state prisons, estimated that around 1,200 people got notices and said another 1,600 officers have filed for exemptions. Department of Corrections spokeswoman Liz Velez said there is presently a staff vaccination rate of around 42.8%, out of close to 7,300 civilian and uniformed staff. NJ1015.com
California health authorities unveiled a “next phase” pandemic playbook Jan. 17 that will treat the coronavirus as a manageable risk that “will remain with us for some time, if not forever,” rather than an emergency. The plan, which features measures to promote vaccines, stockpile medical supplies and mount an aggressive assault on disinformation, will be a new chapter in responding to the coronavirus that Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said is an acknowledgment that “we’re going to live with this.” The New York Times
New Jersey’s Democratic and Republican redistricting commissioners are reportedly in the final stages of striking a deal on a new map for the state’s 40 legislative districts. Barring a large Republican wave election, the map would likely allow Democrats to maintain their majorities in both houses of the Legislature in a state with about 1 million more registered Democrats than Republicans. But it would put some powerful North Jersey Democratic incumbents together in the same district, such as State Sens. Brian Stack (D-33) and Nicholas Sacco (D-32), Richard Codey (D-27) and Nia Gill (D-34), while slightly nudging several swing districts toward the Republicans. PoliticoNJ
Assemblywoman Aura Dunn (R-25), who had been publicly considering a campaign for Congress for the last month, announced she will not run for the 11th congressional district against Rep. Mikie Sherrill this year. “I will not be a candidate for Congress in 2022,” Dunn said in a statement. “The enormity of support and encouragement for me to enter the race for CD-11 has been incredibly humbling and inspiring.” Dunn, a former top aide to Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, began considering a campaign at the urging of several GOP leaders concerned that the field lacked a clear challenger to take on Sherrill. New Jersey Globe
The Morris County Board of Elections tabled a bid by Dover officials to redraw portions of the town’s electoral wards after hearing accusations the proposed lines were placed to protect some incumbent aldermen from primary challenges. Dover Clerk John Schmidt appeared before four board commissioners to explain the town had not redistricted since 1971 and the latest U.S. Census figures revealed one ward to have nearly 10% more population than the least-populated ward. Dover attorney and activist Karol Ruiz, who has filed to challenge incumbent 3rd Ward Alderman Edward Correa in the June Democratic primary, said the redistricting proposal would remove her from the ward, along with another likely Democratic primary challenger and a likely Republican candidate. The Daily Record
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned of a looming Russian offensive against Ukraine and proposed a last-ditch diplomatic meeting with his Russian counterpart next week that he said could lead to a summit of key leaders. Secretary Blinken spoke at a United Nations Security Council meeting Feb. 17 just hours after Russia told the U.S. in a formal document that it might resort to “military-technical measures” if it didn’t receive legally binding security assurances. President Joe Biden warned the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine was “very high” and said the U.S. believed Russia was fabricating a pretext to invade its neighbor. “Every indication we have is they’re prepared to go into Ukraine,” he said. The Wall Street Journal
More than 180,000 residents across New Jersey will be notified by next week that drinking water is coming into their homes through a lead pipe. Water utilities are required to send notification via certified mail by Feb. 22 as part of a bill package signed into law last year by Gov. Phil Murphy that forces providers to replace all lead pipes that stretch from water mains into a home within the next decade. The properties with known lead service lines are scattered in hundreds of water systems throughout the state, but they tend to be in older communities where lead was often used before its toxic properties were fully known. New Jersey Herald
State Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-25) is urging a halt to Gov. Phil Murphy’s Energy Master Plan after state environmental officials disclosed an error that caused a large underestimate of costs associated with requiring electric boilers for many business and government buildings. Mandating electric boilers inside many commercial, retail, industrial and governmental buildings by 2025—one component of Murphy’s broader energy plan—would cost 4.2 to 4.9 times the current operational costs for natural gas boilers, not the 4.2% to 4.9% more as previously stated. “After spending two years hiding the massive cost implications of Murphy’s energy tax on families and businesses, this may be the very first acknowledgment that the Administration’s ridiculous mandates will, at minimum, quadruple energy bills for customers. Due to this outrageous admission, Murphy’s Energy Master Plan should not move forward until we have a full accounting of the total cost involved,” stated Bucco. North-JerseyNews.com
Former President Donald Trump must testify under oath in New York state’s civil investigation into his business practices, a judge ruled Feb. 17. Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump and his two eldest children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr., to comply with subpoenas issued in December 2021 and sit for a deposition within 21 days. New York Attorney General Letitia James said her investigation has uncovered evidence Trump’s company used “fraudulent or misleading” valuations of assets like golf courses and skyscrapers to get loans and tax benefits. NJ.com
According to data from the Office of the Attorney General, 389 law enforcement officers faced major discipline in New Jersey last year. Nearly three-quarters of those disciplined weren’t fired for their misconduct and instead got suspensions, demotions, or other punishment—a trend reformers say shows why more transparency is needed. This is the second year New Jersey’s 500-plus law enforcement agencies have had to publicly report such data under a directive the Attorney General’s Office issued in 2020. New Jersey Monitor
The Nokia Bell Lab will receive $2.1 million in grants from the federal Department of Energy (DOE) as part of an overall $175 million in funding designated for 68 research and development projects. The grant money will be applied to Nokia’s highly efficient thermal energy architecture, is used to cool data servers at a reduced energy cost. It is expected it will be able to deliver both heating and cooling to buildings, as well. “The research being done here will help us to keep pace with the ever-increasing demand for more computing power in a more sustainable way as we also grapple with the devastating consequences of climate change,” said Sen. Bob Menendez. North-JerseyNews.com
A major developer has reportedly pulled out of a $300 million Downtown Jersey City project that included a much-needed school. Lennar Multifamily Communities (LMC) had planned to buy up 38 homes on Laurel and Saddlewood Court and transform the properties into a 50-story building that included approximately 810 residential units, a school for up to 350 students, retail space and an public park. But on Feb. 10, Vice President of Development Charles Epstein sent an email to to homeowners on the two dead-end streets west of Marin Boulevard that LMC “is no longer able to move forward.” A source with knowledge of the proposed development said the project was canceled when Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop demanded that the project hire “100% union” labor after he was reelected in November. The cost of the project, estimated at $310 million, would have risen to $380 million and made it unprofitable. The Jersey Journal
The culmination of a years-long study into making the school calendar better reflect its community resulted in the Paramus school board approving four new religious and cultural holidays. The school board unanimously approved the 2022-23 school calendar which includes official school closures for Diwali, Eid al-Fitr, Juneteenth and Lunar New Year. The Record
Nearly 4,000 teachers retired in the state last year, up about 10% from the previous year, according to the New Jersey Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund. Deans and directors of educator programs are exploring other ways to draw more people to teaching, including outreach to middle and high schools as well as better transition programs at community colleges. This week it was announced that high school students entering a Newark Public Schools teacher training program could receive up to $3,700 in incentives. NJ Spotlight News
The Bayonne City Council has adopted an ordinance approving a redevelopment plan for the former Marist High School. The move came amid allegations that the city was aware of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s plans to acquire the property to construct a new Newark Bay Bridge before the redevelopment plan was brought before council and that the city is being probed by the state over its handling of the plan, according to City Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski. Hudson Reporter
And finally…A University of Washington model estimates that 73% of Americans are, for now, immune to the omicron variant and that could rise to 80% by mid-March. NJ.com
