OPINION: What the Voters Want in 2022. Around the U.S., voters have led the backlash against the overreach of the extreme left since ousting Donald Trump from office. But do not be mistaken—the overreach on the extreme right is alive and well as it ever has been. Within the overreach, there are legitimate issues that need to be addressed. Leaders would be smart to get back to the basics of their parties and of Americans. After all, voters have been telling them to do that for the last two years. North-JerseyNews.com
The bipartisan New Jersey Apportionment Commission voted 9-2 to approve a new state legislative map Feb. 18, redrawing New Jersey 40 legislative districts as part of an unprecedented compromise. Democrats will still be in position on paper to retain control of the state Legislature in next year’s elections, but their chances may have just gotten a little more challenging. Under the new boundaries, Republicans have a shot at gaining more ground in South Jersey and may have a better path to retaking the Statehouse than they have at any time since losing power 20 years ago. NJ.com
President Joe Biden agreed in principle to meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, provided Russia pulls back from a potential attack of Ukraine. President Biden’s decision came during a discussion with French President Emmanuel Macron, who made a flurry of calls seeking a diplomatic solution to the crisis. In the call with his American counterpart, President Macron proposed a summit between Presidents Biden and Putin and then a meeting with other governments on security and strategic stability in Europe. The Wall Street Journal
The U.S. has sent a letter to the United Nations human rights chief with “credible information” that Russian forces have compiled a list of Ukrainian citizens to be killed or sent to detention camps in the aftermath of a Russian invasion and occupation of the country. The letter additionally claims Russian forces plan to carry out widespread human rights violations, which in the past have included torturing and kidnapping civilians. The likely targets would be people opposed to Russian actions, including dissidents from Russia and Belarus living in Ukraine, journalists, anti-corruption activists and members of ethnic and religious minorities and the L.G.B.T.Q. community. The New York Times
While the state has religiously followed the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) throughout the pandemic, Gov. Phil Murphy broke away when he announced a school mask mandate would end March 7. The governor recently explained that he was comfortable with the decision as “the other waves had long, sloping ups and long, sloping downs in terms of case count, hospitalizations, etc. This (Omicron surge) went straight up and it’s coming straight down. So our experience when we took this step—and continues to be the case —is as wide from the American norm as we have been in any wave. We felt responsibly that we could take this step, and that’s the reason.” North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey reported another five confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 938 confirmed cases, according to the state’s coronavirus dashboard Feb. 20. The state’s seven-day average for confirmed positive coronavirus tests dropped to 1,585, down 9% from a week ago and 87% from a month ago, as the recent spike driven by the omicron variant continues on a downward trend. Coronavirus hospitalizations in New Jersey continue to steadily decline, with 1,050 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases reported across 70 of the state’s 71 hospitals. The statewide transmission rate was 0.63 on Sunday, down from 0.67 on Saturday. NJ.com
A $40 million cash-assistance program for New Jersey residents who did not receive any other federal pandemic relief has reached its payout limit but will continue to accept and honor applications until its Feb. 28 deadline. The Department of Human Services, which administers the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund, said in a statement that Gov. Phil Murphy will allocate any additional money needed to fulfill applications using federal dollars available for cash relief from the American Rescue Plan. The Record
The last of thousands of Afghan refugees who awaited resettlement at eight U.S. military installations departed Jan. 19 from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, completing a journey that started with the chaotic evacuation from Kabul in August. Most of the refugees have settled in established Afghan communities in northern Virginia and the surrounding Washington area, as well as Northern California and Texas. News12 New Jersey
Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway acknowledged the athletics department is “highly unlikely” to break even financially as it doubles down on its commitment to big-time sports and the Big Ten conference. “For too long the entire Rutgers community has been laboring under the illusion that athletics will generate enough revenue to pay for itself and, then, in time turn a profit,” Holloway said in his remarks. “Let me disabuse you of that claim. While I would be thrilled if athletics were to cover all of its expenses, it is highly unlikely that it will.” New Jersey Herald
Tens of thousands of cargo container that would normally move on railroads are being hauled on American roads each month as companies look to get around continuing supply-chain bottlenecks. U.S. intermodal transports, in which railroads carry containers and truck trailers, were down nearly 12% in the first six weeks of this year from a year ago, according to the Association of American Railroads, after tumbling in the second half of last year even as retailers and manufacturers rushed to bring in goods. Trucking and rail industry officials say demand to move freight 500 miles or more—which is often done by rail—remains strong, as companies restock depleted inventories. But shippers are more often than usual choosing highways over railroads because shortages of labor, equipment and warehouse space across supply chains can create unpredictable delays. The Wall Street Journal
Assemblyman John McKeon (D-27) has introduced a measure to prevent retailers from shipping small items in oversized boxes. The legislation specifies boxes used to ship an item from large online retailers and major companies cannot be more than twice as large as the item inside the box being shipped. He said what convinced him that this problem needed to be addressed was after he ordered something for his granddaughter: a Baby On Board magnet that he said could have been shipped in an envelope but was sent “in a box about 50 times its size.” NJ1015.com
Gov. Phil Murphy is doubling down on ending the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, with New Jersey officials reporting March 28 as the official last date for the bi-state agency. Murphy said the Waterfront Commission was the “right response” for what was going on at the time, at least as far as he was told as it was formed four years before he was born. “We’re in a completely different world. Does it mean that crime has gone to zero? Absolutely not, but we’re not meeting the moment with the Waterfront Commission,” he said. North-JerseyNews.com
Key fobs left in unlocked cars in Upper Saddle River are blamed for a “dramatic increase” in vehicle burglaries and thefts in the past year, said Police Chief Patrick Rotella. “From Jan. 1, 2021, to the present, the Upper Saddle River Police Department has investigated 24 car burglaries and 19 car thefts,” Rotella said Friday. “Five of the car thefts have occurred since Jan. 1.” All of the stolen vehicles had key fobs left inside, and the burglarized cars had been left unlocked. The Record
A formal reminder to New Jersey county prosecutors and law enforcement officials reminding them of a June 2005 directive that prohibits “racially-influenced policy” was issued by Acting Attorney General Matt Platkin. “The directive prohibits sworn officers and civilian employees of law enforcement agencies in the State of New Jersey from considering a person’s race or ethnicity as a factor in drawing an inference or conclusion that the person may be involved in criminal activity or as a factor in exercising police discretion as to how to stop or otherwise treat the person,” Platkin said in his memorandum, sent after a video of Bridgewater police officers breaking up a fight between the two teenagers where the Black teen was handcuffed and the lighter skin Latino counterpart was not. New Jersey Globe
The Fair Share Housing Center filed a motion asking the State Superior Court in Morris County to order Morris Township to recalculate its housing obligation based on the available land as part of its lawsuit against rezoning land for a future New York Red Bulls soccer training site. The center argues that the township must recalculate its development potential and include the land that was rezoned for the training site. “The Mount Laurel Doctrine exists precisely to prevent this type of exclusionary zoning,” said Rachel Lokken, staff attorney at Fair Share Housing Center. “Morris Township’s failure to consider newly vacant land for affordable housing before rezoning it is unlawful.” The Daily Record
Before Bayonne finalized its deal with local developer Alessi Organization for Marist High School, city officials knew the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) was interested in the property as part of the plan to expand the Newark Bay-Hudson County Turnpike Extension. City officials met and corresponded with NJTA officials in April 2021 that the agency may need to access the Marist High School land to “perform preliminary engineering and environmental services” related to its project. When it was reported last month that the property was being sought by the Turnpike Authority for acquisition, Bayonne officials said they had been unaware the NJTA was interested in the property. The Jersey Journal
Former city employee Stacie Percella is running for Bayonne City Council. Percella, a deputy register from 2001 to 2016, filed a lawsuit against Mayor James Davis in 2018, alleging that Davis engaged her in allegedly “sexting” text message conversations. The suit also alleges that Percella was fired in retaliation for filing a federal lawsuit against the Mark Smith Administration in 2014. Percella is challenging Third Ward City Councilman Gary La Pelusa. Hudson Reporter
And finally…Montvale will launch a town-wide fitness challenge starting March 1. The Record
