Sen. Bob Menendez sees Russia’s threat of invasion into the Ukraine as one that must be answered by the U.S. after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 21 delivered an address that laid claim to all of Ukraine as a country “created by Russia,” and recognizing the independence of two Russian-backed territories in eastern Ukraine. “Vladimir Putin’s illegal recognition of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics is an act of unprovoked aggression and a brazen violation of international law,” said Menendez in a press statement Feb. 21. “This illegal recognition is an attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty. To be clear, if any additional Russian troops or proxy forces cross into Donbas, the Biden administration and our European allies must not hesitate in imposing crushing sanctions. There must be tangible, far-reaching and substantial costs for Russia in response to this unjustified act.” North-JerseyNews.com
Gas prices in New Jersey have gone up yet again this week due to the Ukraine crisis. The average price of a gallon of regular gas rose another two cents Monday over the week prior to $3.61 per gallon, a jump of almost a quarter from one month ago, when a gallon of regular gas cost $3.38 in New Jersey. “Continuing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, plus increased demand as more drivers take to the roads, are combining to keep oil prices high, which translates into pain at the pump,” said Robert Sinclair Jr., AAA Northeast senior manager of public affairs. NJ1015.com
Germany halted the Russian-German Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline after President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into breakaway Ukraine regions, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Feb. 22. The pipeline was set to direct Russian gas exports to the country and has been awaiting formal approval since last October. The German agency in charge of certification had recently suspended the process and said it wouldn’t resume before the second half of the year. Oil, natural gas and agricultural prices rose as escalating tensions over the future of Ukraine threatened to disrupt flows of natural resources from Eastern Europe to world markets. The Wall Street Journal
A nonaggression pact between China and Russia could amount to a realignment of the world order, alarming current and former U.S. and European officials. Portending a new type of Cold War, Biden administration officials say the United States will work to create and bolster its own coalitions of democratic nations — including new Europe and Asia-Pacific strategic groups — and help countries develop advanced military capabilities. The New York Times
With less than a month before a moratorium on utility shut-offs ends, more than a million customers are still behind on paying their gas and electric bills in the Garden State, owing a total of $821 million. The moratorium ends March 15, and unlike in the past, it is not expected to be extended. “I think this is it. There are not going to be any extensions,’’ said Joseph Fiordaliso, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities president. “Come March 15, shut-off notices are going to go out.’’ NJ Spotlight News
A State Senate panel will weigh tying New Jersey’s income tax brackets to inflation next week, a tax cut proposal that has remained stalled for more than a decade. The proposal before the State Senate Budget Committee would require the state’s Division of Taxation to annually adjust New Jersey’s tax brackets to track with the Consumer Price Index. The change would cut tax collections by hundreds of millions of dollars each year, but it’s one Republicans say is sorely needed as surging inflation cuts into the buying power of taxpayers’ income. “Our low and middle-income folks need this now more than ever,” said State Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-25), the bill’s prime sponsor. “They do it at the federal level, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t give that same benefit and that same tax break to our residents here in New Jersey.” New Jersey Monitor
A national survey involving Rutgers University details the link between COVID-19 misinformation between social groups and its intersection with trust in the government, media, science and medicine. The project reported a decline in believing misinformation since the early days of COVID-19 vaccination efforts in 2021, with 16% of Americans still holding vaccine misperceptions. Close to half (46%) are uncertain about the veracity of at least one vaccine misinformation statement. The profile of someone most likely to hold vaccine misperception is aged 25 to 44, parents with children under 18, Americans who did not go to college, and Republicans, with over 20% of the respondents in each group marking at least one misinformation statement as true. North-JerseyNews.com
Rutgers University will offer school tuition free if a student’s family earns less than $65,000 a year under a new financial aid program introduced Feb. 21 that will significantly decrease tuition for families that earn less than $100,000 a year as well. The program, called the Scarlet Guarantee, will be available to students on the state university’s New Brunswick-Piscataway campus starting this Fall. An estimated 7,600 undergraduates — about 20% of the campus’ undergraduates — are expected to to qualify for the program. The new initiative is tied to the Garden State Guarantee, a similar program launched by Gov. Phil Murphy that will pay part of the cost of the Rutgers program starting this Fall. NJ.com
A bill requiring expanding eligibility for free school breakfasts and lunches was recently moved forward by the Assembly Agriculture and Food Security Committee. According to sponsor Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin (D-19), The Working Class Families Anti-Hunger Act is targeted to aid students from middle income families. A “middle-income family” would be defined as any family with an annual household income amounting to not less than 186% and not more than 199% of the federal poverty level. “The Working Class Families Anti-Hunger Act is critical to meeting the needs of many working families and puts us on a direct path to feeding breakfast and lunch to every child who needs it,” Coughlin said. North-JerseyNews.com
Jersey City, Newark, Paterson, Camden, and Trenton accounted for 10% of the state’s population but had 62% of New Jersey’s 1,412 fatal and nonfatal shooting victims in 2021. The rate of gun violence for those cities in 2021 was almost 10 times higher than for the rest of New Jersey—the five cities had 58 shooting victims for every 100,000 residents last year, compared with 6.35 victims per 100,000 people in New Jersey’s other 559 municipalities. The Record
Twenty officers at the troubled Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women received major discipline in 2021, according to an annual report from the Office of the Attorney General. Sixteen officers were fired, according to the report, on charges ranging from mistreatment of inmates and falsifying reports to excessive absenteeism and facilitating gambling with inmates. A dozen officers were fired, according to the report, for being arrested and criminally charged for mistreatment of an inmate and falsifying a report. The Daily Record
Pennsylvania’s Northampton County joined governmental bodies on both sides of the Delaware River asking for a study of problems within the S-curves of Route 80 by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The resolution, passed unanimously by the county’s council with an 8-0 vote, piggy-backs on one passed by the Warren County Board of Commissioners last Fall that called for the state DOT to look at safety, road conditions and the amount of traffic. New Jersey Herald
Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority (JCMUA) is projected to spend $288 million to replace all lead service lines by 2031, at no cost to homeowners. The agency, responsible for managing the city’s water and sewage systems, announced it will replace an estimated 16,000 lead service lines across the city. The JCMUA will look to cover the cost by securing funding through state and federal grants. Lead service line pipes move water from the city’s underground water mains to homes. The pipes will be dug up by a licensed plumber and replaced with copper pipes. The Jersey Journal
Wallington is seeking a new borough administrator, a fourth in five years. Applications are due Feb. 25 for the position held by Hector Olmo since March 2019, according to a post on the borough’s website. Olmo is the third administrator since Witold “Vic” Baginski was removed on May 1, 2017, after 15 years of service in a dispute over Baginski’s alleged mishandling of municipal gas purchases. In September 2021, Baginski won a $725,000 legal settlement from the borough for “physical pain and suffering” related to his ouster. Jane Fontana and Victor Polce each held the post for a year before Olmo’s arrival. The Record
Bayonne is considering offering early voting for its upcoming May 10 municipal election. City Clerk Madeline Medina said the location for the early voting is still being worked out. But tentatively, it will likely be at the Public Library at 697 Avenue C, with the idea that it is centrally located in the city. Early voting is allowed for three days the weekend before the election. That means the voting would take place on May 6, 7, and 8 for the city election for Mayor and Council this year. Hudson Reporter
And finally…The saga of the black bear known as Hank the Tank in California. The New York Times
