After Russia launched an attack on Ukraine on Feb. 23, North Jersey lawmakers stood with President Joe Biden in denouncing the action of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Vladimir Putin has instigated an unprovoked and unjustifiable attack against Ukraine––a sovereign, democratic nation,” said Rep. Mikie Sherrill. “The strikes he authorized last night are unconscionable, and he is directly responsible for the deaths caused. I am supportive of the sanctions imposed so far by the U.S. and our allies, but our sanctions must impose more consequences on Putin and his cronies.” North-JerseyNews.com
President Joe Biden vowed to turn Russian President Vladimir Putin into “a pariah” on the world stage when he announced a new round of sanctions that he said would inflict harm to Russia for starting a war “without provocation, without justification, without necessity.” Biden announced a second round of sanctions against Russia, including a ban on some key U.S. exports to that country and authorized additional U.S. force capabilities to deploy to Germany as part of NATO’s response to bolster forces on the military alliance’s eastern flank. The Record
Ukrainians braced for a violent battle for their capital, Kyiv, as officials warned residents to stay indoors and “prepare Molotov cocktails” to defend against advancing Russian forces who had entered a northern district of the city. As missile strikes hammered Kyiv and a rocket crashed into a residential building, Moscow made clear that its goal is to topple the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky, in turn, urged Ukrainians in a televised address to defend the country, saying that no foreign troops were coming to their aid. The New York Times
State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-36) plans to introduce legislation that would bar any public entity in New Jersey from doing business with the Russian government or any companies with interests in the government hours after Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine. Sarlo, chairman of the Senate’s budget committee, said “Russia’s unjustified attack of Ukraine is an assault on democracy that demands a response that sends a clear message that these actions will have consequences.” The bill would stop New Jersey from making any public investments and other financial agreements with Russia or businesses with ties to the country. That includes pension investments, public contracts, professional services, deals with Russian financial institutions, and tax abatements for companies with ties to Russia. NJ.com
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) has released its guidance on when a school should consider reinstating a mask mandate for students and teachers after it is lifted March 7. The health department recommends schools require masks in the instances that include periods of elevated community transmission, during an active outbreak, after returning from isolation or quarantine, when illness occurs in school and during test-to-stay. “Providing a healthy and safe environment is key to keeping our children in schools,” said New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. North-JerseyNews.com
Federal officials plan to release new COVID-19 guidelines, including masks, on Feb. 25 that lay out a new approach for preventing spread of the disease over the longer term. The updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will include new metrics for when communities should consider recommending that masks be worn. Levels of transmission in a community—high, medium and low—will be determined by the number of COVID-19 cases, how many people are in hospitals, and the number of hospital beds in a community. News12 New Jersey
Target is no longer requiring its employees and customers to wear masks inside stores, according to a recent update on the company’s website. The company will continue to abide by all local and state COVID-19 guidelines and encourage employees to heed the latest public health guidance and get vaccinated. NJ.com
Container ship operators and big importers like IKEA and Walmart Inc. will soon negotiate freight rates that could affect the prices consumers pay, adding to inflationary concerns. Yearlong freight contracts, which contribute up to three-quarters of annual revenue for ship operators, will largely be settled at a conference in Long Beach, CA, next week. The average price to move a 40-foot box from China to the U.S. West Coast is likely to be between $7,000 and $8,000, a record high for annual freight pacts and higher than last year’s average of around $5,500. The Wall Street Journal
Acting state Attorney General Matt Platkin has apparently recused himself from a politically charged case surrounding the state’s COVID response involving Christopher Neuwirth, who served as assistant health commissioner for the state Division of Public Health, Infrastructure, Laboratories and Emergency Preparedness, before his termination from the high-profile position in May 2020. A letter to the court from the state this week challenging assertions regarding how the corruption probe was initiated was signed not by Platkin, but by his first assistant attorney general — serving in the role as “acting attorney general.” Neuwirth has claimed that “someone in the Governor’s Office” ordered a corruption investigation targeting the fired assistant commissioner. NJ.com
State Sen. Nicholas Sacco (D-32) will not seek reelection next year after 30 years in the upper house. Sacco, the 75-year-old mayor of North Bergen, endorsed Sen. Brian Stack (D-33) for reelection after the two were placed in the same legislative district under the new district boundaries adopted last week under a bipartisan agreement. “Although I had planned to announce that I will not seek re-election to the State Senate in my own time at a later date, it’s important to send a clear message now that Hudson County Democrats will remain united and to put any speculation about a divisive and unnecessary primary next year to rest,” said Sacco in a press statement Feb. 24. PoliticoNJ
Hudson County Board of Commissioners Chairman Anthony P. Vainieri, Jr. is in line to become Democratic County Chairman in June. Vainieri, the chief of staff to North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, would replace Amy DeGise, who has held the post since 2018 and would instead focus on the Jersey City Council at-large seat she won in 2021. Vainieri is the brother of former Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-37) and chairman of the North Bergen Zoning Board. New Jersey Globe
The 2022 Super Bowl attracted heavy legal betting in New Jersey, with wagering totaling approximately $143.7 million, up by $26.3 million from a betting total of $117.4 million in the 2021 Super Bowl. Payouts from all the wagering on the Cincinnati Bengals versus Los Angeles Rams contest totaled $135.9 million, resulting in a win of $7.8 million for New Jersey’s sports wagering books. Like gaming revenue, overall New Jersey tax revenue collections were up again in January. Revenue collections for the major taxes totaled $4.701 billion, up $621.6 million, or 15.2% above last January, the state’s Department of the Treasury said. Fiscal year-to-date, total collections of $22.812 billion are up $4.062 billion, or 21.7% above the same seven months last year. North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy expects more unemployment offices to open in the weeks ahead, which could help with a steady stream of complaints from unemployed residents seeking benefits. While the overwhelming majority of unemployment cases that developed during the pandemic have been addressed, some Republican lawmakers are criticizing the administration for keeping the Department of Labor’s One-Stop Centers closed. NJ1015.com
A slew of in-person services that were suspended by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) due to the pandemic could be returning, provided a recent bill introduced by State Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-40) is enacted. “The continued delays and congestion at MVC facilities are inexcusable, and it is obvious the commission still needs some guidance from the Legislature on how to return to pre-pandemic operations,” said Corrado, who sponsored the bill. “If private sector businesses can remain open and operate normally, despite the challenges of COVID-19, we should expect nothing less of critical government services like the MVC.” North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission unanimously voted to pass a waiver for medical marijuana providers to produce and sell cannabis concentrates on Feb. 24. Concentrates—which come in the form of dabs, wax, shatter, or oil—are highly potent forms of cannabis that can be ingested or smoked. Currently, licensed marijuana permit holders can produce marijuana products using flower, oil, or topical forms, and they can provide lozenges. CRC Executive Director Jeff Brown said he’s heard from both industry leaders and patients alike that more people are asking for products in the form of concentrate. New Jersey Monitor
A conflict between the Morristown Parking Authority and NJ Transit over the redevelopment of a parking lot behind the train station is headed to the courts. The authority filed a lawsuit Feb. 23 against NJ Transit, claiming it is exploiting its restrictive covenant for the property to reap “unreasonable, unfair, and unlawful financial demands” in excess of $1 million. The MPA claims in its lawsuit that in 2015, NJ Transit indicated it would release its covenant in exchange for a guarantee its 72 public parking spaces would be preserved. But in 2018, after the town council approved the redevelopment proposal, NJ Transit demanded a payment of $2.6 million for the same consideration. The lawsuit states the MPA, town and developer initially considered the offer “because the project would be able to absorb such payment.” The Daily Record
Residents of the Newton Town Centre senior housing project on Spring Street say mold, bedbugs, security doors that don’t close and the general lack of maintenance are ruining their quality of life. A group of residents of the low- and moderate-income residence took their complaints to the Sussex County Board of Commissioners for a second time after attending Newton Council meetings. After the county meeting, the residents met privately with some county officials. New Jersey Herald
Developers have bid over $3 billion to buy leases to build offshore wind farms along the coasts of New Jersey and New York, reflecting a rush to cash in on what is emerging as a lucrative green-energy sector. In an ongoing auction held by the Biden Administration, the offshore wind developers are seeking to secure the rights to build wind turbines in six areas totaling more than 488,000 acres in the New York Bight to supply enough power for up to 2 million homes. NJ Spotlight News
And finally…A key weekend ahead as little progress has been reported in negotiations between Major League Baseball players and owners. The Record
