OPINION: Why Ukraine Matters to New Jersey. Why do the actions in Eastern Europe between Russia and Ukraine matter to me? It starts with the women and men hailing from North Jersey who may be called upon to defend the western border that is shared by NATO member Poland, it includes threats of cyber attacks that could cripple our economy and the rise in energy prices. But above all else, Russia is lead by a murderous authoritarian who must be confronted and aid must be provided to countries that share our democratic values. It is a stand that we must make today and for the future. North-JerseyNews.com
As an Ukrainian delegation met counterparts from Russia in Belarus, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed little hope that talks would bring an end to fighting that has killed more than 350 civilians since the Russian invasion began. Zelensky, who was not attending the meeting, said that Ukraine would push for “an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of troops,” according to a statement from his office, which came as the Ukrainian army and citizen volunteers fought to repel Russian advances on multiple cities for a fifth day. The New York Times
Russian President Vladimir Putin is ordering his country’s nuclear forces on high alert, meaning he wants Russia’s nuclear weapons prepared for increased readiness to launch. Putin cited “aggressive statements” by top NATO powers, along with hard-hitting financial sanctions as his reasons for alerting the nuclear forces. News12 New Jersey
Stock futures fell, and oil prices jumped as investors rushed to adjust to new sanctions against Russia. Futures for the S&P 500 index dropped 1.4%, while futures for the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 declined 1.3%, suggesting U.S. equities were likely to come under pressure in Monday’s trading session. Oil prices rebounded, with most actively traded futures for Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rising 5% to $98.82 a barrel. Brent for delivery in April climbed to $102.90. A European natural gas benchmark rose 15%. The Wall Street Journal
Republican Assemblymen Christopher DePhillips (R-40) and Brian Bergen (R-25) are pushing Gov. Phil Murphy and his administration to undo the last remaining COVID-19 protocols. Bergen was “disappointed” the State Capitol Joint Management Commission is “clinging to the masking theater” despite being pleased by dropping the other eight rules and DePhillips does not want Murphy to renew the public health emergency order set to expire on March 12. “I don’t think anyone can point to any positives that come from continuing the public health emergency. It’s over,” said DePhillips. North-JerseyNews.com
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unveiled updated guidance for wearing masks indoors in public places, a move that means 70% of Americans likely will be able to ditch their masks. The new guidance will divide counties into low, medium or high transmission categories based on new hospitalizations for COVID-19, the number of hospital beds filled with patients with coronavirus and new cases. Based on the new metrics, about 30% of Americans are in low transmission counties, where no indoor public masking is recommended and 42% of the population is in medium spread counties, where people with underlying health conditions may want to wear masks and talk with their doctors about prevention measures. The remaining 28% of Americans live in high transmission counties and should continue wearing well-fitted masks covering their nose and mouth in public indoor spaces. New Jersey Monitor
New Jersey on Feb. 27 reported 10 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 1,081 confirmed positive tests with just over a week before the state drops its mask mandate for schools and childcare facilities. There were 788 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases across 68 of New Jersey’s 71 hospitals. Of those hospitalized, 137 people were in intensive care and 89 on ventilators; 128 people discharged. The statewide transmission rate on Sunday was 0.73, still well below the key benchmark of 1. NJ.com
New Jersey hospital executives asked Gov. Phil Murphy to delay the Feb. 28 deadline for all healthcare workers to get a COVID booster shot as tens of thousands of their employees have still not received one. The Murphy Administration on Feb. 25 said that the governor will “continue to work with employers to provide education and increase access to workers about the importance of boosters” but stopped short of granting the New Jersey Hospitals Association’s request for a 90-day extension. New Jersey Herald
Researchers sampling wastewater from a treatment facility in Little Ferry since the first wave of the COVID pandemic in May 2020 have provided county officials with early warnings of the delta and omicron surges, since infected people shed virus into the sewer system even before they feel sick and seek tests. Data collected from samples collected at 11 sites along the sewer system identified areas where COVID concentrations suddenly increased. “It allowed us to move into those areas and do more testing, and later, more vaccinating,” said Bergen County Executive James Tedesco. The Record
Six companies bid $4.4 billion to develop wind farms acres off the coasts of New Jersey and New York, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior. Interior officials said the sale for more than 488,000 acres in the New York Bight brought in more money than any other energy leases ever, including those for oil and gas. The leases are part of President Joe Biden’s goal of developing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. When fully developed, the offshore wind farms could power almost 2 million homes. NJ Spotlight News
Rep. Josh Gottheimer says New Jersey should have a lower “pothole tax” going forward after the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill will invest more than $8 billion for projects aiding New Jersey roadways. According to Gottheimer, North Jersey residents pay an annual “pothole tax” of $713 for the damage to vehicles from the highways and roads in the Garden State. “That’s a massive extra tax that our residents shouldn’t have to be paying,” he said, who added it doesn’t account for lost productivity. North-JerseyNews.com
Officially, pothole season begins Feb. 28 in New Jersey as the state’s Department of Transportation crews swap loads of road salt for asphalt to shovel into nature’s cruel joke on motorists left on local streets and larger highways. What pothole season means is that the DOT will allow repair crews to close travel lanes where necessary statewide during daytime hours to fill potholes “aggressively and efficiently.” So far this year, the DOT has repaired more than 37,000 potholes on state and interstate highways as of Feb. 15. NJ1015.com
With less than four months before the midterm primaries, Morris County Commissioners tabled a vote to allocate $5 million to buy voting machines. Board of Elections Commissioner Laurie Brownstein said they were already under a tight schedule for the June 7 primary as it would take an estimated three weeks to take delivery of new machines. That would give the Board of Elections about a month to program and certify the new machines, train staff and deliver them to polling locations starting in late May. The Daily Record
The decision to not split Jersey City into more than two legislative districts was made before Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop weighed in on the issue, according to Philip Carchman, the former appellate court judge who was the court-appointed Apportionment Commission tiebreaker. Carchman said that during the legislative redistricting process, he read the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in an Alabama congressional redistricting case “which raised the issue of the Voting Rights Act and how the United States Supreme Court might address the Voting Rights Act in the future.” While Fulop “raised some issues that had to be considered,” Carchman’s said his “initial reaction” on splitting Jersey City “was based on the United States Supreme Court action rather than the Mayor’s.” New Jersey Globe
Bayonne’s deadline for candidates to run in the May municipal election is just a week away, with 25 individuals already picking up petitions from City Hall to run, with at least four candidates interested in each of the City Council seats or the mayoral race. Dr. Mitchell L. Brown and Kendal Ludden have petitions for mayor in addition to the three candidates who have already confirmed plans to run — incumbent Mayor Jimmy Davis, City Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski and former Board of Education Trustee Michael Alonso. The Jersey Journal
Demolition will start on the iconic Nabisco building in 2023, said Fair Lawn Mayor Kurt Peluso. In the meantime, although the cookie factory has stopped production, Mondelēz has temporarily leased back the property from its new owner. “Given that we still have pilot plant operations on the facility that will then transition, we have leased back from the new owner … to ramp down our operations on the site,” said Laurie Guzzinati, a senior director at Mondelēz International. The Record
Secaucus will keep its composting program following its successful launch in June of 2021. Since the installation of the compost sheds, the town has seen approximately 200 participants and diverted more than 9,300 pounds of food scraps into the Community Compost Company’s system. As a result, the food scraps were processed into certified organic compost instead of ending up in landfills. Hudson Reporter
And finally….Why is Easter and Passover so late this year? New Jersey Herald
