OPINION: Affordability at the Pump. As the invasion of Ukraine by Russia started, President Joe Biden told the American public that gas prices would rise. Americans were not happy to hear the news as inflation was already a top concern, but we understood this was the literal price to pay for helping defend a democracy. But with oil prices coming down to pre-invasion levels, the price at the pump has not. It’s an affordability issue and both the government and private companies must take action now. North-JerseyNews.com
Amid high inflation and steadily rising gas prices, state lawmakers are proposing ways to provide New Jersey residents with immediate relief. Among the ideas floated by lawmakers include temporarily slashing the state’s gas tax, which currently costs motorists roughly 42 cents for every gallon of gas purchased at the pump and a one-time “gas price and inflation” income-tax credit worth up to $500. NJ Spotlight News
Rep. Josh Gottheimer wants every available avenue pursued to bring down U.S. energy prices, offering a four point All-of-the-Above Energy Plan that would tap into existing domestic oil wells, increase domestic oil producers production, utilizing close allies to reduce U.S. reliance on oil from bad actors and increasing and maximizing use of alternative energies. “We have to stand up to Russia. But beyond that, we have to get prices down and the best way is to take full advantage of all we have domestically,” said Gottheimer. “We can tap our traditional domestic energy resources now and continue our long-term, climate-driven goals with alternative energy like wind and solar.” North-JerseyNews.com
Ukraine rejected Russia’s demand that soldiers defending the southern port of Mariupol surrender at dawn on March 21, even as Russia stepped up attacks on Kyiv. Ukrainian forces were making progress in pushing the Russians out from southern areas in the Kherson region as they pressed to retake the airport, according to the Ukrainian military. In places where Russia does have control, Ukrainian officials and witnesses said they were not only forcibly deporting people, but conscripting men to fight in their war effort. The New York Times
Gov. Phil Murphy is warning that new COVID cases will increase in New Jersey in the near future but not to a level that will trigger a return to statewide mandates. In a press statement released March 17 with New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli, they stated “we are closely watching the recent rise in global COVID numbers and, given both previous trends with regard to spread and our location as an international nexus for travel and trade, we do anticipate that we will eventually see an increase in the number of cases in New Jersey. However, at this time, we do not anticipate any need to reinstate universal statewide mandated protective measures.” North-JerseyNews.com
Rising COVID-19 cases numbers prompted Ho-Ho-Kus Public School to switch to remote instruction for first and fifth grades from Wednesday through Friday last week. Parents were advised that because of a significant uptick in cases, a first-grade class and the entire fifth grade would go fully remote for three days. Masks were required after students’ return to school on March 21. The Record
According to two new CDC studies, COVID-19 vaccines remained highly effective during the Omicron surge in reducing hospitalizations and deaths from the virus. At the peak of the Omicron variant, data showed unvaccinated adults were 12 times more likely to be hospitalized than adults who were vaccinated and boosted. For those who received their booster shot, vaccine efficacy was 95% for the Delta variant, and 94% for Omicron. News12 New Jersey
About half of New Jerseyans aren’t optimistic about their state these days, and even more aren’t happy with how the government is handling the high cost of living here, according to the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released March 21. Fifty-two percent of adult residents said the Garden State is on the wrong track, while 38% say it’s headed in the right direction. The survey found 8 in 10 residents are dissatisfied at some level with how state officials are handling affordability, with three-quarters unhappy with how the state is handling taxes. NJ.com
Staffing shortages, limited space at facilities and high demand for certain transactions have some motor vehicle customers waiting weeks for an appointment, especially in North Jersey. Appointments for first-time permits, knowledge tests and out-of-state transfers have significant wait times, up to a month or two, due to increased demand, said Chief Administrator Sue Fulton. Fulton attributes the permit and knowledge test demand to an influx of customers after COVID-related school closures and the transfers to people moving into the state. The Daily Record
Lawmakers appear poised to fast-track a bill creating new utility shutoff protections following the lapse of the state’s shutoff moratorium last week. With close to a million New Jerseyans at risk of having their services severed because of the moratorium lapsing, State Senate and Assembly committees will weigh a measure March 21 allowing residents behind on their utility bills the ability to defer payments while they seek financial assistance from the state. The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Brian Stack (D-33), would provide residents who apply for utility aid from a state agency with a 60-day grace period during which their utilities cannot be shut off. To receive the grace period, residents must apply before June 15. New Jersey Monitor
A bill that would allow politicians to be convicted of bribery even if they don’t hold public office has begun moving in the New Jersey Legislature. The bill was approved by the Assembly State and Local Government Committee on March 17 and is scheduled for a vote in the State Senate Judiciary Committee March 21. The proposed law expands the definition of “public servant” in the state’s bribery statute to include “any person who is a candidate for public office … whose activities are subject to regulatory oversight by the Election Law Enforcement Commission, and any person elected but who has not yet assumed office.” PoliticoNJ
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was hospitalized over the weekend after experiencing flulike symptoms. A spokeswoman for the court said Thomas’s illness was not COVID-19 or related to the coronavirus and that his symptoms were abating and is expected to be released from the hospital in a day or two. The New York Times
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will open its hearings on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court March 21. Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden’s nominee to replace Justice Stephen G. Breyer, serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. If confirmed, she would be the first Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice. The Wall Street Journal
Sen. Bob Menendez didn’t mince words for Florida’s junior senator, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who he cited as “singlehandedly undermining” the ability for the U.S. government to respond to the Russia-Ukraine war by blocking confirmation of officials tasked with supporting Ukraine. Menendez took issue with the fact that the confirmation was blocked just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Congress and asked the U.S. for more aid and support. “It is amazing to me. My colleagues who got up to applaud President Zelensky, who come to the Senate Floor to talk about both the need to help Ukraine and the humanitarian realities that are compounding every day… and then object to the very things that can help [Ukraine],” said Menendez. North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey received $1.36 for every $1 paid in federal taxes, dead last among the 50 states in 2020, according to a report by New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. The $1.36 was an improvement over the 82 cents back for every dollar sent to D.C in 2019 and 79 cents in 2018. The improvement contributed largely due to the state being among the hardest hit by the coronavirus in the early months of the pandemic and forced to shut down, reducing tax payments to the federal government along with Congress approving trillions of dollars in aid, including $1,200 in direct payments to individuals. NJ.com
State Party Chair Leroy Jones Jr. asked the Democratic National Committee to make New Jersey one of the first primary states as the committee looks at changing its calendar. “Our party cannot cling to outdated traditions that do not help us reach new voters and motivate the diverse coalition of supporters needed to win elections and enact our pro-middle class agenda,” Jones wrote to national party chair Jaime Harrison. “New Jersey has everything that our party needs to fulfill this important role.” Jones cited the state’s diversity, with double-digit percentages of Black, Latino and Asian residents; and its geography that includes large cities, suburban towns and rural counties. New Jersey Herald
The U.S. House passed the “Honoring Our PACT Act” that would provide health care for up to 3.5 million U.S. veterans exposed to airborne hazards and burn pits and streamlining the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ review process for coverage decisions. “Burn pits have rightly been called this generation’s Agent Orange,” said Rep. Mikie Sherrill. “Too many of our veterans, including as many as 6,000 in NJ-11 alone, suffer from serious health problems caused by toxic exposure during their military service, and too many of them have been denied the care they’ve earned.” North-JerseyNews.com
Paramus Mayor Richard LaBarbiera will not seek re-election to a fourth term. Paramus Democrats are set to hold a screening committee meeting on March 21, with Councilwoman MariaElena Bellinger viewed as the likely Democratic candidate to replace LaBarbiera. Republican Councilman Christopher DiPiazza is widely expected to be the Republican mayoral candidate. New Jersey Globe
Three longtime incumbents will not be seeking re-election in Woodland Park. Joseph Spinelli and Rita Pascrell will step down after 21 years in office—they were elected in 2001 when Woodland Park was still West Paterson—and Gary Holloway, who was first elected in 2010, will also not seek re-election. Mayor Keith Kazmark is backing Christine Tiseo, Michael Sica and Sam Yodice, Jr. for the open council seats. InsiderNJ
The Bayonne City Council had adopted an ordinance bonding for $18 million in capital improvements and equipment. The cost for expenditures such as new fire trucks and street sweepers, as well traffic lights is being offset with the city receiving $7,231,963 in grants. Hudson Reporter
And finally…A New Jersey couple won Shark Tank backing for a beach chair. NJ1015.com
