Sales of recreational cannabis will soon begin in New Jersey after the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission authorized seven medical cannabis operators to expand into the adult-use market. The medical facilities, known as alternative treatment centers, must still undergo inspections and receive licenses before they can begin selling — perhaps within weeks. The seven operators given the green light are: Acreage Holdings, Curaleaf, Columbia Care, Verano, Ascend Wellness Holdings, Green Thumb Industries and TerrAscend. The seven operate facilities throughout the state. PoliticoNJ
Consumer prices increased 8.5% in the year through March, the fastest inflation rate since 1981, buoyed by rising gas costs and higher rents. A substantial chunk of the March inflation surge came because Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed fuel prices sharply higher last month, with the U.S. average for a gallon of regular gas peaking at $4.33 on March 11. Stripping out volatile fuel and food, core prices climbed 6.5% in the year through March, up from 6.4% in the year through February. But core inflation slowed down a bit on a monthly basis, rising 0.3% from February. The New York Times
The Biden administration plans to temporarily allow high-ethanol content gasoline to be sold this Summer in a bid to tame high fuel prices, according to senior administration officials. The decision will allow gasoline with 15% ethanol to be sold between June 1 and Sept. 15. Normally only a 10% ethanol blend can be sold during that time period to reduce smog caused by the 15% blend’s higher volatility. Allowing fuels with a higher ethanol content will lessen reliance on oil and give drivers more options, possibly giving drivers 10 cents a gallon off current prices. The Wall Street Journal
A new Monmouth University poll found that Garden State residents are more split on introducing self-service gas but most do not want to completely eliminate full service. Fifty-four percent of those polled said they support having a self-service gas option as long as there is still a full-service attendant available, while 43% oppose the self-service idea entirely. About 60% are opposed to eliminating full service. The Daily Record
Fears grew of a major escalation in President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine as the country braced for a large-scale assault in the east and the remaining defenders of the strategic southern port city of Mariupol faced the prospect of chemical weapons. Australia has joined Britain in saying that it is working to verify reports of Russian forces having used such weapons there. Austria’s chancellor visited Putin on Monday—the first European leader to see him in person since the war began—and said he had come away not only feeling pessimistic about peace prospects, but also fearing that the Russian President intended to drastically intensify the brutality of the war. The New York Times
New Jersey reported four confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 1,012 confirmed positive tests on April 11, the seventh consecutive day of more than 1,000 new confirmed positive tests. New Jersey’s transmission rate increased to 1.23 on Monday from 1.19 Sunday and the statewide daily positivity rate for tests conducted April 6, the most recent day available, was 5.3%. Despite the rise in cases, the number of patients in hospitals continues to remain low at 366—including 38 in intensive care units and 28 on ventilators. North-JerseyNews.com
Philadelphia became the first major U.S. city to reinstate its indoor mask mandate on April 12 after reporting a sharp increase in coronavirus infections and wanting to forestall a potential new wave driven by an omicron subvariant. Confirmed COVID-19 cases have risen more than 50% in 10 days, the threshold at which the city’s guidelines call for people to wear masks indoors. Health officials believe the recent spike is being driven by the highly transmissible BA.2 subvariant of omicron, which has spread rapidly throughout Europe and Asia, and has become dominant in the U.S. in recent weeks. News12 New Jersey
Two people are seeking class-action lawsuits against a Cedar Grove senior living facility, accusing them of failing to properly take care of residents during the pandemic where their relatives died. The Canterbury at Cedar Grove Care and Rehabilitation, its parent company Windsor Healthcare and owner Hyman Jacobs as well as a number of unnamed people and businesses are accused of not monitoring outside visitors, employees, food preparation and distribution and residents to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or providing safety rules and personal protective equipment to prevent the virus from spreading. As such, the lawsuit claims these failures and negligence that resulted in the deaths of residents at the facility. The Record
Gov. Phil Murphy said parents should have a say in the implementation of sexual orientation and gender identity instruction for children in kindergarten through third grade beginning in the Fall. “There’s some sort of sense that parents have no say and I would just say emphatically parents deserve absolutely to have a say in this sort of stuff, along with all other interested parties, but probably none more interested than parents,” said Murphy. But the governor cautioned bigoted rhetoric around the issue, stating “I don’t like the fact that some are using this as an opportunity to score political points and to further divide us versus them.” NJ1015.com
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger recently announced the creation of a Civil Rights Division within the U.S. Attorney’s Office under the District of New Jersey. The new division will focus on civil rights laws exclusively, with both civil and criminal cases falling under their purview. It will be the first and largest division in the district’s history to focus entirely on enforcing and protecting civil rights. “No one should ever be subject to acts of discrimination or hate because of where they are from, what they look like, whom they love, or how they worship,” said U.S. Attorney Sellinger. “Hate crimes and unlawful bias incidents are antithetical to the core principles underlying our democracy, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will do all it can to combat these threats to constitutional and civil rights.” North-JerseyNews.com
President Joe Biden unveiled the Department of Justice’s plan to regulate untraceable firearms known as ghost guns on April 11. The final rule bans the business of manufacturing ghost guns, such as “buy build shoot” kits that can be bought online—without a background check—and easily assembled. The DOJ rule clarifies that those kits qualify as firearms and that the manufacturers of those kits must “become licensed and include serial numbers on the kits’ frame or receiver, and commercial sellers of these kits must become federally licensed and run background checks prior to a sale—just like they have to do with other commercially-made firearms.” New Jersey Monitor
The demand for truckers has been great as the economy reopened from the coronavirus pandemic, with New Jersey ranking as one of the top of new drivers. There are 3,200 more drivers hauling cargo and delivering goods who hail from New Jersey in 2022 than 2021, according to new data from the White House. That’s an increase of 8.6%. Only two states—California (11.3%) and Missouri (9%)—reported higher percentage increases. NJ.com
Gov. Phil Murphy and NJ Transit announced the issuance of the “Notice to Proceed” (NTP) on the new Portal North Bridge project on April 7. Part of the larger Gateway Program, the Portal North Bridge project is being hailed that when finished as improving capacity and reliability for rail travel between New Jersey and New York City. The new bridge will eliminate the 110-year-old swing bridge which has been the enduring source of major service disruptions for NJ Transit and Amtrak customers traveling on the Northeast Corridor. “From day one of my Administration, we have prioritized investments in environmentally friendly mass transit,” said Murphy in a press statement. “After years of crucial behind the scenes work, this notice to proceed means train customers will soon see tangible evidence of our commitment to modernizing the rail system.” North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey’s public schools were on the front burner April 11 as the Legislature started its deeper look into Gov. Phil Murphy’s $48.9 billion budget for the next year. Officials from the Murphy Administration were pressed by Assembly Budget Committee members about how the budget would address school construction needs that are worsening, mounting “learning loss” in schools, and inequities still persisting on state funding of schools. NJ Spotlight News
Two Democratic candidates in the 8th district are facing challenges to their nominating petitions brought by Hudson County Democratic chair Amy DeGise. Entrepreneur Brian Varela submitted 589 signatures when he filed his candidacy last week and Seton Hall election law professor Eugene Mazo submitted 221, both above the 200-signature threshold for ballot access. But Steven Kleinman, the election lawyer representing DeGise, is arguing that both candidates submitted a sufficient number of invalid signatures to knock them off the ballot. InsiderNJ
Rep. Tom Malinowski raised just under $1.1 million during the first quarter of 2022 and has a $3.5 million warchest in his bid for re-election in New Jersey’s 7th district. The two-term congressman has raised nearly $2 million in the last six months for what is widely viewed as the state’s most competitive House race. His cash-on-hand has swelled from $2.7 million as of the end of last year. New Jersey Globe
Englewood Cliffs Councilman Ramon Ferro handed in his resignation April 8, citing no reason for his departure. Ferro informed Borough Clerk Laura Borchers, Mayor Mario Kranjac and Council President Tim Koutroubas via email that he was resigning immediately. Kranjac said the Republican County Committee has the right to fill Ferro’s seat and would propose three candidates. The council would then vote to appoint one of those three to fill the vacant seat. The Record
New Jersey will test a telework program for state workers starting this Summer. The New Jersey Civil Service Commission (CSC) voted to approve a pilot program April 6 empowering New Jersey departments and authorities to establish a telework program for employees. Not all employees will be eligible for telework due to the nature of their jobs—Department of Labor & Workforce Development and Motor Vehicle Commission employees whose primary job responsibilities involve in-person services will not be offered the work-from-home option. “The approval of the Model Telework Pilot Program is a monumental step that addresses the current needs of the state workforce,” said Civil Service Commission Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Deirdré Webster Cobb Esq in a press statement. “As we witness changes around the world in the landscape of how we work, it is important for us to adapt in order to attract and retain qualified state workers.” North-JerseyNews.com
Newark will invest $23 million in new upgrades for the Pequannock Water Treatment Plant in West Milford. When finished, the state-of-the-art system will improve overall water quality and increase the plant’s processing capacity— allowing it to handle up to 60 million gallons per day. ROI-NJ.com
And finally…On each of the next three days, temperatures will probably break 70 degrees for most of the state. NJ1015.com
