A Monmouth University Poll released April 14 gave good grades to Gov. Phil Murphy and residents as a whole for handling the pandemic. And concerns about COVID illness are at an all-time low as many report having been infected with the virus themselves. Among the poll results, 67% responded Murphy has done a good job during the pandemic, 53% believing New Jersey has done better than other states in dealing with the pandemic, only a third of New Jerseyans said they would support reinstituting general face masks and social distancing guideline; and 52% oppose a workplace vaccine mandate. North-JerseyNews.com
Employers in New Jersey added 17,800 jobs in March, helping push the state’s unemployment rate down by 0.4 percentage points to 4.2%. Eight of the nine major private industry sectors recorded gains, all except for information, according to monthly data issued April 14 by the state labor department. The top increases were 4,900 in leisure and hospitality, 4,300 in professional and business services and 4,200 in trade, transportation and utilities. New Jersey’s economy has now gained jobs in 16 straight months and added back 679,400 jobs in the last 23 months, since bottoming out in April 2020 when lockdowns were being imposed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. NJ1015.com
New revenue figures from New Jersey’s Department of Treasury show state tax collections continuing to run strong heading into this month’s crucial income-tax filing deadline. Rising wages and a robust Wall Street bonus season helped grow state income-tax collections by more than 16% year-over-year through the end of March, according to Treasury officials. Two other major sources of state revenue, the sales and corporate-business taxes, were also outpacing year-end growth targets that Treasury just revised last month. NJ Spotlight News
New Jersey legal weed sales can begin April 21. The state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission said it will issue licenses to seven medical marijuana dispensaries, officially known as alternative treatment centers, to sell recreational marijuana beginning next Thursday. The seven treatment centers are now clear to sell adult use cannabis at 13 locations across the state. It is now up to each of them to decide when they will open. NJ.com
Acting Attorney General Matt Platkin has issued a memo that New Jersey police officers can smoke marijuana when they’re off duty. The memo specifies on-duty use can be cause for termination or other discipline. “To be clear, there should be zero tolerance for cannabis use, possession, or intoxication while performing the duties of a law enforcement officer,” Platkin wrote in the memo. “And there should be zero tolerance for unregulated marijuana consumption by officers at any time, on or off duty, while employed in this state.” New Jersey Monitor
Russian forces on April 15 appeared close to capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol, a development that would be a significant victory after a series of setbacks this week. But Russia’s setbacks are real, leaving President Vladimir Putin so desperate for a victory that he could potentially turn to limited nuclear weapons, the director of the C.I.A. warned. The New York Times
New Jersey lawmakers are raising concerns of a looming deadline for a nuclear deal with Iran. Rep. Josh Gottheimer voiced apprehension about an agreement resurrecting the 2015 deal that ensured Iran’s civilian nuclear program does not develop weapon-grade uranium, including making Russia the “de facto judge of compliance,” positioned to return enriched uranium to Iran without any oversight mechanisms by the United States or European leaders. “Are we seriously going to let war criminal, Vladimir Putin, be the guarantor of the deal?” said Gottheimer. North-JerseyNews.com
Clashes between Israeli riot police and Palestinians erupted at one of the holiest sites in Jerusalem April 15, the first day of a rare convergence of Ramadan, Passover and Easter, culminating weeks of escalating violence in Israel and the occupied West Bank. The clashes began at about 5:30 a.m. and lasted for more than three hours at the site, the Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City, known to Jews as the Temple Mount — a complex that is sacred to both religions. Palestinians threw stones at the police, who responded by firing sound grenades and rubber bullets. At least 117 Palestinians were injured, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, and the Israeli police said that several officers had been injured. The Wall Street Journal
The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization to the first COVID-19 test that can detect the coronavirus in a breath sample, within a few minutes and with a high degree of accuracy. The InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer, which is about the size of a piece of carry-on luggage, can produce results in less than three minutes and can be used in doctor’s offices, hospitals and mobile testing sites by trained operators. A single machine can analyze about 160 samples per day. The New York Times
An executive order was signed by Gov. Phil Murphy April 13 clarifying that the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers and those who work in high-risk congregate settings does not include the recently approved second COVID-19 booster. A covered worker is considered up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations if they have received a primary series, which consists of either a two-dose series of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine or a single dose COVID-19 vaccine, and the first booster dose when they are eligible. North-JerseyNews.com
City officials have doubled to $4 million the amount of money that Paterson is using for “premium pay” stipends for about 1,300 municipal employees who continued working in-person at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. The additional money will allow Paterson to increase the maximum premium pay stipend to $4,000 and the minimum to $2,000. The Record
Jersey City residents who are behind on rent payments dating back to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have until April 18 to apply for assistance of up to $10,000 in federal funding from the city. Residents must submit applications to enter the lottery that will decide who receives the money, which will be issued directly as a check to landlords on behalf of tenants. The eligibility requirements for the program have expanded in this round of relief: households making up to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) are now eligible, up from 50% of the AMI originally, and there is no longer any requirement around what kind of building tenants live in. The Jersey Journal
New Jersey reported seven confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 2,289 confirmed positive tests on April 14, the first time since February the single day total passed 2,000. There were 367 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases across 70 of the state’s 71 hospitals as New Jersey’s transmission rate was 1.30 for the second consecutive day. North-JerseyNews.com
The Republican National Committee will require GOP presidential candidates to only appear at party-sanctioned primary and general election debates. The move is the latest escalation in a disagreement between the RNC and the Commission on Presidential Debates following grievances leveled by former President Donald Trump and other Republicans about fairness in moderator selections, changes to formats and other conditions. The RNC plans to form a working group to sanction debates based on input from presidential campaigns and criteria that may include timing, frequency, format, media outlet, candidate qualifications and the “best interest of the Republican Party.” The Wall Street Journal
Rep. Josh Gottheimer raised $1.2 million during the first three months of 2022, bringing his cash-on-hand to just under $13.1 million as he seeks re-election to a fourth term in New Jersey’s 5th district. So far this cycle, Gottheimer raised almost $5.5 million for a potentially tough campaign in President Joe Biden’s mid-term elections. New Jersey Globe
A Bergen County drawing resulted in the Congressional candidate Frank Pallotta being listed in Column One along with Bergen County Executive candidates Linda T. Barba and their three commission candidates. The Bergen County Republican Organization-backed Nick De Gregorio (5th Congressional District) and Todd Caliguire (Bergen County Executive) and their commissioner candidate allies are in Column Two. InsiderNJ
Researchers at Rutgers are teaming up with a Newark violence reduction organization to study why people buy guns illegally. Rutgers’ New Jersey Gun Violence Center and the Newark Community Street Team partner on a research project on illicit firearms ownership in the state’s largest city, asking questions such as why are people buying illegal firearms, where do they get them, how much do they cost and who else can access them. NJ.com
Between 20 and 25% of New Jersey motorists drive distracted, according to a study conducted by Rowan University and funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The most common distraction was cellphone usage, while others included eating and drinking, adjusting the radio and grooming. The study, conducted over the Spring and Summer, found that distractions were more common in the summer. The Daily Record
And finally…It’s Opening Day at Citi Field for the New York Mets, as MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson Day and the team unveils a statue of its greatest player, Tom Seaver. The Record
