OPINION: A Reason For Hope. We come bringing good news on a weekend where Easter, Passover and Ramadan are all being celebrated. The economy appears to be bouncing back in New Jersey from the effects of the pandemic the last two years. While there are challenges, notably inflation, but as the religious holidays being celebrated all have the common thread of hope and celebration that come in the face of struggle. It’s a message that we all should strive to maintain going past this weekend. North-JerseyNews.com
Russian forces launched a rare missile strike on Lviv April 18, killing at least seven people in the first known deaths from the war in the western city that until now had been relatively untouched by violence. The attack came as Russia unleashed a broad series of strikes across Ukraine, hitting more than 100 military targets in apparent preparation for a major offensive in the east. Russia has unleashed further destruction in recent days on the major eastern cities of Kharkiv and Mariupol, which are seen as crucial to Moscow’s attempt to consolidate control over a large arc of its neighbor after its effort to take Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, was blocked. The New York Times
New Jersey recreational marijuana users will have to wait until 2023 to celebrate the infamous “4/20” holiday as the state will allow sales to begin on April 21. The governor’s office said a list of locations opening will be posted on the commission’s website as soon as the stores confirm the date on which they will begin operations. The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission annual projections include 130,000 cannabis patients and about 836,000 recreational customers from New Jersey—around 12% of the state’s adult population. Another 788,000 “tourism consumers” from outside New Jersey are expected. North-JerseyNews.com
The formal establishment of the Innovation Evergreen Fund was approved by the board of directors of New Jersey’s Economic Development Authority during a vote held last week. The new fund will be seeded with cash raised from the auction of state tax credits, with the first auction expected to be held by the end of Summer. The plan envisions that about $250 million can be raised as seed money over five years. From there, the state plans to partner with venture capital firms expected to pitch in matching dollars—pushing the total potential investment to $500 million, or more—to help nurture small, New Jersey-based startup companies with high growth potential. NJ Spotlight News
Small-business owners are bristling over a Congressional proposal that would redirect unspent money from COVID-19 programs to provide $10 billion for the federal government’s pandemic health response, including vaccines and therapeutics. At issue is about $5 billion that Congress allocated for three small-business aid programs but which hasn’t yet been spent, including the Shuttered Venue Operators Grants and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. GOP negotiators want to repurpose those existing funds for healthcare, rather than allocate new money, because they are increasingly focused on reining in the federal deficit and spending amid a surge in inflation. The Wall Street Journal
Broadway theaters are changing their COVID-19 protocols for attendees. The mask requirement applying to all 41 Broadway theaters will be extended through May 31. But April 30, theaters will be given the option to stop checking vaccination status. At the end of May, Broadway owners will re-evaluate the mask requirement and announce what the plan will be for June and beyond. News12 New Jersey
A commuter advocate proposed to NJ Transit to designate one car on each train where face coverings or masks would be required to be worn, to accommodate passengers with immunodeficiency diseases or other health issues that might make them susceptible to COVID-19. The model for it would be the Quiet Car, where passengers are asked to refrain from cell phone use, loud conversations and music and other noise. NJ.com
The NJ Transit Board of Directors advanced a project to restore rail service to Sussex County along the Lackawanna Cutoff with the approval of a contract to rehabilitate the Roseville Tunnel. Upon completion, the rehabilitation efforts would help to restore passenger rail service between Port Morris and a proposed station in Andover. Reps. Josh Gottheimer, Mikie Sherrill and Tom Malinowski along with State Senate Minority President Steve Oroho (R-24) wrote to the NJ Transit Board supporting the program. “Right now, there are zero options for folks in Sussex County to make their life easier and get on a train to get to work, or to see a family member,” said Gottheimer. “I’ve heard from so many residents, businesses, and local elected officials about this issue, and of the urgent need for more transportation options to New York City from across Sussex. The Lackawanna Cutoff railway is a key part of the solution.” North-JerseyNews.com
Sussex County officials are objecting to the state DOT’s plans to shut Route 206 for about a year in 2026 to replace the tunnel under the Lackawanna Cutoff fill that was built in 1909 for horse-drawn wagons. Shutting down the road at the southern end of Andover Borough will send trucks and additional traffic to rural local roads, which will cause “significant hardship” to the community, Sussex County and municipal officials wrote. New Jersey Herald
New Jersey legislation proposing a state-wide later school start time no later than 8:30 a.m would not be ideal for all, say some educators who are advocating for the decision to be left up to local districts. Opponents argue students who participate in afterschool activities and sports or have part-time jobs would be at a disadvantage with the later start, especially during the shorter days of Winter as well as not being ideal for parents who have to drop off their children at school on their way to work. The Daily Record
New Jersey is in danger of missing Gov. Phil Murphy’s goals to combat climate change if the governor’s own administration doesn’t stop fossil fuel projects it has approved and act more quickly to install regulations, according to a new report from a coalition of environmentalists. EmpowerNJ—which has taken Murphy’s administration to court to push for more action on climate change—estimates the Garden State’s emissions have increased by 19% from six fossil fuel projects the state has approved in the last four years and could increase another 38% if seven pending projects are approved and completed before Murphy’s second term is up in January 2026. NJ.com
Lawsuits have delayed the issuance of about 11,000 vote-by-mail ballots in Paterson’s May 10 mayor’s election, cutting in half the amount of time people will have to fill out and submit them. The mail-in ballots, commonly called VBMs by election strategists, were supposed to be sent to voters who requested them on March 26, under state law. But that hasn’t happened yet because of legal challenges over two candidates’ eligibility to run, which produced court orders halting processing for the ballots. One of those cases has been resolved, but the other is scheduled for state appellate court next week. The Record
Despite the next U.S. Senate election in New Jersey not being held until 2024, both incumbents continue to raise money for their future elections. Sen. Bob Menendez has $3,961,111 cash-on-hand for hei election in two years, after raising $429,258 during the first three months of 2022. U.S. Senator Cory Booker, who is not up for re-election until 2026, has a warchest $6,400,286, raking in $871,500 during the first quarter of this year. New Jersey Globe
New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne Jr. raised more money for his 2022 re-election than in any other previous run for Congress. Payne, first elected in 2012, reported taking in $816,027 between Jan. 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022. He entered April with $569,353 in the bank. Of his donations, 58%, or $475,817, were from political action committees. NJ.com
The Belleville Planning Board is suspending meetings indefinitely after a legal expert concluded that six appointments made to the board since 2019 were illegal. In his opinion, municipal law and planning and zoning attorney Michael Kates wrote that the Township Council had the authority to appoint members to the Planning Board since 1990 when the township changed its form of government from a commission to a council-manager form. On the township’s website, the posted ordinance says Planning Board members are to be appointed by the Mayor, but Kates said the statute giving that authority was invalidated when the form of government changed. The Record
And finally…A Nor’easter is expected to hit N.J. tonight with heavy rain after freezing temps. NJ.com
