A federal judge in Florida struck down the mask requirement on airplanes, trains, buses and other public transportation on April 18, less than a week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had extended it through May 3. The ruling left it up to individual airlines and local transit agencies to decide what to do, with the nation’s four largest airlines dropping their mask requirements for domestic flights. The Amtrak rail system said passengers and employees would no longer need to wear masks. The Biden Administration was still reviewing the decision and assessing whether to appeal it, and that the CDC still recommended that people wear masks in enclosed public transportation settings. The New York Times
As a result of the ruling, Gov. Phil Murphy announced masks will no longer be required on NJ Transit and by South Jersey Transportation Authority. The governor in a tweet this morning stated individuals may wear a mask based on personal preference, informed by personal level of risk. News12 New Jersey
Sixteen families say their relatives’ COVID deaths could have been prevented had Woodland Behavioral Health and Nursing Center in Andover provided the proper personal protective equipment for employees as the virus surged in Spring 2020, according to the suit filed in Sussex County Superior Court earlier this month. The facility, formerly known as Andover Subacute I, is alleged to have breached their duties by failing to monitor outside visitors and food preparation as well as have in place proper protocols to oversee employees and residents. While the suit names 16 families, it could represent more than 50 families who are seeking to join as class members, all with claims of gross negligence, wrongful death and medical malpractice. New Jersey Herald
New Jersey reported four confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 901 confirmed positive tests on April 18, as Gov. Phil Murphy expects cases to rise in the coming days after gatherings for Passover and Easter this past weekend. There were 380 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases across 70 of the state’s 71 hospitals as New Jersey’s transmission rate was 1.28 for the second consecutive day. The positivity rate for tests conducted on April 13, the most recent day available, was 5.9% North-JerseyNews.com
House Democrats sent to the U.S. Senate the Relief for Restaurants and other Hard Hit Small Businesses Act of 2022. The proposed law would provide an additional $42 billion in funding nationwide for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) established by the American Rescue Plan (ARP). “New Jersey restaurants and mom and pop shops are the lifeblood of our economy, but these businesses have had to make extraordinary sacrifices since March 2020,” said Rep. Tom Malinowski. “Congress is standing up to keep doors open at our favorite local restaurants and shops, and for the millions of workers these businesses employ.” North-JerseyNews.com
The White House reiterated President Joe Biden has no plans to send U.S. troops to bolster Ukraine in its fight against Russia, rejecting comments from a close Senate ally. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) recently stated Congress and the White House should “come to a common position about when we are willing to go the next step and to send not just arms but troops to the aid in defense of Ukraine. If the answer is never, then we are inviting another level of escalation in brutality by Putin.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the President disagrees with the suggestion that U.S. forces should be sent to Ukraine’s aid, stating “The President continues to have no plans to send troops to fight a war with Russia. He doesn’t think that’s in our national security interests or in the interests of the American people.” The Wall Street Journal
The U.S. Supreme Court on April 18 rejected a bid by New Jersey and three other states to overturn a $10,000 cap on federal tax deductions for state and local taxes (SALT) that Congress imposed as part of the Trump administration’s sweeping tax overhaul in 2017. The court’s decision not to consider the matter left intact a lower court’s ruling the states’ argument that, as Democratic bastions, they had been targeted by Republican lawmakers and that the deduction cap was an unconstitutional infringement on their sovereignty. The New York Times
“Relieved” was the word used by Gov. Phil Murphy as the state gets set to begin legal recreational marijuana sales April 21 after the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission voted to approve seven existing medical marijuana dispensaries for adult-use recreational “Getting this right…is a big deal, no question about it,” said Murphy. “I got behind this for social justice reasons. The war on drugs had a huge deleterious impact on communities of color, yet another chapter in our country’s history.” New Jersey Globe
Gov. Phil Murphy is open to changing rules on legal recreational marijuana in New Jersey to bar off duty police officers in the state from getting high. According to a memo from acting state Attorney General Matthew Platkin last week, off-duty police officers in New Jersey are permitted to consume cannabis products and should not face discipline for doing so under the state’s legal marijuana law. “There’s no allowing anybody to show up impaired, whether you’re drinking or whether you’ve smoked weed,” said Murphy. “Anybody who shows up impaired would be dealt with aggressively. Would I be opened minded to a legislative fix that would address this? The answer is yes.” NJ.com
New Jersey will get a new class of State Police troopers next year with the help of federal funding that will add more than 100 new officers to the existing force of about 3,000 troopers. The additional class will be funded by $4 million in federal aid from the American Rescue Fund and a $5 million increase in the upcoming state budget for fiscal year 2023. According to the governor’s office, 100 enlisted troopers will be eligible for retirement by October 2022 and an additional 108 eligible in 2023. The next class of troopers—the 164th class—will begin in September and the 165th class will begin in early 2023. NJ1015.com
Bipartisan and bicameral legislation sponsored in part by Rep. Josh Gottheimer would seek to combat opioid addiction among student athletes. The Student Athlete Opioid Misuse Prevention Act would create a federal grant program administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, designated for investment in educational and training programs at the youth, high school and collegiate levels focusing on the dangers of opioids. “It starts with educating our educators, coaches, students, and athletic communities. Athletes tend to be exposed to opioids at a young age due to injury, which can lead to dangerous experimenting and long-term disorders,” said Gottheimer. North-JerseyNews.com
Newark voters will go to the polls April 19 to elect three school board members and approve or reject the district’s $1.2 billion budget for the 2022-23 academic year. Seven candidates are seeking three open seats this year on the nine-member Newark Board of Education, which sets policy and approves spending and personnel decisions for the state’s largest school district. The race includes two incumbents seeking re-election to three-year terms backed by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka: A’Dorian Murray-Thomas and Daniel Gonzalez. Newcomer Crystal Williams rounds out the ticket. The four other school board candidates are running independently— Maggie Freeman, Thomas Luna, Philip Wilson and Allison James-Frison. NJ.com
It is election day for voters in three North Hudson municipalities with board of education seats and district spending plans on the ballot as West New York, North Bergen and Weehawken will hold their annual school board elections. While the North Bergen and Weehawken races are uncontested, there are six candidates for three available seats in West New York. The Jersey Journal
Troy Oswald, the Passaic County Republicans’ choice to run for sheriff, will go to court to challenge a residency law that prohibits him from running for office. Democrats challenged Oswald’s ballot petition because he does not meet the three-year residency requirement for the position. Oswald, a county native who now lives in Clifton, claimed residency in Kinnelon when he registered to vote in neighboring Morris County in August 2020. State election law requires candidates for sheriff to be residents of that county for the three years before a November election. Oswald’s lawyer plans to argue the three-year residency requirement is unconstitutional. The Record
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla has proposed an estimated $132 million municipal budget for fiscal year 2022, which will come with a 5.6% local tax increase, as the city confronts increases created by rising inflation, union contract settlements and infrastructure improvements. “Hoboken has grown almost 20% over the past decade to 60,419 residents, and our services must grow simultaneously to support those residents, visitors, and business owners,” said Bhalla in a statement. “We are putting forward a responsible, balanced budget that provides the services our community deserves through investments in our front line workers, our first responders, and our infrastructure.” Hudson Reporter
A majority of New Jersey residents would support legislation allowing motorists to pump their own gas, provided stations were still required to maintain a staffed, full-service option. That’s according to a recent Monmouth University Poll, which found two in three state residents would support that type of legislation. Fifty four percent of New Jersey residents supported a pump-your-own program that maintained full-service options, compared to 43% in opposition. However, 60% argued they were opposed to pump-your-own programs that would not feature a full-service option. North-JerseyNews.com
The NCAA Tournament helped fuel $1.1 billion in wagers at New Jersey’s online and retail sportsbooks, while online casinos set a state record in March for monthly revenue with more than $140 million, according to figures released Monday. March’s figures show that wagers are up 30.7% from $859.6 billion in March 2021 and up 13.7% from $985.6 billion in February. New Jersey sportsbooks have now taken in $25.6 billion in wagers since New Jersey was among the first in the U.S. to launch sports betting in 2018. ROI-NJ.com
And finally…A second lawsuit has been filed against a North Jersey Dunkin’ for making its coffee too hot. The Record
