While other tri-state governors have enacted gas tax holidays, Gov. Phil Murphy is holding firm that this is the wrong road for the Garden State to take. The issue was raised as New York state will suspend its gas tax starting June 1 for the rest of the year that is expected to save drivers about 16 cents per gallon. The move by the Empire State follows Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s decision to sign a bill suspending the state’s 25 cents-per-gallon gas tax from April 1 to June 30. “You never say never given how awful inflation is now, but action at the federal level is a lot more sensible,” Murphy said during an interview on Good Day New York June 1. “They can print money that we can’t.” North-JerseyNews.com
Saudi Arabia is reportedly considering pumping more oil than planned to offset a decline in Russian crude production, a move the kingdom would tie to greater security guarantees from the U.S. after a flurry of diplomacy between Washington and Riyadh when senior U.S. officials traveled to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks to broker a deal. The Saudis are planning to discuss the new output plan at a meeting June 2 between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which it leads, and a coalition of other producers led by Russia—together known as OPEC+. That group has so far been dedicated to a series of small monthly output increases that have done nothing to stop oil prices from surging above $100 a barrel since the Feb. 24 invasion. The Wall Street Journal
Rising interest rates and the still very competitive single family housing market are combining to make homes less and less affordable in New Jersey. Median sales prices statewide were $460,000 in April, an 8% increase from a year ago, and a $20,000 increase from last month, according to monthly data released by New Jersey Realtors. The housing affordability number—the higher the number the more affordable homes are—was 94 in April 2022, compared with 156 in 2020, 135 in 2021 and now at 98 for 2022. NJ.com
State Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-25) wants the Garden State to expand on a county pilot program that attempts to prevent violence at schools while making sure all necessary steps are taken to ensure they are hardened to prevent the next Uvalde. Bucco is a sponsor of the Responsible School Violence Prevention, Preparation, and Protection (RSVP-3) Pilot Program designed to train law enforcement officers, mental health professionals, teachers and other school staff, and students to identify and report behaviors that signal potential threats to school safety and prevent violence before it occurs. “The tragedy in Uvalde has everyone asking if we’re doing everything we can do to keep our schools safe,” said Bucco. “In answering that question, it’s important that we look at both existing resources that are available to districts today and new laws and programs that can prevent violence and increase the security readiness of our schools.” North-JerseyNews.com
A man carrying a rifle and a handgun opened fire in a medical office building in Tulsa, OK, on June 1, killing four people and injuring several others before apparently taking his own life in the latest mass shooting in the U.S. Tulsa Police Department Capt. Richard Meulenberg said the attack was not random, noting “This wasn’t an individual who just decided he wanted to go find a hospital full of random people. He deliberately made a choice to come here and his actions were deliberate.” Officials did not reveal the gunman’s specific motive. The New York Times
After Gov. Phil Murphy urged Congress and Trenton lawmakers to act on gun control legislation, State Sen. Ed Durr (R-3) retorted that no laws would have prevented the Tulsa attack. “Another day another mass shooting in America—this time in Tulsa…We don’t have to live like this. It’s time for Congress to pass nationwide gun safety legislation and for the Legislature to pass our sweeping gun safety bill package,” Murphy Tweeted. That led to Durr reply that “not one gun restriction you pushed will stop these shootings,” and added that when Murphy gives up his State Police protection he will take Murphy’s concerns seriously. NJ1015.com
Pfizer has asked U.S. health regulators to authorize three doses of their vaccine for children under 5 years. The request June 1 to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) comes after the company said last month that three doses of the shot were 80% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19, generated a robust immune response in children ages 6 months to 5 years old and well-tolerated among the children in studies. FDA clearance could come before the end of the month. The Wall Street Journal
Gov. Phil Murphy said new COVID-19 cases appear to be plateauing from the recent surge. “It feels like they’re leveling off,” Murphy said during a television appearance June 1. “Our rate of transmission peaked about a week ago and it’s been coming down daily. We still have too high a positivity rate, to be honest.” NJ.com
New Jersey on June 1 reported 25 new COVID-19 deaths and 2,602 new confirmed cases. There were 910 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases as all 71 state’s hospitals reported. Of those hospitalized, 117 were in intensive care and 48 were on ventilators. New Jersey’s statewide transmission rate was 1.00 with the positivity rate at 12.9% for tests conducted on May 26. North-JerseyNews.com
Rutgers University wants all campuses to be tobacco free by next year. Starting Jan. 1, 2023, tobacco products will be banned indoors and outdoors for students, employees, and visitors. In addition to e-cigarettes and traditional tobacco products, novel tobacco products, hookah and smokeless tobacco products, such as chewing tobacco, will be prohibited on campus. News12 New Jersey
The U.S. Education Department will wipe out $5.8 billion owed by 560,000 borrowers who attended Corinthian Colleges, one of the nation’s biggest for-profit college chains before it collapsed in 2015. The debt cancellation will be automatic, meaning former Corinthian students will not have to apply to have their debts canceled. The Education Department will eliminate any remaining balance on the federal student loans of those who attended any Corinthian campus or online program during the chain’s 20-year existence. The New York Times
Sen. Bob Menendez argued “Iran is closer than ever to developing a nuclear weapon” and “much more dangerous threat and a far less interested party in negotiating” in 2022 when compared to 2015 when the Obama Administration agreed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). “After months of negotiations, this is the Iran we must contend with, not the Iran (we) hoped would be driven by practical considerations at the bargaining table,” Menendez said. “A deal under which Iran has far less than a six month breakout time, with sanctions relief in return that will unlock millions of dollars, and no sunset extensions, is definitely not longer and stronger. It is shorter and weaker.” North-JerseyNews.com
Nine months after the remnants of Hurricane Ida struck, flood survivors on June 1 called on the federal government to get disaster aid out more quickly. Activists criticized the speed at which certain grant money is moving. After Congress approved funds in September 2021 for Community Development Block Disaster Recovery to help rebuild homes and strengthen them against future storms, it took until March to announce New Jersey would receive $228 million. It’s unclear when the grant programs will open and families can apply. The Daily Record
Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration is preparing to implement emergency rules for new construction in flood-prone areas to help fortify the state as officials expect storms to become more frequent and volatile because of climate change. Officials say the rules—to be instituted later this month—will modernize how the state Department of Environmental Protection regulates development in flood zones, using current and future rainfall rates instead of figures that are now two decades old, and raising design flood elevations by two feet in non-tidal — or inland — flood zones. Additionally, the rules will update how stormwater is managed. NJ.com
Advocates for offshore wind power are pushing back against a lawsuit by activists on Long Beach Island who say the federal government failed to do a required environmental study before leasing wind energy areas between New Jersey and New York. Three trade groups reject the claim that two federal agencies violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) before auctioning six areas in the New York Bight, a sale in February that saw record interest from the offshore wind industry and raised more than $40 billion in lease commitments. Save LBI, a nonprofit that claims about 1,500 members, says the planned Atlantic Shores wind farm would be built too close to shore and spoil ocean views while hurting endangered marine mammals and protected birds. NJ Spotlight News
An Englewood Cliffs resident is suing Mayor Mario Kranjac and a borough zoning officer, claiming he was targeted for parking violations because of his outspoken political views. David Civan, who filed the complaint in State Superior Court in Hackensack, alleges that Kranjac told Art Sopelsa, a borough property maintenance official, to issue summonses to Civan for parking his car in his yard after criticizing the mayor. Although the lawsuit states there was no law at the time prohibiting parking a car in the backyard, Sopelsa said that has been the rule for many years, long before he began working in the borough. He gave a 10-day warning, and when the car was not moved, issued a summons. The Record
Former Bayonne High School head football coach Dwayne Williams has filed a lawsuit against the city’s Board of Education. Williams, let go after a brawl between the Bayonne High School and Barringer High School football teams on October 29, alleges a hostile work environment, retaliation, defamation, and violations of his free speech, as well as a loss of economic advantage and breach of contract. Hudson Reporter
And finally….Under the category that all things old are new again, roller disco has returned to Central Park this Summer. The Record
