Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law seven new bills he said will continue to make New Jersey one of the strictest when it comes to gun laws in the U.S. The laws being enacted with Murphy’s signature included mandating people receive firearm training to get a gun permit, banning .50 caliber weapons, make it easier to sue gun manufacturers and dealers over gun crimes in the state, stipulate new residents coming from other states register firearms, require microstamping technology, handgun ammunition, and crack down ghost guns, the act of shipping a gun piece by piece to be built illegal in New Jersey. “We know that we can take on the epidemic of gun violence and win,” said Murphy during a signing ceremony in Metuchen July 5. “We know that we can put in strong and smart gun safety laws that are consistent with the second Amendment and still protect our communities.” North-JerseyNews.com
The man accused of killing seven people and wounding dozens of others in a shooting that terrorized a Fourth of July parade had been investigated by Highland Park police before. Officers had responded in 2019 after someone reported that he had tried to kill himself. And they came to his home a few months later —seizing a knife collection—after a family member reported that he had pledged to “kill everyone.” The New York Times
A recent Monmouth Poll showed a majority of Americans say individual states should be able to determine who can carry concealed weapons despite the recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. Overall poll results showed public support for certain gun safety measures remains high. Fifty six percent of those surveyed agreed that individual states should be allowed to limit who can carry a concealed handgun by requiring permit applicants to demonstrate that they need the weapon for their work or for protection. When asked which factor is more responsible for the number of recent mass shootings in the U.S., 55% say it is a mental health crisis in the country while 33% say the ease of getting guns is more to blame. North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an agreement delineating an even local split by the two states to fund the Gateway Project to build a rail tunnel under the Hudson River and a new bridge across the Hackensack River, a critical step on the road to obtaining federal funding. The phase one Memorandum of Understanding deals with financing two critical pieces of Gateway infrastructure, a new Portal North Bridge to carry the Northeast Corridor line in Kearny and construction of two new rail tunnels to Penn Station New York and rehabilitation of the 111-year-old existing tunnels to and from Manhattan. The agreement is a major milestone toward a goal of having federal funding in place by the end of 2022, with tunnel construction possibly starting in summer 2023. NJ.com
The number of Americans who are financially struggling has increased by double digits in the past year, as inflation and gas prices top the list of problems faced by families. The Monmouth University poll finds a majority say the federal government’s actions are hurting them and that President Joe Biden’s policies are not benefitting the middle class. The number of people who say they are struggling has increased by 18 points since last year to 42% from 24%. News12 New Jersey
Walmart will begin charging some of its suppliers a new fee to transport goods to its warehouses and stores, the latest example of how businesses are looking to offset rising costs for things such as transportation and fuel. Companies that use Walmart to transport goods to the retailer’s warehouses and stores will be charged a fuel surcharge and a “collect pickup charge” starting Aug. 1, a result of the company adapting to the significant transformation and increased cost seen in the transportation industry over the past few years. The collect pickup charge is calculated as a percentage of the cost of goods received by Walmart, while the fuel surcharge is based on the cost of fuel to transport the goods. The Wall Street Journal
Teenagers are now permitted to work longer hours during the Summer in New Jersey under a bipartisan bill Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law July 5 as employers in the state continue to face staffing issues. The law (A422) makes permanent a 2021 expansion that allows 16- and 17-year-olds to work up to 50 hours a week and up to 10 hours a day during the Summer months in the Garden State. Additionally, it clarifies the hours of the day that 14- and 15-year-olds, who can work up to 40 hours a week during the Summer, are permitted to work. NJ.com
Parents of New Jersey public school children would have additional rights to observe, comment, and direct their kids’ education under a proposed “Parents’ Bill of Rights” put forth by a pair of Republican lawmakers. Sponsored by Assemblyman Christian Barranco (R-26) and State Sen. Michael Testa (R-1), the legislation would “safeguard [children] against the increasingly radical agenda of leftist educators and administrators,” according to a press statement from both lawmakers. “School districts are not in the business of raising our children, they were put in place by the people, to serve those that vote for and fund their operations and the topics and content they teach our children will start and end with us,” said Barranco. North-JerseyNews.com
The state’s Schools Development Authority latest strategic plan cited top-priority projects that address the greatest needs in terms of student overcrowding and have the land readily available to proceed. Among the districts and their specific projects cited by the authority include two new pre-K-5 schools in Garfield, a new high school in Passaic, addition and renovation for grades 9-12 in Paterson, new pre-K-8 school in West New York, a new preschool center in Jersey City and new pre-K-5 and pre-K-8 schools in Newark. NJ Spotlight News
The last day to file nominating petitions for anyone who wishes to run for their school board in the November general election is July 25 at 4 p.m. Out of the almost 600 school districts in the state, all but 13 will have November elections. Anyone interested in running should contact their county clerk for details concerning the proper form to use for candidacy, recommends the New Jersey School Boards Association. The Daily Record
New Jersey added 29,809 Republicans and 23,009 Democrats since the June 7 primary election, with the state adding 6,094 more voters. The number of unaffiliated voters dropped by 46,583 during the same time period, according to tallies released by the New Jersey Division of Elections. The state has 1,011,196 more Democrats than Republicans, which represents a 5.5% decrease of the Democratic registration edge of 1,070,292 in November 2021. The total number of Republicans in New Jersey since the last presidential election has increased by 76,063, while the total number of Democrats has gone up by just 8,169. New Jersey Globe
The Biden Administration sued Arizona, saying the state violates federal law by requiring proof of citizenship to vote for president. In its latest challenge to Republican-backed changes to state voting procedures, the U.S. Justice Department said in its filing July 5 that Arizona’s newly enacted requirement that residents provide documentary proof of citizenship would keep eligible voters from participating in certain federal elections. The state law set to take effect in January, “turns the clock back by imposing unlawful and unnecessary requirements that would block eligible voters from the registration rolls,” said Kristen Clarke, head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division. The Wall Street Journal
Seven advisers and allies of Donald Trump, including Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Lindsey Graham, were subpoenaed on July 5 in the ongoing criminal investigation in Georgia of election interference by Trump and his associates. In official letters sent to potential witnesses, Fulton County district attorney Fani T. Willis said that she is examining potential violations that include “the solicitation of election fraud, the making of false statements to state and local governmental bodies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and any involvement in violence or threats related to the election’s administration.” The New York Times
Ben & Jerry’s is suing its Bergen County-based parent company Unilever to block the sale of its brand to an Israeli licensee that would sell the ice cream in the occupied West Bank. In a complaint filed July 5 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the ice cream maker said Unilever’s decision violated a 2000 merger agreement that allowed Ben & Jerry’s independent board to make decisions about its social missions. Last July, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would no longer do business in settlements in occupied Palestinian territory saying it was “inconsistent with our values.” They cited human rights violations and an occupation most nations view as illegal as reasons. The Record
A Camden County resident is now in isolation with a confirmed case of monkeypox as the total number of cases slowly rises throughout the state. As of Tuesday evening, the state health department was reporting eight probable and confirmed cases in New Jersey. NJ1015.com
New Jersey on July 5 reported one new COVID-19 death and 1,408 new confirmed cases. There were 830 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases in the 71 state hospitals that reported. Of those hospitalized, 99 were in intensive care and 31 were on ventilators. New Jersey’s statewide transmission rate was 1.04 with the positivity rate at 11.9% for tests conducted on June 30. North-JerseyNews.com
The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled police need more than a hunch and a vague claim they’re policing “a high crime area” to stop someone they suspect committed a crime. In a decision split along party lines handed down July 5, Justice Fabiana Pierre-Louis reversed lower courts’ decisions that upheld the lawfulness of Camden County officers’ 2019 stop and frisk of a pedestrian, and ruled that evidence officers seized during his arrest must be suppressed. “The state must do more than simply invoke the buzz words ‘high-crime area’ in a conclusory manner to justify investigative stops,” Pierre-Louis wrote. “Three people standing on the street interacting with each other, whether in a high-crime neighborhood or not, is not suggestive of criminal activity without more (reasonable suspicion).” New Jersey Monitor
A Sept. 11 memorial in the Journal Square Plaza will be spared from demolition when the long-anticipated $821 million twin-tower One Journal Square project is built. “The city will follow the community’s input,” said Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione, “as the city is committed to making sure that the future of Journal Square properly honors all those that are currently recognized in the Journal Square Plaza.” The 9/11 fountain sits in front of the Port Authority Journal Square Transportation Center, along with a Jackie Robinson statue, a Christopher Columbus statue and a memorial for influential Journal Square resident Gloria Esposito. The Jersey Journal
And finally…Denville graduated eight sets of twins from its middle school last month. New Jersey Herald
