OPINION: Gov. Murphy, Stop Ducking COVID Post-Morteum. Since he held his last COVID-19 press conference March 4, Gov. Phil Murphy has visited Ireland and Israel, crisscrossed the state to promote his political agenda that includes the 2023 budget, abortion rights and attempts to curb gun violence. He has vacationed for two weeks in Italy, returning for a weekend to take over the reins of the National Governors Committee. We have no problem with any of these actions, but what Murphy hasn’t done is fulfill his promise to have his actions and those of his administration during the pandemic reviewed by either a legislative committee or an outside entity. That must end now. Murphy’s recent comments that we have not yet had a post-moretum because New Jersey still has 1,000 patients hospitalized does not pass the test of leadership and, in our view, is disingenuous. The way we see it is that Murphy is not fulfilling a promise he made as governor and during his campaign for a second term. It is time the governor stopped putting off an examination of his administration’s actions since March 2020. North-JerseyNews.com
Gov. Phil Murphy again said Sept. 4 that New Jersey will “soon” begin a comprehensive review of the state‘s response to the COVID-19 pandemic during a national television appearance. “I don’t have news to break today, but I think we’re in a matter of weeks of coming up with a comprehensive program,” Murphy stated on Fox News Sunday, saying the review will focus on the state’s “entire COVID response. I want to make sure it’s effective, not just in teaching us what went right and what went wrong, but also that it can be a tool for future governors, future administrations. COVID, sadly, is still with us. It will continue to be with us. But we can’t wait ‘til the last case to do that review, and we won’t. We’ll be doing something, starting something soon.” NJ.com
The demand for food assistance has returned to a level that equals or even exceeds when the pandemic shut many workplaces and choked off income, advocates say. New Jersey’s emergency food network is scrambling to keep up with the effects of national inflation at a 40-year high, pushing up retail prices for gasoline, food and other essentials, and increasing the agencies’ own costs for keeping the distribution centers supplied. Adding to the pressure is the expiration of benefits provided by the federal CARES Act and of extended state jobless benefits, child tax credits and extra SNAP payments, all of which cushioned the economic blow of the pandemic, and briefly helped to lessen the demand for food assistance. NJ Spotlight News
An idea pushed for two years by Republicans has resulted in bipartisan legislation supported by Gov. Phil Murphy to provide relief to New Jersey residents facing unjust taxation from other states where their employer is based. The legislation is designed to confront the long-standing issue of tax credits New Jersey provides to residents who pay taxes to other jurisdictions, which lawmakers say has cost the state billions in tax revenues. The proposals provide relief to taxpayers while combating aggressive taxation from other states and grants to incentivize employment in New Jersey, according to the sponsors of the bill. “This is an issue that warrants no debate; on both sides of the aisle, we can all agree that we must protect our residents from unfair and inordinate taxation from other states,” said Murphy. North-JerseyNews.com
Mayors and lifeguards down the Jersey Shore reported a spike in complaints since the Garden State legalized recreational cannabis. Complaints rose in seaside towns such as Atlantic City, Seaside Heights, Point Pleasant, and Asbury Park. “When cannabis got legalized, folks thought they were free to smoke it anywhere,” said Frank Marshall, associate general counsel to the New Jersey League of Municipalities. “That’s just not the case. There are limitations on it.” NJ.com
The legal marijuana business is booming — projected to hit $32 billion this year and double again in the next six years, propelled by the launch of big new recreational weed markets in New York, New Jersey and Virginia. But the biggest barriers to making money are the sky-high taxes weed companies pay because they’re treated like illegal narcotics traffickers under the federal tax code; goods cannot cross state lines, and that lack of interstate commerce means companies must build separate farms, factories and stores in each state where they do business and navigate a rapidly evolving patchwork of state regulations; and raising capital is extremely expensive due to a dearth of financing options, an issue both Republicans and Democrats in Congress recognize but have yet to address. PoliticoNJ
For the first time in a Gallup poll, slightly more adults in America say they smoke marijuana than cigarettes, although alcohol remains the most commonly consumed drug. Sixteen percent of adults in America say they use marijuana, compared to 11% percent who smoke cigarettes. Just a year ago, 16% called themselves cigarette smokers and 12% considered themselves consumed cannabis. The survey found 48% said they had tried the drug, compared to 40% in 2015 and 33% in 1985. NJ.com
A federal judge in Florida ordered the appointment of a special master to review documents seized from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property, a move that temporarily blocks the government from using the materials for a criminal investigation. The order said that Trump could assert claims not only of attorney-client privilege, which are available to any suspect, but also executive privilege. Conversely, the Labor Day order permitted intelligence officials to continue their examination of potential damage to national security that Trump might have caused by taking highly sensitive documents to his private club. “The Court is mindful that restraints on criminal prosecutions are disfavored but finds that these unprecedented circumstances call for a brief pause to allow for neutral, third-party review to ensure a just process with adequate safeguards,” said the order by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump. The Wall Street Journal
Russia is buying millions of artillery shells and rockets from North Korea, according to newly declassified American intelligence, a sign that global sanctions have severely restricted its supply chains and forced Moscow to turn to pariah states for military supplies. The disclosure comes days after Russia received initial shipments of Iranian-made drones, some of which American officials said had mechanical problems. The New York Times
Brent crude fell 2.5% to $93.39 a barrel, amid growing concerns COVID lockdowns in China could stem demand. Meanwhile, European gas prices fell 9.7% after jumping by a third at one point on Sept. 5. U.S. stock futures rose, suggesting major indexes could open higher after three weeks of losses driven by expectations for tighter Federal Reserve policy and an energy crisis in Europe. Futures tied to the S&P 500 gained 0.8% after the long Labor Day weekend, suggesting stocks could rebound after a turbulent session Sept. 2 that dragged major indexes lower. The Wall Street Journal
The price for gasoline has been dropping for 12 straight weeks in New Jersey and across the U.S., the biggest continuous decline since 2018. According to AAA, regular gas is averaging $3.81 per gallon in New Jersey, down 12 cents in the last week. New Jersey reached a peak of $5.05 a gallon on June 13, 2022. Since then, prices have fallen $1.24, or about 10 cents per week; a year ago, gas cost $3.21 a gallon in the Garden State. NJ1015.com
As the nation gets closer to the midterm elections, those who will oversee them are taking a range of steps to beef up security for themselves, their employees, polling places and even drop boxes, tapping state and federal funding for a new set of defenses. The heightened vigilance comes as violent rhetoric from the right intensifies and as efforts to intimidate election officials by those who refuse to accept the results of the 2020 election become commonplace. The New York Times
New Jersey added 9,754 new voters in August, most of them without any affiliation to a political party. The state added 307 Republicans and lost 675 Democrats, continuing a recent trend of the GOP outpacing Democrats in voter registration. But New Jersey still has 1,007,299 more Democrats than Republicans. Democrats chipped away at the GOP voter registration edge in the 7th district, where Rep. Tom Malinowski faces a tough re-election battle against former Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean. Last month, the district lost 308 Republicans and 19 Democrats, reducing the edge to 17,536 more Republicans than Democrats. New Jersey Globe
Essex Democrats in the 28th Legislative District received the name of Irvington Council President Renee Burgess as the choice by the bulk of the committee to assume the seat of retired state Senator Ronald L. Rice. But the West and South wards of Newark, committee members mostly in the camp of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, do not support Burgess and instead favor Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker for the seat. A special convention is set for Sept. 9th at Bloomfield College. InsiderNJ.com
Two judges will be presented to the State Senate Judiciary Committee this Fall for nomination hearings for appointment to the New Jersey Supreme Court. Gov. Phil Murphy’s office confirmed that he intends to nominate Douglas Fasciale while State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-39) will lift her block on the nomination of Rachel Wainer Apter. Schepisi said that she met with Murphy on Sept. 1 and they “struck a deal,” which is why she lifted the block. “[Wainer Apter] would move together with a Republican nominee that has recently been elevated to the Supreme Court,” said Schepisi. “I’ll be an integral part of the next two nominees alongside the governor to ensure that the historical partisan balance of the court is retained as well as ensuring that there is the appropriate mixture of judicial nominees with experience on the bench combined with other life experiences as well.” New Jersey Herald
State Sen. Vin Gopal (D-11) and Assemblywoman Shanique Speight (D-29) are the latest lawmakers to team up to combat auto thefts in the Garden State. The first bill would establish an Automobile Theft Prevention Authority (ATPA), bringing together governing bodies, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, insurance representatives, and at-large members to create new rules, discuss best practices and coordinate prevention efforts. Speight’s bill would increase penalties for auto thefts for both juveniles and adults, including increasing penalties on adults who hire juveniles to commit such a crime. “I’m confident the strengthened penalties in this bill are fair, and provide the necessary rehabilitative pathways for juveniles who are involved in automobile thefts to turn their lives around,” said Speight. North-JerseyNews.com
Rob Menendez, the Democratic candidate for the 8th Congressional District, is offering a compromise solution to the proposed expansion of the New Jersey Turnpike’s Newark Bay-Hudson County Extension. Menendez wants any new lanes added to Exit 14 to be exclusively dedicated to buses in a new Bus Rapid Transit system he is proposing and suggested a new exit exclusively for trucks, arguing that the sooner they are off the Turnpike the less pollution they will emit. The Jersey Journal
The Hackensack Police Department is a poorly led agency whose senior officers focus more on lining their pockets with overtime pay than on performing actual police work, concludes a scathing report by a former Bergen County chief whom the city hired to review the department. As a result, morale has cratered among the department’s rank and file, arrests have plummeted by 85% in the last eight years and city detectives boast a clearance rate of just 11%. Written by Robert Anzilotti, the retired chief of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, he advises city officials to hire an outside police director to run the department, because those now in command “seem more focused on enhancing their own compensation.” The Record
Hoboken will distribute about $774,000 in federal grants to the city’s Housing Authority and other nonprofits that provide services to low and moderate-income residents. The city said that of the amount received in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, $682,927 will go to the Housing Authority for capital upgrades to replace facility boilers, improve lighting and upgrade security systems. The city will distribute the remaining $145,137 to eight non-profit organizations—Computers 4 People, the Hoboken Shelter, the Act Now Foundation, Community Lifestyle, HOPES, the Hoboken Community Center, True Mentors and Hoboken Family Planning. Hudson Reporter
And finally…Teachers, students and parents going back to school today faced rain that is expected through this evening into the overnight hours. Rain totals up to 2 inches, with higher isolated spots, could be enough to trigger localized flash flooding. News12 New Jersey
