The House of Representatives on Sept. 22 passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Josh Gottheimer providing $60 million a year over the next five year to smaller police departments across the U.S. The bipartisan Invest to Protect Act was written to make targeted investments in small and midsize police departments with fewer than 125 sworn officers, which make up more than 96% of local U.S. police departments. Authors of the bill say the monies are to be used for the recruitment, retention, support, and training police need to protect their community and give departments the flexibility to utilize resources to make investments in their officers and communities. “The bottom line: you cannot cut or defund your way to safer communities and better police departments,” said Gottheimer. “It’s about investing to protect.” North-JerseyNews.com
A federal judge on a Nazi sympathizer from New Jersey who had served in the Army reserves for four years in prison for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, saying his “racist and antisemitic motivation” for trying to halt the election certification process set his case apart from dozens of other rioters who have been charged. Timothy Hale-Cusanell, who was working as a security guard at a naval station in New Jersey when he joined the pro-Trump mob that broke into the Capitol, tried to play down his role in the assault by telling the jury that he had no idea that Congress met at the Capitol. But just before issuing the sentence, Judge Trevor N. McFadden called Hale-Cusanelli’s testimony a “risible lie” and an “obvious attempt to avoid responsibility.” The New York Times
Criminals potentially stole an estimated $45.6 billion by making fraudulent unemployment insurance claims meant for people laid off during the pandemic, a government watchdog said. More than half of the potential fraud identified between March 2020 and April 2022 stemmed from individuals filing for benefits in multiple states. Fraudsters used the Social Security numbers of people who were dead or in prison, as well as suspicious email addresses, the Labor Department’s inspector general’s office said in a report released Sept. 22. More than 1,000 people have been charged with crimes involving unemployment insurance fraud since March 2020. The Wall Street Journal
The House of Representatives passed Rep. Tom Malinowski’s CORRUPT Act, which the New Jersey legislator says will hold key enablers of the Putin regime in Russia accountable. The bill will press the Biden Administration to impose sanctions on nearly 200 Russian officials and other leading figures as identified by the Anti-Corruption Foundation. “Putin’s aggression against Ukraine was made possible by his suppression of dissenting voices in Russia,” said Malinowski. “With this bill, we are sending a clear bipartisan signal that Congress stands with the people of Ukraine and with those brave Russians who have been asking us to take action against Putin’s corrupt enablers.” North-JerseyNews.com
A growing body of evidence suggests pro-Russian hackers and online activists are working with the country’s military intelligence agency, according to researchers at Google. Over the past few months, Google’s Mandiant cybersecurity group has observed apparent coordination between pro-Russian hacking groups—ostensibly comprising patriotic citizen hackers—and cyber break-ins by Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU. In four instances, Mandiant says it observed hacking activity linked to the GRU in which malicious “wiper” software was installed on a victim’s network. The Wall Street Journal
The terms “ballot mules,” “poll watch parties,” and “groomers” are now among the most dominant divisive and misleading narratives online about November’s midterm elections, according to researchers and data analytics companies. On Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Truth Social and other social media sites, some of these narratives have surged in recent months, often accompanied by angry and threatening rhetoric. The New York Times
Nearly all New Jerseyans–92% —are concerned over mass shootings across the U.S., but that doesn’t mean they all support stricter gun laws, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released Sept. 22. The state is divided over protecting the rights of gun owners, with 46% of the state saying that the government should set controls over gun ownership and 30% think the priority ought to be defending the Second Amendment. One-in-four state residents mention mental health issues as a primary cause of gun violence, and New Jerseyans support increased mental health funding and a ban on AR-15s as ways of preventing mass shootings. New Jersey Globe
Gov. Phil Murphy sent a bill back to legislators for reconsideration that is intended to strengthen protections for temporary workers. In his veto statement Sept. 22, Murphy said he wants lawmakers to delay the bill’s implementation an extra 90 days to give state officials more time to train staff and otherwise prepare to carry out the bill. Additionally, the governor suggested honing how the state defines temporary laborers to ensure those “at greatest risk of exploitation” are protected. New Jersey Monitor
Minors in New Jersey would be prohibited from receiving irreversible treatments and surgeries that would change their sex, prevent or delay puberty or result in sterilization, under a bill proposed Sept. 22 by State Sen. Edward Durr (R-3). Durr said such procedures are “nothing short of child abuse” and that the “Child Protection and Anti-Mutilation Act” would apply in connection with people under the age of 18 years. “Children do not have the maturity to make life-changing medical decisions that cannot be reversed,” Durr said. NJ1105.com
Gov. Phil Murphy conditionally vetoed a broadly bipartisan measure that would eliminate a requirement that teaching candidates complete a performance-based assessment widely loathed by educators. The governor’s action, if approved by the Legislature, would still remove the requirement for teachers to complete the edTPA—the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment, administered to would-be teachers since 2009—but under his conditional veto, the test would be replaced with broader assessments run by educator preparation programs meant to gauge performance in the classroom. New Jersey Herald
The Assembly Education Committee unanimously approved a bill requiring the state to create a set of learning standards on information literacy, standards that will eventually require students to be taught research and critical thinking skills. The proposed law would require the state Board of Education to draft standards on information literacy for all grade levels, from kindergarten to 12th grade. Among other things, the standards must teach students about how information they find online is created and how it might be used in social, economic, and legal contexts—information the bill’s backers said children lack today. New Jersey Monitor
Opening of two signature projects at Newark Liberty Airport, the new Terminal A and replacement of the aging monorail, are facing setbacks, Port Authority officials confirmed Sept. 22. Completion of the new Terminal A has been delayed until the end of the year and replacement of the aging monorail is off its proposed schedule. “We’re having delays because of supply chain issues, COVID issues and with a number of elements,” said Kevin O’Toole, board chairman. “It’s coming along beautifully, but we’re not going to open prematurely, not without all the systems tested.” NJ.com
Two North Jersey lenders will receive more than $80 million under a federal program to help businesses and residents in underserved communities hard hit economically by the coronavirus pandemic. Almost all of the money earmarked for New Jersey, $79.1 million, will go to the NMB Financial Corp. in Fort Lee, which does business as the New Millennium Bank, while the 1st Bergen Federal Credit Union in Hackensack will get $1.3 million. The U.S. Treasury Department said the funds would help local financial institutions provide loans, grants and other assistance to residents, small businesses and minority-owned businesses. The program was designed to help those in low-income and underserved communities disproportionately hurt economically by the pandemic. NJ.com
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Sept. 21 settlements with two New Jersey-based companies for violations of federal laws related COVID-19. The fines by the EPA are related to the distribution and sale of Zoono Microbe Shield, a registered pesticide, with false and misleading claims about its effectiveness and suitability for use as a disinfectant or sanitizer, including against the virus that causes COVID-19. Zoono USA will pay a $205,000 penalty and Zoono Holdings $120,000. New Jersey on Sept. 22 reported another 2,290 confirmed COVID-19 cases and eight confirmed deaths. There were 915 patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases reported at the state’s 71 hospitals. Of those hospitalized, 96 were in intensive care and 33 on ventilators. The rate of transmission was 1.05 and the positivity rate for tests conducted Sept. 17 was 14.5%. North-JerseyNews.com
After Hurricane Fiona crushed Puerto Rico that left many on the island without power, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that New Jersey will send help. In a tweet, Murphy said two waves of 74 New Jersey State Police officers and a doctor will be on the ground in Puerto Rico. The Record
North Jersey’s largest reservoir—the Wanaque Reservoir—has fallen below 50% capacity in the past week. The Wanaque, which was at 48.2% Sept. 22, supplies up to 190 million gallons per day to Newark, Wayne, Clifton Paterson, Passaic, Montclair and other towns. While other reservoirs have stabilized, water levels at the four Veolia reservoirs that serve 800,000 people in Bergen and Passaic counties jumped about 10 percentage points to just over 70% capacity. Those reservoirs, which include the Oradell Reservoir, fill up faster than the Wanaque Reservoir because they are much smaller. The Daily Record
Blue Violets became the first ever recreational cannabis applicant to receive full approval in Hoboken, after the City Council approved them and put them within one last step of being able to open. Blue Violets will need state approval from the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission before being able to open. Their next meeting is on Oct. 20. Hudson Reporter
And finally…AppleTV will have the exclusive rights to the New York Yankees game tonight as Aaron Judge continues his pursuit of the New York Yankees franchise record for most home runs in a season. NJ.com
