New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) believes the rise of dead whales and dolphins washing up on the Jersey Shore is the result of warming waters and not the construction of wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean. NJDEP clarified in its statement that no offshore wind energy infrastructure constructions had taken place off the New Jersey coast as of March 2023, and that it had no credible evidence that offshore construction of this kind could contribute to the mortality event. The state agency believes it is increasing ocean temperatures connected to human-caused climate change could continue to adversely impact marine mammals, impacting their food sources and migration patterns. North-JerseyNews.com
New Jersey students will no longer have to take the Fall Start Strong tests, the shorter version of the Spring statewide standardized tests put in place during the pandemic. The New Jersey Department of Education started using Start Strong tests as a pilot program in the Fall 2020 after the Spring 2020 tests were canceled due to the pandemic. Results of the Fall 2022 tests, released in January, showed more than half of students need some or strong support in English/Language Arts, and almost three-quarters need that level of help in math. The amount spent on the tests, estimated at $5 million annually, would be transferred to the statewide volunteer tutoring effort, the New Jersey Partnership for Student Success. NJ.com
The Assembly Appropriations Committee approved a series of bills aimed at reducing car thefts in New Jersey over the opposition of advocates who called the harsher penalties unneeded and would worsen existing racial disparities. The bill package advanced March 23 would create new crimes for car theft and receiving a stolen vehicle, allow prosecutors to seek extended sentences for repeat violators, and create new rules that make it easier to detain certain repeat offenders before trial, among other things. “They’re good bills. I think they address the needs of our constituents. Something had to be done to change the system to change car thefts, and we felt these bills would help address that situation,” said Assemblywoman Lisa Swain (D-38), sponsor of the bills and chair of the committee. New Jersey Monitor
Rep. Rob Menendez is hoping to address increasing helicopter traffic over Liberty State Park. To that end, the freshman congressman wrote a letter to the National Park Service (NPS) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) seeking to designate the entirety of Liberty State Park (LSP) as an avoidance area for helicopter traffic. “Every family deserves to peacefully enjoy the incredible urban jewel that is Liberty State Park—a beloved natural, recreational, and cultural oasis open to all New Jersey residents and visitors,” said Menendez. North-JerseyNews.com
A House hearing pummeled TikTok’s chief executive over the popular app’s ties to China as Beijing said it would fight any U.S. attempt to force the company’s sale by its Chinese owners. The hearing March 23, peppered with withering attacks on TikTok from both Democrats and Republicans, ran more than five hours and underscored growing concern about Beijing’s potential influence over the app. The Wall Street Journal
A U.S. contractor was killed in Syria and another contractor and five U.S. service members were injured when a self-destructing drone struck a maintenance facility on a coalition base March 23. U.S. intelligence analysts concluded that the drone was of “Iranian origin,” which said the midday attack took place near Hasaka. In response, at President Joe Biden’s direction, airstrikes were carried out against facilities in eastern Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.). The New York Times
An overwhelming share of Americans aren’t confident their children’s lives will be better than their own, according to a new Wall Street Journal-NORC Poll that shows growing skepticism about the value of a college degree and record-low levels of overall happiness. Four in five respondents described the state of the economy as not so good or poor, and nearly half said they expect it will get worse in the next year. Roughly 4 in 10 cited healthcare and housing costs as big worries, and nearly two-thirds said inflation is a major concern. The Wall Street Journal
The United States and Canada reached an agreement that will allow both countries to divert asylum seekers from their borders at a time when migration has surged across the hemisphere. The deal will allow Canada to turn back immigrants at Roxham Road, a popular unofficial crossing point from New York for migrants seeking asylum in Canada. In exchange, Canada has agreed to provide a new, legal refugee program for 15,000 migrants who are fleeing violence, persecution and economic devastation in South and Central America, lessening the pressure of illegal crossings into the United States from Mexico. The New York Times
Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D-28) resigned his seat on March 21 after his nomination to the Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey board was approved by the State Senate. Caputo didn’t endorse a successor, noting that he has “no say” and that it’s up to the Democratic County Committee and he’s “not getting involved in that.” The Record
The Elections Transparency Act cleared the Assembly Appropriations Committee in what may be its final committee vote before it passes the full legislature. If enacted, the bill would make a number of crucial changes to New Jersey’s campaign finance laws such as double existing campaign contribution limits; create a reporting system for independent expenditures; make pay-to-play laws more uniform statewide and allow state parties to create housekeeping accounts for non-political cash. Additionally, the legislation would reshape the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) by sweeping away its current commissioners and temporarily giving Gov. Phil Murphy direct appointment powers over their successors, as well as instituting a retroactive two-year statute of limitations on ELEC enforcement decisions. New Jersey Globe
A new batch of emails from New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission Executive Director Jeff Brindle reveal a pattern of negatively commenting on LGBTQ stories. At least seven emails from Brindle are in violation of the state’s anti-discrimination policy that are the basis for Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration attempts to oust Brindle from his position. Garden State Equality, the state’s LGBTQ rights group, is demanding Brindle resign, saying the emails reveal Brindle’s workplace “is steeped in a toxic brine of biases which has no place in a civilized society.” ELEC commissioners will hold a meeting next week to discuss the matter. New Jersey Monitor
New Jersey sued chemical giant Dow and other companies March 23, saying a potentially cancer-causing chemical they’ve manufactured is so prevalent it can be found from the mountains of Ringwood to wells in Fair Lawn and drinking water pulled from the Delaware River. The lawsuit said the companies deceived distributors and consumers about the chemical’s safety and instructed them to dispose of products containing 1,4-dioxane by “simply pouring them on the ground or burying them.” The Daily Record
A North Jersey man was sentenced to three years in jail for his role in COVID-19 fraud against the federal government. Hackettstown resident Rocco A. Malanga was sentenced on March 22 to fraudulently obtaining nearly $1.8 million in federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Malanga pleaded guilty last June in U.S. District Court to one count of bank fraud and one count of money laundering. The Warren County resident submitted at least three PPP loan applications on behalf of three different business entities in which he fabricated the number of employees employed by each business entity, as well as their average monthly payroll. North-JerseyNews.com
Two students at Morris Knolls High School were arrested March 23 after staff discovered a gun in their possession. As staff isolated the students and kept the firearm safe, a school resource officer from the Denville Police Department responded with other officers, who took the juveniles into custody on charges of unlawfully possessing a weapon. Morris Knolls is part of a regional district, serving students from Denville and Rockaway Township. New Jersey Herald
The Westwood Regional School District will reassess its policy on bias incidents after a swastika was found earlier this month outside Brookside Elementary School. The hate symbol was found fashioned out of twigs on the school grounds on March 13. In a letter to parents last week, Superintendent Jill Mortimer said the district was able to identify “the individuals” who created the swastika, though she didn’t disclose how they were dealt with. Police Chief Michael Pontillo said his department had concluded an investigation into the incident and would leave any consequences to the school, since it was a “juvenile matter.” The Record
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is getting plans to replace Newark Airport’s aging monorail back on track with the announcement of three finalists for the project. The three shortlisted firms are: Alstom Transport USA Inc.; DCCCA1 Inc. (Doppelmayr); and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America Inc.. All three firms have “automatic people mover” system experience. “We are targeting to have a recommendation in the third quarter of 2023,” said Tom Pietrykoski, a Port Authority spokesman. NJ.com
Weehawken has authorized a preliminary study on whether to acquire or condemn property used by New York Waterway. The Township Council on March 21 authorized the feasibility studies to acquire a walkway from New York Waterway at their ferry maintenance terminal located at 4800 Avenue at Port Imperial.. The Jersey Journal
And finally…The Princeton Tigers face the Creighton Bluejays in the Sweet 16 round of the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament tonight. NJ.com
