Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing: 4/30/2024
Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I just think he needs to stay in Pennsylvania and take care of his own business.” – Rep. Watson Coleman on PA Senator Fetterman
TOP STORY: Viewing Arrangements for the Honorable Congressman Payne
Governor Murphy ordered the lowering of flags in honor of the late Rep. Payne.
Rep. Payne will lie in state at the Essex County Courthouse.
A Monmouth University poll finds voters aren’t sold on either President Biden or former President Trump.
A Regional Plan Association report finds the Hudson Tunnel project will generate 95,000 jobs and $19.6B in economic activity.
New Jersey’s property tax rate leads the nation, according to NJ Herald.
County clerks adopted the first block ballots for the Democratic primary, as vote-by-mail ballots are sent out, according to NJ Spotlight.
Emails show how a contractor fell out of favor with a state agency that’s now under scrutiny, according too the Philadelphia Inquirer.
School librarians are on the literacy front lines, according to NJ Spotlight.
Route 1 has become an increasingly dangerous commute, according to MyCentralJersey.
Space and morale issues challenge the Atlantic County Board of Elections in the presidential year, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
Camden County opened a $775k dog park, according to Burlington County Times.
Mercer County announced Chief Richard Kraemer as OEM Director.
Senator Bucco and Sheriff Gannon announced a $250k safety grant for the Morris Sheriff’s Office.
Veterans services are expanding in Morris and Warren counties, according to the Daily Record.
Somerset County will hold a public hearing on the budget, according to TAPinto.
Rep. Gottheimer introduced the “ETA Act’.
Rutgers’ unions released a statement on the student protest in New Brunswick.
ICYMI: Fulop celebrates reservoir trail; Kim leading in Senate race; Murphy addressed the First Lady’s Senate exit; majority reject OPRA changes; animosity growing around Sussex’s Hayden; as state wrestles with ballot decision, appeals rejected stay request, Republicans filed lawsuit to expand ruling to GOP ballots; ballot system brought to electoral maturity; poll shows Dems support Rep. Kim; Quraishi ruled county line unconstitutional
PA Senator Fetterman and Rep. Kim have one thing in common – they both want Senator Menendez gone, according to Politico NJ.
In CD2, Tim Alexander was endorsed by Assemblywoman Sumter.
In CD10, as the state mourns the loss of Rep. Payne, there are questions as to how to proceed with filling the seat, according to NJ Spotlight.
In CD11, three GOP candidates are vying in the primary to take on Rep. Sherrill.
NJ Biz chatted with GOP gubernatorial primary candidate Jack Ciattarelli.
GOP Senate primary candidate Curtis Bashaw won the Morris GOP straw poll, according to SaveJersey.
The LD27 legislators endorsed Chief Adamo for Passaic Sheriff and Commissioners Bartlett and Lazzara and candidate De Vore.
ICYMI: Malinowski eying chairmanship of Hunterdon Dems; Fulop launching down-ballot effort; in CD8, Menendez slammed Bhalla; Passaic’s intense primary battle; Moran launched Moxie; Murphy became factor in end of line; Menendez independent candidacy could give GOP best shot; line impact less seismic; Bhalla is going for broke in primary challenge; Sherrill trouncing other 2025 guv Dems; Zisa stepping down; Ciattarelli launched guv candidacy; Bramnick has question for Ciattarelli, Spadea; Bashaw declined to participate in debate; in CD3, Conaway, Murphy battle energized; don’t count out party boss influence just yet
AG Platkin says the lawsuit seeking to end smoking in casinos should be dropped, according to the Bergen Record.
Critics are pressing lawmakers to curb the state watchdog, according to NJ Spotlight.
The Legislative Disability Caucus held their quarterly meeting.
The Fair Share Hospitals Collaborative announced James Darley as Executive Director.
Jewish advocated called for the establishment of a state definition of anti-Semitism.
ICYMI: Lawsuit filed alleging state ‘knowingly’ forced casino workers to work in second-hand smoke
An Insider NJ movie review of ‘Civil War’.
Veteran defense attorney Joe Hayden shared his personal recounting of the Bill Musto trial.
Leonard Lance discusses former President Trump on the Julie Briggs Show.
Beware the Ides of March: New Jersey and Rome.
Former Senator and Governor Richard J. Codey shares this thoughts on this year’s presidential race.
Download and read Insider NJ’s 2024 Advance and Insider NJ’s 2024 African-American List
In New Brunswick, the Kratovil freedom of the press case may be headed to the state Supreme Court.
In Avalon, lifeguards are suing to get pensions, according to NJ.com.
In Bernardsville, ‘whitewashing’ was alleged in a high school bullying incident, according to NJ Hills.
In Elizabeth, advocates want the ICE center closed, according to NJ Herald.
In Hawthorne, the BOE is crunching numbers amid a budget shortfall, according to TAPinto.
In Ho-Ho-Kus, the town met DEP water rules ahead of schedule, according to the Bergen Record.
In Jackson, the council is looking to cut fire budgets after a voter rejection, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Jersey City, parking changes could come to downtown, according to TAPinto.
In Lebanon, the adopted budget raises taxes slightly, according to NJ Hills.
In Mendham Township, taxes are stable for the fifth straight year, according to NJ Hills.
In Mount Olive, retail pot stores are back on the agenda, according to NJ Hills.
In Newark, the BOE President says raising test scores is a top priority, according to NJ.com.
In North Wildwood, after months of battle, sand is on the way, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Passaic, Mayor Lora’s nephew, a city officer, passed away, according to NorthJersey.com.
In Phillipsburg, rent control continues to spark debate, according to TAPinto.
In Westwood, the BOE scrapped the rule on classroom debates, according to the Bergen Record.
In Ventnor, a former code official was indicted for official misconduct, according to Downbeach.
In Verona, a parent is suing a school alleging sexual assault, according to NorthJersey.com.
In Watchung, the BOE filed a ethics complaint against Ingrassia, according to NJ Hills.
ICYMI: In Roxbury, BOE decision to rescind transgender protections
In a guest column on Insider NJ, Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson writes ‘Health Care Access: We Need to do Better‘
Insider NJ columnist former Senator Bernard Kenny writes ‘America 2024: A Matter of Life and Death‘
In a guest column on Insider NJ, Senator Timberlake writes ‘Heroes Who Walk Beside Us: Congressman Donald Payne, Jr.‘
Insider NJ columnist Bob Hennelly writes ‘Immigrants: New Jersey’s Secret Sauce‘
AROUND THE WEB:
There’s plenty of sand to rebuild Jersey Shore beaches. But getting it isn’t easy.
Steven Rodas, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- As we draw closer to the summer, the beach in North Wildwood has continued to get smaller.
City seeks to have lawsuit tossed in 2 shipfire deaths, says it’s a workers’ comp issue
Ted Sherman, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- Newark has moved to dismiss a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit brought by the families of two firefighters who perished last July aboard a burning cargo ship, arguing that accidents arising out the course of employment do not belong in the federal courts, but are a workers’ compensation matter.
Passaic officer accuses bosses of nixing promotion for politics
Nikita Biryukov, NJ Monitor
- A Passaic County sheriff’s officer claims in a new court filing that years of workplace sexual harassment culminated in supervisors withdrawing her promotion to avoid harming Passaic Democrats’ pick for county sheriff. Passaic Sheriff’s Officer Nicole Staso accused officials of rescinding her promotion to detective mere hours after entering it into a personnel management system. An undersheriff told her the office brass were concerned that false rumors of her romantic entanglements could hurt Thomas Adamo’s campaign for county sheriff, Staso wrote in the filing.
‘You never forget the sight.’ Tinton Falls WW2 veteran recalls liberating Nazi death camp
Jerry Carino, Asbury Park Press
- In Allan Ostar’s apartment, there is a red box in a closet. Inside the box sits a belt buckle bearing the words “Gott Mit Uns.” That’s German for “God is with us.” Ostar pulled the buckle off of a dead German soldier when, as a U.S. Army private, he helped liberate the notorious Dachau concentration camp at the end of World War II. That liberation, the culmination of a brutal journey, took place 79 years ago today.
North Wildwood sets a 10 p.m. summer curfew for teens joining other Jersey Shore towns
Juan Carlos Castillo, Asbury Park Press
- North Wildwood has passed an ordinance establishing a curfew for those who are under 18, joining other Jersey Shore towns who have set restrictions for teens. From May 15 through Sept. 15, those underage will not be allowed in public places or businesses without a parent or guardian from 10 p.m.
NJ braces for Trump: Campaign payments to Wildwood revealed
Dan Alexander, NJ1015
- The Trump campaign has already paid this municipality for the campaign rally on May 11. Mayor Ernie Troiano said that the rally will be held on the beach in the same area as the Barefoot Country Music Festival between Schellenger and Spicer avenues. The area has a capacity of 40,000. According to a document obtained by New Jersey 101.5 under the state Open Public Records Act, the campaign paid a $200 application fee for the event and wired the city $54,000.
Congestion pricing set to begin on June 30
Briana Vannozzi, NJ Spotlight
- New York’s congestion pricing plan is set to go into effect on June 30, despite ongoing legal challenges from New Jersey and from New York’s outer boroughs. People driving into midtown Manhattan south of 60th Street will be charged a base rate of $15 a day for passenger cars. Higher rates will apply to trucks, buses and other large vehicles.
Texas continues to bus immigrants through Trenton as political pawns
LA Parker, The Trentonian
- Buses filled with immigrants from Texas rolled into Trenton last week. According to one eyewitness, eight transports deboarded passengers on Thursday while another three had done the same early Friday morning. Travelers experienced layovers that lasted 45 minutes or less before they stepped into New Jersey Transit trains headed north toward New York City.
They took on New Jersey’s party bosses — and they’re winning
Terrence T. McDonald, NJ Monitor
- When both sides in the legal fight over New Jersey’s county-line ballots met in a federal courtroom in Newark for a hearing in March, it was clear which side had the most firepower. On the defense side were the attorneys for the county clerks and Camden County’s Democratic Party — so many lawyers that, at one point, the judge seated some of them in the jury box. The clerks had representatives in the audience, too, and there were other attorneys off-site, filing briefs in the case as the hearing progressed.
Will this lawsuit finally put an end to cigarette smoke in Atlantic City casinos?: Stile
Charles Stile, NorthJersey.com
- It was only several weeks ago that a federal judge halted the county line ballot format on the grounds that the antiquated design was likely to be found unconstitutional. It was a stunning blow to the only-in-New Jersey ballot design that propped up the power of party bosses and county leaders for decades.
That abusive contract your boss made you sign? Biden just banned it | Editorial
Star-Ledger Editorial Board
- American workers, rejoice: Joe Biden just sided with you against rich and powerful corporations, cracking down on a widespread practice that traps people in their jobs like indentured servants. This is that clause buried in those papers you have to sign on your first day on the job, that blocks you from moving to a rival business in the area for a year or two, after you leave – a so-called “non-compete” agreement.
Democratic candidates for US Senate make clear their differences on foreign aid
Colleen O’Dea, NJ Spotlight
- The three Democrats running for New Jersey’s open U.S. Senate seat could all be considered liberals, and they agree on many issues. But there are differences in the details.
A heavy handed push halts N.J. students’ rally | Editorial
South Jersey Times Editorial Board
- As of this writing, we hadn’t heard what, if anything, special went on Friday at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees Township. We do know one thing: It wasn’t the previously authorized pro-Palestine walkout/rally that a group of students had scheduled for a half-hour lunch period that morning.
Lawsuit claims ex-P’burg Athletic Club director raped child and PAC aided coverup in 1980s
Glenn Epps, For lehighvalleylive.com
- A new lawsuit filed with the New Jersey District Courts in April alleges the former director of the Phillipsburg Athletic Club committed sexual battery of a 13-year-old girl in 1982. The lawsuit also claims that Gary Hosbach posed a clear and evident risk to children at the time of the incident, but was allowed to retain his job in spite of the “known danger.”
‘Don’t gas the geese:’ Protest against euthanizing Canada geese in P-G is a quiet one
P.C. Robinson, NJ Hills
- About 20 people, many holding hand-written signs, showed up in Liberty Park on Saturday to protest the planned euthanasia of Canada geese there.
Murphy celebrates “a full week of declining numbers” then says “status quo of lockdown will remain until new cases and fatalities decrease.” So, which of Murphy’s statements is accurate? He said 2 opposite things in a single paragraph of speaking.
He;s “vacationing” at his villa in Italy, while Covid surges and the state is paralyzed by “remote work”…………translation: NO WORK
That is what happens in practicality when they are “suspending their disbelief” (HR Clinton) in real numbers and going on predictive models to make decisions. And then after doing that, they vote with “feelings.”
lmao imagine supporting lockdowns after the largest mass death event in american history and calling that a feeling driven conclusion? maga chuds never fail to disappoint
keeping up with the news
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keeping up with the news
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So….about those 56 machines in Bergen… <<>>
Murphy running for President is LAUGHABLE. Nased on what??
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Murphy doesn’t want to be the president, he wants to be a state trooper.
Nice article! thanks for sharing the post!
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lETS NOT FORGET that during the pandemic Donald Trump sent the MERCY, a fully equipped, COVID prepared Hospital ship to save lives of victims and healthcare workers . But Murphy in his wisdom would rather send Patients back to nursing homes that were ill-equipped to treat these patients so they could die , rather than utilize a life-saving gift and be like NY governor Cuomo, another anti-Trump
tool.
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Gun owners don’t have to talk about guns because they know that they have to come out and vote to protect their constitutional right to bear arms. The Supreme court decision has affirmed that right and somehow our “leaders” haven’t learned how to read.
NJ is one of the most corrupt and racist places to live. There’s “0” accountability for the criminal acts, corruption, and unfair treatment of the people of this state. It starts with our governor who cares less for truth and honesty. Continue to ruin the lives of the citizens of this state.
How about those unintended consequences.
New Jersey mandating that all cars being sold by 2035 be electric is telling us what we can or cannot buy with our own money. There will always be gasoline powered vehicles because of the power produced by internal combustion compared to the power produced by batteries; which is to say the more power the bigger the battery to the point of rediculousness. My thought is that if the state wants fewer gas powered vehicles on the road it should create a mass transit electric powered system that would emphasize convenience for commuters and everyday shoppers. Of course that would mean vehicles weighing tons more because of the size of batteries and that creates a whole other question of where to dispose of them (also for elelectric car batteries), since they are composed of highly toxic materials that can’t be burnt or buried. These are unintended consequences no- one is willing to grapple with until its too late. I think by 2035 th he electric car fantasy will go the same way the offshore wind farm has gone.
Stephen Brickman
206 Stonehenge Dr
Phillipsburg,NJ 08865
Stephen.Brickman@gmail.com
Sent from my iPhone
The military serving in the Middle East represents every state in the Union. Those are our sons and daughters, Moms and Dads and yet we are very little to protect them, or REALLY retaliate when they’re attacked. Governor Murphy is the Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, and past chair of the National Governors Association and yet you never hear him mention about any requests either organization makes to Biden to be more aggressive about protecting our kids in harms way. It’s as though it doesn’t seem to matter to them. No wonder we look so weak to the rest of the world.
Teaneck property taxes pays for the school budget. Teaneck High School students walk out. Is a Hamas military shuffle march property tax bill included?
I’m a conservative and I do believe life begins at conception but the problem is that each mother is responsible for that life and it is in the realm of her mental and physical health that she will either bring it to term or abort it. This should not be a political decision and should not be be dictated by thousand of strangers. The Supreme Court turned it over to the states but it still remains personal for the mother and her family.
I don’t think it should be an “agenda item” for any political party. A state medical society may want to impose a time frame within which an abortion can occur but even that may be subject to the mother’s doctor’s discretion.
I say just quit discussing it and leave it up to the mother a father.
Voting should be based on understanding what’s actually happening and knowing who would make life safer and more livable. The only way to do that is to get both sides of the information remembering there are always two sides to a story. Mainstream media in my area includes the Star Ledger and the Easton Express. If you look at the bylines of the opinions you will find writers from the Washington Post and Bloomberg, both notoriously on the left. Even the political cartoons are a dead giveaway. CNN and CNBC are also left leaning. So what are the options for getting opinions and news from the right? Fortunately cable news has Fox, which is near center, and Newsmax, and NewsNation which are full right. Watching these even just occasionally will show a much broader picture and give the reader more information with which to make an informed voting decision. And remember you DONT have to vote party if you feel there’s a wiser choice.
The governor signed off on having Narcan available in all schools grades 9 through 12. But what about the idea
of having Narcan available in ALL SCHOOLS in New Jersey?
How’s his for an idea? Uncover the identities of the un-elected advisors to Pres. Biden, and publish their names. That way there is actually someone to blame when we lose valuable lives from unanswered attacks by terrorist organizations. We know Biden isn’t making these decisions on his own. My guess is that these advisors will quit the team rather than take the heat for poor decisions, revealing a big weakness in this administration. It might lead to improvements to the decision-making process.
Note to Concealed Carry permit holders: make sure you subscribe to one of the insurance companies that specialize in CCP, ie: US LAW SHIELD. If you ever have to fire your weapon , that has to be the first phone call you make. The second is 911, the third is your family. With so many new permit holders there will probably be an increase in discharges until word gets out that it’s actually unsafe for criminals to be in New Jersey and crime will take a nosedive.
Now unless you have a conviction in your background you can get that CCP and really defend yourself and your family. And more women are applying which is great for family defense. The stats that record gun violence will have to be re-organized into guns used for crime and guns used to prevent crime. A lot of get-always here because sometimes just brandishing a firearm is enough to stop a crime. But it should be reported anyway..
The liability limits for taxi cabs are extreme starting July 1. It was a plan in place through the insurance banking committee and it was abruptly changed with an amendment. The guys are barely making a living today and you’ve increased their insurance. What’s fair is fair and this is not it was an incremental increase, which was fair, and was removed by the governor please refer back to the original plan
Iowa gets it right. What better school security is there than trained, armed teachers with concealed carry permits. You wonder what parents and local government officials when they oppose this idea. Apparently they would rather wait for some demented individual, either a student or maybe an ex student pulls out a handgun of his backpack , or a long gun out of a duffel and starts firing do they can call it in and wait for help to show up. This move would save many lives and I would heartily endorse this idea nationwide. Of course I’m just an average gun owner who believes that our kids are our most valuable asset and need real protection.
The problem with the Line is that there is no vetting process. Whoever pays the most and/or is specifically unqualified and therefore relegated to the status of puppet is who the county bosses support and threaten the committee members to support. My opponent said on-air that he will do whatever they tell him. What kind of leadership is that. I have 8-10 organizations endorsing me to his zero. I have served many statewide for almost 4 years while he has never helped anyone but himself. No-brainer who is qualified, and they know it. That’s why they are getting nasty and vile while I continue to take the high road.