Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing: 4/19/2024
Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “He likes Wildwood. It’s not every day you get a president or presidential candidate coming to your community. We’re excited about it.” – Wildwood Mayor Troiano on the planned May 11 rally by former President Trump
TOP STORY: The Last Court Ruling on the Line
The state’s top-notch healthcare persistently underperforms for certain residents, according to NJ Spotlight.
There’s new details on the state’s World Cup contract, according to NJ Spotlight.
There’s skepticism in the state about funding to mitigate the effects of congestion pricing, according to NJ Spotlight.
NJ casinos see a big threat from proposed casinos in NYC, according to NJ Herald.
Workers will soon pay more for temporary disability and paid family leave, according to NJ Monitor.
Allies of Rep. Payne are concerned as he remains hospitalized after a cardiac episode.
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
First Lady Tammy Murphy’s recently-ended Senate primary campaign became a driving factor leading to the end of the ‘county line’, following the successful lawsuit brought by Rep. Kim and others, recently upheld by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Jersey City Mayor Fulop discusses his gubernatorial candidacy with Steve Adubato (video).
Fulop has raised $19M for his gubernatorial campaign, including matching funds, according to Hudson County View.
ELEC reports that the ‘big six’ committees’ fundraising are at their lowest level since 2020.
Rep. Kim was endorsed for Senate by ‘Reproductive Freedom For All’. Kim was endorsed for Senate by the Human Rights Campaign.
In CD8, Rep. Menendez was endorsed by IBEW Local 164.
ICYMI: 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
Governor Murphy announced Raj Bath as the first Executive Director of the New Jersey-India Commission.
Governor Murphy announced Josh Berliner as executive director of the New Jersey-Israel Commission.
NJ Transit fare hikes and Turnpike toll increases are a focus in Trenton, according to the Daily Record.
Senator Amato and Assemblymen Rumpf and Myhre introduced legislation to repeal the sanctuary state directive.
Republicans touted the support of several education officials for their education funding plan.
Jennifer Keyes-Maloney was appointed executive director of the NJ Association of State Colleges and Universities.
The Health Care Quality Institute welcomed three new board members.
The NJBIA and NJ Business Coalition will hold a press conference on the corporate transit tax.
Former Senator Lesniak backs the puppy mill ban bill.
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 Atlantic City, the council voted to pull lots near a church and nuns from the cannabis zone, according to the Press of Atlantic City. Mayor Small says he remains committed to his family and the city following abuse charges, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Byram, voters rejected a schools tax hike, according to NJ Herald.
In Hackensack, a plan for a new building calls for retail and 350 units, according to the Bergen Record.
In Hoboken, a rent control referendum may be coming, according to TAPinto.
In Lyndhurst, the BOE may allow Jersey City to build a walkway on city-owned property, according to TAPinto.
In Jersey City, Councilman Solomon has $175k COH, according to Hudson County View. Council President Watterman has $102k COH, according to Hudson County View.
In Millburn, the attorney updated the residents on the Fair Share Housing lawsuit, according to TAPinto.
In Neptune, the town took action against the property owner of a homeless camp, according to TAPinto.
In Nutley, a corrective plan was adopted to address the shcools $7M deficit, according to NorthJersey.com.
In Paterson, a council meeting was suspended due to lack of a quorum, according to TAPinto.
In Phillipsburg, the new mayor touted his first 100 days in office, according to TAPinto.
In Piscataway, taxes are going down, according to MyCentralJersey.
In Red Bank, households could see taxes jump by over $100, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Somerville, taxes are increasing less than 1%, according to MyCentralJersey.
In Sparta, mega warehouse hearings will restart, according to TAPinto.
In Toms River, the mayor may fight a downtown apartment plan, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Wildwood, a business group seeks $1M for new tram cars, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Wood-Ridge, Wall was sworn-in to the council, according to TAPinto.
ICYMI: In Jefferson, AFP, Jersey 1st held an event; in Hoboken, Dems endorsed Kim and Bhalla, Chair Hodes resigned; in Trenton, officials hoping for Starbucks change of heart
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‘
In a guest column on Insider NJ, CD3 Democratic primary candidate Sarah Schoengood writes ‘Time for a Comprehensive Political Reform: The Unwanted Gatekeepers of New Jersey‘
In a guest column on Insider NJ, Griselda Camacho writes ‘We Need Latina Representation in New Jersey‘
In a guest column on Insider NJ, Bertin Lefkovic writes ‘A Progressive’s Defense of the Party Line Ballot‘
Insider NJ columnist Jay Lassiter writes ‘Tammy Murphy Dismisses Concern of her GOP Backstory: “I have a lot of friends in the LGBTQIA+ community”‘ and ‘Diving into Andy Kim’s BurlCo Drubbing of Tammy Murphy‘
AROUND THE WEB:
Can Americans trust a verdict in Donald Trump’s hush-money case? Will they? | Mike Kelly
Mike Kelly, NorthJersey.com
- Late in the afternoon of the first day of Donald Trump’s hush-money criminal trial in New York City this week, America was confronted with the central problem of this case. At issue wasn’t Trump’s habit of testing a judge’s gag order that supposedly prohibits the former president from belittling prospective witnesses. Indeed, the concern wasn’t even the question of whether the charges in this trial are too petty.
No, Mr. Mayor. It’s not just a ‘private family matter’ | Editorial
South Jersey Times Editorial Board
- Are Atlantic City residents and others supposed to be relieved that criminal charges just lodged against Mayor Marty Small Sr. and his wife don’t involve public corruption, as Small and his attorney have suggested repeatedly?
The GOP wants to let psychopaths buy guns | Editorial
Star-Ledger Editorial Board
- President Biden just moved to bring more private gun sales under regulation and make the sellers do a background check to make sure the buyer is mentally stable, a common-sense safety measure supported by 9 in 10 Americans. Even that is too much for the NRA’s boys in Washington.
So much for love. Menendez heaves Nadine overboard. | Moran
Tom Moran, Star-Ledger Editorial Board
- Mayor Marion Barry, the mayor of Washington DC, had just taken a long drag from a crack pipe when the FBI burst in and slapped on the handcuffs, ending his hopes of having sex with the woman who had invited him to the hotel room in the first place back in 1990.
Fulop’s longevity pay another example of pols’ abuse of the public trust
Jersey Journal Editorial
- Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop is known for his attention to detail.
NJ toll collector says ‘premonition’ saved her from serious crash
Rick Rickman, NJ1015
- A New Jersey woman who works as a toll collector on the Garden State Parkway claims she avoided serious injury thanks to a strong feeling of impending doom. On most days, Jessica Daley goes to work at the Barnegat Toll Plaza. But Friday morning she called out and stayed home.
Doggie Doomsday — Trenton Animal Shelter dogs face megadeath
LA Parker, The Trentonian
- A message to many dogs currently in the care of the City of Trenton — prepare to die! No, that’s neither hyperbole nor overkill. A sift through all the “whereases” in the executive order issued by Mayor Reed Gusciora underscores problems regarding an overpopulation of dogs at the Trenton Animal Shelter, plus, appropriately 60 housed inside a Yardley, Pa. kennel.
It’s over. New Jersey’s county line is gone for good. Will our politics change? | Stile
Charles Stile, NorthJersey.com
- Throughout their desperate last attempt to save New Jersey’s wobbling, boss-driven county machinery, Democratic Party lawyers relied on scare tactics. Changing the design of primary ballots this late in the election cycle, they argued in federal court, would only create “chaos” and confuse voters — the implication being that New Jersey voters would be too stupid to adapt to a change in format.
NJ Supreme Court tosses $24M award to ‘disloyal’ surgeons against The Valley Hospital
Scott Fallon, NorthJersey.com
- A $24 million jury award to 11 neurosurgeons against The Valley Hospital was thrown out by the state Supreme Court this week in a convoluted case that featured allegations of retaliation, perceived disloyalty, longtime battles among Bergen County hospitals and two former New Jersey attorneys general duking it out in court.
Matt Friedman, Politico
- A prominent New Jersey Democrat who wants to be governor quietly helped enlist Neal Katyal, the former acting solicitor general in the Obama administration, to defend a controversial state balloting system that gives outsized control of elections to powerful party bosses.
A casino in the Meadowlands? The idea, once rejected by voters, is floated again
Daniel Munoz, NorthJersey.com
- A casino in North Jersey? The prospect seems more likely amid the push for a new New York City casino this decade, one of three that could be built in downstate New York. Jeff Gural, owner of the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, wants to revisit the idea for a casino in the racetrack’s backyard, with a price tag as high as $2 billion.
What turned this Bergen County brook bright green? We found the answer
Amanda Wallace, NorthJersey.com
- “Who had ‘radioactive river’ on the Garfield bingo board?” asked one Garfield resident on Facebook on Wednesday morning alongside a photo of an unnaturally green body of water. This post in the Garfield Deserves Better Facebook group stirred up a conversation with several residents, all wondering why the Fleischer Brook near Price Rite on Outwater Lane was bright green. “The city should be calling the DEP and county on this problem,” said one commenter.
3 parks in N.J. city being investigated for high lead levels
Steven Rodas, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- High lead levels were found at three Trenton parks – prompting some areas to be closed and for officials to caution prents to not let any children eat or play in the dirt. This comes roughly three months after high lead counts were found at a school in the city.
Drew president joins 60 college leaders to ‘educate for democracy’
Hilary L. Link, Drew University
- Recognizing this urgent moment for American higher education and our democracy, Drew University President Hilary L. Link, Ph.D., is joining 60 other college presidents of diverse institutions from across the country to advance higher education’s pivotal role in preparing students to be engaged citizens and to uphold free expression on campus.
BPU gives nod to raft of solar projects, adding 300 megawatts to clean-energy mix
Tom Johnson, NJ Spotlight
- The state Board of Public Utilities on Wednesday approved more than 300 megawatts of solar projects across the state, a big step boosting one of New Jersey’s most important sources of renewable energy and a key component of Gov. Phil Murphy’s clean-energy agenda. In a solicitation overseen by the BPU, commissioners quickly approved eight projects across seven counties. That outcome marks a complete reversal of a similar proceeding last summer, when the agency rejected all bids that had been submitted because they were deemed too expensive.
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