Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing: 5/26/2023

Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing:

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We’re serious.” – Governor Murphy on the possibility of a government shutdown over Speaker Coughlin’s StayNJ property tax relief proposal

TOP STORY: Murphy Unlocks the Nuclear Launch Codes

In Atlantic City, the council voted down the budget, according to the Press of Atlantic City.

In Branchburg, a controversial warehouse plan was approved, according to MyCentralJersey.

In Franklin (Somerset), Zufall Health proposed a affordable health facility to the council, according to TAPinto.

In Franklin Lakes, suspended Ramapo Indian Hills coaches were reinstated, according to the Bergen Record.

In Hasbrouck Heights, the budget was presented, according to TAPinto.

In Hillsborough, an ordinance blocking warehouse construction was introduced, according to TAPinto.

In Margate, a streetscape project was awarded $1.5M, according to Downbeach.

In Millburn, the committee issued a proclamation against gun violence, according to TAPinto. Residents asked the committee to regulate noise from outdoor concerts, according to TAPinto.

In Montclair, lawyers called a whistleblower ‘unethical’ and ‘disloyal’, according to NorthJersey.com.

In Morristown, the Council President faces a primary challenge, according to NJ Hills.

In Newark, a new law will help cops curtail illegal ATVs and dirtbikes, according to TAPinto.

In New Brunswick, parking meter rate increases were approved, according to TAPinto.

In Rahway, Karla Timmons was sworn-in as Ward 2 Councilwoman, according to TAPinto.

In Springfield the committee elaborated on the stalemated BID budget request, according to TAPinto.

In Toms River, two candidates are accused of running an ‘anti-Semitic’ campaign, according to the Asbury Park Press.

In Wildwood, the town adopted a zero-tolerance alcohol policy, according to NJ101.5.

ICYMI: In Roxbury, the BOE held a packed meeting; in Roselle, Holley endorsed by former mayors; in Hanover, NJEA condemned school parental notification policy; in Paterson, Eastside Don Bosco went head-to-head at historic and reborn Hinchliffe; in Roxbury, book legal battle is lightening rod for candidates; in Fair Lawn, residents banded together to snuff out Nabisco implosion; in WNY, Sires thanked Stack as driving force behind his victory; Sires clinched victory as Cirillo concedes, both hit the streets in the final hours of the race; in North Bergen, Sacco romped to victory

AROUND THE WEB:

DeSantis clears the lowest bar on Earth: He’s better than Trump | Moran

Tom Moran, Star-Ledger

• Try to imagine how badly Ron DeSantis will lose New Jersey if he manages to dethrone Donald Trump and win the GOP nomination. As governor of Florida, he signed a ban on abortion after six weeks, freed gun owners to carry their weapons without a permit, and can’t seem to stop beating up on immigrants and those who stray from traditionalist views on sexuality and gender, whipping up resentment to gather votes.

Sicklerville man seeks more than $1 million in damages after prison attack

Jim Walsh, Cherry Hill Courier-Post

• Two inmates from South Jersey are at the center of a lawsuit seeking more than $1 million for alleged civil rights violations at a state prison. Eliezer Rodriguez, a 49-year-old Sicklerville man, has brought the suit over an alleged attack in his cell at Northern State Prison in February 2021.

An open letter to Attorney General Matt Platkin on police killings

Matt Dragon, NJ Monitor

• Attorney General Matt Platkin, You have mentioned that you regularly reread the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” You have even gone so far as to say that his words help guide you in your work as attorney general for the state of New Jersey. But if you had heard, not just read, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” your policies and actions would reflect those words. We do not see those reflections.

Judge dismisses union’s lawsuit over correctional officers’ pay raises

Nikita Biryukov, NJ Monitor

• A Superior Court judge this week dismissed an AFSCME suit charging Gov. Phil Murphy and the state discriminated against the thousands of state workers it represents by granting raises to correctional officials not represented by the union. A 2022 bill raising the minimum salary for corrections officers represented by the Policemens Benevolent Association from $40,000 to $48,000 and 8% raises for other correctional police officers lie at the heart of the suit..

Trenton needs to do more than talk about Kingsbury Towers

LA Parker, The Trentonian

• Trenton city council members hosted a field trip last weekend to the financially strapped and much maligned Kingsbury Towers aka One Poverty Place. One news outlet noted the visitors intended to find out what’s going on at the twin tower residence. Marvin, please.

Our view: Jersey Shore towns prepare to keep order in summer

Press of Atlantic City

• Nearly all Jersey Shore visitors and residents enjoy the summer and wouldn’t think of doing anything that might prevent others from doing the same. That made it easy for municipalities and their law enforcers to prevent the chaos and harm that might thoughtlessly or intentionally be caused by a small number of others.

New Jersey once again blocks access to newly emerged ‘Horseshoe Island’ off the Shore

Frank Kummer, Philadelphia Inquirer

• New Jersey has once again closed off what it has dubbed Horseshoe Island, a curl of sand roughly the shape of its name off Brigantine that officials say provides thousands of birds with an undisturbed habitat but has been used by boaters in the past.

State of growing: 14 New Jersey towns where population is growing the fastest

Ryan Forgosh, Asbury Park Press

• Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, nowhere in New Jersey has been growing as fast as Ocean County. U.S. Census data released last week showed while New Jersey’s population has remained mostly flat, Ocean County grew by nearly 3 percent — the largest increase in the state. Four of the five fastest growing towns in New Jersey are in Ocean.

Jersey Shore tourism was great last year. Here are four things we need to make 2023 better

Michael L. Diamond, Asbury Park Press

• Now in her 46th year, Patti Hershey, owner of Hershey’s Shake Shoppe Arcade, has gone down the checklist that by now she has down pat: She needs to make sure the arcade games are repaired and working. She needs to order tickets and merchandise. She needs to have her shop cleaned.

Potential use of AI in security system for Newark schools raises concerns

Briana Vannozzi, NJ Spotlight

• The wave of school shootings across the U.S. has spurred a push for more safety measures. In Newark, district leaders are planning to use artificial intelligence in an elaborate new security system for the public schools that would go way beyond traditional systems currently used in most districts.

Q&A: Librarian Roxana Russo Caivano on calls to ban books in Roxbury and beyond

Harrison Malkin, NJ Spotlight

• In August 2022, librarian Roxana Russo Caivano started receiving emails from parents about the library collection at Roxbury High School. By September, she received her first “book challenge.” In January, she got a challenge for a book that has made national news, “Gender Queer: A Memoir.”

NJ Navy SEAL’s death investigation finds major training problems

Associated Press

• The training program for Navy SEALs is plagued by widespread failures in medical care, poor oversight and the use of performance-enhancing drugs that have increased the risk of injury and death to those seeking to become elite commandos, according to an investigation triggered by the death of a sailor last year.

Jersey City Council passes amended right to counsel ordinances on first reading

Daniel Ulloa, Hudson County View

• The Jersey City Council passed two amended ordinances for right to counsel on first reading at last night’s meeting, which saw a few dozen residents speak in favor of the proposal.

What Jon Bramnick’s new TV ad doesn’t tell you

Matt Rooney, Save Jersey

• State Senator Jon Bramnick (R-21) fancies himself the “funniest lawyer in New Jersey,” a claim that’s veracity is, I suppose, somewhat subjective. To each their own…

Liberty State Park revitalization will include arts & athletics, but no privatization

John Heinis, Hudson County View

• The Liberty State Park revitalization of roughly 230 acres of land with include arts, culture, and athletics, but still no privatization, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said.

(Visited 431,675 times, 17 visits today)