Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing: 7/1/2024
Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “No budget is perfect, and every budget is hard.” – Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sarlo on the FY2025 budget
TOP STORY: Spadea Racks an Early Win
The Morning Intelligence Briefing will be off from Wednesday through Friday, and will return on Monday.
Governor Murphy signed the FY2025 budget.
The StayNJ program in the budget will cut senior property taxes in half, according to the Bergen Record.
The prosecution rested in the Menendez trial, according to NJ.com. The defense begins today, according to NJ Monitor.
Around 1 in 3 people live near a NJ warehouse and its pollution, according to NJ.com.
Union County approved the deer hunt, according to TAPinto.
NJIT is facing a federal civil rights investigation, according to the Bergen Record.
ICYMI: Courts playing key role in shaping political developments; Critchley, Marino statement on Norcross; former Morris Freeholder Romaine passed away; AG’s Office unveiled racketeering charges against Norcross; former Essex Freeholder Cavanaugh passed away; Murphy’s approval rating 46%
GOP Senate candidate Curtis Bashaw’s campaign released a poll showing him slightly trailing Rep. Kim in the general election.
Bill Spadea racked an early win in his GOP gubernatorial primary campaign.
President Biden headlined a fundraiser at Governor Murphy’s home, according to NJ.com.
Governor Murphy defended President Biden following his dismal debate performance, and tore into Trump, according to NJ.com.
The NJ Young Democrats opened their endorsement application process.
ICYMI: Durr participated in a FDU forum; Spadea slammed ‘establishment power brokers’; Bashaw announced Lamberto as campaign manager; Malinowski’s second act; Fulop want to eliminate ‘monetization’ party chairs; Sherrill tag-teamed with Altman; Insider NJ’s Who’s Up And Who’s Down; Fulop took aim at Guy; Morris Dems kicked off campaign; Gilmore backing Spadea; NJEA endorsed Spiller; Spadea launched guv candidacy; path could be difficult w/ Durr in race; Spiller launched guv candidacy
The battle lines are drawn over state BOE seats, according to NJ Spotlight.
ICYMI: Murphy says he doesn’t think about his legacy; Murphy announced promotions; Murphy nominated Hoffman for Supreme Court; NJSBA president condemned judge’s remarks; Senate passed OPRA legislation, boos and jeers greeted vote
Download and read Insider NJ’s 2024 Insider 100: Lobbyist publication.
Former Senator Bob Gordon discusses his career and insights on current events.
In Camden, the woman at the center of the civil sex assault case against the BOE President came forward, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In Chatham, the township approved capital projects, according to NJ Hills.
In Clifton, the city isn’t happy with the county’s plan for Allwood Road, according to NorthJersey.com.
In Jersey City, the city is searching for a path forward after the state pulled millions in funding from the Pompidou project, according to NJ.com.
In North Wildwood, the new beach ‘saved summer‘, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Parsippany, Councilman Musella launched his mayoral campaign against incumbent GOP Mayor Barberio, according to TAPinto.
In Somerville, the town faces a ‘messy logistical situation’ after the Main Street fire, according to MyCentralJersey.
In Trenton, the BA is departing for a new role, according to the Trentonian.
In Ventnor, the city rejected a bid to build a bandshell, according to Downbeach.
In Watchung, a contract was authorized to hire a affordable housing administrative agent, according to NJ Hills.
In Woodland Park, the town is launching an investigation following the surprise resignation of a councilman, according to TAPinto.
ICYMI: In Dover, bumpy transition; in Newark, Onyema won West Ward Dem chairmanship
Insider NJ editor Max Pizarro writes ‘The Most Critical Moment in Tonight’s Presidential Debate‘
Insider NJ columnist Alan Joel Steinberg writes ‘I knew Sam Alito, Sr. – a Vivid Contrast to his Son‘
Insider NJ columnist Andrew Leven writes ‘Navigating the Hurricane‘
Insider NJ columnist Bob Hennelly writes ‘A Bright Spot Amidst a Bleak EMS Week‘ and ‘Afghani Family Who Helped U.S. Uplifted by FDU’s Global Reach‘ and ‘Wildwood Proves Trump Maga Fever Still Raging‘ and ‘Gaza’s Fate Looms Large in NJ Dems June Primary Debate‘
Insider NJ columnist Carl Golden writes ‘‘Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game!?’‘
Insider NJ columnist former Senator Bernard Kenny writes ‘America 2024: A Matter of Life and Death‘
AROUND THE WEB:
S.P. Sullivan, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- The feds are closing in on Bob Menendez. Why convicting him may be harder than it looks.
Threatened birds and bees discover the new oasis of Swede Run Fields in South Jersey
Kevin Riordan, Philadelphia Inquirer
- When volunteers began to restore grasslands, cultivate wildflowers, and create bird habitats at Swede Run Fields four years ago, it seemed as if the only regular avian visitors were Canada geese. But the Moorestown site, which lies along the Atlantic Flyway, now features open fields of tall grass adjacent to woods and water, and has become an increasingly popular stop for migratory birds, other wildlife, and people, too.
Billboard king faces auction of nine New Jersey properties after defaulting on payments
Joseph N. DiStefano, Philadelphia Inquirer
- Thaddeus Bartkowski has been a familiar figure to municipal leaders across the Philadelphia region and New Jersey since 2009. Lawyers and real estate professionals for his Catalyst group of sign companies have pushed plans for bright electronic billboards above busy roads in scores of townships and boroughs, often triumphing over objections from residents and small-business owners.
Thanks, Joe. But your time’s up. | Moran
Tom Moran, Star-Ledger
- My appetite is returning today after the nausea I experienced watching President Biden, or at least what’s left of him, suffer through 90 minutes of what felt at times like elderly abuse in the Thursday night debate. Trump was his usual self, a power-hungry cynic gushing lies on every topic, doing his best to stir anger and hatred. Several times, he refused to promise that he’ll respect the results of the November election, even after exhausting his legal challenges. If the devil walked the Earth, he could take lessons from this man.
Trenton needs ordinary people performing extraordinary acts — and a Wawa
LA Parker, The Trentonian
- Let’s play the honesty game. First — Trenton needs an inspirational Juneteenth celebration. Sure, a storm cut short the event at City Hall but that celebration seemed headed toward an up in smoke, crash and burn ending. Next, the Pride Parade & Festival delivered a similar plot. (Perhaps the small turnouts represent a statement about Trenton).
What’s it like to take NJ Transit trains to MetLife Stadium for Copa America?
Taylor Jung, NJ Spotlight
- Tens of thousands of people descended on MetLife Stadium on Tuesday for the Chile-Argentina Copa America game, which marked a rare appearance in the Northeast of Argentina’s celebrated player, Lionel Messi.
N.J. is high-tax state — especially for big business — isn’t it time we own that?
Tom Bergeron, roi-nj.com
- You know the old saying: In for a dime, in for a (billion) dollars. he phrase may be the most accurate way to describe the Corporate Transit “Fee” that is part of the record $56.7 billion Fiscal 2025 state budget that Gov. Phil Murphy signed Friday.
Ramapo Indian Hills rescinds new superintendent’s contract days before start date
Marsha A. Stoltz, NorthJersey.com
- In a stunning reversal, the Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education voted 5-0-3 Thursday to rescind its May 28 vote electing a new school superintendent four days before he was scheduled to take office. No reason was given for rescinding the five-year contract to hire Ronnie Tarchichi, now superintendent of the Pennsauken School District in Camden County as of July 1.
Fight that shut down Clifton street involved business dispute over hot dogs. What happened
Matt Fagan, NorthJersey.com
- Hot dogs are at the heart of a fight that shut down Van Houten Avenue on Thursday night, police said. Officers responded to the 700 block of Van Houten at about 8 p.m. on a report of a fight between the owners of Jumbo’s Italian Ices and the owner of The Original Jumbos. Both locations sell hot dogs.
Clemency: Another reform triumph for N.J. criminal justice | Editorialhot dogs. What happened
Star-Ledger Editorial Board
- Countless inmates in New Jersey are serving extreme prison sentences after being offered a plea deal. They rejected the offer and chose to exercise their Sixth Amendment right to a court trial — only to serve decades longer for trusting their fate to the justice system and prosecutorial discretion.
Angry commuters say NJ Transit service doesn’t rate a fare increase. Here are their stories.
Larry Higgs, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- With a 15% NJ Transit fare increase scheduled to take effect Monday, commuters interviewed and who weighed in on social media were almost unanimous: The agency’s service is not worth a fare increase.
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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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.
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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.
With the mainstream media touting the current president and suddenly discovers he’s been lying to us all about how supportive he is of Israel when it is reported he is receiving BIG donations from Soros and Rockefellers , both proven anti-American donors, to become pro Palestinian and Pro Hamas and Anti Israel by holding up ammunition shipments to Israel. And solidly answering the question of why he never goes directly against Iran. Is the MSM party to this also. How can the general public now know who and what to trust. They warn us how terrible a trump administration will be as if they have totally forgotten how good we had it under Trump. All I can say is put on your big boy pants and tell us how it really is.
Studies show that recreational cannabis is responsible a 10% increase in motor vehicle accident deaths. These studies show that cannabis impairs driving ability and driving while high is common among regular users. Since cannabis is still an illegal drug, insurance companies are within their rights to deny coverage in for an accident ruled a DUI due to cannabis. However a state that approved its recreational use should be held accountable for any and all the consequences of that DUI. States are more interested in the money they make but they should accept the responsibility for having approved the use of recreational cannabis.
Could you please fix your “bay blood spots “ typo. It sounds like a horror movie. Although “baby blood spots” isn’t much better. Maybe there’s a clearer and less distressing turn of phrase for all of our sensitive readers, lol. Please and thank you.
Reclassifying marihuana from CI to any other category will involve Pharmacy because by law only a Pharmacist with a DEA license can purchase or sell any drug with a CII to CV
Classification. (CI is exempt because it’s heroine or any other drug with no medical purpose). This is a National problem because it is all under the DEA. And since marihuana is a hallucinogen among other things it requires control. The whole weed issue has put the cart before the horse and really requires reining in to have it conform
to the legal requirements. (Sorry Mr. Weedman). And recreational use will get the biggest hit because it will require a prescription
for medicinal use, but that cuts out the recreational aspect. Maybe in the future Pharmacists may be able to prescribe it but not yet. And how many physicians and Nurse Practitioners will want to be involved in the weed industry, I wonder? Lots of questions and few answers so far.