Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “While there are two or three conventions that may be fair, the outcome has already been decided for the rest. That’s what the political establishment does – they go into a backroom and decide who they are getting behind, who is getting the special interest money and who gets county party resources.” – Former Senator and GOP gubernatorial primary candidate Ed Durr saying he won’t participate in county party conventions
TOP STORY: Bad Blood Prevails Among GOP Gov Candidates
Download and read Insider NJ’s 2024 Insider 100: Rising Generations publication.
For those attending the NJ Chamber’s Walk to Washington, here are some important details and FAQs. The train departs Newark Penn Station at 11:35am.
The state published records for 20k DWI cases possibly tainted by improper breath tests, according to NJ.com.
The state’s top ICE official described a ‘huge uptick in operations’, according to NJ Spotlight.
The drought continues in the state, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
There’s a tight timetable for the new NJ Transit boss, according to NJ Spotlight.
Details were revealed in the secret battle over the NJ investigation into Catholic clergy sex abuse, according to NJ.com.
Proposed DEP regulations could impact development at the Shore and elsewhere, according to NJ Spotlight.
Walmart asked corporate workers in NJ to relocate, according to NJ Biz.
Burlington County motorists are asked to report potholes, according to Burlington County Times.
Cape May County is still seeking answers for the homeless, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
Several Monmouth and Ocean county towns are fighting affordable housing mandates, according to the Asbury Park Press.
Rep. Gottheimer reintroduced the ‘Anti-Semitism Awareness Act’.
The White House slammed Rep. McIver over anti-Elon Musk comments, according to NJ101.5.
ICYMI: Following sentencing Menendez appears to pitch pardon; Murphy delivered SOS address, mentioned ‘elephant not in the room‘, laid out priorities including removing cellphones from classroom
Bad blood prevailed in the GOP gubernatorial primary debate.
The GOP debate set the stage for a nasty primary, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
GOP gubernatorial primary candidate former Senator Durr won’t participate in GOP county conventions.
Here’s what the GOP gubernatorial candidates would do on their first day, according to NJ Globe.
Hudson County Democrats flipped support from Gottheimer to Sherrill, according to NJ Globe.
Governor Murphy handed the GOP an attack line with his immigrant housing gaffe, according to Politico NJ.
In LD23, Mayor Moench confirmed his intention to run for Assembly, according to TAPinto.
In LD32, the HCDO is backing Fonseca and Pu for Assembly.
Bayonne Mayor Davis is seeking a return to law enforcement in his primary bid for Hudson County sheriff, according to TAPinto.
Reverend Days announced his candidacy for Atlantic County commissioner.
NJPBS, Rutgers, and the NJLCV will host a conversation with gubernatorial candidates.
ICYMI: Dems kicked around issues; Kranjac jumped into GOP guv primary; Bramnick predicted victory; Spiller doubled back to Christie
Download Assemblywoman Sumter’s annual Women’s Power List publication.
Author Bill Adair discusses the effects of false narratives in democracy with Steve Adubato (video).
Choose New Jersey released its annual report, according to ROI-NJ.
Former Senator Lesniak is taking his ‘stop the bear hunt’ argument to court, according to NorthJersey.com.
The NJBIA penned an op-ed saying NJDEP land use rules would impede Governor Murphy’s affordable housing goals.
ICYMI: Coughlin announced committee leadership changes; Curtis behind farmland push; Scutari announced committee leadership changes
Hundreds of towns signed onto the affordable housing plan, according to NJ Spotlight.
In Aberdeen, the mayor is stepping aside, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Atlantic City, marketing for Visit AC was integrated under one brand, according to NJ Biz. Housing Authority residents described harms at Stanley Holmes Village, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Bernards, the town is seeking a lower affordable housing quota, according to NJ Hills.
In Bound Brook, another apartment building may be built, according to MyCentralJersey.
In Edison, a worker alleges he was denied overtime pay for years, according to MyCentralJersey.
In Fairfield, the council weighing closing the recycling center, according to NJ Hills.
In Haddonfield, schools will offer kindergarten, according to the Courier Post.
In Howell, neighbors fear water contamination from a proposed cemetery, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Jersey City, the public employees union president endorsed McGreevey for mayor, according to Hudson County View. Councilman Solomon would create a inspector general if elected mayor, according to Hudson County View.
In Long Hill, the BOE is anticipating rising costs, according to NJ Hills. Peoples resigned as public safety director, according to NJ Hills.
In Newark, activists demanded oversight of young voter registration drives, according to TAPinto.
In Passaic, hundreds of immigrants are expected to march amid the ICE crackdown, according to NJ.com.
In Paterson, a new $10M dispatch center is being put on a floodplain, according to Paterson Press.
In Phillipsburg, two Republican councilmembers resigned on the same day, according to TAPinto.
In Piscataway, a cop won $750k after accusing the chief of ‘disgusting behavior’, according to NJ101.5.
In Rio Grande, dozens rallied in support of immigrants, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Roselle, Councilwoman Johnson alleges officials attempted to silence her, according to NJ.com.
ICYMI: In Newark, a ICE raid drew outrage from officials.
AROUND THE WEB:
At NJ GOP debate, 4 candidates for governor argue often
Erin Vogt, NJ1015
- In an often chaotic and combative debate, four Republicans vying to be New Jersey’s next governor spent considerable time arguing over each other Tuesday night. The candidates appeared in front of an audience at Rider University’s Bart Luedeke Center Theatre, like the six Democratic candidates did on Sunday.
Gov. Phil Murphy has tried to play it safe with Trump. He just blew it | Opinion
Charles Stile, NorthJersey.com
- As an example of how he maintains cordial relations with President Donald Trump, Gov. Phil Murphy recently recounted how he invited Trump to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Portal North railway bridge over the Hackensack River later this year. “I spoke to Trump after he won, congratulated him, he reminded me that he greenlit the Portal North Bridge,” Murphy, the former diplomat, said last week in a meeting with the editorial board of NorthJersey.com and the USA Today Network New Jersey.
Gov. Phil Murphy doesn’t have an immigrant living above his garage. Here’s what he said
Katie Sobko, NorthJersey.com
- Gov. Phil Murphy spent about an hour talking to Blue Wave New Jersey at an event at Montclair State University on Saturday. Although the forum was billed as a discussion on governing, comments the governor made about an immigrant possibly living above his garage caused a stir among conservatives. Murphy said he and his wife were “talking about” — he didn’t “want to get into too much detail” — the fact that “someone in our broader universe whose immigration status is not yet at the point that they are trying to get it to, and we said, you know what, let’s have her live at our house above our garage, and good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her.”
The Inside Edge with David Wildstein: Raucous Republican Debate
David Wildstein, NJ Globe
- A look inside politics in New Jersey.
The O’Toole Chronicles: Friendship
Kevin O’Toole, NJ Globe
- After I received a considerable and unexpected amount of positive feedback on my recent column, Loyalty, I decided it was time to write a piece on another rare human trait – the often-misunderstood phenomena known as Friendship. After delving (Loyalty column) into the darker side of individuals who fail to possess the loyalty gene, I thought it wise in the new year to transition now and focus on the more life affirming good qualities of a positive living construct – FRIENDSHIP.
Kevin Coughlin, Morristown Green
- Our thanks to Morristown Green reader Casey Rauth for this spectacular image of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, photographed Tuesday from his Early Street window about six minutes after its 6:13 pm launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
An Open Letter to the N.J. GOP Gubernatorial Primary Debaters
Brian Thomas
- Dear NJ GOP Candidates: What’s the Plan, Exactly? New Jersey’s Republican gubernatorial primary is in full swing, and so far, the biggest policy debate seems to be…who has stronger love affair with President Donald Trump. Some candidates can’t stop professing their undying loyalty from the metaphorical rooftops, while proclaiming their opponents don’t have the same affinity in some kind of weird Salem Witch Hunt-style attack, all to gain primary voters. Here’s a reality check: Most New Jerseyans don’t care.
NJ Catholic diocese used secret court hearing to block investigation of clergy sex abuse
Deena Yellin, NorthJersey.com
- When New Jersey’s attorney general announced an investigation into decades of alleged sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, survivors in the state hoped they would finally see the public reckoning they had long sought.
And just like that, Trenton is a one-newspaper town
Jeff Edelstein, The Trentonian
- As you may have figured out by now, the Times of Trenton is no more. The war is over. The Trentonian won. Which is bananas. The paper, owned by NJ Advance Media, was shut down over the weekend, along with a bunch of other papers in the chain, most notably the Star-Ledger (more on that later). But yeah: The Times is no more. (Of course, you can still find all the coverage at their website, which, since they’re our competitor, I won’t name, but, well, I mean, you know who they are. Anyway …)
Senators Shirley Turner and Angela McKnight legislation on the ‘write’ track
LA Parker, The Trentonian
- A request for persons to show off cursive writing skills would generate cursed words. Reports, surveys and other investigative findings suggest less than 40-percent employ cursive writing regularly while many use a combination of cursive and printing.
Andrew Seidman and Abraham Gutman, Philadelphia Inquirer
- When Holtec International agreed to pay a $5 million fine last year to avoid facing criminal charges over a New Jersey tax credit application, it seemed like a clean resolution to a yearslong legal headache.
Here’s where your town stand on its affordable housing goals
Mike Deak, MyCentralJersey.com
- About 42% of Central Jersey municipalities are contesting the prospective 10-year affordable housing goals set by the state Department of Community Affairs. Of the 80 municipalities in Central Jersey, 35 have accepted the Department of Community Affairs’ perspective goals and 31 are contesting them.
Immigration enforcement has many in NJ on edge. Can Murphy hold back Trump?: Opinion
Charles Stile, NorthJersey.com
- In his State of the State message last month, Gov. Phil Murphy put the famous — and sometime — resident of Bedminster on notice. “I will never back down from defending New Jersey values — if and when they are tested,” the governor said of the president.
You won’t believe the Trump-fueled chaos that just erupted among N.J. Republican gov candidates
Brent Johnson, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- At least nobody threw an actual punch.
Gubernatorial hopefuls give low marks to NJ Transit
Nikita Biryukov, NJ Monitor
- Gubernatorial candidates racing to succeed Gov. Phil Murphy gave low marks to NJ Transit on debate stages this week, with all the Democrats vying for the job agreeing that the agency deserves an F rating. The NJ Transit-bashing — from six Democrats and four Republicans hoping to become governor in January 2026 — included gripes about the reliability of its service, the number of buses running after hours, and the availability of public transit in South Jersey.
West Essex Board of Education mulls implementing school start time changes
Andy Milone, NJ Hills
- School start times could change for the grades 7-12 West Essex Regional School District.
DEBATE RECAP: Points were scored, but was anyone inspired?
Matt Rooney, Save Jersey
- Who won? That’s always the question after one of these things. The unbiased attendee whose judgment I trust most texted this to me earlier today, Save Jerseyans, the morning after Tuesday night’s first 2025 GOP gubernatorial debate at Rider University (click here for the replay): “I don’t like any of them. We are in trouble.”
‘He sees with his ears’: A blind student defies odds as radio announcer for pro basketball team
Cris Barrish, WHYY News
- Sitting at a courtside table in the basketball arena, head tilted downward, the slender young man wearing black sunglasses and a headset with a microphone is motionless except for fidgeting fingers.
John O’Connor, Press of Atlantic City
- The attorney representing the Atlantic City High School principal on charges stemming from her alleged failure to report the alleged abuse of the mayor and superintendent’s daughter believes she’s being used to convict the couple, according to court documents.
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Insider NJ’s Daily Morning Briefing for February 6, 2025
As New Jersey residents wake up to start their day on February 6, 2025, Insider NJ’s Daily Morning Briefing provides them with all the latest news and updates they need to stay informed and engaged with what’s happening in their state.
One of the top stories featured in today’s briefing is the announcement of a new initiative by Governor Smith to improve transportation infrastructure in the state. The governor has proposed a comprehensive plan to invest in roads, bridges, and public transportation systems to address the growing congestion and delays that have been plaguing commuters for years. This initiative is expected to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, and improve the overall quality of life for New Jersey residents.
In addition to transportation news, Insider NJ’s briefing also covers updates on healthcare, education, and environmental issues. Today, there is a report on a new bill being introduced in the state legislature to expand access to mental health services for children and adolescents. This bill aims to address the rising rates of mental health disorders among young people and ensure that they receive the support and treatment they need to thrive.
Furthermore, the briefing includes information on a groundbreaking research study being conducted by a team of scientists at Rutgers University. The study focuses on the impact of climate change on New Jersey’s coastal ecosystems and aims to provide valuable insights into how these ecosystems can be preserved and protected in the face of rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
Overall, Insider NJ’s Daily Morning Briefing for February 6, 2025, offers a comprehensive overview of the most important news and developments happening in New Jersey. By reading this briefing, residents can stay informed, engaged, and empowered to make a positive impact in their communities.
