Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “If he doesn’t want to do the job that New Jerseyans elected him to do, he shouldn’t be asking them for another one.” – The Murphy campaign laying into Rep. Kim for missing votes
TOP STORY: Payne – and all (but One) NJ Delegates – Get Tough with TikTok
First Lady Tammy Murphy’s campaign unleashed on Rep. Kim over his absence during the vote to ban TikTok, saying if he ‘doesn’t’ want to do’ his current job then he ‘shouldn’t be asking’ New Jerseyans for another one.
Rep. Kim and First Lady Tammy Murphy are on opposite sides of the push to ban TikTok, according to NJ Monitor.
Several allies joined Rep. Kim’s lawsuit challenging the ‘county line’ ballot system.
In CD2, Democratic primary candidate Tim Alexander was endorsed by Pleasantville Mayor Ward and endorsed by several Atlantic City councilmembers and endorsed by the Corbin City Democratic Chair.
Elected official and former candidates called for the abolition of the line.
Famularo and Lazarchick announced their candidacies for Atlantic County commissioner.
NJDSC Chairman Jones supports ballot uniformity, according to NJ Globe.
Newark Mayor Baraka pushed the governor’s race in his State of the City, according to NJ.com.
ICYMI: Kim won Mercer Dems backing, won Ocean Dems backing, Murphy’s convention victory in Bergen, convention win in Somerset; Speziale blasted Adamo; Passaic Dems selected Adamo for sheriff, against off-the-line candidate Speziale; Fulop sees a ‘clear lane’; Murphy plans to ‘be everywhere’; Passaic GOP announced candidates; Monmouth poll good news for Kim; response filed to Kim’s ballot suit; Murphy announced Moran as campaign manager; Passaic Dems announced possible candidates for Sheriff; DNC poised for new NJ appointments; Murphy’s win at Bergen convention conveyed influence of county party; in CD6, Hsu will primary Pallone; Murphy, Kim supporters rallied in Bergen, Tammy Murphy’s much-needed victory, Kim won in Warren County and Sussex County
In Trenton, Mayor Gusciora fired off a letter to Starbucks following news that they will close their lone location in the city.
In Atlantic City, the city is one of the East Coast’s disappearing cities, but rising sea levels aren’t the only factor, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Officials outlined a $5.2M food security pilot program, according to the Press of Atlantic City. Former Councilman Morshed admitted to voter fraud, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Boonton Township, voters rejected a school referendum, according to NJ Hills.
In East Newark, two write-in candidates won the BOE election, according to NJ.com; the mayor is backing the two, according to Hudson County View.
In East Rutherford, voters rejected the Becton Regional referendum, according to the Bergen Record.
In Fairview, voters approved the school referendum, according to the Bergen Record.
In Far Hills, a councilman’s harassment trial was postponed, according to NJ Hills.
In Greenwich, voters rejected a school referendum, according to TAPinto.
In Haddon, voters approved a school referendum, according to the Daily Journal.
In Hoboken, NJ Transit approved contracts for $213M in upgrades at the train terminal, according to Hudson County View.
In Lakewood, the schools chief says the state pushed falsehoods in its critique, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Little Ferry, voters approved the school referendum, according to the Bergen Record.
In Logan, a Texas developer wants a court to force the town to accept a warehouse plan, according to Burlington County Times.
In Margate, a budget was introduced with a tax increase, according to Downbeach.
In Morristown, a former councilman questioned who will enforce the leaf blower ban, according to Morristown Green.
In Mount Olive, a bond ordinance was approved, according to NJ Hills.
In Palmyra, the AFL-CIO praised the passage of the school referendum.
In Paterson, a new community court program focuses on rehabilitation, according to NJ Spotlight.
In Phillipsburg, the NJDOT struck Center Street from the ‘designated truck route’, according to Lehigh Valley Live.
In Raritan, the borough is considering moving the DPW building out of a flood zone, according to TAPinto.
In Red Bank, the state admitted blame for a cannabis dispensary not following rules, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Robbinsville, voters approved a school referendum, according to TAPinto.
In Roseland, voters approved a school referendum, according to NJ Hills.
In Verona, summer pool fees were set, according to TAPinto.
In Wayne, voters rejected a $170M school referendum, according to NorthJersey.com.
In Westfield, the BOE introduced the budget, according to UC Hawk.
ICYMI: In Perth Amboy, Gonzalez protested Dem screening, GOP announced candidates, Caba announced re-elec bid; in Paterson, Cotton in gear for re-election; in Parsippany, Musella held fundraiser; in Perth Amboy, Vas announced candidacy, Gonzalez announced candidacy
AROUND THE WEB:
New Jersey Democrats Should Not Embrace Trumpian Leadership Tactics
Matthew Frankel
- Right now, an overly ambitious, clearly challenged man with delusions of grandeur continues to eye higher office. A constant string of lawsuits, ethical complaints, and attacks on the press hover over our daily lives. It has been a taxing few years when it comes to our politics and discourse, and many of us are plagued with distress, as there never seems to be a break or pause from unnecessary drama and division. Rightfully, for the majority of Americans, Donald Trump represents the very worst of our politics, but shockingly, the narrative I describe concerns a Democrat in Montclair, New Jersey.
Why New Jersey’s electric vehicle mandate is stalling
Amanda Oglesby, Asbury Park Press
- Dave Bye of Eatontown wanted to buy an electric vehicle, but when his condo association refused to let him install a charger at his parking space or in any of their lots, his dreams drained like a dying battery. Byer, 39, then tried the nearby train station where he parks for his commute to work. He said he was told there were no plans to install any chargers in the commuter lot.
Have concerns about Rutgers’ medical school merger? 2 deans have answers. | Opinion
Amy P. Murtha and Robert L. Johnson
- As the deans leading the process of merging Rutgers New Jersey Medical School with Robert Wood Johnson Medical School to form the new Rutgers School of Medicine, we hear from members of the community who have questions and concerns regarding what the merger will mean for them.
Why do lawmakers want to ban TikTok? Explaining the issue as House passes bill
Amanda Wallace, NorthJersey.com
- The House voted on and approved a bill on Wednesday that could lead to the banning of TikTok in the United States. The bill swiftly made its way through the House with strong bipartisan support, 352-65, and users of the immensely popular social video app are wondering what comes next. Here’s what we know.
U.S. Senate candidate was arrested for DUI in 2020
Brent Johnson, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- Alex Zdan, a former television reporter now running for U.S. Senate in New Jersey, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol after getting into a traffic accident more than three years ago, according to police and court records.
Stay, Luna, stay! Emotional support dog wins condo dispute, N.J. Supreme Court rules
S.P. Sullivan, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- New Jersey’s highest court commands it: Luna can stay, as long as she meets the new rules spelled out for support animals in New Jersey. The state Supreme Court largely sided with the owners of an emotional support dog in a dispute with their condo complex, which banned dogs over 30 pounds and refused a waiver in 2018 because the couple did not seek permission before adopting the dog.
Newark GOP Official to Baraka: Put the Nonpartisan Back in Nonpartisan Government
Matt Kadosh, TAPinto Newark
- A local Republican wants his nonpartisan city government to be nonpartisan. An advocate for safe drinking water has qualms about Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s characterization of Newark’s lead water-service line replacements. And a vocal critic of the city’s housing policies demands a plan for people facing eviction.
NJ legislator hopes to right an ‘injustice’ against Manasquan
Dan Alexander, NJ1015
- A Monmouth County Assemblyman will propose legislation to allow video game-clock review in high school basketball playoff games. The legislation from Assemblyman Sean Kean, R-Monmouth, which was being drafted Wednesday, is the result of refs disallowing a buzzer-beater by the Manasquan boys basketball team in a semi-final game against Camden.
Even more NJ celebrities that deserve a rest stop named for them
Katie Kausch, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- Last week it was announced that Bruce Willis will have a rest stop on the Garden State Parkway named after him sometime this spring. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority commissioners approved the request from the New Jersey Hall of Fame on Feb. 27. Willis was born in Germany while his father was stationed there, but moved to Carney’s Point in Salem County with his family when he was 2 years old.
Op-Ed: The steps needed to get offshore wind back on track in 2024
Heather O’Neill, NJ Spotlight
- After a turbulent 2023, the new year brought some welcome news for the offshore wind industry. Power started to flow from New York’s South Fork Wind and Massachusetts’ Vineyard Wind soon followed suit, meaning that America’s first large-scale projects are now sending clean electricity to its shores for the first time. Meanwhile in New Jersey, the state granted two offshore wind solicitation awards in January, totaling 3,742 megawatts of capacity, enough to power 1.8 million homes when fully operational.
CDC ‘overstated’ stats on maternal death surge, Rutgers, other researchers say
Scott Fallon, NorthJersey.com
- For years, physicians and public health officials have been flummoxed and embarrassed by alarming statistics showing the U.S. maternal death rate surging over two decades and far outpacing rates in other wealthy nations. Now a team of researchers, including those at Rutgers Health, says the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has “sharply overstated” the maternal death rate through faulty surveillance techniques. The rate is actually in line with similar nations, according to a study published Tuesday in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
America deserves a COVID-19 inquiry like the one New Jersey just conducted | Mike Kelly
Mike Kelly, NorthJersey.com
- Asking someone to assess the impact of a deadly health pandemic surely must be the equivalent of sitting down for a tax audit only minutes after your dentist finished performing a root canal. Who would welcome such torture, especially when the news is not good? New Jersey did. And to its credit, New Jersey, in releasing a 907-page report that details how the COVID-19 pandemic tore into the state, has performed a service for the rest of America.
Screw transparency, N.J. Democrats say. We have the power | Editorial
Star-Ledger Editorial Board
- New Jersey’s majority party keeps rolling along, unrestrained and undeterred, like a runaway beer wagon steered by a guy drunk on hubris. And every day there is more evidence that the most powerful Democrats are perfectly willing to drive our democracy into a ditch.
New Jersey City University should partner with larger institution, state monitor says
Sophie Nieto-Munoz, NJ Monitor
- New Jersey City University should partner with a larger educational institution so it can survive after years of fiscal mismanagement that have left the state-run school with crippling debt, according to a monitor appointed last year to oversee the university.
TED Talks come to Drew University with ‘Everyday Under Wraps,’ March 27
Drew University
- Residents of Madison and the surrounding areas will have the opportunity to attend a TED talk live and in person on Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Everyday Under Wraps, a TEDx Conference at Drew University focused on exposing the mysteries hidden in our daily lives and wonderful aspects of the everyday that we too often overlook.
Guest Oped: GOP Senate hopeful Alex Zdan weighs in on issues relevant to the upcoming election
Alex Zdan, For The Trentonian
- From the moment the last U.S. military helicopter lifted off the roof of the American embassy in Saigon in 1975, through the moment American warplanes dropped the first bomb on Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi invaders in Kuwait in 1991, the United States was largely at peace. Despite a rogues’ gallery of international adversaries and a continued threat of the Soviet Union until its collapse, our military conducted mostly limited, small-scale operations for 16 years.
Guest Oped: New Jersey healthcare system needs Phil Murphy’s HART program now more than ever
Jane Rivers, RN-BC
- A new survey of New Jersey residents found that 85% of New Jerseyans worry about their ability to afford healthcare. More than half of residents have also reported facing challenges with paying for care in the past year. This is unacceptable. This isn’t a new development, either. Healthcare costs have been spiraling out of control in this state for years. Healthcare expenditures are growing faster than the state budget, causing one in four adults to report having skipped or postponed medical care in the past 12 months due to cost concerns.
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Insider NJ’s Daily Morning Briefing for March 14, 2024
Insider NJ is a trusted source for news and information on politics, policy, and government in New Jersey. Their daily morning briefing is a must-read for anyone looking to stay informed on the latest developments in the state.
On March 14, 2024, Insider NJ’s daily morning briefing covered a range of important topics that are shaping the political landscape in New Jersey. One of the key stories highlighted in the briefing was the upcoming gubernatorial election, which is set to take place later in the year. The briefing provided readers with an overview of the candidates who are vying for the governorship, as well as their respective platforms and positions on key issues.
In addition to the gubernatorial race, the morning briefing also touched on other important news stories, such as updates on legislation being considered in the state legislature, developments in local government, and insights into the latest polling data. The briefing also included analysis and commentary from experts and insiders, giving readers a deeper understanding of the political dynamics at play in New Jersey.
Overall, Insider NJ’s daily morning briefing for March 14, 2024 provided readers with a comprehensive overview of the most important news and developments in the state. Whether you’re a political junkie, a policy wonk, or just someone looking to stay informed, Insider NJ’s morning briefing is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in New Jersey politics.
