Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “The question is not which issue will win over undecided voters, but which issue will motivate more voters on your side to cast a ballot.” – Monmouth University Polling Director Patrick Murray
TOP STORY: The Battle of Monmouth Airport
North Jersey gas prices are falling below $3/gallon, according to NJ Herald.
NJ gyms are now benefiting from the work-at-home trend, according to the Bergen Record.
School districts are scrambling to spend the last of COVID aid, according to the Bergen Record.
Threat assessment teams are required in schools, but the impact is hard to measure, according to NJ Spotlight.
Mercer County affirmed its Office of LGBTQIA Affairs.
Monmouth County and the airport owner are at odds.
Senator Helmy is co-sponsoring the ‘RISEE Act’.
Senator Booker scuffled with Senator Cruz, according to NJ Globe.
Rep. Van Drew is planning a hearing on high electric bills, according to NJ.com.
ICYMI: Legislation pending to honor Pascrell; funeral held for the late Rep. Pascrell; smoking still allowed in casinos
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved John Hoffman’s state Supreme Court nomination, according to NJ Monitor.
The state is being sued over the new law cracking down on hemp products, according to NJ.com.
Senator Burzichelli wants ‘health travel advisories’ to track abortion rights access, according to NJ Spotlight.
Senator Bramnick asked the AG to investigate a anti-Semitic act at a Westfield elementary school.
The refinancing of the state’s transportation infrastructure debt was approved and could save billions, according to NJ Spotlight.
In Burlington Township, developments are underway, according to Burlington County Times.
In Dover, a former school administrator is alleging gender discrimination, according to NJ Herald.
In Edison, an ordinance limiting public comment time was tabled, according to TAPinto.
In Egg Harbor Township, the committee supports keeping Reed’s Farm agricultural, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Fairfield, an ordinance limits residential development, according to TAPinto.
In Galloway, the town will restart its foreclosure program for non-taxpayers, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Jersey City, the council approved the Pompidou tax abatement, according to the Jersey Journal.
In Lakewood, pharma companies are thriving, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Marlboro, a mosque proposal hearing drew 200, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Millburn, committee candidates participated in a forum, according to TAPinto.
In Montclair, the council named a Lackawanna Plaza developer, according to TAPinto.
In Newton, a e-bike and scoot ordinance was introduced, according to TAPinto.
In Ocean City, the town again said no to alcohol, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Parsippany, the mayor and BOE agreed to work together on PILOT funding, according to TAPinto.
In Perth Amboy, parents protested cuts to courtesy school busing, according to MyCentralJersey.
In Paterson, a historic labor agreement was approved.
In Phillipsburg, the town hired the tax assessor to fill in as business manager, according to TAPinto.
In Ridgewood, a heated council is race is unfolding, according to NJ Globe.
In Roselle Park, a former councilman was fined by the Local Finance Board, according to TAPinto.
In Ventnor, the city is looking to secure supplies for boardwalk replacement, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
ICYMI: In Jersey City, Gilmore fundraising presence causes havoc; Solomon slapped at McGreevey as he kicked off his mayoral candidacy, which could shake up the 2025 race; in Paterson, oral arguments set to begin over takeover; in AC, Small, wife indicted
AROUND THE WEB:
Ry Rivard, Politico
- A looming dockworkers strike threatens to shut down East Coast ports and snarl the national economy just before the election. Crippling the economy is not just a byproduct of a dockworkers strike — it’s the point, according to the crucial leader of the union threatening the disruption.
Amy S. Rosenberg, Philadelphia Inquirer
- Curtis Bashaw is out of his element. The Congress Hall hotelier from Cape May is way, way on the opposite end of New Jersey, at a commuter train station in Summit in North Jersey on a Tuesday morning, 42 days from Election Day. Having logged 71,000 miles in his Suburban during this U.S. Senate campaign, the Republican developer and newbie politician has familiarized himself with the nooks and crannies of New Jersey retail politics.
Bashaw: Andy Kim would deepen Jersey’s economic woes | Opinion
Curtis Bashaw
- Since I was a teenager, I’ve worked to build a business in the hospitality industry at the Jersey Shore. I’ve done every job imaginable in the service industry – working summers as a bellhop and waiter, chopping vegetables, making beds, and pinching pennies.
NJ teen vaping down – but a new tobacco problem is on the rise
Rick Rickman, NJ1015
- Efforts to stop youth vaping in New Jersey are working but the fight against Big Tobacco isn’t over. Teens around the country are putting down e-cigarettes for good, according to the 2024 Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey released earlier this month. It found nearly 8% of high school students had used an e-cigarette within the last 30 days. That’s a decrease from 10% of high school students in 2023.
Another candidate joins race to succeed Fulop as Jersey City mayor
David Cruz, NJ Spotlight
- Jersey City Councilman James Solomon is the latest entrant into the race for mayor in the state’s second-largest city. Some have started to call Solomon Steve Fulop 2.0, a comparison to the current mayor that Solomon waves off.
Volunteers from New Jersey head to Florida for hurricane relief efforts
Nicholas Huba, Press of Atlantic City
- Red Cross volunteer teams from New Jersey are headed to Florida and other states to help with relief efforts for Hurricane Helene.
Ocean Drive bridges connecting Cape islands to go cashless in 2025
Bill Barlow, Press of Atlantic City
- The days of fishing for change before reaching the toll booth on Cape May County bridges appear numbered, with the expectation that all five bridges overseen by the county Bridge Commission will go cashless in 2025.
What do New Jerseyans spend on health care each year? It’s been speeding up
Michael L. Diamond, Asbury Park Press
- New Jerseyans and their employers spent more than $7,900 per person on health care in 2021, a study released Thursday by the Murphy administration found, 15% higher than the national average and a sharp jump from the years before COVID-19.
MAGA NJ Congressman Kean Jr., always silent, should just quit | Moran
Tom Moran, Star-Ledger
- Rep. Tom Kean Jr. should donate his Congressional salary to charity after handing in his resignation. His refusal to answer questions of any kind – even what he had for lunch – has turned him into a national joke.
PSEG reduces residential gas bills by nearly 5%
Matthew Fazelpoor, NJBIZ
- The state’s largest public utility, PSEG, announced Thursday it will lower gas bills for residential customers by about 5%, effective Oct. 1. The action follows the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) approving a reduction of the Basic Gas Supply Service (BGSS) rate by nearly 7 cents per therm to around 32.8 cents per therm. PSEG said the residential savings are mostly due to the lower BGSS rate, which reflects the rate actual cost utilities pay for natural gas; noting that utilities do not make any profit on gas supply.
Chris Smith’s sex trafficking law could put Diddy away for life
Matt Rooney, Save Jersey
- There’s always a New Jersey angle, Save Jerseyans. Sean “Diddy” Combs is in deep sh*t after being accused of sex trafficking and forced labor, and that’s in part because he’s being prosecuted under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-386) spearheaded by none other than Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) of NJ-04.
As health costs rise faster in NJ than in rest of US, could these remedies work?
Lilo H. Stainton, NJ Spotlight
- The cost of health care continues to burden New Jersey residents, according to a series of new reports that outline steps the state could take to make medical services more affordable, including how it regulates health insurance. The findings, scheduled to be released Wednesday but shared with NJ Spotlight News in advance, are in a trio of initial reports from the state’s Health Care Affordability, Responsibility and Transparency Program that examined recent health care spending, access and quality.
Housing crisis for some adults with disabilities
Raven Santana, NJ Spotlight
- Advocates and care providers joined state officials at Rowan University’s Sweeney Center for Public Policy on Tuesday for a conference on how to provide housing and services for the 5% of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who also have complex behavioral issues and medical needs.
Galloway man admits being in Pelosi’s office during Jan. 6 Capitol riot
John O’Connor, Press of Atlantic City
- A Galloway Township man admitted posting photos on Instagram of himself in former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol in Washington, according to federal court records.
How a South Jersey school district is implementing a cellphone ban to ease classroom distractions
Melanie Burney, The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Students at Woodbury High School begin lining up shortly after they arrive at 7 a.m. for a check-in: to lock up their cellphone for the duration of the school day. A new policy that took effect at the beginning of the school year bans students from using their cellphones and other electronic devices, including wireless headphones, during school. The devices are kept locked in a pouch until the final school bell.
Freehold Raceway’s closing grows more certain with WARN layoff notice for 93 workers posted
Stephen Edelson, Asbury Park Press
- A week after workers at Freehold Raceway were informed by management that the historic track would be closing its doors at year’s end, there is no sign of a last-minute rescue of the nation’s oldest track. Instead, the closure seems more certain with the posting this week of a WARN notice that 93 workers will be affected by the move to end operations at the site where harness racing has been conducted since 1853.
State says NJ hospital system is drug testing pregnant women without their consent
Scott Fallon, NorthJersey.com
- A New Jersey hospital system has been routinely drug testing pregnant women without their consent in violation of state law, authorities said Thursday. The complaint filed against Virtua Health by the state Attorney General’s Office involves at least two pregnant women who were investigated for child abuse even though their positive drug results were apparently the result of eating foods with poppy seeds prior to being tested.
Former longtime Asbury Park Press sportswriter who covered Devils’ move to NJ has died
Stephen Edelson, Asbury Park Press
- It was a moment in time when hockey was hot in New Jersey. The Devils had relocated from Colorado to the Meadowlands in 1982, and the Philadelphia Flyers were transitioning from the Broad Street Bullies of the 1970s to the Stanley Cup contenders of the 1980s.
Autism Resource Fair at Ocean County Library’s Little Egg Harbor branch to aid families
Ilana Keller, Asbury Park Press
- The Ocean County Library will host a Fall Autism Resource Fair on Saturday, Oct. 19, in Little Egg Harbor. Families affected by autism or developmental disabilities are invited to the fair, where they will find information on local, county and statewide resources.
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Insider NJ’s Daily Morning Briefing for September 27, 2024
Insider NJ’s daily morning briefing for September 27, 2024, is filled with important updates and news that are crucial for staying informed about the latest happenings in New Jersey. The briefing covers a wide range of topics, including politics, business, and current events, providing readers with a comprehensive overview of what’s going on in the state.
One of the key highlights of the morning briefing is the latest developments in the upcoming gubernatorial election. With the election just weeks away, candidates are ramping up their campaigns and making their final pitches to voters. Insider NJ provides readers with insights into the latest polling data and candidate endorsements, helping them stay informed about the state of the race.
In addition to political news, the morning briefing also covers important business updates that impact New Jersey residents. From new legislation affecting small businesses to major corporate announcements, Insider NJ keeps readers up to date on the latest economic developments in the state.
The briefing also includes updates on current events, such as community events, cultural happenings, and local news stories. Whether it’s a new art exhibit opening in a local museum or a community fundraiser for a good cause, Insider NJ ensures that readers are aware of what’s happening in their neighborhoods.
Overall, Insider NJ’s daily morning briefing for September 27, 2024, is a valuable resource for anyone looking to stay informed about the latest news and events in New Jersey. By providing a comprehensive overview of political, business, and current events, Insider NJ helps readers stay engaged and informed about what’s happening in their state.
