News
Court slaps N.J. judge with 30-day suspension for ‘misogynistic’ comments
A New Jersey municipal judge has been suspended without pay for 30 days for commiserating with a domestic violence suspect in 2019 about getting “frustrated with the women human beings” and advising the suspect to “let them know you’re the man, and you’re in control.” In an order filed Thursday, the New Jersey Supreme Court […]
Republican AGs urge Biden administration to give up on vaccine requirements
WASHINGTON — More than 20 Republican state attorneys general are threatening to sue the Biden administration over its mandate that large employers require their employees to either be vaccinated against the coronavirus or undergo weekly testing. In a Thursday letter, the 24 AGs pushed the administration to remove the requirement that would affect nearly 80 […]
GOP calls for lawmakers to return to Trenton are met with silence
Republican lawmakers have redoubled their efforts to force legislators to return to Trenton ahead of the November election in recent weeks, but their calls appear to have gone unheeded. On Thursday, Sen. Steve Oroho (R-Sussex) and Assemblyman Hal Wirths (R-Sussex) called on Democratic chairs Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) and Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin (D-Essex) to […]
New Jersey continues slow economic recovery, adding 20K jobs in August
After the pandemic led to widespread business closures and crushing job losses, New Jersey’s crawl to economic recovery continues. The state recovered another 20,300 jobs in August, the eighth straight month of gains. That brings the total number of jobs recovered since the height of the pandemic to 468,600, marking the return of about 65% […]
How House Democrats would expand Medicare and Medicaid and lower prescription drug costs
WASHINGTON — New Medicare benefits for older Americans, like dental care. An expansion of eligibility for Medicaid for low-income people in Republican-controlled states that have declined to take that step. And potentially an historic effort to rein in prescription drug prices — if congressional Democrats can work through objections from moderates in their party. The massive […]
Long-standing teacher shortages could hamper learning gains
New Jersey has for years faced a dearth of teachers in certain subjects, shortages that could represent a pressing threat as the state moves to combat learning loss incurred during the pandemic. Some shortages are long-standing. The U.S. Department of Education has reported a scarcity of English as a second language, special education, and foreign […]
300K workers move to N.J.’s unemployment benefits after federal programs end
More than 300,000 workers who relied on pandemic-era unemployment benefits before they expired were automatically moved to the state’s extended benefits program this week, a state official said. Of the roughly 500,000 people who were receiving unemployment payments until Sept. 4, about 310,000 claimants are now receiving the extended benefits, said Thomas Wright, spokesman for […]
Decline in new vaccinations blamed on Ida, Labor Day
New Jersey saw a sharp decline in new vaccinations in early September, one likely fueled by a devastating storm, a national holiday, and the beginning of the new school year. About 25% fewer residents received their first doses of two-shot vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna or the lone dose of the Johnson & Johnson […]
Gymnasts urge U.S. Senate to investigate Larry Nassar sexual abuse after botched FBI inquiry
WASHINGTON — Olympic gold medalists including Simone Biles and Aly Raisman on Wednesday detailed for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee the failure of the FBI to investigate dozens of complaints of sexual abuse committed by Larry Nassar, the disgraced team doctor for USA Gymnastics and a former Michigan State University physician. The gymnasts also urged […]
Putting on pandemic pounds: State obesity rates hit all-time highs
WASHINGTON — The number of states with high obesity among residents has nearly doubled since 2018, according to new data Wednesday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 16 states that had obesity rates among adult residents of at least 35% last year, with Iowa, Ohio, Delaware and Texas on that […]
House Dems add more mass transit, high-speed rail in second shot at infrastructure bill
The U.S. House transportation panel early Wednesday passed along party lines the panel’s $60 billion slice of Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget plan, adding nearly $20 billion for a new transit program and high-speed rail development in the states. Chairman Peter A. DeFazio of Oregon had considered these and other items underfunded in the Senate-led bipartisan […]
As more people grow old without children, advocates demand a stronger safety net
Steve McIntyre and his husband Keith Miller don’t have children. Together for 35 years, they never longed for parenthood. And legal protections for the LGBT community have lagged so far behind other marginalized groups that same-sex marriage wasn’t federally protected until 2015, and same-sex adoptions even later, in 2017. “Given the state of equal rights, […]