Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing: 5/28/2020 – InsiderNJ

Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing for 5/28/2020:

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I’m not doing this because it’s necessarily popular.” – Governor Murphy on the NJ Turnpike Authority’s approval of toll increases

TOP STORY: The (Turnpike Authority) Toll of COVID-19

The Assembly Budget Committee will meet today to review the Treasury’s report on the FY2020 and 2021 budget conditions.

The NJDOH issued two permits for medical marijuana dispensing.

Senate Republicans sent a letter to Governor Murphy calling for clarification and action to reopen more of the state’s economy.

Senator Bateman decried the NJ Turnpike Authority’s vote to raise tolls on the Turnpike and Parkway, saying there was ‘nothing transparent’ about the process and calling it ‘absolutely shameful’.

Senator O’Scanlon and Assemblymembers DiMaso and Scharfenberger blasted the toll hikes as ‘unconscionable’.

Senator Connors and Assemblymembers Rumpf and Gove urged Governor Murphy to veto the minutes of any authority meeting that approved toll hikes.

Senator Pennacchio asserted that the announced Senate Select Committee on the state’s COVID-19 response must be allowed to subpoena witnesses.

Legislators and advocates urged Governor Murphy to reject the Turnpike Authority’s $16B highway widening plan.

The Garden State Initiative urged Governor Murphy to veto authority meeting minutes where toll hikes were approved.

The Utility and Transportation Contractors Association released a study by ARTBA that shows that increasing transportation capital investment by $1.6B will generate nearly $70B in economic activity though 2030.

NJ Policy Perspective added two new analysts for healthcare and immigrants’ rights research.

NJ Citizen Action urged the Legislature to support the Governor’s emergency bonding plan to avert a COVID-19 fiscal crisis.

The PATH Labor Coalition slammed the Port Authority’s ‘clawback’ policy as ‘retribution for testing demands.

ICYMI: Dems irritated at acqueisence to GOP (iLine post); Pennacchio defended appearance at rally following Robinson criticism; Gopal applauded removal of Judge Russo; Senate will establish special committee to investigate COVID-19 handling; SJ legislators urge Murphy to issue specific timetable for AC, regional reopening; Assembly GOP called on Coughlin to form LTC COVID select committee, Senate GOP sent a letter to Sweeney urging the same; Sweeney fired off letter to Murphy urging outdoor graduations; Pou appeals to NJDSC to appoint Latina on redistricting commission

AROUND THE WEB:

The scores are in: America failed the virus test | Moran

Tom Moran, Star-Ledger

• As we march past the grim marker of 100,000 dead, there is no escaping the conclusion that America has lost its balance, that the days when the world relied on the United States to lead the way are gone, at least for now.

Can Bill to Protect Contact-Tracing Data Encourage Residents to Participate in These Programs?

Colleen O’Dea, NJ Spotlight

• Contact tracing is going to be a crucial part of trying to contain the spread of COVID-19 as New Jersey reopens, and some New Jersey legislators want to make sure that information revealed as a result is kept confidential and only stored for a limited time to protect residents’ privacy.

Jersey City’s Fight Against Coronavirus Continues

Al Sullivan, TAPinto.net

• Councilman James Solomon has given an update on Jersey City’s continued fight against COVID-19, including regarding new rules on gatherings, appointment-free testing opportunities, and the opening of Hamilton and Van Vorst Parks.

Businesses Seek Clearer, Faster Reopening Rules from the State

Michael Symons, NJ1015

• Business owners and associations say the gradual loosening of economic restrictions imposed by the state are already showing beneficial signs but that clearer details are needed soon to limit risks to both businesses and public health. J. Kelly Conklin, owner of Foley-Waite Associates, an architectural woodworking company, said businesses need specific, consistent instructions and public health guidance so that, for instance, they’re sure the sneeze guards they put up are the correct ones.

Rutgers Unions Endorse Furloughs to Bolster Finances, Save Jobs

Sheila Noonan, NJ Spotlight

• The Rutgers administration and its unions have different ideas on how to ease the pandemic’s financial effects on the university — an anticipated $200 million budget shortfall for the 2019-2020 fiscal year ending in June, and possibly an even worse prognosis for 2020-2021.

As building reopenings begin, what does post-COVID-19 cleaning look like?

Anatasia Bergeron, roi-nj.com

• Robert Rivadeneira has learned one key thing in the past few weeks when he has been working with clients who run office buildings, medical facilities, restaurants and schools on their cleaning and disinfecting needs: Every reopening strategy is different. He combines that with the big lessons he has learned in his nearly two decades at York Building Services: People — the employees and the customers — are the key to every cleaning.

Extending protections

Daniel J. Munoz, njbiz.com

• Starting May 26, New Jersey’s sprawling health care industry can finally resume elective surgeries and invasive procedures at hospitals and outpatient, ambulatory care centers. But the state is imposing limitations. The thinking behind the ban in late-March was to redirect medical resources toward addressing the projected surge of COVID-19 patients. For hospitals, doctors and medical providers, it was all hands on deck – a state of war.

Coronavirus NJ: How Lacey woman reunited families with misplaced nursing home keepsakes

Amanda Oglesby, Asbury Park Press

• Regina Discenza was grieving her father’s death and worried about her mother’s battle with COVID-19 when she opened up what she thought was a box of her parents’ possessions, sent home from the nursing home where they had been living.

Paterson’s coronavirus testing woes continue. Third company picked to run testing sites.

Jayed Rahman, Paterson Times

• Running coronavirus testing sites for residents has been a struggle for mayor Andre Sayegh’s administration. Over the past two weeks, the city has changed two companies that were running the four test sites. A third company recently took over operations of the four sites, officials revealed on Tuesday night.

Westfield Council Moves on 5-year Tax Incentive Law for Downtown District

Matt Kadosh, TAPinto Westfield

• Under a proposed local law intended to incentive development, property owners in the downtown who substantially improve their infrastructure would not immediately see the resulting property tax increases that typically come with higher property values.

Advocates Say NJ Should Ban Court Ordered Probes of Rape Victims

Sergio Bichao, NJ1015

• Victims’ advocates say laws proposed by New Jersey legislators don’t go far enough to protect sex-crime accusers from being re-victimized by a legal process that critics have termed “court-ordered rape.” Last year, lawmakers moved to limit when judges could compel victims to undergo unwanted vaginal or anal examinations. But advocates want New Jersey to ban the practice completely.

McAndrew on duty as new Washington Township MUA Executive Director

New Jersey Hills

• When it comes to the Washington Township Municipal Utility Authority, Tom McAndrew is just getting his feet wet.

Lawyer: 3 Paterson school custodians tested positive for coronavirus after return to work

Joe Malinconico, Paterson Press

• Three custodial workers in the Paterson school district have tested positive for COVID-19 after being ordered to resume work on April 27, according to a letter their union’s lawyer filed in New Jersey Superior Court on Wednesday. The infected employees subsequently were allowed to stay home but the district has required their co-workers who “worked closely” with them to continue performing their jobs without quarantining, according to the union’s lawyer, Colin Lynch.

Coronavirus NJ: Seton Hall details how college will handle fall semester

Jerry Carino, Asbury Park Press

• Over the past five days, after Seton Hall University became one of the first colleges in the Northeast to announce its campus will open in August, phone calls and emails poured in for Joseph Nyre, president of the South Orange school. “I’ve talked to 12 presidents who wanted to get more information,” Nyre said Wednesday via phone. “The overwhelming response from students, parents and faculty has been positive.”

Weathering the pandemic storm: Morristown admin touts surplus in zero-increase budget

Kevin Coughlin, Morristown Green

• It’s good to have a budget surplus in a pandemic. Very good. That was the underlying message of Morristown Administrator Jillian Barrick’s virtual council presentation Tuesday. The proposed $52.5 million municipal budget taps $4.4 million of the town’s $14 million surplus to avert a tax increase, as the pandemic chews up revenue sources.

In lawsuit, gay Jersey City couple says neighbors assaulted them, used homophobic rhetoric

John Heinis, Hudson County View

• In a lawsuit, a gay Jersey City couple says they were assaulted by their neighbors, who also allegedly routinely used homophobic rhetoric against them.

Murphy offers strong backing of toll hikes — and he’s right to do so

Tom Bergeron, roi-nj.com

• Gov. Phil Murphy gave strong support to the decision by the Turnpike Authority commissioners to substantially raise the rates on the state’s major toll roads Wednesday, saying it’s about maximizing the hand the state was dealt. It only begged the question: Why did the governor wait so long to do so?

Local rowing clubs look to the summer and hopefully lighter restrictions

Zac Spencer, Press of Atlantic City

• Area rowers were allowed back in the water recently if they were in a single-person boat, but several local clubs will require more restrictions to be lifted before they launch their sculls.

Lee Kenneth Richardson, co-founder of Crossroads Theatre Company, dies at 69

Ilana Keller, Asbury Park Press

• Lee Kenneth Richardson, a black theatre movement leader and co-founder of the groundbreaking and Tony Award-winning Crossroads Theatre Company, has died. Richardson, who died on Sunday, May 24, was 69.

No, Stafford police did not ask homeowner to stop playing ‘God Bless America,’ chief says

Andrew J. Goudsward, Asbury Park Press

• Township police asked a homeowner in the Beach Haven West section of town to turn down their nightly playing of “God Bless America” to comply with noise restrictions, but did not tell the residents that they could not play the music, Police Chief Tom Dellane said. Dellane posted a statement to Facebook Wednesday aiming to “correct some concerns and misinformation” about the incident that the chief said recently circulated in a community Facebook group.

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