Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing: 9/22/2020 – InsiderNJ

Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing for 9/22/2020:

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Today, they’re thumbing their noses at the people in the name of a narrow political ideology. How many will stand up and show guts? Can four of these people channel the likes of [the late Arizona Senator] John McCain?” – Governor Murphy slapping Senate Majority Leader McConnell

TOP STORY: In the (Ongoing!) Somerset Battlezone with GOP Chairman Tim Howes

Insider NJ's Morning Intelligence Briefing

Insider NJ's Morning Intelligence Briefing

Many young voters across North Jersey are finding it difficult to confidently vote for either presidential candidate.

Somerset County GOP Chairman Tim Howes assesses the battleground landscape in the county ahead of the 2020 elections.

The COVID-19 pandemic is not stopping many Republicans from campaigning as usual, with three Trump rallies in Morris County in the last eight days.

As the behind-the-scenes fight for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, Monmouth Clerk Hanlon could surface as a potential LG pick (iLine post).

Insider NJ’s Jay Lassiter dives into Garden State Equality’s endorsements for the 2020 federal elections.

NOW-NJ released their endorsements for the 2020 general elections.

In CD2, Democratic candidate Amy Kennedy released her ‘Older Americans Policy’ platform.

In CD3, the American Unity Fund endorsed GOP candidate David Richter. Rep. Kim an Richter faced off in a debate, according to TAPinto.

In CD7, Rep. Malinowski released his third TV ad of the campaign season.

In CD11, Rep. Sherrill touted her endorsement from the NJFMBA.

In Cumberland County, PBA Local 231 President Bermudez sent a letter to the NAACP of Greater Vineland calling for them to stand-up against the layoffs of black and brown corrections officers.

Socialist presidential candidate Gloria la Riva will campaign in Newark today.

In LD25, the GOP doubling-back on Draeger’s farm; in LD35, smaller towns unite (iLine post); in CD11, ad air war has begun; Pennacchio hopes Trump will campaign in Jersey; NJFMBA endorsed candidates; in CD2, presidential politics has implications; sdivision among GOP on VBM; Suleiman mobilizing legal team over freeholder seat; Malinowski, Kean wage battle over pharma

Insider NJ's Morning Intelligence Briefing

Insider NJ's Morning Intelligence Briefing

Insider NJ's Morning Intelligence Briefing

In Jersey City, Cynthia Hadjiyannis announced her candidacy for the Ward D council seat in the November special election. The Finance Director was appointed to the think-tank Committee on Governmental Budgeting and Fiscal Policy.

In Newark, Mayor Baraka and Essex County Executive DiVincenzo announced the final stage of the lead service line replacement program.

In Bridgewater, Mayor Moench and Police Chief Payne met with members of the township’s religious community.

In Perth Amboy, mayoral candidate Helmin Caba urged Middlesex County to name a new waterfront park after the ‘Boriquineers’, Puerto Rican soldiers who fought in the 65th Infantry Regiment in three wars.

In Roselle, Mayor Atkins and First Lady Cynthia Atkins held a weekend giveaway event for residents.

In Hillside, residents are facing harassment over Black Lives Matter lawn signs, according to the Bergen Record.

In Westwood, the town says construction, not COVID-19, is what’s causing delays, according to the Bergen Record.

In Trenton, the fired council attorney says he’s being made the ‘scapegoat’ for the Wire Works debacle, according to the Trentonian.

In Hawthorne, the Pride Alliance will hold its inaugural event tomorrow, according to NorthJersey.com.

In Sparta, the high school halted sports until October 5th after several athletes tested positive for COVID-19, according to NJ Herald.

In Bedminster, Rep. Malinowski is backing Beyer for council, according to NJ Hills.

In Warren Township, the Democrats announced their party platform, according to NJ Hills.

ICYMI: In New Brunswick, Floyd’s brother came to New Jersey to march with Black Lives Matter movement members and their allies; in Mountain Lakes, inside debate flap; in Somerville, Black Lives Matter rally; in Parsippany, Trump supporters held two rallies; in Dover, Bennett approved as administrator

Insider NJ's Morning Intelligence Briefing

AROUND THE WEB:

NJ budget: Baby bonds are out, these taxes are in. What made lawmakers’ plan

Stacey Barchenger and Ashley Balcerzak, Trenton Bureau

  • New Jersey lawmakers introduced a $32.7 billion spending plan Monday evening that includes higher taxes on millionaires, corporations and some health insurers, but that omits many fees and tax increases proposed by Gov. Phil Murphy. The budget bills map out state spending for the nine-month fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. Lawmakers are expected to begin debating the bills in committees on Tuesday and vote to send them to Murphy by the end of the week.

Seeing tweets on billboards? NJ and Twitter team up on mask campaign to combat COVID

Dustin Racioppi, Trenton Bureau

  • Twitter took to New Jersey on Monday to promote wearing a face mask. The social media company has teamed up with two cities in New Jersey — Asbury Park and Jersey City — to create a meta-moment befitting of 2020. They have culled from the company’s website of 330 million monthly active users’ tweets urging people to wear masks, or shaming them into wearing them, and plastered them on billboards.

Women Leaders Mourn Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, A Former Rutgers Law Professor

John Mooney, TAPinto.net

  • Female leaders from across the country, the state, and the local community are mourning the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday, Sept. 18. Justice Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Clinton in 1993. She was the second woman appointed to the Court and served more than 27 years.

How over 400,000 ballots will make it to your mailbox

Asbury Park Press

  • Ocean County Clerk Scott M. Colabella describes the operation underway to produce over 400,000 mail-in ballot packages.

Theater owners drop lawsuit after N.J. ends order that closed movie houses across the state

Ted Sherman, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

  • Nearly three weeks after Gov. Phil Murphy allowed movie theaters in the state to reopen with limited capacity, many screens in New Jersey still remain dark. But a federal lawsuit challenging his original shutdown order has ended.

COVID cases creep up in central NJ, but this is no second wave

David Matthau, NJ1015

  • A state appeals court heard more than four hours of arguments on whether the state attorney general has the power to reveal the names of officers disciplined for misconduct, in a case that pits the state’s top law enforcement official against its most powerful police unions. According to the latest novel coronavirus data compiled by the New Jersey Health Department, key metrics indicating the spread remain low. The positivity rate for the Garden State is 1.81, and the rate of transmission is 1.12. Two new deaths have been reported since the end of last week, with 87 coronavirus hospital patients in the ICU and 32 on ventilators. That’s all just a tiny fraction of what New Jersey experienced a few months ago.

‘We’re going to win’: Video from Morristown R.I.P. RBG vigil

Kevin Coughlin, Morristown Green

  • One bore a figurine of a tiny, bespectacled lady with a mighty gavel. Another carried a sign proclaiming: “Not all heroes wear capes. Mine wore a robe.” Some 150 people, by police estimates, gathered outside the Morris County Courthouse on Sunday night for a candlelit march around the Morristown Green to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court Justice who died Friday from pancreatic cancer at age 87.

This is how Murphy’s budget allocates $2.4 billion in federal COVID funding

Lilo H. Stainton, NJ Spotlight

  • For six months the coronavirus pandemic has loomed large over New Jersey, taking an enormous toll on the state’s public health and economy, and affecting nearly every aspect of daily life. But you won’t find it by name in Gov. Phil Murphy’s $32.4 billion budget proposal.

Paterson police released false information about officer discipline, says lawsuit

Jayed Rahman, Paterson Times

  • Six employees of the Paterson Police Department were disciplined in 2015 for committing serious violations. When retired police officer and civil rights advocate Richard Rivera sought information about the disciplinary actions through a public records request, police allegedly provided him false information.

Confessions of a Recovered Democrat | Glading

Dale Glading, Save Jersey

  • “You’re kidding me, right? YOU, of all people, were once a registered Democrat?” That is the look I get and the line I hear when I share my distant political past with people who only know me as a rock-ribbed Republican who is “conservative to the core”. Hey, we all make mistakes and registering as a Democrat when I turned 18 was a big one. However, in my defense, may I remind you that both Ronald Reagan and Frank Sinatra once supported FDR.

Family credits Chris Smith with saving COVID-19 patient’s life

Art Gallagher, More Monmouth Musings

  • Kevin McNamara, a 60 year old attorney who lives in Avon-by-the Sea, was hospitalized with COVID-19 on March 28. Last Thursday, after 174 days of isolation in three different hospitals and a rehab facility, McNamara was sent home to continue his long road to recovery. Kevin’s brother Dan, an engineer who lives in Essex County, credits Congressman Chris Smith with saving Kevin’s life.

R&D Council announces prestigious Edison Patent Awards honorees for 2020

Tom Bergeron, roi-nj.com

  • The companies include global names such as BASF, Colgate-Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson, ExxonMobil, Nokia Bells Labs and Siemens. The colleges include Princeton University, Rutgers University, Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rowan University. The individuals include the president of the Merck Research Laboratories, a former chair of molecular genetics at a Rutgers institute and a former university president.

A group of New Jersey malls will close for Thanksgiving this year

Kaitlyn Kanzler, NorthJersey.com

  • Simon, the owner of numerous malls and outlets throughout the state, will not open its doors on Thanksgiving Day this year. “In these challenging times, we made the decision that we will not open on Thanksgiving Day, instead allowing our associates to spend the holiday with their loved ones,” said David Simon, chairman, CEO and president of Simon.

No mask, distancing at 200-student party; Wash. Twp. Schools says no sports, in-person ed

Carly Q. Romalino, Cherry Hill Courier-Post

  • In-person instruction and all athletics at Washington Township High School are paused this week following a 200-student senior-year kick-off party and several confirmed cases of COVID-19 among high school athletes. In-person classes and sports are expected to resume Thursday only if the district is satisfied with results of its contact tracing investigation.

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