| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Presented by Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind | NJ Transit is facing a massive fiscal cliff. But it looks like they’ve found a way to solve it. The agency announced yesterday that its now taking pre-orders for a $20 stuffed “Ricardo the Bull” at “The Transit Shoppe.” (Why NJ Transit spells it “shoppe” like some suburban strip mall, I can’t tell you.) You remember Ricardo. He delayed trains last week when he hoofed around on the tracks at Newark Penn Station. But I’ve gotta call bull. Not just on NJ Transit, but on the vast majority of the news articles that covered Ricardo’s story. Only a couple got it right. Ricardo is not a bull. He’s a steer. That means he was castrated. I confirmed this with Mike Stura, founder of the Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue, which took in the brave, ball-less bovine. “He’s a steer,” Stura confirmed. “In theory, they should be a little more gentle.” I felt compelled to write this as a full-time rural resident for the last six months. The effete coastal media elite continues to demonstrate their disconnect with the down-to-earth rural Americans like me. As an experienced cowboy who lives near a town named Bovina and down the road from the first American milk pasteurization plant, I couldn’t sit by and let this misinformation spread any further. By the way, Ricardo — who Stura said likely escaped from a slaughterhouse transport— is doing “great.” “I can’t wait for him to get the OK from the vet to go by other animals,” Stura said. TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Pamela Lampitt, Carla Katz QUOTE OF THE DAY: “New Jersey is going to be at the forefront of the AI revolution.” — Gov. Murphy on Skynet, I mean the upcoming Princeton University AI center WHERE’S MURPHY? — Media: CNBC at 2 p.m. and “Ask Governor Murphy” at 4 p.m. on News 12
| | | | A message from Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind: Atlantic Shores is generating cleaner air, cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, and a healthier, more sustainable future for all New Jerseyans. Led by a team with deep roots in environmental science, the company's first project will decrease polluting greenhouse gases by 4 million tons every year. Plus, Atlantic Shores is investing $50 million in community partnerships like New Jersey's Research and Monitoring Initiative to support the responsible management of marine and coastal resources. Learn more. | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
AFFORDABLE HOUSING BILL JUST ONE PAGE SHORT OF BEING A NICE HOUSING BILL — Lawmakers to move 'aggressively' on bill overhauling affordable housing, by POLITICO’s Dustin Racioppi: State lawmakers appear poised to try passing an affordable housing overhaul in the lame duck session, aiming to tackle in short order one of most vexing legal obligations for New Jersey towns. Under a "landmark" bill introduced Monday, the state would abolish the Council on Affordable Housing and streamline the process for municipalities to meet their affordable housing obligations. "For far too many people the American Dream of home ownership, which represents generational wealth, has been more fantasy than reality," Sen. Troy Singleton (D-Burlington) said in a virtual press conference. … The biggest change would be abolishing COAH and replacing it with a statutory formula for setting municipal affordable housing obligations. Instead of disputes going to court, newly established "mediation panels" would determine the housing needs in municipalities. The 68-page bill text was not yet available on the Legislature's website Monday afternoon, but a copy provided to POLITICO showed the formulas include population density, the amount of vacant land available and local and regional income levels, among other things.
RELEASE THE MCCRACKEN — “Long-awaited report on NJ’s COVID-19 response now expected early in 2024,” by NJ Spotlight News’ Lilo H. Stainton: “A report assessing New Jersey’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic should be released by the end of March, according to the lead attorney conducting the independent review, a process Gov. Phil Murphy called for repeatedly early in the outbreak and initiated late last year. New Jersey has spent more than $3.7 million on the process as of November, according to state officials, but they declined to share any details on who has been interviewed or what the work has revealed. There is no set budget for the review — which Murphy initially suggested would be done by late 2023 — and it is not clear how much it will eventually cost taxpayers. The work is being led by attorney Paul Zoubek, a partner at Montgomery, McCracken, Walker and Rhoads, in their Cherry Hill office.” IT’ A GOD-AWFUL SMALL AFFAIR TO THE GOVERNOR WITH NEW HAIR — “Murphy broods on the Planet Mars,” by InsiderNJ’s Fred Snowflack: “The advantage of being a second term governor is that unencumbered by any reelection concerns, you can think ahead – far ahead. On a rainy Monday morning, Phil Murphy was thinking about Mars. A chemist using AI, or Artificial Intelligence, just figured out a way to create oxygen on Mars, the governor told a group at Princeton University. He said that without AI, that would have taken 2,000 years. He didn’t explain how that was calculated, but you got the point. Murphy joined Christopher Eisgruber, the university president, to announce the creation of a regional innovation hub for AI at Princeton.” AT LEAST THEY’RE NOT LOOKING AT THEIR PHONES — “Proposal to set 14 as minimum age for juvenile delinquency sparks debate,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Dana DiFilippo: “A proposal to set a minimum age for juvenile delinquency at 14 in New Jersey hit a snag Monday when lawmakers worried that it would enable younger youth who commit serious crimes to dodge accountability. Lawmakers in two legislative committees agreed to advance the bill, with amendments. But in both the Senate’s law and public safety committee and the Assembly’s appropriations committee, the bill prompted many anxious questions from conflicted legislators who said they agreed with its intent — to protect youth from the ravages and stigma of the criminal justice system and reduce racial disparities — but worried about its impact. Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R-Morris) called it a ‘dangerous’ bill. ‘An unfortunate byproduct, I think, of this bill could be that gangs could force younger children to commit crimes because they can get away with it, because they can’t be arrested. So they’ll have the 13-year-old steal the car or shoot somebody,’ Bergen said. … New Jersey now has no minimum age for juvenile delinquency, like about half of the states in the nation. “Theoretically, a 3-year-old can be prosecuted in New Jersey,” said Laura Cohen, a law professor and director of the Criminal and Youth Justice Clinic at Rutgers Law School.”
| | | | A message from Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind:   | | | HE WILL ANSWER TO DR. CLAW — “Braz Leaving DOT to join public affairs firm,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Justin Braz, a member of Gov. Phil Murphy’s inner circle and the Assistant Commissioner of Transportation, is ending a long stint in state government to join MAD Global Strategy as a managing director. Braz served as Murphy’s deputy chief of staff from 2018 to 2022 when he joined the Transportation Department as chief of staff.” —“Maps of every 2023 State Senate race” —“Will NJ electric vehicle owners be asked to pay equivalent of gas tax?” | | BIDEN TIME | |
DELAYBES — “Fred Daibes wants his bank fraud trial postponed until after Menendez gets a verdict,” by The Record’s Kristie Cattafi: “Fred Daibes, the North Jersey developer charged alongside U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez in an alleged bribery scheme, has asked that his trial date in a separate bank fraud case be postponed until after Menendez goes to court. Daibes' attorney Lawrence S. Lustberg requested that his client's trial be set after Menendez's, which is scheduled to begin on May 6, 2024. The outcome of those proceedings will ‘likely have a definite and profound impact on this case,’ Lustberg wrote in a court document filed Dec. 14.”
STUPID NJ PLAYBOOK JOKE INSPIRES AP STORY — “What about Bob? Some NJ Democrats want Menendez to move on so they can fight for his Senate seat,” by The AP’s Michael Catalini: “For years in New Jersey, any Democrat weighing a run for statewide office had to grapple with an important question: What about Bob? It wasn’t a reference to the 1991 Bill Murray flick but to Bob Menendez, the incumbent U.S. senator whose political influence placed him atop the state Democratic Party food chain. He kept allies in line, helped anoint rising stars and had an important voice in determining the fate of both candidates and policy proposals. Even after a federal corruption indictment ended in a hung jury in 2017, Menendez continued to wield considerable power. The ‘What about Bob?’ question is no less relevant now, though it has taken on new meaning.” —“Seeking his Senate seat, Tammy Murphy tees off on Bob Menendez in email blast”
| | | | A message from Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind: Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind is generating cleaner air, cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, and a healthier, more sustainable future for all New Jerseyans.
Led by a team of purpose-driven professionals with deep roots in environmental science, the company's first project will result in a reduction of 4 million tons of greenhouse gases every year, which is equivalent to pulling 770,000 cars off the road.
Plus, Atlantic Shores is investing $50 million in community development partnerships like New Jersey's Research and Monitoring Initiative to support the responsible management of marine and coastal resources.
The Atlantic Shores team is committed to helping New Jersey reach its clean energy goals and improving the environment for communities throughout the state. Learn more about the current project, which is just the first phase of a long-term commitment to making New Jersey a national leader in clean energy. | | | | | LOCAL | |
WHYBERLY? — “What does the Paterson schools' marketing contract with Benjie Wimberly's son say?” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “City education officials allowed a private company owned by Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly’s son to sell tickets for Eastside High School’s most heavily attended 2023 home football game even though there was no contract in place for the sales. The company, Zone6ix, charged up to $15 for admission to the Oct. 19 game against Passaic Tech at Hinchliffe Stadium, even though tickets for Eastside’s other home games cost $4 for adults and $3 for students. School district officials attributed the higher cost to a halftime concert that featured popular Philadelphia-based rapper D Sturdy. … Benjie Wimberly is the Paterson school district's $181,000-per-year recreation coordinator. Over the past decade, he has had a great deal of influence over the school board. Six of the current members gained endorsements from Wimberly or were supported by a PAC that has a connection to the assemblyman.”
JERSEY CITY — “Sellinger, Fulop, & Shea say federal partnership led to drop in Jersey City’s violent crime,” by Hudson County View’s John Heinis: “U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger joined Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and Public Safety Director James Shea to tout a federal partnership that they all say led to a drop in violent crime locally during a press conference about the crime statistics from 2023. ‘ … It still represents the lowest homicide rate Jersey City has ever seen since records have been kept, significant progress,’ Fulop, also a Democratic candidate for governor, said at the Public Safety Headquarters on Martin Luther King Drive.” THE BRENDAN T. CONTROLLED BURN STATE FOREST — “Residents rally against housing plan on 700-acre Pine Barrens forest,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Frank Kummer: “Hundreds of … residents oppose a proposal to build age-restricted housing on a portion of 700 privately owned forested acres within New Jersey’s Pine Barrens. The tract, dubbed by some opponents as Pole Bridge Branch Forest because of a pristine stream that runs through it, is off Lakehurst Road, and near Brendan T. Byrne State Forest. … The plan calls for 456 single-family homes and 105 townhouses built on upland forest. … Residents from Pine View Terrace and the Country Lake Estates developments cite increased traffic, a change in the rural character of the area, loss of green space, and fears of wildfire they fear could trap people in the new development. A proposed fire road would run just feet from homes in Pine View Terrace, Skipper said.” SAVE SAVE-A-LOT — “Save-A-Lot seeks CRDA subsidy to remain open, expand,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s Bill Barlow: “The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority is set to vote Tuesday on a $250,000 subsidy to help keep the Save-A-Lot grocery store in operation. The lease for the store at Renaissance Plaza is up in April, owner Shawn Rinnier said Monday. He said there are programs in the works that could help keep groceries operational in underserved neighborhoods, including state-level plans that are still being developed." —“[Perth Amboy] teacher grabbed student’s buttocks, poked another girl with broomstick, cops say” —“Judge allows addition to Atlantic City primary election contest in Ward 2” —“Two arrests and 34 summonses issued during Hoboken SantaCon 2023” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
UH OH, CONLIGLIO’S! — “Giants QB Tommy DeVito’s event canceled after agent pulls fast one, N.J. restaurant says,” by NJ Advance Media’s Manuel Gomez: “Nino Coniglio, owner of Coniglio’s in Morristown, N.J., an Italian restaurant that had hired DeVito for a meet-and-greet, took to Instagram to explain why an event was abruptly canceled. ‘No [Tommy DeVito] will NOT be at [Coniglio’s] this Tuesday as originally planned,’ Coniglio wrote . “After last week’s win, we received word from his agent that his appearance fee would be doubling (went from 10k to 20); We are a small family-run business & decided $20,000 was a bit steep for 2 hours.’ … DeVito’s agent, Sean Stellato … decided to chime in. ‘It’s a shame that the restaurant promoted that they would have Tommy when we didn’t have a signed contract,’ he said. … After seeing Stellato’s claim, Coniglio shared a text message proving that there was, in fact, an agreement, via Rovell.”
OWE NO. OWE NO. OWE NO NO NO NO NO — “Owe no: CarePoint Health being sued for nearly $4.7 million by numerous vendors demanding payment,” by The Jersey Journal’s Mark Koosau: “The staggering number is the collective total CarePoint Health System has been sued for by more than a dozen vendors over non-payment of services, with one claiming Hudson County’s largest hospital system is nearly $1.5 million in arrears. The volume of lawsuits and the total owed has caught the attention of the state Department of Health and has raised serious concerns among elected leaders in Jersey City and Bayonne, where two of the three CarePoint hospitals are located. … The lawsuits include a nearly $1.5 million claim by a Hackensack-based orthobiologics and life science company for various products, $685,000 to a Parsippany-based spinal device company for medical devices, and $435,000 to a Florida-based nursing agency.” —“First responders rescue drivers, residents amid coastal storm impact in New Jersey” —“At the Shore, Christmas trees on the beach have become a tradition. Here’s a guide” —“Teamsters authorize potential strike at Bud Light maker Anheuser-Busch's US breweries” —“These Delaware River toll bridges will go all cashless by 2025”
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