What’s Important to Know About NJ This Week –07/13/2024

Jul 13, 2024

Walsh Takes on Union County, Medical Debt Relief on the Way, Kean Concerned About Democracy in NJ, Former State BOE Member Speaks Out, Stop & Shop Closing 10 NJ Stores

Union County Refuses to Comply With Law

New Jersey Monitor

A state watchdog wants Gov. Phil Murphy to withhold state funds from Union County over allegations that the county improperly awarded pay to top officials.

In a letter acting state comptroller Kevin Walsh sent Murphy and legislative leaders Thursday, Walsh said county officials have refused to comply with his office’s recommendations about their “violations of law.”

“The County’s decision not to cooperate with OSC means there is a serious risk that the County will continue to violate the law and fail to provide transparency to Union County taxpayers,” the letter reads. Read More

Murphy to Sign Bill Blocking Medical Debt From Credit Reports

NJ Spotlight News

State lawmakers adopted legislation last week to ensure that credit reports do not reflect most medical debt, a change designed to protect people from being financially ruined by an illness or costly medical condition. Gov. Phil Murphy, who has promoted plans to alleviate medical debt as part of his last two annual state budget proposals, is expected to sign the measure. Read More

Former Governor Kean on the State of Democracy in NJ

NJ Vindicator

“In general, I think the state of transparency is getting worse as the years go on, because I think public officials are finding different ways in order to be less transparent,” he said. “And there’s a whole bunch of reasons for that.”

Kean then proceeded to break it all down in detail how New Jersey, and America for that matter, has lost its way in a post-press world of unbending partisan hostility fed by huge sums of dark money and misinformation. All of this has made him “worry about democracy in the future.” Read More

Former State BOE Member Expresses Concerns

NJ Education Report

More recently, this has not been the case. In 2022, the Board was presented with standards for the sex ed curriculum that require teaching fifth graders about masturbation and eighth graders about vaginal, oral, and anal sex, as well as both short-term and long-term contraception. When local school boards pushed back with concerns over teaching such topics, the Department indicated districts could face disciplinary action for noncompliance. In addition, the Board approved standards where climate change is now required to be taught not only in every grade level, kindergarten through twelfth, but also in virtually every subject, including in Visual and Performing Arts, World Languages, Computer Science & Design Thinking. Finally, while not an issue that the Board votes on, in 2018 the Department reduced the amount of a teacher’s annual evaluation that is based on student test scores from 30% down to just 5%. Unsurprisingly, it has remained at 5% since then. How are these decisions preparing students for their future? The answer is they’re not. Read More

Stop & Shop Shutting Down Ten NJ Stores

NJBiz

As part of an effort to improve its performance, Stop & Shop plans to close three dozen underperforming stores in the Northeast by November. The move includes 10 New Jersey locations.

In addition to the Garden State, the Ahold Delhaize-owned chain plans to shutter eight stores in Massachusetts, seven stores in New York, five stores in Connecticut and two stores in Rhode Island, according to a July 12 press release. Read More

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