January 16, 2018
Cloudy with high temperatures in the mid-30s. Snow possible this evening.
AFTER TAKING OATH TODAY, MURPHY EXPECTED TO BRING BIG CHANGES
Phil Murphy, a Democrat, will be sworn in today as governor of New Jersey and the state is expected to move to the left as Republican Chris Christie departs, The Washington Post writes. In addition to different political philosophies, Politico.com writes, the two men have vastly different styles, with Murphy being more diplomatic than Christie. But The Wall Street Journal writes that Murphy will still face significant challenges in enacting his progressive agenda because the state has a very tight budget.
CHRISTIE SIGNS MORE THAN 100 BILLS, POCKET VETOES OTHERS
On his last day in office, Gov. Chris Christie signed more than 100 bills into law, including measures to ban “bump stocks” in New Jersey and to disband the state Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Patch.com reports. Among the bills he didn’t sign was a measure to allow public high schools in the same district to merge sports teams without New Jersey Statewide Interscholastic Athletic Association oversight or review, myCentralJersey.com reports.
DEP SAYS IT WON’T CHANGE SEPTIC TANK RULES IN HIGHLANDS
The commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, Bob Martin, says that the Legislature acted outside its constitutional authority when it passed legislation abolishing a rule about the number of septic tanks allowed in the Highlands, NJ Spotlight says. The commissioner will be replaced this week as the administration of Phil Murphy takes over.
WORKERS RALLY AT NEWARK AIRPORT FOR HIGHER WAGES
Airport workers, union leaders and political office holders marched at Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday to demand higher wages, NJ.com writes. More than 600 workers marched through Terminal B then headed over to Terminal C, where they heard from Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Sen. Cory Booker. Workers at the Newark airport make less than their counterparts at John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport because New Jersey’s minimum wage is lower than New York’s.
NJ TRANSIT BOARD DELAYS CONTROVERSIAL VOTE
A controversial vote on a waterfront real-estate purchase in Hoboken was removed from the NJ Transit board’s agenda Monday, The Record reports. The board had been criticized for scheduling the vote on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. But Hoboken Mayor Ravinder Bhalla said the board’s meeting on the holiday was a “slap in the face” to King’s legacy.
