The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
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Trenton NJ, Following Cuomo report, Katie Brennan urges action on stalled NJ sexual harassment laws. On Monday she urged legislators and the Governor’s office to take swift action on three stalled pieces of legislation that she has championed that are focused on sexual harassment in state government.
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Trenton NJ, Governor Phil Murphy announced his intention to close the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, New Jersey’s only women’s correctional facility. The Murphy Administration today also released an investigative report prepared by former State Comptroller Matt Boxer and the law firm Lowenstein Sandler LLP on cell extractions at the facility that occurred on January 11, 2021.
file photo of Attorney General Gurbir Grewal
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Paramus NJ, a former Paramus chiropractor, and registered sex offender, gained approval to have his license reinstated after a years long fight to do so. The New Jersey Board of Chiropractic Examiners made the decision to reinstate Bryan K. Bajakian’s license for a five-year probationary period, according to documents from the board.
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Paramus NJ, according to North Jersey media the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has convened a grand jury in its investigation of state-run veterans homes, NJ Veterans homes reported 202 people have died from COVID-19.
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Andover NJ, It seems voters in Sussex County do not trust Attorney General Gurbir Grewal’s “Immigrant Trust Directive”.Voters in Sussex County Tuesday overwhelming supported a public question about continuing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, despite a statewide directive issued by Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, which limits voluntary assistance from law enforcement officers.
According to unofficial results, the question passed by a huge margin with 67% support, as 22,081 voted “Yes” while 10,982 voted “No.”
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Trenton NJ, top officials in Attorney General Gurbir Grewal’s office issued letters attacking sheriffs for cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through the 287(g) Program, which allows designated state and local officers to work with ICE to identify incarcerated illegal immigrants with criminal charges or convictions.
Continue reading Sheriffs have duty to protect communities from criminals living here illegally
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Trenton NJ, Statement of Attorney General Gurbir Grewal Regarding the State Comptroller’s Audit of EDA Incentive Programs :
“Last week, the Office of the State Comptroller issued an audit report identifying serious deficiencies in the management and administration of certain tax incentive programs run by the Economic Development Authority (EDA). For more than a decade, the Comptroller’s Office has earned a reputation for the rigor and independence of its work, and I want to commend Comptroller Phil Degnan for conducting such a thorough audit.
I found the report’s conclusions deeply troubling – both as a public official and as a taxpayer. New Jersey residents have a right to expect that their government will carefully tailor economic development programs to maximize the general welfare and minimize the use of public funds. The Comptroller’s audit raises serious concerns about whether EDA’s incentive programs fell short of those expectations over the past decade. It also highlighted the lack of robust internal controls at EDA, raising the troubling possibility that EDA may have failed to identify material misrepresentations made by one or more entities at the time the agency approved their tax credits.
I spent a significant portion of my career rooting out financial misconduct as a federal prosecutor in Newark and Brooklyn, and I get very concerned whenever I see a state agency distributing so much money, with so little oversight, over such a long period of time. There are many things we still do not know about the historical details of EDA’s incentive programs, but it’s time to start asking some tough questions. As Attorney General, I intend to figure out what exactly happened and whether any laws were broken. If it turns out that taxpayer dollars were distributed in violation of civil or criminal law, I will use the full powers of my office to seek recovery of those funds and ensure that the proper parties are held accountable. The residents of New Jersey deserve nothing less.”