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Murphy Administration’s Failed COVID Response Leads to Property Tax Increase

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

 

Trenton NJ , Senator Joe Pennacchio criticized the passage of A-4175 in the General Assembly. This legislation would allow up to $14 billion in new borrowing to cover operating expenses.

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Study that Questioned Hydroxychloroquine Effectiveness Against COVID19 Retracted

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Washington DC, The three authors of the study, led by Mandeep R. Mehra of Harvard Medical School and published in late May , retracted their study from the Lancet because independent peer reviewers could not access the data used for the analysis.

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The Ridgewood Board of Education Meets Thursday, June 4, 2020 via Videoconferencing 6:00 p.m.

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Ridgewood NJ, Due to the Governor’s Executive Order 104 citing the CDC’s recommendation for cancellation or postponement of gatherings of fifty or more people, the Regular meeting will be held utilizing videoconferencing.

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Ridgewood Village Council agrees to cut $630,000 from the defeated Board of Education budget

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Village Council agrees to cut $630,000 from the defeated Ridgewood Board of Education budget .Councilwomen  Bernie Walsh  commented that the curriculum and programs would not be impacted or result in any layoffs .  She suggested the BOE put out a list of line items of what was actually cut . Deputy Mayor Knudsen stressed no impact on programs or quality of education and called it a win/win.

Mayor Ramon Hache said state school aid would be cut $447,000 ,and according to Deputy Mayor  Knudsen  was actually less than anticipated and factored in .

This means overall about $1.1M cut to the school budget. Murphy announced a cut of about $447,000 last week, in state aid. The Council resolution stated last night that as per school administration, this will not affect any programming.

The council approved the cut in a 4 to 1 with Councilmen Voigt as the lone dissenter.

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Critics say a $500K Report Does Not Absolve Murphy Admin for Nursing Home Deaths

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Trenton NJ, Senator Steven Oroho, Senator Declan O’Scanlon, and Senator Kristin Corrado said a superficial report commissioned by Governor Phil Murphy does not absolve his administration for its clear failures that led to the massive loss of life in New Jersey’s long-term care facilities due to COVID-19.

“The Murphy Administration paid a consulting firm $500,000 to rush a report that attempts to shift blame for thousands of nursing home deaths to anyone but the governor,” said Oroho (R-24). “What taxpayers received back is a glossy report that repackages the State’s data in colorful graphs and charts. The report glosses over the fact that the administration forced our LTC facilities to admit COVID-19 patients, which led to thousands of deaths. With that glaring deficiency, the entire report is suspect.”

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State Treasurer Asked for a Detailed Itemization of the New Costs Incurred Fighting the Coronavirus Pandemic in New Jersey

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Trenton  NJ,The Assembly Republican caucus sent a letter (click here for PDF) to state Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio Wednesday requesting a detailed itemization of the new costs incurred fighting the coronavirus pandemic and how much is expected to be reimbursed by Federal Emergency Management Agency.The Murphy administration has not provided detailed information on contracts or expenses related to the pandemic, but senior budget officials estimated the state has spent close to $200 million on coronavirus expenses.

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Murphy Adds Property Tax Surcharge onto Borrowing Binge Bill 

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Trenton NJ, according to Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger from Red Bank tagged on to Governor Murphy”s borrowing binge is a surcharge on property tax bills:

In a Facebook post Scharfenberger explained ,”Just when you thought you heard everything, bill A-4175, on schedule for a vote this Thursday, would allow the state to borrow five billion dollars without voter approval that would add a statewide surcharge to everyone’s property tax bill. This, on top of the recent toll hikes, is a double kick in the gut to the New Jersey taxpayer. While the governor keeps business in perpetual lockdown, Trenton is looking for ways to raise money through more egregious taxation. This is outrageous, and shows why it is imperative that we reopen the state now! “

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Valley Hospital Reports Fewer than a Handful of COVID19 Patients

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Ridgewood NJ, Valley Health System reported in a short statement on Facebook , ” We are so happy to share that our #COVID19 patient count has been on a consistent decline and that today we have fewer than a handful of patients being cared for at the hospital!”

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Time for Fiscal Discipline Instead of Massive Borrowing Schemes to Fix Budget

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TRENTON NJ, The Assembly Budget Committee passed a bill Monday that would allow at least $14 billion in borrowing to replace revenue lost during the economic shutdown in response to Covid-19.

Republicans on the committee asked that taxpayers get a chance to weigh in, if there was a back-up plan when borrowing for revenue is struck down as unconstitutional, and if the administration would consider an alternative plan that provides much needed revenue while cutting taxes for the middle class.

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NJGOP PRAISES COURAGEOUS WHISTLEBLOWERS FOR EXPOSING GOVERNOR MURPHY

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Trenton NJ,  Yesterday, a group of courageous whistleblowers came forward and exposed the Murphy Administration’s disastrous response to the COVID-19 pandemic inside nursing homes and longterm care facilities. In a letter to Senate President Sweeney and Leader Kean, a group of health department employees who identify themselves as Democrat-leaning voters called the Governor’s efforts “an unmitigated failure” that led to “preventable deaths”.NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt praised the whistleblowers and charged Governor Murphy with addressing what was brought to light:

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Governor Murphy Announces New Jersey to Enter Stage Two of Restart and Recovery on June 15th

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TRENTON NJ,  As part of his restart and recovery plan, “The Road Back: Restoring Economic Health Through Public Health,” Governor Phil Murphy today announced that New Jersey will enter Stage Two on June 15, 2020.

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The Ridgewood YMCA summer camp is is ON!

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Ridgewood  NJ, The Ridgewood YMCA summer camp is is ON!  Now more than ever, kids need camp! Under the guidance from Governor Murphy, camps have been given the green light to run this summer providing all social distance measures are taken to ensure the safety of children and staff.  We are following the CDC guidelines and working closely with state and local health departments, the American Camping Association and the Y USA to implement new procedures to address COVID-19 in our summer camps for this year.  We are meticulously planning our procedures and policies to address the following areas:

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73.5 Million Americans Plan to Look for a More Pandemic-Proof Job

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Ridgewood NJ, About 73.5 million Americans plan to look for a job that is more pandemic-proof, according to WalletHub’s nationally representative Coronavirus and the Future of the Economy Survey, released today.
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Pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly commenced early stage human trials of a monoclonal antibody therapeutic for COVID-19

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Ridgewood NJ, Pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly commenced early stage human trials of a monoclonal antibody therapeutic for COVID-19, marking the first trial of a treatment developed specifically for COVID-19. The Phase 1 clinical trial of LY-CoV555, an antibody treatment created from a blood sample of early US COVID-19 survivors, will test the drug’s safety in 32 patients who are currently hospitalized for COVID-19. Results of the trial are expected to be available later this month in order to determine if the treatment can continue to a larger trial testing efficacy and safety in non-hospitalized patients. Eli Lilly is already working to scale up production, with the aim of making the drug available as early as this fall, if it is demonstrated to be safe and effective. In addition to these trials, Eli Lilly plans to test other antibody therapies, and combinations of antibodies, as both treatment and prevention against SARS-CoV-2 infection

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THREE RWJBARNABAS HEALTH FACILITIES CONTRIBUTE TO GILEAD TRIAL ASSESSING COVID-19 TREATMENT

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West Orange NJ, RWJBarnabas Health is proud to have been a participant in one of the Gilead trials to assess antiviral Remdesivir as a treatment for patients with severe COVID-19.  Gilead recently announced promising top line results that show similar efficacy with 5- and 10- day dosing durations of the drug.

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