Good Thursday morning!

We’ve seen reports before about states, including New Jersey, using federal Covid relief funds for things that are, to put it very generously, tangentially related to Covid. Take last year’s AP report about state expenditures around the country that included New Jersey’s $15 million for its 2026 World Cup bid.

Here’s a new one. The Murphy administration spent over half a million dollars in American Rescue Plan cash on eight new Executive Protection Unit SUVs to drive around the governor, lieutenant governor and other state officials.

“NJSP is responsible for the security and transportation of State officials, including the Governor and Lieutenant Governor,” a Jan. 17 Department of Treasury memo to the state's Joint Budget Oversight Committee (JBOC) says. “As part of their many responsibilities, these officials provide leadership and lend support to the State’s COVID-19 recovery efforts at vaccination sites, hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care facilities and other affected sites.”

Nobody’s saying this is illegal. But Republican Budget Officer and JBOC member Hal Wirths (R-Sussex) says that’s a stretch (Not a limo. The cars are Chevy Suburbans). The pandemic is well past its peak and pandemic-related activities will probably be a tiny fraction of what these cars are used for, he points out.

Read more about it here. 

DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE’S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 355

TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at [email protected].

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Unless we act now, Morris County families will flee and be replaced by liberals from New York who don’t share our values and won’t vote in the interests of taxpayers and families.” — Morris County Republican Commissioner candidate Anthony Somma

WHERE’S MURPHY? California. Acting Gov. Sheila Oliver has no public schedule

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Albio Sires, Rob Field, Heather Taylor

DAVID VS. EVERYBODY — “Education Law Center director who fought for N.J.’s vulnerable children is stepping down after 26 years,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Melanie Burney: “For 26 years, David G. Sciarra, a civil rights attorney, has been at the forefront of the fight to level the playing field for marginalized children in the landmark Abbott v. Burke rulings that helped change the educational landscape in New Jersey. As executive director of the Education Law Center based in Newark since 1996, Sciarra has appeared before the state Supreme Court 18 times … Beginning March 1, Sciarra will be replaced by Robert Kim, an expert in education law and policy. But Sciarra said he plans to remain active in the quest for educational equity in New Jersey and around the country.”

WARY — “Warehouse industry faces slowdown as lawmakers, towns push back,” by NJ Spotlight News’ John Hurdle: “New Jersey’s warehouse industry faces a possible future restraint on its recent explosive growth because of legislative and municipal action to curb its expansion, according to the latest industry outlook. A quarterly report on industrial real estate in north and central New Jersey found more evidence of strong demand for warehouse space in the final three months of 2022. It also signaled for the second consecutive quarter that the runaway growth seen in the last few years may slow at some point in response to state laws and local ordinances designed to curb so-called warehouse sprawl. At least two bills, introduced in the Legislature in late 2022, are a response to public concern that the warehouse industry is consuming scarce open space, choking local roads with trucks and industrializing remaining rural corners of the state.”

—“Group emphasizes need to control New Jersey warehouse sprawl”

MADDEN ‘23: CAMPAIGN OR VIDEO GAME? — “Madden’s sluggish fundraising could be sign of retirement, but that might not matter in South Jersey,” by New Jeresy Globe’s David Wildstein: “Six-term State Sen. Fred Madden (D-Washington Township) has $76,974 cash-on-hand after raising just $3,500 in the last quarter of 2022 and $7,000 since the 2021 election. In other parts of the state, lethargic fundraising numbers for an incumbent in a competitive district might signal an intention to retire — the conventional wisdom is that 68-year-old Senate Labor Committee chairman is unlikely to seek re-election to a seventh term — but candidate fundraising in South Jersey is not a requirement of the job. Democratic powerhouse George Norcross tends to take on fundraising responsibilities for his candidates, so Madden’s low cash-on-hand could easily be supplemented in time for the fall campaign.”

—"Coughlin, Scutari ask to intervene in court challenge to New Jersey's new gun law"

—Pizarro: “Behind the exhausting ongoing scenes of guv 2025” 

—“NJ colleges, universities should stock naloxone, lawmakers say” 

—“After barnburner 2021 contest, will LD8 be competitive this year?” 

—“Action urged to bring ashore power generated by wind farms” 

—“Booker calls on EPA to strengthen chemical safety rules following NorthJersey.com series” 

—“N.J. just set a record for Obamacare signups, even before enrollment period ends” 

—“EPA extends public comment period on proposed $150 million Lower Passaic River cleanup pact” 

OLD BRUNSWICK — “Adult woman posed as NBHS student for four days before being caught,” by New Brunswick Today’s Charlie Kratovil: “Officials admitted that a grown woman who posed as a teen girl was able to attend classes at the city’s high school for several days after enrolling with fake documents. Superintendent Aubrey Johnson told the Board of Education that, during the week of January 16, the woman attempted to enroll in classes and attended the school for four days before she was ousted from the institution … It’s just the latest in a series of controversies at the high school, which has been plagued by violence, and rattled by rumors of threats … But at their January 24 meeting, the Board of Education glossed over the shocking news, and effectively prevented students and parents from addressing them about it, voicing their concerns, or asking questions about how such a thing could happen.”

—“Man charged after boarding [Gloucester County] school bus, yelling at students” 

LAW & ORDER: SUV  — “Jersey City councilwoman’s hit-and-run plea gives Hudson County progressives renewed hope,” by The Jersey Journal’s Joshua Rosario: “With Jersey City Councilwoman Amy DeGise admitting in court Tuesday to a hit-and-run crash, a group of Hudson County progressives are aiming to galvanize voters against the councilwoman and the powerful Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO) that failed to condemn her actions. The two-pronged plan includes a renewal of demonstrations to demand DeGise’s resignation from the city council and ousting HCDO candidates in this June’s primary elections … Progressives Kevin Bing and Hector Osegura expected Wednesday’s city council meeting to include a new groundswell of residents urging DeGise to step down. Bing said a rally outside City Hall prior to the Feb. 6 city council meeting is being planned. “Regular people know about this, it is not just political hacks or people who are very involved in politics, people are still angry,” said Bing, who ran unsuccessfully for the Ward C council seat in the last election”

THE DENIAL OF THE RECORDS REQUEST WAS ODIEOUS AND SHOULD NOT BE NERMAL — “Garfield finally releases video of clash between board members and resident, 2 years later,” by The Record’s Kristie Cattafi: “The Board of Education released surveillance videos of a dispute between a resident and two board members two years later, after dropping a court appeal this month. A member of the public, Anthony Erekat, and two board members, Everett Garnto and Frank Barber, were in a verbal confrontation at the Jan. 25, 2021, school board meeting. … an Open Public Records Act request for videos of the meeting and surveillance footage was denied. The Record sued for the videos … During the public portion of the 2021 meeting, Erekat asks for Garnto and Barber to resign, followed by Garnto immediately asking for Erekat to be removed from the meeting. Erekat can be heard making claims of harassment, but there are multiple times during the five minutes of public comment when it's inaudible, because people are talking over one another. Garnto can can be heard calling Erekat a ‘crook’ and asks if he's threatening him."

MUNIZIPAL MADNESS — “Hudson County pulls away from contract with Remington and Vernick,” by InsiderNJ’s Max Pizarro: “The Hudson County Commissioners on Tuesday night killed a construction oversight contract with Remington and Vernick Engineers to manage a federally funded project on Kennedy Boulevard. R and V originally won the bid, estimated at between $1.2 and $1.5 million. But the commissioners sat on it, and used several meetings to quietly logistically kill the contract … The county commissioners’ rejection of R and V played out against the backdrop of a significant portion of the establishment’s continuing discontent with the movements of Joey Muniz, who consults for Remington and Vernick. Once the prime consigliere for the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO), Muniz lost his standing with the organization when sitting HCDO Chairman Anthony Vainieri took over.’  

A TRENTON RUNOFF THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WATER WORKS —“Trenton City Council At-Large run-off finally settled with Edwards, Feliciano, Gonzalez at top,” by The Trentonian’s John Berry: “Jasi Edwards finishes 1,966 votes, 23.78% of the total 8,267 votes tallied. Crystal Feliciano had 1,839 votes, with 22.25%. Yazminelly Gonzalez rounds out the top three with nearly as many votes, at 1,839 for 22.05% of the votes tallied. These results hit the majority threshold that no candidate was able to get in November when there were nine candidates. With 3,215 voters, at least one vote more than 50%, which would be 1,608 votes. This leaves all three top vote-getters over the majority threshold this time.”

THEN MAYBE STOP FORCING REPORTERS TO WAIT 7 DAYS FOR REQUESTS THAT CAN BE FILLED IN MINUTES — “Atlantic City school board told to clamp down on information released by members,” by the Press of Atlantic City’s Michelle Brunetti Post: “School board members are breaking ethics rules and perhaps the law when they release documents to the public on their own, even if the public has the right to see them, the state monitor told the school board at its Tuesday night meeting. ‘You have to trust each other,’ said Carole Morris, who oversees the school district on behalf of the state Department of Education. ‘This should not have been issued to the media by a board member.’ Morris was talking about a letter she sent to board members Dec. 14, telling them she reversed a Dec. 13 vote against rehiring former Superintendent Barry Caldwell as the interim director of operations, at $600 per day. The document that was released was a public document, and was available through an Open Public Records Act request, Morris said. But instead someone released it to a media outlet without an OPRA request being filed.”

—“Massive Jersey City West Side development rejected by planning board” 

—“Complaint from staunch Bhalla critic over renovations at mayor’s Hoboken home to be reviewed” 

—“Rowdy teens, beware. This summer, Ocean City is calling your parents. Really” 

—Snowflack: “The tiffs of Dover”

—“After town forgot to run an election in november, a new school board member is elected:

—“Former South Plainfield teacher files whistleblower suit against school district” 

—“After 80 years hiding 'in plain sight,' Madison's Lincoln portrait heads to Smithsonian” 

—“Ex-Ocean City Beach Patrol member, teacher indicted on child sex-assault charges” 

—“Why are so many motels up for sale in Wildwood?” 

STRANDED — “Have you been stranded on the side of Route 17 by Greyhound? You're not alone,” by The Record’s Colleen Wilson: “Eva De Luca knows to get to the Greyhound bus stop early. The 19-year-old Canadian visits family in Ridgewood three or four times a year … So, when De Luca arrived on Jan. 4 for a 9:10 p.m. bus to Montreal, she got there with 15 to 20 minutes to spare. Yet she still didn’t catch the bus — because, she said, it blew past the stop, stranding her and another couple in the cold with no way home. De Luca called customer support to see if they had more information about the status of the bus, but she said they hung up on her … The stories flooding news feeds this holiday season focused on the plight of the stranded air travelers and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg calling out the airlines — specifically Southwest, over its handling of rescheduling flights and refunding customers. But far less attention is paid to the difficulties of stranded bus travelers, who often brave seasonal elements to wait at desolate curbside stops before long-haul journeys. They face the unpredictability of buses that can arrive early or late, not show up at all, or even skip stops. And unlike airplane passengers, who often receive refunds or hotel rooms when a flight is canceled, bus riders have little recourse.”

—“NY-NJ ports surpass California as busiest in U.S. with historic levels in 2022” 

—“Colleges are bracing for a court decision on affirmative action. Here’s what Princeton’s president is doing to prepare” 

—“Positively NJ: This North Brunswick home sports 90 unique mannequins on the front lawn” 

—“91-year-old woman dies at South Plainfield nursing home after alleged assault” 

—“PSE&G natural gas customers to get relief in February after soaring heating bills”