Good Wednesday morning! I’m back. Sorry I forgot to tell you I was taking two days off.

It looks like the alleged “ghost candidates” may not have been the only fake things related to “Jersey Freedom” — the shadowy group funded by South Jersey Democrats to confuse voters and draw the Republican-leaning ones away from the actual GOP candidates.

In recent court filings, the Republican State Committee says that the “Eric Peterson” listed as the organization’s chair and treasurer on its paperwork — the only name associated with the group when it first registered — gave a fake Queens address on his form with the Election Law Enforcement Commission. What’s more, the man listed as Jersey Freedom’s agent for process, Shane Walsh, gave only the address of his apartment complex and not the apartment number.

The purpose, according to the Republican State Committee: To make it impossible for anyone to serve the two men — the only two people who on paper were associated with Jersey Freedom —with their complaint.

Jersey Freedom attorney Bill Tambussi — the main attorney of the South Jersey Democratic machine — argued the lack of service is one reason a judge should unfreeze Jersey Freedom’s bank account. “[Plaintiffs] failed to serve the proposed [order to show cause] prior to its filing. There is no evidence that they even attempted to do so.”

Republican State Committee lawyer Jason Sena said in a brief late last week that they did try to serve the papers but they couldn’t because, you know, that thing where the defendants allegedly didn’t provide accurate information with how to find them. Meanwhile, Jersey Freedom is attempting to quash subpoenas by the Republican State Committee for the organization’s bank account, in an attempt to show it was paying expenses that it should have disclosed ot ELEC, and emails from the gmail accounts set up for the two alleged phantom candidates.

It does look obvious that Eric Peterson and Shane Walsh, whoever they are, aren’t the masterminds of this scheme. As Sena wrote: “We are supposed to believe that ‘Eric Peterson’ of Queens, New York, a political unknown, was able to organize this group, hire consultants to publish direct mail pieces and TV ads featuring ideas that he came up with by himself for an election in another state and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for it. This is an unbelievable assertion to anyone with knowledge of politics. Someone else is pulling the strings behind the scenes, and discovery will demonstrate who that is.”

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Julian Zelizer, Joan Quigley, Luis Iza, Jason Ravitz, Chris Howard

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Peasants of New Jersey! I have decided to bestow upon myself a higher calling. I shall run for the esteemed position of the United States Senate.” — ”Lady Tammy” Murphy in a video by state Sen. Michael Testa (R-Cumberland)

WHERE’S MURPHY? — Nothing on the public schedule

BATTLE OF THE BANS — Zwicker: Book ban response bill to get overhaul, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: State Sen. Andrew Zwicker (D-Middlesex) introduced legislation in May that would have banned book bans at schools and public libraries, with financial penalties for noncompliance. The measure, S3907 (22R), drew significant media attention due to a national rise in book bans. According to PEN America, a free speech organization, book bans at public K-12 schools increased by 33 percent in the most recent school year.

SINGER CHANGES TUNE — Singer withdraws support of casino smoking ban bill, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: The bill to ban indoor casino smoking continues to lose support. State Sen. Bob Singer (R-Ocean) has withdrawn as a co-sponsor of the bill and told POLITICO he would vote against the measure if it came up for a committee vote. Singer’s withdrawal of support carries some weight: He’s the top Republican on the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, which the bill must pass. It also underscores how lawmakers are slowly dropping support for the smoking ban.

GOTTA GET THAT SWEET $5 STIPEND — “Bill advances to end ban on jury service for people with criminal convictions,” by New Jerey Monitor’s Dana DiFilippo: “Lawmakers advanced a bill Monday that would allow people with criminal convictions to serve on juries — except anyone convicted of murder or aggravated sexual assault, a controversial carveout that critics decried as anti-democratic. The measure is a major criminal justice reform meant to expand the jury pool, reduce racial disparities in juries, and signal to formerly incarcerated people that jury duty is both their right and their civic obligation. It also would bring New Jersey into line with the rest of the nation. … [A] surprise amendment excluding people convicted of murder and aggravated sexual assault dominated the discussion.”

HEY MR. TAMBUSSI MAN — Residency changes raise questions for Rutgers board members, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: State law requires one of the governor’s nominees to the Rutgers board be a Camden County resident, a requirement that has long been fulfilled by William “Bill” Tambussi, a prominent attorney for South Jersey Democrats and Democratic power broker George Norcross. State law also requires an appointee to the Rutgers board from the Rutgers Board of Trustees to be a Middlesex County resident — a requirement the university says was fulfilled by board member Heather Taylor. The powerful Rutgers board governs the university, voting on budgets, tuition hikes and high-profile contracts like that of the head football coach Greg Schiano and University President Jonathan Holloway. But according to public records, Tambussi and Taylor no longer reside Camden or Middlesex Counties, respectively. The former lawmaker who sponsored the law says it disqualifies them from serving on the board and Rutgers’ largest labor union is calling for their resignations. … “I was properly appointed to the Board of Governors, while a resident of Camden County, for a second term in 2020. The law requires that one member of the Board of Governors, at the time of appointment, be a resident of Camden County,” Tambussi wrote.

—“Senate Judiciary Committee wants to interview State Board Of Education pick”

—“Up for debate: Can NJ keep making full payments to public-worker pension funds?”

—“50 bears killed during first day of New Jersey’s December bear hunt”

—“A Senate race raises concerns over ‘ballot Siberia’ in New Jersey primaries”

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE PALESTINE — “in a place called Little Palestine, people feel afraid. and forgotten,” by The New York Times’ Christopher Maag: “As the Palestinian commercial district grew, so did the community’s political power. Mosques in Paterson hosted campaign events for both Democratic and Republican senators and governors. Palestinian leaders maintain that Bill Pascrell Jr., the Democratic congressman from Paterson, owes his seat in part to their organizing work during his bruising primary fight for re-election in 2012, said Salaheddin Mustafa. Yet since Oct. 7, when Mr. Pascrell joined New Jersey’s senators and governor — all Democrats — to declare support for Israel and decline to call for an unconditional cease-fire, South Paterson has effectively banned the officials from their mosques and public spaces. Mr. Mustafa said that politicians’ aides have texted for weeks, asking to meet and repair the relationship. He has refused. ‘Once you call for a cease-fire, we’ll talk,’ said Mr. Mustafa. ‘With Pascrell, it’s very personal. He is persona non grata. We’re done.’ In an interview, Mr. Pascrell acknowledged that many of his Palestinian constituents were angry with him. He pointed to his support for President Biden’s decision to send $100 million in humanitarian aid to the West Bank, and for efforts to provide food, water, medical supplies and safe passage to civilians in Gaza.”

R.I.P. — “Jeremy Farrell, top LeFrak staffer and ex-Jersey City corporation counsel, dies at 44,” by Hudson County View’s John Heinis: “Jeremy Farrell, the special counsel and senior managing director of government and community affairs at LeFrak and former Jersey City corporation counsel, died of a heart attack at 44 years old [Monday] night … Farrell served as corporation counsel during Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop’s tenure between 2013 and 2017, heading to serve as the executive director of the city’s municipal utilities authority for most of 2018 before taking the aforementioned post at LeFrak. ‘Many of you reached out regarding the passing of Jeremy. He was a terrific human being. He was kind, smart, thoughtful, and was a man of impeccable character,’ Fulop wrote on social media.”

PAY IT BACK IN BEADS — “Lame duck Paterson board of education member travels to New Orleans for conference,” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “After finishing eighth in Paterson’s recent school board election, incumbent Dania Martinez got somewhat of a consolation prize — a $5,301 trip to New Orleans for a five-day education conference. This marked the second year in a row in which the Paterson district sent lame duck board members with just weeks remaining on their terms in office to warm weather destination cities for conferences. In December 2022, two board members at the time — Emmanuel Capers and Corey Teague — traveled to a Miami conference after losing their re-election bids. … Paterson Press asked several board members whether they thought it was a good idea to include members running for re-election among those slated to travel to conferences that would take place after the election. ‘What if she runs next year and wins?’ responded [Della] McCall. ‘The knowledge is always usable.’”

VAUGHN BABY VAUGHN — “Appellate court rejects robin Vaughn in Trenton,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “State appellate court upheld that two Trenton city councilwomen were eligible to seek local office in 2022, delivering the latest blow to the short political career of controversial former Councilwoman Robin Vaughn. Vaughn sought to toss Yazminelly Gonzalez and Jasi Mikae Edwards from their ballot, saying that Gonzalez didn’t meet the one-year residency requirement and Edwards’s long-ago shoplifting conviction barred them from running. The city clerk had found Gonzalez and Edwards eligible to run, and a trial court judge concurred.”

LUNACY — “Newark Board of Education won’t take action to seat new board member despite ethics review,” by Chalkbeat Newark’s Jessie Gómez: “More than a month after Thomas Luna was chosen to fill a vacancy on the Newark school board created when the former president abruptly resigned in September, the KIPP charter school teacher has yet to be seated. Luna was set to be sworn in during November’s board meeting where board President Hasani Council attributed the delay to information they received from a public records request and a review of School Ethics Commission opinions regarding conflicts of interest for board members. But details about the records request, reasons for the delay, the board’s review of opinions, and the conflict of interest remain unclear.”

B&E, A DEER, A CRIMINAL DEER — “A deer broke into a New Jersey elementary school. Its escape was caught on police bodycams,” by The AP: “A man walking his dog around 10 p.m. on Nov. 25 saw the young deer smash through a window at Cedar Grove Elementary School in Toms River, which is about 60 miles east of Philadelphia. The man notified police, and their subsequent search of the school was recorded by the officers’ bodycams. When officers encountered the deer in a stairwell, the animal — who police have nicknamed ‘Rudolph’ — initially charged at them as it ran down a hallway. It then entered a classroom by opening a door that happened to be unlatched and jumped onto a bookshelf, scattering some items — but it didn’t cause any major damage. The officers eventually used a dog snare to get the deer out of the classroom, and it soon fled the building the same way it got in.”

— “Is it possible to have zero pedestrian deaths? This N.J. city is trying”

—“Black businesswoman sues, says Asbury Park cops, landlord conspired against her”

—“Presinzano wins Hoboken 1st Ward council seat in first runoff election since 2009”

—“Two more warehouse plans surface in Hillsborough following $10 million buyout”

—“HUD to visit Atlantic City Housing Authority properties next week as heat problems continue”

—“U.S. Attorney weighs in on Orthodox Jewish group’s land use lawsuit in Millburn”

EDNA MAHAN —“15th DOC officer indicted over attacks on Edna Mahan inmates,” by MyCentralJersey’s Mike Deak: “A 15th corrections officer has been indicted in connection with a January 2021 incident at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women where inmates were allegedly forcibly removed from cells without justification, leaving two of the victims seriously injured. Sgt. Matthew Faschan, 35, of Hackettstown, has been indicted on charges of conspiracy, official misconduct, tampering with public records and aggravated assault, the state Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA) announced … The indictment also alleges that Faschan’s misleading special custody report was designed to deceive the Department of Corrections into believing that one victim’s forcible cell extraction was justified, and her injuries were self-inflicted.”

IF HOME SCHOOLING KEEPS UP AT THIS RATE, THE SCHOOLS WILL BE EMPTY IN 200 YEARS — “Homeschooling grew during the pandemic. Why more NJ families are choosing the option,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Amanda Oglesby: “In the 2019-20 school year, 1,295 New Jersey children were removed from public schools for homeschooling, according to state Department of Education records. However the following school year, with the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting education across the nation, the number of students leaving public schools for homeschool across the state quadrupled to 5,326 children and teenagers, according to the department’s records … The department does not track the inverse, or how many students stop homeschooling and register for public school. The department does not track the inverse, or how many students stop homeschooling and register for public school. Across New Jersey, public school enrollment declined by 3,908 students between the autumn of 2019 (1,375,829 students) and the autumn of 2022 (1,371,921 students), according to Department of Education records. … Between the 2020-21 school year and 2022-23 school year, 12,593 New Jersey students left public schools for homeschooling, according to state department’s records”

GTFO — “Springsteen sued over claim GTO owner didn’t get fair pay for classic car on album cover,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Ken Serrano and Chris Jordan: “A Toms River man’s estate is suing Bruce Springsteen, contending that the man was stiffed out of money when the Boss used his mint 1968 Pontiac GTO for promotions of his album “Only the Strong Survive” and on merchandise without permission. In an answer to the complaint, Springsteen and the other defendant, Sony Music Entertainment, deny the allegations.”

PATRICK INANEONE — “Man who sucker-punched Fox 29′s Bob Kelly at Jersey Shore bar will get probation,” by NJ Advance Media’s Jeff Goldman: “A man who assaulted Fox 29 reporter Bob Kelly at a Jersey Shore bar over the summer has pleaded guilty to third-degree aggravated assault. Patrick Iannone agreed to a plea deal in which he will be sentenced to probation, Cape May County Assistant Prosecutor Ed Shim said Tuesday. Iannone, 22, of Sea Isle City has also agreed to attend anger management and alcohol counseling classes, Shim said. … A man who assaulted Fox 29 reporter Bob Kelly at a Jersey Shore bar over the summer has pleaded guilty to third-degree aggravated assault. Patrick Iannone agreed to a plea deal in which he will be sentenced to probation, Cape May County Assistant Prosecutor Ed Shim said Tuesday. Iannone, 22, of Sea Isle City has also agreed to attend anger management and alcohol counseling classes, Shim said.”

—Union at NJIT votes to authorize first-ever strike

—“I was burned by dangerously hot McDonald’s tea, N.J. woman says in lawsuit”

—“No quick fix: Can NJCU find innovative solution for $51 million infrastructure repair bill?”