Angry Christie wants more control of Horizon’s board, profits

Governor Chris Christie  (Governor’s Office/ Mykwain Gainey)

JERSEY CITY — Gov. Chris Christie is done asking Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey to pay big bucks to expand drug treatment in New Jersey. Now, he’s telling. Christie on Thursday announced he was proposing legislation giving future governors the ability to appoint four new directors to Horizon’s 15 member board, require greater… Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Sheriff Golden to Trenton: Stop ripping off the 9-1-1 fees

With New Jersey lawmakers busy in Trenton working on the next fiscal year’s State Budget, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden is calling on the legislature and Governor Christie to stop the diversion of $120 million per year that cell phone users pay for the express purpose of maintaining and upgrading 911 emergency infrastructure throughout the state.

Golden first raised the issue last summer, days after the current fiscal year budget took effect.   Yesterday, the Sheriff highlighted the issue in an interview with NJTV’s Brenda Flanagan.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Hackers Demand $30K To Unlock Newark’s Computers

Computers serving the City of Newark have been infected by ransomware, according to a report by TAPintoNewark.  The computers are unusable and the hacker has demanded 1.7 Bitcoin, the equivalent of $30,000 to unlock the City’s system.

The City’s police department’s computers were unaffected by the RSA-2048 encryption that was installed on Newark computers on Friday.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Meet the lawyer trying to pry drug pricing secrets out of Big Pharma

He has a private jet, a pedigree of winning billion-dollar settlements, and the (sometimes grudging) respect of his adversaries. Now, he wants to become pharma’s latest headache. Class-action attorney Steve Berman is coming after a drug industry he says is “gouging” the American consumer. And his suits have the potential to crack the lid on the… Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

N.J.’s chief justice asks ICE to stop arresting immigrants at courthouses

TRENTON — The chief justice of New Jersey’s Supreme Court is calling on federal immigration officials to stop arresting unauthorized immigrants at state courthouses, warning the practice could undermine New Jersey’s justice system. In a letter to federal Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner raised concerns over two recent arrests by Immigration Customs… Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Kim Guadagno vows to slash your N.J. property taxes by as much as $3,000

TRENTON — Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, the early Republican front-runner for governor, told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday she would slash New Jersey’s notoriously high property taxes by up to $3,000 for homeowners who pay more than 5 percent of their household income on school taxes. Guadagno said her proposal — which she plans to officially… Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Head of ICE in N.J.: Rules of engagement have changed

NEWARK–As the Trump administration expands its aggressive enforcement efforts against those who may have entered this country illegally, John Tsoukaris is responsible for implementing the president’s new policies in New Jersey. Tsoukaris, the Newark Field Office Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, said the administration’s executive order that… Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Christie Commutes Marine Veteran’s Sentence For Gun Conviction

photo via Google +

Hisashi K.D. Pompey, Marine veteran from Virginia convicted under New Jersey’s draconian gun laws of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, will not have to report to State Prison on Monday.  Governor Chris Christie commuted Pompey’s sentence to time served today.

Pompey was arrested on December 16, 2011 and convicted in 2013, according to the Governor’s Order. According to published reports, Pompey brought his gun, which was licensed in his home state of Virginia, into a Fort Lee nightclub.  A friend took the gun from the Marine’s holster. No shots were fired and no one was injured.

Pompey was facing a 5 year prison term with a provision that he serve a minimum of three years.

Pompey’s application for a full pardon is still under review by the Governor’s Office, according to Chief Counsel Gregory Acquaviva’s letter to his attorney, Evan Nappen of Eatontown.

• Tweet

Accumulated Sick-Day Payouts: ‘Local’ Problem Hits $2 Billion and Counting

Public workers in a majority of New Jersey’s municipalities, school districts, and all but two of its counties are due almost $1.9 billion in pay for unused absences when they retire, with at least one employee slated to receive as much as $500,000. To put things in perspective: If this obligation were spread throughout the state,… Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

O’Scanlon’s Bill Allowing Minors To Register As Organ Donors Passes In Assembly

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon

A bill sponsored by Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon that would allow minors as young as 14 years old register as organ donors was passed overwhelmingly, 74-0, in the Assembly on Thursday.  Currently, the youngest a person can register as a organ donor in New Jersey is 18.  The legislation gives parents of minor organ donors the ability to overrule the registration.

O’Scanlon worked on the bill with the NJ Sharing Network, the nonprofit organization that manages the state’s organ transplant system.

“Children in need of organ transplants usually require organs smaller than those an adult can provide,” said O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth). “Teens will be empowered to memorialize their wishes. The act is both selfless and admirable. The bill may also help to provide parents both guidance and comfort during a time of unimaginable loss.”

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet