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.

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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.

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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 »

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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 »

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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 »

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Live, from New Jersey … is Joe Piscopo actually going to run for governor?

NEW YORK — Joe Piscopo had just gone to a commercial break during his New York City morning radio show when his producer, Frank “Five Boroughs” Morano, interjected with a query. Morano said he spent part of the weekend playing Trivial Pursuit with his parents, only to be stumped by this question: “Which ‘Saturday Night Live’… Read the rest of this entry »

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State Drops Hammer On ‘Ruthless’ Doctors Profiting Off Opioid Addiction

Doctors issuing mass opioid prescriptions in New Jersey are facing a legal crackdown to combat rampant heroin addiction fueled by painkillers. A record number of doctors in the state were sanctioned in 2016 over their irresponsible prescribing habits, resulting in long-term suspensions, permanent revocation of medical licenses and in some cases criminal charges. George Beecher, a… Read the rest of this entry »

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Trump ends transgender bathroom protections in schools

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Wednesday ended federal protections for transgender students that instructed schools to allow them to use bathrooms and locker rooms matching their gender identities. Stepping into an emotional national debate, the administration came down on the side of states’ rights, lifting federal guidelines that had been issued by the Obama administration… Read the rest of this entry »

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$1 million Powerball ticket sold in N.J. as jackpot climbs to $403M

No one won the Powerball jackpot on Saturday night, but one ticket sold in New Jersey is worth $1 million. The $1 million ticket matched five numbers but not the Powerball, according to Powerball officials. The location of the sale in New Jersey was not made public Sunday morning. With no big winner, the jackpot for… Read the rest of this entry »

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FDU Public Mind Poll: New Jersey’s Government Is Inept

Voters Give Christie, Legislature low marks. No confidence in government impacting addiction crisis, State is on the wrong track

State of the State 2017(Governor’s Office/Tim Larsen)

The vast majority of New Jersey voters, 74%, think individuals and families should be most responsible for ensuring that those seeking treatment for alcohol and drug treatment find what they need, according to a Fairleigh Dickinson University Public Mind Poll released this morning. 22% think government should be most responsible for getting addicts help.

Those who favor personal and family responsibility over government intervention include 64% of Democrats, 82% of Independents and 87% of Republicans.  60% said the know someone personally who is or was addicted to alcohol or drugs.  70% said they know someone who has died as a result of addiction.

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