New Jersey
Alex Zdan wins Monmouth GOP convention for U.S. Senate – New Jersey Globe
Former News 12 New Jersey reporter Alex Zdan won the Monmouth County Republican convention tonight, giving him the organization line in one of the state’s most heavily Republican counties in his bid to become the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate.
Zdan defeated businessman Curtis Bashaw on the second ballot 111-82, 57.5%-42.5%.
On the first ballot, Zdan led Bashaw by two votes, 103-101, with Glassner finishing third with roughly 40 votes. About 50 Republicans left after the first ballot.
This is Zdan’s first convention victory and upends the fight to pick a GOP candidate for the seat held since 2006 by Democrat Bob Menendez. Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges in September; his trial is due to begin in May.
“I am incredibly humbled to receive the support of the Monmouth County GOP, one of the largest Republican organizations in the state,” Zdan said. “Our campaign will keep this momentum going until we send a Republican to the US Senate.”
Bashaw, a real estate developer and hotel owner from Cape May County, won the Ocean County GOP convention earlier this evening. He won the line in Atlantic County on Saturday, and the recommendation of the Middlesex County Republican screening committee last night.
Serrano Glassner, a former George W. Bush administration official with close ties to former President Donald Trump, has scored victories in Hunterdon, Union, and Morris counties.
Six other Senate candidates – Steve Boston, Michael Estrada, Albert Harshaw, Brian Jackson, Justin Michael Murphy, and Fred Schneiderman – did not compete in Monmouth.
Monmouth cast the third highest number of votes in the 2020 Republican primary and makes up roughly 9% of the statewide GOP turnout behind Ocean and Morris.
Rep. Christopher Smith (R-Manchester) was unopposed for the Republican nomination for a 21st term as the congressman from New Jersey’s 4th district.
In a safe Democratic 6th district, represented by Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-Long Branch) since 1988, Monmouth Republicans are supporting Scott Fegler, a 35-year-old political newcomer from Highlands who is director of business development for a wholesale cheese, charcuterie, deli meat, grocery, and seafood products importer. He faces a primary fight with perennial candidate Gregg Mele, a former Libertarian gubernatorial candidate.
At the Middlesex County GOP screening committee last night, Fegler defeated Mele, 24-5.
County Commissioner Sue Kiley had no opposition in her bid for re-election.
New Jersey
Husband of slain New Jersey mom begs for help in newly released 911 call | Fox News Video
Former homicide detective Brian Foley joins ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to provide analysis on Conor Hanlon’s 911 call after finding his wife, Brooke, stabbed to death.
Former homicide detective Brian Foley provides expert insights into the newly released 911 call from Conor Hanlon, whose wife, New Jersey therapist Brooke Hanlon, was found stabbed to death. Foley analyzes the husband’s emotional state and the police’s approach, noting the case’s ‘suspicious’ designation 13 minutes into the call.
New Jersey
NJ firefighter dies after crash responding to fire call
A young firefighter died two weeks after being badly hurt in a crash while responding to a fire call, according to the Malaga Fire Company.
Robert (Bobby) Reider, 23, was driving north along Delsea Drive while trying to get to the scene of fire on Saturday, June 27 when his car went off the road, officials said.
When first responders got to the scene of the crash, they found Reider trapped in his car and worked to remove him.
Reider was then taken by helicopter to a nearby hospital where he was treated for severe and traumatic injuries.
Weeks later, on July 10 around 4:30 a.m., Reider died from his injuries while still in the hospital.
The Malaga Fire Company says that Reider joined their team in 2018 when he was just 16 as a junior firefighter.
He then went on to earn a certificate at Fire 1 at the Salem County Fire Academy in 2022.
New Jersey
NJ Legislators Are Considering a Bill That Could Ban Tesla Robotaxis Due to Their Tech Choice
New Jersey lawmakers are deliberating on a law that would create a three-year autonomous vehicle pilot program in the state, but Tesla might be banned from participating altogether over a technical choice made by the Texas-based carmaker for its self-driving vehicles.
The bill, officially known as S1677, would establish autonomous vehicle testing requirements with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. One of these proposed requirements is that autonomous vehicle operators use camera-based technology and two additional forms of sensor tech, such as lidar or radar. Of course, Tesla’s autonomous vehicle technology is purely camera-based, meaning the brand could be banned from testing in New Jersey.
The text of the bill is fairly straightforward, requiring prospective autonomous operators to submit a “law enforcement interaction plan” and detail redundant safety systems, crash-avoidance technology, and data recording capabilities. The specific language that would ban Tesla’s system requires autonomous operators to “be equipped with crash-avoidance systems, including a camera system and two distinct sensing modalities that are capable of detecting and tracking obstacles in the event of failure of the camera system.” The bill also favors keeping traditional steering wheel and pedal controls available. While initial testing would be completed with human safety operators, the bill would allow fully autonomous operation once certain metrics, such as 50,000 crash-free miles, are met.
The decision to require both camera- and sensor-based technology is not a coincidence, according to The Verge. “This is not anti-Tesla. I’m pro-New Jersey safety,” Democratic state senator Andrew Zwicker, the bill’s primary sponsor and a physicist by trade, said to The Verge. “At this point, I don’t think the evidence is sufficient that a single sensor with software can handle situations that humans can.”
Tesla is, unsurprisingly, upset about this development, and the company is fighting back. The automaker’s public policy platform, Engage Tesla, features a call to action for Tesla owners to contact members of the New Jersey Legislature to oppose the bill, with the plea claiming the autonomous vehicle testing program is the opposite of progress, and saying that Tesla would be legally barred from testing in the Garden State. Statistics about roadway death rates in New Jersey and denying freedom of movement for elderly populations are also included.
“Rather than prioritizing real safety outcomes and performance, the bill specifically bans Tesla from the New Jersey market,” the site reads. “Every arbitrary roadblock is a delay for the people who need this life-changing technology most. Legislation that bans Tesla’s proven AV technology from the market is not caution — it’s anti-competitive favoritism that will cause New Jersey to fall behind while other states move forward.”
The bill, introduced on January 16, is currently under consideration by the New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. The bill’s language closely mirrors talking points from the nonprofit SAVE-US, which is lobbying for stronger oversight of autonomous vehicle testing. New Jersey is not the only state pondering additional autonomous testing regulation; New York legislators are working on similar legislation. Just yesterday, federal safety regulators called out autonomous vehicle operators like Waymo for interfering with first responders.
A New York transplant hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Emmet White has a passion for anything that goes: cars, bicycles, planes, and motorcycles. After learning to ride at 17, Emmet worked in the motorcycle industry before joining Autoweek in 2022 and Road & Track in 2024. The woes of alternate side parking have kept his fleet moderate, with a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta GLI and a BMW 318i E30 street parked in his Queens community.
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