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Measure would use swelling cash surplus to offset unemployment tax hike – New Jersey Monitor

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Measure would use swelling cash surplus to offset unemployment tax hike – New Jersey Monitor


Meeting lawmakers are set to advance a invoice to defray unemployment insurance coverage tax hikes on companies Thursday, their bid fueled by the state’s ample surplus money.

The automated tax hikes are meant to replenish New Jersey’s unemployment belief fund, which pays out advantages to laid-off staff and was drained by skyrocketing jobless claims within the earliest months of the pandemic.

Assemblyman Roy Freiman’s measure would successfully lock within the present tax fee for companies, which is ready to rise in July and once more subsequent yr. Although the 2 fee will increase will proceed, underneath Freiman’s invoice companies would obtain credit equal to the tax hikes.

“We want numerous steps to assist round affordability for everybody, and small companies are essential,” mentioned Freiman (D-Somerset).

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Small companies, as outlined by the U.S. Small Enterprise Administration, are eligible for the credit. The definitions are broad and may embody corporations with as much as 1,000 workers or tens of millions in earnings, relying on the trade.

Freiman mentioned the broad definitions would enable the invoice to cowl roughly 70% of New Jersey companies.

“We’re not making an attempt to boil the ocean on this one,” he mentioned.

Officers from the Treasury and Workplace of Legislative Providers mentioned Monday New Jersey’s burgeoning money reserves will balloon previous $10 billion, the rise fueled by surging tax collections and optimistic forecasts for the approaching fiscal yr.

Enterprise house owners and a few lawmakers had been urging the administration to make use of federal assist to revive the unemployment fund, however Gov. Phil Murphy has resisted the thought.

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The invoice will nonetheless see some adjustments because it absorbs a separate measure sponsored by Meeting Majority Chief Lou Greenwald (D-Camden), whose invoice would have required the state to repay federal loans the state took to maintain its unemployment fund solvent.

Utilizing federal assist seems to be off the desk, however transparency provisions in Greenwald’s invoice are being rolled into Freiman’s, provisions that might require the Division of Labor to report info to the Legislature on unemployment mortgage advances, the fund’s well being, and the mixture value of a fee change.

Freiman mentioned the invoice may find yourself providing grants as a substitute of tax credit.

“I feel I might nonetheless prefer to see extra dialog round that,” he mentioned. “Clearly, you don’t have to use for the credit. In concept, the benefit of a grant is that it’s simply coming again to you regardless, versus taxable earnings to make the most of your credit score in opposition to. However proper now, to maneuver this ahead, we’re engaged on the tax credit.”

The merger of the payments successfully means a nascent Democratic push to make use of federal {dollars} to shore up the unemployment fund is all however useless.

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When the fund drained, the enterprise tax hikes meant to replenish it had been mechanically triggered, although Murphy signed a invoice to unfold them throughout three years. The primary went into impact with the beginning of the present fiscal yr in July 2021, whereas the 2 remaining hikes will come the subsequent two Julys.

To maintain the fund solvent earlier than the tax hikes went into impact, New Jersey started taking loans from the federal authorities in August 2020. It’s borrowed greater than $1 billion up to now.

The state paid off its excellent mortgage steadiness in early Might, although it nonetheless owes practically $6.3 million in curiosity.

Although Freiman is optimistic in regards to the possibilities of his invoice, it’s not clear whether or not the governor helps it. A spokesperson for the governor didn’t return a name in search of remark.

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New Jersey

New Jersey woman killed in hit-and-run crash; investigation underway

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New Jersey woman killed in hit-and-run crash; investigation underway


Detectives are investigating after a woman was killed in a hit-and-run crash on Wednesday afternoon in Camden, New Jersey, Camden County Prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, around 3:21 p.m., officers were dispatched to 7th St. and Tulip St. for a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle.

The victim — now identified as Carla Mahan, 41, of Camden — was transported to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 4:06 p.m., prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said this investigation is active and ongoing at this time.

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Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Daniel Crawford of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit at 856-580-2223 and Detective Andrew Mogck of the Camden County Police Department at 609-519 8588.



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NJ man caught with massive cache of illegal guns, knives and explosives thanks to his own shameless Facebook posts

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NJ man caught with massive cache of illegal guns, knives and explosives thanks to his own shameless Facebook posts


A New Jersey man’s shameless posts on Facebook led police to uncover a massive cache of illegal guns, knives, and explosives stashed inside the suspect’s home on a quiet suburban block this week.

Kyle Arena, 35, of Totowa, NJ, is facing multiple firearms and weapons charges stemming from a home raid Tuesday that yielded rifles, handguns, dozens of knives, ninja stars, brass knuckles, 129 fully loaded illegal high-capacity magazines, thousands of rounds of ammunition and even four explosives, Totowa police said.

Totowa police found rifles, handguns, 129 fully loaded illegal high-capacity magazines and thousands of rounds of ammunition. ABC 7
The suspect lives in a quiet suburban neighborhood. ABC 7

An anonymous tipster alerted cops to Arena’s concerning social media posts and alleged arsenal of guns and investigators had to look no further than his Facebook page for probable cause.

Arena made a habit of flashing his guns online and “posting questionable content in various Facebook groups,” according to authorities.

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Mugshot of Kyle Arena. ABC 7

In one post, he pointed a gun at people while driving by in his car. In other posts, he shared pics of illegal items such as silencers, police said.

In another photo, Arena can be seen holding up a rifle to his square black-rimmed glasses, pretending to take aim at an unseen target.

The emailed tip included screengrabs of Arena’s Facebook posts to a group called “Meal Team 6.1 Mid-Tier Main Group,” according to authorities. That private group of gun-enthusiasts boasts 14,500 members.

“Meal Team 6.1 Mid-Tier Main Group” has a number of rules posted to their homepage, including “DO NOT USE FB REPORTING OPTIONS” or face removal. The rule encourages members to eschew Facebook content moderators for fear that any intervention into the private group would result in it being shut down entirely.

Totowa police found dozens of knives, ninja stars and brass knuckles. ABC 7

With the multitude of evidence from his social posts, Totowa police were granted a search and seize warrant called a “Temporary Extreme Risk Protection Order” by a judge to search through the Lincoln Avenue home where Arena lives with his parents.

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Investigators found the huge arsenal of weapons hidden inside a crawl space inside the home and bomb-sniffing dogs discovered four explosive devices, police said.

Officers seized all the items and arrested Arena without incident. ABC 7

Nearby residents told ABC7 they couldn’t believe one of their neighbors was hoarding the stockpile of deadly weapons.

“I was in shock,” Ciro Abdondanza told the station. “I never would have expected anything of that magnitude would happen in Totowa.”

“I couldn’t believe it,” Carmine Cifalvi added. “That’s just crazy. What’s he starting his own army or something?”

Mugshot of the suspect’s father, Felix Arena. ABC 7

Officers seized all the items and arrested Arena without incident. He is being held by the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office and faces multiple illegal firearms-related charges. He is due in court on Monday.

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The suspect’s 66-year-old father, Felix Arena was also taken into custody during the search. He was charged with disorderly conduct, terroristic threats, and resisting arrest.



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New Jersey hits pause on an offshore wind farm that can't find turbine blades

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New Jersey hits pause on an offshore wind farm that can't find turbine blades


New Jersey hit the pause button Wednesday on an offshore wind energy project that is having a hard time finding someone to manufacture blades for its turbines.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities granted Leading Light Wind a pause on its project through Dec. 20 while its developers seek a source for the crucial components.

The project, from Chicago-based Invenergy and New York-based energyRE, would be built 40 miles (65 kilometers) off Long Beach Island and would consist of up to 100 turbines, enough to power 1 million homes.

Leading Light was one of two projects that the state utilities board chose in January. But just three weeks after that approval, one of three major turbine manufacturers, GE Vernova, said it would not announce the kind of turbine Invenergy planned to use in the Leading Light Project, according to the filing with the utilities board.

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A turbine made by manufacturer Vestas was deemed unsuitable for the project, and the lone remaining manufacturer, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, told Invenergy in June that it was substantially increasing the cost of its turbine offering, Invenergy said.

That left the project without a turbine supplier.

“The stay enables continued discussions with the BPU and supply chain partners regarding the industry-wide market shifts,” Invenergy said in a statement. “We will continue to advance project development activities during this time.”

Christine Guhl-Sadovy, president of the utilities board, said the delay will help the project move forward.

“We are committed in New Jersey to our offshore wind goals,” she said. “This action will allow Invenergy to find a suitable wind turbine supplier. We look forward to delivering on the project that will help grow our clean energy workforce and contribute to clean energy generation for the state.”

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The delay was the latest setback for offshore wind in New Jersey. The industry is advancing in fits and starts along the U.S. East Coast.

Nearly a year ago, Danish wind energy giant Orsted scrapped two offshore wind farms planned off New Jersey’s coast, saying they were no longer financially feasible.



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