Different kinds of e-bikes

Some critics who opposed the law are calling on the Legislature to amend it. Several cycling enthusiasts argue that e-bikes with smaller motors do not pose the same danger as larger, faster ones.

Mike Gray, owner of Sourland Cycles in Hopewell, said the initial proposal was designed to improve the safety of large e-bikes, but that the final measure that was enacted goes way beyond that.

“It lumps all the bikes into one category, meaning the people that use them for commuting or recreation now have the same hurdles of insurance, registration and driver’s license as those who drive the high-speed bikes,” he said.

He said the new law disenfranchises a significant number of e-bike users.

“If people don’t have a driver’s license, there’s nothing in the law about how they’re going to register their e-bike,” he said. “And car insurance is an expensive hurdle, it’s going to create another burden when we’re trying to get more cars off the road.”

The law negatively impacts older cyclists

Steve Giocondo, an older Jersey resident who lives in Stockton, said he can understand the idea of regulating larger, more powerful e-bikes with throttles. Giocondo owns a smaller model that is pedal-assisted with no throttle. He said he uses the motor when he’s on a steep hill.

“I suppose I could get off my bike and push it up the hill, but to register it and ensure it? That doesn’t make sense,” he said. “I haven’t seen a dangerous incident, and I’ve never had a dangerous incident, so I don’t get it.”

Mary Schmidt, a retired public school teacher who lives in Hopewell Township, is in a similar predicament and said state officials have gone “far with the new law.” “The e-bike that I own is limited to 20 miles an hour and it’s pedal-assist,” she said. “I don’t think that a bike like this should require me to have extra insurance or a driver’s license.”

“Many customers are asking us, ‘What do I do? Do we have registration forms? Can you give me the certificate that I need?’ Nobody is ready for this,” Gray of  Sourland Cycles said. “We haven’t heard any information from our insurance company or the national bike dealer’s association; no one is sure what happens next.”

Former Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way is not the clear front-runner in New Jersey’s special congressional election on Thursday. She’s seventh in fundraising out of 10 candidates as of last week’s Federal Election Commission deadline, and public polling has been sparse. But as the race drew close to the finish line, the Israel lobby made her the beneficiary of a last-minute push. 

In the final weeks before the election, an Intercept analysis has found, 30 donors to groups including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, its super PAC, and Democratic Majority for Israel have poured more than $50,000 into Way’s campaign. On Friday, amid the fundraising push and less than a week before the election, DMFI officially endorsed her. 

The lobby is known for spending against progressives and the most vocal critics of the state of Israel, but in New Jersey, it appears to be backing one moderate to pick off another. Yet more pro-Israel money in the race comes at the expense of Tom Malinowski, who is no progressive on Israel policy but nevertheless has become the subject of AIPAC ire — marking a reversal for the group, which supported him in 2022.

AIPAC’s super PAC, United Democracy Project, has spent more $2.3 million on ads against Malinowski. The ads do not mention Israel but attack Malinowski on immigration, saying he helped fund “Trump’s deportation force” because he voted in favor of a 2019 bipartisan appropriations bill that funded the Department of Homeland Security. The majority of Democrats, including many supported by AIPAC, voted for the bill.

In a statement to The Intercept, UDP spokesperson Patrick Dorton made no mention of Malinowski’s DHS funding vote. He said Malinowski had fallen afoul of the group’s policy priorities by discussing the possibility of conditioning aid to Israel.

“It’s our goal to build the largest bipartisan pro-Israel majority in Congress. There are several candidates in this race far more pro-Israel than Tom Malinowski,” Dorton said.

Way and Malinowski are competing in a crowded race in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District to replace former Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who vacated the seat after she was elected governor. 

Way and Malinowski’s campaigns did not respond to The Intercept’s requests for comment.

Also running are Analilia Mejia, the former political director for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign; veteran Zach Beecher; Passaic County commissioner and election lawyer John Bartlett; former Morris Township Mayor Jeff Grayzel; and Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill. 

Way already had substantial support from the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association, which endorsed her and has spent more than $1.7 million backing her campaign, almost half of what it spent in total last cycle. But even with close to $4 million in outside spending on her side, she has lagged behind her opponents in fundraising. She’s raised just over $400,000 — compared to Malinowski’s over $1.1 million, more than $800,000 for Gill, and over half a million for Beecher. Bartlett has raised more than $460,000, Grayzel has raised $428,000, and Mejia has raised just over $420,000. 

Now, pro-Israel donors who have given to AIPAC to boost other pro-Israel candidates are trying to help Way close the gap. They include retired investor Peter Langerman, who has given $75,000 to AIPAC’s United Democracy Project since 2023 and $12,000 to AIPAC since 2022. Another Way donor, Florida loan executive Joel Edelstein, has given $25,000 to UDP since 2023 and $3,500 to AIPAC since 2022.

Among Way’s other donors are Bennett Greenspan, founder of the genealogy company Family Tree DNA, who has given $40,000 to United Democracy Project, $4,000 to DMFI PAC, and $1,250 to AIPAC PAC since 2022. Way donor and New Jersey real estate developer Michael Gottlieb gave $25,000 to UDP in 2023. Another Way donor, founder and former president of Microsoft partner HSO, Jack Ades, has given $10,750 to AIPAC since 2024. Gottlieb and Ades have given to Republican candidates including Reps. Mike Lawler and Elise Stefanik in New York; Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La.; Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign; and the Republican group WinRed. 

More than half of the contributions to Way — $33,000 of the $53,000 in total — all landed on January 14, a common sign that outside groups have sent out a fundraising push to their network.

Another donor to Way’s campaign is Joseph Korn, a New Jersey real estate developer who served on the New Jersey board of the Jewish National Fund, a controversial national organization that has funded settler groups in the West Bank. 

Way is campaigning on a relatively centrist platform that primarily includes fighting against President Donald Trump’s agenda. She’s also running on strengthening the Affordable Care Act, ensuring access to reproductive care, protecting democracy and voting rights, and lowering costs without raising taxes, including raising the cap on state and local tax deductions, or SALT. Her website does not mention foreign policy or Israel. 

Way is also endorsed by the Congressional Black Caucus PAC; the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State; IVYPAC, which backs candidates who are members of the historically Black Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority; and several other New Jersey organizations. 

The Israel lobby’s support for Way may not ultimately help its policy priorities. As a recent column in the Forward points out, by pitting Way and Malinowski against each other, AIPAC donors might help a more progressive candidate get elected.

New Jersey has been literally locked in by ice!  What started as a light, friendly, puffy snow turned into what feels like a Jersey Glacier — ice on the ocean, in the bays, up the rivers, lakes, streams… and yes, even in your backyard! It has been weeks now of unrelenting sub-freezing temperatures and nasty winter conditions that just won’t quit.

A New Jersey snow/sleet storm turns everyday commutes into danger zones

For many of us everyday commuters, this isn’t some abstract weather headline — it’s personal. On my daily commute — over an hour each way on most days — I’ve never seen conditions like this. Windshields smashed in from flying ice? Yup, I’ve seen them. That’s not exaggeration — with this bitter cold coating everything, sheets of ice literally become projectiles on the highway.

In fact, in the Bordentown area a sheet of ice flew off a vehicle on I-295, broke a woman’s windshield, and hit her in the head — requiring dozens of stitches. New Jersey has a law on the books that requires drivers to remove snow and ice from their vehicles, and if that ice causes injury or damage, fines can be between $200 and $1,000 or more. But so many drivers still treat it casually — with potentially serious consequences.

Slips, falls and frozen water put residents and pets at risk

The damage doesn’t stop at cars. Whether it’s slick roads or sheet ice hiding underneath that “thin layer of snow,” people and pets are taking dangerous slips. I learned that the hard way trying to chip ice off my landscape lighting — and yep — I took a tumble just yesterday.

Add in the dangerously frozen bodies of water — spots like Barnegat Bay and other coastal inlets now ice-covered but not safe — and this cold snap is truly creating hazards all across the Garden State.

Dramatic ice rescues show how quickly fun turns life-threatening

And it’s not just me having close calls. In Woolwich Township last month, a 13-year-old boy fell through the ice on a local retention pond, prompting a dramatic rescue where police had to crawl out onto thin ice and into the frigid water to reach him as he shouted for help.

Rescue stories like that remind us just how unpredictable this ice can be — and how quickly a fun walk or playtime on “frozen” water can turn dangerous.

Frozen pipes, ice dams and home damage pile on the misery

For homeowners, the freeze-thaw cycle is no picnic either. Ice dams have formed along our roof and gutters, and we’ve been dealing with water sneaking into our windows during the brief thaw that hit yesterday. Unfortunately, it’s already dropping back into freezing again this weekend.

That thaw-freeze snap already caused real trouble for some: in Ocean County, freezing pipes in a nursing home forced the evacuation of nearly 50 residents after the pipes impacted the sprinkler system, flooding ceilings and prompting urgent relocation.

This current ice lock-down traces back to a massive storm nearly two weeks ago that dumped heavy snow and freezing rain across the tri-state area and left New Jersey looking like an iceberg. That storm not only created deep snow and ice pack but brought widespread treacherous travel conditions, easing only slightly before this week’s return to sub-freezing highs.

The lingering effects of that system — the ice build-up, frozen infrastructure, burst pipes and dangerous terrain — are what make this winter one of the most memorable in a very long time for anyone who’s had to walk, drive, or just get through a day outside in the Garden State.

And you know what? Maybe when July and August roll around, and we’re all whining about heat and humidity, thinking back to this death-grip freeze will cool us down — if only mentally. Because if there’s a silver lining to this brutal winter, it’s this: we’ll have stories to tell, laughs to share, and maybe just a tiny bit of appreciation for summer sweat instead of winter ice.