How many cooks will be in restaurant kitchens today?

New Jersey restaurant owners are preparing for the possibility of their employees not showing up to work on Thursday to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration orders.

Monsy Alvarado reports for
The Record:


Marilou Halvorsen, president of the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association, said she held a conference call on Monday with some of the members of her organization to talk about the political action. She said most of the restaurant owners who had called her understood why employees might want to participate.

“By and large a lot of our restaurants are supportive of it, they certainly hope that their staff would give them a heads-up if they are not coming in, but they do understand their need and it’s their right of freedom of speech,’’ she said.

NEW JERSEY: Refugees rattled by FBI calls meant to ‘build trust’

IMMIGRANTS: Nationwide boycott planned

TRENTON: Vote killed on state funding for sanctuary cities

Halvorsen said one restaurant in Monmouth County is giving its immigrant workers a paid day off so they can participate in what is being called “A Day Without Immigrants.”

“While we understand their time away from work duties may pose some inconvenience to our customers, we appreciate their need to share their concern about President Trump’s executive orders on immigration,’’ reads the statement from the association. “The remaining staff and management will work hard to provide exceptional service while our colleagues and friends exercise their freedom of speech.” 
Restaurants in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., are also reportedly preparing for similar actions on Thursday. 
The protests are among several that have been planned or held at work sites and other places since Trump won election in November.
Like this? Use form in upper right to receive free updates
See popular posts from the last 30 days in right column —
>>

How many cooks will be in restaurant kitchens today? Read More »

Wisniewski launches Trump ‘resistance agenda’ in NJ

NJ Assemblyman and candidate for governor, John Wisniewski
Alyana Alfaro reports for Observer:
As part of his quest to earn the votes of New Jersey’s progressive voters in the June gubernatorial primary, Assemblyman John Wisniewski announced a “resistance agenda” for New Jersey Democratic legislators to fight against the policies of Republican President Donald Trump.
According to an announcement made by Wisniewski’s campaign on Wednesday, the candidate has put forward legislation to make New Jersey a “sanctuary state” for immigrants regardless of documentation status. If passed, that bill would prohibit law enforcement from using state resources to “investigate, interrogate, detain, or arrest anyone for immigration enforcement reasons.” It would also prevent New Jersey law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials and create new data retention policies at schools and hospitals to bar federal agencies from accessing individual immigration status.
“We are putting President Trump and his Administration on notice,” said Wisniewski in a statement. “New Jersey will not be a ‘willing partner’ to the unjustified and inhumane deportations of our neighbors and friends.”
Wisniewski is also a co-sponsor on legislation barring the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from using agency resources to enforce federal immigration statues. He is a primary sponsor of an Assembly resolution asking current New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to protect students enrolled in New Jersey DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) from deportation.
Additionally, Wisniewski said he supports A2604, a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to legally obtain driver’s licenses in the state of New Jersey.
Wisniewski’s ‘resistance agenda’ is part of an ongoing push from Democrats in the legislature to push back against Trump’s immigration policies before they impact New Jersey residents. While Wisniewski’s main opponent in the New Jersey gubernatorial contest, former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Phil Murphy, is another outspoken Trump opponent, as a legislator Wisniewski has the ability to put forward legislation to bolster his stances ahead of the June primary.
Like this? Use form in upper right to receive free updates
See popular posts from the last 30 days in right column —
>>

Wisniewski launches Trump ‘resistance agenda’ in NJ Read More »

Gov. Cuomo signs bill blocking NY City’s plastic bag fee

Kenneth Lovett reports today in the NY Daily News:


ALBANY — New York City shoppers can put away their coin purses if they want to continue to use plastic bags.
Gov. Cuomo Tuesday signed a bill to impose a moratorium blocking the city from imposing a controversial 5-cent fee on plastic disposable bags.
Cuomo, who released a lengthy statement on the issue, said the city law that was due to go into effect on Wednesday was “deeply flawed” even if the intent to clean up the environment was a good one.
The governor said he’s creating a task force to come up with a uniformed statewide plan to deal with “the plastic bag problem.”
“There are a lot of complicated issues. We’re going through it and we’ll have a decision soon,” he said.
The Assembly and Senate this week overwhelmingly passed legislation that would impose a one-year moratorium on the city bag fee law that is due to go into effect Feb. 15.
Supporters of the moratorium criticized the bag fee as nothing more than a tax that would hurt lower income people.
Opponents of the delay said the fee would benefit the environment by reducing the number of plastic bags sent to landfills. They also ripped the Legislature for overruling a separately elected body — the City Council.
The NY/NJ Baykeeper responded to the news with this statement:
“We
are deeply disappointed with Governor Cuomo’s decision to nullify New York City’s bag. The bag law was
scheduled to go into effect today and would have encouraged consumers to bring
their own reusable bag to avoid a five cent fee and prevent plastic waste from
littering neighborhoods and waterways. Instead, the Council is forced to
postpone moving forward with a new bill for one year. While today’s
moratorium is a setback for local victories and our environment, New York City’s Bag It Coalition is not going away. NY/NJ Baykeeper will continue
working with coalition partners and local and state officials to address
plastic waste from entering our waterways. We hope in the near future, New York
City will join other cities who have reduced plastic waste by implementing
no-brainer carryout bag fees,” said Sandra Meola, Communications and Outreach
Associate, NY/NJ Baykeeper. 
Like this? Use form in upper right to receive free updates
See popular posts from the last 30 days in right column — >>

    

Gov. Cuomo signs bill blocking NY City’s plastic bag fee Read More »

Giving water utilities a little push to audit their leaks



A recent study undertaken by former Philadelphia Water Company water-loss expert George Kunkel for the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) suggests that New Jersey water utilities are losing as much as 130 million gallons of water each day.

The NRDC believes that more than 50 million gallons of that amount could be saved if the utilities were required to upgrade aging water lines and update faulty water meters and billing systems.

Legislation to get that process moving, sponsored by Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Chairman Tim Eustace, received significant support yesterday during a hearing in Trenton. 

Lawrence Levine, senior attorney for the NRDC and George Kunkel discuss their report and the legislation in the video above.

More: Aging and leaky water mains cost N.J. millions
written by The Record‘s James M. O’Neill.
Like this? Use form in upper right to receive free updates
See popular posts from the last 30 days in right column — >>

Giving water utilities a little push to audit their leaks Read More »

Stew of contaminants found in Hackensack riverbed tests

























James M. O’Neil reports for The Record:

Hundreds of sediment samples taken from the Hackensack River indicate that the riverbed is laced for 22 miles with a toxic cocktail made up of dozens of contaminants, from its mouth in Newark Bay up to the Oradell Reservoir.

The samples affirm earlier research by the Environmental Protection Agency, which found elevated levels of cadmium, lead, mercury, cancer-causing dioxin and PCBs, enough for the EPA to conclude the river’s contaminants cause a potential health threat to humans and wildlife.

The sediment samples were the most recent step in the EPA’s effort to determine whether the lower Hackensack should be added to the Superfund program, which is designed to clean up the nation’s most contaminated sites.

EPA: Next regional administrator faces N.J. issues

SUPERFISH: Tiny minnow built to withstand N.J. pollution

PASSAIC RIVER: Towns get what’s left of pollution funds

The EPA and the state Department of Environmental Protection are still analyzing the sediment data and have not come to any conclusions about it, officials from both agencies said.

Any decision could be influenced by the national political climate. During the election campaign, Donald Trump promised to dismantle or seriously scale back the EPA, and Scott Pruitt, the president’s pick to head the agency, is expected to cut staffing levels.

It’s not clear what that would mean for the Superfund program, since cleanup costs are often covered by companies shown to have caused the pollution.

Several experts on river pollution who have seen the Hackensack data agree that the sediment samples show a widespread array of contamination that could pose a hazard.

They also express concern that, while contaminants are often viewed in isolation, the many contaminants in the Hackensack could possibly interact with one another, becoming more potent risks. Already research has shown the Hackensack pollution has caused severe abnormalities in aquatic life in the river.

“The river will never meet the federal clean water standards until the sediments are either removed or remediated in some manner,” said Beth Ravit, a Rutgers University environmental scientist who has researched aquatic life in the Hackensack. “It is also problematic to base the need for cleanup on one substance, albeit a very toxic one, such as mercury. The stew of organics and metals really needs to be considered.”

Read the full story here 


Like this? Use form in upper right to receive free updates
See popular posts from the last 30 days in right column —
>>

Stew of contaminants found in Hackensack riverbed tests Read More »

Flynn, Priebus, Spicer possible casualties in Trump shakeup

“I would be worried if I was General (Michael) Flynn,” says top aide to President Donald Trump









Josh Dawsey and Alex Isenstadt report for Politico:

President Donald Trump, frustrated over his administration’s rocky start, is complaining to friends and allies about some of his most senior aides — leading to questions about whether he is mulling an early staff shakeup.

Trump has told several people that he is particularly displeased with national security adviser Michael Flynn over reports that he had top-secret discussions with Russian officials about and lied about it. 


The president, who spent part of the weekend dealing with the Flynn controversy, has been alarmed by reports from top aides that they don’t trust Flynn. “He thinks he’s a problem,” said one person familiar with the president’s thinking. “I would be worried if I was General Flynn.”

Yet Trump’s concern goes beyond his embattled national security adviser, according to conversations with more than a dozen people who have spoken to Trump or his top aides. He has mused aloud about press secretary Sean Spicer, asking specific questions to confidantes about how they think he’s doing behind the podium.

Others who’ve talked with the president have begun to wonder about the future of Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. Several Trump campaign aides have begun to draft lists of possible Priebus replacements, with senior White House aides Kellyanne Conway and Rick Dearborn and lobbyist David Urban among those mentioned. Gary Cohn, a Trump economic adviser, has also been the subject of chatter.

For now, Priebus remains in control as chief of staff. He was heavily involved in adviser Stephen Miller’s preparation for appearances on Sunday morning talk shows, which drew praise from the president.

If there is a single issue where the president feels his aides have let him down, it was the controversial executive order on immigration. 


The president has complained to at least one person about “how his people didn’t give him good advice” on rolling out the travel ban and that he should have waited to sign it instead of “rushing it like they wanted me to.” Trump has also wondered why he didn’t have a legal team in place to defend it from challenges.

The discussions come at a tense time for the Trump White House, which has endured a tumultuous start. The president, who can be hard on his staff, is known for orchestrating shake-ups when things aren’t going right. 


His campaign had several leadership changes, and such decisions, such as his late-summer elevation of Conway and Stephen Bannon, are often made by gut.


Like this? Use form in upper right to receive free updates
See popular posts from the last 30 days in right column — >>



Flynn, Priebus, Spicer possible casualties in Trump shakeup Read More »