CNBNews

BEREA, OH (03/23/2023)-- Students from our area were part of the talented cast and crew in the Baldwin Wallace University and Beck Center for the Arts collaborative production of "Ghost: The Musical" directed by Victoria Bussert with choreography by Lauren Tidmore and music direction by Matthew Webb during the spring 2023 semester. The following students were in the production: Chase Kessler of Mount Laurel (08054), a graduate of Lenape High School majoring in music theatre... Read more →

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor Nov 15, 2022 Haitian migrants, part of a group of over 10,000 people staying in an encampment on the U.S. side of the border, cross the Rio Grande river in Del Rio, Texas on September 19, 2021. PAUL RATJE / AFP / Getty Images (The Center Square) – Numerous news outlets and social media pundits on Tuesday misreported that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared an invasion at... Read more →

By Anthony Hennen | The Center Square (The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture sends $740,000 to Pennsylvania for “critical infrastructure to combat climate change” – but most of the money will go toward repaving parking lots. The USDA Rural Development program provides taxpayer money for all sorts of programs, from infrastructure to health care to environmental and economic concerns in the rural parts of America. In the fiscal year 2022, it provided... Read more →

By Morgan Sweeney | The Center Square contributor (The Center Square) – Four New Jersey communities will be receiving $6.5 million in Brownfields Grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the cleanup and revitalization of environmentally damaged areas. YOUR MONEY The funding is part of $254.5 million the EPA is bestowing on 265 communities throughout the country pursuant to President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The measure passed in November and dedicates $1.5 billion... Read more →

By Kalyn Stralow | Ballotpedia via The Center Square HARRISBURG, PA (March 24, 2022)--Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns. While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum. This... Read more →

New Jersey schools are unlawfully segregated and it's the state's duty to fix that, the plaintiffs in a historic legal case argued in court Thursday. If the lawsuit is successful, it could lead to fundamental changes to New Jersey’s school system and large-scale desegregation efforts not seen in the U.S. for decades. Patrick Wall, Chalkbeat Newark Mar 3, 6:03pm EST Hundreds of thousands of Black and Latino students in New Jersey attend schools where they... Read more →

by Bill Donohue | CNBNews Contributor It's a good thing that Vice President Kamala Harris didn't speak first at the National Prayer Breakfast. She would have made President Biden look bad. CNBNews graphic files She gave a very good speech, ending with a prayer. He personalized his address, offering a mumbling account of his interactions with congressional colleagues, past and present. Instead of rehashing old war stories, and making silly comments on how "the world... Read more →

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor Image source Peoples Magazine (The Center Square)(January 11, 2022) – The prices of energy, crude, and gasoline all increased in 2021 from 2020, the U.S. Energy Information Agency reports. Prices increased because of higher demand and a range of other factors. By the end of 2021, commodities on the energy index traded 59% higher than they did on the first trading day last year on the S&P... Read more →

From January 1, 2021, up until December 31, 2021, there have been 491 Police officers die, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. View Statistics for Year 2021 Total Line of Duty Deaths: 491 Sergeant Gordon William Best North Myrtle Beach Department of Public Safety, SC EOW: Friday, January 1, 2021 Cause: Automobile crash Sergeant Daniel Marcus Mobley DeKalb County Police Department, GA EOW: Saturday, January 2, 2021 Cause: Struck by vehicle Constable Cecil Nunley... Read more →

Bill Donohue | CNBNews Contributor Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on outgoing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio: New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s last day in office is New Years Eve. What he has done to the world’s greatest city is incalculable: he has been an unmitigated disaster. He is often compared to Mayor David Dinkins, but the comparison is unfair. While Dinkins did great damage, which was undone by Rudy Giuliani,... Read more →

By Scott McClallen | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the bipartisan Council of Great Lakes Governors asked federal leaders to fund the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in the 2022 Water Resources Reform and Development Act to prevent invasive Asian carp from entering Michigan’s water. “The Great Lakes are the beating heart of Michigan’s economy, and we are taking action to put Michigan first and protect the Great Lakes,”... Read more →

Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it received a 6-page incident report and bodycam footage from the Delray Beach, FL, Police Department, detailing the turnover of records related to the diary and/or other property of Ashley Biden, daughter of President Joe Biden. According to the incident report, an attorney turned in “possibly stolen luggage” to the Delray Beach PD which contained “documents and envelopes in folders” with the name Ashley Biden. The Delray... Read more →

A pre-Kindergarten class from Bradford School poses for pictures during a short graduation ceremony June 10, 2020, in front of the school in Jersey City, New Jersey. Seth Wenig / AP photo By Todd DeFeo | The Center Square contributor (The Center Square) – All child care center workers in New Jersey must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and anyone who is at least two years old must wear a face mask while in a... Read more →

Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square THere are an estimated 39.5 million Americans living below the poverty line, which, in the lower 48 states, is an annual income threshold of $12,880 for an individual and $26,500 for a family of four (Alaska and Hawaii have a slightly higher threshold). Living in poverty can have serious consequences and impacts nearly every aspect of life -- and those problems can be compounded for those... Read more →

By Christen Smith | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Less than a week after the Department of Health ordered universal masking in Pennsylvania schools, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration faces its first legal challenge on what many critics consider a shameful last-minute policy reversal. Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Bellefonte, leads a group of parents and Republican lawmakers from the Legislature on a lawsuit filed in Commonwealth Court on Friday that deems the... Read more →

By Natalie Kapustik | The Center Square contributor (The Center Square) – Sunoco Pipeline LP received an $85,000 penalty from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for violations relating to construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline in Blair, Cumberland, Juniata and Lebanon counties. The violations, which took place between February and August 2020, resulted in unauthorized discharges of drilling fluids consisting of bentonite clay and water, also known as inadvertent returns, to wetlands in... Read more →

By Todd DeFeo | The Center Square contributor (The Center Square) – New Jersey’s school districts are the ninth least equitable in the country, a new report reveals. The analysis from WalletHub found Iowa has the most equitable districts nationwide, followed by North Carolina and Arkansas. Conversely, New York has the least equitable schools, edging out Idaho and California. Overall, New Jersey ranked No. 41. In the region, Delaware came in at No. 18, while... Read more →

The analysis ranks New Jersey as one of most bonded debt burdened states in country By Dave Fidlin | The Center Square contributor (The Center Square) – With a per-capita figure of $6,401 hanging in the balance, New Jersey places near the bottom of a new study looking at the amount each state is shouldering in long-range bonded debt across the country. TAX AND SPEND-New Jersey is one of the most bonded debt-burdened states in-country... Read more →

By Todd DeFeo | The Center Square contributor (The Center Square) – New Jersey is the worst state in which to start a business, according to a new analysis from WalletHub. The Garden State “has the fourth smallest percentage of engaged workers – 29, and registered a growth of just 1.5% in the number of small businesses,” WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez said in an email to The Center Square. “In terms of jobs, there has... Read more →

Crypto art is the form of digital art treated as physical art - It has the verified ownership of the piece. It gets the verification of masterpiece by using NFT, which is also known as a nonfungible token. It’s a marketplace where you can consume your cryptocurrencies in a variety of things available in the market. With local CC unit, you can establish your own business by world-wide shipping system. What is a Nonfungible token?... Read more →

Boss Tweed. "As long as I count the votes, what are you going to do about it? (CNBNews graphic files) **** By Christen Smith | The Center Square Jul 8, 2021 (The Center Square) – A Republican senator in Pennsylvania initiated the first steps this week of a forensic election audit, even as the state’s top law enforcement official promised intervention should the effort continue. Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, said in an editorial Wednesday he’s... Read more →

Todd DeFeo / The Center Square contributor (The Center Square) – New Jersey will use $600 million from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to fund a one-year extension of public education and related services for thousands of students with disabilities. Gloucestercitynews.net files Concurrently, Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law S-3434/A-5366, authorizing the temporary one-year extension of education to students with disabilities who “age out” — or exceed the current age of eligibility — during the... Read more →

Marc LeBlond | Commonwealth Foundation Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf held a press conference on the Capitol steps capping off a more than four-month campaign to promote drastically increasing district school funding. But his central claim, that school districts are underfunded and charter schools are the culprit, is the exact opposite of reality. Wolf spoke from a podium prominently emblazoned with a sign proclaiming “Pennsylvania is 45th in education funding.” But Pennsylvania is not 45th... Read more →

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the first new treatment for Alzheimer's disease in about 20 years. Currently available Alzheimer's drugs treat the disease's symptoms. The newly-approved medicine, called Aduhelm, is the first to attack a substance that could be associated with the underlying causes of the disease -- a toxic and sticky protein in the brain called amyloid. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that 6.0 million Americans 65 and older were living with... Read more →

By Todd DeFeo | The Center Square contributor New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tours the North River Rail Tunnel that connects New Jersey and New York Wednesday on Dec. 19, 2018. Flickr / Gov. Andrew Cuomo (The Center Square) – A pair of federal agencies issued the Final Environment Impact Statement and Record of Decision for the multibillion dollar Hudson Tunnel Project. The move by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Federal Transit Administration... Read more →

Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square The 465 commercial casinos operating in the United States at the end of 2019 reported a combined revenue of $43.6 billion -- an all-time high. Gambling in the United States is by no means limited to casinos, either. All but six states had lottery games in 2019, and lottery ticket sales totalled $81.6 billion that year. Between both lotteries and commercial casinos, Americans and tourists spent... Read more →

Quick Hits: Bill would allow burned-out police and firefighters to retire early Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law A-2562/S-1017, a bill that would allow police and firefighters with 20 years of experience and facing burnout from service amid the pandemic to retire. The benefit was previously only extended to police and firefighters at least 55 years old and with 20 years of experience. “This past year, we have asked our first responders to step up... Read more →

The Average Tax Refund for each state listed below Grant Suneson, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square In 2019 Americans paid more than $3.5 trillion in taxes. Nearly half of all tax returns filed by individuals, corporations, and estates received a refund. Altogether, the Internal Revenue Service issued nearly 122 million refunds totaling $452.1 billion, or $3,709 per refund. There are a number of variables that affect the amount that is refunded, one of... Read more →

The Center Square Apr 8, 2021 The effective state and local tax rate for New Jersey residents in 2019 was 11.7 percent, the seventh-highest percentage among the 50 states, according to a new ranking published by the Tax Foundation. Gloucestercitynews.net graphics file Across the United States, the average state-local tax burden came in at 10.3 percent of Americans’ combined income, the study said. Generally, state-local tax rates rose in 2019 over the previous year as... Read more →

Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square Apr 14, 2021 The U.S. Constitution does not guarantee the right to an education. Though the federal government has set some academic standards, education policy is set largely at the state and local levels. State governments have authority over public school curriculums, teaching methods, instructional materials, and, in conjunction with local districts, teacher pay. Gloucestercitynews.net files Without national compensation standards, average salaries for teachers across the... Read more →

Beyond pension debts The Center Square (The Center Square) – Net liabilities in New Jersey for so-called other post-employment benefits (OPEBs), which consist mainly of health care obligations to retired public employees, stood at about $101.5 billion in fiscal-year 2019, according to a recent analysis from the Reason Foundation. With a population of 8,882,190, the state posted a per-capita OPEB liability of $11,425, which represents the second highest value among the 50 states and the... Read more →

Todd DeFeo / The Center Square (The Center Square) – New Jersey Republicans want New Jersey schools and businesses to reopen, saying lockdowns are not slowing the spread of COVID-19. “Enough businesses have been destroyed, enough jobs have been lost by the Governor’s defenseless edicts, and continuing on that same path only ensures more economic and emotional pain,” state Sen. Michael Testa, R-Vineland, said in a statement. “We must end the failed policies that have... Read more →

By Christen Smith | The Center Square (The Center Square)(Pittsburg PA)(March 31, 2021)– President Joe Biden’s massive infrastructure spending plan earmarks $16 billion to plug abandoned oil and gas wells across the country. It’s a potential solution for an expensive and overwhelming problem for Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection. During House budget hearings last month, DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell told lawmakers the department spends an average of $17,000 plugging one abandoned well. The cost means... Read more →

“Just to clarify, would there be any place for fossil fuels, including coal and fracking, in a Biden administration?” CNN’s Dana Bash said. “No, we would — we would work it out. We would make sure it's eliminated and no more subsidies for either one of those, either — any fossil fuel,” Biden said in response. (July 31, 2019 video/USAToday) ++++++ Stephanie Catarino Wissman | RealClearWire/The Center Square The fracking ban threatens American jobs and... Read more →

By Todd DeFeo | The Center Square contributor (The Center Square) – New Jersey Republicans say a new NJ.com report proves nursing home administrators informed the Murphy administration that an order requiring them to accept COVID-19-positive patients would lead to outbreaks and deaths. Gloucestercitynews.net graphic files According to the report, nursing home administrators expressed concerns about the order during a March 31 call with New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. “Patients will die,” the newspaper... Read more →

THE CENTER SQUARE The Center Square) – Net liabilities in Pennsylvania for so-called other post-employment benefits (OPEBs), which consist mainly of health care obligations to retired public employees, stood at about $38.5 billion in fiscal-year 2019, according to a recent analysis from the Reason Foundation. Gloucestercitynews.net files With a population of 12.8 million, the state posted a per-capita OPEB liability of $3,010, which represents the 17th highest value among the 50 states and the District... Read more →

WASHINGTON POLITICS Tax and Spend Gloucestercitynews.net files Bethany Blankley | The Center Square (The Center Square) – The Democrats’ $1.9 trillion emergency relief bill – which is up for a vote Friday – includes a slew of bailout money for state governments unrelated to the pandemic, opponents say.Under the guise of COVID-19 relief money, U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., told Fox News the bill “is more the pretext than the purpose behind what Democrats are... Read more →

By Todd DeFeo | The Center Square (The Center Square) – New Jersey Senate Republicans are forging ahead with hearings into Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Since May, Senate Republicans have sought a bipartisan investigation to understand the policy and management failures of the Murphy Administration that led to preventable deaths, destroyed businesses and jobs, and left millions of New Jerseyans without access to important services and support,” Senate Republican Leader... Read more →

By Rep. Clint Owlett Feb 8, 2021 THE CENTER SQUARE Pennsylvania voters will finally have a say this spring in the state’s handling of extended disaster emergencies. At the upcoming primary election, on May 18, voters will be asked to vote on a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would limit the duration of an emergency declaration by a governor to a maximum of 21 days. Under the proposed amendment, the declaration could be... Read more →

By Todd DeFeo | The Center Square FEMA ponies up an additional $300 million for New Jersey The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has unlocked an additional $300 million in federal COVID-19 relief for New Jersey, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey, said. New Jersey has received more than $846 million in FEMA disaster assistance for the state’s COVID-19 response. Menendez argued New Jersey communities should not be “burdened” with the 25% “local cost-share.” “Eliminating... Read more →

RELATED: Peyton and Me Meandering Through S.J. (Gloucester City, Mt. Ephraim) Chapter VII By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square (The Center Square) – The majority of U.S. cities were ill-prepared for any financial crisis last year, let alone the one brought about by their respective state shutdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new reportpublished by the nonprofit Truth in Accounting (TIA) concludes. LOVE YOUR MONEY Gloucestercitynews.net files The annual assessment surveys the... Read more →

By Todd DeFeo | The Center Square (The Center Square) – New Jersey Senate Republicans want Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, to form a bipartisan investigative committee to probe nursing home deaths in the Garden State. The 15 members of the Senate Republican caucus signed the letter to Sweeney. It follows similar requests Republican lawmakers have made since May. “To date, nearly 8,000 residents and staff of our nursing homes and veterans homes have died,... Read more →

By Steve Bittenbender | The Center Square (The Center Square) – A bombshell report by New York Attorney General Letitia James claims the Cuomo administration dramatically underreported the number of nursing home deaths due to COVID-19, and Gloucestercitynews.net files Republican leaders are calling for resignations at the highest levels. The report by James’ office requested data from 62 nursing homes, roughly 10 percent of the state’s facilities. It indicates that the state Department of Health... Read more →

Steve Miller / RealClearInvestigations/THE CENTER SQUARE On Interstate 59, a neon billboard used by the Alabama Department of Public Health advises motorists to get their flu and pneumonia vaccines. Placards placed atop gas pumps around the state also promote the flu Gloucestercitynews.net files vaccine. But the vaccine that will quell COVID-19, a virus that has killed 400,000 nationwide, crippled businesses and prompted governments to force onerous restrictions on the public, gets no mention. Karen Landers,... Read more →

By Christen Smith | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Federal authorities arrested a Pennsylvania woman Monday and accused her of stealing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s laptop during the Jan. 6 breach of Capitol Hill. Riley June Williams was taken into custody in Dauphin County, Pa., for her alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill breach. Dauphin County Prison Riley June Williams, of Harrisburg, was taken into custody after a former romantic partner... Read more →

By Mary Stroka | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Home to Mountain Creek Waterpark, Tomahawk Lake Water Park, Storybook Land, Land of Make Believe, (Wild West City, Casino Pier, and many more attractions, New Jersey stacked up as the sixth highest-producing state for value-added from amusement parks and water parks in 2019, according to a Bureau of Economic Analysis report from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Garden State brought in $309 million... Read more →

By Todd DeFeo | The Center Square (The Center Square) – A New Jersey congressman is calling for President-elect Joe Biden to prioritize – and fund – the Gateway Program. “I know President-elect Biden understands the importance of modern infrastructure to a successful economy,” U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr., D-New Jersey, said in a statement. “That is why I am confident his administration will give the Gateway Program the federal funding and resources necessary to... Read more →

By Steve Bittenbender | The Center Square (The Center Square) – A group of New Jersey fishing businesses and organizations sent a letter to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy this month urging him to keep the seafood industry’s workers as a high-priority group for COVID-19 vaccinations. Seafood employees, like others in the food processing industry, are considered essential workers. According to guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that group falls in... Read more →

By Todd DeFeo | The Center Square (The Center Square) – Gov. Phil Murphy has signed into law legislation to help municipalities buy body cameras for local police officers. Getty Images The measure makes a $58 million supplemental appropriation for the Department of Law and Public Safety to create the New Jersey Statewide Body-Worn Camera (BWC) grant program. Assembly members Benjie Wimberly, D-Bergen/Passaic; Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, D-Mercer/Hunterdon; Cleopatra Tucker, D-Essex; and Thomas Giblin, D-Essex, sponsored the... Read more →

By Christen Smith | The Center Square (The Center Square) – The Pennsylvania Department of State dismissed election return discrepancies as partisan conjecture after Republican lawmakers insisted officials counted an additional 170,000 ballots in error. Gloucestercitynews.net files A group of conservative lawmakers, led by Lebanon County Rep. Frank Ryan, said an analysis of data pulled from DoS/SURE system records indicate that although only 6.7 million residents voted on Nov. 3, more than 6.9 million ballots... Read more →