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Jersey City Gets Low Marks for Recreation

The website WalletHub has placed Jersey City at the bottom for recreation. WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 47 key metrics that speak to the benefits of recreational activities. Jersey City came in at 93.

Jersey City did score well in some areas, coming in first for the prevalence of affordable restaurants with a 4.5-star or better rating and 9th for the share of the population with walkable park access. Jersey City came in at a very respectable 19 for biking. However, more typical was the 93rd place finish for playgrounds per capita.

Suspected NJ Drug Deaths Drop 26%

New Jersey Monitor reports that “New Jersey drug deaths plummet in the first half of 2024,” based on preliminary statistics from the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner. There were 1,007 suspected drug deaths, which is a 26% drop over the same period in 2023. “While we continue to see too many deaths overall and especially in our communities of color, year-over-year reductions in suspected and confirmed overdose deaths reflect the collective impact of the Administration’s whole-of-government approach,” said Department of Health spokesperson Nancy Kearny.

Gay Republican Running for Senate Could Make History

NJ Spotlight News reports that “A gay Republican looks to make history with a victory in the NJ Senate race.” Curtis Bashaw of Cape May is running as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, and if elected, he would become both the first openly-LGBTQ+ U.S. senator for New Jersey, as well as the first LGBTQ+ Republican senator. “I think a candidacy like mine will let the air out of the acrimony of our politics and help us come together and give ourselves as citizens the space, the freedoms we need to pursue happiness, to build the domestic tranquility that we all crave as citizens for all people in the country,” Bashaw said in an NJ Spotlight News interview.

Protection for Homeowners Signed into Law

Governor Phil Murphy has signed into law Bill A3772, which aims to protect property owners facing foreclosure caused by a tax lien. The bill was sponsored by local Assemblywoman Barbara McCann Stamato, local Assemblyman William B. Sampson, and Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez. “I am incredibly proud that my first bill, A3772, has been signed into law by Governor Murphy. This legislation modernizes the tax sale law, dating back to 1918, and protects distressed property owners by allowing a sheriff sale up until final judgment, except for abandoned properties,” said Assemblywoman Stamato. “It also ensures municipalities can foreclose on delinquent properties in accordance with the Tyler decision by the Supreme Court. I am proud to have moved this bill forward and to see it signed into law.

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What do you think?

• Do you agree with Jersey City's low ranking for recreation?
• What are your thoughts on the drop in suspected NJ drug deaths?
• How do you feel about the possibility of a gay Republican making history in the NJ Senate race?
• Do you support the new law protecting homeowners facing foreclosure?