Good morning Route 40 Roundup readers. We had a nice break at the end of last week. Thank you for indulging us.
Marijuana Robots
In realer news, politicians in lab coats were photographed touring a marijuana factory in Nevada because New Jersey hasn’t even legalized marijuana yet and already robots are coming for the marijuana jobs. #innovation.
Opioid Tax
Elsewhere in pharmaceuticals, Phil Murphy called for a tax on opioid manufacturers that the Murphy admin says could raise $21.5 million this year, the valuable Spotlight reports.
At least ten other states have proposed similar taxes, but so far they have faced strong opposition from the pharma companies who have been diligently getting in the good graces of all your favorite TV networks by buying ads for weird medicines (“Ask your doctor about bucephalin!”) in anticipation of this very moment.
Hate Crimes
The state A.G. Gurbir Grewal announced new guidelines for how police investigate and document suspected hate crimes, S.P. Sullivan at NJ.com reports.
The numbers for these crimes are “notoriously unreliable” Sullivan writes, but there seems to have been an increase in the last few years. The guidelines had not been updated since 2000.
For more feats of journalism…
Federally indicted Atlantic City officer sues to be paid while suspended–The Atlantic City officer federally indicted in an arrest that required hundreds of stitches for the suspect is suing to be paid while he’s suspended awaiting trial. Sterling Wheaten claims Police Chief Henry White ruled at an Oct. 26, suspension hearing that he would get paid while remaining suspended. www.breakingac.com
Video of Sweeney’s town hall at Stockton University now available online–ATLANTIC CITY – If you didn’t get the opportunity to see NJ Senate President Steve Sweeney speak at Stockton University Academic Center at the Boardwalk campus on Wednesday, April 3, you can watch the town hall meeting as it was live-streamed on Stockton’s website. www.downbeach.com
Marie Kondo’s Army of Organization Experts–We caught up with New Jersey’s first bronze-level KonMari-certified consultant, Cassidy Nasello of Montclair, to get the scoop on this phenomenon. njmonthly.com
‘No train, we riot!’: A journey through NJ Transit’s hellish post-WrestleMania 35 meltdown–The plan seemed solid: Park the car at Secaucus Junction, take the train to the Meadowlands, cover WrestleMania, leave and get back on the train, return to Secaucus, drive home. www.nj.com