By PATRICK McGEEHAN and JEFFERY C. MAYS

THE NEW YORK TIMES

MARCH 3, 2018

A tour of the Gateway tunnel project near 31st Street in Manhattan, between 10th and 11th Avenues. President Trump has withdrawn his support for the project, widely viewed as a critical solution for the region’s transportation needs.

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For beleaguered commuters who ride trains into and out of New York City, the plan to dig new rail tunnels under the Hudson River must, by now, seem like a big tease.

Just a few months ago, the idea once again appeared to have gained the support it needed in Washington and, once again, it looks as if one powerful official — in this case, the president — could put a stop to it. The latest and perhaps most ominous threat came late Friday night when it was revealed that President Trump had asked Republican leaders to withdraw federal funding for the project.

Mr. Trump has promised to spur “the biggest and boldest infrastructure investment in American history.” So his opposition to an established project that is widely considered a solution to one of the nation’s most critical infrastructure needs has confounded even veterans of his own party. Some fear that Mr. Trump is jeopardizing commerce along the Eastern Seaboard simply to spite Senator Charles E. Schumer, the Democratic leader from New York.

By Christian Hetrick • 02/27/18

Observer

Phil Murphy. 

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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday that the state’s largest teacher’s union didn’t make him fire a senior education official the same day she was given the job, calling questions about whether the union was involved in the decision “ridiculous.”

“I make decisions on who works for us on our team, and nobody else,” Murphy said during an unrelated news conference in Dayton. “I make decisions. Period. Full stop.”

Murphy, a Democrat, was responding to questions about Paula White, a charter school advocate who was recently approved by the state Board of Education to be the department’s next assistant commissioner, only to have the job offer rescinded hours later.

By PATRICK McGEEHAN

THE NEW YORK TIMES

FEB. 27, 2018

The escalator to the No. 7 train in Flushing, Queens. The subway line could one day carry riders across the Hudson River to New Jersey.

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The idea of connecting the No. 7 subway line to New Jersey may not be quite dead yet.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is commissioning a long-term study of ways to expand the use of rapid transit across the Hudson River, and it expects to get some help from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the subway.

The two authorities are teaming with New York City and New Jersey Transit to consider a wide range of options for increasing commuting capacity two decades down the road. This week, the Port Authority received several bids from firms seeking the contract to produce the study, said Rick Cotton, the agency’s executive director.

CARLY SITRIN | FEBRUARY 23, 2018

NJ Spotlight

If stronger gun control cannot be enacted on a national basis, it can on a regional basis - at least that's the thinking behind a new multistate group called the Coalition of States for Gun Safety. Gov. Phil Murphy, along with fellow Democratic governors of New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, announced a memorandum of understanding between the states to share intelligence and databases on gun issues.

"Gun violence is not a New Jersey problem, a New York problem, a Connecticut problem, a Rhode Island problem, or a problem for any particular state or region. It is a national problem," Murphy said. "We cannot wait for Congress or the President to act. As states, we must work together to take the steps and enact measures to protect our residents and our communities."

The coalition will create a joint task force to trace and intercept illegal guns crossing state lines, a coordinated plan to respond to threats of mass gun violence by sharing law enforcement resources, and a regional gun-violence research consortium leveraging universities to study and produce reports on gun violence.

By Elise Young

COLLEEN O'DEA | FEBRUARY 21, 2018

NJ Spotlight

Gov. Phil Murphy with the three newest nominees to his cabinet (from left) Deirdre Webster Cobb, B. Sue Fulton, and Zakiya Smith Ellis

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With the nomination of three more women to his cabinet on Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy has made history, creating New Jersey’s first female-majority cabinet, as well as the state’s most diverse cabinet to date.

The latest nominees are a former education adviser to President Barack Obama, as secretary of higher education; a former U.S. Army captain and West Point graduate as chair of the Motor Vehicle commission; and a long-time employee of the state as chair of the civil service commission. Murphy introduced the three Tuesday at New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark.

“With these three nominations … we are making history,” Murphy said. “For the first time in New Jersey in 242 years, the majority of the governor’s cabinet appointees will be female. It has taken us a short 56 governors to get to this point ... (But) it’s not just the number of women. I feel confident in saying New Jersey has the most diverse cabinet of any state in this nation.”

JOHN REITMEYER | FEBRUARY 20, 2018

NJ Spotlight

Train crossing the 100-year-old Portal Bridge. The swing gate opens when ships need to pass through, idling traffic until they're clear.

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President Donald Trump’s long-awaited federal-infrastructure proposal has dashed any remaining hope that his administration will commit significant federal dollars to a new trans-Hudson rail tunnel, and that’s left New Jersey’s elected officials and other advocates for the long-planned Gateway infrastructure project trying to figure out what to do next.

For some, the Trump administration’s latest snub is being viewed as a “call to action,” with Gov. Phil Murphy among those who’ve suggested it’s now up to members of the state’s congressional delegation to push hard to make sure Trump is overruled, and that significant federal funding for Gateway is eventually appropriated.

Others, led by state Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Robert Gordon, suggest Trump’s infrastructure and spending proposals should add more urgency to ongoing efforts to boost trans-Hudson capacity through means other than a new tunnel. They include expanding the Port Authority’s PATH train service and adding capacity to the agency’s flagship Manhattan bus terminal.