Wednesday November 12 News Updates Lakewood

 Weather: 

Weather: 53° Cloudy with sunshine later

The Mega Millions jackpot has risen to an estimated $965 million, with the next drawing scheduled for Friday night.

- Trump signs bill to reopen govt after longest shutdiwn: "They shut down the government in an attempt to extort taxpayers for billions of dollars for illegal aliens. We’re sending a clear message we will never give in to extortion."

- The House just officially passed the bill to end the government shutdown. President Trump is expected to sign it into law tonight.

- Trump: The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects. Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap. The Democrats cost our Country $1.5 Trillion Dollars with their recent antics of viciously closing our Country, while at the same time putting many at risk — and they should pay a fair price. There should be no deflections to Epstein or anything else, and any Republicans involved should be focused only on opening up our Country, and fixing the massive damage caused by the Democrats!

- Bingo Black Friday deals live now see full catalogue HERE 

- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration is considering limiting the proposed $2,000 tariff dividend to families earning under $100,000. He explained on Fox & Friends that “there are a lot of options,” but the rebate would likely focus on middle- and lower-income households.

- New Jersey Republican State Senator Jon Bramnick commented on the recent election results, saying that Jack Ciattarelli lost support among unaffiliated voters. He warned that Republicans in New Jersey cannot ignore these results, adding that if the party doesn’t “face reality,” it risks further losses in future elections.

- The White House has responded to the emails from Epstein's Estate that say Trump is "the dog who hasn't barked." and knew what was going on "The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the liberal media to create a fake narrative and a political distraction  to smear President Trump."

- FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the global fentanyl production pipeline has been shut down, with China agreeing to regulate all key precursors. He credited President Trump’s team for this historic move, saying it will save tens of thousands of lives.

- There will be a food giveaway today at the BlueClaws parking lot at 5:00 PM. Please note that this event is only for those who pre-registered, as registration was limited to 1,000 families.

- Health insurance costs in New Jersey are sharply rising for 2026, just as open enrollment begins. Premiums and out-of-pocket expenses are increasing across all types of plans employer-based, Affordable Care Act, and Medicare confirming earlier warnings from experts about steep price hikes.

- BDE: Petirah of Mrs. Suki Gross A'H (née Stavsky) wife of R’ Meir Gross of Westgate, and a longtime mechaneches and children’s books author. The levaya will take place today Wednesday at 2:30 PM at the chapel off 7th Street in Lakewood, with kevurah following at the adjacent bais olam.

She is survived by Ybl"c her husband, R’ Meir, her sons R’ Mordy and R’ Avrami, and her daughters Mrs. Mandelbaum, Mrs. Abrahamson, Mrs. Horowitz, Mrs. Hersh, Mrs. Bendkowski, Mrs. Bernstein, Michal, and Shulamis Gross.

- The school year has just begun, and kids are finally settling into their routines. The leaves are falling, and winter hasn’t even arrived yet but sleepaway camps are already closing registration for returning campers before opening to the public. Just like with playgroups, parents are being forced to make summer plans right now or risk losing their spots. Many families are even holding reservations knowing they might have to forfeit their deposits, simply because they don’t want to miss out and all of this is happening nine months before summer begins. Could it at least be pushed off until after Chanuka? 

- Down to the last Penny: The U.S. Mint will officially stop producing pennies, with today marking the last one ever minted in Philadelphia. Each penny costs taxpayers $3.7 to produce, and in FY2024 alone, the Mint lost $85.3 billion on penny production.

- Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch Shlit”a is set to arrive in the U.S. on Tuesday, November 25, for two weeks of fundraising for Slabodka Yeshiva. He will split his time between New York and Lakewood New Jersey to attend various events.

- Rav Dov Landau shlita spoke yesterday at Yeshiva Daas Aaron in Yerushalyim "We are in a period where those who have not tasted the taste of the Torah are persecuting yeshiva bochurim and restricting their steps with gezeiros and various harassments. We hope with heavenly assistance that they will repent and stop these actions. We, the yeshiva students, our role is to continue with full vigor to fulfill our goal - to ensure that the Torah will flourish more and more here in eretz Yisroel".

Lakewood election data:Jack Ciattarelli performed 58 percentage points better in Lakewood this year compared to 2021. Despite the Vaad’s endorsement of Governor Murphy in that earlier race when Ciattarelli still captured about 62% of the vote his support surged significantly this time. He also netted roughly 27,000 more votes in Lakewood alone.

conservative commentator Mark Levin unleashed a fiery tirade against Tucker Carlson, branding him a “Nazi promoter” and “modern-day David Duke” during a segment of The Mark Levin Show.

A 2025 Retirement Living survey ranks New Jersey as the fourth-worst state to retire in, citing poor healthcare and quality of life. Retirees need about $964,000 in savings to live comfortably, with the state’s 2.23% property tax and 10.75% income tax among the nation’s highest.

- A powerful geomagnetic storm from a major solar eruption lit up the skies Tuesday night, making the Northern Lights visible as far south as southern New Jersey. The phenomenon followed a severe space weather alert issued after the sun released one of its strongest eruptions of the current solar cycle, sending a huge cloud of plasma toward Earth. They may repeat in half the country Wednesday, including in New Jersey.

- NYT: Emails obtained by democrats in Congress show that Jeffrey Epstein claimed Donald Trump knew of his conduct, alleging that Trump spent hours at Epstein’s house

- Israel to Offer 0% Income Tax for New Immigrants in 2026 for first 2 years according to a new proposal by the finance ministry 

- President Trump sent a letter to Israel’s President Isaac Herzog formally asking him to pardon Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is on trial for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.Trump called it a unjust political trial. Herzog, declined to take a position on the matter, saying in a statement from his office that a pardon request must go through the proper channels.

- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Wednesday that he intends to shut down the Army Radio station Galei Tzahal, ordering broadcasts to cease by March 1, 2026, and saying he will soon bring the proposal to the government for approval. Calling the operation of a civilian-style broadcaster by the military “an anomaly unheard of in any democratic country in the world,” Katz said the move was necessary to protect the IDF’s nonpartisan status.

- The Township of Lakewood is selling several township-owned properties in Block 175 under the following minimum bid conditions they are located off E. Kennedy blvd in the Brookhill neighborhood.

Block 175, Lot 52: $1,380,000

Block 175, Lot 58: $1,380,000

Block 175, Lot 67: $500,000

Block 175, Lot 69: $1,320,000

These prices represent the minimum bids required for the sale of the properties. The 30 day bids begin after the ordnance reading at the township meeting.