Wednesday July 1 News Updates Lakewood

Weather: 97° Sunshine A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible.

Tomorrow fast of שבעה עשר בתמוז Hi of 103° Hot and humid.

- NWS: Issues extreme heat warning starting today 12:00 pm through shabbos day 8:00 pm 

Fast of 17 Tamuz starts tomorrow morning at 3:45 AM dawn degrees or at 4:20 AM dawn fixed minutes

Tips on how to prepare for a fast according to Rabbi Yechezkel Aschayek author of the sefer חיים בריאים כהלכה One should start preparation from the morning 2 days before by drinking 50 % more water of your daily intake. Drink 20 minutes before eating and after meals, don't drink until the food is digested in order not to dilute the acids that digest the food. 

- Giyus: The Basic Law on Torah Study passed first reading in Knesset plenum. The law is intended to allow the continuation of funding for the yeshivos and the exemption from draft conscription. to the IDF

- Death toll in Venezuela earthquake climbs to : - 2,295  

- Nearly 20 campers from  a junior air force academy were taken to local hospitals near  Goshen, Ny after a Coach USA charter bus traveling from an upstate New York camp to New Jersey lost air conditioning during the trip. Officials said the campers suffered from heat exhaustion and dehydration, and emergency responders evaluated and treated those affected

- Giyus: Vizhnitz chasidim from Bnei Brak set up an outdoor bais medrash outside the Attorney General's office to protest the arrests of yeshiva students. 

-  NJGOP blasts Gov. Sherrill, Democrats plus Bob Singer and Sean Kean over $60.7 billion budget

“Families across New Jersey are struggling with skyrocketing property taxes, utility bills, tolls, insurance costs, and the highest cost of living in the region,” Hanlon said. “Instead of exercising fiscal discipline, the Governor and Trenton Democrats responded by passing the largest budget in New Jersey history.” 

Two Republicans who represent parts of Ocean and Monmouth Counties including Lakewood, State Sen. Robert Singer and Assemblyman Sean Kean, voted with the Democrats to approve the budget.

- NJ Assemblyman Alex Sauickie Nothing in this budget will make NJ more affordable this year.

Not property taxes.
Not utility bills.
Not tolls.
Not insurance. Trenton keeps spending. You keep paying.

- NJ Legislature OKs bill to fine some employers (with over 50 employees) for workers on Medicaid. This will cost businesses in Lakewood and across New Jersey including yeshivos and school who have rebbein on NJ family care  

Assemblyman Avi Schnall defended the employer Medicaid assessment, saying:

“This is called tax fairness. This is called getting the record straight.” Schnall (D-Ocean) said under the current system, taxpayers are left to foot the full bill for Medicaid, which is expected to cost some $26 billion over the next year, with more than $7 million from New Jersey coffers.  

Schnall argued that under the current system, taxpayers bear the full cost of Medicaid, while the new law requires certain large employers with workers enrolled in Medicaid to contribute toward the program's cost. Nj monitor 

- New Jersey's ongoing drought, combined with an expected heatwave, is increasing the risk of wildfires and putting additional strain on water supplies and farms. Monmouth and Ocean counties remain in severe drought, while parts of southern New Jersey's coastal region are experiencing extreme drought conditions.

- Kamala Harris has reportedly reached out to Zohran Mamdani & pro-Palestinian activists as she lays groundwork for a possible 2028 run.

- BDE: Thousands participate in the Levaya Mekubal Rabbi Amos Guetta zt"l in Netanya after he was murdered last night by an individual who is in police custody. According to initial reports, the suspect was known to police and was believed to have been connected to the rabbi’s circle. He allegedly arrived seeking to daven with Rabbi Guetta, an argument broke out, and he then stabbed the rabbi four times before fleeing. MDA teams fought to save the rabbi’s life, performing prolonged resuscitation efforts before evacuating him in critical condition to Laniado, where doctors were forced to pronounce him dead.

- President Trump says Micron will invest $250 million in Trump Accounts, calling it the largest corporate investment of its kind.

- Today A couple who scale tall buildings have climbed to the top of the Empire State Building in New York City, holding a banner from the skyscraper's antenna reading, at 1,454 feet above the ground.

- NJ Transit fares increased by 3% on July 1, marking the second consecutive year of automatic annual fare hikes. The increase follows a 15% hike in 2024 and brings the total fare increase since then to 21%. Under current policy, NJ Transit fares are scheduled to rise by 3% each July 1.

- President Trump took the inaugural presidential flight on a Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar and upgraded for use as Air Force One, departing from Joint Base Andrews to Medora, North Dakota. The flight was to attend the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and a Freedom 250 event.

- Teachers in the Montclair Public Schools district walked out of a mandatory staff training session that included the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. The training was required under a federal settlement following a complaint alleging discrimination against Jewish students. Critics, including CAIR-NJ, argued the IHRA definition could suppress legitimate criticism of Israel, while supporters say it helps identify and address antisemitism in schools.

- NJ Assembly GOP NJ Assembly GOP Last night at Gov Sherrill’s "Affordability Agenda" press conference:Nobody smiled. She signed the budget privately at 11:22 PM. 38 minutes before the deadline. After promising no new taxes. After promising to end pork giveaways. $800M in new taxes. $360M in pork. Schools underfunded $400M.

- Daily anti ICE protests continue in downtown Lakewood following a recent ICE operation that resulted in the arrest of 10 people. Supporters of those arrested have been holding daily demonstrations, with some comparing the arrests to kidnappings. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that 10 individuals it described as being in the country illegally were arrested during the June 24 enforcement action. APP

- The FBI has reportedly determined the original ransom notes tied to Nancy Guthrie's disappearance were fake, according to a new Reuters report citing two FBI sources.

The report says investigators concluded the initial notes sent to media outlets were not authentic

- More than 70,000 had visited the kever of the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh, as of Wednesday morning to mark the 283rd yartzeit, Israeli officials said.

- Starting today A new Medicare pilot program launching July 1 will allow some eligible beneficiaries to receive certain Ozempic GLP-1 weight-loss medications, including Wegovy and Zepbound, for a $50 monthly copay through the end of 2027. The program is limited to qualifying participants

letter calling for strengthening tefillos during the 3 weeks of bein hamstring in light of the gezeiras giyus

Vishnitz chasidim Giyus protest in front of AG office  building