Branchville was the third municipality to see a newcomer lead the pack, with Russell Bellis Jr. earning 102 votes for the first of two nominations on the Republican line. The second spot remains up for grabs, as the county website shows incumbent Steven Shechner and challenger Troy Orr tied with 64 votes each.
In Andover, Eric Karr earned the nod for one of two Republican seats along with Mayor Janis McGovern. The challenger received 434 votes and McGovern 445, giving the pair who ran as a team the two Republican nominations over Deputy Mayor Michael Lensak s 242 votes.
Lensak, who served on the Township Committee from 2010 to 2015 before being elected again in 2018, congratulated his opponents in a Facebook post Wednesday.
New Jersey Herald
NEWTON Registered Democrats and Republicans will go to the polls Tuesday in the state s primary election to decide which candidates will carry the party banner into the November elections.
The County Clerk s office will be open on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon for early in-person voting. It is too late to apply for a mail-in ballot, however, the clerk s office will be open during normal business hours Friday and Monday for people to apply for a ballot in person.
The office is located in the Cochran House Building, 83 Spring St.
Republicans will also elect their local representatives to the state and county party committees on Tuesday. Democrats vote in even-numbered year primary.
N.J. nursing home deaths drop 64% as vaccinations put major dent in COVID-19 cases
Updated Mar 05, 2021;
COVID-19 deaths fell sharply in New Jersey’s nursing homes in February as the coronavirus’ second wave ebbed and vaccinations became more widespread.
Long-term care facilities recorded at least 147 deaths last month, a 64% drop from January and the first time they declined month-to-month since the summer, according to an NJ Advance Media analysis of state data.
That comes as nursing homes, assisted living centers and other senior facilities were given priority when vaccinations launched in late December, with the state’s most vulnerable seniors and the workers who care for them among the first given shots. With those clinics nearly completed, about 80% of long-term care residents and nearly 50% of staff have now been inoculated, the Health Care Association of New Jersey estimates.
New Jersey Herald
ANDOVER TOWNSHIP The hearing for the proposed Copart auto storage facility in the township, initially scheduled for nine months ago, has been pushed back again to allow for further review of the application.
The application, which includes the purchase of about 100 acres at the former Newton Airport property on Stickles Pond Road, was scheduled to resume Dec. 15 but has been moved to February at the applicant s request, Mayor Michael Lensak said Thursday. The exact date and venue for the February meeting are still to be determined.
The hearing began Sept. 15 with three hours of testimony at the Hillside Park barn, but three scheduled meetings to continue the application have been canceled since then.