THE BREAKDOWN
New Jersey’s Water Infrastructure Investment Plan
What happened: The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) launched a new effort to help resolve water infrastructure challenges and improve the quality of the state’s waterways.
What’s next: The DEP and the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank will work to develop the Water Infrastructure Investment Plan parameters for projects that will be federally funded with money obtained through the recently passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Why it matters: It’s the single largest investment in our nation’s water infrastructure, providing New Jersey with $169 million this year, the first of five years of investment through the law. The money will be used for drinking water, storm water and wastewater infrastructure improvement projects.
The Employment Situation
What happened: Job growth soared in January despite fears that the omicron variant would cause a large downturn. All told, the economy gained 467,000 jobs last month, but the unemployment rate did rise slightly from 3.9% to 4%.
Where the jobs are: The biggest gainers in employment were in the areas of leisure and hospitality, professional business services, retail trade, transportation and warehousing. The health care industry also saw gains, but overall employment in the field remains down 378,000 workers since prior to COVID-19.
Numbers
$6 million
The amount a Pennsylvania man is accused of stealing after defrauding a dozen financial institutions in the area, including TD Bank, over the course of nearly four years.
$350 million
The minimum that PREIT says it will raise by selling properties in multiple phases to pay down its debts. The Philadelphia-based firm owns the Cherry Hill, Moorestown and Cumberland malls.
25%
The percentage of eligible NJ taxpayers who don’t take advantage of the earned income tax credit program, which can provide financial relief ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars, according to the state’s treasury department.
$63
Roughly how much 64,500 Rutgers University students will receive from the college’s $5 million settlement. A suit alleged students are owed reimbursement for tuition and on-campus charges they paid after instruction went remote in spring 2020.
$3.8 million
The amount New Jersey has awarded in recent Transit Village grants to improve public transportation. Burlington City, Collingswood and Riverside are among the 14 municipalities that will receive a portion of those funds.
349
Number of tri-state-area organizations the WSFS CARES Foundation provided grants and donations to in 2021. The charitable arm of WSFS Bank gave a total of $2,062,466.67 to regional causes last year.
$4 million
The cost of an Ocean Casino Resort venue slated to debut this summer, pending state gaming regulators’ approval. The concept will blend sports wagering with the amenities of a bar, lounge and gaming experience.
200,000
The number of non-medical KN95 masks that Cooper University Health Care will be distributing throughout the city of Camden, with some help from the Camden County Metro Police and Sheriff’s departments.
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Published (and copyrighted) in South Jersey Biz, Volume 12, Issue 2 (Februray 2022).
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