Parental rights showdown escalates

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Thursday:

⬛ Murphy will seek to punish school districts that defy his trans policy

Protesters outside Middletown Board of Education meeting 6/20/21 (Margery Cohen via Facebook)

A showdown over parental rights in a handful of New Jersey school districts is expected to escalate next week when NJ Attorney General Matt Platkin seeks to block policies in defiance of state guidelines.

The dispute is around district policies that require parents to be notified if a student changes his/her gender identity in school.

State guidelines strictly prohibit schools from telling parents about the change.

⬛ Did a tornado uproot large trees in Hunterdon County, NJ?

Fallen tree in Bethlehem-Bloomsbury area (JCP&L)

A National Weather Service survey team determined an EF0 tornado uprooted several large trees and brought down tree limbs in Hunterdon County Monday night.

As the sun went down Monday evening a line of fast-moving thunderstorms moving from west to east lost their punch with most of the state experiencing just run-of-the-mill storms. But they were still strong crossing the Delaware River bringing 85-95 mph winds to Bloomsbury and Holland Township.

⬛ What NJ Transit rail commuters need to know about strike threats

Getty Images

As New Jersey Transit engineers take a strike vote, NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett said there are a number of steps that will take months to complete under the Federal Railway Act before picket lines go up.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the only NJ Transit union of 15 which has not agreed to a contract, is in the process of an email vote that would authorize leadership to call a strike.

⬛ Point Pleasant Borough, NJ cop faces more shoplifting charges

Point Pleasant Borough police vehicle (Point Pleasant Borough)

BRICK — The Point Pleasant Borough police detective who pleaded not guilty to shoplifting at a Walmart store now faces additional charges.

Detective Sgt. Joshua Gunnell, 41, was charged with shoplifting more than $200 in groceries from the Walmart in Brick between Route 70 and Route 88 on June 25. His attorney entered a not-guilty plea.

The Asbury Park Press reported Gunnell was charged again in two separate incidents on June 4 and 15 at a store in Brick with under-ringing and concealing value in each case.

⬛ NJ doctor who fathered impaired patient's son has license revoked

Dr. Jashvant Amin (RWJ Barnabas Health)

An Essex County doctor is no longer allowed to practice medicine after an investigation found that nearly four decades ago, he had sex with a patient who suffered a traumatic brain injury, resulting in a child.

Dr. Jashvant Amin, an internist and hematologist, had his license revoked after an investigation by the Enforcement Bureau for the State Board of Medical Examiners found "uncontroverted evidence" of "professional and sexual misconduct." The investigation also found he lacks "good moral character."

Perv doctors, masseurs in NJ: Lost licenses for sexual misconduct

Over a year's span, state occupational and professional boards have taken the licenses of 20 professionals accused or convicted of sexual misconduct. For some, it's permanent.

NJ teachers and educators caught in sex crime busts

Over the past several years, state lawmakers have taken on the challenge of dealing with accused child predators among the ranks of teachers and educators.

In 2018, the so-called “pass the trash” law went into effect, requiring stricter New Jersey school background checks related to child abuse and sexual misconduct.

The follow individuals were arrested over the past several years. Some have been convicted and sentenced to prison, while others have accepted plea deals for probation.

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