Latest news with #Blee
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Is New Jersey's judicial vacancy crisis under control? Trenton lawmakers hear testimony
The acting Administrative Director of the New Jersey Courts told members of the state Assembly Budget Committee that a robust judiciary is essential. Still less than a month on the job, Michael Blee spoke about the importance of an impartial court system, noting the 'judiciary must uphold the law and protect the rights of all individuals so that justice can be served.' State Sen. Paul Sarlo, the committee's chair and a Bergen County Democrat, called the state's system the 'best in the country.' 'We should be very proud of it," Sarlo said. "The process we go through to select our judges — and then the interaction we have with them afterward, the work we do together.' When asked by state Sen. Mike Testa, R-Vineland, about vacancies stemming from a lack of nominations from the governor's office, Blee said he didn't 'know what the impetus is' but that 'it is a very stringent vetting process,' which is a good thing. Blee said that as of May 1 there will be 51 vacancies, which is 'not at the crisis level' from several years ago, when the New Jersey courts had as many as 76 judicial vacancies. He said that they would like to see that number in the range of 25 to 30 vacancies. There is a possibility of shutting down matrimonial or civil trials in Vicinage 13, which covers Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren counties if there are five or six vacancies, though. They will stand at three next week. More: NJ lawmakers question school funding formula, federal aid in Trenton budget hearing Civil and matrimonial trials in Passaic, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren counties have been suspended in recent years due to vacancies. A slew of judges were confirmed at the end of 2023 and in early 2024 to bring the number of vacancies on the bench to 38, the lowest since before the pandemic. In New Jersey, judges serve for an initial seven-year term and can be renominated for tenure, which allows them to sit on the bench until they reach the mandatory retirement age of 70. Blee also highlighted the efforts made to lower the backlog of cases to something closer to what it was before the pandemic. Blee said that in the past fiscal year, the backlog of cases is down to 21%, an increase of nearly 12%. The backlog stood at 41,433 in February, according to the courts website, a substantial decrease from the 75,777 cases waiting to be heard in February 2023. 'This is an improvement, but it falls short of our present goal,' Blee said. 'We look forward to continuing to work with the Legislature to fill judicial vacancies, which will help us reduce that backlog and provide timely justice for all.' Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@ This article originally appeared on NJ judicial vacancy crisis is coming under control
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford launches EV incentives to win over buyers with new Puma
Ford UK believes the launch of the new Puma Electric can prompt buyers of its existing vehicles to make the switch to electric, and is launching a new range of incentives to help buyers do so. The manufacturer has launched a new Power Promise, giving every buyer of one of its EVs a free home charger with home energy credit from Octopus Energy to cover up to 10,000 miles. That adds to a free five-year service plan including EV towing, and an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty for the battery and high-voltage components. Ford currently offers the Mustang Mach-E, Explorer and Capri EVs, which are all bespoke electric cars. But the arrival of an EV version of the smaller Puma – Britain's best-selling vehicle – is key for the brand's ambition to grow its EV sales. Catherine Blee, Ford UK's passenger vehicles sales boss, said: 'The Puma has been the best-selling vehicle in the UK for several years, and we have customers who really love that car that have been waiting for an electrified version. There are also some of our Fiesta customers who have been waiting for this vehicle. 'Our dealers are really excited: they think this is the game-changer for them in terms of EVs. For some buyers the upfront cost [of going electric] can be a deterrent, but when you can charge at home the total cost of ownership story is really compelling. So with this new scheme we think we can tap into a group of customers by providing a real benefit.' The Power Promise is similar to schemes offered by other manufacturers, and Blee said it was developed based on both customer feedback and a survey that showed 25% of people were put off by the complexity of switching to an EV. 'From a customer perspective, having a really compelling offer will help overcome some of those perceived barriers to entry, such as the cost of a wallbox and how to get it installed,' she said. 'There are so many anxieties and concerns driven by the myths that are out there, so we want to help people thinking about making the move, and hopefully win over some doubters.' Blee said that the new initiative would run in conjunction with recent efforts to work with dealers to better explain concepts of the total cost of EV ownership. 'We know that the next wave of EV customers, the early majority that come after early adopters, are really data-driven individuals, so we can persuade them with a total cost of ownership story,' said Blee. 'We're talking to dealers to give them the tools to explain that to customers. We're also working on dialling up test drive opportunities, because we know once people get in a test drive of an EV they're really surprised by how well It drives and how easy it is to switch. 'We've gone from having just the Mustang Mach-E to having four EVs in dealerships, so we've done a lot of work. We've been able to make sure we have the right training in place to support dealers with the knowledge that they need, which helps them assist customers in making the right decisions.' While the deal is largely focused around the free charger, people who don't want one – or can't have one installed – will instead receive £500 in credit. The firm is also ramping up efforts to promote its virtual Blue Oval Charging Network, which gives access to around 33,000 public chargers through Ford's app. ]]>
