The White House Counsel’s office says the FBI searched President Joe Biden’s vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Wednesday without finding any classified documents. Agents did take some handwritten notes and other materials relating to Biden’s time as vice president for review. The search, disclosed by Biden’s personal lawyer, was the latest discomfiting moment for a president who has sought to contrast his sensitivity to rule-following with that of his predecessor Donald Trump, who faces a criminal investigation into his handling of classified documents.
Atlantic City, Cape May and Vineland will split about $20.4 million in federal funds for traffic safety improvements.
That sum is a fraction of about $800 million U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced Wednesday as part of his department’s new Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program.
The three municipalities are represented in Congress by U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd. Van Drew’s spokesperson, Ashley Brown, said he’d been advocating for these projects.
“I am proud of the work we accomplished in order to secure this funding, and I look forward to continuing this important work for South Jersey through my service on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,” Van Drew said.
The program is funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act President Joe Biden signed in 2021, investing $5 billion over five years for plans and projects to redesign American roadways, sidewalks and crosswalks, the department said.
People are also reading…
“This investment in street and roadway improvements will mean enhanced safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists across our state,” said U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J. “It is one of the reasons I was proud to support the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which has already brought millions of dollars and thousands of jobs to New Jersey to improve ferry operations, expand airport facilities and technologies, and repair and replace some of the region’s most critical, but aging, infrastructure.”
Vice President Kamala Harris will attend the funeral of Tyre Nichols, who died three days after he was beaten by Memphis police officers just minutes from his home. The White House said in a statement that Harris was invited to the funeral services planned for Wednesday by Nichols’ mother and step father. The White House says Harris spoke with Nichols’ family by phone on Tuesday. Five Black officers have been fired and charged with second-degree murder and other offenses in Nichols’ Jan. 7 beating and subsequent death. Video of the beating shows many more people failed to help Nichols. Two more Memphis police officers have been disciplined and three emergency responders have been fired in his death.
The program uses two sets of grants: Action Plan Grants and Implementation Grants. Action Plan Grants are awarded to communities to help them either develop or build upon strategies to improve roadway infrastructure. Implementation Grants help fund project implementation, the department said.
Cape May and Atlantic City each will be given $200,000 in Action Plan Grants from the first round of funding.
Atlantic City will use the money for general road improvements, city spokesperson Andrew Kramer said Thursday.
Cape May plans to apply for an Implementation Grant once it has a plan in place.
“Traffic safety has been a priority for Cape May City, and this Action Plan Grant will not only provide funding for well-planned solutions but also prequalify the city for construction dollars,” Mayor Zack Mullock said in a statement Thursday.
Vineland was given $20 million, which, according to the department’s website, will be used to shrink the width of a 2.3-mile stretch of Chestnut Avenue between Delsea Drive and Main Road.
Vineland Mayor Anthony Fanucci said without help from Washington, a heavy financial burden would be placed on city taxpayers.
“Although final details for the project are still being considered, there is no doubt that this investment will improve traffic, biking, and pedestrian safety along this portion of Chestnut Avenue which saw over 660 accidents in the period between 2012-2016,” Fanucci said. “It will also provide opportunities for good paying construction jobs for Vineland residents and beyond.”
That corridor of Chestnut Road would go from four traffic lanes to three, with a two-way left-turn lane, lighting, bicycle lanes and an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant walkway, a project description from the department states. Those changes are intended to reduce speeding and other poor driving behaviors that could result in fatal crashes.
The program supports the department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, an endeavor launched in January 2022 to make American streets and highways safer.
“Every year, crashes cost tens of thousands of American lives and hundreds of billions of dollars to our economy; we face a national emergency on our roadways, and it demands urgent action,” Buttigieg said. “These grants will directly support hundreds of communities as they prepare steps that are proven to make roadways safer and save lives.”
A second funding opportunity worth $1.1 billion is expected in April, the department said.
