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TRENTON, NJ --Louisa Bradlow Carman wanted to shape the world around her via public policy. The twenty-five-year-old policy analyst for Governor Phil Murphy was bright and ambitious. Governor Murphy and his fellow staffers were left reeling after Carman’s sudden death in a traffic accident on New Year’s Day.
The crash occurred along Route One in Plainsboro, New Jersey, around 1:56 a.m. Multiple vehicles were involved in the crash. According to Richard Cowan, a reporter for nj.com, Carman was pronounced dead at the scene by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
On January 9, during his sixth State of the State address, Governor Murphy announced his plans for the Louisa Carman Medical Debt Relief Act, a bill that incorporates Carman’s research to help alleviate medical debt for New Jersey residents.
Louisa Carman grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated with honors from Swarthmore College in the fall of 2021 with a BA in political science and a minor in dance. Carman worked as a policy analyst in the Office of Health Care Affordability and Transparency.
After graduating from Swarthmore College in the fall of 2021, Carman started as a policy intern in the office of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. After four months, she was offered a full-time position.
Carman is remembered by friends and family as someone who was deeply compassionate for others. This compassion was reflected in her work as a policy analyst for the governor’s office, with a focus on prescription drug affordability and medical debt relief work. The bill named in her honor would provide patients with additional time to recover before their medical debt would be sent to collections agencies. The proposed legislation would require debt collectors to wait a year before reporting unpaid debt to credit officials. Additionally, the legislation would limit credit collectors' ability to file reports on medical debt if the debt amounts to less than $500.
The governor spoke of Carman’s dedication and kindness during his State of the State address, saying, “Louisa was talented. Incredibly thoughtful. And dedicated every day — as a member of our team — to making our health care system more accessible and more affordable for more people. So with this legislative proposal, we can carry her mission forward — and help thousands of our neighbors avoid falling into medical debt.”
Currently, 1 in 10 New Jersey residents has medical debt in collections. Medical debt disproportionately impacts communities of color in New Jersey, with sixteen percent of residents of color accruing medical debt in comparison to eight percent of white residents, according to reporters Susan K. Livio and Amira Sweilem.
New Jersey currently ranks 45 out of 50 states on the Medical Debt Policy Scorecard. The medical debt policy scorecard was built by Innovation for Justice, a social justice innovation lab spearheaded by the University of Arizona seeking to “enhance transparency and efficiency in debt collection lawsuits through policy, process, and technology reforms,” according to their website.
The Louisa Carman Medical Debt Relief Act was introduced to the New Jersey State Senate on February 22, 2024. The bill is sponsored by senators Shirley K. Turner and New Jersey Senate majority leader M. Teresa Ruiz.
A statement released alongside the bill explains the expansions of customer protections provided by the bill, stating, “The bill provides certain protections to patients with medical debt from collection actions by medical creditors and medical debt collectors. The bill also provides that any portion of a medical debt furnished to a consumer reporting agency in violation of the bill will be void and that it will be a violation of the "consumer fraud act" for a medical debt collector or creditor to violate the medical debt provisions of the bill.”
The bill works in tandem with the Consumer Fraud Act to safeguard citizens from predatory debt collection practices.
As of February 24, the bill has been referred to the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance committee, continuing Carman’s steadfast work to improve the quality of life for New Jersey residents.
Reported Story By:
Rosie the Writer
NJ New Jersey Reporter and Writer
Photo Credit:
Reporter David Brown
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NEW JERSEY & NEW YORK residents experienced the shock of a lifetime the morning of Friday, April 5, when a 4.8-magnitude earthquake rattled portions of the East Coast, including New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. The earthquake occurred at roughly 10:20 a.m. Eastern time and had an epicenter in Tewksbury and Redington townships in Hunterdon County.
New Jersey residents reported feelings of shaking and swaying. One resident told CBS News, "I honestly thought it was just a forklift that hit something because I was on the phone with my partner at work, and he said all of a sudden the building started to shake."
Some residents as far north as Maine also felt the tremors. While residents in Virginia also reported feeling tremors. An estimated 42 million people felt the earthquake.
Friday’s earthquake caused flight delays in travel hubs such as New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Delays in New Jersey’s Newark Liberty National Airport lasted for an estimated two hours. Air traffic resumed as normal at 12:30 P.M. EST, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s post on X.
The earthquake also resulted in delays in railroad transportation. New Jersey Transit reported twenty-minute delays for all rail services in both directions.
According to the Associated Press, there have been around 20 earthquakes on the East Coast above a magnitude of 4.5 since 1950. This is compared to over 1,000 earthquakes on the West Coast during that period of time.
The last East Coast earthquake occured in Mineral Virginia in 2011, with a 5.8 magnitude.
According to the United States Geological Survey, known as the USGS, the earthquake’s epicenter was located in New Jersey, near Redington. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that New Jersey activated the State of Emergency Operations Center in response to the historic quake. The State of Emergency Operations Center was deactivated at 10 a.m. on the morning of April 6.
Governor Murphy reassured residents in a statement posted to X, saying, “We have had no reports of major damage to structures, roadways, or infrastructure as a result of yesterday’s earthquake.”
One structural casualty of the earthquake was a 264-year-old mill that ‘fed Washington’s troops’ in Redington.
Following the earthquake, New Jersey experienced 47 aftershocks. Aftershocks are the geological phenomenon wherein a series of smaller earthquakes occurs following the main shock, according to the USGS. Aftershocks help the faults ‘readjust.’ They can occur for weeks or months following the main earthquake.
The most recent aftershock in New Jersey was recorded at 8:05 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, by the Us Geological Survey.
Aftershock info: https://www.nj.com/news/2024/04/nj-earthquake-aftershock-tally-climbs-to-34-after-fridays-big-tremor-more-expected.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/earthquake-new-york-city-jfk-newark-flights-train-travel/
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PRESS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE...
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HILLSDALE, NJ--Jim Hodges, the owner of JD HODGES Plumbing & Mechanical, participated in a logo and design company’s “naming contest” to rename and rebrand his business. For over 24 years, Jim worked with his father in the family business but eventually chose to go at it on his own. During the contest, after hearing Jim’s story about actually working with his father from the time he was five years old, through middle and high school, weekends and summers, colleagues told Jim he was like a "Gladiator", in the arena for the first time by himself. At first, Jim thought it was kind of cool but then he realized the new logo and brand was actually spot on!
The name "JD HODGES Plumbing & Mechanical" involved not just plumbing and heating, drain cleaning, and air conditioning, but "Mechanical" was for the specialty projects Jim did working in commercial and industrial environments.
The more Jim understood how much more his business encompassed, he became more excited to change the business’ name to Gladiator Services! Jim is delighted with the rebranding of his business’ name as he is receiving a great response from family, friends and patrons.
Jim’s background is unique. Aside from spending time as a young child alongside his dad in the family’s business, Jim studied architecture at Roger Williams University. Jim’s academic work and his strong appreciation for architecture has proven to be invaluable when it comes to aesthetics, planning, renovation and rerouting.
Jim’s family has been in the small community of Westwood, New Jersey for over 100 years. His great grandfather and other family members were electricians and masons. Jim’s father’s plumbing and heating business is one that is highly respected in the tight knit community. Jim and his brother are of course licensed plumbers and his brother still working alongside their father. Jim acquired his licensing (Plumbing, HVAC, Backflow, and Fire Sprinkler) by taking trade school course work and long hours training in the field.
Gladiator Services has evolved into so much more than HVAC having to do with the rapid technological advances in the field. Today the business covers indoor air quality systems, water filtration systems, reverse osmosis water systems, duct cleaning, fire safety systems and much more. Still, plumbing, heating and air conditioning stem from this place.
There’s more to Jim’s story as well. Jim just recently retired as a New York firefighter after 20 years of service. Jim started his training in early 2001 and finished on September 10, 2001. Next day, 9/11 and Jim was immediately called to task. Once again, Jim’s family history plays a part in his commitment to community as well as business. His grandfather and his father were both volunteer firefighters in Westwood. Jim became a volunteer firefighter while still in high school. He is still very much involved in not only his own community, but throughout other areas of the country doing training and teaching for new recruits.
Spring is around the corner and Gladiator Services will be extremely busy with assisting new and returning client projects, home maintenance, efficient system management, upgrades and more. Jim’s younger children have taken an interest in the family business assisting in the office and helping on calls. Jim takes great pride in his family and friends who are all part of the business in one way or another. His goal is to provide comfortable and safe experiences in the HVAC and expanded field for everyone in the community.
With Jim’s architectural background, his plan is to expand to kitchen and bathroom design and remodels. Gladiator Services is well connected with affiliate trustworthy businesses such as contractors, painters, masons, etc..
Be sure to check out Gladiator Services' comprehensive website which lists and details all of their offers. You can also call at 201-419-6090 and they are located at 157B Patterson Street, Hillsdale, NJ 07642.
Gladiator Services proudly has received an A+ Rating from the BBB and serves surrounding areas of Bergen County, NJ.
Written by Leah Brown Klein
Reported Story by Dave Brown