Today’s birthdays

Nobel peace laureate and former South African president F.W. de Klerk is

85. Singer Irene Cara is

62. Singer-actor Vanessa L. Williams is 58. Olympic gold medal speedskater Bonnie Blair is 57. Rapperactor-talk show host Queen Latifah is 51.

Parents must be told after 1st cannabis arrest under bill

TRENTON >> Parents must be notified if their minor child unlawfully possesses or buys marijuana under a bill lawmakers advanced Wednesday, not even a month since Gov. Phil Murphy signed cannabis legislation that explicitly prohibited parental notification.

The measure appears to be on a fast track, coming after concerns that the law left parents in the dark. Spokespeople for Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Senate President Steve Sweeney said they support the measure, and Murphy, a fellow Democrat, said earlier this month that he supported the idea of parental notification.

Democratic Assemblyman Herb Conaway, the bill’s primary sponsor, said the measure would “better align the (marijuana law) with the sensibilities of the people of New Jersey.

Republican Minority Leader Jon Bramnick congratulated Democrats for recognizing they “made a mistake” with the original bill.

“In my history in politics this was the dumbest law I’ve ever seen by far,” he said in an interview after the hearing. “Under what circumstance would you want an underage person — let’s say 14 — drinking beer and smoking marijuana, why should the parents not be informed?”

Under the law Murphy signed in February, a first offense would result in a written warning. The law makes it clear that the person’s parent or guardian is not to be notified. A second offense is a written warning along with information on drug treatment services.

Police must provide a copy of the second warning to those under 18, along with a notice about the first offense as well.

The third offense carries a written warning again along with a referral to drug treatment services. Parents and guardians would also be notified of a third warning.

Voters approved of recreational marijuana for those 21 and older by a 2-to-1 margin in a ballot measure in November. It took more than three months for lawmakers and the governor to agree on legislation setting up the recreational marketplace.

Lawmakers acknowledged at the time that they might have to revisit the newly signed law with “cleanup” legislation.

The bill would also apply in cases where a minor was found in possession of alcohol.

Bill allowing civilian review of police misconduct advances

TRENTON >> New Jersey’s cities and towns could set up civilian boards to investigate excessive force by police under legislation an Assembly committee approved Wednesday.

The civilian review boards are in place in police departments around the country and have been at the heart of activists’ efforts to curtail police violence for years in New Jersey.

But Wednesday’s legislation advanced after an August ruling by the state Supreme Court on Newark’s civilian review board, and it has taken on even greater urgency after last spring and summer’s Black Lives Matter protests.

The legislation advanced after hours of testimony, with many community activists as well as the mayors of the state’s three biggest cities and Plainfield all testifying in support.

“We believe that a (civilian review board) will protect the integrity of an investigation, protect both the police and the public, and will allow for the powerful disinfectant known as sunshine to penetrate the process so as to add an additional layer of protection and transparency,” Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp said.

In the Newark case, the Fraternal Order of Police opposed the city’s board and sued. The court handed down a mixed opinion, saying that Newark had the authority to create a board through local ordinance, but that it didn’t have the power to give it subpoena power.

The legislation advancing Wednesday had initially authorized cities and towns to create boards with subpoena power, but the bill was changed in committee to make subpoena power subject to approval by state Superior Court.

Another key component of the measure was authorization for concurrent investigations by the board and police internal affairs departments.

That’s important, according to Sarah Fajardo of the American Civil Liberties Union, because a concurrent

— sometimes called parallel

— investigation results in independent findings, and that helps foster accountability and transparency.