NJ SpotlightTom Turcich finishes 7 years of worldly walkingTom Turcich has been walking around the world with his dog Savannah for the past 7 years. He was motivated by two young women who died. He made the final steps on his journey on May 21, 2022.Charles Fox Man tries to rebuild a life after 28 years in prison for a Philly murder he didn’t commitMichaelle Bond and Emilie Lounsberry Lawmakers Move to Improve Paid Family Leave Program in New Jersey NJ Spotlight Opinion: Let’s Leverage New Minimum-Wage Law to Get Some Key Facts NJ Spotlight Big Push to Make Medicaid in New Jersey More Effective and Efficient NJ Spotlight AdvertisementNJ’s Laid-Off Workers to Get Toughest Protections in US?New Jersey lawmakers are looking to establish some of the toughest protections in the country for workers who face losing their jobs to a mass layoff or corporate bankruptcy. The protections come in response to several recent cases where employees were left with little or no severance pay, including after last year's liquidation of the Wayne-based Toys 'R' Us retail chain. NJ Spotlight Another Expert Casts Doubt on Need for NJ to Subsidize Nuclear PlantsNew Jersey should hold off awarding ratepayers' subsidies to nuclear power plants until a federal agency decides whether to boost energy prices under a pending proposal from the regional grid operator, according to an independent economist. NJ Spotlight 200<p>Bald eagles had all but vanished from New Jersey not so long ago. In fact, David Wheeler, executive director of the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, said, “…we only had one nest in all of New Jersey as recently as the 1980s, and it wasn’t even a successful nest.” Now, <span class="link external-link"><a class="link" href="https://www.njtvonline.org/news/video/states-bald-eagle-and-falcon-populations-soar/" target="_blank">200</a></span> pairs and more nest in the Garden State.</p> NJ Spotlight Aid-in-Dying Legislation Advances After Passionate Testimony Pro and ConAll seem to agree it is a worthy goal to ease the suffering of patients with deadly diseases who are reaching the end of their lives. NJ Spotlight Stop-Gap Attempt to ‘Avoid Chaos’ as Court Action Awaited in PARCC CaseTwo efforts are ongoing to maintain passage of the PARCC test as a state graduation requirement — just for the next few years — in order to ensure continuity for today's high school students. Either measure will depend on the support of Gov. Phil Murphy who has long promised to eliminate PARCC testing and has yet to weigh in on allowing its continued use. NJ Spotlight Lawmakers Seeking More Diversity Among NJ’s Public School TeachersIn a state where public-school teachers are predominantly white and do not come close to reflecting the diversity of their students, lawmakers began a conversation Thursday to hear what state officials and colleges are already doing and what else can be done to correct the imbalance. NJ Spotlight Opinion: President Trump’s Rhetoric Belies the Truth About ImmigrantsIn the wake of President Trump's latest jeremiad against immigrants — blaming them for every foul deed short of poisoning our water — during his State of the Union address, it is useful to consider again the beneficial impacts of immigration for this oft-described "nation of immigrants," including New Jersey. NJ Spotlight Good News for Consumers: NJ Electric Bills to Hold SteadyIn a bit of good news for consumers, bills will remain relatively flat for most residential and small commercial customers when new rates kick in for the state's four electric utilities in June. NJ Spotlight More Muscle For Special Agency that’s Key To Gateway Tunnel ProjectA special bi-state agency created several years ago to spearhead the effort to build the Gateway commuter-rail tunnel would get new legal powers under legislation that cleared its first committee hurdle in Trenton yesterday. NJ Spotlight 90<p>In the past year, thousands of New Jersey workers lost their jobs when Toys ‘R’ Us and Sears stores closed. A bill approved Thursday by the state Senate Commerce committee seeks to soften the blow of such mass layoffs, in part by lengthening the warning large employers must give threatened workers, from 60 days to <span class="link external-link"><a class="link" href="https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2018/Bills/S3500/3170_I1.PDF" target="_blank">90</a></span>. The bill would also mandate severance pay when 50 or more workers are laid off by a company.</p> NJ Spotlight Report Notes Murphy Team’s Mistakes in Brennan Case, Key Issue UnresolvedA long-awaited outside review of how Gov. Phil Murphy's top aides handled rape allegations leveled by one high-ranking staffer against another backs up the governor's claim that he was kept out of the loop by top officials. Murphy now says their decision not to tell him was a mistake. NJ Spotlight Lawmakers Move to End Religious Exemption for Mandatory VaccinationsThe New Jersey Assembly passed a measure late last week removing the religious exemption as a reason parents can refrain from having their children vaccinated. NJ Spotlight Package of Bills Hopes to Knock NJ Out of the Top Spot in ForeclosuresWith New Jersey once again leading the nation in foreclosures, a state Senate committee has scheduled a hearing on a package of bills meant to reform the process, helping property owners having trouble meeting their mortgage payments and getting foreclosed homes back on the market more quickly. NJ Spotlight Fine Print: Taking a Harder Look at Greenhouse-Gas Emissions in New Jersey<em>The issue:</em> There is not much climate-change denial in New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy and a slew of other extreme storms ended that debate. Most policymakers recognize, as the latest national climate-assessment predicts, the world is warming faster than projected, and we're running out of time to avoid the worst consequences. How does the nation's most densely populated state reduce its carbon footprint? More than a decade ago, that goal led New Jersey to set ambitious goals to curb pollution contributing to global warming — targets many advocates argue will be difficult to achieve, especially in light of the Trump administration's rollback of initiatives to deal with climate change. NJ Spotlight Will Booker’s Track Record on Education Be a Problem for his 2020 Campaign?Sen. Cory Booker is running for president — and bringing a lengthy record on education with him. NJ Spotlight See more storiesAdvertisement
Tom Turcich finishes 7 years of worldly walkingTom Turcich has been walking around the world with his dog Savannah for the past 7 years. He was motivated by two young women who died. He made the final steps on his journey on May 21, 2022.Charles Fox
Tom Turcich finishes 7 years of worldly walkingTom Turcich has been walking around the world with his dog Savannah for the past 7 years. He was motivated by two young women who died. He made the final steps on his journey on May 21, 2022.Charles Fox
Man tries to rebuild a life after 28 years in prison for a Philly murder he didn’t commitMichaelle Bond and Emilie Lounsberry
Man tries to rebuild a life after 28 years in prison for a Philly murder he didn’t commitMichaelle Bond and Emilie Lounsberry
NJ’s Laid-Off Workers to Get Toughest Protections in US?New Jersey lawmakers are looking to establish some of the toughest protections in the country for workers who face losing their jobs to a mass layoff or corporate bankruptcy. The protections come in response to several recent cases where employees were left with little or no severance pay, including after last year's liquidation of the Wayne-based Toys 'R' Us retail chain. NJ Spotlight
NJ’s Laid-Off Workers to Get Toughest Protections in US?New Jersey lawmakers are looking to establish some of the toughest protections in the country for workers who face losing their jobs to a mass layoff or corporate bankruptcy. The protections come in response to several recent cases where employees were left with little or no severance pay, including after last year's liquidation of the Wayne-based Toys 'R' Us retail chain. NJ Spotlight
Another Expert Casts Doubt on Need for NJ to Subsidize Nuclear PlantsNew Jersey should hold off awarding ratepayers' subsidies to nuclear power plants until a federal agency decides whether to boost energy prices under a pending proposal from the regional grid operator, according to an independent economist. NJ Spotlight
Another Expert Casts Doubt on Need for NJ to Subsidize Nuclear PlantsNew Jersey should hold off awarding ratepayers' subsidies to nuclear power plants until a federal agency decides whether to boost energy prices under a pending proposal from the regional grid operator, according to an independent economist. NJ Spotlight
200<p>Bald eagles had all but vanished from New Jersey not so long ago. In fact, David Wheeler, executive director of the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, said, “…we only had one nest in all of New Jersey as recently as the 1980s, and it wasn’t even a successful nest.” Now, <span class="link external-link"><a class="link" href="https://www.njtvonline.org/news/video/states-bald-eagle-and-falcon-populations-soar/" target="_blank">200</a></span> pairs and more nest in the Garden State.</p> NJ Spotlight
200<p>Bald eagles had all but vanished from New Jersey not so long ago. In fact, David Wheeler, executive director of the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, said, “…we only had one nest in all of New Jersey as recently as the 1980s, and it wasn’t even a successful nest.” Now, <span class="link external-link"><a class="link" href="https://www.njtvonline.org/news/video/states-bald-eagle-and-falcon-populations-soar/" target="_blank">200</a></span> pairs and more nest in the Garden State.</p> NJ Spotlight
Aid-in-Dying Legislation Advances After Passionate Testimony Pro and ConAll seem to agree it is a worthy goal to ease the suffering of patients with deadly diseases who are reaching the end of their lives. NJ Spotlight
Aid-in-Dying Legislation Advances After Passionate Testimony Pro and ConAll seem to agree it is a worthy goal to ease the suffering of patients with deadly diseases who are reaching the end of their lives. NJ Spotlight
Stop-Gap Attempt to ‘Avoid Chaos’ as Court Action Awaited in PARCC CaseTwo efforts are ongoing to maintain passage of the PARCC test as a state graduation requirement — just for the next few years — in order to ensure continuity for today's high school students. Either measure will depend on the support of Gov. Phil Murphy who has long promised to eliminate PARCC testing and has yet to weigh in on allowing its continued use. NJ Spotlight
Stop-Gap Attempt to ‘Avoid Chaos’ as Court Action Awaited in PARCC CaseTwo efforts are ongoing to maintain passage of the PARCC test as a state graduation requirement — just for the next few years — in order to ensure continuity for today's high school students. Either measure will depend on the support of Gov. Phil Murphy who has long promised to eliminate PARCC testing and has yet to weigh in on allowing its continued use. NJ Spotlight
Lawmakers Seeking More Diversity Among NJ’s Public School TeachersIn a state where public-school teachers are predominantly white and do not come close to reflecting the diversity of their students, lawmakers began a conversation Thursday to hear what state officials and colleges are already doing and what else can be done to correct the imbalance. NJ Spotlight
Lawmakers Seeking More Diversity Among NJ’s Public School TeachersIn a state where public-school teachers are predominantly white and do not come close to reflecting the diversity of their students, lawmakers began a conversation Thursday to hear what state officials and colleges are already doing and what else can be done to correct the imbalance. NJ Spotlight
Opinion: President Trump’s Rhetoric Belies the Truth About ImmigrantsIn the wake of President Trump's latest jeremiad against immigrants — blaming them for every foul deed short of poisoning our water — during his State of the Union address, it is useful to consider again the beneficial impacts of immigration for this oft-described "nation of immigrants," including New Jersey. NJ Spotlight
Opinion: President Trump’s Rhetoric Belies the Truth About ImmigrantsIn the wake of President Trump's latest jeremiad against immigrants — blaming them for every foul deed short of poisoning our water — during his State of the Union address, it is useful to consider again the beneficial impacts of immigration for this oft-described "nation of immigrants," including New Jersey. NJ Spotlight
Good News for Consumers: NJ Electric Bills to Hold SteadyIn a bit of good news for consumers, bills will remain relatively flat for most residential and small commercial customers when new rates kick in for the state's four electric utilities in June. NJ Spotlight
Good News for Consumers: NJ Electric Bills to Hold SteadyIn a bit of good news for consumers, bills will remain relatively flat for most residential and small commercial customers when new rates kick in for the state's four electric utilities in June. NJ Spotlight
More Muscle For Special Agency that’s Key To Gateway Tunnel ProjectA special bi-state agency created several years ago to spearhead the effort to build the Gateway commuter-rail tunnel would get new legal powers under legislation that cleared its first committee hurdle in Trenton yesterday. NJ Spotlight
More Muscle For Special Agency that’s Key To Gateway Tunnel ProjectA special bi-state agency created several years ago to spearhead the effort to build the Gateway commuter-rail tunnel would get new legal powers under legislation that cleared its first committee hurdle in Trenton yesterday. NJ Spotlight
90<p>In the past year, thousands of New Jersey workers lost their jobs when Toys ‘R’ Us and Sears stores closed. A bill approved Thursday by the state Senate Commerce committee seeks to soften the blow of such mass layoffs, in part by lengthening the warning large employers must give threatened workers, from 60 days to <span class="link external-link"><a class="link" href="https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2018/Bills/S3500/3170_I1.PDF" target="_blank">90</a></span>. The bill would also mandate severance pay when 50 or more workers are laid off by a company.</p> NJ Spotlight
90<p>In the past year, thousands of New Jersey workers lost their jobs when Toys ‘R’ Us and Sears stores closed. A bill approved Thursday by the state Senate Commerce committee seeks to soften the blow of such mass layoffs, in part by lengthening the warning large employers must give threatened workers, from 60 days to <span class="link external-link"><a class="link" href="https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2018/Bills/S3500/3170_I1.PDF" target="_blank">90</a></span>. The bill would also mandate severance pay when 50 or more workers are laid off by a company.</p> NJ Spotlight
Report Notes Murphy Team’s Mistakes in Brennan Case, Key Issue UnresolvedA long-awaited outside review of how Gov. Phil Murphy's top aides handled rape allegations leveled by one high-ranking staffer against another backs up the governor's claim that he was kept out of the loop by top officials. Murphy now says their decision not to tell him was a mistake. NJ Spotlight
Report Notes Murphy Team’s Mistakes in Brennan Case, Key Issue UnresolvedA long-awaited outside review of how Gov. Phil Murphy's top aides handled rape allegations leveled by one high-ranking staffer against another backs up the governor's claim that he was kept out of the loop by top officials. Murphy now says their decision not to tell him was a mistake. NJ Spotlight
Lawmakers Move to End Religious Exemption for Mandatory VaccinationsThe New Jersey Assembly passed a measure late last week removing the religious exemption as a reason parents can refrain from having their children vaccinated. NJ Spotlight
Lawmakers Move to End Religious Exemption for Mandatory VaccinationsThe New Jersey Assembly passed a measure late last week removing the religious exemption as a reason parents can refrain from having their children vaccinated. NJ Spotlight
Package of Bills Hopes to Knock NJ Out of the Top Spot in ForeclosuresWith New Jersey once again leading the nation in foreclosures, a state Senate committee has scheduled a hearing on a package of bills meant to reform the process, helping property owners having trouble meeting their mortgage payments and getting foreclosed homes back on the market more quickly. NJ Spotlight
Package of Bills Hopes to Knock NJ Out of the Top Spot in ForeclosuresWith New Jersey once again leading the nation in foreclosures, a state Senate committee has scheduled a hearing on a package of bills meant to reform the process, helping property owners having trouble meeting their mortgage payments and getting foreclosed homes back on the market more quickly. NJ Spotlight
Fine Print: Taking a Harder Look at Greenhouse-Gas Emissions in New Jersey<em>The issue:</em> There is not much climate-change denial in New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy and a slew of other extreme storms ended that debate. Most policymakers recognize, as the latest national climate-assessment predicts, the world is warming faster than projected, and we're running out of time to avoid the worst consequences. How does the nation's most densely populated state reduce its carbon footprint? More than a decade ago, that goal led New Jersey to set ambitious goals to curb pollution contributing to global warming — targets many advocates argue will be difficult to achieve, especially in light of the Trump administration's rollback of initiatives to deal with climate change. NJ Spotlight
Fine Print: Taking a Harder Look at Greenhouse-Gas Emissions in New Jersey<em>The issue:</em> There is not much climate-change denial in New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy and a slew of other extreme storms ended that debate. Most policymakers recognize, as the latest national climate-assessment predicts, the world is warming faster than projected, and we're running out of time to avoid the worst consequences. How does the nation's most densely populated state reduce its carbon footprint? More than a decade ago, that goal led New Jersey to set ambitious goals to curb pollution contributing to global warming — targets many advocates argue will be difficult to achieve, especially in light of the Trump administration's rollback of initiatives to deal with climate change. NJ Spotlight
Will Booker’s Track Record on Education Be a Problem for his 2020 Campaign?Sen. Cory Booker is running for president — and bringing a lengthy record on education with him. NJ Spotlight
Will Booker’s Track Record on Education Be a Problem for his 2020 Campaign?Sen. Cory Booker is running for president — and bringing a lengthy record on education with him. NJ Spotlight