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NJ Spotlight
NJ South Asian voters cautiously optimistic about Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris would become the first US president with South Asian roots. Kamala Harris’ unexpected presidential campaign is being met with warmth, excitement and cautious optimism by many members of New Jersey’s South Asian community. A key question going into November’s election is whether the current...
NJ Spotlight News: August 1, 2024
We bring you what’s relevant and important in New Jersey news and our insight. Watch as the NJ Spotlight News team breaks down today’s top stories. Evan Gershkovich, WSJ reporter, freed in Russia prisoner swap. Michael McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia, discusses deal involving NJ-born Gershkovich and...
Proposed DEP rules spark debate on development, resiliency
A thousand-page draft rule would alter how companies can develop on flood-prone areas. New rules concerning land use in flood-prone areas have sparked debate on development and sustainability. Resilient Environment and Landscapes (REAL) is a thousand-page draft rule that would drastically alter development in New Jersey. If formally adopted, it...
Democrats begin virtual roll call vote, Harris is sole nominee
The NJ delegation strongly supports Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Democrats began the official roll call of delegates in the presidential nomination process on Thursday. The virtual roll call will continue through Aug. 5. The delegates will get their ballots electronically and will cast them that way. To qualify,...
Evan Gershkovich, WSJ reporter, freed in Russia prisoner swap
Michael McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia, discusses deal involving NJ-born Gershkovich, 23 others. Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who is a native of Princeton, was freed from a Russian prison Thursday in a major prisoner swap that was coordinated between seven countries, including the U.S. and Russia.
New information hub for New Jerseyans with disabilities
Interview: Sarah Adelman, commissioner, Department of Human Services. The New Jersey Department of Human Services has launched the Disability Information Hub, a website that brings together resources from across state government. Its purpose is to be a centralized resource for New Jersey residents with disabilities and their families, caregivers and advocates.
New round of Anchor property-tax relief is about to begin
The benefits, unchanged from last year, will range from $450 to $1,750. New Jersey homeowners and renters anxious to get in line for the next round of state-funded Anchor property-tax relief benefits should not have to wait much longer. Officials from the Department of the Treasury have indicated the latest...
Q&A: Long COVID and what can be done to ease its impact
Dr. Perry Halkitis, dean of Rutgers School of Public Health, says even lawmakers can help. As New Jersey and other parts of the country continue to experience a surge in COVID-19 cases, many people initially infected by the disease continue to live with lingering symptoms. Known as “long COVID,” these...
Op-Ed: Gen Z says no to more fossil fuel investments
‘If we continue down the road of empty environmental rhetoric by legislative and executive leaders, it will be deadly’. Despite enacting multiple laws and regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions, including the Global Warming Response Act and the Energy Master Plan, the state of New Jersey has made little effort to assess or limit carbon emissions through the public-worker pension fund, which has over $2 billion invested in fossil fuel companies.
109,181
Often a pleasant surprise to the payee, the state manages and doles out payments in the billions of dollars in unclaimed property and assets owned by residents and business. These may be bank accounts, utility deposits, insurance payouts, or even real physical property, with the criteria that they have been abandoned or lost for at least three years.
NJ Spotlight News: July 31, 2024
We bring you what’s relevant and important in New Jersey news and our insight. Watch as the NJ Spotlight News team breaks down today’s top stories. Black women back Harris: It’s ‘Obama on steroids’. Democratic Party is cautioned not to take support for granted. Federal court...
Federal court blocks controversial pipeline expansion
Environmental coalition argued FERC ignored potential harms of Regional Energy Access Expansion project. A federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked a controversial natural gas infrastructure project planned for New Jersey, handing a win to environmentalists and raising questions about the viability of such projects going forward in the Garden State.
Fort Lee police shooting raises questions about mental health response
Fort Lee police do not have Arrive Together program to defuse mental health crisis calls. Residents of The Pinnacle, a high-rise apartment building in Fort Lee, were saddened and surprised to hear about last weekend’s incident where a police officer shot a woman allegedly suffering from a mental health crisis.
Rising heat leads to greater health risks. Who’s most vulnerable?
When people take a ski trip, they wrap themselves in warm layers, secure special socks and gloves and plan breaks for hot chocolate. Dr. Nicole Henry-Dindial, a family physician in Union County, wishes more people planned this carefully for hot weather, which can be even more dangerous than cold. Considered...
NJ Supreme Court backs firing of corrections officer in women’s prison scandal
The officer was fired in 2020 for not reporting a kiss between himself and a prisoner and for passing a message from her to another inmate. The Department of Corrections has broad authority to ensure order within its facilities, the state Supreme Court said in ordering a former officer charged in a sexual assault scandal be fired.
Senate breakthrough could strengthen online safety for children
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday easily passed a pair of bills to increase privacy and safety online for children, raising the prospects that a new federal law to protect the well-being of the nation’s youth could soon enter into force. The bills direct digital technology companies to...
The enduring legacy of Ingrid W. Reed
Princeton mainstay and NJ Spotlight News leader led countless civic efforts in New Jersey. Ingrid Wagner Reed, an unwavering friend and civic leader to many New Jersey causes and the longtime chair of NJ Spotlight News’ board, died peacefully on Saturday. So many words of praise and distinction come...
$1.33B
Estimated amount of NJ state and local taxes paid by undocumented immigrants in 2022. Especially in an election year like this one, there is much debate in New Jersey and elsewhere about immigration and its impact on communities. The Washington, D.C.-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy brings in a different angle and Tuesday released its breakdown of how much undocumented immigrants pay back to their communities through local and state taxes, as well as how much they contribute annually in federal taxes.
Harris ballot shake-up energizes young voters
Vote.org says 83% of the new registrants are 18 to 34 years old. The Kamala Harris campaign is targeting a demographic she needs to mobilize: younger voters and minority voters. Polls showed those groups have felt apathetic about this election. Harris, 59, rushed to reengage them, taking the torch Joe...
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