COVID-19
Annual count finds N.J. homelessness inching up, with racial disparities persisting
In the annual Point in Time count of N.J.'s homeless population, advocates counted 8,754 unhoused people, with Black people overrepresented.
New law aims to improve water, utility affordability in requiring public reporting
N.J. utilities must now report affordability metrics for water and other utilities, a move advocates say is key to better target assistance.
New Jersey is a work-from-home leader in U.S., census data shows
New census figures show New Jersey has a greater share of people working from home than almost every other state.
‘Gender specialist’ to be hired and other reforms made at troubled New Jersey women’s prison
N.J.'s only prison for women has made a series of reforms, one year into its independent oversight after brutality and sex abuse scandals.
COVID-19 vaccine may become annual, like flu shot
The move could provide clarity and possibly simplicity for people who have been trying to keep track of if and when they should get a COVID-19 booster
Anthony Fauci, leader on federal COVID response, to step down in December
Anthony Fauci, who runs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, became a household name during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden tests positive for COVID-19
President Biden is fully vaccinated against the virus and has twice received booster doses.
NJ Transit train workers sue over abusive riders
Fourteen train crew members have sued NJ Transit for negligence, claiming the agency failed to protect them from abusive passengers. In a 36-page complaint filed in federal court, the conductors, fare collectors, and other crew members described encounters with irate passengers who assaulted, insulted, spat at, and threatened them with guns and knives. Incidents detailed […]
Courts must do more to ensure defendants’ right to speedy trial, N.J. Supreme Court says
COVID restrictions and judicial vacancies are leading to yearslong trial delays, with defendants' liberty at stake, the chief justice warns
Insurers not liable for businesses’ pandemic losses, N.J. appellate panel rules
The businesses' insurance policies did not provide coverage for losses sustained during virus-related government shutdowns, the judges noted in their ruling.
Senate rejects Democrat’s request for probe of nursing home deaths
State Sen. Nia Gill on Thursday demanded lawmakers vote in favor of forming an oversight committee with subpoena power to investigate the 9,100 COVID-19 deaths in New Jersey nursing homes, but Gill’s move was rejected by a narrow vote. Gill (D-Essex) characterized a probe into the deaths as one of “transparency and accountability” for the […]
Public school enrollment dropped 18K since start of pandemic, state data shows
Enrollment in New Jersey’s traditional public schools fell by about 18,000 in the two years since the pandemic led to school closures and other classroom disruptions, according to new enrollment data from the state Department of Education. The losses came in the state’s urban centers and suburban districts alike. In October, Passaic reported 800 fewer […]