Katie Kausch

Reporter and writer. Fueled by coffee.

NJ.com

Find a full list of all Katie's NJ.com bylines here. 

Articles update as they are published.

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See where N.J.’s 588 abandoned mines are located after another collapse under I-80

A version of this story was originally published on Jan. 17, 2025.Drivers on Interstate 80 long have grappled with gridlock, sun glare and other unavoidable headaches of traveling in a densely populated region.Now a new and perhaps even more vexing concern has emerged: Highway sinkholes stemming from long-abandoned mines.Three sinkholes have opened up along I-80 in Wharton since late December. The most recent sinkhole appeared Wednesday and closed all westbound lanes as the state began lengthy r...
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N.J. pet owners left howling as insurance rates surge by up to 47%

Pet insurance prices have risen in New Jersey in the past year, surpassing the rise of veterinary care costs and adding additional strain to many pet parents' wallets.The average premium increase requested by insurance companies in 2024 was about 22%, while the average increase allowed was 13.5%, an NJ Advance Media analysis of increase requests submitted to the state found. (See how rates increased for all companies in the chart below.)On a typically-priced insurance plan, that’s an increase of...
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Tree crushes N.J. school bus with 10 kids and driver inside

Ten students and their school bus driver were taken to the hospital after a large tree branch fell on their bus Friday morning, police said.The students were on the bus at Fairmont Road East and Addison Drive in Tewksbury when the tree fell around 7 a.m., police said. The bus was on its way to drop students off at school when the branch fell.All 11 were taken to Hunterdon Medical Center in Raritan for evaluation. Everyone has since been released, the school district said in a statement.School pe...
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Biggest losers in N.J.’s new school funding plan — including one district with a 27% cut

After years of painful budget cuts during the implementation of a new school funding plan, Gov. Phil Murphy promised schools that state funding losses would be limited this year.In his annual budget speech last month, Murphy said state funding cuts to school district would be capped at 3% in major spending categories.But four New Jersey school districts will see cuts above the promised cap in Murphy’s proposed budget, according to data provided by the state Department of Education. They are: Af...
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See N.J.’s 31 ‘bargain’ towns — where property taxes average less than $5K

It’s no secret property taxes in New Jersey are expensive. The average property tax bill topped $10,000 for the first time last year.But, there are still some towns where you can find a bargain — at least by New Jersey standards. There were 31 towns that had average property bills under $5,000 in 2024, according to an NJ Advance Media analysis of data recently released by the state Department of Community Affairs. That was less than half the average tax bill residents received in the rest of the...
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These 31 N.J. towns pay lowest property taxes.

The average property tax bill topped $10,000 for the first time in New Jersey last year, but some towns see bills less than half than that amount.Thirty-one towns had average property tax bills lower than $5,000 in 2024, an NJ Advance Media analysis of data recently released by the state Department of Community Affairs found. Two of those towns had tax bills lower than $2,000.The majority of the property tax towns are in the southern half of the state. Eight of them are located in Cumberland Cou...
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N.J.’s 29 towns with the highest property tax bills, ranked

The average property tax bill topped $10,000 for the first time in New Jersey last year, but some towns see bills two or three times higher than that.New Jersey has 18 towns with average property tax bills higher than $20,000 an NJ Advance Media analysis of 2024 data recently released by the state Department of Community Affairs showed. One of those towns had a tax bill more than $35,000.The majority of the highest property tax towns are in the northern two-thirds of the state, with 10 of the 18...
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Man charged with murder in death of wife in Ocean County

An Ocean County man has been was arrested and faces murder charges in the death of his wife Saturday night, police said.Gustavo Juarez-Perez, 38, of South Toms River, was arrested Saturday night after police were called to a home in South Toms River, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s office said in a statement.Cheyanne Juarez, 30, was found unconscious with a belt around her neck, officials said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. An Ocean County man has been was arrested and faces murder charge...
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Average N.J. property-tax bill hits $10K. See town-by-town costs.

The average New Jersey property-tax bill just topped the $10,000 mark for the first time, according to new data from the state Department of Community Affairs. The average New Jersey homeowner paid $10,095 in property taxes last year, a 3% increase from the year before, state data shows. The average home was worth $382,988 in 2024, according to state data, an increase of 4.7% from the year prior. (See average taxes and property values for your town in the chart below.) The average New Jersey pr...
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Jersey Shore beach badge prices for 2025 revealed. Top cost hits $200.

Jersey Shore towns have already started to announce 2025 beach badge pricing, including daily and season tags.Most New Jersey beaches require paid badges or tags, with pricing ranging from daily passes for $3.50 to seasonal badges that will set you back $200. If you plan to spend a lot of time at one beach, a number of towns offer pre-season discounts on season badges.More than a dozen beaches offer free entry to veterans, and many have discount options for seniors and those with disabilities. E...
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Most N.J. schools will get a funding boost in new budget plan. See your district’s numbers.

Gov. Phil Murphy has proposed spending $12.1 billion on funding for K-12 school districts in the 2026 fiscal year state budget, with more than two thirds of New Jersey districts seeing an increase in their state aid.The state Department of Education released anticipated state aid figures for the state’s nearly 600 districts Thursday. The proposed budget includes a $386 million increase in K-12 aid from the previous year.About 68% of districts will see an increase in state aid, while 31% will see...
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Kingda Ka roller coaster demolition underway at Six Flags Great Adventure

The demolition of Kingda Ka, once the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, is underway months after being abruptly shuttered by Six Flags Great Adventure. Photos and videos taken from outside the park show the dismantling of the tall, lime green and orange track over the past month. It’s unclear when demolition will finish, and Six Flags officials have declined to provide additional information. The ride was shuttered without announcement at the end of the 2024 season. Some roller co...
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Jersey Shore beach badge sales soar to $52M. See which towns made the most.

Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025).© 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherw...
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Trump-backed N.J. mayor leaves office for White House position

A North Jersey mayor has resigned from her position after accepting a job with President Donald Trump’s administration, she announced in a letter posted on the borough’s website.Christine Serrano Glassner, a longtime Trump supporter with close ties to the president, announced her resignation as Mendham Borough mayor on Friday, effective immediately.“I have dedicated my life to public service in federal, state and local governments, with my favorite so far being with all of you while caring for t...
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N.J. is at peak flu levels. It doesn’t show signs of slowing yet.

It’s that time of year when everyone’s calling out sick from work, the student absences are piling up, and the local urgent care is full of people with the same miserable symptoms — fever, chills, sore throat, and muscle aches.Flu season is in full swing in New Jersey, where the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting a “very high” proportion of outpatient visits to healthcare providers for flu-like illness, according to the latest data.New Jersey is one of six stat...
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Shoppers shell-shocked by 36% spike in egg prices. Here’s why costs soared.

That pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich is starting to look like a splurge meal as egg prices in New Jersey have surged.Nationally, egg prices are up more than 36% since last year, according to new Consumer Price Index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.The average cost of dozen eggs is $4.15, but some areas are cracking under the price pressure more than others. Experts say the expanding bird flu crisis is driving costs higher.In the New York metro area, eggs are an average of $6.72 a doz...
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Nearly 600 abandoned mines are hidden beneath N.J. towns. See the map.

When an abandoned mineshaft beneath Interstate 80 in Morris County collapsed the morning after Christmas, closing the eastbound side of the highway for four days, everyone took notice.No vehicles crashed and no one was injured when the remains of the long-abandoned mine crumbled. But, for many, the sinkhole provided a sudden, alarming awareness that New Jersey is home to long-closed mines that can, and sometimes do, instantly collapse into a crater without warning.New Jersey has nearly 600 aband...
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Gloucester County median teacher salaries, ranked by district. See latest data.

Teachers in Delsea Regional High School District had the highest median salaries in Gloucester County at $90,434, new data released by the state Department of Education shows.The lowest median pay for teachers in Gloucester County was $59,999, in Franklin Township. (See how much teachers in each Gloucester County district earned in the chart below.)The statewide median teacher salary rose to over $80,000 for the 2023-24 school year, according to the Taxpayer’s Guide to Education spending, an ann...
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Hunterdon County median teacher salaries, ranked by district. See latest data.

Teachers in Tewksbury Township had the highest median salaries in Hunterdon County at $92,436, new data released by the state Department of Education shows.The lowest median pay for teachers in Hunterdon County was $58,400 in Union Township. (See how much teachers in each Hunterdon County district earned in the chart below.)The statewide median teacher salary rose to over $80,000 for the 2023-24 school year, according to the Taxpayer’s Guide to Education spending, an annual report on school fina...
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Cape May median teacher salaries, ranked by district. See latest data.

Teachers in Ocean City had the highest median salaries in Cape May County at $97,429, new data released by the state Department of Education shows.The lowest median pay for teachers in Cape May County was $58,700 in Dennis Township. (See how much teachers in each Cape May County district earned in the chart below.)The statewide median teacher salary rose to over $80,000 for the 2023-24 school year, according to the Taxpayer’s Guide to Education spending, an annual report on school finances. Tea...
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