Katie Kausch

Reporter and writer. Fueled by coffee.

What She's Up To Today

A feed of my current articles and tweets

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Here's where abortion protests are happening in N.J. this weekend

Demonstrations will be held across New Jersey this weekend in the wake of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, ending constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years. (See list below) Gov. Phil Murphy blasted the decision on Friday as “backwards and appalling” and accused the nation’s “right-wing majority” that controls the top court of being anti-women. “They do not value the women in our country or their ability to make thei
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At N.J. ‘rally for life,’ overturning of Roe v. Wade court decision gets celebrated

An upbeat “Rally for Life & Justice” was held Saturday morning in Trenton, where more than 100 abortion opponents celebrated a seismic shift in their fight to end the controversial procedure. The rally took place just one day after the the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which provided protections for women across the nation to have an abortion. The ruling means the decision about abortion access is now in each state’s hands. It remains legal here in New Jersey.
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These N.J. women had a choice. Now hear their voices as Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

From left to right, Kerri Slivka, 46, Karen Laffey, 70, Tina Convery, 59, and Janyll Canals, 35, decided to share their personal stories about abortion — one of the most controversial political issues of our time. Janyll Canals was finishing law school when her contraception failed. Tina Convery was 17, still in high school and afraid to tell her mother she was pregnant. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.
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Gas prices in N.J. hit $5 a gallon on average for the first time

The average price for a gallon of regular gas in New Jersey is over $5 for the first time. As of Tuesday, a gallon of regular unleaded is averaging $5.019 across the Garden State. Transit experts had warned that it wasn’t a matter of if, but of when, prices crossed the $5 threshold. “It is not a great time to be a motorist and painful when you fill up and see 20 gallons hit $100,” Patrick De Haan, Gas Buddy petroleum expert, previously told NJ Advance Media. Prices have risen about 15% since
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N.J. live primary election results 2022: Burlington County

Voters in Burlington County cast their votes Tuesday in the 2022 primary elections. Check back here for the unofficial results of contested races. Vote totals will only be listed for contested races. Winning candidates will have an X in front of their names. Ballots that are mailed in and postmarked by June 7 can be accepted until June 13, so results will continue to change after the close of polls on Election Night. Provisional ballots are not counted until after all mail-in ballots are talli
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Coldplay bring pop-rock with a side of confetti to N.J. in huge stadium show: review

Coldplay is not reinventing the wheel, and that’s a good thing. You’re not going to a Coldplay stadium show to see something avant-garde or innovative. You’re probably going to see fun, large-scale rock and have a good time for the night. That is precisely what the band delivers. Over the nearly two-hour set at MetLife Stadium Saturday night, Coldplay, fronted by the awkwardly rock star-ish Chris Martin, delivered a colorful and upbeat 23 songs, brought alive by the use of color changing wris
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Bear encounters have more than doubled this year in N.J.

A woman attacked by a bear while checking her mail in May. Two small dogs mauled to death in their backyards weeks apart in January. It’s been a rough start for bear encounters in New Jersey, with a number of prominent incidents happening in the northernmost counties. There have been 374 bear encounters so far this year that caused damage or nuisance, which includes the attacks above, more than twice the number 168 incidents during the first five months of 2021, according to statistics tracked
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Are you surrounded by Democrats or Republicans? How N.J. breaks red and blue in all 21 counties.

Sure, it took a day for the race to be officially called. But Gov. Phil Murphy succeeded in being the first New Jersey Democratic governor since 1977 to win a second term with his victory over Republican Jack Ciattarelli last November. Yes, New Jersey Democrats can boast about having more than 1 million registered people in their party compared to Republicans (2,508,001 Dems versus 1,488,424 GOPers), according to the June statistics from the state’s Division of Elections. But Democrats may hav
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Driver killed in pickup crash on Route 42 ramp

A man was killed Sunday man when his pickup truck crashed and overturned on a ramp for Route 42 in Gloucester County, police said. David P. Rice, 68, of the Sicklerville section of Winslow Township, was driving southbound on Route 42 in Deptford when he crashed on the Exit 12 ramp, police said. The truck had a tire problem prior to the crash, police said. No other cars were involved in the crash. Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com.
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2,177 COVID cases, 3 deaths reported on Memorial Day in N.J.

New Jersey on Memorial Day reported 2,177 COVID-19 confirmed positive tests and three confirmed deaths as positive tests continue to level off after weeks of increases. The state’s seven-day average for confirmed cases was 3,705 on Monday, down 4% from a week ago, but still up 74% from a month ago. The statewide rate of transmission for Saturday was 1.09. The transmission rate reported daily by the Department of Health were not available Sunday or Monday. When the transmission rate is over 1,
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Thunderstorms in northeast N.J. Saturday

UPDATE (12:34 p.m.): A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of northeastern New Jersey, including Ramsey, Ridgewood, Hackenack and Clifton. Winds of up to 60 miles per hour and quarter sized hail are possible. The warning is in effect through 1:15 p.m. Isolated thunderstorms are expected to continue in northeastern New Jersey Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service said. A slow moving cold front was expected to bring isolated strong or severe thunderstorms, the NWS sa
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Potential pop-up party under investigation in Asbury Park

A pop-up party potentially planned for Sunday in Asbury Park is currently under investigation by police, the department said on social media. Plans for the so-called pop-up party, where hundreds of people flock to a single location to party unannounced, have been circulating on social media, Asbury Park police said. It’s currently unclear how credible the plans are. “The Asbury Park Police Department is coordinating with other law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of our community and
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Gas prices near record highs (again). See costs in every N.J. county.

Gas prices are once again nearing record highs just in time for the busy travel weekend for the Memorial Day holiday. The average price for a regular gallon of gas in New Jersey is $4.761, according to AAA. That’s fractions of a penny lower than the $4.766 record set on May 20. Don’t expect prices to ease up this summer, experts told NJ Advance Media. It’s not a question of if, but of when, New Jersey will see average gas prices top $5 a gallon. Gas is most expensive in Somerset County, where
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Masks now recommended in 10 N.J. counties with high COVID transmission, CDC says

Masks are now recommended indoors and on public transportation in 10 New Jersey counties, after coronavirus levels increased in Salem County and pushed it into the “high” transmission category, the Center For Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Gloucester, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Salem and Sussex counties are considered “high” community levels of the virus, the CDC says. Cumberland County is the only level with low counties; the others are a
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Rutgers celebrates first in-person commencement since coronavirus pandemic began

Undergraduates who were sophomores when COVID forced Rutgers to hold classes remotely came together on Sunday morning, as the university celebrated its 256th commencement — the school’s first full graduation ceremony since the start of the pandemic. With nerve-tinged excitement clear in the air, students gathered in SHI Stadium in Piscataway, wearing matching stoles boasting of their involvement in athletics, sororities, and other college activities, as they clustered in groups and posted photo
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Two-thirds of N.J. now has medium levels of COVID transmission, CDC says

Two-thirds of New Jersey counties have hit “medium” community transmission levels, just two weeks after the entire state had low levels of the coronavirus. Fourteen of the state’s 21 counties have a medium COVID-19 community level as of May 5, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said. Levels are calculated based on admissions to hospitals and the percent of inpatient beds used by COVID patients. Levels are re-evaluated every Thursday. There is no mask advisory for residents living in
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N.J.’s plastic bag ban starts today. Tips to know before you go to the store.

New Jersey’s plastic bag ban is officially in effect. As of Wednesday, May 4, single-use plastic bags are banned at all store registers, and paper bags at large grocery stores. The bill to ban bags and other single-use plastic items was signed into law in November 2020, but it gave stores and consumers 18 months to prepare. The ban is likely to be the strictest in the nation, as it’s the only one that bans paper bags at grocery stores (most other states with bag bans allow for paper bags, eith
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