nj • 9th August 2022

Gas just dropped below $4 nationally. See prices in your N.J. county.

After surging over $5 a gallon in June, gas prices dropped below $4 nationally on Tuesday, though New Jersey’s still got some catching up to do. The average cost for a gallon of regular gas is now $3.99 across the United States, according to price tracking app GasBuddy. New Jersey is still 27 cents higher than that, with the statewide average of $4.26 a gallon, according to AAA. GasBuddy uses a combination of self-reported pricing by gas stations, data from user’s purchases on GasBuddy credit

nj • 7th August 2022

15 movies were filmed, produced in N.J. towns last year. Here's the list.

New Jersey was the birthplace of the film industry, and it’s working its way back into the limelight thanks to a record-breaking year of revenue from film and television shoots. More than $500 million in revenue came in from film, television, and commercial production in 2021, the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission said in its annual report. That’s the highest single-year revenue reported to date. Nearly half of that came from television series and specials, but $193 million cam

nj • 6th August 2022

N.J. reports 2,746 COVID cases, 9 deaths. Rate of transmission remains under 1.

New Jersey on Saturday reported another 2,746 confirmed COVID-19 cases and nine new confirmed deaths. The number of high-risk counties as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dropped to 14 on Friday. The number is up from only six in mid-July, but down from 18 on Thursday. Cumberland, Salem, Gloucester, Mercer, Hunterdon and Sussex counties are in the medium-risk category. Warren County is considered low risk. The CDC recommends that residents in high-risk counties wear ma

nj • 6th August 2022

Flooding, water rescues after four inches of rain in Lakewood Friday night

An intense rainstorm flooded Lakewood and the surrounding area on Friday night, leaving most of the town impassable and stranding dozens of cars, police said. Four inches of rain were reported in the Lakewood area of Ocean County, causing flooding, blocked roads and downed power lines. Most of the rain fell between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., Cameron Wunderlin, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly said. “It’s less of the fact that it’s a lot of rain, and moreso the amount of

nj • 5th August 2022

Monkeypox detected in 13 N.J. counties as U.S. declares national health emergency

New Jersey has had at least 214 reported cases of monkeypox spanning 13 counties, state Department of Health officials said Friday. The federal government declared the monkeypox outbreak a national public health emergency Thursday after more than 7,100 Americans reported contracting the virus. The designation will allow the Biden administration to use federal money and other resources to combat the virus, which causes pimple-like bumps, fever, fatigue and other symptoms in those who are infecte

nj • 2nd August 2022

N.J. teacher pay: The highest and lowest paying school district in each county

New Jersey is known for having some of the best paid teachers in the county. But where you teach in the state can make a big difference, with wide pay gaps between counties and even within the counties themselves. The statewide median teacher salary was $72,931 during the 2020-2021 school year, according to the 2022 Taxpayer’s Guide to Education Spending, an annual breakdown of school expenditures released by the state Department of Education. That’s a 3% increase from the precious school year,

nj • 1st August 2022

N.J. teacher pay rose 3% in 2020-21. See the median salary in your district.

Teacher pay rose 3% in New Jersey in 2020-2021 as many teachers across the state returned to classrooms for the first time during the pandemic, according to state data released on Wednesday. The median salary for teachers was $72,931 during the 2020-2021 school year, compared to $70,818 in 2019-2020, according to an analysis of the state Taxpayers’ Guide to Education Spending. That’s an increase of $2,113— or about 3%. Teachers are public employees and typically have contracts with detailed pa

nj • 29th July 2022

N.J. unemployment, jobs numbers nearly back to pre-COVID levels

New Jersey has nearly climbed back to pre-pandemic levels of unemployment and the number of jobs as of last month, new labor data shows. Employment figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the number of private sector jobs in June 2022 now exceeds the number of private sector jobs in February 2020. New Jersey reported 4.2 million jobs in June, up from 4 million a year early and nearly even with the number of jobs reported in February 2020.

nj • 28th July 2022

N.J. has the 7th highest rents in the nation, report says. Here’s what a typical apartment costs.

A New Jersey resident would need to make more than $65,000 a year, or $31.32 an hour, to afford an average two-bedroom apartment in the state, according to a report released Thursday. The rental market has become a “predatory sector of profit-making,” said Staci Berger, of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, a statewide nonprofit that advocates for affordable housing.

nj • 26th July 2022

N.J. monkeypox cases nearly double to 89 in a week

Monkeypox cases have nearly doubled in New Jersey in the last week from 45 to 89, according to the latest state Department of Health report. The majority of those cases were in the northern part of the state, a spokeswoman said, but a county-by-county breakdown was not available. “Beyond the numbers of cases, no additional details will be released due to patient confidentiality,” said Nancy Kearney, a Department of Health spokeswoman. New Jersey has the 11th highest number of cases nationwide

nj • 22nd July 2022

Which Jersey Shore beaches are most accessible? Check our guide here.

Going to the beach always requires a bit of prep work — sunscreen, sandals, snacks— but for beachgoers with disabilities, a trip down the shore also requires navigating a way onto the sand. There are dozens of beaches lining New Jersey’s 127-mile coastline, but depending on where you go access for people with disabilities can vary widely. Public beaches are mandated under the Americans with Disabilities Act to provide an accessible entrance, but there are no specific rules or guidelines outlin

nj • 21st July 2022

Here’s how many people die each year from heat stroke in N.J.

While major catastrophic storms like Sandy and Ida will long be remembered for the tragic and rapid loss of life in New Jersey, dangerous heat waves like the one gripping the state this week have been a more silent and consistent killer. New Jersey has had at least 181 heat stroke deaths between 2000 and 2020, according to state Department of Health statistics. The worst years came in 2002 and 2011, when 21 people died each summer.

nj • 15th July 2022

Gas prices are starting to drop. See which N.J. counties are saving the most.

Finally, some relief at the pump: the cost of a gallon of gas in New Jersey has begun to drop from an all-time high of $5 a gallon set early last month, with some counties seeing as big as an 8.5% decrease. The average cost of a gallon of regular gas was $4.638 on Friday, July 15. That’s down 38 cents since June 7, when the statewide average broke $5 for the first time ever.

nj • 13th July 2022

The 25 highest paid superintendents in N.J.

Many of New Jersey’s small, wealthy school districts gave generous raises to their superintendents since the state eliminated its salary cap in 2019, while statewide average pay increases remained moderate, an analysis of new state Department of Education data shows. NJ Advance Media analyzed available base salaries for superintendents who led the same district in the school years since the $191,584 cap on salaries was lifted. In a third of those districts, superintendents received raises of 25

nj • 11th July 2022

Dogs abandoned by Parkway face long road to recovery

Two dogs found malnourished and neglected off the side of the Garden State Parkway last month face a long road to recovery, animal rescue workers say. A beagle was spotted near a wooded area just off the Parkway in Waretown last week, Sandy Hickman, a spokeswoman for the Associated Humane Popcorn Park Shelter said. Animal control picked up the first dog when a call came in about a second dog who was being taken to the county shelter. The two dogs, named Brian and Brianne, were taken to Popcorn

nj • 9th July 2022

Man injured in shooting at large N.J. party, cops say

A man was shot and injured at a large party Friday night in North Plainfield, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office said. The 20-year-old Plainfield resident, who was not identified, was shot after attending a party on Arnold Ave, officials said. It’s unclear what prompted the shooting, and no arrests have been made. First responders were called to the area near Vermeule Park around 10:45 p.m., where the man was initially treated for gunshot wounds to his upper body, police said. The man wa

nj • 1st July 2022

Jersey Shore beaches must be accessible, but some are more within reach than others

Carlos Rojas sat in his wheelchair on a ramp overlooking the crisp white sand and rough blue waves of the Atlantic Ocean. His grandchildren squealed as they climbed on the playground overlooking Belmar beach. Last summer, Rojas would have easily joined them, toting their sand toys, beach chairs and cooler. But the 79-year-old man, who splits his time between Florida and New Jersey, recently lost his leg after complications with COVID-19. He assumed a day on the beach this summer would be perma

nj • 25th June 2022

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

nj • 25th June 2022

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.

nj • 24th June 2022

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.