The Department of Environmental Protection invites community-based organizations across the state to apply for grants to participate in its annual Youth Inclusion Initiative. The six-week summer program provides young people from eligible communities with training in environmental careers, building a more inclusive workforce and boosting community connections. Local environmental organizations, higher education institutions, and community advocacy or religious groups can now apply for grants that provide up to $100,000 per organization to support the recruitment, supervision, and mentorship of participants aged 16 to 20. Grant details can be accessed at dep.nj.gov/yii/grant/.
On Wednesday, January 28, the New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) held a ceremonial signing to launch a vital new initiative designed to enhance and streamline reentry services for incarcerated veterans.
“This initiative honors our commitment to those who have served by ensuring they receive the community services necessary to reenter civilian life,” said Acting Commissioner Victoria L. Kuhn, Esq. “By partnering with NJRC and EHCA, we are providing veterans with a specialized pathway to success—combining legal advocacy, healthcare, and career support to break the cycle of recidivism and strengthen public safety.”
Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw announced that a 23-year-old Delran man has been sentenced to seven years in state prison for having sexual contact with three underage girls and possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on his cell phone.
Under an agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office, Keith R. Desousa Jr. pled guilty to three counts of Sexual Assault (Second Degree) and one count of Possession of CSAM (Third Degree). The sentence was handed down January 9 in Superior Court in Mount Holly by the Hon. Aimee Belgard, P.J.Cr.
Alice Costello Elementary School, Brooklawn (Camden) – Closed
Audubon School District (Camden) – Closed Bellmawr Borough School District (Camden) – Closed. Benjamin Banneker Prep Charter School (Burlington) – Closed. Burlington Co. Inst. of Technology BCIT (Burlington) – Closed. Burlington County Special Services (Burlington) – Closed. Camden City School District (Camden) – Closed. Center for Education (Burlington) – Closed. Ewing Township School District (Mercer) – Closed.
Gloucester Catholic High School (Camden) – Closed.
Gloucester City School District (Camden) – Closed. Haddon Heights School District (Camden) – Closed. Hainesport Township School District (Burlington) – Closed. Lenape Regional School District (Burlington) – Closed. Lewis School of Princeton (Mercer) – Closed. Little Kids College – Tremont St (Mercer) – Closed. Little Kids College-Cherry St (Mercer) – Closed. Little Kids College-Lawrenceville (Mercer) – Closed. Lumberton Township School District (Burlington) – Closed. Medford Township Public Schools (Burlington) – Closed.
Mount Ephraim School District (Camden) – Closed
Parkview Elementary School, Westville (Gloucester) – Closed Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional (Salem) – Closed. Pineland Learning Center (Cumberland) – Closed. Shamong Township School District (Burlington) – Closed. St Augustine Prep (Atlantic) – Closed. St. Cecilia School (Camden) – Closed. Vineland City School District (Cumberland) – Closed. Westampton Township School District (Burlington) – Closed. Weymouth Township School District (Atlantic) – Closed. Winslow Township School District (Camden) – Closed.
State’s largest water and wastewater utility prepares for snowstorm and shares safety tips for customers New Jersey American Water is preparing for forecasted snowstorm and freezing wintery mix this weekend. The company has initiated readiness efforts to mitigate potential impacts to its water and wastewater plants and distribution systems.
“We are committed to providing safe and reliable water service to our customers, even through extreme weather conditions,” said Benjamin Morris, vice president of operations for New Jersey American Water. “Our team of experts is highly trained on emergency preparedness, response and management and is ready to handle any service disruptions that may come our way.”
Congressman Norcross speaks on the House floor in support of raising the federal minimum wage.
It is an embarrassment that the federal minimum wage has not been raised in over 16 years. Last week, I spoke in favor of raising the federal minimum wage. A fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work is not just a slogan, it’s the American value that holds this country together.
I have worked a minimum wage job. I was once a young single dad raising my son while balancing work, family life, and a checkbook. Back then, it was hard. Today, for far too many Americans, it is nearly impossible.
We all know that $7.25 an hour is not a livable wage, especially now that the spending power of a dollar is only a fraction of what it was in 2009.
Last summer, Republicans voted to give tax breaks to billionaires. When will they finally vote to support the American worker?
Standing by her side are her children Maggie, Lincoln, Ike, and Marit. and her husband, Jason.
We enter 2026 commemorating our nation’s 250th anniversary. New Jersey has been at the heart of our American story. The crossroads of the revolution. The site of our first major victory at the Battle of Trenton. The first state to ratify the Bill of Rights.
I am honored that, as we gather here today, we do so with New Jersey’s original parchment copy of the Constitution on stage with us — one of only 13 known to still be in existence. A document, by the way, New Jersey unanimously ratified.
The Constitution, born out of challenges of the early republic, clearly lays out our values: to form a more perfect union; to promote the general welfare, to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.
You see, inherent in our Constitution is a framework for opportunity. A commitment, a covenant, that ties generations together.
This commitment to opportunity for the people of our country is also known the world over as the American Dream.
Like so many families, my American story did not begin that auspiciously. From what relatives have told me, it includes people fleeing a famine and others fleeing religious persecution. Even once they arrived here, the road to success was uneven. Poverty, economic devastation. Sometimes building something for your family only to lose it because of forces beyond your control.
But over and over, this country has offered my family opportunity found nowhere else in the world. From my grandfather landing a good union job after the war, to my opportunities in the first class of women eligible for combat roles in the Navy, the American Dream starts with opening a door. With an understanding that, no matter who your parents are, where you are from, what religion you practice, or ethnicity you claim, the doors to opportunities in this country should be open to everyone.
That is the story of New Jersey. And yes, we are far from perfect. But generations of families have found their American Dream here. Immigrants sailing here from overseas, Black families leaving the South to find work in New Jersey, people from all over the country and all over the world again and again, finding opportunity here in this state.
And that’s because New Jersey is an incredibly special place. The course of American history has been determined here. It was just across the street in Military Park, where the cannons were just fired, that Thomas Paine began to pen his pamphlet, the American Crisis, and galvanized a nation. Or during the Industrial Revolution, when Trenton built this great nation. Picatinny Arsenal, constantly defending our hard-won freedoms at the Arsenal of Democracy. Here in New Jersey, we have invented everything from the lightbulb to the moving picture to the laser; produced and inspired artists from Sinatra to Springsteen to SZA.
CAIR Action New Jersey strongly condemned outgoing Governor Phil Murphy for pocket vetoing two critical bills in the Immigrant Protections Package while welcoming the opportunity for newly inaugurated Governor Mikie Sherrill to restore and advance the full set of protections immigrant communities fought to pass.
While Governor Murphy signed the Safe Communities Act (A6308/S5036), he simultaneously pocket vetoed the Immigrant Trust Directive (A6310/S5038) and the Privacy Protection Act (A6309/S5037)—undermining the very trust framework the Legislature overwhelmingly approved.
“Trust cannot be selective,” said Ali Aljarrah, Senior Advisor at CAIR Action New Jersey. “Governor Murphy’s decision to pocket veto the Immigrant Trust Directive and Privacy Protection Act strips immigrant communities of the most meaningful safeguards in this package. Signing one bill while blocking the others is not leadership – it is a deliberate choice to leave families exposed.”
U.S. planning major military base upgrade in Greenland amid diplomatic crisis, officials say U.S. troops on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota, and military strike takes out another ISIS leader.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a plan to clean up contaminated sediment, soil and industrial waste in Pierson’s Creek, a 1.5-mile waterway that runs through an industrial area in Newark, New Jersey. The proposed plan targets remediation in areas with high levels of mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead and other hazardous substances linked to historic industrial operations. This marks the first major phase of cleanup at the superfund site.
“This plan marks major progress in our work to protect human health and clean up a waterway that has long suffered from industrial pollution,” said EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci. “EPA is working hard to Power the Great American Comeback, which includes providing clean water for all Americans. This proposed cleanup plan is designed to reduce risk and help Newark reclaim a healthier environment for future generations.”
EPA’s proposed plan includes the following actions:
Remove contaminated creek sediment:
EPA would excavate and dispose of the top two feet of contaminated sediment along the full length of the creek. In a smaller, highly contaminated area near the upper section of the creek, EPA would remove all impacted sediment.
Install a protective cap:
This involves placing an engineered cap over remaining sediment to prevent exposure and stop contaminants from spreading.
Remove heavily contaminated bank soil:
This would be achieved by fully removing soil along portions of the creek banks that contain oily chemical waste (known as non-aqueous phase liquid or NAPL) from past industrial activity.
Clean enclosed sections of the creek:
EPA would flush out and dispose of contaminated sediment from sections of the creek that flow underground through enclosed pipes and concrete channels.
Restore wetlands and monitor over the long term:
EPA would restore disturbed wetlands by replating native species as needed and conduct long-term monitoring to ensure the cleanup remains protective.
Pierson’s Creek flows beneath Newark Liberty International Airport and the New Jersey Turnpike before emptying into Newark Bay. Contamination in the creek and along its banks comes largely from historical chemical manufacturing activities at nearby properties, including a former facility at One Avenue L. Due to its complexity, EPA is conducting the Pierson’s Creek site cleanup in phases. The current proposed plan focuses on contamination in the creek and along its banks. A separate area at the former chemical manufacturing facility at One Avenue L is still under investigation. EPA expects to propose a cleanup approach for that area in 2027.
EPA is accepting public comments on the proposed plan for 30 days, beginning January 15 and ending February 17. The public may submit written comments to Brandon Holsten, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2890 Woodbridge Avenue, Edison, NJ 08837 or by email to Holsten.Brandon@epa.gov.
EPA will also hold a virtual public meeting on January 27 at 6:30 p.m. to provide an overview of the cleanup proposal and answer community questions. To receive the meeting link, please register on the meeting registration page.
