In The News
Feds: N.J. graduation rates among best in nation
New Jersey high school graduation rates continue to be among the best in the nation, with 88.6 percent of students in the class of 2014 having earned their diplomas in four years, according to a new report released Monday.
“Building a Grad Nation,” shows that New Jersey students graduated at a rate higher than the national average of 82.3 percent, and that only Iowa and Nebraska had higher rates; Wisconsin’s was the same.
N.J. open-space preservation stalls without launch of voter-approved funding
A referendum New Jersey approved more than a year and a half ago would provide about $80 million a year from corporate tax revenue to acquire and preserve land.
But the funds are stalled because Gov. Chris Christie has not signed legislation to implement it.
N.J. Senate agrees to Christie compromise on food stamps
TRENTON — The state Senate on Monday unanimously accepted a compromise with Gov. Chris Christie over access to food stamps for unemployed people living in economically distressed cities and counties in New Jersey.
The Senate voted 40-0 to agree with the governor's conditional veto that was borne out of a difference between his administration, which wanted to fully restore work requirements as a condition of receiving benefits, and lawmakers who wanted to ask the federal government to waive those requirements in these specific communities.
New jobs headed to Burlington Twp.
BURLINGTON TWP. - More than 400 new jobs will be arriving soon at a new industrial warehouse complex and new retail and food stores opening at opposite ends of a municipality with easy access to major highways.
Among businesses coming to the Burlington Industrial Park complex of four distribution warehouses with nearly 2 million square feet of space are Swedish fashion retailer H&M, American Hostess and a hotel supplier, according to local government officials.
NJ municipalities and state lawmakers scrambling to regulate Uber
ELIZABETH — As more cities like this one try to come up with a policy regarding Uber and other ride share services, many are looking to Newark’s agreement as an example of a good plan.
The Elizabeth City Council voted Tuesday night to ban the services from Newark Liberty International Airport’s Terminal A, which rests on the Union County city’s side of the border, and its train stations.
Prescription benefit changes likely for NJ state workers and retirees
Public workers and retirees enrolled in the state’s health plans are likely to see changes to their prescription benefits in the coming year as part of the state’s efforts to trim healthcare costs by a quarter-billion dollars.
It’s not official yet, even though Gov. Chris Christie’s administration counts on the savings to balance the budget in the fiscal year that starts in seven weeks. But Acting Treasurer Ford Scudder told lawmakers he feels good about the chances for the health plans’ design committees to approve the money-saving changes.
OUT-OF-DATE DATA SHORTCHANGES RECIPIENTS OF HOMESTEAD TAX REBATES
The calendar may say 2016, but Homestead credits are based on 2006 property taxes, which were typically 30 percent lower than today’s
Helping Low-Income Taxpayers Put Money Aside for that Rainy Day
Most Americans tend to spend their federal tax returns almost as soon as they arrive, but saving some portion of that money is a smarter -- though tougher -- decision
Most Americans have a hard time keeping enough money aside in savings to handle an unexpected expense like repairing a car or a leaky roof. And with the average federal income-tax refund nearing close to $3,000 this year, many of them are probably spending that refund almost as soon as it comes back from Washington.
Should NJ borrow $125M to fund public library construction?
New Jersey voters might be asked whether the state should borrow $125 million to help finance a quarter-billion dollars a year in construction projects at public libraries.
Christie: All N.J. school water fountains to be tested for lead
TRENTON — New Jersey will test the water in its 3,000 schools for lead exposure beginning later this year and publicly release the findings, Gov. Chris Christie announced Monday, two months after results from 30 schools in Newark found lead levels as high as 35 times above the federal action limit.