In The News

Beverly students get psyched for college with help from Rutgers stars

To many elementary and middle school kids, college may seem too far off to ponder, if at all. But the staff at Beverly City School want to change that thinking drastically.

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Bills to control college costs approved

Proposals to cap college tuition and fee increases at 4 percent, and encourage colleges to develop undergraduate degree programs that cost no more than $10,000 were among several bills designed to control college costs that were approved by the Assembly Higher Education Committee Monday.

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Willingboro VFW to hold Black History Month dinner

WILLINGBORO — Residents on Saturday will honor Burlington County's four black mayors during a Black History Month event.

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MacArthur delivers late WWII vets' medals to family in Delran

Congressman Tom MacArthur will present seven Army medals of recognition to the family of the late Theodore Paluch, a World War II veteran. Paluch fought in Europe, Africa and the Middle Eastern campaigns. He survived the Malmedy Massacre and Battle of the Bulge.

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Singleton wants to revive vetoed pension bill

VOORHEES — Assemblyman Troy Singleton is interested in reviving 2014 legislation requiring a portion of public employee pension contributions to be used to pay down the system's unfunded liabilities rather than as an offset for state and local governments' employer contributions.

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COMMENTARY: NJ must avoid Flint-like crisis

The ongoing media coverage of the water fiasco in Flint, Michigan, and the unconscionable conduct of leaders responsible for the disaster have underscored the importance of having access to clean, safe and plentiful water.

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7 things to ponder about Gov. Christie

Gov. Chris Christie is back in New Jersey, his presidential prospects dashed, preparing to outline a new state budget in a speech to state lawmakers Tuesday.

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Burlington County fire districts in no rush to merge

For years, officials in Beverly and Edgewater Park have talked about possibly consolidating their two fire districts, but they never moved forward with the idea, in part because state law was silent on the issue

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NJ Assembly panel advances bill to reduce property taxes, designate state songs

Legislation to reduce New Jersey's notoriously high property taxes was voted out of the Assembly State and Local Government Committee on Monday during the panel's first meeting with Assemblyman Troy Singleton as chairman.

Singleton, D-7th of Palmyra, took over leadership of the committee at the start of the new two-year session, and he used his first meeting to post bills aimed at lightening the state's heavy property tax burden by returning millions of dollars in funds collected from energy companies and utilities, called energy tax receipts, to municipalities, as well as another measure intended to help towns and other local governments save money by using electronic procurement for some biddings, purchases and property sales.

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Lawmakers Push to Return Utility Tax Funds to Hard-Pressed Municipalities

When New Jersey plunged into the depths of the last recession nearly a decade ago, funds the state collects for municipal governments from taxes on utility company equipment within their borders were instead kept in Trenton to help balance the state budget.

That diversion of funds helped prevent massive cuts in aid for hospitals, schools, and safety-net programs for the poor.

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