We Don’t Need No Stinking Meeting Despite the video blackout of the May 6, 2025 Town Council meeting — where the Council voted to begin the sale of our sewage plant, passed the municipal budget, and approved millions in new spending — we’re unpacking everything they passed.

This week, our coverage focused squarely on the sewage plant. Our first article looked at eight New Jersey towns that privatized their sewage systems, and the curious absence of attention from our own Mayor and Council over the past year and a half. The second article challenges the recycled talking points about cost savings, tracks political donations from water companies, and outlines the questions that need to be answered — ideally, right in the referendum being presented to voters.

We’re also waiting on responsive records from the Township connected to this decision.

Warren Township Pulls a Berkeley Heights Much like the Berkeley Heights School District, Warren Township has shut down public comments on its social media pages. Also like our district, this decision wasn’t made by elected officials — it was made by an administrator. A convenient way to dodge criticism while letting officials claim, “Hey, that wasn’t our decision!”

Another BHPSNJ Agenda With a Billion Things Laura recaps a packed school board agenda: the Business Administrator is on the way out, there’s a new Principal at Hughes with big shoes to fill, and a number of policy updates that impact students, staff, and spending priorities. We dig in and offer suggestions for where the district can do better.

Mountainside Shows Up In this week’s Community Voices, a Mountainside resident shares highlights from COPAA’s federal advocacy for students with disabilities. With so much in flux at the federal level, it’s a strong reminder of the work happening behind the scenes to protect vulnerable learners.

America, Baby An educator in the community highlights the importance of American Sign Language instruction and celebrates Governor Livingston High School’s ASL program as a model for inclusion and expanded opportunities.

Michele Ain’t Scared of Nobody A day after we published our article on the sewage plant — one that noted her name among NJ American Water campaign contributions— Assemblywoman Michele Matsikoudis responded to our questions on education and housing. She’s the first candidate we reached out to who replied. Touché, Assemblywoman. Touché.

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