What We Covered in 2025 Part 1: When the Storm Hit

The first installment of our Top 30 Articles this year…

Between now and New Year’s, we will be presenting our top 30 articles of the year based on traffic. Instead of going in straight order, we took the top 30 and broke them up into categories.  We are going to start with the July storm, which led to questions on preparedness, transparency, and planning.

Our first two articles were the product of reader submissions, with resident Helen Gabara’s contribution covering the Governor’s post-storm visit to Berkeley Heights sitting atop the 2025 field….

#1 – Governor Murphy’s Visits Berkeley Heights After Deadly Storm Hits Union County

We also published first-hand documentation throughout the 21st that captured the scale of damage in real time. Photos and videos, again submitted by residents, provided an impactful record of the year’s most severe local storm…

#4 – Videos and Images of 07/14/2025 Storm Throughout Union County

We quickly moved on to questions readers asked us on the socials and Reddit –

Why were flood-prone areas still being developed?

How were housing and zoning decisions pushing up against climate risk?

Were local and state officials addressing causes or simply reacting?

Those questions framed our follow-up coverage of the Governor’s visit…

#17 – Murphy’s Berkeley Heights Stop Raises Questions on Housing and Flood Policy

These three articles were the start of our overall coverage that included deep dives on flood preparedness and policy in Berkeley Heights, Fanwood, Scotch Plains and Plainfield . What made this coverage especially meaningful was the level of resident involvement and the willingness of community members to show up to Town Council meetings and push back on “our hands our tied”narratives.