Accountability is a Privilege | Politics and the Public Interest in 2025

2025 delivered no shortage of news… from turf fields to flooding to sewage and yes, even the infamous chickens.

Our standout story, which became a mini series, was the Columbia Turf Field “Promise” Project. Reporting on the mishandled and miscommunicated process cost one writer a relationship, but it also exposed the darker and insular side of local politics. The theater surrounding the lease, for a field that may never have been the real goal, was revealing.

As Scully and Mulder warned, trust no one.

A close second was our coverage of the July 14 flood. The damage was real, the waterways were a mess, and resident frustration was palpable as promises of “we are here for you” rang hollow. Action was slow, task forces went nowhere and a town report documented inequities and a lack of community engagement. Those findings were met with resistance.

Then there are the ethics violations.

After years of being told the former BOE did nothing wrong and being dragged through the mud by local political machines and their operatives – one affirmation of our coverage after another occurred and ended with the School Ethics Commission not only upholding the OAL ruling that found six former BOE Members did in fact violate ethical standards but were deserving of a harsher penalty.  

Our final pick flew under the radar but matters deeply. We are proud of the funds NJ21st raised to support journalism at Plainfield High School. From being labeled an angry group of parents to building a community, it was a full circle moment. Accountability is a privilege.

We are grateful for all the support we’ve received throughout the years from residents in our home community and throughout NJ.  We are also appreciative of the partnerships we’ve developed with other outlets and organizations that share a common goal to improve how our local and state government work.

John, Laura and Shauna

Here is the full top 30 list for 2025 based on our reader engagement stats.

NJ21st Top 30 Stories of 2025

1. Governor Murphy Visits Berkeley Heights After Deadly Storm Hits Union County
2. From Top-Performing Elementaries to Troubled Middles: Union County School Proficiency Scores Ranked
3. 2025 7-District Dashboard – NJ School Performance Report Comparisons
4. Videos and Images of 07/14/2025 Storm Throughout Union County
5. 7-District Dashboard Comparison of SAT Scores
6. Breaking Down the 2025 7-District Budget Dashboard with Images, Part One
7. Niche Releases 2025 School Rankings
8. Understanding Your NJ Government: OPRA | New Jersey’s Public Records Law
9. Residents Request Support Amid North Hanover Board Discussions on Superintendent
10. Breaking Down Union County’s 2025 Primary Vote: Method, Party, and Municipality Trends
11. Open Letter to NJ State Senator Nicholas Scutari Requesting the Immediate Withdrawal of S-4924
12. Scutari, OPRA, and the Missing Answers in Union County’s Budgets
13. Loretta Rivers: “We Must Not Allow Silence to Be the Response to Tragedy.”
14. 7-District Dashboard Performance on the ACT
15. Murphy’s Berkeley Heights Stop Raises Questions on Housing, Flood Policy
16. From “Street Cop” to State Oversight: NJ Launches Centralized Police Training Institute
17. 2025 7-District Budget Dashboard in Pictures, Part Three: Special Needs
18. A4121 Passes Assembly as Lawmakers Move to Eliminate the NJGPA
19. Another Berkeley Heights Town Council Meeting, Another Round of Porn – 08/05/2025
20. New Jersey Senate Preview: Education, Pensions, and PILOTs This Week
21. Accountability Gap? Berkeley Heights Named in Attorney General’s 2024 Discipline Report
22. The BOE Can, In Fact, Wipe Its Ass Without Permission
23. 2024 Niche “Best School Districts in New Jersey” Released
24. The Future of Little Flower and Our Lady of Peace
25. Understanding Your NJ Government: Boards of Education and School Funding
26. 2026 7-District Niche Rankings
27. Berkeley Heights Among 16 Union County Townships That Sent Police to Private Police Training by Organization that Promoted Unconstitutional Tactics
28. School Ethics Commission Upholds OAL Ruling and Recommends Harsher Penalty for Stanley, Cianculli, Hyman, D’Aquila, Penna, and Young
29. So No Berkeley Heights… No Turf Field
30. Debris Chokes Passaic River: Post-Storm Visit Raises Questions for Berkeley Heights Mayor and Council