Starting in Trenton, this week’s 21st Briefing covers a slew of bills that seek to pull housing decisions away from locals and into state hands, along with a proposal that would tie special education funding for districts to real numbers instead of assumptions.
We stay south with our continuing coverage of Cherry Hill’s lawsuit against a journalist. This time, we move beyond the spending and into the actual filings, examining the potential impact not only on journalists and advocates, but students as well, while asking: “What happens when the thing you want to evaluate is used as the reason you aren’t allowed access to what is needed to conduct the evaluation?”
This edition also takes a look at a recent WALL update and how recent changes by the NJDOL to the ABC rules make this report more impactful for NJ businesses.
Moving onto the locals….
Berkeley Heights – John publishes his email to the Mayor and Council pointing out how the current pro-developer context is harming our environment and asks them to take a stand by publicly condemning Senator Scutari’s attempt to roll back protections and committing to not taking outside campaign contributions this election season.
Laura provides her update on the 05/05/2026 Town Council Meeting, which saw the budget go through another round of changes after the State kicked it back.
Resident Michael Leblond continues to pursue the Council on Berkeley Heights’ continuing challenges with power outages.
We wrap up Berkeley Heights with Laura’s coverage of the 05/06/2026 BOE Meeting, which tackled lingering budget issues and featured a STEAM presentation.
Summit – A BOE meeting with a lot of big decisions on the agenda but not much backup.
Westfield – Our last school budget analysis of the year tells a similar story: benefits blowing up another budget.
New Providence – Ending with a Town Council meeting that saw heavy investments in the Annex and another massive number attached to a bill list the public couldn’t see prior to the meeting.
Top Five Articles for April:
NJ Revenue: The Warning Lights are Starting to Glow
The Hole Gets Bigger: Treasury Expands New Jersey’s Health Benefits Alarm
Why NJ’s Payroll Drop May Matter More Than the Unemployment Dip
The 21st District Face-Off: How Seven Towns Stack Up on Per-Household Spending
Legal But Opaque Part 2: A Case Study of the Berkeley Heights Recreation Hire
|
Related Articles
This Week at the 21st: Campaign Cash, Layoff Notices and a Press Freedom Fight
This Week at NJ21st: Local Governments Scramble as State Revenue Warning Lights Flicker
