Laura’s Notes on the 10/07/2025 Town Council Meeting
Approximately 75 minutes were spent discussing Narcan kits and the chicken ordinance. Approximately 45 seconds were spent discussing an audit and hundreds of thousands of dollars in spending. Missing from the meeting was the Township Administrator. Conference Session: The Rotary Club provided a presentation on the importance of Narcan kits and training to save lives. This took about 30 minutes....
Wetlands in Peril, Sidewalks for Show, Flooding Unchecked Part 2: Sidewalks in the Shadows
Chances are you have spent some time in the great outdoors enjoying the weather walking, biking, or running through our little suburban oasis. While there are many amazing things about living in Berkeley Heights, the condition of the sidewalks leaves much to be desired You may recall two press releases in a local news outlet regarding lofty grants to repair,...
Close to Our Fundraising Goal in Sponsoring a High School Newsroom
Our commitment to independent journalism is growing – and we’re proud to announce we are only $300 away from our fundraising goal of sponsoring a newsroom in the 21st! Thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters, we’re now in a position to directly invest in the next generation of writers, investigators, editors, and journalists. Our goal is to gift...
Invest in Facts, Transparency, and Student Journalists
In 2020, what started out as a small group of strangers seeking to be a voice in keeping local governing bodies transparent and fair led to a non-profit civic journalism organization, NJ21st. We began primarily as a watchdog group and found purpose in helping our neighbors, friends, children, school staff, administrators, and everyone in between. To this day, we continue...
Wetlands in Peril, Sidewalks for Show, Flooding Unchecked Part 1: Unmasking the CMS Lease Scandal
The first part of this three-part series will begin with the property originally proposed for a synthetic turf field at the Township’s newly acquired lease of Lower Columbia. The Township has had a rough few weeks. Emails aren’t being responded to. And I’m not talking about in a “timely manner,” I’m talking about no response at all. I had originally...
Laura’s Notes on the 09/18/2025 Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting
The 9/18/25 Board of Education meeting was, for the most part, smooth sailing and ended in record time after two members left at 10:30 p.m., leaving the Board without a quorum to continue business. There was one citizen who spoke during the second public hearing to thank the BOE for allowing homeschool students to take AP exams at GL. The...
Laura’s Notes on the 09/16/2025 Berkeley Heights Town Council Meeting
Civil discourse is not only normal but essential in governing agencies, as it fosters transparency in an environment that seeks to understand a multitude of opinions, interests, and desires. Being civil during discourse can be challenging for some, but it is the duty of elected and appointed members of government to navigate their personal feelings and rise above. The 9/16/25...
Mr. Nixon Heading to Millburn High School
At the Millburn Township Board of Education meeting on 9/15, the BOE appointed Robert Nixon as High School Principal effective 12/15/2025. We are saddened to see another incredible Administrator leave and we thank Mr. Nixon for beginning the work to repair, connect and return the focus of BHPS back to student achievement. Subscribe to nj21st For Free Our Commitment to...
Berkeley Heights Town Council Trying To Rush Through CMS Project and Force District’s Hand Again
On the agenda for Council this week is a Resolution for Harbor Consultants to provide professional engineering, surveying and planning services for the Columbia Middle School Lower Fields Project. Essentially this means the township is awarding a no-bid contract to a consulting firm to complete land surveying, environmental investigation and an engineering design for the field. Why this is just...
Emails Confirm Columbia Turf Field Off the Table, Funding Questions Ahead
We submitted an OPRA request for the email discussion on the Turf Field referenced in BOE Member Akiri’s updates to NJ21st. The District returned part of the documents, with more expected next week. The exchange begins with an update from Recreation Commissioner Debra Varnerin: “I hope you enjoyed your summer. I am writing to you today to give you an...
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