Union County Bans E-Bikes in Parks
After the death of a 13 year old in Scotch Plains due to a collision involving an e-bike, the County is moving to ban e-bikes and motorized scooters in parks and trails. The ban is immediate, and the County plans to amend its code to make the change permanent. Enforcement will fall to county staff and local police. Link to...
Election Survey On Statewide Candidates and Issues Affecting NJ’s 21st District
As a follow up to our Election Surveys for New Providence and Berkeley Heights, we are launching one for the entire 21st Legislative District. The purpose of this survey is to understand issues important to voters who reside within the 21st and to get a sense on where they stand on candidates for statewide office. We are seeking responses for...
Somerset County’s 2025 Budget – Aid Dropped, Debt Popped
Somerset County’s budget tells a similar story to the Union County budget we wrote about a couple of days ago — without all the Scutaris. Somerset’s 2025 budget comes in at about $298m, – a slight increase from the prior year ($295.9m). And while this might not look like much, folks in Somerset are going to end up paying about...
Scutari, OPRA, and the Missing Answers in Union County’s Budgets
After we published questions on the Union County Budget last week (Executive Summary), a resident reached out with more detailed budget docs (from the county) along with his notes. We took a hard look at the spreadsheet and his notes. This is what we found. 2024: Big Increases, Few Answers The 2024 budget ended a four-year tax freeze with a...
No Response Yet: NJ21st’s Questions on Union County’s 2025 Budget
Two weeks ago (09/07/2025) we emailed the Union County Board of Commissioners questions on the executive budget. I know – we’re a bit late but we’ve been kind of busy and better late then never. We never got a response back (not surprised) but we figured it would be a good idea to publish the questions as a way of...
Three-Year Trends: GLHS Gains, Madison and Chatham Slip and Millburn Holds in 2025 Rankings
2025 U.S. News and World Report High School Rankings Released –Written by an Educator in our District U.S. News and World Reports has released their 2025 “Best High Schools in New Jersey” rankings. These rankings consist of both high schools in K-12 districts and admit-only schools. According to U.S. News and World Reports, these rankings are based on various factors...
Plainfield’s Flood Plan Advances—Will Funding Catch Up Before 2026?
Third in a series evaluating municipal compliance with the Union County Hazard Mitigation Plan NJ21st obtained Plainfield’s stormwater files through an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request. The responses included a stormwater ordinance, an engineering estimate for Milton Campbell Field, 2016–2025 capital budget records and an incomplete email exchange that appears to be about a recreation grant The ordinance Plainfield...
The Early Start Advantage: Seven Local Schools Beginning Before Labor Day in 2025
Starting school before Labor Day allows for more instructional days when it matters –Written by an Educator in our District School is in session for students as soon as Monday, August 25th in one nearby town, and six others have students begin in August (before Labor Day). The first seven districts listed in the chart at the bottom of this...
Fanwood’s Drainage Study Aligns With Union County Hazard Mitigation Plan
The second in NJ21st’s series examining whether towns hit by repeated floods have followed through on the commitments they made in the Union County Hazard Mitigation Plan. Much like Scotch Plains, Fanwood has dealt with flooding issues, especially in low-lying areas like Westfield Road and North Ave. Fanwood provided a Drainage Systems Study, prepared in October 2023, in response to...
Scotch Plains Meets State Stormwater Rules, Broader Flood Strategy Seems Seems Unclear
Background Scotch Plains sits within the Green Brook watershed, a region that has been the focus of federal flood mitigation planning since 1986 through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The town has been hit by at least three major flood events in the last ten years:. -August 2015 -September 2021- Hurricane Ida -July 14, 2025 Scope of Review The...
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