Trenton, NJ – New Jersey’s $58.8 billion FY2026 budget bill, the largest ever for the state, passed both the Senate and the Assembly on Monday, June 30, and was signed by Gov. Philip Murphy late in the evening, successfully avoiding a shutdown. The passage mostly followed party lines, with the Senate approval coming through at 26-13 with one senator not voting, and the Assembly voting 52-27 with a single abstention.

Newark, NJ - U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver appeared in court on June 25, adding another chapter in her legal battle against the Department of Justice. On June 10, McIver was indicted on three counts of “forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers” as they tried to arrest Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka outside Delaney Hall on May 9. If convicted, McIver could face up to 17 years in prison.

Hackensack, NJ - On the surface, the Lower Hackensack River winds quietly through Bergen and Hudson counties. But beneath that calm lies centuries of industrial waste: PCBs, mercury, arsenic, and heavy metals settled deep in the riverbed — toxic remnants of over 200 years of manufacturing and pollution.