Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There is corruption, there is injustice, and there is a heavy amount of crime right in Cory Booker’s backyard and right under Governor Murphy, and that will stop.” – Alina Habba, President Trump’s pick for US Attorney
TOP STORY: Post Filing Day Recap
The state marked 50 years of the affordable housing court decision, according to NJ Monitor.
The NJ Turnpike Authority board approved the first steps of the disputed $10B widening project, according to NJ Herald.
The state’s wildfire season is starting with ‘tinder-dry’ conditions in some places, according to NJ Spotlight.
The state is ramping up REAL ID appointments, according to NorthJersey.com.
American Dream Mall said it would follow blue laws, but it’s not, according to NJ Herald.
Atlantic County held a budget hearing, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
Cape May County approved the budget, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
Senator Kim slammed Alina Habba as the US Attorney for NJ as an ‘unacceptable partisan choice’, according to NJ Globe.
ICYMI: Murphy signed legislation extending primary early voting; judge dismissed Norcross case; Murphy presented record $58.1B budget
There are a few notable observations coming out of petition filing day.
Here’s who filed to run for Governor and Assembly, according to NJ Globe.
A GOP source describes the gubernatorial primary as ‘over’, seeing a win for Jack Ciattarelli.
Candidates, and big money, are piling in in the gubernatorial race, according to NJ Spotlight.
Despite initially appearing to endorse Bill Spadea after ending his bid, former Senator Durr appeared to contradict his own statement, according to SaveJersey. Former Durr staffers issued a statement critical of the former candidate, according to NJ101.5.
Montclair Councilor Russo slammed Sean Spiller’s gubernatorial candidacy.
There’s a GOP primary for Ocean County Clerk, according to the Asbury Park Press.
ICYMI: Guv primary movements sparked intrigue; Fulop to announce LG pick; Sherrill unveiled ‘Affordability Agenda’; Durr ended guv bid; Pennacchio endorsed Ciattarelli; Wimberly hasn’t decided on guv pick
The state is telling hospitals and labs in the state that they don’t have to a press for sexual orientation data on newborns, according to Politico NJ.
A petitions asks lawmakers to revise the law on charging minors as adults, according to NorthJersey.com.
Lawmakers are seeking relief from impacted sinkholes, according to NJ Biz.
Senate Minority Leader Bucco and Senator Testa were named to the joint legislative committee on utility rate increases.
Senator Sarlo urged Comcast to refrain from moving the YES network to a more costly programming plan.
Senator Tiver and Assemblyman Torrissi called for an audit of the Societal Benefit Charge.
Senator O’Scanlon blamed Middletown school closures on the state’s funding formula.
The LD9 legislators relocated their office.
In Bernards, the planning board rejected two ordinances, according to TAPinto.
In Bernardsville, a firm was hired to manage the pool, according to NJ Hills.
In Bloomfield, seven Democrats are running for four seats, according to TAPinto.
In Camden, the schools super is departing for a state role, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In Cape May, approval was secured for a new police HQ, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Chatham Borough, two Democrats and one Republican filed for council seats, according to NJ Hills.
In Cherry Hill, a tree planting initiative was launched, according to South Jersey Media.
In Cranford, sewer fees increased, according to TAPinto.
In Florham Park, two incumbent Republicans face a Democratic challenger, according to NJ Hills.
In Guttenberg, Mayor Zitt filed for re-election, according to Hudson County View.
In Harding, Platt will seek re-election, according to Nj Hills.
In Harrison Township, a developer is pushing for a traffic light at a apartment complex, according to the Courier Post.
In Hoboken, Councilwoman Fisher announced her mayoral candidacy.
In Howell, an animal farm claims the town targeted them after court loss, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Jersey City, Ali teed off on the BOE, according to Hudson County View. Team O’Dea opened a campaign office in Ward B, according to Hudson County View. Nieves joined McGreevey’s slate.
In Madison, a tax hike looms, according to NJ Hills.
In Middle, a new schools super was hired, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Middletown, the BOE faced more resistance over the proposal to close a school, according to the Asbury Park Press.
In Montclair, schools are looking to bridge a $2.5M budget gap, according to NorthJersey.com. A lawsuit claimed a teacher was fired over depression and anxiety, according to Montclair Local.
In Montgomery, a two-decade eyesore was finally demolished, according to MyCentralJersey.
In Morristown, Republicans are fielding a slate, according to Morristown Green.
In Palisades Park, a cop’s notice to sue reveals an investigation into the mayor, according to NorthJersey.com.
In Parsippany, Democrats announced their candidates, according to Parsippany Focus.
In Paterson, the Great Falls Visitor Center needs help from Trenton, according to Paterson Press.
In Randolph, BOE candidates faced off, according to the Daily Record.
In Red Bank, the council will consider reconstruction funds for the public utilities building, according to TAPinto.
In Trenton, a spring clean-up was announced, according to Trenton Journal.
In Warren, the town contracted a firm for computer maintenance services, according to NJ Hills.
AROUND THE WEB:
We’re covering N.J. politics as never before. Buckle up for the ride. | Editor’s Note
Christopher Kelly, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- In just eight months, New Jerseyans will go to the polls in what might be the most-watched governor’s election in our state’s history. That’s because, unlike 48 of the other 49 states, New Jersey elects its governor the year after the Presidential election. Those who want to read the tea leaves and better understand the political winds have only us and Virginia to look toward.
Bunnvale Library seeks support from Lebanon Township residents after closing rumors
Walter O’Brien, NJ Hills
- Rumors of a potential closing of the neighborhood Bunnvale Library has ignited a huge show of support from township residents.
The O’Toole Chronicles: Leave a Light On (Talk Away The Dark)
Kevin O’Toole, NJ Globe
- On the advice of my son, I recently read the book “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius and was taken back by some of his fascinating writings and observations. The short version of all this is that Marcus was a Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD. He practiced a philosophy called Stoicism and he wrote daily in his private journals about his thoughts and adventures.
Trump is making N.J. business great again, some say. They just don’t want to talk about it.
Karin Price Mueller, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- The last time Taliercio’s Ultimate Gourmet Deli was linked to President Donald Trump, mayhem ensued. It was Election Day 2024. The Italian deli offered anyone with an “I Voted” sticker a free shirt: their choice of a red “Make Antipasta Great Again” shirt or a blue one that said, “It’s better that way.’’
Baraka: The Problem We All Live With
Ras Baraka
- In 1964, Norman Rockwell painted The Problem We All Live With. It depicts Ruby Bridges, a six-year-old Black girl, being escorted by U.S. Marshals as she integrates an all-white school in New Orleans. The image is stark: a child, stoic and determined, surrounded by the graffiti and violence of a country struggling to live up to its own ideals. Rockwell didn’t name the painting after Ruby. He called it The Problem We All Live With – a deliberate choice to show that the problem wasn’t hers.
Remembering and continuing the legacy of Trenton’s Algernon Ward
LA Parker, The Trentonian
- A Hamilton Twp. man left this message about City of Trenton champion Algernon Ward. “I was saddened to read of the passing of Algernon Ward. I was privileged to meet him once through a mutual acquaintance, Fred Minus, when we were both members of a local Civil War round table. Algernon performed as a reenactor for decades. He was cofounder and volunteer for the 6th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops along with the 1st Rhode Island Reenactors honoring Black men who served in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, World War I and World War II.”
Watchung Hills takes first step to ending ‘misconstrued’ transgender student policy
Mike Deak, MyCentralJersey.com
- The Watchung Hills Board of Education has taken a first step to rescind a policy on transgender students that has become a flashpoint for school districts throughout New Jersey.
Federal DOGE cuts under Trump threaten these NOAA, US Fish & Wildlife services in NJ
Dan Radel, Asbury Park Press
- The future of three facilities operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and one U.S. Fish Wildlife ecological field office in New Jersey are in question, after being caught up in the cuts to the federal budget initiated by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Daibes, Hana seek to delay their prison terms. Why? To testify at Nadine Menendez’s trial
Kristie Cattafi, NorthJersey.com
- Two New Jersey businessmen found guilty alongside former Sen. Bob Menendez in a federal corruption and bribery trial are expected to testify in Nadine Arslanian Menendez’s corruption trial, which is underway in lower Manhattan.
Here are some of the largest donations made by billionaire NJ native David Duffield
Kyle Morel, NorthJersey.com
- Billionaire Bergen County native David Duffield is not shy about donating large sums of money he has accrued over his lengthy entrepreneurial career. Duffield, who grew up in Ho-Ho-Kus and attended Ridgewood High School, made his latest charitable endeavor earlier this month when he gave $100 million to his alma mater, Cornell University. The donation, the largest in the history of the school’s engineering program, will significantly expand Duffield Hall, which was named in his honor two decades ago.
LBI Donors Help Purchase Ambulance for Troops in Ukraine
The Sand Paper
- At the Lighthouse International Film Society’s January screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary “Porcelain War” at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences in Loveladies, and in collaboration with Surf City restaurant Wally’s, over $5,000 was raised in support of aid to the frontlines of the war in Ukraine. North Jersey-based Compassion Connection UA applied the funds toward a purchase of an ambulance for troops.
Atlantic Cape, Stockton University sign new articulation agreement
Access Network
- Atlantic Cape Community College and Stockton University signed a new articulation agreement March 24 in the STEM Building AT Atlantic Cape’s Mays Landing campus. Atlantic Cape Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Josette Katz and Stockton University’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Michael Palladino officially signed the agreement, which will allow Atlantic Cape graduates to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Visual Art, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art or Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communications degree at Stockton.
New Jersey’s mysterious hidden underwater town
Dennis Malloy, NJ1015
- So much of New Jersey has been written about or reported on, so very little of what there is to know about our state is hidden. We have so much packed into our little piece of real estate in this massive country with so much history that goes along with it. Occasionally you can stumble upon something curious that very few people know about. Such is the case of the buried underwater town at the bottom of our third-largest lake.
NJBIZ Best Places to Work winner will be acquired for $1.65B
Jessica Perry, NJBIZ
- The No. 3 large company in the 2024 NJBIZ Best Places to Work in New Jersey program, CentralReach, is set to be acquired in a deal worth $1.65 billion. Roper Technologies Inc. and the applied behavior analysis therapy software and service provider each announced reaching a definitive agreement to combine March 24. The $60 billion public company buyer will purchase CentralReach from global software investor Insight Partners.
Insider NJ’s Daily Morning Briefing for March 26, 2025
Insider NJ is a trusted source for political news and analysis in New Jersey, providing readers with up-to-date information on the latest developments in state politics. Their daily morning briefing is a valuable resource for anyone looking to stay informed on the most important news of the day.
On March 26, 2025, Insider NJ’s morning briefing covered a range of topics that are of interest to New Jersey residents. One of the key stories highlighted in the briefing was the ongoing debate over a proposed bill that would increase funding for public schools in the state. The bill has been a contentious issue in the legislature, with supporters arguing that it is necessary to ensure that all students have access to a quality education, while opponents have raised concerns about the cost of the measure.
Another important story featured in the morning briefing was an update on the state’s efforts to combat climate change. New Jersey has been at the forefront of environmental initiatives in recent years, and the briefing highlighted some of the latest developments in this area, including new regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions and promoting renewable energy sources.
In addition to these key stories, Insider NJ’s morning briefing also provided updates on other important issues facing the state, such as healthcare reform, transportation infrastructure improvements, and economic development initiatives. The briefing is a comprehensive overview of the most important news of the day, providing readers with a clear understanding of the key issues that are shaping New Jersey’s political landscape.
Overall, Insider NJ’s daily morning briefing for March 26, 2025, offers a valuable snapshot of the most important news and developments in New Jersey politics. Whether you are a seasoned political observer or just someone looking to stay informed on the latest news in the state, Insider NJ’s morning briefing is a must-read resource for anyone interested in New Jersey politics.
