Below is Insider NJ’s Morning Intelligence Briefing:
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “It seems to me there’s a lot of flashing red warning signs here.” – Senator O’Scanlon on the budget proposal
TOP STORY: Fulop Wants to Strengthen his Candidacy with Collum
Governor Murphy signed legislation establishing penalties for deceptive AI deepfakes.
Prepping for his history-making Senate floor speech, Senator Booker fasted for several days and didn’t drink water the day before he began his speech, according to NJ.com. Booker’s speech lit a fire under Democrats, according to NJ Spotlight.
Residents say warehouse sprawl in the state is out of control, according to NJ101.5.
Research grants were halted at Princeton University, according to NJ101.5.
ICYMI: Booker made history; Christie considers Habba, gives guv race perspective
Download and read Insider NJ’s Healthcare Power List publication.
Lawmakers are grappling with the impact of a volatile market and federal cuts, according to NJ Spotlight.
Analysts are sounding the alarm on the budget, according to NJ.com.
The state finally named a board to protect homeowners from shady contractors, according to NJ.com.
Disability programs face $3M in cuts in the proposed budget, according to NorthJersey.com.
River Crossing Strategy Group formed a strategic alliance with Converge Public Strategies.
The Chamber of Commerce of Southern NJ promoted key staff to leadership positions.
In Allamuchy, the school district owes $1.17M to the IRS; two board members abruptly resigned, according to Lehigh Valley Live.
In Atlantic City, the beach bar battle is intensifying, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
In Beach Haven, the town is seeking bids for a emergency operations project, according to the Sandpaper.
In Bernards, the town is being sued over the rejection of a building demolition, according to MyCentralJersey.
In Bernardsville, the budget was introduced, according to NJ Hills.
In Bridgewater, a redevelopment plan for a Route 22 property was introduced, according to TAPinto.
In Caldwell, a former councilman criticized plans for a former library, according to NJ Hills.
In Chatham Borough, budget goals were presented, according to NJ Hills.
In Chatham Township, a slight tax increase was proposed, according to NJ Hills.
In Clifton, the city manager resigned, according to Clifton Times. An interim manager was named, according to NorthJersey.com.
In Fairfield, the police chief’s leadership was questioned, according to NJ Hills.
In Hawthorne, the GOP incumbents announced their re-election campaign, according to TAPinto.
In Hoboken, Councilwoman Fisher called on Mayor Bhalla to release the budget proposal.
In Millburn, the budget was introduced, according to TAPinto.
In Montclair, late payments were approved for the 2023 cyberattack network fix, according to Montclair Local.
In Parsippany, a challenge to GOP county committee petitions was shut down, according to Parsippany Focus.
In Paterson, Councilman Jackson owes a landlord $70k after a defamation suit, according to Paterson Press. The Supreme Court grilled both sides on the police takeover, according to Paterson Press.
In Pompton Lakes, a downtown apartment complex was approved, according to NorthJersey.com.
In Princeton, the Choir College campus was acquired, according to TAPinto.
In Raritan, the township will regulate false alarms to avoid overtaxing emergency services, according to TAPinto.
In Rockaway, sports leagues will self-govern, according to NJ Hills.
In Ship Bottom, a school site redevelopment was approved, according to the Sandpaper.
In South Brunswick, the town wants to rezone a property near the Turnpike, according to MyCentralJersey.
In Westfield, the mayor says federal cuts are affecting residents, according to TAPinto.
In Wildwood, the town is doubling down on teen curfews, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
AROUND THE WEB:
How N.J.’s congressional delegation voted in March
Joey Fox, NJ Globe
- By far the biggest bill that Congress debated this month, one that nearly broke the Democratic Party, was the controversial government funding bill written by Republicans and supported by President Donald Trump. The bill keeps the government funded at similar levels as before, but Democrats chafed at being excluded from the appropriations process and said that the bill gave far too much latitude to Trump and Elon Musk to fund, or not fund, the government as they see fit.
NJ Transit to install 3D fare gates from Conduent at two stations
ROI-NJ Staff
- NJ Transit has awarded a contract to Conduent Transportation to install state-of-the-art 3D fare gates at two of its busiest stations: Secaucus Junction and Newark Liberty International Airport. The move is part of a broader effort to modernize fare collection and improve reliability across the transit system.
Habba says she will prosecute anyone committing violence against N.J. police regardless of age
Matt Rooney, Save Jersey
- Alina Habba is hitting the ground running in New Jersey, Save Jerseyans. “Today I have instructed my team that violence against law enforcement will not be tolerated in the great State of New Jersey,” the newly-minted interim U.S. Attorney declared on X earlier Monday. “I don’t care how old you are. You will be prosecuted to the fullest extent under Federal law.”
Hoboken council measure about potential hospital redevelopment plan is pulled
John Heinis, Hudson County View
- The resolution for tonight’s Hoboken City Council agenda where they could have authorized the planning board to consider a hospital redevelopment plan has been pulled prior to the meeting.
Op-Ed: It’s time for more NJ leaders to support services that keep people housed
Kathleen Noonan
- Robert Jackson connected with the Camden Coalition in 2016, chronically homeless and, as he described himself, “near Death’s door.” Within months, the longtime construction worker was stably housed in Vorhees, with a doctor to treat his chronic conditions and access to social care services. Robert’s lease on life was renewed, and his gratitude was greatest for a simple amenity: When it rained, he had somewhere dry and warm to stay.
Will Cory Booker’s speech be the moment that galvanizes opposition to Trump? | Opinion
Charles Stile, NorthJersey.com
- New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez was in deep personal and political trouble when he took to the floor of the U.S. Senate 15 months ago. Menendez put up a vigorous defense of his conduct, but the tawdry criminal allegations of gold-bar bribes and his shady dealings with Egyptian officials reinforced New Jersey’s reputation as the nation’s capital of pay-to-play corruption.
Why New Jersey’s governor matters so much
John Mooney, NJ Spotlight
- “Under the Dome,” a new NJ Spotlight News’ reporting project, takes a deep look into the workings of New Jersey’s state government and how it impacts our daily lives and communities.
NJ state budget: Amid federal chaos and volatile markets, can state revenues keep pace?
Katie Sobko, NorthJersey.com
- Trenton lawmakers moved forward in the complex process of shaping a state budget for New Jersey’s 2026 fiscal year Tuesday as they digested assessments of the state’s economy and heard forecasts for state revenues from nonpartisan budget experts.
Morris or Morristown, township vs. borough: How North Jersey towns navigate name confusion
Kyle Morel, NorthJersey.com
- As the mayor of Morris Township — not neighboring Morristown or Morris Plains — Donna Guariglia is no stranger to sorting out cases of mistaken identity among the three municipalities.
See the N.J. towns that slam homeowners with the highest property taxes in each county
Katie Kausch,| NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
- It’s no secret New Jersey has some pretty high property taxes. But just how bad your taxes are largely depends on which county you live in.
The Watcher: Fulop, Gottheimer are omnipresent figures in 37th district Assembly primary
David Wildstein, NJ Globe
- This week, we start with Steve Fulop and end with Huey Long. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop is one of three candidates seeking to become New Jersey’s first Jewish governor, but his opposition to legislation that would codify an exact definition of antisemitism into state law has met some resistance among Jewish voters. It’s also led to two Team Fulop Assembly candidates, Tamar Warburg and Daniel Park, to distance themselves from Fulop; for example, Warburg/Park lawn signs have been spotted in the 37th district that leave Fulop off.
Do You Remember the Bicentennial, Spirit of ’76?
South Jersey Media
- Members of the Millville Historical Society remember and are looking forward to the 250th anniversary next year. Many commemoratives were produced leading up to the 1976 Bicentennial and the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. In 1975, reporter Gail Bronson wrote in the Wall Street Journal, “The buy-centennial has begun.”
After prison, NJ Democrat party boss works public teaching job
Rick Rickman, NJ1015
- The most powerful Democrat in this New Jersey township is teaching at his new job after being released from federal prison earlier this year. On Feb. 13, Anthony Salters was released six weeks early from Fort Dix in Burlington County. He was sentenced last year to six months in prison after pleading guilty to failing to file a tax return, a misdemeanor. He had been facing more serious fraud charges.
New Jersey Food Council applauds Murphy for signing organized retail crime bill
Mary Price, roi-nj.com
- The New Jersey Food Council is praising Gov. Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matthew Platkin following the signing of a sweeping bill aimed at cracking down on organized retail crime and protecting retail workers. Murphy signed the measure, A-4755/S-3587, during an event Tuesday at the North Brunswick municipal building. The legislation targets criminal enterprises that have increasingly threatened grocery stores and other retailers with theft and violence.
NJ’s latest pandemic aid allocations
John Reitmeyer, NJ Spotlight
- New Jersey is spending millions of dollars on hospitals, affordable housing, schools and sewer and stormwater projects and paying for it using federal funding from a major pandemic relief initiative.
Trenton’s getting hotter as more Stacy Park information gets stirred up
LA Parker, The Trentonian
- Greetings from Puriscal, Costa Rica. Hola! Again. Here for a second week and not missing Trenton although something interesting happened early Saturday morning. Winds arrived from the northeast and a familiar faint odor of corruption drifted through this canton.
What is the future of wind energy in New Jersey?
Nicholas Huba, Press of Atlantic City
- Press of Atlantic City reporter Wayne Parry discusses the future of wind energy with New Jersey Spotlight News.
He helped save the Pine Barrens in 1968. Now his help will never end.
Jason Nark, Philadelphia Inquirer
- Long before John McPhee’s The Pine Barrens was published, New Jersey’s vast, dreamlike swath of sand and scrubby pines was seen as a wasteland by the unfamiliar, a place full of pirate lore, monsters, and recluses. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Princeton native is credited for first painting the Pinelands as a place worth preserving with his 1968 creative nonfiction book, however, inspiring both everyday readers to canoe its tea-colored waters and elected officials to save it.
Insider NJ’s Daily Morning Briefing for April 3, 2025
Insider NJ is a leading source of news and information for New Jersey residents, providing daily updates on politics, business, and current events. Their daily morning briefing for April 3, 2025, offered a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in the state.
One of the key highlights from the briefing was Governor Smith’s announcement of a new initiative to improve infrastructure in urban areas. The governor outlined plans to invest in public transportation, roads, and bridges to address the growing needs of New Jersey’s cities. This initiative is expected to create jobs and stimulate economic growth in urban communities.
In addition to the infrastructure announcement, the briefing also covered updates on the state budget and upcoming legislative sessions. Insider NJ reported on proposed changes to education funding and healthcare programs, as well as discussions around tax reform and environmental policies.
The briefing also included updates on local elections and political appointments, providing readers with insight into the latest developments in New Jersey politics. From city council races to gubernatorial appointments, Insider NJ’s morning briefing offered a comprehensive look at the state’s political landscape.
Overall, Insider NJ’s Daily Morning Briefing for April 3, 2025, provided readers with a thorough overview of the day’s top news stories and developments in New Jersey. With a focus on politics, business, and current events, Insider NJ continues to be a valuable resource for residents looking to stay informed about their state.
