March 2016

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ–More New Brunswick residents who wanted to work were working at the end of last year than at any time since 2007, a statistic that the city government recently announced in a press release.

"New Brunswick’s dedication to urban renewal, … [and] economic health have helped to drive its low unemployment numbers," reads the release.

"This has attracted investors and businesses willing to do business [in the Hub City] … More than 3,500 new jobs have come to New Brunswick since June 2011."

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—In a closed-door meeting, the Rutgers University Board of Governors gave President Robert Barchi a bonus, a retroactive raise, and a sweet new deal that could keep him on the university payroll well into 2018.

Barchi, age 69, already earned $663,000 every year, $263,000 more than the President of the United States and almost four times as much as the state's Governor.

He also gets a free house in Piscataway and a myriad of other perks.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—An employee of the New Brunswick Housing Authority (NBHA) was taken to a local hospital on March 3 after an altercation with the agency's Director of Operations Mark Roedelbronn.

"Mark almost hit and choked one of the housing [employees]," said one source, describing the 18-employee agency as a "hostile work environment."

Another source said that Roedelbronn lost his temper and screamed at the female employee multiple times, sticking his finger in her face, and slamming a file folder on her desk.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—City officials repeatedly refused to answer questions about a firearm that former New Brunswick Police Director Joseph Catanese said was stolen from a parked car.

As we reported, the former cop's gun was allegedly stolen during a six-hour period in June 2013, in between Catanese's time as New Brunswick's Police Director and Assistant City Attorney.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ–A Dallas-based law firm apparently wants to get in on the opportunity to represent women harmed by Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J’s) talcum-based products.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Leonard T. Bier might well be one of the most powerful people in New Jersey, but outside of the parking business and the legal field, he is not well-known.

Formerly an attorney for Middlesex County, one could say that Bier, age 64, is in the prime of his public-sector career, holding down four public jobs where he often gets to call the shots. 

INDIANAPOLIS, IN–A pair of former Rutgers football stars are one step closer to realizing their dreams of turning pro after participating in the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis over the weekend of February 27-28.

Former Scarlet Knights wide receiver Leonte Carroo and inside linebacker Steve Longa took part in the annual combine, where hundreds of draft prospects look to improve their draft stock by interviewing with and working out for NFL scouts and coaches.