Daniel Munoz, Writer at New Brunswick Today

NJ Governor Candidates Murphy and Wisniewski Campaign at Rutgers

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Gubernatorial candidates John Wisniewski and Phil Murphy spent some time at Rutgers University's main campus with the hopes of building support from student voters ahead of the 2017 elections.

On November 30, Murphy held a "town hall" meeting at the Student Activities Center, with the event being heavily attended by Rutgers student and local party officials.

One week later, on December 7, a student group called RU Progressives hosted an event featuring Wisnieski, a longtime State Assemblyman from Sayreville.

Ledger: Turf Company Knowingly Sold Defective Fields to Taxpayers

By: Daniel Munoz

HIGHLAND PARK, NJ—Middlesex County taxpayers spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for artificial athletic fields made by FieldTurf, a company that knew they were faulty and defective, according to an investigative report by NJ.com.

According to a series of articles by Christopher Baxter and Matthew Stanmyre, the company knew for years that the fields they were selling were defective and deteriorating years ahead of when promised, yet continued to go ahead with the sales campaign.

Board of Education Holds Public Hearing on Proposed $198.6 Million Budget

By: Daniel Munoz

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—The Hub City's K-12 schools will see their largest increase to state aid in years, under a state budget proposal made by the Christie administration for the 2016-2017 fiscal year.

Parents, students, and other community members will have the opportunity to voice their input at a March 22 public hearing at the New Brunswick High School Auditorium at 7:00 pm.

State aid makes up over two thirds of the school's yearly budget, while the rest comes from federal grants and the local tax levy.

Rutgers Apologizes For Substandard Living Conditions in Newells

By: Daniel Munoz

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Since December 2015, Rutgers University students living at the Newell Apartments have been experiencing frequent disruptions to heating, electricity, and hot water.

According to a report on NJ.com, an electrical line under the Newells ruptured, which the University says it would take full responsibility for in the form of an "inconvenience credit" reimbursed to impacted students.

NBPA Could Switch to License Plate Reader Enforcement This Year

By: Daniel Munoz

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Hub City residents could see all of the city's parking enforcement vehicles fully-equipped with license plate readers (LPR) by the end of 2016, according to the agency that has been experimenting with the technology.

The New Brunswick Parking Authority (NBPA) tested license plate readers for parking enforcement in a three-month pilot program which ended on December 31.

Christie Decides Against Adding $10 Million to NJ Lead Control Fund

By: Daniel Munoz

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—A bill to send $10 million to New Jersey's historically underfunded lead control and abatement program was "pocket-vetoed" by Governor Chris Christie, even after it passed both houses of the State Legislature.

Governor Christie had until noon on January 19 to sign or veto S-1279, which would appropriate $10 million to the Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund. Because the bill was from a prior legislative session, and Christie took no action, the "pocket veto" effectively killed the bill.

Companies That Profit From Rutgers Contracts Sponsor Online Learning Conference

By: Daniel Munoz

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Verificient Technologies and Pearson, two education technology companies that do business with Rutgers University, contributed a combined $12,500 to sponsor a recent online education conference organized by the school on January 11 and 12.