This Tuesday, April 16, New Brunswick residents have the opportunity to shape the future of its schools with their votes. Three seats are up for the the Board of Education in New Brunswick, with three incumbents and three challengers vying for the three-year terms. The incumbent candidates, including board president Jennifer Sevilla, along with board members Diana Solis and Edward Spencer, are running together as a unified team under the banner of “New Beginnings.” Meanwhile, challengers Yeni Mendez Romero, Brittany Richardson, and Linda Stork have formed a team running under the banner “Stud ..read more

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—More than three weeks after a fatal crash killed a 65-year-old driver on Route 1, an 18-year-old man surrendered to authorities to face a charge of vehicular homicide. Noah Reyes is the young man being held responsible for the March 6 crash that killed Dennis Frick. The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO) had kept Reyes’ identity secret from the public until recently. Frick lived in Freehold and worked as a Vice President with Heller Construction, the owners of an industrial park just a couple miles away from the crash site. The company also owns the Ford F-150 truck ..read more

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—At Rutgers University, a solar power project more than a year in the making has been completed and is now producing more electricity than expected. Solar arrays–groups of solar panels–have been installed above parking lots at 16 locations across its campuses, as well as at the university’s office of Institutional Planning and Operations (IP&O) in Piscataway, which spearheaded the project. On February 22, in the parking lots along Dudley Road on the Cook/Douglass campus, the final phase of the project began producing electricity, according to Michael Kornitas, IP&O’s ..read more

TRENTON, NJ—Today, two different state legislative committees are poised to simultaneously consider a freshly-dropped pair of bills that would overhaul and undermine the state’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA). The OPRA has been a critical tool for journalists to uncover corruption and inform the public using primary sources, but it is also used by all sorts of New Jersey citizens to investigate and learn about what their governments are doing. Joseph Danielsen, one of two Assemblymen who represent New Brunswick in the state government, is the bill’s only sponsor in the New Jersey General Asse ..read more

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ – A cultural landmark in downtown New Brunswick will transform from rock and roll club to vegan restaurant this spring, New Brunswick Today confirmed this week. The Court Tavern, which has been closed since 2019 but was a favored watering hole in this city for generations, will become Veganica sometime this spring.  The news first appeared in a writeup by the Home News. Focusing on the new restaurant’s offerings, it buried a cursory note into its eighth paragraph that Veganica will be located “at 124 Church St., the former home of The Court Tavern.”  A phone call t ..read more

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—For the second year in a row, Middlesex County led the state in death caused by crashes, even as the numbers trended downward in the rest of the state. Motor vehicle crashes killed 64 people here last year, despite a county government pledge two years prior to pursue a “vision” where no serious crashes occur by the year 2040. And the statistics are no better this year, with at least nine dead already and Middlesex again leading among the state’s 21 counties in the disturbing category. The January death toll included at least two drivers, two passengers, three pedestrians, an ..read more

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—Before a single vote was cast in the 2024 US Presidential race, New Jersey’s controversial former Governor Chris Christie dropped out, marking the end of his second failed presidential campaign. “I was wrong. I made a mistake,” Christie said in a campaign advertisement, stopping short of apologizing for backing his former friend and ally, ex-President Donald Trump. Six days later, Christie announced he was leaving the race. “It’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination, which is why I am suspending my campaign to be President of the United St ..read more

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ – Have you heard the news? Hub City is reaching ever higher into the sky. The city’s next big thing, The Helix – no, not a rock group – is committing the downtown Wasteland to memory with every square yard of concrete poured and every new tenant announced.  It’s looking like at least two 10+ story buildings at the site of the former Ferren parking deck and mall over the next four years. The Ferren mall (and future Helix) was built where shops like the original Court Tavern once stood, pictured here pre-1981 (photo by George Red Ellis) and in 2022 (photo by Bennett Kell ..read more

Gabba Ghoul is: Lacy Smith – Vocals Josh Skoudis – Bass Henry Ricatto – Guitar George Ford – Drums Formed in 2021, Gabba Ghoul quickly became a favorite in the New Brunswick music scene and beyond for its distinct blend of math rock riffs with pop and emo song structures. They captured audience attention at spirited live shows and delivered a serving of Jersey humor as seen in their name, song titles and artwork. In late November, Gabba Ghoul suffered the tragic loss of its lead singer, Lacy Smith, at the age of twenty-two. On December 17, a memorial concert for Lacy was held at Pino’s in Hig ..read more

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—The nurses of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) have agreed to return to work, ending a months-long battle over staffing issues. Their union, United Steelworkers Local 4-200, voted to accept the proposal for a new three-year contract, which was submitted for consideration in November. The results of the vote were announced on December 15, the 133rd day of the strike. The work stoppage began when approximately 1,700 nurses walked off the job on August 4. “We fought long and hard,” said Judith Danella, president of the union local. “[The hospital] made us stay ou ..read more