David Furst

Long lines and lots of shiny new vinyl recall the heyday of record shops.

Another snowy week in New Jersey is coming to a close. So we thought we'd check in on some of the local weather news sites in the state - sites that a lot of residents have really come to rely on. Mary Mann with New Jersey News Commons at Montclair State University joins New Jersey Public Radio's David Furst to chat about Jersey Shore Hurricane News, Severe Weather NJ, and NYNJPAweather.com

Patch's new owner fired about 80% of its editorial staff on Wednesday. According to NJ News Commons, the firings occurred during a conference call with staff. Mary Mann, with NJ News Commons, is a former Patch employee. She tells us a skeleton crew will remain to run Patch’s 89 New Jersey sites. Speaking with New Jersey Public Radio's David Furst, she says the impact on local news reporting in the state could be significant.

New Jersey blogs are paying attention to the really important Superbowl stories. Namely, where to go if you want to bump into some of the Broncos and Seahawks when they're not on the field.

In 2011, residents voted to merge Princeton Township and Princeton Borough into a single town - Princeton. This week, in his state of the state speech, Governor Christie held up Princeton as a shining example of what consolidation can do to reduce the cost of services in New Jersey towns. He claimed a savings in one year of $3 million.

But Planet Princeton says that "$3 million" in savings is a myth that was debunked last year. Mary Mann with New Jersey News Commons has been following the story and speaks with New Jersey Public Radio's David Furst.

With so-called "Bridge-gate" dominating headlines in the state, it's hard to talk about anything else. But Mary Mann with New Jersey News Commons at Montclair State University gives it a try.

Pay-per-charge mobile phone charging stations coming to Hoboken? Mary tells New Jersey Public Radio's David Furst about the convenience - and the pitfalls - of the technology.

No, it's not the latest series from DC comics. NJ Spotlight featured a "Holiday Sampler" this past week - a collection of year-end essays written by four former New Jersey governors: Brendan Byrne, Jim Florio, Christie Todd Whitman and Dick Codey. New Jersey's ex-governors have been getting a significant amount of attention lately as pressure group on a mission.

Every week, Mary Mann with New Jersey News Commons joins us to talk about stories found on New Jersey blogs and community news services. This time, she calls our attention to some of the best local stories of the year.

Mary talks about the reporting highlights of 2013 with New Jersey Public Radio's David Furst. You can also check out her full list on the NJ News Commons page.

Black and Latino applicants for Sandy aid in New Jersey are more likely to be rejected for recovery grants than whites. That's according to data released Thursday by a housing advocate who sued the state for information about its grants.

The rejection rate for white applicants to New Jersey's two main homeowner grant programs was 13 to 14 percent. For Latinos, it was slightly higher - 18 to 20 percent. For African-Americans, the rejection rate was 35 to 38 percent. That's more than double the white rejection rate.

The executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is expected to tell what he knows about the unannounced closing of George Washington Bridge access lanes that caused traffic gridlock in September, and whether the disruption was politically-motivated.

Patrick Foye was subpoenaed to appear before the Assembly Transportation Committee Monday.

Suddenly, the holiday season is upon us. And the web is bursting with tales of charitable giving, ugly sweaters and chefs baking thousands of cookies. Mary Mann with New Jersey News Commons has a roundup of holiday stories - as covered by blogs around the state. She speaks with New Jersey Public Radio's David Furst about a holiday season in full swing.

Governor Christie was officially elected chairman of the Republicans Governors Association by his fellow GOP governors Thursday in a closed-door meeting at a resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The job involves campaigning and fundraising in as many as 36 states. But Christie told reporters that he is still giving PRIORITY to his job in New Jersey.

The news service, New Brunswick Today has been making waves - producing investigative reports on the New Brunswick Water Utility covering up water quality violations and on Rutgers trying to keep its Hurricane Sandy report secret.

Mary Mann with New Jersey News Commons at Montclair State University speaks with New Jersey Public Radio's David Furst about the nearly two-year old print and web service - and how it's making a name for itself through investigative reporting.

Another $5-billion of aid money is on its way to New Jersey, New York and other Sandy-affected states. And environmental and housing advocacy groups are applauding federal provisions they feel will ensure more transparency and sustainability in how the money is spent.

Governor Chris Christie was re-elected in New Jersey Tuesday night with 60 percent of the votes.

The race was called for Governor Christie a minute after the polls closed. At his election night party - on the boardwalk in Asbury Park - the Republican Governor walked out with his arms raised, to the song “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”

Authorities say they do not believe the alleged gunman who killed himself after causing a lockdown at New Jersey's largest shopping mall Monday night wanted to hurt other people.

A totem pole. In Chatham. Right there on Edgewood Road.

As part of our "one-year-after-Sandy" coverage we have a story about a New Jersey artist who saw a golden opportunity in his Sandy-ravaged neighborhood. That damaged tree? Surely it's a future totem pole.

Mary Mann with New Jersey News Commons at Montclair State University joins New Jersey Public Radio host, David Furst, to highlight the work of two local news reporters. One covers the news for the web site, Planet Princeton - the other is a freshman working for the student radio station at Montclair State University.

Over the past couple of weeks, they broke stories that were later picked up around the state. The first has to do with a parking scandal in Princeton. The next involves the heckler who disrupted the second and final debate between governor Christie and State Senator Barbara Buono.

Steve Lonegan, the Republican candidate in the U.S. Senate race in New Jersey, is continuing to make up ground in some public opinion polls. A poll Monday from Monmouth University found the former mayor of Bogata trailing Democrat Cory Booker by 10 percentage points. 

The rollout of the health insurance exchanges is starting to gain momentum in New York, but progress continues to be slow in New Jersey. One state developed its own system - the other outsourced it to the federal government.

About two-thirds of the states, including New Jersey, opted not to develop their own exchange, and the federal system, healthcare.gov, has been consistently overwhelmed since October 1st, with relatively few people able to log in, create accounts, examine different insurance plans and enroll in a plan.