Nicole Rosenthal

Patch • 19th April 2024

4 Day School Week Possible In PA Under New Law

The legislation, inked by Gov. Josh Shapiro in December, amended the Pennsylvania School Code to eliminate the required 180 school day minimum and establish a more flexible framework for school districts in the Keystone State. From the current school year onward, Pennsylvania public school districts now have the option to provide 180 school days or roughly 900 hours of annual instruction at the elementary level and 990 hours of annual instruction at the secondary level (districts were previously

Patch • 19th April 2024

Were NJ Bridges Inspected After 4.8 Magnitude Earthquake?

But how quickly were bridges in the state inspected in the aftermath? The New Jersey Department of Transportation's in-house inspection teams were sent into the field “immediately” to inspect NJDOT’s bridges near the earthquake epicenter in Hunterdon County following the April 5 quake, NJDOT press manager Steve Schapiro told Patch.

The teams were instructed to inspect all the bridges along interstate and state highways, working systematically outward from the epicenter. Operations staff inspect

Patch • 18th April 2024

Dozens Arrested In Columbia Protests As NYPD Moves On Campus

University President Minouche Shafik made the call to clear the campus earlier on Thursday, according to a letter posted to Columbia's website. "I took this extraordinary step because these are extraordinary circumstances," Shafik wrote. "The individuals who established the encampment violated a long list of rules and policies. Through direct conversations and in writing, the university provided multiple notices of these violations."


The unfolding chaos prompted predictably polarized reactio

Patch • 15th April 2024

Free Tree Program Nixed By NJ Officials In 2024: Here’s Why

NEW JERSEY - Two annual tree reforestation programs helmed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection — including a free seedling program for young residents — won’t be offered in 2024 due to inventory issues, Patch has learned.

The affected Tree Seedling Catalog and 3rd Grade Free Tree programs distribute hundreds of thousands of seedlings annually via the New Jersey Forest Service Nursery in Jackson (Monmouth County), state officials said. But “unforeseen circumstances,” includi

Patch • 10th April 2024

Sex, Drugs Forced On Women Employees At Exclusive NYC Nightclub: Lawsuit

NEW YORK CITY — Bosses at exclusive New York City nightclub The Box had a directive for what a former waitress should do for clients: "ANYthing they wanted."

The ex-bottle server contends in a recently filed federal lawsuit that she was physically, verbal and sexually harassed by a management team who not only allowed "customers to sexually harass and abuse her," but pressured her "to lure male customers to The Box so that they could be sexually serviced by others."

After recruiting male clie

Patch • 8th April 2024

40 Quake Aftershocks And Counting: See Where NJ Is Still Rumbling

NEW JERSEY - More than three dozen earthquake aftershocks have been reported around the Garden State since Friday morning’s 4.8 magnitude earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The strongest aftershock occurred near Gladstone at 3.8 magnitude about 6 p.m. on Friday, the USGS said. The most recent aftershock was recorded Sunday evening at 1.3 magnitude near Califon. More aftershocks are likely to follow, USGS officials warn.

"According to our forecast, there is a 1% chance of one

Patch • 5th April 2024

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks NJ, PA, NYC

The initial magnitude 4.8 earthquake was detected about 10:23 a.m. with an epicenter near Lebanon, New Jersey, according to the United States Geological Survey, which monitors earthquakes. A magnitude 2.0 earthquake was detected about seven miles west of Bedminster, New Jersey at noon. Read more: Second Earthquake Hits NJ New Jersey's State Emergency Operations Center has been activated, which will allow for 24-hour agency staffing to coordinate response and recovery operations, Gov. Phil Murphy

Patch • 2nd April 2024

17K NYC Construction Worker Safety Cards Invalidated After Issuer Indictment

The mass deactivation stems from a a criminal indictment filed in Manhattan Criminal Court on Feb. 28 against Valor’s senior executives and employees, which accuses the Coney Island-headquartered company of selling construction safety training identification cards to laborers without providing any actual training. “Effective immediately, any SST cards that have been issued as a result of training certificates issued by Valor have been deactivated, and construction workers with these SST cards wi

1st April 2024

Misinformation 'Superspreader' Dr. Mercola Owns Veterinarian's Popular Blog.

Bestselling “Forever Dog” author and veterinarian Karen Shaw Becker describes herself as the “most followed veterinarian in the world” on her website. But dog owners who read Dr. Becker’s blog may never know that the pet-focused website, “Bark & Whiskers”, is listed by Mercola as one of “six different product brands” of “Mercola Market” — and that Mercola’s founder is Joseph Mercola, ​​dubbed the “most influential spreader of coronavirus misinformation online” by The New York Times in 2021.

The

Patch • 1st April 2024

Central Park Fest Caused $205K+ In Damages Before 2023 Mayhem: Records

Records obtained by Patch show the Global Citizen Festival — the marquee event of the nonprofit advocacy organization Global Poverty Project — has repeatedly been issued damage fees dating back to at least 2018 over "failure to perform its restoration obligations" in accordance with agreements with the city. The recurring damage, capped by the September 2023 festival's unusually high damage bill, has prompted the Central Park Conservancy — the nonprofit that oversees the park — to discourage sim

Patch • 25th March 2024

How Segregated Is Your NJ School? See District Breakdown

NEW JERSEY - More than 130 of about 700 Garden State K-12 school districts are considered segregated with at least 80 percent of students of one race, and 41 school districts with at least 90 percent of students of one race, according to a Patch analysis.

The school districts span from Bergen to Cape May counties and consist of 103 majority-white schools, 15 majority-Black schools and 25 majority-Hispanic schools, according to 2022-23 enrollment data released by the New Jersey Department of Edu

Patch • 22nd March 2024

2.6K Bias Incidents Fueled NJ's Largest Hate Crime Surge to Date: AG

Over 2,699 bias incidents reported in the state last year marks the highest annual total on record since the state began tracking them in 1994, according to preliminary data released by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office this week. Findings show dramatic increases in incidents targeting Black individuals, with 1,101 incidents making up more than 34 percent of all bias incident reports last year (a 10.5 percent increase from 2022's reports). 497 bias incidents in 2023 were motivated by anti

Patch • 14th March 2024

New NJ Bill Would Protect Librarians Amid U.S. Book Ban Push

Dubbed the “Freedom to Read Act,” S2421 was introduced last month by primary sponsors Sens. Andrew Swicker (NJ-16) and Teresa Ruiz (NJ-29). The bill would require school and public library boards to create policies regarding which books should be in school libraries and how books may be removed, as well as prohibit dissenters from suing librarians over the reading options made available in accordance with those policies. The guidelines will be based upon a model policy drafted by the State Libra

Patch • 13th March 2024

BK Cyclist, 67, Dies After Losing Control Of E-Bike: NYPD

Medics found Jundi Hu of Bay Ridge laying in the roadway with “severe body trauma” at the intersection of 53 Street and 6 Avenue just after 4 p.m., police said. Hu was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

No other vehicles appeared to have played a role in the crash, per police. The investigation remains ongoing by the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad. Hu lived about a mile, or less than a ten minute bicycle ride, from the

Patch • 8th March 2024

‘Broken’ NJ Parole System Denies Over 50% Of Cases: New Report

NEW JERSEY - A "broken" parole system that grants applicants release less than half of the time must be reformed by ensuring eligible applicants have access to a lawyer and confidential documents that influence parole decisions, according to a new report released by state officials this month.

The report, published Feb. 2 by the Office of the Public Defender’s Parole Project, found that in 2017, 2018 and 2019, more than half of parole applicants were denied release; 2020, which saw a 52.7% rele

Patch • 8th March 2024

PA Election Security Task Force Unveiled By Gov. Shapiro

Dubbed The Election Threats Task Force, the coalition will involve officials from various agencies including state police, homeland security, information technology and election administration and will be helmed by Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt. “Pennsylvania is the birthplace of American democracy, and we are working to continue defending Pennsylvanians’ fundamental freedoms and ensure we have a free, fair, safe, secure election this November," Shapiro said in a Feb. 29 statement.

“

Patch • 8th March 2024

BK Pedestrian Killed In Dump Truck Crash, Driver At Large: NYPD

The victim, Maria Piovanetti, 58, was pronounced dead at the scene at about 6 a.m. after medics found her laying in the intersection of Tilden Avenue and Bedford Avenue near Kings Theatre, police said. An initial investigation by the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad found that Piovanetti was walking westbound from the northeast corner to the northwest corner on the marked crosswalk on Bedford Avenue when she was struck by a 2014 Kenworth dump truck traveling southbound on Be

Patch • 7th March 2024

Teachers With Sex Abuse History Still Get Hired In NJ, Report Says

The report, published Tuesday by the State Commission of Investigation, found that problem educators have too much leeway in deciding what information about their past to report to a prospective employer; school officials can also misinterpret rules or simply cover up allegations and findings of sexual misconduct after an educator leaves their district. Furthermore, there isn't a state agency tasked with ensuring schools and educators are in compliance, nor is there a standardized process for re

Patch • 4th March 2024

2 MTA Employees Arrested In BK On Reckless Driving, DWI Charges

BROOKLYN, NY - Two MTA employees were arrested over the weekend on reckless driving and DWI charges, respectively, authorities said.

Pedro Nunez-Delacruz, 43, an NYPD auxiliary police officer, was charged in the 83rd Precinct in Bushwick about 4:41 a.m. Saturday with driving while intoxicated and refusal to take a breath test, police said. Holton Marcus, 31, was charged in the 67th Precinct (which comprises East Flatbush and Remsen Village) with reckless endangerment, reckless driving and drivi

Patch • 1st March 2024

Biggest Boosts, Cuts To NJ Schools Under New Aid Plan: See The List

NEW JERSEY - Nearly 200 New Jersey schools could see five figure state aid increases under a new state budget proposed by Gov. Phil Murphy this week, and over 130 districts could even see six or seven figure raises.

Per the $11.7 billion funding plan unveiled in Trenton on Tuesday, 422 school districts will see increases in state aid and 137 will see cuts, according to figures provided by the state. 15 school districts won’t see any changes in funding year-over-year. Read more: New NJ School Ai

Patch • 27th February 2024

5 Big Takeaways From Murphy's Budget Address

Murphy’s address, delivered Tuesday before a joint session at the New Jersey state house in Trenton, outlined a budget surplus of over $6 billion with an emphasis on affordability, health care and infrastructure improvements in the Garden State. "It is for the working- and middle-class families of New Jersey that we have crafted our proposed budget for the 2025 fiscal year," Murphy said in his remarks.

"It is a budget ... that will make life more affordable for more families by lowering costs a

Patch • 26th February 2024

Patient Abuse, Deaths In NJ Psych Hospitals Detailed In New Lawsuit

The 99-page lawsuit, filed in federal court last week by advocacy group Disability Rights New Jersey, names New Jersey Department of Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman, New Jersey Department of Health Acting Commissioner Kaitlan Baston, as well as the respective agencies and the state of New Jersey as defendants, alleging state leaders did not do their jobs adhering to federal discrimination laws while caring for 1,150 patients around the state. “These abusive conditions involve patient-o

Patch • 23rd February 2024

NJ’s Highest Paid School Administrators: See County Breakdown

NEW JERSEY - More than 3,200 New Jersey administrators made salaries of $150,000 per year or more and five made over $300,000 a year during the 2022-23 school year, according to the latest data from the state Department of Education.

The latest figures represent an increase from 2,556 administrators — including superintendents, principals and assistant principals, curriculum directors and other employees in administrative positions — who made at least $150,000 during the 2021-22 school year, ba

Patch • 20th February 2024

‘Superbug’ Infection Spreading In NJ, Around U.S.: See Latest Data

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, C. auris is an "emerging fungus that presents a serious global health threat” that kills about one-third of people who contract it. The fungus is mostly found in health care facilities, particularly in long-term acute care hospitals and nursing homes that use ventilators. As of Jan. 1, 2024, there were 1,668 total recorded cases of the “superbug” in New Jersey since 2015, with 384 cases reported in 2023 — the highest number record