Almost a year after taking office, Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday unveiled a program he says will better inform commuters of problems with NJ Transit.
Murphy was at the Trenton train station to promote a program called Engage, Inform, Improve that he says will clear up one of the biggest rider complaints about the troubled transit agency—that they never know when trains are running late or outright cancelled, according to a report in NJ.com.
Murphy also said the purchase of 113 new rail cars, 182 new buses and the expected graduation of four classes of locomotive engineers in 2019 should help alleviate problems for people who depend on the agency to get them to work.
Murphy said the improvements won’t be immediate, but said NJ Transit will now be able to send out push notifications about problems, and NJ Transit employees will be equipped with technology to better help them share information about delays and problems, the report said.
The agency will also create new positions to ensure information is disseminated to the public quickly.
Murphy and agency officials also announced that NJ Transit will meet a Dec. 31 deadline to install positive train control systems. Murphy has spent much of the past year blaming problems at the transit agency on the need to install the PTC systems and on his predecessor, former Republican Gov. Chris Christie.
Quote of the Day: “We won’t get to nirvana overnight,” — Gov. Phil Murphy, announcing improvements to service at NJ Transit.
Colts Neck murders: Will N.J. Bring Back the Death Penalty?
A group of Republican lawmakers are using the brutal killing of a Colts Neck family to renew calls to reinstate the death penalty in New Jersey for particularly heinous crimes.
Asbury Park Press Read more
‘We Won’t Get to Nirvana Overnight.’ NJ Transit Says It Will Do a Better Job Alerting Commuters to Problems
Our train is canceled, your bus is late, and you didn’t get any information until it was too late.
NJ.com Read more
One Year, Eight New Gun Safety Laws in New Jersey
Under an orange banner on a November day—one day after a dozen people were killed by a shooter in a Southern California bar; two weeks after 11 people were killed by a shooter at a Pittsburgh synagogue—Gov. Murphy made his state’s already tough gun laws even stronger, signing into law New Jersey’s eighth major gun safety measure of the year.
Inquirer Read more
Five Moments From Katie Brennan’s Hearing on Sexual Assault That Could Hurt Gov. Murphy
Gov. Phil Murphy’s young administration was the subject of four hours of unflattering and potentially damaging testimony Tuesday, as a top staffer recounted how the man she accused of raping her remained in a key state job for months even after she alerted the governor’s team multiple times over the last year.
NJ.com Read more
Some Questions Remain Unanswered After Brennan’s Testimony
Katie Brennan, the high-ranking Murphy administration official who has accused former staffer Al Alvarez of sexual assault, testified for about four hours Tuesday before the joint legislative committee charged with investigating the administration’s hiring practices.
Politico Read more
Stile: Katie Brennan’s Testimony in Phil Murphy Investigation Makes It Hard to Believe Governor
Gov. Phil Murphy’s inner circle was packed with people who knew all about Katie Brennan’s accusation that Al Alvarez, who was also a top Murphy official, sexually assaulted her.
The Record Read more
Moran: Why Won’t Murphy Promise to Cooperate With Rape Probe?
Katie Brennan swore her oath Tuesday and offered hours of scorching testimony about the Murphy administration’s repeated failure to offer her a scrap of help after she reported that she was raped by a senior official in the governor’s campaign. Horrifying as her story was, it was not new.
NJ.com Read more
Story of Rape Accusation Being Ignored A Bigger Problem for Murphy
Tuesday was not a good day for Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration, and it goes beyond a staffer going into great detail about how her allegations of rape were ignored.
NJ101.5 Read more
Murphy Maintains He First Learned of Alvarez Accusations on Oct. 2
It’s still too early to tell what consequences Gov. Phil Murphy and his team do or do not face as a result of the Special Committee investigation into the hiring of Al Alvarez, but the testimony of Katie Brennan has already put the governor under some amount of scrutiny.
New Jersey Globe Read more
Editorial: Katie Brennan’s Story Raises Serious Questions About Phil Murphy, Top Aides
There’s much about sexual assault allegations involving a campaign operative who went on to become a high-ranking member of Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration that we do not know. What we do know is this: Katie Brennan, the former official’s accuser, is not standing down, but is speaking up about the way she was ignored and disrespected by members of Murphy’s inner circle about a serious offense over several months.
The Record Read more
Woman Who Said Trooper Slammed Her on the Ground During a Traffic Stop Files Suit Against State Police
A Union County woman who says she was brutally assaulted, falsely arrested and maliciously prosecuted for calling 911 to report that she didn’t feel safe alone with the trooper during a traffic stop in Bridgewater in 2016 has filed a federal lawsuit against the New Jersey State Police.
NJ.com Read more
Why Are An Unknown Number of Sexual Assault Exam Kits Going Untested in N.J.?
An unknown number of sexual-assault exam kits are being held throughout New Jersey, left untested by law enforcement officials. State legislators want to know why.
NJSpotlight Read more
700 MS-13 Members Lurking in New Jersey as State Targets Gang
“You can run across the earth, but we will always find you.” That was the warning a suspected MS-13 member received when he tried to flee the gang, he told an investigator in a New Jersey jail.
Asbury Park Press Read more
Seven Controversial New Rules N.J. Cops Must Follow When They Interact With Immigrants
Police departments around New Jersey are gearing up for a new set of rules for dealing with undocumented immigrants.
NJ.com Read more
Grassroots and Community Leaders Stand Together To Fight Redistricting Proposal
Community leaders and activists, many of whom played integral roles in the recent 2018 midterm victories across the state, joined together for a press conference at Newark City Hall to demand legislators pull support from two resolutions, which experts say will perpetuate gerrymandering.
InsiderNJ Read more
More N.J. Parents See Link Between Painkillers and Heroin
Opioid abuse continues to spiral out of control in New Jersey, but a new report finds there is growing awareness about the problem among parents.
NJ101.5 Read more
Lakewood Fraud: Four Guilty of Theft, Tax Crimes Following 2017 Raids
Four men arrested in sweeping raids targeting welfare fraud in Lakewood pleaded guilty on Wednesday, agreeing to repay every penny they stole or face prison time.
Asbury Park Press Read more
N.J., Pa. Settle With Encore Capital Over Deceptive Debt Collection Practices
Encore Capital Group, one of the largest debt buyers in the country, agreed to pay $6 million to settle allegations brought by 42 states and territories, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, that it engaged in deceptive debt collection and litigation practices, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday.
Inquirer Read more
Health Chief: Pediatric Deaths Show Communication Problem
Nearly two dozen children at a long-term care facility showed symptoms of a viral infection and two had died by the time New Jersey’s health department was notified about the outbreak this fall, said Dr. Shereef Elnahal, the department’s top official.
Associated Press Read more
State Fines Paterson City Council Candidate
State election officials have imposed a $700 fine against former city council candidate Bernard Jones Jr. for filing a finance report more than two years late.
The Record Read more
EPA to Give Update on Fume Reduction and Air Samples at Edgewater Superfund
Emission reduction measures at the Quanta Superfund site will be discussed at two public meetings Thursday night with the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Record Read more
Glen Rock May Ban Homework for Day Following Religious Break
School officials are discussing a policy revision to curtail homework during religious holiday breaks to allow students more time to worship.
The Record Read more