Unexpected defeat of referendums shows growing power of Ireland’s traditional Catholics
DUBLIN (RNS) — At a Mass said in Latin on Sunday (March 10), Ireland’s traditional Catholics declared political victory, days after a pair of referendums aimed at secularizing the Irish Constitution were unexpectedly and resoundingly defeated.
On Friday, the Irish government put two measures to a vote that would have extended the rights of unmarried couples in the country’s constitution and removed language defining women’s roles “within the home.” Both had been widely expected to pass...
Lawmakers advance bill to redo Liberty State Park after intense debate in Assembly committee
TRENTON N.J .— Budget committees in both houses of the Legislature advanced a bill Monday to redevelop Liberty State Park in Jersey City, despite protests from environmentalists and some lawmakers in the Assembly.
The bill, sponsored by Assemblymember Angela McKnight (D-Hudson) would redo the park, which overlooks the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline — a proposal complicated by the involvement of billionaire Reebok CEO Paul Fireman, who supports expanding his privately-owned golf course onto the park’s grounds.
Muslim mayor blocked from White House event calls for end to terror watch list
Islamic civil rights groups from across New Jersey called on the Biden administration to discontinue the use of terror watch lists after the state’s longest-serving Muslim official accused the White House of racially profiling him on Monday.
The Secret Service confirmed Monday that it abruptly disinvited Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah from attending the White House’s celebration of Islamic holiday Eid-al-Fitr. While the agency declined to comment on its specific methods for determining eligibility to visit the White House, Khairullah and other advocates believe his unexplained presence on the secret government watch list is to blame.
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BUILDING BLOCKS: Vermont offers grants for ADUs in response to housing crisis
VERMONT is offering grants of up to $50,000 for property owners who build a tiny home on their property.
Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, can turn single-family homes into housing for multiple families.
Vermont’s ADU law went into effect in 2020 after being pitched as a solution to the housing crisis.
Mourners honor Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who ‘loved New Jersey like a mother’
Hundreds of New Jerseyans gathered to celebrate the life of Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver Saturday in Newark’s Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
Gov. Phil Murphy, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and Dionne Warwick were among the speakers memorializing Oliver, who died last week at 71. The ceremony concluded three days of memorials in Trenton and Newark.
Hundreds gathered in Newark to mourn Oliver. Photo Andrew Mills/ NJ.com
Ashes to ashes: hundreds of South Orange trees to be cut down
One out of every eight public trees in South Orange is expected to die because of an invasive species, the village’s Shade Tree Committee said last week.
The emerald ash borer has spread through all 738 ash trees in South Orange’s public inventory, the committee said at a Nov. 8 Board of Trustees meeting. The beetle, which tunnels into and feeds on ash trees, has killed millions of trees in 25 states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Murphy to Trump voters: 'I hope you're happy' with SCOTUS rulings on guns, abortion
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday called out voters who cast their ballots for Donald Trump in 2016, declaring that elections have consequences, and we are “living with the carnage of those consequences.”
At the end of a press conference in Trenton to address the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings that eased gun laws and overturned Roe v. Wade, Murphy took direct aim at supporters of the former president.
“I do want to speak to the folks who, in 2016, voted for president because they wanted to shake things up, and I want to ask you: Are you happy? Because you’re shaking things up,” said Murphy, a progressive Democrat who is considered a possible 2024 candidate.
Coronavirus Coverage
I began my college writing career in Fall 2019. I became an editor in Spring 2020.
Below are interactive graphics I created by gathering COVID data through the years.
Health Services clarifies testing protocols, while virologist calls outbreak risk ‘unacceptably high’
A Seton Hall virologist called the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak on campus “unacceptably high” after a Health Services interview with The Setonian clarified the University's testing and tracing protocols.
Health Services’ most detailed explanation of its protocols yet comes in the wake of three residents testing positive for COVID-19 this fall semester. The newly clarified testing and tracing procedures explain who can be tested by Health Services and for what reasons.
Political Coverage
I've covered protests and high-profile elections, including the closer-than-expected 2021 New Jersey gubernatorial race, during which I interviewed GOP candidate, Jack Ciattarelli.
I also profiled the campus' political views in advance of the 2020 elections in an article that won 2nd place in the NJ Press Foundation's category, "best web project for a college newspaper."
Murphy announces investment in police technology, community programs
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced a multimillion dollar investment in police technology and community programs at a press conference on Thursday.
The state will direct over $15 million toward the violence prevention efforts. Nearly half of the money, part of the state’s discretionary fund from the federal American Rescue Plan, will be used to purchase gunshot-detection devices and license plate recognition software, Murphy said.
Speaking in front of the Paterson Police headquarters, Murphy also discussed plans for a new gun control package — with few specifics.
Catholic organizations call WSOU an 'abomination,' promise to continue protests
Dozens of unmasked protesters gathered outside the main entrance to Seton Hall’s South Orange campus Tuesday to protest music broadcast by the University’s radio station, WSOU.
The protesters from the ultra-conservative Catholic groups The Lepanto Institute and the American Society for Tradition, Family and Property called WSOU’s heavy metal music “satanic,” and have promised to “continue to increase the stakes” until the station is shut down.
