In 2021, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced that education officials in his state had “closed” the digital divide by ensuring that every public school student had a laptop or tablet and internet access. “Closing the digital divide wasn’t just about meeting the...
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Pet projects, public cash: NJ lawmakers direct millions at last minute to favored causes
Editor’s Note: Pet Projects, Public Cash from NJ Spotlight News details how New Jersey lawmakers direct millions to projects, often with little public scrutiny over how that money is spent. Today’s stories focus on how much lawmakers themselves tuck into state budget...
Let’s advance a 21st-century public health system together
In today’s world, we can’t afford to fight health threats with our hands tied. For New Jersey to be a truly healthy and equitable state, we need the public health infrastructure to function at full strength for everyone’s wellbeing. Op-ed by Jeanne Herb, NJ Spotlight...
How sea level rise is affecting your commute to and around Atlantic City
By 2050, there is a 50% confidence level of sea levels rising 1.4 feet above the 2010 average, regardless of emissions outcome, according to the most recent Rutgers Science and Technical Advisory Panel. Robert Noland, a professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of...
Employers struggle to hire and retain workers almost two years into the pandemic
The pandemic has changed where we work, how we work and when we work. And because the labor market is so tight right now, managers are trying to figure out how to keep the employees they already have. But it’s not just restaurants and other low-wage employers...
A Call for Proactive Policies for Informatics and Artificial Intelligence Technologies
Artificial Intelligence (colloquially referred to as “AI”) presents a powerful opportunity to human society. While past scientific and technological revolutions replaced human muscle power, the dawn of the information age saw the invention of computers that helped...
With ‘shoe drop’ protests, parents preemptively oppose a school vaccination mandate
The shoe campaign was dismissed on legal and ethical grounds by Prof. T. Patrick Hill of Rutgers’ Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, where he teaches public health law and ethics. Hill said there was more than a century of legal precedent...
Senate vaccine mandate vote shows Congressional weakness on regulations
Last week, the Senate voted 52-48 to use the Congressional Review Act to repeal the regulations issued by OSHA to mandate vaccines or COVID-19 testing in workplaces with more than 100 employees. The vote generated headlines but the impact of the vote...
At Board of Governors meeting, Rutgers community continues to raise concerns regarding pay, intercampus equity
On the topic of divestment of the University’s endowment, Rithikha Rajamohan, a graduate student at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and a member of the school’s Social Justice Committee, said Rutgers’ divestment strategy needs to be paired...
Camden’s Financial Health Earns S&P Bond Rating Upgrade
“For our residents, this means our focus on improving our parks, roads, attracting new businesses, building new housing inventory and being fiscally prudent has proven to be the right course of action,” said Carstarphen, pledging to build on this progress. “The city...