New Jersey

N.J. leads in arts education but there are rising challenges

Published

4 weeks ago

February 6, 2026

N.J. leads in arts education but there are rising challenges

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New Jersey is often held up as a national leader when it comes to arts education, holding the distinction of first state to provide universal access. State law requires public schools to teach the arts, and nearly every district reports offering at least some form of visual or performing arts instruction.

The state now claims nearly 80% participation around the state, meaning more than 985,000 of the 1.2 million students in New Jersey take arts classes. Many districts boast 100% participation, including the Camden City School District and others in South Jersey.

That was the culmination of years of advocacy, working with policymakers, parents and even students, says Wendy Liscow, executive director of Arts Ed NJ, a nonprofit coalition founded in 2007.

“It’s a big challenge to increase arts education in our state and raise awareness, so you have to have everyone at the table,” Liscow said.

While various initiatives and standards regarding arts education in the state were implemented as early as 1996, the landmark achievement of universal access to arts education in all public schools was officially announced in September 2019.

New Jersey’s visual and performing arts standards are written into the state’s academic code, placing them on equal footing with subjects like math and English language arts. Students are required to earn five credits of arts instruction to graduate from high school, and those credits now count toward a student’s GPA.

That policy shift helped legitimize the arts in the eyes of students and parents, said Liscow, who joined Arts Ed NJ in 2022.

“In the past, arts courses didn’t always count the same way,” she said. “Now students who care about the arts can say, ‘This matters. This helps me get to college.’”

As elsewhere, visual arts and music dominate arts education in New Jersey. More than 820,000 students are in visual arts classes, and nearly 750,000 are taking music classes. There are nearly 4,000 teachers in each discipline. Fewer than 50,000 students are enrolled in either theater or dance, subjects for which there are only a few hundred teachers each.

However, some disparities in access to creative and performing arts classes still exist, with some school districts still falling below the legal mandates. About 3.4% of students, about 42,000, lack any such opportunity. Liscow said recent budgetary challenges at the federal and state levels have forced advocates to work harder just to preserve their earlier gains.

Liscow also noted that rising costs — from tariffs and other upward pressures — have been among the bigger challenges for districts, especially less wealthy ones. Tariffs may partly explain that, she said.

“The dollars that they have are getting 30 to 40% less,” she said. “So when they’re buying something, it’s costing them 30 to 40% more. So even staying level is going to get us less in this culture and each district will decide if staying level might be a win right now.”

That’s a sentiment shared by Craig Vaughn, superintendent of Springfield Township School District in Burlington County.

“My district has certainly taken it on the chin with the loss of state aid that’s caused some cuts in other areas,” he said. “But my board’s been supportive of making sure that we keep teachers in place that teach art and music. We’ve been really fortunate to get some grants that have grown our program and offered some things that are on more of the extracurricular basis.”

The Springfield district consists of only a single elementary school, for which Vaughn also serves as the principal. He added that they had to get “creative” in order to ensure continued access by hiring dual-certified teachers and joining a shared service agreement with a neighboring district.

“I think it’s more on the local side that we’re doing a lot to support these things than maybe the state is,” he said.

Liscow said she applauds such efforts, noting that early exposure is “critical” and that maintaining earlier gains is essential to the state’s future.

“You can’t suddenly become a dancer at 14 or 15,” she said. And “it’s very easy to cut a program, but it can take 10 years to get it back.”

Recently, Arts Ed NJ created a Youth Arts Ed Council in which students from 21 high schools around the states themselves learn to advocate for themselves.

“They learn the power of their voice and agency,” Liscow said. “And I think it’s been a really successful project, because policymakers, administrators listen to young people more than they might listen to an adult.”

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New Jersey

Newark-bound United flight returns to LA airport for evacuation after reported fire

Published

3 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Newark-bound United flight returns to LA airport for evacuation after reported fire

NEWARK, New Jersey — A United Airlines flight headed to Newark, New Jersey returned to the Los Angeles airport Monday about 40 minutes after taking off for an emergency evacuation after a reported fire, authorities said.

All flights at the LAX International Airport were ordered to remain on the ground for about half an hour during the flight’s return and evacuation, according to advisories from the Federal Aviation Administration. No injuries were reported.

The flight, which was en route to Newark Liberty International Airport returned to LAX to address an issue with one of the engines, the airline said in a statement. There was no mention of a fire, but the LA Fire Department said it responded and there was a fire that was contained as of an hour after the plane’s landing.

The flight took off at 10:43 a.m., began to turn around at about 11 a.m. and landed again at 11:19 a.m., according to flight tracker FlightAware.

The LA Fire Department said they assisted with the evacuation of more than 250 passengers and crew. Passengers exited the plane on the taxiway using slides and stairs and were taken to the terminal, the airline said.

The airplane was a Boeing 787-9, a variant of the popular line of 787 Dreamliner long-haul aircraft.

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New Jersey

Division 3 NCAA Tournament: Three NJ basketball teams make the bracket

Published

16 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Division 3 NCAA Tournament: Three NJ basketball teams make the bracket

Manasquan HS grad Matthew Solomon has special motivation in leading red-hot TCNJ. Montclair State, Stevens also repping the Garden State.

It was the kind of sequence that embodies everything we love about sports – and especially college basketball.

With 10 seconds left in the Saturday’s New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament final, TCNJ guard David Alexandre drove the lane, got cut off, spun around a whipped a pass into the paint as he fell backward. There to receive it was forward Matthew Solomon, a Manasquan High School grad, who finished his hard cut with a dunk that gave the Lions a two-point lead at Montclair State.

Then, on the other end, Montclair State star Jacob Morales had a long look at a game-winner with two seconds left – but Solomon closed out and blocked the shot as time expired.

Both teams are headed to the Division III NCAA Tournament, which unveiled its bracket today (so is a third New Jersey representative, Stevens Institute of Technology). It was an incredible moment on its face, so exhilarating that former Villanova coach and two-time March Madness champion Jay Wright spotlighted it on social media.

“That’s surreal,” Solomon said. “I grew up watching Nova, so to see that was really cool. He was giving Division 3 basketball some love, which is deserved.”

One of the best-kept secrets in college sports is just how high-quality D-3 hoops is, and Jersey has long been a hotbed, regularly sending squads to the Final Four. On the men’s side the Garden State’s last national champion was Rowan in 1996. That could change in the coming weeks.

But along with quality hoops, Division 3 ball features amazing stories, and the story behind Solomon’s heroics is even more incredible than jaw-dropping end to Saturday’s classic.

On his left wrist, the 6-foot-7 senior out of Spring Lake Heights wore protective tape over a wristband that read, “Paterno Strong” in honor of his cousin Billy Paterno, who died in 2024 at age 3 of leukemia. His parents, Point Pleasant residents Danielle and William, were at the NJAC title game.

“They’re an amazing family,” Solomon said. “The stuff they went through showed me what real strength looks like. Me facing adversity on the basketball court, when I look over and see them and look down on my wrist and see the Paterno Strong wristband, after what they did, I can keep playing for 40 minutes of basketball.”

Solomon finished the epic final with 22 points and 17 rebounds on 10-of-13 shooting, but he was quick to credit Saddle River Day grad Alexandre (24 points, 4 assists) and ace point guard and Don Bosco Prep grad Nick Koch (14 points) for their contributions.

For some context on the achievement: Montclair State was 24-0 and ranked No. 1 in all of Division 3 when TCNJ beat the Red Hawks twice in three-game span.

“Jersey basketball, you know how it is – the best in the country,” Solomon said. “We got a taste of playing the top team in the country and that definitely prepared us for what’s next, and hopefully we prepared them, so we can both show the whole country what New Jersey basketball is about.”

There’s one more powerful aspect to Solomon’s story. His father Larry Solomon died of Covid in February 2021, and a month later his brother Andrew Solomon hit the game-winning shot with one second left in the Shore Conference A final, capping a perfect season for Manasquan High. Andrew went on to serve as a manager with Monmouth’s basketball program.

“People are trying to compare my shot to his, but Andrew’s got me topped by a million,” Matthew said.

But between his father and his cousin Billy, “I’ve got people watching me from above,” Matthew said. “All the things I do are for them.”

Keep that in mind as TCNJ (21-6 overall, 14-4 NJAC) opens the Division 3 bracket against Johns Hopkins (20-7) Friday Randolph-Macon in Ashland Virginia. The winner will face either host Randolph-Macon (25-3) or North Carolina Wesleyan (21-6) Saturday at the same site.

“We know we can run with the best of them,” Solomon said. “We’re not pleased with just being here now. Maybe the past two years, just making it was enough. This year that’s not enough. We’ve got a special group.”

In a new wrinkle this year, the D-3 quarterfinals, semifinals and final will take place in Indianapolis, sharing a stage with the Division I Final Four. It’s a fitting reward.

“Playing Division 3 basketball has changed my life,” Solomon said. “You’ve really got to love the game, but I’ve built relationships with teammates, coaches and alumni – connections that I’m going to have the rest of my life. If I were to go back to high school, I would make the same exact decision a thousand times out of a thousand.”

Montclair State (25-1, overall, 17-1 NJAC)

The Red Hawks reached No. 1 in the nation after reeling off 24 straight wins to open the campaign. They average 92.1 points per game shooting a whopping 40.4 percent from 3-point range and hitting 13.1 triples per game.

They will play host to Maine-Farmington (22-5) on Friday, and if they win will host the winner of Bates (18-8) vs. Yeshiva (20-8) in the second round on Saturday.

Leading the way is senior forward Jacob Morales, a Montvale native, Pascack Hills High School grad and former Rutgers walk-on. The NJAC Player of the Year averages 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range.

Sophomore guard and Trenton native Kabrien Goss (14.7 ppg), freshman guard and Morris Catholic grad Cristian Nicholson (11.4 ppg) and sophomore forward and Lenape High School grad Myles Primas (9.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg) are key contributors.

Under head coach Justin Potts, the Red Hawks reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year and also made the field in 2022-23.

Stevens (18-9 overall, 10-4 MAC Freedom)

The Ducks are four-time MAAC Freedom champions under head coach Bobby Hurley, who won his 300^th game at the program’s helm in February.

They will visit Christopher Newport (21-5) in Newport News, Va., on Friday, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s second round at the same site against either Mount Union (23-3) or Washington and Jefferson (22-6).

Junior guard Tommy Scholl, the MAC Freedom MVP, averages 18.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Junior forward Harmehar Chhabra, a South Brunswick High School grad, averages 14.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists and recorded a triple-double (12 points, 11 boards, 11 assists) against Lebanon Valley last month.

Junior guard Kyle Maddison (14.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.0 apg) and senior guard Matt Leming out of Haddonfield (9.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg) add to an offense that shoots 47 percent from the field.

This is the program’s fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, all under Hurley. The Ducks reached the second round in 2022.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

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New Jersey

Blizzard causes heavy damage to New Jersey animal refuge

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Blizzard causes heavy damage to New Jersey animal refuge

A New Jersey animal shelter is asking for the public’s help after last month’s blizzard did heavy damage to its property in Ocean County.

On social media, Popcorn Park Animal Refuge posted a video and described the fury of the storm. saying that the blizzard “caused unexpected damage… impacting habitats, fencing, structures, and critical infrastructure.”

The nonprofit animal haven says its team “worked tirelessly to keep every animal safe during the storm,” however, “the aftermath has left us facing urgent repairs and significant financial strain.”

Photo: Popcorn Park Animal Refuge

The refuge says this winter has been “especially challenging.” It says “repeated severe weather has forced extended closures to the public, further limiting vital support and creating an added burden during an already difficult recovery period,” adding “we need our community now more than ever.”

Popcorn Park was established in 1977, according to its website. It’s part of the Associated Humane Societies — which bills itself as New Jersey’s largest animal welfare organization. Popcorn Park describes itself as “a sanctuary for abandoned, injured, ill, exploited, abused, or elderly farm animals, birds, and wildlife (domestic and exotic).”

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