New Jersey

Gov. Phil Murphy signs trio of bills aimed at NJ immigrant communities

Published

3 years ago

January 13, 2024

Press Room

Gov. Phil Murphy signs trio of bills aimed at NJ immigrant communities

3-minute read

Gov. Phil Murphy signed a batch of bills geared toward helping New Jersey’s vast immigrant community.

The three new laws will provide work protections for domestic workers, provide further language options on official government documents and expand the designations available for identification.

“In New Jersey, our greatest strength lies in our diversity. These bills recognize that our state’s immigrant families and diverse communities enrich our cultural, social, and economic identity,” Murphy said. “I am proud to sign legislation that supports New Jerseyans in achieving the American Dream, accessing government services, and being appropriately represented in data and analytics that may inform our work.”

The New Jersey Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights Act

The New Jersey Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights Act creates standards that have previously been absent from the industry including health and safety protections as well as privacy rights. It also establishes anti-discrimination and anti-harassment rights. Domestic workers will also no longer be excluded from the New Jersey State Wage and Hour Law.

Now domestic workers will have to enter into a written contract with their employers. There will also be required meal times and paid breaks as well as advance notice prior to termination.

“This law establishes basic legal rights for New Jersey’s 50,000 workers, many of whom are experiencing wage theft, denial of breaks, and lack of sick leave,” Senator and former Assemblywoman Britnee Timberlake said. “Domestic workers care for families and homes across our state. They deserve basic rights and dignity.”

Trenton makes: Liquor license reform and raises for lawmakers: Two bills head to Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk

New AAPI data collection law also signed

The second new law changes how data is collected on residents who identify as members of the Asian-American/Pacific Islander community. That designation will now be broken down further into Native Hawaiian, Middle Eastern, South Asian and Indian.

“Our state has long been a cultural and ethnic melting pot, welcoming new immigrants from all over the world,” state Sen. Vin Gopal said. “As more and varied race and ethnic groups continue to come into New Jersey, state agencies must review and when necessary adjust data collection methods so as to reflect the demographic information of these newcomers in order to help agencies meet their specific needs as they arise.”

Charlie Stile: Here are five takeaways from Gov. Phil Murphy’s State of the State address

Official documents must be able to be translated

The third new law requires state agencies and departments to translate documents into the seven most spoken non-English languages in the state. And government agencies will have to create a language access plan.

“Diversity is one of the Garden State’s greatest assets and nearly a third of New Jerseyans age 5 and older speak a language other than English,” Assemblywoman Ellen Park said. “By requiring essential documents and other information to be available in seven of the most commonly spoken non-English languages, New Jersey will ensure access to public services will be determined by eligibility, not by language proficiency.”

Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com

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New Jersey

New NJ businesses include non-alcoholic liquor store, art school

Published

11 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

New NJ businesses include non-alcoholic liquor store, art school

2-minute read

The Record, NorthJersey.com, the Daily Record and the New Jersey Herald want to keep you up to date on all the newest shops, restaurants and service providers moving into your towns. Below is a roundup of businesses that recently opened or are coming soon.

Are you opening a business in North Jersey? Get the word out to your neighbors as soon as possible. Send us your information and photos and we will try to add them to our next new-business roundup.

We’re also interested in reporting business closings. Have a tip? Contact Business Reporter Daniel Munoz at munozd@northjersey.com, or 201-270-9870, and Stephanie Noda at noda@northjersey.com, or 973-558-0950.

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Cre8sArt School, Westwood

Arts education classes for students of all ages and levels, including year-round classes, camps, workshops and portfolio development programs.

WHERE: 24 Booker St., Westwood

WHEN: Grand opening was June 14. Hours are 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call 888-371-9904 or visit https://cre8sart.com/

Point 5 Jersey, Morristown

Liquor store dedicated to non-alcoholic drinks, from mixers to specialty beverages.

WHERE: 48 Washington St., Morristown

WHEN: Grand opening was June 17.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call 862-286-0555, email point5jersey@gmail.com or visit www.point5jersey.com

Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record.

Email: munozd@northjersey.com; Twitter:@danielmunoz100, Facebook and Instagram

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New Jersey

8 Off-The-Beaten-Path Towns In New Jersey

Published

23 hours ago

July 12, 2026

Press Room

8 Off-The-Beaten-Path Towns In New Jersey

Every Saturday night all summer, cowboys ride bucking broncs in a Salem County town called Pilesgrove. That rodeo has run weekly since the 1950s. Two hours north, Frenchtown builds its whole downtown around a contemporary arts center on the Delaware River. High Bridge sends walkers straight from Main Street onto an old iron-country rail trail. These eight towns each reward a single Saturday. You have driven past their exits for years.

Frenchtown

Downtown storefronts in Frenchtown, New Jersey.

Fewer than 1,500 people live in Frenchtown, which sits on the Delaware River in the hills of Hunterdon County, in the western part of the state. The whole town fits into a few blocks around Bridge Street, where the restaurants, shops, and river views cluster alongside ArtYard, a contemporary arts center that runs both gallery shows and live performances. From the edge of town you can pick up the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail, more than 70 miles of flat, multi-use path along the old canal route with connections into other trail networks, so you can leave the car parked all day. Just outside the borough, Frenchtown Preserve adds miles of trails for hikers, cyclists, and anyone hoping to spot wildlife.

Tuckerton

Long Beach Island gets the crowds, but Tuckerton sits just a few miles across the bay and keeps a much lower profile. The town centers on the Tuckerton Seaport, a stretch of preserved historic buildings and boatworks that doubles as an event space, with local tours and a seasonal ferry running out of it. Main Street runs down to Lake Pohatcong, and beyond that you will find marinas, restaurants, and waterfront spots like South Green Street Park, a reliable place to fish or just watch the water. Tuckerton also makes an easy base for the protected coastline nearby, including the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge.

High Bridge

The Columbia Trail starts just off Main Street in High Bridge and runs north into Morris County, which makes this small Hunterdon County town a natural jumping-off point for a long walk or ride. Main Street itself is a short run of coffee shops, restaurants, and local businesses, enough for a meal before or after the trail. The town wears its ironworking past openly, most visibly at the Solitude House, one of its oldest homes and a window into the era when iron drove the local economy. Lake Solitude sits nearby for anyone who wants the water view to go with the history.

Pitman

The Broadway Theatre of Pitman anchors this South Jersey town, a restored 1920s venue that books plays, concerts, and stand-up through the year. A few blocks away is Pitman Grove, which started as a Methodist summer camp meeting ground; its streets fan out from the Pitman Grove Auditorium, where the community and religious gatherings were once held, and the radial layout is still visible on a map today. The Uptown Pitman district around both sits lined with restaurants, galleries, and neighborhood shops, so a theater night easily turns into a full afternoon and evening.

Cranbury

Cranbury has held onto its old architecture better than most towns its size, and the result is a Main Street that reads like a preserved 19th-century streetscape. The Cranbury History Center, a small museum focused on how the village grew, makes a good first stop for the backstory. From there it is a short walk to Brainerd Lake, best taken in from Cranbury Village Park on the north shore. What stands out is how complete the small-town feel is, given that some of the busiest stretches of Central Jersey sit only a short drive away.

Mount Holly

Mount Holly is the county seat of Burlington County, and it still flies under the radar for most people outside the area. The Mill Race Village district at its center is a restored historic neighborhood of independent shops and restaurants, and the Union Firehouse handles the after-dark side with live shows. For something stranger, the Burlington County Prison Museum opens up a 19th-century jail with a long, reputedly haunted history. It is the most populated town on this list, but Rancocas State Park is close enough that trading the streets for hiking, fishing, or hunting takes only a few minutes.

Woodstown

Woodstown sits in the middle of Salem County farm country, and its biggest draw is right next door in Pilesgrove: the Cowtown Rodeo, the oldest weekly running rodeo in the country, staged on Saturday nights through the summer. The same grounds host the Cowtown Farmers Market, a year-round indoor and outdoor produce and flea market. Downtown Woodstown fills in the rest with breweries, bookstores, diners, and the Blue Moon Theatre for community shows. For a slower look at the surrounding countryside, the Woodstown Central Railroad runs scenic rides and themed excursions through the fields.

Belvidere

Belvidere sits in a bend of the Delaware River across from Pennsylvania, out in rural Warren County, about as far off the main routes as this list goes. Its historic district is one of the best preserved in the region, with buildings dating to the early 1800s arranged around a classic town green. The Warren County Historical Society runs a museum here for anyone curious about how the town and county took shape. A town boat ramp puts you straight onto the river, one of the more underrated stretches for paddling and fishing in this corner of the state.

Eight Towns Worth the Detour

What ties these eight together is not a single landscape but a single habit: each one built its identity around something concrete and kept it. Frenchtown and Belvidere lean on the river, Tuckerton on the bay, Woodstown on its farm-country rodeo, Pitman and High Bridge on a restored theater and an old iron trail. Spend a Saturday in any of them and the appeal is obvious within the first hour, which is the whole argument for taking the exit instead of driving past it.

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New Jersey

Today in History: July 12, riot erupts in New Jersey over police beating of Black taxi driver

Published

1 day ago

July 12, 2026

Press Room

Today is Sunday, July 12, the 193rd day of 2026. There are 172 days left in the year.

Today in History:

On July 12, 1967, rioting erupted in Newark, New Jersey, over the police beating of a Black taxi driver; 26 people were killed in the five days of violence that followed.

Also on this date:

In 1543, England’s King Henry VIII married his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr.

In 1812, U.S. forces led by Gen. William Hull entered Canada during the War of 1812 against Britain. (Hull retreated shortly thereafter to Detroit.)

In 1862, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill authorizing the Army Medal of Honor.

In 1909, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in passing the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, allowing for a federal income tax, and submitted it to the states. (It was declared ratified in February 1913.)

In 1962, the Rolling Stones played their first show, at the Marquee Club in London.

In 1979, as an angry reaction to the popularity of disco music, the Chicago White Sox held the “Disco Demolition Night” promotion, in which a crate of disco records was blown up on the field between games of a doubleheader; the ensuing riot and damage to the field caused the White Sox to forfeit the second game.

In 1984, Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale announced his choice of U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York to be his running mate; Ferraro was the first woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket.

In 1991, Japanese professor Hitoshi Igarashi, who had translated Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses,” was found stabbed to death, nine days after the novel’s Italian translator was attacked in Milan.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton, visiting Germany, went to the eastern sector of Berlin, the first U.S. president to do so since Harry Truman.

In 2003, the USS Ronald Reagan, the first aircraft carrier named for a living president, was commissioned in Norfolk, Virginia.

In 2012, a scathing report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh said the late Joe Paterno and other top Penn State officials had buried child sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky more than a decade earlier to avoid bad publicity.

In 2022, Twitter sued Elon Musk to force him to complete the $44 billion acquisition of the social media company after Musk said he was backing off his agreement to buy the company. (He would eventually become Twitter’s owner three months later.)