New Jersey
Sarlo’s OPRA stink bomb needs to be defused | Editorial
Just when taxpayers got used to the notion that public records actually belong to the public, our most powerful lawmakers have decided that it’s time to choke off access.
In a state notorious for government corruption and poor transparency, New Jersey’s Legislature will attempt to gut the venerable but dated Open Public Records Act, which is a ludicrous idea if you only consider the treacheries that were revealed by the OPRA law.
It is a cortex-snapping litany: Because of OPRA, reporters were able to shake free internal emails and other documents that exposed the causes of the meltdown of our veterans’ homes during the pandemic. Because of OPRA, law enforcement was fundamentally changed in our state, after records showed major disparities in how police use excessive force. Because of OPRA, inspection records for a group home led to a state investigation of the alleged abuse of a severely disabled woman. Because of OPRA, the Office of the Medical Examiner was found to be a dysfunctional joke — bungling crime investigations, mangling corpses, and misplacing body parts.
These are just a few recent examples of how one news organization – this news organization – uses OPRA. But it is used every day by reporters, activists, and citizens who seek information from various departments and agencies about taxpayer funds, pollution levels, public safety, and countless other government functions that would otherwise never see the light of day.
Now that transparency is imperiled, because a bill that aims to overhaul the 22-year-old OPRA law puts severe constraints on anyone seeking such information, which validates a level of distrust in government that is quintessentially New Jersey.
In other words, if there has ever been a time to share your opinion with your local state representatives, this is it, with hearings scheduled Monday morning for both chambers.
“It’s Sunshine Week, and to schedule a bill of this magnitude on such short notice – in two committees at the same time – is a message to the public that says, ‘Don’t bother us,’” said former Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, whose attempts to reform OPRA in the past fell short. “It’s a disgrace. People need to make calls.”
While no one disputes that OPRA needs an update – particularly to quell data mining by retailers — the bill (S-2930) authored by Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) is a contemptible assault on government transparency.
Among its provisions: Access to email and call logs would largely be exempt, as requests for government-related emails would need to include a “specific subject matter” and “discrete and limited time period.” The request would also have to name a specific government employee whose email can be searched, not merely a department.
But the greatest change could be what happens when an OPRA request is denied, which is often. Currently, the government agency has to cover a legal fee if a requester successfully challenges a denial. But Sarlo’s bill leaves this longstanding fee-shifting provision up to the discretion of a judge who hears the case or the Government Records Council (GRC).
So even the government wrongly denies access to a public record, the petitioner might still be stuck with the legal tab. That will have a chilling effect on attorneys willing to take such a case.
Worse, all provisions are retroactive — including the fee shift change, so attorneys already arguing cases on the assumption that they’d be paid after a successful court challenge can still be denied payment.
Sarlo’s bill even allows agencies to deny requests that it believes could lead to “harassment,” and bans metadata, which is the encrypted information on an electronic file that shows its source.
Just like that, the public’s right to know is not American scripture, but a quixotic dream of the past.
Nicole Rodriguez, the president of NJ Policy Perspective, put it this way: “When documents are created by public officials on public salaries with the public’s trust,” she said, “there’s no good reason to restrict public access to that information. Yet that’s exactly what this bill does.”
Sarlo claims he consulted all stakeholders, but there is no evidence he listened to any besides the League of Municipalities, which has long sought to reduce the relentless torrent of commercial requests for records – a legitimate concern that demands a solution, but not one that involves strangling public access. The New Jersey Press Association, for one, said Sarlo didn’t keep his word to share a copy of the bill before it was posted, and called the process “a disservice to the public.”
Sarlo didn’t even bother to consult Marc Pfeiffer of the Rutgers-Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, who ran the GRC when the law was enacted in 2002. Pfeiffer’s take is blunt: “Bludgeons create a mess, and rapiers are surgical. This bill uses a bludgeon to try to deal with outliers that exist within OPRA.”
The reason for this overkill: Our elected officials seek to give government departments and agencies more freedom to stonewall public requests for information, which makes a state with a lousy reputation for transparency even more opaque.
Weinberg calls it “a real gut punch,” adding that “Democrats should be about protecting democracy – or so I’ve been told. Reducing a citizen’s access to their own government is not a way to do that.”
Apparently, our Legislature think it’s New Jersey’s way, but taxpayers don’t have to agree. Make the call.
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New Jersey
Though down from previous month, New Jersey online casinos post November revenue record in 2025
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While online casinos in New Jersey fell short of another revenue record, November was still the state’s second-best month ever with over $253 million.
They’ve been around for over 12 years, yet online casinos in New Jersey continue to find ways to set revenue records. After posting the industry’s largest single-month total in October, NJ online casinos last month combined for $253 million to set a November record and ranks as the second-biggest single-month total in Garden State history.
NJ online casinos set single-year record with one month left
Since launching in 2013, NJ online casinos have continually set high-water marks – even now, a dozen years later.
With $253 million in November revenue, as reported by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, casino apps in the Garden State now sit at just over $2.64 billion for the year, leading to $455 million in state tax revenue. With one month left in 2025, the industry has already set a single-year record, which previously stood at around $2.4 billion.
To further put into perspective the growth of online gambling in New Jersey, the industry is over 22% ahead of the 11-month pace it set in 2024. Consider the first 14 months of online casinos in NJ, during which time operators combined for a mere $131.2 million in revenue.
While it’s unlikely that NJ online casinos will reach the $3 billion mark by the end of the year, iGaming has proven it can continue to grow after more than 10 years of existence.
FanDuel Casino, DraftKings Casino continue to set pace
While the monthly total is one for the books, the standard brands set themselves apart from the rest of the market.
For example, FanDuel Casino – which new users can sign up with and claim the FanDuel casino bonus – reported $60.2 million. That was well ahead of the second-place DraftKings Casino bonus, which helped drive $49.6 million in November.
Along with the BetMGM Casino app ($30.6 million), Borgata Casino ($20.6 million) and Caesars Palace Online Casino ($19.3 million), the top five revenue-earners in November accounted for more than 71% of the total online casino total in November.
New Jersey
Ice, freezing rain alerts expand to 10 N.J. counties. Wind advisory issued for 50 mph gusts Monday.
Winter weather advisories have been expanded to 10 New Jersey counties with freezing rain that could cause a dangerous layer of ice tonight.
The National Weather Service has also issued a wind advisory for 16 counties Monday with up to 50 mph gusts possible.
The more immediate concern is freezing rain already hitting the state Sunday evening.
Winter weather advisories for Bergen, Essex, Hudson Passaic and Union counties expire between 10 p.m. and midnight.
Winter weather advisories for Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex and Warren counties take effect at 6 p.m. and run through 2 a.m.
As temperatures remain near or below freezing across northern New Jersey this evening, precipitation will fall as freezing rain, particularly in Warren and Morris counties where a glaze to one-tenth of an inch of ice accumulation is possible.
The National Weather Service warns that even areas outside the advisory that remain near freezing at the onset of precipitation could experience localized icing, especially on shaded surfaces that have remained below freezing for more than 36 hours.
Temperatures will rise above freezing areawide during the pre-dawn hours Monday as a warm front lifts through the region, changing any remaining freezing rain to plain rain.
A brief break in the rain is likely prior to daybreak Monday.
The warm front will be quickly followed by a strong cold front Monday afternoon, bringing another period of rain that may be moderate in intensity at times.
High temperatures Monday will reach the upper 40s along the coast before the cold front passes, bringing high winds to the area.
The wind advisory for 16 counties runs from 10 a.m. Monday to 1 p.m. Tuesday. Just Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties are not under wind advisories.
“Strong westerly winds develop Monday with wind gusts up to 50 mph and a wind advisory has been issued,” the weather service said Sunday evening. “Some tree damage and power outages possible.”
Tuesday will be markedly colder with high temperatures struggling to rise above freezing even at the Jersey Shore.
Wind chills in the teens and low 20s are expected during the day.
Skies will be partly cloudy with continued gusty winds of 20 to 30 mph.
Wednesday brings slightly milder conditions with highs in the mid 30s to near 40 degrees, though it remains well below normal for late December.
The extended forecast shows below-normal temperatures continuing through the end of the week and into the New Year.
Thursday may bring a chance of snow showers as a weak cold front passes through, though accumulations are expected to be light.
Friday looks dry with highs in the low to mid 30s.
Another weather system may impact the area late next weekend, potentially bringing a mix of rain and snow, though forecast confidence remains low for that timeframe.
Current weather radar
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One person was killed and another critically injured when two helicopters collided and crash-landed in Hammonton, New Jersey, on Sunday morning, authorities said.
The Hammonton Police Department told Fox News Digital that it received calls of an aviation crash at approximately 11:25 a.m. involving two helicopters in the area of the 100 block of Basin Road.
Police, fire and EMS responded, extinguishing one helicopter that was engulfed in flames.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have been notified and will investigate the crash, police said.
MIDAIR PLANE CRASH KILLS ONE PERSON NEAR COLORADO AIRPORT AS BOTH PLANES CATCH FIRE
Two helicopters collided Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Hammonton, N.J. (WTXF)
New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way wrote on X that she has been updated on the midair collision.
The site of a deadly helicopter collision in Hammonton, N.J., on Dec. 28, 2025. (WTXF)
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“The Atlantic County Office of Emergency Management, Hammonton Police Department, and @NJSP personnel are on the scene,” she said.
This is a breaking news story; check back for updates.
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