New Jersey
Sherrill, FIFA World Cup 2026™ New York New Jersey Host Committee Chief Executive Officer Alex Lasry Announce Over 750 Free Tickets for New Jerseyans for FIFA World Cup Matches – Insider NJ
The announcement was made at Hackensack University Medical Center, the Official Hometown Hospital of the NYNJ Host Committee. Governor Sherrill, U.S. Men’s National Team legend and New Jersey native Tony Meola, NYNJ Host Committee CEO Alex Lasry, Hackensack Meridian Health CEO Robert C. Garrett, Choose New Jersey CEO Amy Herbold, and representatives from Uber also unveiled a large-scale FIFA World Cup 2026™ mural commemorating the eight matches taking place in the New York New Jersey region, including the Final. The mural, displayed across from Hackensack University Medical Center’s Helena Theurer Pavilion, was created by Richard Tu, artist of the official New York New Jersey FIFA World Cup 2026™ Host City Poster.
“We are excited to welcome the world to the Garden State for the World Cup starting this week and to be at the very center of the festivities, but we want the experience, first and foremost, to be accessible and affordable for as many New Jerseyans as possible,” said New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill. “I’d like to thank the Host Committee, Uber, and Hackensack Meridian Health for providing over 750 free tickets to New Jerseyans who deserve a once-in-a-lifetime chance to attend these matches. I will always fight to ensure that no New Jerseyan is left behind.”
“Over the past few weeks, we have worked closely with Governor Sherrill and corporate partners to secure additional tickets for the people of New Jersey,” said Alex Lasry, CEO of the New York New Jersey Host Committee. “I’d like to thank the Governor for her leadership in ensuring that hundreds of New Jersey residents have the incredible opportunity to take part in this once-in-generation moment. And I’d like to thank Uber and Hackensack Meridian Health for stepping up to help us deliver these tickets. Working together through a public-private partnership, we are ensuring that the benefits of the World Cup flow to every corner of our region.”
“New Jersey will be at the center of the world’s biggest sporting event, and Uber is proud to partner with Governor Sherrill, the NYNJ Host Committee, and Choose New Jersey to help make sure more residents can be part of this once-in-a-generation moment,” said Adam Blinick, Heads of U.S. & Canada Public Policy and Communications at Uber. “These tickets will give families, young soccer players, service members’ loved ones, first responders, and patients the chance to experience the excitement of the FIFA World Cup 2026 firsthand — and we’re grateful to help open that door for communities across the Garden State.”
“Hackensack Meridian Health is proud to support Governor Sherrill, New Jersey and the NYNJ Host Committee in bringing the excitement of the World Cup to fans, including some of our patients and team members,” said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. “As the closest Level 1 trauma center to the stadium, our team members have been actively preparing to support the complex medical and safety operations for an event of this magnitude. Their expertise is the foundation of our medical readiness, and their compassion will ensure our communities and visitors are safe and cared for. We are proud to celebrate their commitment by providing them with an opportunity to enjoy the World Cup in person.”
“Our doors are open, and our teams are ready,” said Lisa Tank, M.D., President and Chief Hospital Executive of Hackensack University Medical Center. “As an ACS verified Level 1 trauma center and one of the nation’s busiest emergency departments, the teams are always response and emergency preparedness ready. On an ongoing basis the team is running drills, and looking at staffing and available interpreter services — to ensure that every World Cup visitor receives the high level expertise focused on safety, quality and compassionate care that all are communities receive. It is a privilege to share the joy of the World Cup with our patients and team members.”
“I’d like to thank Governor Sherrill for her leadership in ensuring that the benefits of the World Cup benefit our residents,” said Amy Herbold, President and CEO, Choose New Jersey. “Choose New Jersey is honored to partner with the Governor, the NYNJ Host Committee, and Uber to help distribute 500 free tickets to community groups throughout our state. These efforts will give New Jersey fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend a match and take in all the World Cup has to offer.”
Today’s announcement reflects a collaborative effort over the past few weeks between the Governor’s Office, the FIFA World Cup 2026™ New York New Jersey Host Committee, Uber, Hackensack Meridian Health, and Choose New Jersey to ensure that New Jerseyans have access to the matches – at no cost to taxpayers. The announcement follows $3.6 million in funding that the Host Committee is providing the Sherrill Administration to support transportation costs associated with the World Cup.
The 770 tickets announced today will be distributed across five Group Stage matches and two Knockout Round matches hosted at New York New Jersey Stadium, ensuring that the benefits of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ reach communities across New Jersey. The tickets were secured by the Host Committee and will be distributed to community groups via Choose New Jersey.
As New Jersey prepares to welcome the world, this initiative helps ensure that the people who serve our communities, inspire our future generations, and represent the very best of the state have the opportunity to experience the FIFA World Cup 2026™ firsthand.
Supporting New Jersey Families and Communities
Through a collaboration between the Governor’s Office, the NYNJ Host Committee, Uber, and Choose New Jersey, 500 tickets will be distributed to New Jersey residents, including:
MAPLE SHADE, N.J. (WPVI) — The Philadelphia skyline and several landmarks were lit up in blue Monday night to support a 12-year-old boy from South Jersey who remains in critical condition after a baseball injury.
Buildings across the city – including sites in the sports complex and the Ben Franklin Bridge – glowed blue in honor of Xavier Taylor, who was struck in the neck by a baseball during pregame warmups with Maple Shade Youth Baseball last month.
RELATED | Ben Franklin Bridge lights up in honor of 12-year-old baseball player critically hurt before game
The show of support has spread far beyond Philadelphia.
Residents across the region and around the country have worn Xavier’s No. 6 jersey, placed baseball bats outside their homes, and lit blue porch lights to stand in solidarity with the young athlete.
The boy’s father says there are signs of progress. Xavier is no longer on blood pressure medication, his vital signs are stable, and he is receiving nutritional care.
Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
An investigation is underway after police said a teen girl was shot in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
According to the Atlantic City Police Department, on June 2, 2026, around 11:43 p.m. officers responded to the 600 block of New York Avenue after receiving a report about a shooting.
When officers got to the scene, police said they found a 16-year-old girl shot. She was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Police said anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the Atlantic City Police Department Violent Crimes Unit at 609-347-5858 or to submit an anonymous text tip to tip411 (847411), begin the text with ACPD.
Eastern Kentucky has a long history of being taken advantage by outsiders who came to the state and cut the old-growth trees and tore up the land extracting coal from the ground.
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EPA Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi announced the agency will roll back limits on mercury, particulate matter and other toxic emissions from coal‑fired power plants.
Something seemed amiss when a friend in Washington, D.C. sent me an email about a candidate in New Jersey who seemed to be taking an oversized interest in what happens in Eastern Kentucky.
Gregg Mele, a perennial candidate who somehow became the Republican nominee in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District in this year’s election, seemed from his campaign website to be auditioning to replace 88-year-old Hal Rogers of Kentucky and not 81-year-old Bonnie Watson Coleman of the Garden State.
Mele was pledging on his campaign website to “reopen and open new coal mines in Kentucky’s 5th District” and to “Access untapped oil in Southeastern Kentucky.”
It seemed oddly specific.
Why Kentucky’s 5th District and not West Virginia’s 1st or Pennsylvania’s 14th?
It’s even odder when you look at the campaign websites of Rogers, who has represented Kentucky’s 5th District since 1981, and Democrat Ned Pillersdorf, who is running to replace him, and neither say anything about bringing coal back.
The last mention of coal on Rogers’ website is a 2013 press release where he talks about diversifying the region’s economy beyond coal.
KY coal issues at top of website
Not only did Mele include these two items in the section of his website listing his platform, they were the top two issues.
To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what to think of this.
Eastern Kentucky has a long history of being taken advantage of by outsiders who came to the state and cut the old-growth trees and tore up the land while extracting coal from the ground.
They took our natural resources worth billions of dollars and left behind only poverty and scarred mountains.
Was Mele seeking to restart this type of neocolonialism, or was he actually trying to help by somehow providing jobs in an industry that is increasingly becoming automated?
Could hackers be responsible?
So, I asked him.
“I’m sorry, this seems to be an error or a hack. I am getting my team on this to have it corrected,” he said in an email.
That was on Wednesday. It was still on the website on Thursday.
I’m betting on an error.
It doesn’t seem much like something a hacker would add to a website.
Either way, it’s probably not a big deal as Mele’s chances of winning in the Democratic district are practically non-existent. Polymarket gives him just an 8% chance of winning, and I can’t find a single organization that rates House races that believes the district is in play.
No matter how many House members from Kentucky or West Virginia or Pennsylvania or even New Jersey want to jump start the coal industry in Kentucky, it’s unlikely to happen. Especially in Eastern Kentucky where the large coal seams have been depleted by more than a century of mining.
Coal industry peaked in KY
The rise of fracking, which has made natural gas cheap and easily attainable, may have been the death knell.
The coal industry peaked in Kentucky after World War II, when nearly 80,000 Kentuckians worked in the coal industry, and it has been falling ever since — particularly over the last 40 years.
In 1990, more than 28,000 people were employed in Kentucky’s coal industry, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics. By 2023, the number had dropped to 3,939, and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis estimates the number of coal mining jobs in Kentucky fell to 2,900 last year.
And Mele, despite what his website says, ain’t going to stop that trend.
Joseph Gerth can be reached at 502-582-4702 or by email at jgerth@courierjournal.com. You can also follow him at @jgerth.bsky.social.
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