Tag: new jersey

New Jersey Democrats Want to Force DEI and Wellness Checks on Homeschooled Children

Democrats in New Jersey are being accused of trying to mandate DEI instruction for students who are homeschooled because parents want to escape the state’s mandated brainwashing.

In an article for The Daily Economy, Corey DeAngelis said that there is more than meets the eye to some proposed state legislation.

DeAngelis said Assembly Bill 5825, which purports to ensure “oversight of home education programs,” is actually “a power grab that threatens the very foundation of parental rights.”

“The parent or guardian shall submit a copy of the curriculum that will be utilized in the home education program, which shall be aligned with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards,” the bill reads.

The catch, he noted, was that diversity, equity, and inclusion curriculum is as integral a part of state standards as reading, writing and arithmetic.

Assembly Bill 5796 calls for a child who is homeschooled to be inspected annually by an official of the school district in which that child’s family lives and undergo “a general health and wellness check.” The bill says the individual inspecting the child should be a counselor, social worker, or nurse.

DeAngelis said that putting parents under the thumb of the very educators they have sought to distance themselves from is an attempt to drag “homeschoolers into the same ideological quagmire they sought to avoid.”

“Parents who’ve chosen to educate children independently often do so to avoid the heavily political worldviews imposed in government classrooms. By effectively compelling homeschooling families to parrot political narratives on race, gender, and identity, such mandates confirm the odd ownership many Democrats feel over people’s kids,” he wrote.

Tethering homeschooling families to the schools they fled suggests New Jersey Democrats believe “government school administrators, not parents, hold ultimate authority over a child’s upbringing.”

“The Democrats are inserting the government as a wedge between children and their families,” DeAngelis wrote.

Will Estrada, senior counsel at the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, said to Reason that no states force homeschoolers to align with public school curriculum.

He noted that the curriculum imposed by a state is often the reason parents opt for homeschooling.

Estrada also said that “public schools are there to educate children enrolled in the public school, not to do health and wellness checks on children in the community at large.”

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Rep. Mikie Sherrill, NJ Gubernatorial Candidate, Excluded from Her Naval Academy Graduation Due to Past Cheating Incident

A new report reveals that far-left New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) was blocked from walking with her graduating class at the US Naval Academy (USNA) after being caught up in a cheating scandal.

According to records obtained by The New Jersey Globe, Sherrill’s name “was not included on the commencement program during the May 25, 1994, ceremony.

Despite the USNA’s honor code, the congresswoman said she was barred because she would not “rat out” classmates involved in the scandal.

Per The New Jersey Globe:

“I didn’t turn in some of my classmates, so I didn’t walk, but graduated and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy, serving for nearly ten years with the highest level of distinction and honor,” Sherrill said.

And, despite Sherrill making both her military service and her attendance at the Academy a cornerstone of her campaign, she has declined to allow the public to inspect any disciplinary records.

However, the Sherrill campaign rejected a request that she permit public inspection of any disciplinary records from her time at the academy.  Only Sherrill could authorize the release of those sealed records.

The report comes as the gubernatorial race tightens against her opponent, Republican Jack Ciattarelli.

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‘Human Composting’ Now Legal In New Jersey

Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed a bill into law on September 11 legalizing “natural organic reduction,” better known as human composting.

The legislation “[a]llows for natural organic reduction and controlled supervised decomposition of human remains.”

The Garden State is now the 14th state to sanction the controlled decomposition of human bodies into soil.

Proponents of the bill justify the macabre practice because the state is “running out of space.”

“They explained it to me and I was like—OK, the most important takeaway is it gives everybody another dignified avenue to take of their loved one’s remains,” said Hudson County Assemblyman Julio Marenco, who championed the bill.

“In New Jersey, we are one of the biggest markets available to them. And also because we’re so densely populated, a state that is running out of space.”

Governor Murphy’s office said that “by establishing regulated and supervised processes, human remains composting provides New Jersey families a respective and environmentally conscious end-of-life option.”

Turning Bodies Into Dirt

The process is as eerie as it sounds: a human corpse placed in a steel vessel, covered with straw, wood chips, or alfalfa, and sealed inside while warm air circulates.

Over the next 45 to 60 days, the body decomposes into a pile of what promoters call “nutrient-rich soil.”

Families can then choose whether to scatter it like ashes, dump it in a garden, or use it to feed a houseplant.

This isn’t metaphor.

This is literally grinding down the human body until it’s indistinguishable from fertilizer.

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Far Left NJ Rep. and Democrat Nominee for Governer Mikie Sherrill Smears Charlie Kirk as “Christian Nationalist” Who Wanted to “Roll Back” Rights for Women and Minorities

On Friday, the House of Representatives adopted a resolution to honor the “life and legacy” of Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last week while speaking on a college campus in Utah.

H.Res. 719, titled “Honoring the life and legacy of Charles ‘Charlie’ James Kirk,” was introduced by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on September 16, 2025, and co-sponsored by 165 House Republicans. No Democrats co-sponsored the resolution.  The measure condemns Kirk’s assassination and praises him as a “courageous American patriot” who championed free speech and constitutional principles, and calls for unity against political violence.

While the measure got bipartisan support,  58 Democrats voted against the resolution.

Fox News reports that the resolution passed 310-58 with 95 Democrats voting yay,  58 voting nay,  22 not voting at all and 38 voting “present.”

Far-left Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), who is also the Democrat nominee for governor, smeared Kirk following the resolution, claiming Kirk was a “Christian nationalist” who wanted to roll back rights for women and minorities.

Per Fox News:

“I take my oath to the Constitution seriously. I believe in free speech and that the First Amendment wouldn’t be necessary if it were only meant to cover language we agreed with,” Sherrill said in a statement.

“It is meant to protect people like Charlie Kirk who present vile dissenting views. But it is also meant to protect teachers, doctors and TV comedians who may express views the president doesn’t like.

“Charlie Kirk was advocating for a Christian nationalist government and to roll back the rights of women and Black people. This flies in the face of every value I hold dear and that I fight for,” she added. “But the Constitution protects free speech, even for those I vehemently oppose.”

Her ridiculous claims received pushback on social media.

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Top Aide to Democrat Newark Mayor Ras Baraka PLEADS GUILTY in Corruption Scheme — Faces Up to 20 YEARS in Federal Prison

A top aide to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has officially pled guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, admitting involvement in a pay-to-play corruption scheme that traded government favors for bribes.

Alina Habba, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, announced the plea in a blistering statement on X:

“Today a former Senior Aide to the Mayor of Newark plead guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud.

This is a clear example of a pay-to-play scheme, where public officials exploit their positions of power to obtain bribes in exchange for doing their jobs. This betrays the trust of the very community members they claim to serve.

I will not stand for public corruption anywhere in New Jersey.   These charges have a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. This is what accountability looks like — and I will continue to fight for the people of New Jersey.”

Today a former Senior Aide to the Mayor of Newark plead guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. This is a clear example of a pay-to-play scheme, where public officials exploit their positions of power to obtain bribes in exchange for doing their jobs. This betrays…

— US Attorney Habba (@USAttyHabba) September 3, 2025

This latest scandal follows Mayor Ras Baraka’s own arrest just last month after storming into the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in an act of political grandstanding.

He was charged with criminal trespass before Habba’s office announced that the misdemeanor case had been dropped.

But Baraka hasn’t let the matter go. Instead of accepting responsibility, he filed a lawsuit against Acting U.S. Attorney Habba and Homeland Security Special Agent Ricky Patel, accusing them of “false arrest and malicious prosecution.” His attorneys even smeared Habba as a “political operative” in a 17-page complaint.

Habba responded on the lawsuit stating, “My advice to the mayor – feel free to join me in prioritizing violent crime and public safety. Far better use of time for the great citizens of New Jersey.”

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Parents Face Jail Time if Kids Go Wild: NJ Township’s Bold New Crackdown

In Gloucester Township, New Jersey, a new ordinance titled “Minors and Parent Responsibility” took effect following its passage by the township council on July 28, 2025.

This measure holds parents or guardians legally accountable for offenses committed by their children under 18, aiming to address public disturbances through increased supervision.

The ordinance emerged in response to escalating juvenile incidents, reflecting broader concerns about youth behavior in the community.

The catalyst for this law was a chaotic brawl at the township’s annual community day event on June 1, 2024, during a drone light show at Veterans Park.

Around 500 unsupervised youths gathered, leading to multiple fights that required assistance from neighboring police departments and resulted in 12 arrests, including 10 juveniles aged 13 to 17.

Two officers sustained injuries, and the event, which supported the Gloucester Township Scholarship Committee for over 40 years, was disrupted, prompting the cancellation of the 2025 celebration.

Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins described the 2024 incident as involving unprecedented disrespect and violence from unsupervised teens, many dropped off via rideshares from outside areas.

Under the ordinance, parents face graduated consequences based on the frequency of their child’s offenses.

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Power-Bill Crisis Spreads From Maryland To New Jersey, May Doom Democrats As ‘Green’ Implodes

A power bill crisis is gripping parts of the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and is set to worsen, threatening to financially crush households as long-range forecasts point to a brutally cold winter. What began in Baltimore, Maryland – as first covered in our reporting one year ago– has now spread to New Jersey, where residents are furious over skyrocketing electricity costs. 

The common denominator in both states? A disastrous green energy agenda, pushed by radical leftist lawmakers, is dismantling reliable and cheap fossil fuel power generation in favor of unstable solar and wind. This has unleashed a power bill armageddon on working-class and middle-class households, as well as mom-and-pop businesses, all while baseload power demand surges in the era of AI data centers.

Fox News is beginning to latch onto the power bill crisis theme, starting with coverage of New Jersey residents who are absolutely furious over exploding power bills. This new development could severely damage the state’s Democratic leaders in the upcoming elections.

This all started when New Jersey’s Board of Public Utilities approved a 17 to 20% rate hike for power bills in June. Many residents were shocked when they opened their bills at the end of last month. 

“$200 more, I know my electrical bill,” one Jersey woman told Fox News reporter CB Cotton, adding, “I was shocked. So to say the least, I’m very disappointed. This is killing us, and every time you turn around it’s something more. You only get little pleasures in life that you enjoy, and my air conditioner is one of them.”

Perhaps Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s decision to shutter the state’s nuclear and coal plants, without a one-to-one replacement for lost capacity on the grid, was a catastrophic error that is only now coming home to roost. He also prioritized offshore wind farms and other green energy projects, which have left the grid more fragile than ever.

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NJ Township’s Parents Could Face Jail Time for Repeat Child Lawbreakers

New Jersey’s Gloucester Township enacted an ordinance on July 28 that holds parents accountable for their children’s lawbreaking activities.

The parents could face fines of $2,000 and the possibility of 90 days behind bars if their children continually misbehave, NJ.com reported on Friday.

“The ordinance includes 28 offenses that could make caretakers liable. They range from felonies, loitering, breaking curfew and chronic truancy to immorality, habitual vagrancy, and knowingly associating with immoral people,” the article read.

The report said teenagers and juveniles in the area have been committing a variety of offenses. The town’s 2024 Gloucester Township Day was upended when over 500 minors were involved in a brawl that spilled over to a shopping plaza.

Police arrested nine teenagers among 11 others they took into custody. In addition, three officers were hurt as a result of the chaos.

“It’s happening all over. I think it was in Ocean City, there’s another part of Philadelphia that had to shut down their little fairs because of fighting going on. And it’s happening a lot nowadays, so it’s very scary,” a neighbor in Gloucester Township told ABC 6 after the community event went downhill.

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Europe’s not the only one failing because of the Green New Deal; so is New Jersey

Thomas Kolbe has written about the collapse of the German economy, something pretty shocking to those of us who remember when the German economy seemed unstoppable. What’s slammed the brakes on that juggernaut is central planning that revolves around the whole Green New Deal theory. Other European countries are doing the same. Spain and Portugal had a catastrophic power outage thanks to their green energy policies, and, in England, people are getting cold and dirty in a very 19th-century way because of the UK’s drive for “Net Zero.”

Had Kamala been elected last year, America would almost certainly have gone down that path, too. As it is, California’s Gavin Newsom is now begging the refineries that he closed to reopen.

And it’s not just Crazifornia. According to an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, the policies of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (a Democrat, of course) have been disastrous for residents of that state:

Despite flat electricity demand for the past two decades—and some of the lowest energy usage per capita among the 50 states—New Jersey residents pay some of the highest retail power prices in the country. As of April 2025, the Garden State ranked No. 12 in the nation, with prices more than 15% above the U.S. average. This gap has widened further in the wake of the recent decision by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to approve an additional 17% to 20% rate increase for most utility customers starting in June.

How in the world did that happen? Well, according to Paul H. Tice, who wrote the WSJ piece, the troubles began in 2017, when Murphy took office. Under his aegis, “New Jersey has shut down all its coal plants, reduced its natural gas-generation capacity, and increased its reliance on intermittent wind and solar power.” Trenton, the state capital (population 91,193), plans to have 100% clean electricity (that is, based on renewables) by 2035. I foresee that Trenton residents will soon be as cold and dirty as the British are.

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NJ lawmakers advance bill defining antisemitism after hours of testimony

An Assembly panel advanced a controversial bill that would create a state definition of antisemitism Thursday after more than seven hours of impassioned testimony from hundreds of supporters and critics alike.

Supporters cited rising rates of antisemitic hate crimes as a reason why lawmakers must pass the bill, which has more than 50 cosponsors.

Opponents said the bill, which would adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, would violate free speech rights by criminalizing criticism of Israel. Several cited crackdowns on campus protests and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who the Trump administration detained and aims to deport after declaring his anti-Israel activism antisemitic.

The disagreement ran so deep that tensions exploded even hours before the Assembly state and local government committee’s hearing on the measure started. Pro-Palestinian advocates held a morning rally outside the Statehouse to condemn the bill, and several pro-Israel activists tried to disrupt it, prompting state troopers to scramble to defuse the resulting shoving match between both sides.

Things didn’t go much more smoothly inside.

Troopers had to open four overflow rooms to accommodate the crowds who showed up to testify, and testimony grew so heated that Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak (D-Middlesex), the committee’s chair, repeatedly pounded his gavel to restore order and threatened to have troopers remove disruptive spectators.

Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic), the bill’s chief sponsor, kicked off the testimony just after noon. Four other Assembly members from both parties beside him also testified in support of the bill.

Schaer denied that the bill would infringe upon the First Amendment, saying its goal is simple — to combat rising antisemitism.

“A statutory definition of antisemitism gives law enforcement a clear lens to determine the motivation and/or intent behind a criminal act or bias incident that may have been motivated by antisemitism,” he said. “It may also be incorporated into policy development and anti-bias training. However, the legislation does not create new criminal penalties or criminalize protected speech. Instead, it ensures that when an individual paints a swastika on a synagogue, shouts slurs at a Jewish student, or otherwise targets someone based on their Jewish identity, we have a consistent, recognized standard by which to evaluate.”

Dozens of Jewish groups, mayors, and others echoed that support.

“The Jewish community must stand up to the bullies who see this bill as a threat to their ability to harass and intimidate us,” said Jason Shames, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey.

But DaWuan Norwood, policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, said the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition conflates protected political speech with unprotected discrimination.

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