I'm the Statehouse bureau chief for New Jersey 101.5, covering the governor, Legislature and state politics, and had previously covered the Statehouse for Gannett newspapers for more than 15 years. I'm a lifelong New Jerseyan -- raised in Bergen, living in Hunterdon, Rutgers graduate. I'm co-author of the 2012 biography 'Chris Christie: The Inside Story of His Rise to Power.' I am not the Iron Chef with a similar name though sometimes get tweets meant for him, especially around Thanksgiving. Believe me, you don't want my cooking tips.
Michael Symons
Union representing 6,000 NJ state employees take Gov. Murphy to court
AFSCME says raises given to correctional police officers, in accordance with a January law, will widen racial and gender pay gaps unless also given to others.
Beyond ‘Google it': NJ to enhance information literacy in schools
Students are on the internet all the time. The state may require its schools to do more so they're discerning consumers of the information they see.
Another toll hike coming in January on 2 major NJ roads
To avoid big toll hikes like one approved in 2020, New Jersey's toll roads are instead indexing tolls to inflation, with hikes capped at 3%.
Are your property taxes going up? NJ pension costs rise 9%
Local governments will be paying $2.6 billion toward pensions in 2023, a $224 million increase that's the most in more than a decade.
Where are all the kids? NJ school enrollment falling in your district
Decreasing birth counts and, more recently, the pandemic have enrollment declining in New Jersey despite overall population gains and preschool expansion.
NJ post-COVID test scores are out and the results are alarming
Math scores for 8th graders were down by a lot, though reading held steady, in the first federal NAEP tests since the pandemic struck.
NJ may let police back at polling places – but only some of them
Nine months after enacting a law barring police from voting locations except for emergencies, the Legislature may backtrack for schools and senior centers.
Download porn in NJ? You could get hit with embarrassing lawsuit
An adult-film company has filed around 800 federal lawsuits in New Jersey against people it says are pirating porn. Critics say the suits are a shakedown.
A tax cut in NJ?! You might start noticing it in your paycheck
Payroll taxes that support the temporarily disability and paid family leave programs are being reduced for 2023, reflecting the funds' healthy balances.
Battle shapes up over future of NJ schools mental health programs
The Murphy administration says a change is needed to benefit more schools. But ones with grants for school-based services now say don't scrap what works.
Is RU football a waste of money? A call to investigate spending by NJ colleges
After a report about huge bills for DoorDash deliveries for the Rutgers football team, a bill seeks an office that would focus on higher education spending.
NJ senator demands that Passaic County prosecutor resign
Sen. Kristin Corrado says a series of "failures, abuses and lapses of judgment," Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes should step down.