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
How bad are car thefts in New Jersey? The real numbers for 2022
An Assembly committee advanced a four-bill package aimed at car thefts Monday. The big spike in that crime began to subside in August, state data indicates.
NJ sex offender’s defense: I can’t be guilty because I’m gay
A state appeals court has denied a bid to overturn a guilty plea from someone who says he couldn't have done the crime because of his sexuality.
How they voted: NJ Assembly approves new limits on carrying guns
After narrow approval in the Assembly, the legislation now awaits two additional votes in the Senate.
Vote restores NJ bear hunt, sets its December 2022 start date
Dozens of opponents turned out at the meeting of the Fish and Game Council, which voted unanimously to restore the annual hunt.
Cruel Summer: Temps Topped 90 degrees in NJ Prisons Without AC
Nearly one-third of New Jersey's state inmates live in prison housing without air conditioning. Around 3,000 correctional officers work in those units.
Wawa Pays NJ $2.5M to Settle Credit Card Data Breach
Hackers got access to credit card data for as many as 34 million transactions in six states and D.C. in 2019, both in Wawa stores and at its fuel pumps.
Human trafficking in NJ increased during pandemic, lawmakers told
The Assembly homeland security committee kicked off the new legislative session with a hearing Monday looking at the issue of human trafficking.
How many people live in NJ? The latest 2021 population estimate
New Census Bureau estimates say the population of New Jersey is down nearly 22,000 since the 2020 Census and the nation's growth is lowest in history.
New NJ Law Ends Arrest, Ticket Quota Data when Evaluating Cops
Ticket and arrest quotas were already barred in New Jersey, though such data could still be used as part of a performance evaluation – but not anymore.
NJ adds most COVID cases since April, spread high in all counties
CDC rates all counties as having high COVID transmission rates. State reports over 3,200 more cases: 2,407 from PCR tests and 832 from antigen tests.