Steven Rodas

About 30 hrs into my stay, Camden Fire Department Rescue Co. 1 Captain Ed Frontado revealed something additionally heartbreaking about the untimely loss of Capt. Howard Bennett

#Camden firefighters between Sunday and Mon responded to 27 calls. The dept for years has been hamstrung by budget cuts and equipment issues as we recently reported www.nj.com/news/2025/11/playing-with-fire.html

In 2 days Metro Police also got 1,648 calls and Camden County had nearly 400 fire calls

new enterprise for @starledger.bsky.social, I embedded for 48 hrs with a #NewJersey rescue unit 17 days after losing a firefighter to the icy waters of Delaware River. We hunkered down as a blizzard the state had not seen in 30 years beared down. Photos: Dave Hernandez www.nj.com/camden/2026/...

Some context on the recent D.C. Water pipe break, which led to an estimated 243 million gallons of sewage going into the Potomac River.

I'm told 600 million gallons of sewage and runoff flow into the Potomac every year, largely when heavy storms overwhelm D.C.'s aging sewers.

The Department of Community Affairs “understands the frustration expressed by homeowners regarding the (program) and recent correspondence affecting certain home elevation projects. We are not turning our back on these families. Other mitigation options may become available ...,” a spokeswoman said.

One 38-year-old mother saw engineers milling about her #Manville house this past summer. She assumed things were progressing well after her family of 6 was told they were a “primary candidate” to elevate.

But FEMA changed who qualifies for $$.

“We were pretty shocked,” she told me.

69 N.J. homes need a lifeline to save them from Mother Nature. It’s not coming. Families eager to elevate in 13 towns were told by the state this FEMA program will not help them after all.

mini-exclusive for @starledger.bsky.social, families in 13 towns will not get home elevations like initially thought bc #NewJersey says FEMA would consider too costly.

“They’re having another program pulled out from under them,” said Amanda Devecka-Rinear of the New Jersey Organizing Project.

Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change

As a historian of science, I was raised to think rejecting science was a pathology of anti-democratic governments. Well, this might be the proof of that.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/c...

Update: The number of deaths in New Jersey following a fierce winter storm and a bitter cold snap has increased to 20, the state told NJ.com on Tuesday afternoon. 🔗 www.nj.com/healthfit/20...

In the past month, cities across the state extended warming center hours, conducted wellness checks and shared resources on how to stay warm amid brisk nightly winds and power outages.

(good news: a warm front is set to move through NJ on Tuesday)

The deaths are as of Friday, 2/6, according to the NJ Department of Health.

Thus, recorded before New Jersey had what felt like its coldest stretch this past weekend, as wind chills tanked to between 5 and 15 degrees below zero.

At least 17 deaths linked to N.J.’s extreme cold and snow, state says The death toll was recorded before temps dipped to dangerous levels again over the weekend.

breaking for @starledger.bsky.social, the death toll from the extreme cold weather that has hammered #NewJersey for weeks has risen to 17, state officials told me.

The spreadsheet covers roughly 5 years (ending 3/2023) and includes disciplinary outcomes tied to alleged unauthorized database access, improper use or disclosure of information, and stalking or harassment.

The records don’t include much context about the underlying misconduct

People 30 and younger are more so relying on apps, widgets instead of TV for weather.

Some just check socials media ie. Instagram, TikTok, Twitter.

Jonathan Lin, a 27-year-old commuter, looks at his weather app but even that he’s a little dubious of. Experts said that hesitance is not unfounded!

Kathryn Lambrecht, of Arizona State University, has studied how people respond to @nws.noaa.gov social media posts, seen as a gold standard for dependable updates.

Interestingly, the weather itself may influence how people respond to online updates (as researchers have seen in Reno and Phoenix).

Everyone is suddenly a weather expert. It’s making this brutal winter so much worse. Amateur weather forecasters "are destroying the profession," one meteorologist said.

new for @starledger.bsky.social, I spoke with various meteorologists including @cupajoe.live, as well as well experts from ASU, Georgia Southern and TCNJ about the glut of amateur forecasters these days and the real dangers of #weather misinformation (especially during extreme weather periods!)

Climate reporters are some of the kindest, most selfless, and most hardworking people around.

We need MORE of their work, not less. I'm grateful to everyone who has read and subscribed to support any kind of climate coverage over the years, ours or another newsroom's. Thanks for not turning away.

what the Ramapo Reservation tower story would have looked like on a1 of the @starledger.bsky.social if we still had the physical paper 🥲

The telecomm company and county officials had said public safety was a top reason to consider the proposal, citing spotty cell service in the large swaths of wilderness at the park, and increased visitorship, though it could not provide specific evidence. Local cops and the mayor disputed the claim.

McKay Brothers’ tower is about half the size of the Eiffel Tower. It was designed to bring better cell signals, faster trade links for stock brokers and money for Bergen County.

It “would have been a desecration of one of the most beautiful places in New Jersey,” said one conservationist.

Paving paradise for a payday? How a small N.J. group fought to keep their wilderness green. Amid a probe by NJ Advance Media, Bergen County abruptly changed its tune over the fate of a 4,000-acre reservation.

exclusive for @starledger.bsky.social that makes for a good snow day read. A small army of residents say their fervor for protecting the environment and after a probe by @nj.com, they saved a massive park reservation from becoming the home of a new 500-ft communication tower

Minnesota Public Radio is doing a great job. I donated yesterday! support.mpr.org/mpr-web

should have noted the last time such a utility freeze was installed in the state was 1999 but that was via legislative action not executive order. So we are truly in uncharted waters! Follow @starledger.bsky.social, Brent Johnson and @tedsherman.bsky.social for future updates

Gov. Sherrill's Utility Rate Freeze

I was very glad to join @wnyc.org’s @thebrianlehrershow.bsky.social! spoke with David Furst about @mikiesherrill.bsky.social freezing #NewJersey’s soaring utility rates and what it all actually means) Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/0dvc...

In short, mostly NJ fisherman are getting the passes (about 88% in recent years) but those to lose out include longtime shore anglers and families.

I went to Ocean County at 5 a.m. in December to hear them out (yes, they fish all-year-round).

Denial of a small sticker has ignited a massive uproar that underscores just how special Island Beach State Park is to New Jerseyans — and just how angry they get when it’s ripped away.

I delved into data from the @dep.nj.gov to find out more!

‘Pissed off’ fishermen lose Jersey Shore beach access to bennies. Now they’re devastated and raising hell. A small sticker has ignited a big uproar at this Jersey Shore destination.

“Go back to Florida, you motherf—er!’”

It’s gotten, uh, testy at a series of Jersey Shore fishing holes.

mini-enterprise for @starledger.bsky.social that speaks to the larger conversation about open space and who gets a right to it in an ever-developing #NewJersey. h/t Andy Mills

The Small House Offering Aid in the Shadow of an ICE Detention Center Amid rising ICE arrests, volunteers provide aid — a meal, a bed, gas money — to anyone visiting someone detained in remote rural Georgia.

"On the wall next to it, a sign read: 'When you have more than you need, build a longer table, not a higher wall.'"

@shannonheffernan.bsky.social and Julieta Martinelli for @themarshallproject.org/Latino USA/Futuro Investigates: www.themarshallproject.org/2025/12/05/i...

“There’s a difference between having a concern and demonstrating a fact that proves that concern to be true,” @dep.nj.gov Commissioner @shawnlatur.bsky.social told me on the NESE pipeline.

The feds reviewing/approving the project also limits NJ. But that won’t stop legal challenges from nonprofits.

The Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline “does nothing” to lower electric bills for New Jersey residents, @mikiesherrill.bsky.social contends.

After freezing utility rates on Day 1, the Gov-elect has promised to drive new power into the grid including solar, battery storage and nuclear.