Short Hills Gave More Than $500,000 to Romney's Campaign

NJ Spotlight Interactive Map shows Short Hills residents contributed more to governor's campaign while Millburn gave more money for Obama's re-election.

Although New Jersey residents shelled out $1.3 million more to President Obama's re-election campaign, Short Hills supported former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with more than $500,000 in contributions, according to a new interactive map released. The map, compiled by NJ Spotlight from an analysis of Federal Election Commission data, breaks down the number and amount of contributions by zip code. Each zip code is colored red, Republican, or blue, Democrat, depending on which party received the most in contributions.   For the Short Hills zip code, 07078, the map shows residents gave Romney's campaign $522,487 in 464 contributions. While Millburn, 07041, gave significantly less to the former Massachusetts governor's campaign, $25,045, it…

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NJ Spotlight’s Interactive Map: Wide Disparities in Child Wellbeing

More than just a map of poverty, rankings also consider health, safety, and education.

A child advocacy group's annual survey of the overall wellbeing of New Jersey's kids reveals there is a wide gap between the county where they fare the best, and the one where they fare the worst. The results of the Advocates for Children of New Jersey's Kids Count 2012 show that child wellbeing is often, though not always, tied to wealth. NJ Spotlight’s latest interactive map, shows that in Essex County, the numbers are among the highest, with 23 percent of children in poverty. Thirty percent of children qualify for food stamps, while 17 percent receive free/low cost breakfast. Half of all children receive healthcare through NJ Family Care or Medicaid. See the full story and map @ NJ Spotlight Interactive Map. Click on a county to see its…

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NJ Spotlight Map: How Does Essex Stack Up With Recycling?

Data shows Essex County staying even with recycling, while many counties are recycling less waste than in mid-1990s.

Residents in Essex County are doing a pretty good job recycling their waste. In a county where 1.57 million tons of waste was generated, 61.6 percent was recycled, according to NJ Spotlight's latest interactive map. Overall, New Jerseyans are recycling less of their waste than they did in the mid-1990s, data from the state Department of Environmental Protection show. At the peak, residents across the state were recycling 61 percent of what they discarded in 1996 and 1997. That number dropped to 57 percent statewide in 2009. Prior to the enactment of the state’s mandatory recycling law a quarter of a century ago, 10 percent or less of waste was recycled. The law initially set a goal of recycling 25 percent of the municipal solid waste …

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‘Tanning Mom’ Prompts NJ Lawmakers to Get Tough on Tanning Salons

With skin cancer up 43 percent in Garden State, focus of New Jersey’s now-notorious tanner shifts to melanoma awareness.

NJ Spotlight’s Interactive Map: High School Graduation Testing

Statewide, 82.2 percent of NJ graduates are passing the High School Proficiency Assessment

As Gov. Chris Christie proposed changing the tests New Jersey students need to pass in order to graduate, the state Department of Education released data showing just 8 of 10 graduating seniors are passing the current test. (Editor’s Note: Those numbers are higher in districts like Livingston and Millburn, which scored 98.2 percent and 97.4 percent respectively.) Christie on Monday unveiled a plan to replace the High School Proficiency Assessment with end-of-course exams in language arts and math. The HSPA only measures skills at an 8th grade level, the governor said. The state may also recommend science and social studies tests.  The next day, the DOE released data showing the percentage of 2011 graduates in each district who passed the …

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NJ Spotlight's Interactive Map: High School Graduation Rates

Under new formula, the number of seniors at Millburn H.S. receiving diplomas was 98.7 percent in 2011.

Editor’s Note: The graduation rate last year at Millburn High School was 98.7 percent, according to new state data. The New Jersey Department of Education yesterday released 2011 graduation rates for high schools that were largely lower, in some cases significantly lower, than prior years. Statewide, the rate calculated using the “four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate” formula now required by the federal government was 83 percent for last spring’s high school seniors. For the Class of 2010, the graduation rate -- largely self-reported by schools -- was 94.7 percent for New Jersey. Last year, nine of the state’s 392 schools had perfect graduation rates. That’s almost 90 percent fewer than the 82 schools that reported all seniors had …

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Christie, Rewriting Rules for Graduation, Will Fill in Blanks Later

To earn high school diploma, end-of-course exams are coming, but may take awhile.

NJ Spotlight: Opting Out of NJ ASK

It's still a tiny minority but a small group of parents -- themselves educators -- are keeping their kids home during the state's assessment tests.

Words and Wheels: Will NYC Revive the Out-of-State Commuter Tax?

If NYC brings back the commuter tax it will affect Essex County's 30,000-plus commuters.

NJ Steps Up Efforts to Expand Pool of Organ Donors

New law targets state employees for organ and tissue donations during ‘Donate Life Month.’