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
Polls show Republicans more fired up about midterms in NJ
A Stockton University poll, like recent national surveys, finds the political environment favoring Republicans with Election Day approaching.
Upgrades enacted for NJ unemployment, but you’ll have to wait
Legislation motivated by the frustrating backlog for unemployment benefits during the pandemic was signed into law Thursday by Gov. Phil Murphy.
Study finds nearly all pregnancy-related deaths in NJ were preventable
A state study finds 125 deaths of women within a year of having a baby – and of those where the cause was pregnancy-related, over 90% were avoidable.
New Jersey wants to help you start a marijuana business
The Cannabis Training Academy, funded through sales tax revenue from recreational marijuana sales, will roll out its free 10-week course in 2023.
Online gambling in NJ may be causing a serious problem with young men, boys
Gambling and addiction experts warn sports betting and other online access is attracting more underage bettors in New Jersey.
Gov. Murphy scolds GOP for ‘racial’ focus on crime, which he says is down in NJ
Hours before the shootings of two Newark police officers, Gov. Phil Murphy said violent crime, shootings and murders are down 15% to 30% in 2022.
How many abortions in NJ? A look at numbers after Supreme Court overturned Roe
The increase in abortions in New Jersey this summer was smaller than in other states where there are few restrictions on the procedure.
Top NJ election official: Beware text messages trying to trick you
New Jersey is the latest in a series of states to warn about inaccurate information in unsolicited texts from a group called Voting Futures.
Enrollment doubled! The 10 fastest-growing school systems in NJ
Five school districts in New Jersey have more than doubled their enrollment between 2001-02 and 2021-22. See how your district has changed.
NJ’s top counties for working from home – and how change may last
The share of people working from home is up across New Jersey – but varies greatly, with two counties where over 30% are in home offices one under 10%.
NJ proposal to ban subscriptions for features already built into cars
Some car makers are dealers have been promoting subscriptions to activate features such as heated seats. Legislation seeks to end that practice.
Where do I vote? Your NJ town may have been split into 2 districts
Congressional redistricting requires every district to have as precisely equal populations as possible, which makes splitting towns inevitable.