Retired, longtime Burlington County state Sen. and news anchor Diane Allen and current Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, the state’s first African American Assembly Speaker, squared off for an hour against each other at Rider University on Oct. 5.

The measure scraps legislation from 1938 that required retirement at the age of 70 for public employees, and prohibits universities and colleges from forcing tenured employees to retire at that age.

“It is only a matter of time before the weather will be forcing more people back indoors,” Gov. Phil Murphy said. “To keep this number low and prevent another winter spike we do need everyone to not only get vaccinated, but we strongly encourage you to wear a mask and keep a social distance when among a crowd indoors.”

Pollution of the waterway stems back to Diamond Alkali, a former chemical plant and now a Superfund site based in the Ironbound section of Newark. Officials estimate the project's price tag to sit around $441 million, but that could climb much higher. All of it would be paid for by the private companies that are legally responsible for the pollution.

Media productions in the Garden State are projected to reach a historic level, as the state's lucrative incentive program has bolstered demand and ramped up the amount of studio, network and independent filming.

The Community Stage Relief Grant Program, which provides grants of up to $300,000 for businesses that have some kind of involvement in the promotion and production of live events and were affected by COVID closures, will award funds to smaller venues that suffered losses during the pandemic.

When the Murphy administration said the state would subsidize some $500 hiring bonuses and offer $10,000 to employers for training new workers, some of the state’s largest business groups hailed the program as a major step toward stemming the months-long labor shortages. But some employers are less optimistic.

While the first 2021 New Jersey gubernatorial debate was light on details about the direction of the state's economy, and the state of its business climate, the event still left business groups somewhat confident and assured because of a key promise made by the incumbent Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy: no new taxes.

“Public and private sector partners have been essential to the state’s COVID recovery efforts, and these partnerships remain critical as we work to assist businesses and nonprofits … recovering from the damage and economic disruption caused by recent severe weather,” reads a statement from NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan.

Filling up at the pump just got a little cheaper as an 8.3 cent decrease comes after the state hit drivers with a 9.3 cent-per-gallon hike last year.

GigXero installed Newark Fiber at The Tech House, which is set to open this fall in the Brick City.

The state is awarding a $109 million tax break to the fintech under NJ Emerge to renovate and open a 428,000-square-foot, four-story office site in Berkeley Heights.