Efforts to pass legislation to decriminalize cannabis in the state seem to have gone up in smoke.

Hilary Beckett replaces and will report to Christina Renna – who became president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey on Jan. 1.

Nearly two years after voters passed the Library Construction Bond Act, the state will launch the first round of grant solicitations, authorizing $125 million in bonds.

Montclair State University will bestow the honor at its January 2020 Graduate School Commencement ceremony.

From George Norcross to tax breaks, midterm elections to the millionaire’s tax and a $15 minimum wage deal, the halls of the statehouse buzzed with activity in 2019. Expect the same to hold true this year as lawmakers and Gov. Phil Murphy work on unfinished business and new priorities.

Wall Street rating agency Moody’s boosted Atlantic City's credit rating by two notches – from B2 to Ba3 – still junk bond status, but far better than when the struggling seaside town was teetering on the brink of default nearly four years ago.

State paid leave policies cause a 20 percent reduction in women leaving their jobs in the year after having a child, and up to a 50 percent reduction in the first five years after having a child, a March of Dimes Center for Social Science Research study found.

“With the enhancements to our Angel Investor Tax Credit signed into law by Gov. Murphy, New Jersey now has one of the most progressive and potent tools of any state to encourage investment in early-stage innovative companies,” NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan said in a statement.

Advocates argue the measure will help to close the gender wage gap by taking pay off the table as a factor for hiring,

Sondra Roberts will oversee internal and external communications, public and media relations, the press information office and the city’s television studio.

On Jan. 1, the state's minimum hourly compensation increases to $11.

The State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling issued a special rule adoption creating the authorization, and also increasing the number of board members to 13 – requiring that two own and operate a hair braiding shop in New Jersey.