Your support helped us make an impact in 2022. There is more to come in 2023
Thank you.
It’s a basic phrase that doesn’t get used nearly enough – and when it does, it’s often an afterthought.
So I want to take some time to thank you for supporting the work we do at NorthJersey.com and The Record.
It’s your support that has allowed us to make a difference over the past year. It has enabled us to produce local, high-quality journalism that has truly changed lives and policies that affect the way we live in North Jersey.
We expect to do the same in 2023, as we bring you reporting that explores aging in New Jersey, the lack of investment in our schools and coming this week, the toxic dangers in your neighborhood.
As you can see from the stories below, our impact ranges from affecting one life to affecting thousands. It can be seen in our role as a fiscal watchdog, a friend to the community, and even in letting people know about a great place to get something to eat.
While this is not a comprehensive list of all our best work, it gives you a sense of the impact we make on a daily basis – impact that you helped to create by supporting our work.
It’s work we take great pride in, work that helps us remain true to our mission of fact-based journalism in your communities. We do it because we have an obligation to do our very best every day and to get after the stories that matter in New Jersey. And, most importantly, we do it for you, our readers and subscribers who support our work with such fervor.
So thank you, thank you, thank you for supporting the work we do across New Jersey.
And as we embark upon 2023, please stay in touch with us about stories and topics you would like us to explore.
Stay well,
Daniel Sforza, editor
NJ man's cross-U.S. trek for homeless vets doubles fundraising
Our Veterans Day story about Tommy Pasquale's walk across the country to raise funds for homeless veterans spread the word about his cause and led to an almost doubling of the money he'd raised in three days. Pasquale had gathered $13,000 through his GoFundMe before the story ran on Friday, Nov. 11 on NorthJersey.com. By Monday that was up to $24,000 and counting. Pasquale says he's donating all the funds to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.
'Prison is death': NJ deportees freed from Haitian jail after suffering deplorable conditions
Two New Jersey men were freed from the National Penitentiary in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where they were among more than 30 deportees held in brutal conditions after they arrived in the Caribbean nation. After initial coverage of their imprisonment by The Record and NorthJersey.com, more families of jailed men reached out to us and we continued to investigate. Patrick Julney and Billy Balisage, both from Elizabeth, were released amid pressure from families and activists and media coverage about their illegal detention. Several other deportees were also freed, and a campaign continues for the release of those who remain.
Dive bar goes from sleepy to packed after being included in our coverage
After we wrote about the best dive bars that also have great food, one particular bar that serves terrific oysters used to be a sleepy neighborhood spot and now you can't get in without a reservation.
Top official's chief of staff resigns, admits to tax evasion
Tony Teixeira, the chief of staff to New Jersey's Senate president, the second-most powerful elected official, resigned after admitting to federal charges of tax evasion. Months earlier we had exclusively reported that Teixeira had been the subject of a state law enforcement investigation into payments connected to a political operative who pleaded guilty to his role in a murder-for-hire scheme.
Lawmaker pushes federal government for answers on low-flying helicopters
After our coverage showing how the lives of residents in Clifton were being disrupted by helicopters flying below the allowable height, Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, has started pressing the Federal Aviation Administration for answers.
Exposure of COVID deaths at veterans homes prompts leadership firing, three investigations
As COVID raced through the state-run veterans home in Paramus in 2020, an administrator, using the pseudonym “vetkeeper” and an encrypted email service based in Switzerland, contacted NorthJersey.com to report what he was seeing. His tips, along with independent reporting, led to in-depth stories detailing the chaos. Recently, the vetkeeper revealed his identity and gave us insight into the key issues still plaguing the veterans homes some two and a half years later. He also penned an accompanying Op-Ed piece. This work has prompted ongoing federal and state investigations (at the U.S. Department of Justice and the New Jersey Attorney General's office) and the firing of top officials at the homes and the agency that oversees them.
Bergen County agrees to public hearings over controversial park plan
Bergen County agreed to hold hearings on the future of Overpack Park after people were upset by the plan to create a great lawn. We reported how the county tore down over 100 trees and carted in dirt to cover an area that had been used for hiking and birding.
Rutgers athletics changes financial reporting and loan policies
A series of stories revealed the extent of Rutgers athletics' debt since entering the Big Ten Conference - more than $220 million - with annual operating deficits above $70 million and loans from the university of $84 million to cover those deficits. The stories showed that:
Rutgers violated its own policies by providing loans to cover operating deficits, and changed its policy to allow for such loans.
Rutgers didn't even have documents for the loans, and then created backdated documents for them.
Rutgers changed how it reported its operating revenue and deficits to properly account for loans as debt rather than revenue.
The university said it might forgive the loans to athletics and won't continue such loans going forward.
State opens applications for homeowner relief program after story highlights inaction
After we published a story asking why New Jersey didn't launch its homeowners relief program, the state Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency opened applications, and the man we profiled, David Alston, received $100 from a reader to help him pay his property taxes. Another person set up a GoFundMe for him. In a second story, we noted Alston received an award from the state, but it didn't cover his outstanding property tax payments. After the story published, the state contacted him and adjusted his award, giving him $5,000 more in assistance.
NJ Assembly passes legislation to address issues facing homeless trying to get IDs
After we wrote about the issues facing homeless individuals trying to get identification, Assemblyman Daniel Benson sponsored legislation to address some of the problems we raised. The legislation passed the Assembly and awaits a full vote in the Senate. In June, the Motor Vehicle Commission changed the rules so customers wouldn't have to present their Social Security card to prove their Social Security number, an issue included in the article.
Hospital exec invites staff to air concerns about prejudice, discrimination
Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck stood at the epicenter of New Jersey's hottest zone of contagion during the first wave of the state's COVID-19 crisis. As coronavirus infections again surged to unprecedented heights in recent months, Holy Name contended with a new crisis – one of its own making.
Its two top executives, who brought national recognition to their community hospital's valiant fight against COVID, became embroiled in a battle over allegations involving the hospital's treatment of some Black medical staff.
In July 2021, Holy Name's CEO, Michael Maron, suspended the chief medical officer, Adam Jarrett. He did so after Jarrett told the hospital board that Maron had ordered him to take actions that were “immoral and illegal” – including a demand to “get rid of” a Black doctor Maron had called a “troublemaker."
After originally denying NorthJersey.com's January 2022 account of how race played a role in Jarrett's departure, Maron invited staff to bring any concerns about prejudice, discrimination or workplace retaliation directly to him.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NorthJersey.com made an impact in 2022 with reader support
