News Summary:
On January 26, 2026, Julie O’Connor, an urban education writer for NJ Spotlight News, highlighted findings that only three out of 24 Trenton third graders can read adequately and four can perform math on grade level, an insight shared in an article comparing Trenton and Camden schools. Earlier in January, on January 6, twelve candidates entered the special Democratic primary for New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, scheduled for February 5, 2026, with John Bartlett, Brendan Gill, Tom Malinowski, Analilia Mejia, and Tahesha Way emerging as leaders in endorsements and media attention. Previously, on December 21, 2025, NJ Spotlight News reported on a bipartisan effort by New Jersey state senators Andrew Zwicker (D-Mercer) and Mike Testa (R-Cumberland) to ban four food additives and dyes, including brominated vegetable oil (BVO), potassium bromate, propylparaben, and Red No. 3. This followed news from December 2, 2025, detailing new SNAP restrictions in New Jersey for 2025, which mandate recipients to enroll in training programs or document at least 80 hours of monthly voluntary work. In October 2025, specifically on October 2, New Jersey hospitals RWJ Barnabas and Virtua Health halted gender-affirming care for youth under 19, a decision made in response to potential federal budget cuts.
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