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
Murphy highlights social justice in scramble for marijuana votes
Gov. Phil Murphy continued his search for enough votes to legalize marijuana by stressing it would erase hundreds of thousands of past convictions.
Should New Jersey add lots more places to buy alcohol?
An Assembly panel begins a series of hearings into whether to expand alcohol sales in New Jersey – at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations and more.
Closing schools, dying towns: Aid cuts in focus at budget hearing
School aid changes made last year to help underfunded districts have a flip side: Some lose funding, and they turned out in force at the first budget hearing.
Legal pot clears hurdle but votes for approval ‘not there yet’
Committee approvals for adult-use marijuana legalization were delayed for hours, then pushed through with little to no testimony. Vote wrangling continues.
Murphy signs law allowing ‘rain tax’ on stormwater runoff
Local governments can begin charging property owners for the water that runs off their land when it rains, under a law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy.
Drug-free workplace rules restored in tweak to legal pot bill
No sooner was the text of the marijuana legalization bill made public than changes to it started being made Thursday. Backers say it's clean-up, nothing major.
Expungements easier, but not automatic, in legal marijuana plan
It's not feasible to automatically erase past drug convictions as part of making marijuana legal for use by adults, says Gov. Phil Murphy.
Still no legal marijuana bill, as March 25 goal for vote nears
New Jersey's top elected officials say they're nearly ready to unveil legislation legalizing and taxing adult-use marijuana. A March vote remains the goal.
NJ legislators begin action on expanding lawsuits for sexual abuse
A bill extending New Jersey's deadline for civil lawsuits alleging sexual abuse, including for some decades-old cases, could become law within weeks.
Higher taxes and fees for guns and hunters in Murphy’s sights
Just over $9 million in new or higher taxes and fees related to guns would be imposed – on ammunition and gun sales, gun licenses and bear-hunt permits.