@kim.senate.gov supports @pallone.house.gov’s call for an “urgent investigation” into cancer cluster concerns in Keyport following our reporting

bsky.app/profile/kim....

Feared N.J. cancer cluster update: Town slams state after bombshell report (via @starledger.bsky.social, with @karinpricemueller.bsky.social)

www.nj.com/monmouth/2026/04/feared-nj-cancer-cluster-update-town-slams-state-after-bombshell-report.html

How story would have looked like in the @starledger.bsky.social if we still had the physical paper 🥲

The NY NJ Baykeeper has for years advocated for the cleanup of the dump site which has been a problem for decades, said Greg Remaud, CEO of the nonprofit.

“We think wider intervention into this site … will help get to the core of the issues here,” the group said Friday evening.

Congressman @pallone.house.gov is demanding an urgent state and federal investigation following my Keyport coverage (wt @karinpricemueller.bsky.social)

pallone.house.gov/media/press-releases/pallone-demands-urgent-state-federal-probe-suspected-cancer-cluster-near-toxic

In short, the company has not paid the fines it was issued by the state for past violations, a full remediation has not been done and — from our reporting — the latest tests of the area’s soil, air and water appear to have been done over a decade ago.

A enviro consulting investigation found problems in a large section of the landfill next to Raritan Bay, where proper engineering controls were missing and solid waste could easily flow onto the shore and into the bay, according to a 2021 lawsuit.

An attorney representing site’s longtime owner, NY-based Bay Ridge Realty, declined to comment.

“The @dep.nj.gov is committed to ensuring proper closure of the landfill to protect the environment and public health.” — DEP

In a joint statement with health dept, NJ said it is discussing next steps.

Heavy metals that could be harmful, as well as chemicals and carcinogens like benzene and now-banned PCBs, or Polychlorinated Biphenyls, were also previously found to have leaked into soil and groundwater from the dump, according to a lawsuit and environmental study conducted on the parcel.

The old Keyport dump has been cited multiple times over last 5 decades for being improperly sealed off, and leaching at least five known carcinogens, as well as other toxins, into the area.

More work and tests are needed before anything definitive can be said, several experts said.

Evidence families have collected so far is concerning and warrants deeper investigation, according to 3 medical experts independently contacted by @nj.com to review the numbers and few environmental studies done of the ex-dump. The NY/NJ Baykeeper has fought for accountability at the site for years.

New cancer cluster feared in N.J. neighborhood. Locals worry they've been poisoned for decades. Residents are demanding an investigation of an old landfill near their homes.

new investigation for @starledger.bsky.social, I spoke with several families at the Jersey bayshore over fears contamination is linked to cancer diagnoses. So far: 41 cancer cases. Most are near a town’s old, improperly-capped and heavily-cited dump. h/t @karinpricemueller.bsky.social

The Mysterious Cereus Blooms in West Texas These desert cereus plants flower only one day out of the year—at night, in the middle of nowhere—if at all

I have a feature story in the March 2026 issue of Texas Highways magazine on the night-blooming cereus, or “queen of the night,” a highly threatened cactus that blooms only one night a year. Click the link and check out the timelapse I did, too.too. texashighways.com/outdoors/the...

The diversion was $50M less than last year. I asked Gov. Sherrill why ‘raid’ the fund at all.

“NJ Transit is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to travel — every bus and train we keep running means fewer cars on the road and less pollution in our communities,” her spokesman said in part.

Sherrill vowed she’d be different than Murphy on energy. Then why ‘raid’ this fund again?

@susanklivio.bsky.social, @tedsherman.bsky.social, Brent Johnson, Jelani Gibson and Brianna Kudisch have more at nj .com/politics 2/3

www.nj.com/mercer/2026/...

new from Gov. @mikiesherrill.bsky.social’s budget for @starledger.bsky.social, the $60.7 billion plan includes over $1B in subsidies for NJ Transit. About $140M was re-directed from fund meant to build clean energy. @alexfromnj.bsky.social: #NewJersey is “hampering” its ability to lower costs 1/3

This is the most bizarre interaction I've ever had with an HHS spokesperson.

From my story on CDC's pivot to "shared-decision making" for vaccines, with insight from @jennifernuzzo.bsky.social and @jakescottmd.bsky.social: www.wired.com/story/why-rf...

Under the R.E.A.L. rule, New Jersey homes built in flood-risk areas will need to be raised 4 feet higher than the current standard outlined by FEMA.

The rule will also apply to houses undergoing renovations that add up to 50% or more of the home’s value, the @dep.nj.gov said.

The new flood elevation rule would push added costs and regulatory burdens onto towns, residents and developers, the groups said.

“They are meant to give us certainty about how to protect ourselves for the future that we know is coming,” Allison McLeod, @njlcv.bsky.social countered Friday.

scoop for @starledger.bsky.social, 2 major groups that rep businesses and builders in #NewJersey — NJ Business & Industry Association and NJ Builders Association — are legally challenging new rule over how people can build at Jersey Shore amid sea level rise projections www.nj.com/ocean/2026/0...

Satellite photos show California's sudden snowpack meltdown: Now you see it, now you don't Satellite images show the Sierra Nevada before and after a major heat wave melted significant portions of California's snow.

Now you see it, now you don't. Near the end of this extremely warm winter, California's snow is rapidly melting. My colleague @castleman.bsky.social shares some striking satellite images. He spoke with @weatherwest.bsky.social about the remarkably rapid loss of snow: www.latimes.com/california/s...

Cape May, Ocean and Monmouth counties filed a lawsuit looking to tweak or pull the rule entirely. Sen Pres. Scutari, D-Union, on Feb. 24 also introduced a resolution to withdraw or change the rule — saying it was “inconsistent with legislative intent.”

“Moving forward — if implemented successfully — this will be a game changer for New Jersey,“ Anjuli Ramos-Busot, the state director of @sierraclub.org, told me.

“When you are at the epicenter of climate change … you have to take proactive measures to protect your people."

new for @starledger.bsky.social, I wrote 2,000 words about #NewJersey’s new rule which will require homes built in flood-risk areas to be 4 feet above the standard set by FEMA. #JerseyShore builders and realtors are worried, environmentalists are happy but cautious.

www.nj.com/ocean/2026/0...

I will continue the fight for environmental justice in Black communities Nicknamed the father of environmental justice, Robert Bullard argues that researchers in the field have more reason than ever to back up their work with action.

“I might have written 18 books over the past four decades, but it’s really all just one book on fairness, justice and equity,” @drrobertbullard.bsky.social, the father of environmental justice.

His nature.com interview ends the Changemakers Q&A series, started by @kendallsciwrite.bsky.social.

About 30 hrs into my stay, Camden Fire Department Rescue Co. 1 Captain Ed Frontado revealed something additionally heartbreaking about the untimely loss of Capt. Howard Bennett

#Camden firefighters between Sunday and Mon responded to 27 calls. The dept for years has been hamstrung by budget cuts and equipment issues as we recently reported www.nj.com/news/2025/11/playing-with-fire.html

In 2 days Metro Police also got 1,648 calls and Camden County had nearly 400 fire calls

new enterprise for @starledger.bsky.social, I embedded for 48 hrs with a #NewJersey rescue unit 17 days after losing a firefighter to the icy waters of Delaware River. We hunkered down as a blizzard the state had not seen in 30 years beared down. Photos: Dave Hernandez www.nj.com/camden/2026/...

Some context on the recent D.C. Water pipe break, which led to an estimated 243 million gallons of sewage going into the Potomac River.

I'm told 600 million gallons of sewage and runoff flow into the Potomac every year, largely when heavy storms overwhelm D.C.'s aging sewers.

The Department of Community Affairs “understands the frustration expressed by homeowners regarding the (program) and recent correspondence affecting certain home elevation projects. We are not turning our back on these families. Other mitigation options may become available ...,” a spokeswoman said.