The Senate Ethics committee is looking at whether Senator Bob Menendez acted improperly when he failed to disclose gifts from a political donor who is under investigation by the FBI.

Metal detectors and security guards have been part of high school life in New Jersey’s largest city for more than 30 years. And students are pretty happy about it.

New Jersey state officials are beginning to discuss how to manage the spending of their portion of the $50.5 billion Sandy relief package that was approved by the Senate yesterday, and some officials are concerned there are not adequate controls in place to monitor how the money is spent. 

The pomp and circumstance of the 2013 Governor's State of the State address comes in an election year in which both the governorship and the entire state legislature are up for grabs.

+ Watch and Chat Live: NJ State of the State Address

Brian's back from his trip to China today. He kept up on the big news stories, but surely missed lots of hyper-local news. What happened in your town, your school, your block, your community over the last two weeks that we need to know about? Call 212-433-9692 or post here!

The New Jersey Senate and Assembly are taking a hard look at the performance of state utilities after Sandy. Jersey Central Power and Light has come under fire after many of its customers were without heat and power for two weeks after the storm. Even before Sandy, JCP&L, got poor marks for its handling of past prolonged outages. The utility's performance raises questions about out-of-state ownership of one of the state's largest suppliers of electricity.

Jersey Central Power and Light  logged the most consumer complaints of the state's power companies in the aftermath of Sandy, according to statistics complied by New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities.

It's the day before Thanksgiving but here in New York City and just miles away in New Jersey, there is a looming feeling that thousands of people may not have a home, a dining table, or a kitchen to celebrate the holiday. Cindy Rodriguez, a reporter for WNYC, has been covering the story.

We take your calls and hear from reporters and elected officials on the latest on storm recovery: 

• David Furst and Nancy Solomon of New Jersey Public Radio give an update on the conditions in New Jersey
• WNYC business editor Charlie Herman on the stock exchange and other business news in the aftermath of the storm
• New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn explains conditions in the five boroughs
• Newark Mayor Cory Booker on recovery efforts there
• Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-8) on damage in his district, which includes the west side of Manhattan from Battery Park up to the Upper West Side, Coney Island, Bensonhurt, Borough Park, and Bay Ridge. 
• information for listeners about having a safe Halloween 
• a transit update from the WNYC newsroom
• WNYC's Caitlin Thompson on information for those who want to volunteer or help those affected by the storm

Farmer Kurt Alstede recommends eating fresh sweet corn raw and explained why a little dry weather can make for sweeter fruits and vegetables. Also, try Alstede Farms' recipe for Basil Tomato Cream Corn.

One in four New Jerseyans either is without a bank account or conducts some or all of his or her finances outside the mainstream banking system, according to a recent report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Nancy Solomon, managing editor for New Jersey Public Radio, talks about S&P's downgrading of NJ's economic outlook from "stable" to "negative."

Bob Hennelly, WNYC's contributing editor for politics and investigations, and Nancy Solomon, managing editor for New Jersey Public Radio, talk about the some mysterious pro-Governor Christie ads, plus the latest on medical marijuana in New Jersey.

New Jersey made out with $76 million in federal funding for its buses — the biggest share of any state in the nation, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Monday.

As students continue to sign up for New Jersey’s first experiments with online charter schools, one leading legislator is asking the state to slow down.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker is taking a long-simmering dispute with New Jersey Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek public. 

The New Jersey Senate passed a same-sex marriage bill on Monday by a vote of 24-16, largely along party lines. It’s just three votes shy of what’s needed to override the promised veto by Governor Chris Christie.

Seventeen school board members in New Jersey will have to step down from their elected posts because they have a criminal conviction on their records. Another 12 school board members in New Jersey must also step down for not submitting their background checks in time.

For New Jersey's 566 municipalities, the next fiscal year could be one of the toughest yet.