Fight over school gender rules

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Wednesday:

⬛ Lawmakers look to block updates to NJ's gender rules for schools

Canva

Controversial rules for schools adopted earlier this month by the New Jersey State Board of Education won't see the light of day, if some state lawmakers get their way.

Republican lawmakers in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature have announced plans to introduce legislation that would repeal the Board's changes to the equity code, which would, among other moves, remove gendered nouns and pronouns and force schools to enroll sex-ed classes based on a student's gender identity.

⬛ Hoarders move out of rented NJ home, abandoning dozens of cats

Cat inside a town house in Old Bridge (Happy Homes Animal Rescue)

OLD BRIDGE — A neighbor's complaint about the smell of urine coming from a townhouse led to 40 cats being removed by volunteers from a rescue on Friday.

The tenants who lived in the unit at the Society Hill townhouse development in Old Bridge moved out and left behind a house filled with garbage, trash bags and cats. Lots of cats.

Amy Van Houten, a volunteer for Happy Homes Animal Rescue, told New Jersey 101.5 they were notified by the neighbor about the situation and were shocked at what they found.

⬛ Top NJ Dems sound alarm over wind projects

Amid multiple lawsuits and continued questions about the costs and impacts of offshore wind projects, New Jersey's top legislative Democrats are now expressing their concerns.

In a joint statement, Senate President Nick Scutari and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin questioned the impacts of wind projects.

"There are still many unanswered questions about the economic impact these projects will have on ratepayers as well as potential impacts to one of our state’s largest economic drivers, tourism at the shore," the legislative leaders said in a statement.

⬛ Officials: Explosives found at site of overdose, NJ man charged

"Destructive devices" discovered by police during a visit to Robert Moser's residence in Atlantic County in March. (U.S. Attorney/Canva)

An Atlantic County man has been charged with possessing destructive devices that were discovered by officers at the scene of the defendant's drug overdose in March, according to U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger.

Robert Moser, 31, of Mays Landing, was scheduled to appear in Camden federal court on Tuesday.

According to documents filed in the case, officers responded to Moser's residence on Mar. 17 for a possible drug overdose. As first responders were administering Narcan, an opioid reversal drug, to Moser in his bedroom, an officer observed numerous suspicious devices covered in tape and exposed fuses, in plain view.

⬛ Scary thunderstorms in NJ may have sparked destructive church fire

Fire at the Voice of Deliverance New Covenant Church in Vineland 8/7/23 (South Vineland Fire Company)

The fire at the Voice of Deliverance New Covenant Church on East Chestnut Street caused severe damage to the building and the roof, according to Vineland Fire Chief Luigi Tramontana Jr.

"There was fire showing through the rear of the building, it started blowing out of the front of the building. They tried to knock it down and it started traveling through the whole roof area," Tramontana said.

A tornado's rapidly approaching - what should you do?

New Jersey residents and companies donating the most to Chris Christie

These are the New Jersey residents and businesses who have donated the most money to former Gov. Chris Christie's presidential campaign and to the super PAC supporting Christie. Numbers are as of June 30, 2023.