Victory for parents rights

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Thursday:

⬛ 'Bombshell' admission over NJ school trans policy

(AP Photo/Pavel Golovki/@NJPECoalition via Twitter/Edwin J. Torres/NJ Governor’s Office).

Nearly two dozen school districts are expected to defy orders from Gov. Phil Murphy's administration regarding parental notification if a child changes gender identity in school.

The actions will come after what one school board member called a "bombshell" admission:

The orders from Murphy are not really orders at all, merely "guidance," and they can be rejected by any district that chooses to do so.

⬛ Jenk's beach closed but not because of Hurricane Lee

Jenkinson's boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach (Bud McCormick)

POINT PLEASANT BEACH — One Jersey Shore beach is closed but not for the reason you may think.

As Hurricane Lee churns northward with 7-foot waves and heavy surf, access to the sand in Point Pleasant Beach has been closed off by Jenkinson's, which owns the majority of access points to the beach in the borough.

⬛ Police investigating 2 dead bodies found in North Jersey home

(Google Maps/Passaic County Prosecutor's Office)

CLIFTON — Authorities are investigating the deaths of two people found dead inside a North Jersey home.

Clifton police found the two bodies at a home near the corner of 3rd Street and Hadley Avenue on Tuesday, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes. The officers were conducting a well-being check.

The deceased have been identified as Zofia Koc, 73, and Peter Koc, 33, both of Clifton.

⬛ Report: How NJ cleaned up its unemployment mess since COVID

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You know the old saying: Don't judge an unemployment insurance system by the year 2020.

The coronavirus pandemic was a cataclysm for New Jersey's system that processes claims from individuals out of work, but it was also a mess throughout much of the nation.

A new report out of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University takes a deep dive into New Jersey's attempt to improve the claims process in the years since the system was overrun by requests, when non-essential businesses were forced to close due to COVID-19.

⬛ Eww — Slugs invade New Jersey. Here’s how to kill them

Canva/Townsquare Media illustration

The recent rains have brought a resurgence of a slimy pest to gardens and backyards in New Jersey.

Slugs.

But before you grab your salt shaker, read more about what these pets are and the best ways to get rid of them.

Animals gone wild in NJ: Turkeys, tigers, snakes, bears and more

The best of animal encounters — real and a few rumored — from around New Jersey.

Windfarm projects proposed for NJ coast — and what they might look like

These are the wind energy projects approved for and planned for the ocean off the coasts of New Jersey and New York. While the projects have the support of officials who say they will stimulate the local economy and create renewable energy to power millions of homes, many coastal residents have raised concerns about how the projects will impact tourism and the environment.

The gallery includes competing photosimulations — those on file with the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and those recently commissioned by a group opposed to the wind farm development.