Steven Rodas

1 month ago | nj.com | Steven Rodas

She could hear the judgment dripping through the phone when her brother texted her. “You guys are getting rid of your Tesla, aren’t you?”Jill Aquino’s stomach had already been in knots over her once beloved Model S – the car she uses to commute from Frankford Township to her nursing job in New York; the one she felt so free in while cruising down the Parkway on that summer trip to Cape May; the one that used to be a totally progressive political statement.

1 month ago | nj.com | Steven Rodas

New Jersey’s quest to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035 has been a bumpy, pothole-riddled road. Now, it appears the federal government has taken a jackhammer to the plan. The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to block California‘s electric car rule, which sets up EV requirements here and 11 other states. President Donald Trump, who has opposed clean car mandates in the past, must now sign off on the resolution (which was already approved by the House).

1 month ago | nj.com | Steven Rodas

New Jersey recently took steps to hold one company accountable for the use of cancer-causing toxins known as PFAS, or “forever chemicals.”While the road to have any corporation clean up or compensate communities for dumping tends to be rocky, on Tuesday state officials say they’ve made progress. And history. This time, the state says Minnesota-based 3M will pay up to $450 million to New Jersey to resolve two 2019 lawsuits.

1 month ago | nj.com | Jeff Goldman |Steven Rodas

The Powerball jackpot for Saturday’s lottery drawing has increased to $82 million with a cash option of $37.3 million. “The winning numbers were: 5, 20, 28, 39, 42. Powerball: 13. Power Play 2x.”No one across the country hit Wednesday’s $66 million jackpot, and there were no second-prize, $1 million tickets sold. In New Jersey, no one won more than $300 with a single ticket. Wednesday’s winning numbers were: 14, 15, 30, 40 and 59. The Powerball drawn was 20, with a Power Play of 3X.

1 month ago | nj.com | Steven Rodas |Brent Johnson

Body camera footage from multiple angles, totaling roughly 15 minutes and showing a scuffle during the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, was released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Saturday evening. Baraka, also a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, was arrested Friday outside Delaney Hall — an immigration detention center in the state‘s largest city. Baraka has clashed with federal immigration officials ever since the detention facility, privately owned by the GEO Group, opened.