NEW YORK, Jan. 5 (ZFJ) — New York subway, local bus, and Access-a-Ride fares increased 10 cents from $2.90 to $3 ($1.45 to $1.50 reduced) on Sunday, Jan. 4.
Per the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the automatic rolling 7-day fare cap for unlimited rides is now permanent. After paying for 12 rides in a 7-day period, all additional rides are free, meaning no rider will pay more than $35 ($17.50 reduced) in a week.
METUCHEN, Jan. 7 (ZFJ) — Peter Fragoso, 29, of New Brunswick, N.J., has been charged with the attempted murder of a 23-year-old man from Long Branch, N.J., on Dec. 3, 2025.
On Dec. 3, at about 7:34 p.m., the Metuchen Police Department received a 911 call reporting an altercation between two men involving a knife at a residence on Durham Avenue.
Responding police officers found the victim with stab wounds. He was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.
EDISON, N.J., Jan. 7 (ZFJ) — Jordan D. Jackson-Small, 35, of Edison, N.J., has been charged with the murder of Imani Smith, 26, of Edison on Dec. 21, 2025.
On Dec. 21, at 9:18 a.m., the Edison Police Department received multiple 911 calls, including one by Jackson-Small, reporting a stabbing that occurred in the Robert E. Holmes Gardens public housing complex on Grove Avenue.
Responding police officers found Smith with a stab wound to her neck, Jackson-Small, and a three-year-old child.
NEW YORK, Jan. 1 (ZFJ) — The MetroCard is retiring in favor of the OMNY tap and ride fare system.
Per the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), customers can no longer buy or refill MetroCards as of Thursday, Jan 1. Customers with valid MetroCards can transfer the value to an OMNY Card at a customer service center or use up the value before it expires.
The OMNY system allows riders to use their contactless credit or debit cards or a physical OMNY Card to pay for subway and bus fares.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (ZFJ) — The federal government has been unconstitutionally targeting pro-Palestinian foreign students for deportation for protected speech, ruled a district judge on Sept. 30, 2025.
U.S. District Judge William G. Young, a Ronald Reagan nominee, came to the conclusion that Secretaries Kristi Noem and Marco Rubio of the departments of Homeland Security and State “acted in concert to misuse the sweeping powers of their respective offices to target non-citizen pro-Palestinians for deportation primarily on account of their First Amendment protected political speech” after a nine day bench trial in Massachusetts.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (ZFJ) — All Washington Metrorail lines returned to automatic train operation (ATO) this year for the first time since 2009.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) returned ATO to the Green and Yellow lines on May 23 and Blue, Orange, and Silver lines on June 15 after “rigorous internal training and testing and concurrence from the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission.” The Red line already returned to ATO in December 2024.
COLLEGE PARK, Md., Dec. 27 (ZFJ) — Baltimore County has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to cooperate on immigration enforcement.
On Oct. 31, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Baltimore County’s removal from the department’s list of “sanctuary jurisdictions.”
“Despite restrictions from state leadership, Baltimore County has shown a willingness to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement,” said U.S. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward.
COLLEGE PARK, Md., Dec. 27 (ZFJ) — Human remains found in a park in College Park on Nov. 3 have prompted a homicide investigation.
The Prince George’s County Police Department was assisting the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and FBI Cross Border Task Force with a missing persons investigation when it searched Indian Creek Stream Valley Park and found human remains.
The remains were sent to the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which ruled the case a homicide.
METUCHEN, N.J., Dec. 27 (ZFJ) — Metuchen resident Sener Kalkan was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said borough Mayor Jonathan Busch on social media.
Busch said that Kalkan, who is married to Metuchen native Jennifer Poandl, “appeared in Newark for a scheduled immigration hearing as part of his ongoing legal process” in early December.
Kalkan attended the hearing, passed his scheduled interview, received a future court date, and then went out for lunch with his wife.
EDISON, N.J., Dec. 27 (ZFJ) — Anjana Patel, a member of the Edison Board of Education (EBOE), received a 30 day suspension from the state on Dec. 12 for an ethics violation.
The state School Ethics Commission (SEC) found on Oct. 28 that Patel violated the School Ethics Act by failing to file her Personal/Relative and Financial Disclosure statements on time.
Patel was elected to the board of education in the 2023 general election as part of the Students First team and was sworn in as a board member starting January 2024.
