Kevin McArdle

Kevin McArdle has been the State House Correspondent since 2002. He's covered the resignation of former Governor Jim McGreevey, the Governor Dick Codey Administration, the Jon Corzine/Doug Forrester 2005 gubernatorial campaign, the State government shutdown of 2006, the near fatal car crash of former Governor Jon Corzine, the 2009 Jon Corzine/Chris Christie gubernatorial campaign and the Christie Administration to date including acting as pool reporter for Governor Christie has he toured the state (via helicopter and motorcade) in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. McArdle has won multiple Associated Press awards for spot reporting and received the Edward R. Murrow Award in 2008 for coverage of then-Governor Jon Corzine's 800% toll increase proposal.

Tackling the Poverty Problem in New Jersey

It is rare for legislative hearings to take place on days other than Monday or Thursday, but on Wednesday, Assembly Speaker Vinnie Prieto convened four special committee meetings to start addressing the very real problem of poverty in New Jersey.

Support for North Jersey Casinos on the Rise, Poll Shows

A new poll released Wednesday by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind asked Garden State residents how they felt about placing a question on the ballot asking voters if the state constitution should be amended to allow casinos to operate in North Jersey. The results were somewhat favorable.

NJ Legislature Not Giving up on Atlantic City

State legislators have not given up on turning things around in Atlantic City and one lawmaker who helped with Christie’s proposals was not ready to say the five-year plan was a failure.

New Jersey’s Minimum Wage Will Stay at $8.38 an Hour in 2016

In 2013, New Jersey voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot question to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $8.25 and tie future increases to the Consumer Price Index.

A move to Outlaw ‘Puppy Mills’ in NJ

An influential lawmaker who has said he plans to run for governor in 2017 wants to outlaw so-called “puppy mills” in New Jersey.

Keeping Kids in NJ Schools Until They Graduate

Keeping New Jersey kids in high school until they graduate is the goal for two Democratic state senators.

Legalizing Pot in Atlantic City? One NJ Lawmaker Says Yes

One New Jersey lawmaker thinks legalizing marijuana in Atlantic City could help spur an economic upswing at a time when the city continues to struggle by job and revenue loses from the closures of four casinos in 2014.

NJ moving to crack down on ‘abusive’ telemarketers

The “Do Not Call” law and the recently enacted statute in New Jersey banning companies from sending unsolicited text ads were supposed to drastically reduce annoying unsolicited calls and texts from telemarketers, but constituents are still complaining to lawmakers.

Didn’t Know About Tuesday’s Elections in NJ? You’re Not Alone

Three-quarters of Garden State residents are completely unaware that any elections will be held Tuesday, even though every seat in the NJ Assembly up for grabs according to a recent Rutgers-Eagleton survey.

Good News and Bad News About NJ’s School Breakfast Program

There was good news and bad news in the fifth annual NJ School Breakfast report released Thursday by Advocates for Children of New Jersey. More kids are getting school breakfast including children from high-income families, but hundreds of thousands aren’t...

NJ’s Beaches Take a Beating, But Erosion Group Hasn’t Met in 14 years

After Irene, Sandy and last weekend's storms, New Jersey knows something about powerful storms and massive beach erosion. A lawmaker wants to reactivate the group responsible for dealing with it.

Should NJ hotel taxes go higher?

The idea of giving counties the option of increasing their hotel was one of the ideas presented in a bipartisan, multi-bill package proposed by lawmakers to help counties ease the burden on taxpayers.