What are people talking about in political circles, through social media outlets, in boardrooms, and Legislatures? LaRuelist Report staff combs media outlets...print, electronic, and word of mouth to post articles that our subscribers will enjoy reading.

PISCATAWAY — Rutgers University has opened its first new residence hall since 2005.

NEW YORK — The ceremony at the World Trade Center site marking the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks will be a solemn but stately event that will include former President George W. Bush and a chance for victims' families to view the names of loved ones etched into the memorial, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

President Barack Obama and Bloomberg will be joined by the leaders in charge during the 2001 attacks, including Bush, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former New York Gov. George Pataki. Current New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will also be there, he said.

Speaking on his weekly radio show Friday on WOR-AM, Bloomberg said the lawmakers will read short poems or quotes. No speeches will be given.

"This cannot be political," he said. "So that's why there's a...   Read More >>

AT&T confirmed today that it will begin throttling the heaviest data users of its wireless network starting October 1.

The new policy will affect only customers who still have an unlimited data plan, and only apply to the top 5 percent of that base. Throttling is when a carrier will slow down the connection of a device to keep it from consuming more data. AT&T hasn't specified what the threshold will be--it says the amount of data that would trigger throttling would vary from month to month.

AT&T is just the latest carrier to take this step as the industry wrestles with how to deal with the explosion of wireless data user. The move is illustrative of the difficulties it faces, and signals that the era of all-you-can- eat data is nearly over.

AT&T follows T-Mobile USA, which was one of the first carriers to...   Read More >>

SOMERSET COUNTY — Six years ago, when Catherine and Dave Cook were still students at Montgomery High School in Somerset County, they came up with an idea for how their classmates could meet each other online.

This week, that concept paid off when a Florida social media company, Quepasa.com, agreed to acquire their site, myYearbook.com, for $100 million.

"It feels like a dream," Catherine Cook, 21, said via e-mail Thursday evening from Costa Rica, where she is attending a family wedding. "It’s very exciting."

When the siblings first brainstormed their idea,...   Read More >>

Some of New Jersey’s youngest and brightest minds faced a unique challenge Tuesday: they needed to design a spacesuit.

Seated around tables at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the children used Styrofoam, wax paper and cardboard plates to construct 14-layer swatches of spacesuits.

Fortunately, they had some help from a retired astronaut.

Bernard Harris, the first African-American to complete a spacewalk and the administrator of a camp that brought the kids to NJIT, strolled around, examining the designs.

America's first boardwalk is also among its best.

That's the word from National Geographic, which has named Atlantic City's boardwalk as one of the best in the nation.

Another New Jersey boardwalk, in Wildwood, also made the list.

National Geographic calls Atlantic City "the grandfather of boardwalks," adding that it anchors the seaside gambling resort

Beware, all you cheating husbands and wives. The use of a GPS device to track your whereabouts is not an invasion of privacy in New Jersey, a state appellate court panel ruled today.

Based on the battle of a divorcing Gloucester County couple, the decision helps clarify the rules governing a technology increasingly employed by suspicious spouses — many of whom hire private investigators.

“For the appellate division to say that it’s not an invasion of privacy is a wonderful thing for the private investigation business,” said Lisa Reed, owner of LSR Investigations in Flemington. “It’s been something we’ve been haggling over for some period of time.”

No state law governs the use of GPS tracking devices, and the ruling, which does not affect police officers, is the first to address the issue, said Jimmie Mesis, past president of the New Jersey Licensed Private Investigators Association.

Washington (CNN) – House members and their staff will now be able to use video conference technology like Skype to communicate with their constituents back in their districts when they are in Washington or with each other when Congress is not in session.

House Administration Committee Chairman Dan Lungren and Utah Rep Jason Chaffetz, (R-Utah), who heads up the House panel overseeing technology issues, announced the chamber's ban on the technology was lifted in a joint statement on Tuesday. Earlier concerns over technology and security appear to have been worked out.

"Durin...   Read More >>

New Jerseyans are getting ready to celebrate the Fourth of July, and they have plenty of options to choose from during the holiday weekend.

Dozens of events — from parades to festivals and, of course, fireworks — are planned throughout the Garden State.

Here are some of the events taking place this weekend, listed by county: