Hello! Welcome back to The Central Jerseyan Newsletter.

Grab your popcorn, because this week’s newsletter has back-to-back free movie events. James and the Giant Peach rolls through Rahway, and Zootopia 2 hits the big screen in New Brunswick. Both screenings won’t cost you a dime. Pair that with live music and a car show, and you’ve got a packed seven days ahead. Let’s get into it.

Here are some fun events coming up this week.

🎵 Sail On: The Beach Boys Tribute
Mon, July 20  |  7:30—9:30 PM  |  Joseph R. Lewis Concert Field, Woodbridge High School  |  Free
Woodbridge kicks off the week with striped shirts and surf harmonies. This Nashville-based tribute act nails the Beach Boys catalog, from "California Girls" to "Help Me Rhonda." Bring a chair and enjoy the good vibrations.

🎬 Free Kids Crafts & Zootopia 2 Screening
Tue, July 21  |  Crafts 5:30 PM, Movie 6:30 PM  |  State Theatre New Jersey, New Brunswick  |  Free
Here’s movie night number one. The State Theatre’s Free Summer Movie Series rolls on with Zootopia 2 on its massive 46-foot screen, plus free crafts for the kids beforehand. Registration is required at STNJ.org, and there’s a 10:30 AM matinee too if evenings don’t work.

🍑 Movies in the Park: James and the Giant Peach
Thurs, July 23  |  8:45—10 PM  |  Flanagan Field, Rahway  |  Free
Movie night number two. Rahway’s outdoor series brings the 1996 stop-motion classic to Flanagan Field. Pack a blanket, bring snacks, and let the kids stay up a little late for this one.

🎤 FolkLIVE Gospel Music Festival
Sat, July 25  |  3:30—7:30 PM  |  Monument Square Park, New Brunswick  |  Free
Middlesex County’s Gospel Music Festival returns with a serious lineup this year, headlined by Grammy winner Erica Campbell of Mary Mary and Billboard chart-topper Jonathan McReynolds. Free shuttles run from nearby lots, and it’s an easy walk from the train station.

🚗 Importexpo x JSTStance
Sun, July 26  |  12—5 PM  |  NJ Convention & Expo Center, Edison  |  $15+
The Central Jerseyan loves car shows. The touring import car show lands in Edison with modified builds, vendors, and automotive culture on full display. Kids under 12 get in free with an adult.

As always, you can check out our full events page for more on what’s happening around Central Jersey, and if you have a community event you’d like listed, don’t hesitate to reach out.

It was a busy week across Central Jersey. Here's what The Central Jerseyan covered.

A data center’s lawyer wrote the mayor’s talking points, and she said them almost word for word.
When Kenilworth Mayor Linda Karlovitch defended the $1.8 billion CoreWeave data center on local TV, she was reading from a script. Literally. Records obtained by The Central Jerseyan show the company’s own attorney delivered the talking points, sending them over an hour before her interview. From there, the defense grew into a full campaign, including a lobbying firm CoreWeave quietly paid for through an escrow account. More than 12,000 people have signed a petition against the project.
Read the full story →

New Jersey’s health insurance crisis just landed on your tax bill.
Rates for the state’s public employee health plan jumped 36 percent this year, and towns are passing the cost straight to residents. Rahway’s insurance bill alone rose 29 percent to $13.65 million, adding roughly $84 to the average tax bill. Metuchen dodged the worst of it by running its own self-funded plan instead of using the state system. More big increases are expected next year.
Read the full story →

Woodbridge’s school board quietly approved its biggest spending of the year.
No debate, no drama, just $19.5 million in out-of-district placements for students with disabilities and a $737,000 security overhaul covering every school building. The security money comes through the township’s PILOT program, so it won’t touch the tax levy. The board also dropped $220,000 on new phonics materials as the district works to boost reading scores.
Read the full story →

🎶 Live at Cherry Street Park
Fri, July 24  |  6:30 PM  |  Cherry Street Park, E. Cherry St., Rahway  |  Free
Downtown Rahway is worth a visit any day, and this Friday, you get the bonus of free live music. That makes Live at Cherry Street Park an easy excuse to grab dinner at a local restaurant, pop into a shop, or pick up a drink nearby before the show starts. Every dollar you spend within a few blocks of that stage goes straight to the small businesses that make downtown Rahway what it is. Come for the errands, stay for the free concert.

The story on the Kenilworth data centers this past week is just the latest example of what a local journalist can uncover with a little digging and a few good sources. I go into more detail on how I reported this story in a post for my Citizen Supporters, who I appreciate more than they know for helping fund this work.

If you’ve got a story here in Central Jersey that needs some digging, send it my way. I’m happy to pop in my earbuds, crank up some 90s and early 2000s favorites, and start reading.

If you’re not already a Citizen Supporter, please consider upgrading. While having a journalist in town can go a long way, real journalism takes time, and time can be costly. For $5 a month, Citizen Supporters fund the reporting that holds power accountable right here at home.

Become a Citizen Supporter →

And if this newsletter helps you stay informed, forward it to someone who should be reading it too. Every new subscriber strengthens independent local reporting and keeps more neighbors in the loop. The bigger this community grows, the stronger our coverage becomes.

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This week's trivia: Metuchen carries one of New Jersey’s more unusual nicknames: "the Brainy Borough." How did the town earn that title?

Last week’s trivia:  Woodbridge is the oldest original township in New Jersey, chartered on June 1, 1669, by King Charles II of England after being settled in 1664. It once covered so much land that Rahway, Carteret, and what’s now Edison Township were all carved out of it.

Here’s the weather for the upcoming week:

☀️ Monday, July 20: Sunny during the day with clouds gathering into the evening — temperatures range from 62°F to 82°F.

⛈️ Tuesday, July 21: Heavy thunderstorms expected during the day with scattered storms continuing overnight — temperatures range from 70°F to 79°F.

🌦️ Wednesday, July 22: Scattered thunderstorms throughout the day, giving way to clear evening skies — temperatures range from 63°F to 86°F.

☀️ Thursday, July 23: Bright and sunny with clear, comfortable conditions continuing overnight — temperatures range from 62°F to 81°F.

⛅ Friday, July 24: Mostly cloudy throughout the afternoon with clearing skies later in the evening — temperatures range from 63°F to 84°F.

☀️ Saturday, July 25: Sunny and pleasant for weekend activities, turning partly cloudy at night — temperatures range from 63°F to 84°F.

☀️ Sunday, July 26: Warm and sunny to close out the weekend, with partly cloudy evening skies — temperatures range from 65°F to 86°F.

Have a great week!