Nov. 5 (ZFJ) — The Federal Reserve maintained the interest rate at 5.25-5.50% for the second time in a row on Wednesday, Nov. 1. This rate was set on July 26 and held steady on Sept. 20. The Fed has been aggressively increasing the interest rate since it raised it from 0.00-0.25% to 0.25-0.50% in March 2022 in order to fight stubborn inflation. Economic activity has been expanding at a strong pace, said Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

EDISON, N.J., Oct. 19 (ZFJ) — A school bus with 28 John Adams Middle School students on board crashed into an Edison home on Rahway Road in the morning on Wednesday, Oct. 18. The bus, operated by contracted route provider Joy Transport, collided with the house’s garage, which sustained heavy damage. The house has been condemned by township inspectors for being structurally unsound. The cause of the crash is believed to be a brake failure, said Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan.

EDISON, N.J., Oct. 15 (ZFJ) — A state grand jury declined to criminally charge two Edison police officers who shot Merrill Rambarose, 49, of Edison on April 12, 2022. Witness interviews, photographs, video footage of the shooting, and autopsy results were presented to the grand jury, which concluded deliberations on Sept. 25 and voted “no bill”—meaning Officers Daniel Bradley and Joseph Elqumos will not have criminal charges filed against them.

EDISON, N.J., Oct. 7 (ZFJ) — Edison Emergency Medical Services has officially rebranded from Raritan Valley Regional EMS, the agency announced in a Sept. 28 Instagram post. Edison EMS is the non-profit volunteer first aid squad serving Edison and its surrounding areas for free. RVREMS was formed in 2009 when Edison First Aid & Rescue Squad #1, Edison First Aid Squad #2, and Clara Barton First Aid Squad merged. Edison EMS continues to operate out of the original stations, which have been renamed to Edison EMS Station 1, 2, and 3, respectively.

EDISON, N.J., Oct. 2 (ZFJ) — The federal government will test two national emergency alert systems on Wednesday, Oct. 4, starting at about 14:20 (2:20 p.m.) EDT. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, in conjunction with the Federal Communications Commission, will conduct the two-part test. The first portion will test Wireless Emergency Alerts, which are directed at cell phones. For 30 minutes, cell towers will broadcast the message “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System.

Sept. 23 (ZFJ) — Charles Martinet, known as the voice of Super Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi, is retiring from voice acting. “It’s been such an honor, and such a joy, for so many years, that I look forward to continuing to bring that joy and help us all remember our innocence, and our happiness, and our joy, through great games,” Martinet said in a video message posted by Nintendo of America on Sept.

EDISON, N.J., Sept. 10 (ZFJ) — School districts in New Jersey are now required to provide menstrual products for free in public schools that teach students of any grade from six through twelve. Applicable schools will have to provide tampons and sanitary napkins (pads) in at least half of all their female and gender-neutral bathrooms. The state government will shoulder the costs for doing so. The law addresses period poverty—one in four students in the U.

Sept. 17 (ZFJ) — Put on your top hats and button your shirts, because Teyvat’s new nation and realm of Hydro, Fontaine, has finally released! HoYoverse—the creators of Genshin Impact—has pulled back the curtain on a land brimming with court trials, performances, and magic shows. Inside the walls of Fontaine’s city are multiple levels of homes, shops, and restaurants to explore. ZFJ/Zoe Wu Inside the walls of Fontaine’s city are multiple levels of homes, shops, and restaurants to explore.

EDISON, N.J., Sept. 12 (ZFJ) — State-run veterans homes at Menlo Park and Paramus have failed to adequately respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and provide medical care to their residents, announced the Justice Department on Thursday, Sept. 7. The feds said that the conditions at the veterans homes, which provide long-term nursing care to veterans and their families and are under the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMAVA), violate the Fourteenth Amendment right to reasonable safety when in the state’s care.

Sept. 11 (ZFJ) — The 1,648th and 1,649th victims from the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, have been identified, announced the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner on Friday, Sept. 8. These two victims are the first new identifications of 9/11 victims since September 2021. About 1,104 victims, or 40% of the 2,753 who died, remain unidentified. This year, the OCME also identified 60 human remains connected to previously identified individuals.