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Good morning. Carly Sitrin here with Chalkbeat Newark.

Today, I’m dedicating our newsletter to our friend and colleague Mónica Rhor, who passed away last week after a battle with brain cancer. Mónica was an exceptional editor, a brilliant and thoughtful journalist, and a devoted mother. She was also a fellow Jersey girl. Nearly everything you’ve read from Chalkbeat Newark these past few years has been meaningfully improved by Mónica’s careful eye. I miss her dearly.

Her sister Sylvia offered these words to honor and remember Mónica: “She would be reminding everyone to hold on to hope. To keep showing up. To keep fighting fiercely for what is right, with equal parts conviction and compassion. She would tell us never to give up or back down, and certainly, not to lose our fire. ¡No te dejes! Because that was Monica. Nunca se dejó.”

Read more about Mónica’s inspiring life and work here. 

And spend some time with this lovely piece she wrote for The Philadelphia Inquirer about the power of a quinceanera in Camden.

If you’ve been moved by any of our work or want to reach out and get to know us better, drop us a line at [email protected]. 

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NJ officials hear pleas for more funding for mental health, housing, childcare, New Jersey Monitor

9 things N.J. voters decided on Tuesday — from a $86M school bond referendum to a local deer hunt, NJ Advance Media (Paywall)

Students at historic NJ school for deaf face long-term relocation, Morristown Daily Record (Paywall)