New Jersey

Under state law, New Jersey public school students must be in classrooms for the day to be counted, with exceptions for when schools are closed more than three consecutive days due to a declared state of emergency.

To guard against phishing-based ransomware attacks, the state is outfitting 161 of its jurisdictions and other public-sector organizations with hardware-based protection. And it's not alone.

Lee E. Micai, a longtime technologist in Mercer County government, has been named to the role, which he said entails responsibilities previously assigned to the head of IT. His tenure began last month.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill has appointed Kevin Dehmer, the now-former state education commissioner, as the state’s new chief technology officer. Longtime CTO Chris Rein’s last day was Friday.

Rein, who has been in place since May 2018, was the state’s second standalone CTO and its former deputy chief information security officer. Vernon Spencer, state chief operating officer, will step in as interim CTO.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who took office this week, orders improvements to the permitting process, calling for a dashboard and other work. She also wants to use AI to improve state operations.

All e-bikes must be registered and insured, whether they are low-speed e-bikes that require pedaling and can't exceed 20 miles per hour, or they are motorized bicycles that reach 28 miles per hour.

California-based company Coco Robotics announced a pilot program in the Heights neighborhood last week, nearly a year after Uber Eats teamed with Avride for downtown robot delivery service.

The outgoing governor has signed a memorandum of understanding with tech company NVIDIA to support AI research, education and workforce development. The state has invested $25 million to support the work.

State Chief Innovation Officer Dave Cole will remain under her administration, Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill said. Outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy, meanwhile, signed a bill affirming the New Jersey Innovation Authority.

The Atlantic County Library System will use a $24,500 grant to establish a digital literacy lab at its Egg Harbor Township branch, library officials announced Monday.

Under a state grant program announced in October, 86 New Jersey school districts are receiving a cumulative $980,000 to implement secure storage systems such as lockers, locked pouch systems or check-in cabinets.

The state and private-sector backers will offer $20 million to help companies develop artificial intelligence tools. The move is the latest sign of New Jersey’s desire to become a national AI leader.

The cyber corps is mobilizing volunteers as the state continues to fortify its overall cybersecurity posture and work toward filling its coverage gaps, officials have announced.

Three tech executives describe similar challenges across jurisdictions — from replacing lost federal tools to bridging information silos among agencies, utilities and communities.

A new type of associate degree program that combines five technology fields into one aims to prepare Warren County Community College students for the new age of automation and manufacturing careers.

People are less worried about AI taking humans’ jobs than they once were, but introducing bots to the public-sector workplace has brought new questions around integration, ethics and management.

There is no New Jersey law governing cellphones in schools, but school districts can win a minimum of $500 in grant funding from the state Department of Education for adopting bell-to-bell cellphone bans.