The way to go, unless we cancel it

Good morning!

NJ Transit struggled with train cancellations for another summer, per new data reviewed by our Nikita Biryukov.

Train cancellations rose to 1,715 between June and August this year, with NJ Transit blaming extreme heat and severe weather.

“There was major unprecedented heat in July along with extreme storms that took down trees throughout the system,” NJ Transit spokesman Jim Smith told Nikita.

In other areas, the agency approved. Mechanical issues led to 459 train cancellations over the summer, down from 634 last year, while cancellations related to crew or engineer issues dipped a bit to 231.

Read more from Nikita.

Poll: A new Rutgers poll has not-great news for Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D), who assumed office in January after pledging to make New Jersey more affordable, and Republicans, who are hoping to keep control of Congress after November’s midterm elections. More than three-quarters of respondents have a negative view of the state economy, with only 18% rating it as good, while 8 in 10 give the national economy subpar ratings. “What we are seeing is less about how many New Jerseyans are struggling and more about how intense the struggle is,” said Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of Rutgers’ Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling.

Water: More great economic news: The environmental advocacy nonprofit Food and Water Watch analyzed water bill data among the nation’s 500 largest community water providers and found household water bills are increasing faster than inflation and income.

AI: Looks like the president’s push to rename artificial intelligence is succeeding with federal agencies:

Courts: The U.S. Supreme Court said this week it will not hear the case of a New Jersey company that was sued by an undocumented immigrant who said it was not paying him wages as guaranteed by state law. Our state’s justices in March said New Jersey wage laws still apply even when employers hire immigrants who are not in the country legally.

Gas: With diesel prices soaring, the Trump administration is urging governors to relax restrictions on dyed diesel, a tax-exempt fuel typically allowed in off-road machinery only. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins appeared in Iowa Tuesday to say allowing dyed diesel on the road and lowering state gas taxes “will really help your constituents and your farmers.”