If you live in Essex County, you probably remember the sound. That heavy thud on the driveway at 6:00 AM. For decades, the Newark Star-Ledger wasn't just a newspaper; it was the breakfast companion for half of New Jersey. But if you’ve been looking for a bundle of ink and paper lately, you’ve likely noticed the driveway is looking a little empty.
The truth is, things changed forever on February 2, 2025.
That was the day the Newark Morning Ledger Co. officially pulled the plug on the daily print edition. It wasn't just the Star-Ledger, either. Sister papers like the Times of Trenton and the South Jersey Times followed suit. Even the 157-year-old Jersey Journal vanished entirely because the printing plant in Montville—the heart of the operation—shut its doors for good.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a gut punch for those of us used to circling the Sunday ads or clipping coupons. But while the paper feels "gone," the reporting in Essex County is actually in a weird, digital state of evolution.
The Transition to Digital-Only in Essex County
The "why" behind this is basically what you’d expect: money and eyeballs. Print readership dropped over 20% in the year leading up to the shutdown. Between the soaring costs of actual paper and the nightmare of finding delivery drivers, the old-school model just broke.
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But here is the thing most people miss: the newsroom didn't actually close.
NJ Advance Media, which runs the digital side of the Newark Star-Ledger, actually claims to have more reporters now than they did a few years back. They’ve shifted all those resources from the physical printing presses into NJ.com. If you're looking for Essex County updates—everything from Newark City Hall drama to the latest high school football scores—it’s all living on your phone or tablet now.
What happened to the Newark Star-Ledger Editorial Board?
This was probably the biggest controversy. When the print edition died, the owners also laid off the entire editorial board.
That means no more official Star-Ledger endorsements for local Essex County elections. No more curated op-ed pages in the way we remember them. While the "hard news" (crime, fires, politics) continues, the institutional voice that used to take local politicians to task has been significantly quieted. For a county like Essex, where local politics can be... let's say "colorful," that loss is a big deal.
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How to Get Your Essex County News Now
If you're still craving that "newspaper feel," you basically have two options in 2026.
- The e-Newspaper: This is a digital replica. It looks exactly like the old paper, with pages you "flip" on a screen. Subscribers still get this delivered to their inbox every morning. It even includes extra pages of national content that the old print version didn't have room for.
- The Live Feed (NJ.com): This is the "always-on" version. If a shooting happens on Clinton Avenue or a water main breaks in Montclair, it hits the website in minutes.
Kinda ironically, the digital shift has made the news faster, but many residents in places like the Ironbound or the North Ward feel like they’ve lost a connection to the community. You can't exactly pass a tablet across a coffee shop table as easily as a sports section.
Local Alternatives Still Holding On
With the Star-Ledger going digital-only, other outlets have tried to fill the void. RLS Media remains a massive source for breaking Essex County crime and emergency news. They’re often faster than the big guys on local "boots on the ground" reporting.
Then you have TAPinto, which focuses on hyper-local news for specific towns like Bloomfield, Livingston, and West Orange. Since the Star-Ledger has to cover the whole state, these smaller digital sites are often where you’ll find the stuff that actually affects your property taxes or school board meetings.
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A Note on Public Notices
For the legal nerds out there, the Essex County Board of Commissioners had to scramble when the print paper stopped. They actually had to change local laws to allow official public notices (like zoning changes or government bids) to be published digitally. It sounds boring, but it’s a huge shift in how the government talks to you.
Why the Newark Star-Ledger Essex County Legacy Still Matters
Despite the lack of a physical paper, the Star-Ledger name still carries weight. In a state that's often squished between the New York and Philly media markets, having an "Essex-first" perspective is rare.
The paper has a history of winning Pulitzers for its investigative work, and that DNA is still there. If you want to know about the Newark recording studio shootings or the latest updates from Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II, the Star-Ledger’s digital reporters are still the ones usually leading the charge.
Actionable Next Steps for Essex Residents
If you're feeling a bit lost without your morning paper, here is how you stay informed without the ink-stained fingers:
- Download the Star-Ledger App: The 2026 version of the app (Version 8.0+) has a "For You" feature. You can literally follow "Essex County" as a topic so you only see news from your backyard.
- Check the Library: Most Essex County libraries (like the Newark Public Library or the Morristown/Morris Township system) offer free digital access to the Star-Ledger archives and the daily e-edition through services like NewsBank. You just need your library card.
- Sign up for Newsletters: NJ.com runs a "Newark & Essex" specific newsletter. It’s the easiest way to get a curated list of the day’s top stories without having to hunt through the whole website.
- Follow Hyper-locals: Don't rely on just one source. Bookmark RLS Media for breaking news and find your town's TAPinto or Patch site for the small-bore stuff that the big reporters might miss.
The print era is over, but the stories haven't stopped happening. You just have to change where you look for them.
Practical Resource: To access the digital replica of the Star-Ledger, you can visit the official NJ.com subscription page to manage your delivery preferences or sign up for Essex-specific breaking news alerts.