It’s inevitable.

Every big national story will ultimately have a local angle. In the aftermath of the devastating Moore, OK twister, the Asbury Park Press explores the potential for such a tornado to hit New Jersey.

New Jersey-based Climate Central reports that there is no strong evidence as yet linking tornado ferocity with climate change.

Devil Gourmet has a story on a NJ business that is raising funds for Oklahoma tornado victims. CliffviewPIlot has information on a dropoff point in Jackson, NJ for donations to Oklahoma. NJTV has a more comprehensive story on New Jerseyans aiding Oklahomans.

In other news:

The Record has a followup on Fr. Michael Fugee who was arrested for violating a binding agreement barring him from contact with children.

Just a few months after the last Congressional election, candidates are already lining up to challenge Scott Garrett, who has won election 6 times to the 5th Congressional District seat in New Jersey.

And more Sandy stories: WNYC probes questions about raising the town of Highlands, Patch has a beach guide to add to the others we listed in our Monday newsletter, and WBGO reports on lagging summer rentals at the Shore.

Massive twister unlikely in NJ Asbury Park Press
Making Sense of the Moore Tornado in a Climate Context Climate Central*
Anthony’s Cheesecake Rebuilds Oklahoma One Slice At A Time Devil Gourmet
Oklahoma recovery: How you can help CliffviewPilot
Accuser of former Wyckoff priest blames church [video] The Record
Away from the beach, Sandy damage still soaks inland lives Star-Ledger*
Parents of Kai the Hitchhiker say the Union Co. murder suspect has had behavioral issues for years Star-Ledger*
Trying to Get Companies to Stay Put in NJ NJSpotlight*
Raising a Town to Save It: Highlands, New Jersey’s Only Hope? WNYC
Jersey Shore Summer 2013: Beach Guide Ocean City Patch
New Jerseyans Offer Help to Victims of Oklahoma Tornado NJTV*
Fewer Summer Rentals At Jersey Shore WBGO
Montclair Parents Write Letter Asking For Support For District-Wide World Languages Instruction BaristaKids
Ridgewood’s Andy Maguire Looks Poised to Take on Scott Garrett Westwood-Hillsdale Patch
FDU Celebrates 70th Commencement [PHOTOS] Teaneck Patch

Fr. Michael Fugee, who made news last month when the Star-Ledger revealed he had been working with children despite a binding legal agreement not to do so, has been arrested.

Media throughout the state reported the story — for good reasons.

Fugee’s story resonates across at least three counties — from Bergen County where he originally faced trial (thus garnering reporting from The Record and CliffviewPilot), to Essex County where Archbishop John J. Myers had appointed and defended him (and where Mark Mueller of The Star-Ledger broke the story), to Monmouth County where Fugee was allegedly violating the terms of his agreement.

A projected $760 million revenue shortfall for Fiscal Year 2013 and 2014 will undercut Gov. Christie’s hopes to provide an election year tax cut, reports the non-partisan Office of Legislative Services. The governor contests the findings.

Meanwhile, the governor also caused a stir when he stated that there was no proof that Superstorm Sandy was caused by climate change.

NJ is providing more weird news for the rest of the country. An Asbury Park Press story on a 87-year-old Toms River man who built a replica of Yankee’s Stadium out of matchsticks is showing up on other Gannett sites — such as Cincinnati.com.

Just in time for Memorial Day, New Jersey media are providing extensive coverage on the Jersey Shore’s big summer season opening weekend.

The Record has a full package, which includes an interactive map, a story on how Memorial Day weekend looms large for the Jersey Shore where many towns have pushed to return to normalcy, and a story on how beach businesses are battling perception.

The Star-Ledger has a story by Paul Mulshine on the Shore’s readiness and its own Shore guide.

NewsWorks has announced that its radio program Newsworks Tonight will broadcast from the Ocean City boardwalk on Friday, May 24 from 6-6:30 p.m. For more information on the show, visit here. If you are not in the South Jersey/Philadelphia listening area, you can stream the program live.

Meanwhile, there’s loads of substantive reporting on Sandy recovery: The Record and NJPR continue their examination of NJ Transit’s response to the superstorm. APPonline.tv has a number of post-Sandy videos posted. NJTV follows up on the $300 million buyout program announced by the governor last Thursday.

Watch Turning Sandy Debris Into Art on PBS. See more from NJToday.

In other news:

In the wake of an incident where a student attempted to bring a BB gun to a Montclair school last month (a story that has been covered by Patch and The Montclair Times as well as BaristaKids), BaristaKids has been running a poll asking parents if they ask about guns in the home before sending their children on a play date.

And we have a small smattering of health care stories: NJ Spotlight reports on a new CO-OP established under the Affordable Care Act that hopes to provide affordable, consumer-friendly health insurance in the state; and The New York Times reports that a New Jersey hospital has the highest billing rates in the nation.

A guide to the Jersey Shore The Record
In Sandy’s wake, Memorial Day weekend looms large for the Jersey Shore The Record
Food and fun still await beach-goers at the Jersey Shore this Memorial Day weekend The Record
Ready or not, here comes summer at the Shore Star-Ledger*
2013 Shore Guide: Beach information Star-Ledger*
Superstorm Sandy Town Hall highlights weaknesses in infrastructure  NewsWorks/WHYY
Sayreville Residents Waiting for Details of $300 Million Buyout Plan NJTV*
Turning Sandy Debris Into Art NJTV*
NJ, Louisiana share flood map worry APPOnline.tv
New Jersey Hospital Has Highest Billing Rates in the Nation New York Times
Health Insurance ‘David’ Aspires to Stand Up to ‘Goliaths’ NJ Spotlight*
NJ Transit storm plan was sparse for superstorm Sandy The Record
New Jersey Transit Ignored Climate Change Warnings NJPR
Student brings BB gun onto Montclair school bus The Montclair Times
Barista Kids Poll: Do You Ask Parents If They Have a Gun in The Home Before a Playdate? BaristaKids
Glenfield Middle School Principal Resigns Over BB Gun Incident Montclair Patch
UPDATED: Student Found Carrying BB Gun in Backpack at Glenfield School in Montclair BaristaKids
Murdered 12-year-old is latest victim in spasm of gun violence in Jersey City The Jersey Journal*
Funds went untapped for Camden police Philadelphia Inquirer
Rutgers graduates largest class in school history Associated Press
New Jersey moves toward online gambling with proposed regulations Reuters

Tickets to join the audience at Monmouth University are available; click here to find out more.

Follow the conversation on twitter with the hashtag: #sandytownhall.

Meanwhile, this livestreaming video is available to embed:

While the dismantling of the iconic Jet Star roller coaster and a royal visit brought more attention to Sandy-ravaged towns on the Jersey Shore yesterday, WNYC chose to focus on a non-Shore town in its ongoing Sandy coverage today.

Scott Gurian’s report on the Bergen County borough of Moonachie chronicles how the town is still operating out of a trailer and much rebuilding is left to complete.

Gurian’s report follows on some other notable non-Shore coverage of Sandy destruction — including stories by News Channel 12 and WNYC and The Record’s coverage of NJ Transit’s response to the storm.

Meanwhile, the focus on Sandy will continue tomorrow as multiple media outlets collaborate to televise and livestream “Superstorm Sandy: A Live Town Hall” on Thursday, May 16 at 8:00 p.m. The Town Hall will be broadcast on NJTV, THIRTEEN in New York City, WLIW21 on Long Island, and WHYY TV in Philadelphia. NJ Today’s Mike Schneider and a panel of experts will be “addressing the issues and questions raised as a result of the recent storm and recovery efforts” in front of live audiences at Monmouth University and the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center.

Tickets to join the audience at Monmouth University are available; click here to find out more.

In other news: NJ property taxes hit a new high, the Inquirer talks gun control proposals and NRA donations, a West Jersey tea party group reports that it was targeted by the IRS, and there is election news throughout the state — notably in Jersey City and Hackensack.

Here’s the full roundup of the best in New Jersey news coverage today:

Sandy’s ‘Forgotten Child’ Struggles to Recover WNYC
When Harry met Christie: Prince tours the Jersey Shore Asbury Park Press
Prince Harry Views Destruction, Walks The Boardwalk During Shore Visit Brick Patch
Prince Harry Greeted With Cheers and Gratitude at the Jersey Shore NJTV*
Razing begins on Jet Star roller coaster Courier-Post
New Jersey Transit Ignored Climate Change Warnings WNYC
Mayor-elect Fulop: I’ll work hard for supporters, win trust of opponents Jersey Journal*
Opposition slate sweeps in Hackensack Council elections The Record
Winners and Losers: Tuesday is Election Day PolitickerNJ
Report: Property taxes hit new high in New Jersey The Record
West Jersey Tea Party Targeted By IRS WBGO News
Plastic Surgeons, Dermatologists Face Off Over Cosmetic Procedures NJ Spotlight*
Education Department Gets Better Grades From District Supers NJ Spotlight*
As Christie prepped guns plan, NRA sent cash Philadelphia Inquirer
Chief of Camden’s New Police Force Says Community Policing Is Key to Public Safety NJTV*
NJ governor discusses his weight Associated Press

While major media were running wild covering Prince Harry’s visit to the Shore this week, one local media editor was less than impressed.

Jerry DeMarco of CliffviewPilot penned a bitter bit about Harry’s visit, writing that Harry “didn’t roll up his sleeves and try to help fix up any of the 360,000 or so New Jersey homes or apartments damaged by the storm” nor did he host or attend any fundraisers for Sandy recovery. DeMarco called the visit “a weekday publicity stunt” that yielded merely “pompous circumstance.”

But if you are wild about Harry, Brick Patch has some video and photos.

On Princeton Patch, Local Editor Greta Cuyler did a little investigative work to show how the Princeton police chief was being allowed to keep nearly $20,000 worth of town-owned equipment for up to six months while no longer on the job.

In Livingston, The Alternative Press has been following the story of a SWAT drill near a local school that ended in an altercation between the township administrator and public safety personnel. Apparently, township staff were not fully informed about the exercise. There is now a pending lawsuit between the administrator and the Livingston Police Department, according to The Alternative Press-Livingston.

In other local news:

• The Alternative Press-Westfield looks at the growing popularity of triathlons in the state — with a focus on a club in Westfield.
• Jersey Tomato Press reports that we are about to be plagued by cicadas because of the massive reduction in numbers of their predator — the large brown bat.
• On The Alternative Press-West Essex, Carolyn Volpe Curley has put together a series of articles on the New Jersey Dept. of Education’s School Reports and how they relate to the 14 schools in West Essex.
• Blogfinger has a lovely profile of Harry Eichorn, who is beginning his 61st season as conductor of the Ocean Grove Summer Band.
• Hoboken Girl has a photo spread of summer fashions all purchased from local vendors.

Here’s our complete list of the best in local reporting in New Jersey this week:

Wild about nothing: Prince Harry hits the Jersey Shore CliffviewPilot*
Prince Harry Views Destruction, Walks The Boardwalk During Shore Visit Brick Patch
Ousted Police Chief Still Has Nearly $17K Worth of Taxpayer-Funded Equipment Princeton Patch
Police Chief’s Car Returned to Princeton Princeton Patch
Livingston Township Investigates Unannounced SWAT Team Exercise; Charges Filed Against Township Manager The Alternative Press-Livingston
Police Reports Paint Conflicting Picture of Livingston SWAT Exercise – Was Township Administrator Meade the Aggressor or Victim? The Alternative Press-Livingston
PBA Attends Council Meeting to Make Comment on April 19 SWAT Exercise The Alternative Press-Livingston
Westfield-Area Athletes Push it to the Limit with Central Jersey Tri Club The Alternative Press-Westfield
Brandon Rudat-One Man Many Missions! Newark Now
How Englewood police smashed brothel, drug den in senior citizens complex CliffviewPilot*
Governor Christie Makes Unannounced Visit to Seaside Heights Ocean County Signal
Major Invasion of Cicadias is coming to our area Jersey Tomato Press
Fourteen Area School Performance Reports Explored in Depth The Alternative Press-West Essex
A Man For Many Seasons: Harry Eichorn, Musician Blogfinger
Day school funders tout long-term giving New Jersey Jewish News
SURVEY: What Are Your Biggest Accomplishments Over the Past Year? HobokenGirl

The choice of former Rutgers star and NBA player Eddie Jordan to lead the Rutgers basketball team was supposed to lead the university out of controversy in the post-Mike Rice era.

However, after a weekend of revelations, those dreams seem to have collapsed: The website Deadspin revealed on Friday that Jordan never earned his degree from Rutgers as had been stated by Jordan and the university. The story was quickly picked up by other outlets like The New York Times. Soon, the university was backpedaling, as documented by outlets such as NJTV. Today, the Star-Ledger covers a sub-controversy of the controversy (was Rutgers right in releasing Jordan’s transcripts?) and a Fox Sports opinion piece calls the debacle “inevitable” in an “academic-athletic system comfortably indifferent to the education of the under-educated athletes it relies on to fuel a multi-billion-dollar television contract.”

WNYC continues its excellent collaboration with The Record comparing NJ Transit and the MTA’s storm preparedness related to Superstorm Sandy. Brian Lehrer interviewed the reporters here and WNYC posted listeners’ responses here.

The Jersey Shore is in the news in more ways today: Prince Harry visits and the iconic Jet Star roller coaster will finally be demolished.  Other post-Sandy stories proliferate, from effects on the summer labor force to Assembly Democrats calling for a coastal commission to oversee Shore reconstruction.

Rutgers Coach Never Completed Degree New York Times
Misrepresentation of Eddie Jordan’s Academic Credentials Keeps Rutgers From Moving On NJTV*
Eddie Jordan fiasco speaks volumes FOXSports
Rutgers did not err in releasing coach Eddie Jordan’s student records, school says Star-Ledger*
Listeners: NJ Transit Needs Overhaul WNYC
After Sandy: A Tale of Two Transit Systems WNYC
Father of Toms River child who fatally shot 6-year-old charged with endangerment STar-Ledger*
Father of Toms River 4-year-old who shot, killed Brandon Holt, 6, charged Asbury Park Press
Wild about Harry: Locals can’t wait for prince’s visit Asbury Park Press
Sandy’s effects diminish summer labor force at N.J. Shore WHYY/Newsworks
New Jersey may require instruction on social media for middle-school kids WHYY/Newsworks
Jet Star to be removed from ocean today Asbury Park Press
Assembly candidate smokes pot to protest state’s marijuana laws Times of Trenton*
Legislature may mandate recess in public schools Jersey Journal*
Jersey City’s Newport 10K race draws runners with fresh memories of Boston bombings  Jersey Journal*
Autopsy for second body in Trenton hostage standoff scheduled for today Times of Trenton*
Lakewood yeshiva teacher pleads guilty to sex assault Asbury Park Press
Jersey City voters cast ballots for mayor Associated Press
Democrats Want Coastal Commission to Oversee Rebuilding of Jersey Shore NJ Spotlight*
Booker Talks Newark’s Dark Fiber, Startups and Gov. 2.0 at TechVoice Breakfast New Jersey Tech Weekly*

It’s an New Jersey news ecosystem dream come true: Two major news outlets collaborating on some serious reporting serving New Jersey.

In this instance, it’s WNYC and The Record putting their collective heads together to report on NJ Transit’s storm preparation for Superstorm Sandy. The comprehensive stories talk to transit officials and weather experts, utilize documents obtained through open records filings, and benefit from audio and interactive maps.

A major story unfolded this weekend in Trenton where a police standoff in  a hostage situation spanned three days and was ultimately resolved on Sunday when police shot the suspect dead. Inside the home were two dead (the decomposing body of the family’s mother and the body of her 13-year-old son), three more children alive — although there are suggestions by police that the girls were assaulted and abused — and one adult child living in the basement who is autistic. The standoff began when police conducted a wellness visit of the home when relatives reported no one had seen the owner in 12 days.

Why did this story garner so little attention in the national press? Is it because the Cleveland stories of the three captive women is still dominating headlines? Perhaps. This morning on CNN.com, the Cleveland suspects’ brothers take the top story, while the Trenton hostage story is buried far below — fifth in the queue under “More Top Stories.”

Prince Harry mania has officially begun: The Asbury Park Press recalls the last visit by British royals to the Jersey Shore and The Record provides a humorous tourist’s guide for Harry to use during his visit — which is, by the way, tomorrow.

Prince Harry’s Jersey Shore visit brings royalty back after 74 years Asbury Park Press
Ervolino: Yo, Majesty! Advice for Prince Harry on visiting N.J. The Record
Jersey Shore Relatives of Man Who Identified Boston Marathon Bomber Holding Benefit Manchester Patch
Ocean County Freeholders Oppose Bill that Would Permit County Controlled Beaches Brick Patch
Sandy Volunteer ‘Quartering’ Ordinance Passes in Brick Brick Patch
NJ Supreme Court to hear beach dune case News Channel 12
N.J. State Police trooper who led ‘Death Race 2012′ escort sentenced to one year probation Star-Ledger*

Courting the Latino vote is growing more important throughout the state as the Latino population grows: NJTV also reports on the importance of that demographic in the Jersey City mayoral race, and The Times of Trenton has a story on how the town of Hamilton is welcoming its burgeoning Latino population.

A day after Paige Aiello’s body was identified (Aiello died from an apparent suicide jump from the George Washington Bridge) and the death of a Passaic County Technical Institute student from suicide, the NJ suicide hotline received 300 calls on its first day of service.

In a fast moving story this morning, News 12 New Jersey seems to be the first to report that the vest exploded by police in Clifton was a movie prop. Read the story here.

NJTV Managing Editor Mike Schneider wrote the lyrics and Executive Producer Phil Alongi provided the lungs as they presented an updated classic for Gov. Christie at Tuesday night’s NJ Legislative Correspondents Annual Show. Watch here:

And we leave you with two events to promote:

1. Area public television stations are teaming up to present Superstorm Sandy: A Live Town Hall on Thursday, May 16 at 8:00 p.m. on NJTV, New Jersey’s public television network, THIRTEEN in New York City, WLIW21 on Long Island, WHYY TV in Philadelphia, as well as on their websites, in collaboration with other regional media outlets. Tickets to join the audience at Monmouth University are available; click here to find out more.

2. On May 15 at 2 p.m. Knight Digital Media Center is offering the webinar “Open Data, Open Government, and Civic Participation: Five Projects Any Community Can Try”. Register here.

Superstorm Sandy: A Live Town Hall: What worked. What didn’t. What’s next. NJTV*
AshBritt’s ‘Ambiguous’ Contract Resulted in Extra Charges, Report Says Toms River Patch
What’s the Going Price for a Dune on the Jersey Shore? NJ Spotlight*
Auctioning Comics to Restore Jersey Shore Staple Post-Sandy WNYC News
Latino population in Hamilton has doubled since 2000 Times of Trenton*
In Ironbound, Buono Proclaims She Is Latina in Her Heart NJTV*
Latino Voters Seen As Key to Mayor’s Race in Jersey City NJTV*
Gun bills clear N.J. Senate panel Associated Press
Police detonate ‘suspicious vest’ found at Clifton pawn shop Associated Press
Explosion reported in Clifton Star-Ledger*
Police: Device found in Clifton was movie prop News 12 New Jersey
Joel Mateo, the PCTI student, pronounced dead Paterson Times
Paige Aiello’s family recalls ‘cherished’ TCNJ tennis captain as ‘glue that kept everyone together’ The Times*
New N.J. suicide hotline gets 300 calls in first days Philadelphia Inquirer
Letter backs Mahwah’s claim on Joyce Kilmer poem ‘Trees’ The Record
No portly presidents: Why Christie’s Lap-Band decision carries weight in political world Star-Ledger*
Christie Gets Bariatric Surgery to Slim Down, But Many Candidates Lack Access to Procedure WNYC News
Measure Would Help First Responders Get Workers Comp WBGO News