Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show on Thursday:

The lame duck session of the legislature is always one of the most dangerous times in Trenton.

That is the few weeks before the election in November and when the new governor and legislature assumes power in January.

It's the time when controversial and unpopular legislation is often passed, because the outgoing governor and legislative members have nothing to lose. (Think of Chris Christie's gas tax hike.)

Rumors have been circulating for days about another possible tax hike. This would involve the sales tax. Multiple sources have told me Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill has been pressing fellow Democrats to raise the sales tax to 7% and possibly expand it in order to raise much needed revenue.

But Sherrill also doesn't want to have her administration soiled with a tax hike right out of the gate.

During her campaign for governor, Sherrill accused GOP candidate Jack Ciattarelli of planning to raise and expand the sales tax.

How ironic would it be if it is actually Sherrill who was now scheming to raise the sales tax and do it in a way that she can claim "it wasn't me."

⬛ Freehold teen charged in Howell attack and Jackson stabbing

🚨 A Freehold teen faces two separate sets of charges in Howell and Jackson
🚨 Jaden Thompson is charged in attack on mom while she pushed her son in a stroller
🚨 He fled a Jackson stabbing only to be picked up in Edison

HOWELL — A man charged in the attempted murder of a woman faces a separate set of charges in another violent incident in which he choked a woman who was pushing a toddler in a stroller.

Jaden Thompson, 18, of Freehold Township, approached a woman from behind as she was pushing her 2-year-old child in a stroller on Pinewood Road on Nov. 17, police said. The woman was put in a choke hold, thrown to the ground and then screamed as her assailant ran off.

Thompson is charged with simple assault and endangering the welfare of a child in the case. He was already being held in the Ocean County Jail after his arrest in the stabbing in Jackson on Thanksgiving night.

⬛ Botulism outbreak tied to infant formula grows: What to know

Nearly 40 babies have been sickened in an infant botulism outbreak tied to contaminated formula, federal health officials say.

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday reported 39 cases of confirmed or suspected illness in 18 states, including New Jersey, among babies who consumed ByHeart formula since August. The most recent illness occurred on Nov. 19.

No deaths have been reported in the outbreak, which was announced Nov. 8.

ByHeart, a New York-based manufacturer of organic infant formula, recalled all its products sold in the U.S. on Nov. 11. The company, which accounts for about 1% of the U.S. infant formula market, had been selling about 200,000 cans of the product each month.

⬛ New Central Jersey Wawa giving away free coffee

A new Wawa is opening this morning on Centennial Ave. in Piscataway. There will be plenty of fanfare and freebies when the doors open at 8 a.m.

This is from the Wawa website:

Wawa Celebrates Grand Opening of New Store in Piscataway with Free Coffee and Holiday Flavors

Festivities include free t-shirts for the first 100 customers, free any size hot coffee, hoagie building competition between local first responders, and ribbon cutting.

Wawa is inviting customers to a grand opening event to celebrate associates, customers, and the community on Thursday, December 4th.

Festivities begin at 7:55 a.m. with Wawa General Manager Nicholas Bloodgood doing the honors of counting down the moment when the doors open for the very first time at 8:00 a.m.

There will be free Wawa t-shirts for the first 100 customers, as supplies last, and free any size hot coffee through Sunday, December 7th.

⬛ Is a hike in the sales tax coming for NJ?

New Jersey’s lame duck legislative session has a reputation for surprises — and rarely the pleasant kind. Veterans of Trenton politics know these post-election weeks are when controversial ideas resurface, often pushed through by outgoing lawmakers with little political fallout. And this year, one rumor is dominating the chatter: a possible return to a 7% sales tax.

According to multiple sources and public accusations from Republican Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill has been quietly urging Democratic leaders to consider raising the current 6.624% sales tax back to 7% — and possibly expanding it. To continue the record spending spree started by Gov. Phil Murphy, Sherrill apparently wants the fiscal boost but not the political stain of launching her administration with a tax hike, leaving lame duck as the perfect window for action.

Fantasia didn’t mince words, framing the move as a return to a long-standing dream of Gov. Phil Murphy. Murphy has repeatedly tried to restore the 7% rate or expand the sales-tax base, though Democrats blocked those proposals in the most recent budget cycle.

⬛ These convicted killers got released early from NJ prison

🔴 Gov. Murphy has freed 31 inmates convicted of murder, felony murder, or aggravated manslaughter
🔴 The governor says more pardons and commutations are on the way

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is releasing hundreds of inmates from state prison, including convicted murderers, in his last days in office.

On Dec. 16, 2024, Murphy announced his first pardons and commutations since the creation of his Clemency Advisory Board.

Three convicted killers were among the 36 individuals who received clemency actions. Murphy said those three individuals, all women, had either received excessive sentences or were victims of violence at home.

The governor's pardons have only accelerated in the last 12 months. In November alone, he granted clemency to 23 killers.

In total, he's freed 31 inmates who have been convicted of felony murder, murder, and aggravated manslaughter. Each individual is subject to five years of parole supervision after release.

Click the link to see who was granted a pardon or had their sentences commuted by Gov. Murphy.

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You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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