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

Sandra and I recently scrapped plans to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, in part, due to the massive flight delays caused by the government shutdown.

It seems like anyone who has an airline ticket is gambling on whether the flight will actually take-off, or if it will be one of thousands of flights that are being cancelled every day.

We heard from a number of listeners on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show this week who have endured cancellations or long delays at Newark airport.

And here's the thing: Even if the shutdown ends this week, the fix will not be immediate. It could take weeks for all of the air traffic controllers to returns to work.

Controllers are not being paid during the shutdown, and many have had to take a second job to pay their bills.

Its hard to blame them. Would you be happy going to work in one of the highest stress jobs on the planet for no money? Would you want a controller who is stressed over how they are going to pay the mortgage directing your flight?

Keep scrolling for the details on plans to end the shutdown and how long it will take to correct the current air travel chaos.

⬛ Senate approves bill to end the shutdown

❎ Senate approves bill to end the shutdown, now goes to the House

❎ 'We’re going to be opening up our country very quickly,' Trump says

❎ Airport delays to persist

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed legislation Monday to reopen the government, bringing the longest shutdown in history closer to an end as a small group of Democrats ratified a deal with Republicans despite searing criticism from within their party.

The 41-day shutdown could last a few more days as members of the House, which has been on recess since mid-September, return to Washington to vote on the legislation. President Donald Trump has signaled support for the bill, saying Monday that “we’re going to be opening up our country very quickly.”

The final Senate vote, 60-40, broke a grueling stalemate that lasted more than six weeks as Democrats demanded that Republicans negotiate with them to extend health care tax credits that expire Jan. 1. The Republicans never did, and five moderate Democrats eventually switched their votes as federal food aid was delayed, airport delays worsened and hundreds of thousands of federal workers continued to go unpaid.

⬛ Flight cancellations will drag on even after shutdown ends

✈ Thousands of flights are being cancelled daily during the shutdown

✈ It will get worse, even if the shutdown ends this week

✈ President Trump threatens air traffic controllers who don't show up for work

Air travelers should expect worsening cancellations and delays this week even if the government shutdown ends, as the Federal Aviation Administration rolls out deeper cuts to flights at 40 major U.S. airports, officials said Monday.

The fourth day of the flight restrictions saw airlines scrap over 2,300 flights Monday and more than 1,000 flights set for takeoff Tuesday. Unpaid for more than a month, some air traffic controllers have begun calling out of work, citing stress and the need to take on second jobs.

President Donald Trump took to social media on Monday to pressure controllers to “get back to work, NOW!!!” He called for a $10,000 bonus for those who’ve stayed on the job and suggested docking pay for those who haven’t.

The head of the controllers union says its members are being used as a “political pawn” in the shutdown fight.

⬛ Murphy frees 11 convicted killers, pardons 29 others

🔴 Gov. Murphy grants 48 pardons and commutations, including to convicted killers
🔴 11 people convicted of murder or manslaughter to be released under supervision
🔴 Princeton University students helped 32 clemency applicants

PRINCETON — On Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy granted pardons and commutations to 48 more individuals convicted of crimes ranging from drug possession to the felony murder of a New Jersey bakery owner.

It's Murphy's fourth round of clemency since he created a Clemency Advisory Board in June 2024.

In just over a year, the Murphy administration has granted clemency to 217 individuals, including convicted murderers.

This time, the governor has commuted the sentences of 11 individuals convicted of felony murder, murder, or aggravated manslaughter who are still in prison. And 29 people received full pardons.

Murphy also granted commutations to three men convicted of murder who are already on parole. The sentences of another six individuals convicted of lesser charges, such as armed robbery, were also commuted on Monday.

⬛ Fight outside Linden TGI Fridays leaves one man dead

🚨Man found fatally stabbed outside TGI Fridays in Linden, according to officials
🚨Police investigating deadly Route 1 parking lot attack
🚨Witnesses to the fight are asked to come forward

LINDEN — Polie said one person is dead following a fight outside a TGI Fridays Sunday night.

Linden Police Department Spokesman Capt. Christopher Guenther said one man was found lying on the ground in the parking lot of the eatery on Route 1 at Park Avenue around 10 p.m. He was taken to University Hospital in Newark where he was subsequently pronounced dead.

The victim has been identified by the Union County Prosecutor's Office as 35-year-old Erik Kuns of Keyport. Officials said Kuns was stabbed.

⬛ Teen e-bike rider struck by an alleged drunk driver in Brick

🚗 Brick man accused of driving drunk and leaving crash that injured a teen
🚴‍♂️ 15-year-old boy on e-bike hit and hospitalized with serious injuries
⚖️ Suspect arrested after failing sobriety test; blood results pending

BRICK — An Ocean County man, who police say was intoxicated, was arrested and charged following a crash on Saturday night that seriously injured a teenager riding an electric bicycle.

On Nov. 8, just before 11 p.m., Brick Township police officers responded to a car crash at the intersection of Midstreams Road and Midstreams Place, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.

A Nissan Rogue, driven by William Donohoe, 43, of Brick, was traveling northbound on Midstreams Place when it made a left turn and struck a 15-year-old boy riding an e-bike, according to Billhimer.

The car did not stop, Billhimer said.

While officers were trying to help the teen, Billhimer said officers reported seeing Donohoe walking toward the crash from a “significant distance away.” He was quickly identified as the driver who hit the boy.

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

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