How soon might Gov. Murphy take action on new COVID-curbing measures? — Top News for 11/6

Joe Biden has pulled ahead of President Trump in Georgia, and widens his lead in Arizona as votes continue to be counted. But Nevada remains tight, and Georgia has not been called yet and likely won't be for a while — which means all eyes are turning to Pennsylvania this morning. The President is still clinging to a lead there.

With New Jersey's COVID-19 health metrics going in the wrong direction. Gov. Murphy says he's close to taking action to slow the spread, although the Governor didn't indicate what those measures might be.

A couple of Jersey races remain too close to call, including the 2nd Congressional District and, at the state level, the special elections for the 25th Legislative District.

New Jersey's results are, of course, still unofficial, but it appears they will be historic. Gov. Murphy says more than 4 million ballots were cast in New Jersey, which would be the most in state history and representative of over 60% of Jersey's 6.5 million registered voters. In 2016, 3.96 million people voted in the Garden State.

Dozens of prisoners slated for early release from New Jersey prisons this week are back behind bars after federal immigration authorities took them into custody. ICE officials in Newark said they detained 88 inmates, describing them as violent offenders. The prisons released more than 2,000 inmates in a pandemic related move; only nonviolent offenders were supposed to be eligible.

After one day in effect, is your employer following New Jersey's new COVID safety rules? If they're not giving workers masks, frequently sterilizing high-touch surfaces, and giving everybody breaks to wash their hands, the state Department of Labor wants to hear from you.

Gov. Murphy says New Jersey's mail-in ballot system worked out pretty well, but he wants to give voters additional options the next time there's an election.

You've heard plenty about the U.S. Postal Service in the last couple of months...now hear this. A USPS report identifies eight people in Edison, among them town council and school board members according to MyCentralJersey.com, who were allegedly behind the creation and distribution of racist campaign flyers you may remember from a 2017 school board election.

Thanks to a new personal protective equipment access program launched by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, small businesses can now purchase discounted gloves, masks, gowns, and whatever else they need to stay open and protect staff and customers.

COVID-19 cases continue to go up in schools, but considering the number of school districts throughout the state, the cases are relatively low.

Patrick Lavery is New Jersey 101.5's afternoon news anchor. Follow him on Twitter @plavery1015 or email patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com.