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

⬛ NJ man used dead sister's company to steal $3.4M, officials say

🔴 New Jersey man charged with $3.4M Medicaid fraud scheme
🔴 Prosecutors say he filed over 34,000 bogus claims
🔴 Vicente Lopez also owes nearly $100,000 in taxes to New Jersey, officials say

EAST ORANGE — A North Jersey man is accused of taking control of his dead sister's company and using it to ransack the Medicaid program, according to authorities.

Vicente Lopez, 63, was indicted by a New Jersey grand jury on nine offenses earlier this month.

He is charged with second-degree healthcare claims fraud, second-degree theft by deception, third-degree Medicaid fraud, three counts of third-degree failure to pay tax, and three counts of third-degree filing a fraudulent tax return.

Lopez took control of his sister's company after she died in 2021. He posted Facebook videos in May 2021 announcing that he was the chief executive officer.

Lopez used his position as CEO to make $3.4 million through filing fraudulent Medicaid claims, according to the Attorney General's Office.

⬛ Emotional Jimmy Kimmel says in late-night return he never intended to make light of Kirk’s killing

NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmy Kimmel returned to late-night television Tuesday after a nearly weeklong suspension and, in an emotional monologue where he appeared close to tears, said that he wasn’t trying to joke about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

“I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind, but I do want to make something clear, because it’s important to me as a human and that is, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”

He added that he wasn’t trying to blame any specific group “for the actions of what ... was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make.” He said he understood his remarks last week to some “felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.”

Kimmel admitted that he was mad when ABC suspended him, but praised his bosses for putting him back on the air. “Unjustly, this puts them at risk.”

He mocked Trump for criticizing him for bad ratings. “He tried his best to cancel me and instead he forced millions of people to watch this show,” Kimmel said.

⬛ NJ PBS could go dark in 2026

💲NJ PBS could go off the air in 2026 as WNET ends its agreement
💲 Federal and state funding cuts are squeezing local public media

Big Bird, Daniel the Tiger and the Odd Squad may have to find a new home in New Jersey next year.

New York City PBS station WNET Thirteen will not renew its agreement to operate New Jersey PBS, according to a statement from NJ PBS.

The nightly newscasts witth NJ Spotlight will continue to air as usual until June 30, 2026. After that, WNET says it will continue to air a daily New Jersey-based newscast on Channel 13 after the partnership ends next year.

"At the same time, WNET is committed to supporting the state through this transition and looks forward to collaborating with New Jersey based institutions interested in operating a public television network," NJ PBS said in a statement.

⬛ New Jersey experts react to autism claims from White House

💊 NJ reacts to controversial autism claims by federal leaders
💊RFK Jr. and Trump link Tylenol to autism — experts push back
💊Acetaminophen safety reignites other drug warnings for prenatal care

With one of the nation’s highest rates of autism, New Jersey is digesting this week’s claims about what causes the neurodevelopmental condition.

“By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic,” Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in April, on camera and shared by PBS Newshour.

“There will be no bigger news conference than that,” President Donald Trump responded, sitting alongside his cabinet members.

Trump said they believe autism is caused by a pregnant person’s use of acetaminophen, mentioning the drug multiple times by the brand name Tylenol.

Advocacy and medical organizations responded by saying that multiple rigorous studies have not shown such a connection between prenatal acetaminophen use and the cause of autism.

Autism New Jersey, which runs the help line 800-4-AUTISM, said there is a constant volume of calls from “people trying to understand and make the most informed decisions about what is right for their child,” Autism New Jersey Executive Director Suzanne Buchanan said Tuesday.

⬛ NJ drivers brace for peak animal crash season as deer go wild

🔴 New Jersey drivers face a 1 in 226 chance of hitting an animal on the road.
🔴 Risk spikes in October and November.
🔴 Experts warn of catapult crashes where deer are launched into other vehicles.

The most dangerous months on New Jersey roads are just days away, and drivers need to keep their eyes open for animals and other critters.

As any true New Jerseyan knows, the vast majority of animal collisions involve deer. But other animals like squirrels, dogs, and even cows are also getting hit.

There's a 1 in 226 chance that a driver in New Jersey hits an animal on the road, according to a new report from State Farm. The national average is 1 in 139.

That puts New Jersey at 39th in the nation for risk of an animal collision, despite residents' gripes with the number of deer roaming the streets in the Garden State

And there were around 30,000 New Jersey animal collisions from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.

Start your day with up-to-the-minute news, traffic and weather for the Garden State.

The New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show airs from 6 - 10 a.m. on New Jersey 101.5.

Join the conversation by calling 1-800-283-1015 or download the NJ101.5 app.

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

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