Elderly driver hits gas instead of brake, one dead—NJ Top News
Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show.
🔗 Lavallette crash kills NJ firefighter's wife at restaurant
🚨A 93-year-old driver crashed into Meg's Grill in Lavallette Saturday
🚨Ursula Keating, 56, died and seven people were injured in the crash
🚨Meg's Grill plans to reopen Tuesday after the deadly crash
LAVALLETTE — A 56-year-old woman, the wife of an Ocean County volunteer firefighter, is dead and seven people were injured after a 93-year-old driver crashed into a Jersey Shore restaurant on Saturday.
Lavallette police said that the driver mistakenly pressed the gas instead of the brake while trying to park in front of Meg's Grill on Grand Central Avenue around 11:10 a.m. Her 2014 Buick Encore drove through the outdoor dining area on the sidewalk and into the building.
Tri-County Scanner News and Meg's Grill identified the victim as Ursula Keating, 56, the wife of John Keating, a chief with the Silverton Volunteer Fire Company in Toms River and Manchester Volunteer Fire Company #1.
A GiveInKind campaign has also identified Keating as the victim. The Lakewood Fire Department expressed its condolences to Chief Keating and the Silverton fire company.
No charges have been filed, according to police.
🔗 NJ may ban debit card fees
That little extra fee for paying with plastic may deserve a closer look — especially if you’re using a debit card.
Visa and Mastercard network rules generally prohibit merchants from imposing surcharges on debit-card transactions, even when the card is processed without a PIN. Credit-card surcharges are treated differently and are permitted in New Jersey under certain restrictions.
State lawmakers are also considering legislation that would explicitly prohibit businesses from imposing surcharges on debit and gift-card purchases.
The state Senate passed one version of the proposal in June.
🔗 Equipment failure leads to delays at Newark Airport
More headaches in the skies over Newark.
An equipment failure at the New York-area air traffic control facility slowed flights into Newark Liberty and LaGuardia Sunday morning.
The FAA imposed restrictions while technicians investigated the problem, producing gate holds and taxi delays. The disruption involved equipment at New York TRACON, which helps manage the region’s crowded airspace.
The restrictions were later lifted and operations returned to normal, but FAA technicians continued investigating what caused the failure.
🔗 AI is getting more powerful. This NJ congressman wants guardrails
⚠️ Josh Gottheimer wants national-security reviews before the most powerful AI models are released.
⚠️ Another bill would keep Chinese-developed AI off federal government systems.
⚠️ The proposals come as AI leaders warn that safety measures may be falling behind.
As artificial intelligence becomes more powerful, a New Jersey congressman wants the federal government to create new safety checks before the most advanced AI systems are released.
U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. 5th District, introduced two bills Friday aimed at regulating the use and development of artificial intelligence.
The China FIREWALL Act would ban all federal agencies from using Chinese-developed AI models and software that relies on those models. This bill also bans Chinese AI from all government-issued devices.
Gottheimer's other proposal is the American AI Security Act. In essence, it requires national security reviews of the most powerful AI models before new versions are released. The National Security Agency would have full access to determine if the model could be used to launch a cyberattack or help build chemical, biological, or radiological weapons. Each review would take 30 days, with the option of a single 30-day extension.
"This isn’t about stopping AI or stifling innovation, it is about making sure — with warning signs flashing red — that we can safely deploy AI, and win the race the right way," Gottheimer said.
Gottheimer's proposal comes as worries about AI grow inside and outside the industry and reports continue to emerge about increasingly powerful systems that solve problems beyond human capacity but could also go rogue and carry out other, more harmful tasks.
🔗 ICYMI: Major temporary rail service changes come to NJ Transit as work to open the new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River starts in October.
☑️NJ Transit will cut service between Newark and Secaucus by 50% during the work
☑️ Midtown Direct trains will be diverted to Hoboken for five weeks
☑️The work will complete the switch from the old Portal Bridge to Portal North Bridge
Five weeks of pain for Northeast Corridor rail riders will end a century of delays in October.
NJ Transit and Amtrak announced the final part of cutover work to bring the second and final track from the 116-year-old Portal Bridge to the new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River starting Sunday, October 11 and running through Saturday, November 16. Like earlier this year, the projects will leave only one track available and require temporary schedule adjustments on every rail line except the Atlantic City Line.
Overall, the work will mean a 50% cut in the number of NJ Transit trains between Newark and Secaucus and a 10% reduction in all service. The changes will last for one more week than in the fall because the work is more complicated.
The biggest single impact for riders will be weekday Midtown Direct trains on the Morris & Essex (M&E), Gladstone Branch and Montclair-Boonton Line diverted to Hoboken.
"Five weeks of adjusted schedules will deliver a modern, high-level bridge that ends a century of swing-bridge delays for customers traveling the Northeast Corridor to and from New York," NJ Transit President & CEO Kris Kolluri said. "We worked closely with Amtrak on a service plan that maximizes capacity and keeps every rail line running, and we thank our customers for their patience as we complete the final step of this long-awaited project."
PATH, NY Waterway and NJ Transit buses will cross-honor tickets during the service changes.
NJ Fall Fun Means Sunflowers, Corn Mazes and Pumpkins
Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt
LOOK: Six Flags has an adorable new addition to it's wild safari
Gallery Credit: Mike Brant
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