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

In the final weeks before Election Day in New Jersey, there is concerning news for both Jack Ciattarelli and Mikie Sherrill.

A new poll from Quinnipiac University has Democrat Sherrill holding onto a 6-point lead  over Republican Ciattarelli (50-44).

However, supporters and likely voters are more enthusiastic about Ciattarelli than they are about Sherrill.

Sherrill also got some bad news from a panel of New Jersey Experts assembled by the New York Times to examine the governor's race.  Even though the panel had more Democrats than Republicans, they could not agree on who would be the better choice on Election Day.

The panel rated Ciattarelli a 4.6 out of 10, just a hair above Sherrill’s 4.5.

Keep scrolling for the latest election news and to learn why the NYT panel was so divided.

⬛ NJ couple accused of letting kids live in filthy home

🚨 Lyndhurst couple charged after kids, dogs found in filthy, unsafe home
🚨 Police called for wellness check; found drugs, feces, and starving pets
🚨 Parents face child endangerment, neglect, and possible animal cruelty charges

LYNDHURST — A husband and wife were facing neglect and child endangerment charges after their children were found living in squalor.

On Sunday after 11 p.m., Lyndhurst police responded to a wellness check at a first-floor apartment.

Sarafina “Sara” Gorfinkle had been taken to rehab at New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus before the check of the home she shares with James Michael Wapinsky.

It was found to be “totally uninhabitable.”

The filth was so extreme that responding officers found the situation “emotionally disturbing,” Lyndhurst Capt. Paul Haggerty said in a release sent to NJ 101.5.

Human children appeared to be unkept, police said, while two dogs, a husky and a pitbull, both appeared to be starving.

Drug paraphernalia was visible and the entire apartment had foul smells and dog poop all over.

⬛ Mystery surrounds ousting of New Jersey school boards leader

🔴 Tammeisha Smith was removed from the top post after a 19-4 vote.
🔴 The NJSBA refuses to disclose details of what led to her ousting
🔴 A former leader is stepping in temporarily as the organization faces scrutiny.

TRENTON — A lack of answers overshadows the ousting of the president of the New Jersey School Boards Association.

Tammeisha Smith was removed from her position for violating the NJSBA code of conduct, the New Jersey Globe reported.

Headquartered in Trenton, the NJSBA provides state-mandated training to the school board members of 580 school districts.

The NJSBA says she broke an oath that she signed when taking the top job. The oath reads:

“I refuse to surrender my independent judgment to special interests or use my position or title of office for personal or financial gain, or for the personal or financial gain of others."

However, the organization refuses to say exactly what she did that warranted a 19-4 vote on Friday to oust her.

⬛ New York Times panel gives Mikie Sherrill cold shoulder

⚡ New York Times panel of New Jersey leaders couldn’t agree on Mikie Sherrill or Jack Ciattarelli
⚡️ Even with more Democrats on the panel, Sherrill failed to win favor
⚡ The back-and-forth over Trump, taxes and Trenton revealed both candidates’ weaknesses

Not even a panel loaded with Democrats could enthusiastically endorse Democratic Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill for governor of New Jersey.

That may not bode well for Sherrill, whose polling averages amount to a dead heat with Republican Jack Ciattarelli. In keeping with the polls, the New York Times' 11-member group couldn’t agree on a clear winner.

But this may not be a headline that Ciattarelli could tout before Nov. 4, either.

The panel rated Ciattarelli a 4.6 out of 10, just a hair above Sherrill’s 4.5.

The group included an array of New Jersey figures, from Curtis Bashaw, a Cape May hotel owner who once ran for a U.S. Senate seat as a Republican, to a Rutgers professor, a labor leader and an Asbury Park restaurateur. While the panel included a mix of registered Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliated voters, it was stacked with Democrats.

⬛ Gas-fed inferno erupts in Hillside auto shop, chemicals fill air

🔥Massive fire in Hillside destroys six businesses and displaces 19 people overnight
🔥Explosion in auto body shop sparks inferno fueled by gas tanks and ruptured line
🔥Mayor urges residents with breathing issues to stay indoors

HILLSIDE — A massive fire that started in an auto body shop destroyed six businesses and displaced nearly two dozen people on Tuesday night with firefighters still on scene 12 hours later.

Mayor Dahlia Verteese said the fire was started around 6:30 p.m. by an explosion inside an auto body shop on Maple Avenue. It was fueled by exploding gas tanks from the many cars, flammable chemicals and a ruptured gas line that created thick black smoke that was visible 4 miles away at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Fox 5 New York reported that some of the explosions were so strong they shook nearby buildings. Verteese said it was the township's second-worst fire in 18 years.

"It's a wide range of products burning and then you have the structure itself on top of that. There's a gas line that ruptured so it's a gas fed fire so it's multiple modalities going on right now to make it difficult," Hillside Fire Chief Rashawn Carey told reporters.

⬛ Storm of Rate Hikes: Over 50 N.J. Insurers Just Got Green Light

🌀 Insurance storm brewing: Nearly half of N.J. homeowners insurers seek rate hikes in 2025
📈 Dozens of companies approved for major increases — some over 20%
🏠 Homeowners urged to shop around as more rate hikes loom

New Jersey homeowners are facing a harsh new reality as nearly half of the state’s 127 homeowners insurance companies have filed for rate increases in 2025 — with more than 50 already receiving state approval.

It is yet another blow to the affordability in the Garden State and comes just as New Jersey will elect a new governor in November.

A new analysis by NJ.com found the steepest approved increase so far was granted to Founders Insurance, which secured a staggering 23.6% hike — the highest green-lit rate. Farmers Property and Casualty wasn’t far behind, with a 21.6% increase approved after it initially requested nearly 31%. Meanwhile, St. Paul Protective, a subsidiary of Travelers, asked for a massive 40% hike but received a scaled-down 19.8% bump.

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.

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

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