Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Wednesday:

⬛ New Jersey is freezing: 15 items never to leave in a cold car

Snow in Harrington Park 1/19/25
Snow in Harrington Park 1/19/25 (Allie Marie/Canva)
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All aboard the Arctic Express.

It is January and it is bitterly cold, New Jersey.

After getting hit with a couple of bouts of snow, the state now feels more like the tundra with bone-chilling temperatures, and wind chills making it feel even colder.

New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow said that temperatures this week at least, are among the coldest in quite some time. In fact, according to his research, Zarrow said it looks like it’s the coldest since Christmas Eve 2022 — over two years ago.

⬛ Judge frees NJ teacher accused of getting pregnant by student

Laura Caron
Laura Caron (Cape May County Prosecutor's Office)
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A teacher accused of raping a student who allegedly impregnated her has been released from jail by a judge.

Laura Caron, a fifth-grade teacher at Middle Township Elementary School 2, was arrested and charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree counts of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, according to Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland.

At a detention hearing on Tuesday, Caron's attorney said the investigation was not complete, according to BreakingAC.com coverage. No DNA has been taken to prove the victim is the father of her 5-year-old daughter, according to her attorney.

⬛ Trump tells chief of staff to 'immediately' check on NJ drones

Light believed to be a drone over Hardwick on 1/3/25, President-elect Donald Trump 1/9/25
Light believed to be a drone over Hardwick on 1/3/25 (Glen Helck), President-elect Donald Trump 1/9/25 (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Will President Donald Trump keep his promise to release the story behind what has been flying over New Jersey since November?

On Jan. 9, Trump told Republican governors during a meeting at the Mar-a-Lago club that he would release a report on the drones one day into his administration. He inferred that he had some idea what they were doing and said it was "ridiculous" that the Biden administration wouldn't offer an explanation. (Federal officials under the Biden administration explained that most of the reported sightings were of manned aircraft or stars and that most of the actual drones were legally operated craft.)

⬛ Sicknick family says Trump Jan. 6 pardon a ‘betrayal of decency'

Image of late U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick in the Capitol Rotunda 2/2/21, Supporters of President Donald Trump at the Capitol on 1/6/21
Image of late U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick in the Capitol Rotunda 2/2/21 (Brendan Smialowski/Pool via AP, File), Supporters of President Donald Trump at the Capitol on 1/6/21 (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
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The brother of New Jersey native Brian Sicknick, a U.S. Capitol police officer who died following the January 6, 2021, attack on the capitol, told ABC News that President Donald Trump’s pardon of 1,500 defendants is a "betrayal of decency."

Sicknick died after defending the Capitol against the mob that stormed the building as Congress was voting to certify Joe Biden’s electoral win over Donald Trump. It came after Trump urged supporters on the National Mall to “fight like hell” to overturn his defeat. The South River native was among five people who died after the riot.

⬛ NJ sues over ‘unconstitutional’ order on birthright citizenship

AP/Townsquare Media illustration
AP/Townsquare Media illustration
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NEWARK — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin has announced he is leading a challenge to President Donald Trump’s “clearly unlawful and unconstitutional” executive order to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States.

Among a series of executive orders issued on his first day back in office, Trump signed one to end birthright citizenship.

The 14th Amendment grants citizenship to all persons "born or naturalized in the United States," including formerly enslaved people, and provides all citizens with “equal protection under the laws.”

NJ arrests, sentences linked to Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot

More than 40 people from New Jersey or with NJ ties were charged with involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. On Jan. 20, 2025, Pres. Donald Trump issued a pardon, clearing legal consequences for convicted rioters, including those guilty of assaulting law enforcement officers.

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt/Dan Alexander

Oldest street in America is worth a trip across the river from NJ

Gallery Credit: Dennis Malloy

12 rules to live by in New Jersey

Gallery Credit: Dennis Malloy

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

New Jersey's First News with Eric Scott is the longest running news program in New Jersey. Eric Scott began hosting the program in 1991.

It airs live on New Jersey 101.5 each weekday morning from 5:30 - 6 a.m.

New Jersey's First News with Eric Scott is the winner of the prestigious National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast.

National Murrow Award Winner featured
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Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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