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

🔗 Gov. Mikie Sherrill's first 6 executive orders explained

⚡ Utility bills, energy, and affordability front and center: Sherrill froze rate hikes, declared an energy emergency, and pushed new power generation to blunt rising costs.
❗ A shake-up in Trenton’s culture and operations: New ethics rules, a Chief Operating Officer, and sweeping permitting reforms signal a results-driven approach.
📱 Kids’ online safety elevated to a top priority: A new health office and cross-agency focus target youth mental health and social media harms.

TRENTON — Gov. Mikie Sherrill wasted no time setting the tone for her administration, signing six executive orders on her first day in office that zero in on affordability, accountability, and government efficiency. From freezing utility rate hikes to overhauling the permitting process and tackling kids’ online mental health, the moves signal a governor eager to quickly show progress for New Jersey residents and businesses.

Speaking after her swearing-in ceremony, Sherrill framed the orders as a “Day One mission,” borrowing from her Navy background and promising decisive action rather than slow deliberation.

🔗 Click here to see how these orders impact New Jersey families and businesses.

🔗 Horror at Bayway: Man killed after fall into 6,000-gallon oil vat

🔴 A 71-year-old subcontractor died after falling into a 6,000-gallon mineral oil vat.
🔴 First responders recovered the man’s body from the container.
🔴 OSHA and Linden police are investigating the workplace death.

LINDEN — A 71-year-old worker died at an industrial complex after falling into a vat of mineral oil, according to police.

The man fell into a 6,000-gallon bulk liquid container at the Bayway Chemical Plant in Linden on Monday around 1:30 p.m., Linden police said. Soon after, first responders found and recovered the victim's body from inside the vat.

Linden police detectives are leading the investigation into the death. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also conducting a separate investigation.

"Detectives believe that the man was on top of the container when he accidentally fell inside while working," police said. The vat was being filled with mineral oil when he fell in.

Authorities have not identified the victim by name, but said he was a subcontractor from Iselin, a section of Woodbridge in Middlesex County.

🔗 NJ woman missing since Guyana trip

🚨The 69-year-old woman left the U.S. for Guyana in October
🚨Mary A. Jones was reported missing weeks later by her family
🚨She did not return home as scheduled

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP — A woman who traveled out of the United States in October is considered missing after not being heard from during the entire time of the trip and never returning.

Mary A. Jones, 69, left for Guyana on South America's North Atlantic coast on Oct. 3 and was reported missing by her family on Oct. 28. She did not return to the U.S. during the week of Jan. 12 as scheduled.

Police did not disclose her reason for travel, if she went alone or how she travelled to Guyana.

🔗 'Someone just got whacked.' Colts Neck neighbor heard massacre

📞 Jurors hear a chilling 911 call reporting gunshots in Colts Neck, timed closely to the killing of Keith Caneiro.
🔥 Surveillance footage and fires at two homes remain central evidence in the quadruple murder case.
💰 Testimony highlights trust fund withdrawals and financial disputes prosecutors say fueled the killings.

FREEHOLD BOROUGH — Jurors in the quadruple murder trial of Paul Caneiro heard another chilling 911 call, this one reporting gunshots in Colts Neck around the time that Keith Caneiro was killed.

“I woke up, I heard the shots, and I said to myself, someone just got whacked,” Dr. Dennis Corpora, of Colts Neck, testified on Wednesday in Superior Court.

Corpora said he said those “exact words” to himself as he sat up in bed, waited, and then felt compelled to call the police.

That 911 call was logged around 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 20, 2018, which defense attorneys have been circling back to.

Paul Caneiro, now 59, has been accused of brutally killing his own brother, sister-in-law, 11-year-old nephew and 8-year-old niece, which prosecutors say was motivated by financial desperation.

Investigators have testified that Keith Caneiro went outside in the darkness that morning to figure out why his stately home’s power was off and why their generator had failed.

🔗 NJ landlord accused of drugging tenants with chloroform

🚨 Burlington County landlord accused of chloroform assaults against two tenants.
🚨 Craig Cardella faces 72 criminal counts, including kidnapping and sexual contact.
🚨 Investigators say chloroform, masks and a camcorder were found in a safe.

MANSFIELD (Burlington) — A Burlington County landlord is charged with using chloroform on his tenants so he could molest them, according to authorities.

The investigation into 60-year-old Craig Cardella began over two years ago, said Burlington County Prosecutor Lachia Bradshaw.

Last month, a grand jury indicted Cardella on 72 individual counts, including 17 counts of first-degree kidnapping, 18 counts of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, 18 counts of third-degree invasion of privacy, 18 counts of third-degree endangering, and fourth-degree stalking.

On Thursday, Cardella pleaded not guilty in Superior Court in Burlington County. His case now goes to trial.

Prosecutors said he separately assaulted two victims who rented rooms at his Mansfield home. Investigators found that each victim was assaulted for several months.

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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