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

⬛ Port Authority toll hikes hit NJ drivers, E-ZPass discounts end

🔴 Higher tolls start Jan. 4, with peak E-ZPass rates rising to $16.79.
🔴 Off-peak drivers lose ground with a discount being phased out.
🔴 It funds a $45B capital plan, but commuters will shoulder the cost for years.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is axing a key discount for E-ZPass users and increasing tolls to pay for its $45 billion plans.

Starting Jan. 4, the Port Authority will increase its already sizable tolls by 3% for all bridges and tunnels under its jurisdiction.

That includes the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln Tunnel, and the Holland Tunnel.

During peak hours, tolls for cars with E-ZPass will rise to $16.79. That's up from $16.06 now.

The off-peak toll for E-ZPass isn't much better, rising to $14.73 thanks to the same 3% hike plus another 25 cents. For cars without E-ZPass, the toll-by-plate rate will hit $22.38.

⬛ NJ pays to ban cell phones in school

https://www.nj.com/education/2025/12/nj-is-paying-schools-to-ban-cellphones-in-classrooms-see-if-your-district-is-on-the-list.html

In announcing nearly a one-million dollars in grants to local districts, Murphy claims removing cell phones from school will help educators, parents and kids.

The money can be used for staff training as well as to purchase devices that essentially lock cell phones during the school day.

A New Jersey commission has urged a bell-to-bell cell phone ban in all New Jersey schools. The grants awarded last week are being given to 86 districts, but could be expanded as more districts seek to remove one of the biggest classroom distractions.

⬛ Brutal kidnap and rape highlights restraining order failure

🚔 Chilling new details revealed about a Union County man accused of kidnapping a former partner at gunpoint and sexually assaulted her.
📍Police say the incident unfolded on a Morris County college campus and ended hours later after a multi-agency chase.
⚖️ Akram Elsayed is accused of repeatedly threatening to kill the victim throughout the ordeal.

Police records show that a Union County man accused of kidnapping a former domestic partner at gunpoint and raping her also threatened to kill her numerous times and said, “I’m taking you to your grave.”

Akram Elsayed, of Roselle, has remained in custody since Dec. 5, facing more than 40 criminal charges, including carjacking, kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault.

An affidavit of probable cause filed by investigators describes how the victim saw Elsayed and tried to escape, before ultimately being forced into his pickup truck and driven away, as he repeatedly said he was going to kill her and that he had dug two graves — one for each of them.

The prosecutor’s office declined to provide further information about his relationship to the victim, who did have a final restraining order against Elsayed, filed in November.

Elsayed had been waiting on the Randolph campus at the County College of Morris that afternoon, jogging over to the victim’s car after seeing her get inside.

⬛ Man dies in ICE custody at Newark detention center

⚠️ Detainee dies after medical emergency at Newark ICE facility
🏛️ NJ leaders demand answers, call for Delaney Hall shutdown
🔍 Death intensifies scrutiny of private immigration detention in NJ

NEWARK — A 41-year-old man detained by ICE died after a medical emergency at a for-profit jail that has been the focus of debate over immigration detention conditions in New Jersey.

Jean Wilson Brutus, a Haitian national, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Dec. 11 after being released from Union County Jail in Elizabeth. Less than 24 hours later, ICE says he suffered a medical emergency at Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark. Emergency responders rushed him to University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead a day later. Authorities say the death is suspected to be from natural causes.

⬛ Trump declares Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas federal holidays

President Donald Trump has declared Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas federal holidays, but what does that mean for you?

If you are a federal worker, you will likely get the extra two days off. However, that will not be the case for most Americans.

December 24 and 26 are not permanent additions to the holiday schedule. Trump's declaration covers 2025 only.

Since most states and private companies follow the permanent federal holiday schedule, its unlikely you'll get the two bonus days off.

In order for days to become permanent federal holidays, legislation must be passed by congress and signed into law by the president. No such legislation was created to make Christmas Eve and Dec. 26 permanent federal holidays.

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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