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

It has been a dizzying final stretch in the race for the next governor of New Jersey.

With new polls showing a tight race between Mikie Sherrill and Jack Ciattarelli, women and independent voters are likely to decide this race. Sherrill has an edge with both, but Ciattarelli has managed to close the gap in the waning days of the campaign.

Turnout is already at nearly 15% due to mail-in ballots and early in-person voting.

Democrats have now amassed a nearly 230,000 vote lead during early voting in terms of ballots returned/cast.

The wildcard remains independent voters

So far, voters who do not affiliate with either party have cast 165,000 votes. That is nearly 20% off al votes cast so far. No assumptions can be made on who they voted for.

The only poll that really matters is the one on Election Day. Neither candidate has solidified a path to victory.

Keep scrolling for details on the latest polls and the rest of today's top stories.

⬛ Novo Nordisk U.S. quietly cuts over 800 jobs in New Jersey

💼 Novo Nordisk cuts 800+ jobs in Plainsboro amid a global restructuring effort.
⚠️ New Jersey sees wave of layoffs from major employers, including hospitals and hotels.
📉 The job losses add to growing concern over corporate downsizing across the state.

PLAINSBORO — Novo Nordisk has quietly laid off more than 800 employees based out of its U.S. headquarters in New Jersey.

As of Oct. 8, the pharmaceutical company had listed 265 layoffs based in Plainsboro, effective by the end of the year.

Those layoffs were part of 9,000 jobs cut under a new restructuring effort, announced in September by Novo Nordisk’s new chief executive officer.

By Thursday, that number had tripled, with 811 cuts listed with New Jersey’s labor department, through the federal "Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act."

A request for comment from Novo Nordisk U.S. was not immediately answered on Thursday.

⬛ Breakup fight turns fatal as NJ man strangles girlfriend

💔 Tragic discovery: Woman’s body found near an Essex County golf course
🚔 Boyfriend allegedly strangled her after breakup argument.
📱 Disturbing cover-up: Suspect posed as victim through fake text messages.

LIVINGSTON — An arrest has been made in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found near the roadway of an Essex County golf course.

The body was found near Cedar Hill Golf Course in Livingston on Oct 7.

Body found near Livingston golf course sparks homicide probe
Authorities said Andres Calvachi-Paz, 35, told investigators that he strangled his 28-year-old girlfriend, Dayana Chisaguano Maleza, inside their Newark apartment after an argument in which the victim said she wanted to break up.

⬛ Terrifying new details emerge in Cranford double-murder crash

🚨Family of 17-year-old victim Maria Niotis pleads for justice after deadly SUV crash
🚨 Prosecutor yet to decide whether to charge accused teen as an adult
🚨 Mother’s workplace receives death threats as case tensions rise

CRANFORD — The family of one of the 17-year-old best friends struck and killed by an SUV on Sept. 29 continues to deal with the uncertainty of the next step in the case.

Attorney Brent Bramnick, who is representing the family of victim Maria Niotis, told New Jersey 101.5 he has not heard if Union County Prosecutor William Daniel has started the process to waive the charges to an adult level for the 17-year-old from Garwood charged with first-degree murder.

Daniel has 60 days from when the charges were first filed to apply for the waiver. Maria's mother, Foulla Niotis, wants him tried as an adult, according to Bramnick.

Because the teen was charged as a juvenile, there are a lot of unknowns to the public.

"The public doesn't even get to be aware of whether this juvenile is in custody, out of custody, where he is, whether he has a court date. This is how confidential juvenile matters are," Bramnick said.

Foulla's place of employment has also received death threats, according to Bramnick. He did not disclose the nature of the threats but said police have been placed at its location.

⬛ ICE raids Woodbridge warehouse, detains dozens

🚨ICE agents raided a Woodbridge warehouse, detaining 46 workers
🚨 Several workers were moms expecting to pick up their kids from school
🚨 It was the third such raid in Middlesex County in three months

WOODBRIDGE — For the third time in three months, ICE agents descended on another Middlesex County warehouse and arrested workers.

CBS New York reports that on Wednesday, ICE agents took dozens of people into custody at the Savino Del Bene warehouse on Englehard Avenue in the Avenel section. Dozens of people with their hands behind their backs were seen being placed into vans.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesman told New Jersey 101.5 in an email that 46 unauthorized immigrants were taken into custody which is 22% of the facility's workforce. The DHS law enforcement personnel conducted an inspection at an authorized “container freight station” in the Avenel section of Woodbridge on Wednesday. They are being held in DHS custody pending further immigration proceedings.

The warehouse is a Customs and Border Patrol-bonded facility, which allows for inspections. The agents arrived, identifying themselves as Customs agents and were followed in by ICE agents.

⬛ Final polls: What they tell us about the NJ race for governor

❎ Three new polls are out in the NJ race for governor
❎ Democrat Mikie Sherrill leads in all three
❎ Jack Ciattarelli's path narrow, but not impossible

As we have been telling you for weeks, unaffiliated voters and women will likely decide who the next governor of New Jersey will be.

Three independent polls released on Thursday show a wide array of possibilities that have either candidate claiming the governor's office.

Quinnipiac University had Democrat Mikie Sherrill going into election day with an 8-point lead over Republican jack Ciattarelli, 51% to 43%.

Suffolk University put out a poll that shows Sherrill leading Ciattarelli by 4 points, 46% to 42%. That is, however, within the polls margin of error.

An Emerson poll puts the race at a virtual dead heat: 49% to 48% in favor of Sherrill. If that is true, fewer than 50,000 votes could separate the two candidates when all the results are counted.

While the polls are varied in both methodology and results, they all consistent is showing how vital women and independent voters are to the outcome. All three show Sherrill with a wide margin among female voters. They also all show independent/unaffiliated voters as the key to victory. They show Sherrill leading with voters who do not claim allegiance to either party to varying degrees.

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

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.