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

⬛ Brick man gets life for hiring killer to murder his own father

Brick man convicted of his own dad's murder in 2019 gets life (Ocean County Jail, Google Maps)

⚖️ A Brick Township man is sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating the murder of his own father.
🔻 Prosecutors said the killing was a murder-for-hire plot, carried out by a former prison bunkmate.
🏠 The victim was beaten to death inside his Ocean County home, shocking a quiet neighborhood.

A 34-year-old Brick Township man will spend the rest of his life in prison for hiring an old prison associate to beat his own father to death in Ocean County.

Mark J. Austin was sentenced on Thursday, three months after being convicted of the murder of Mark Richard Austin.

The 55-year-old victim was found in his Brick Township home on a usually quiet residential street, just a couple of blocks from a waterfront park.

Brick Township Police responded to Acorn Drive on Sept. 7, 2019, and found Mark Richard Austin dead of blunt force trauma.

Investigators tracked the crime to the victim’s son and to Jeray Melton, of Salem City.

Austin met Melton while they were prison bunkmates, NJ.com reported in October, citing court testimony.

Melton admitted Austin promised to pay him $50,000 to kill his father.

⬛ Mom pleads for help after autistic son’s teddy bear is lost in AC

9 year old Callen and teddy bear Tim (Margie Lynn via Facebook)

💔 Atlantic City family pleads for help finding a missing teddy bear tied to a 9-year-old autistic boy’s sense of safety
🏨 Bear vanished at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino during a New Year’s Eve stay, sparking an online search
🎂 Mom hopes to reunite son with bear by his birthday

ATLANTIC CITY — A desperate mother is calling on the public to help find her 9-year-old autistic son’s beloved teddy bear after it went missing during a New Year’s Eve family trip to Atlantic City.

Beloved teddy bear lost during New Year’s Eve trip to Atlantic City
Margie Lynn of Philadelphia took to Facebook to make her desperate plea, saying the cherished stuffed bear named Tim disappeared from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Tim belongs to her young, autistic son, Callen, who has had the bear since he was a baby.

“I thought he was in the bag and should have triple checked,” Lynn said on Facebook.

She even made a missing teddy bear poster begging for help.

“Tim is a brown teddy bear. Tim belongs to my autistic son, Callen. Tim has been with Callen since he was a baby. Tim is deeply loved and missed,” the poster reads.

⬛ Gov. Murphy signs 'bell-to-bell' cell phone ban in all schools

Gov. Murphy signs school phone free legislation from Ramsey High School (NJ Office of the Governor via Youtube)

🔻 NJ will require a statewide “bell-to-bell” school phone ban.
🔻 Gov. Phil Murphy signed the law at Ramsey High School, to start by the 2026–27 school year.
🔻 Supporters say limiting smartphones will boost learning, mental health and peer interaction.

RAMSEY — New Jersey has adopted a law requiring all public school districts to enact a “bell-to-bell” ban on smartphone use by students.

On Thursday, Gov. Phil Murphy signed the law that requires a uniform policy in all public school districts, restricting student use of internet-enabled devices during the school day.

District policies will become effective for the 2026–2027 school year, for grades kindergarten through 12.

The legislation was signed in Ramsey, in northern Bergen County. A local teenager began the news conference at Ramsey High School, sharing his personal experience with Yondr pouches over the past year under the suburban district’s own cell phone ban. Ramsey High School has just under 800 teen students.

Board policies must prohibit the non-academic use of personal internet-enabled devices on school grounds during the school day, with limited exceptions.

Murphy said that districts already enforcing restrictions on smartphone use have reported a marked improvement in student engagement and teen-to-teen interaction between classes.

“I say this as a dad of four more so than a governor — I wish this ban had been in place a long time ago,” the lame-duck Democratic governor added.

⬛ NJ doctor hit with 58-count indictment in sex-for-opioids case

NJ doctor accused of swapping opioids for sexual favors (Photo credit: njinternalmedicine.com)

🚨 Bergen County doctor indicted on 58 federal counts alleging opioid distribution for sex and Medicaid fraud
💊 Prosecutors say Fair Lawn internist ran a pill mill, issuing 31,000+ opioid prescriptions without medical purpose
⚖️ Victims describe sexual abuse and exploitation as doctor faces decades in prison if convicted

NEWARK — A Bergen County doctor has been charged in a 58-count indictment with distributing opioids in exchange for sexual favors and defrauding state Medicaid, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey announced.

Dr. Ritesh Kalra, 52, an internist in Fair Lawn, was previously charged by criminal complaint in July 2025 when the state Board of Medical Examiners suspended his license. Now he stands charged by indictment with additional offenses, Senior Counsel Philip Lamparello said.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Kalra, a Secaucus resident, allegedly operated a pill mill out of his medical office, where he routinely prescribed high-dose opioids, including oxycodone and promethazine with codeine to patients without a legitimate medical purpose.

⬛ The eagle has flown—NJ skyline will never be the same

Budweiser brewery in Newark is being sold by Anheuser Busch (anheuser-busch.com/facilities)

🐦 Historic Eagle sign removed — Newark’s famous Anheuser-Busch eagle neon sign was taken down from the brewery rooftop, ending a local landmark that defined the skyline.
🏭 End of an era — The brewery is closing after 75 years, with the property sold as operations shift out of state.
📍 Community impact — Locals and former employees say the sign was a meaningful beacon for generations, especially for travelers near Newark Airport.

A beloved piece of New Jersey visual culture is no more: crews recently removed the iconic Anheuser-Busch eagle neon sign from the top of the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Newark, a landmark that had been part of the city’s skyline for decades. The enormous sign, known for its large flying eagle and glowing presence visible from major highways and nearby Newark Liberty International Airport, was lowered to the ground as heavy equipment moved in to dismantle it earlier this week.

The removal marks a symbolic end to the brewery’s historic presence in Newark after 75 years of operation. The site was sold late last year to the Goodman Group as Anheuser-Busch consolidates production and modernizes its U.S. facilities, closing several older plants. While about 475 employees were offered roles at other company breweries, the loss of this facility and its signature sign has struck a chord in the community.

Residents and former workers alike have shared memories of the eagle sign serving as a familiar beacon — especially for those arriving by air or driving past on routes into the city. Many say Newark’s skyline won’t feel the same without this bright piece of industrial heritage that had come to symbolize local identity and pride.