Thousands of illegal voters remain after cleanup—NJ Top News
Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show on Monday:
🔗 Rash of Barnegat Bay boating deaths spark urgent safety warning
✅Three people died after 2 boats struck channel markers in Barnegat Bay on July 19.
✅State Police say channel markers are well marked, charted and lit
✅Marine officers urge boaters to slow down and stay in the marked channel
Three people died after two separate boats struck channel markers in Barnegat Bay within a week, prompting marine law enforcement officers to remind boaters that the markers are highly visible and designed to help, not hinder, safe navigation.
Investigators have released few details about either crash, but marine officers say the incidents underscore the importance of slowing down, staying within the marked channel and paying close attention while operating on New Jersey's busy waterways during the height of boating season.
Ocean County Sheriff's Office Corporal James Scott told 6 ABC Action News it appeared that the boat involved in the crash on Saturday was on the wrong side of the waterway.
"They should have been more out to the right, out in the middle of the channel. I don't know what they tried to avoid, but as you can see, they ended up striking the piling," Scott told 6 ABC Action News.
New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau Sgt. 1st Class Karen Fahy said that the markers are not new. Boaters need to be mindful of their presence. The locations of the markers are included on navigational charts. They include large wooden or steel pilings and are lit in the evening.
🔗 Monroe banned AI data centers, now NJ town faces $300M lawsuit
⚠️ A developer is seeking $300 million after Monroe Township banned new data center construction.
➡️ The lawsuit says the ordinance is unconstitutional and unfairly blocked plans for a 172-acre site.
🔴 The case mirrors a similar legal fight after another New Jersey town banned data centers.
Another New Jersey community is facing a massive lawsuit after a local ban on data center construction got in the way of a developer’s plans.
Monroe Township in Gloucester County is being sued for $300 million in damages by Hexa Builders over the loss of the use of its property as a data center.
The Princeton-based development company accused local officials of being “arbitrary and capricious” in adopting one of the state’s first municipal ordinances to ban data center construction.
More than a year ago, online records show the town amended and adopted a “Hexa Builders Redevelopment Plan” to include data centers as a potential, principal permitted use.
It was not until this year that public attention began to catch up to what an AI data center entails in terms of the demand for electricity and potential water use for cooling purposes.
Starting in January, crowds began to attend public meetings to question preliminary plans for a “warehouse and distribution center” in Monroe.
By March, Monroe officials decided to follow a new recommendation to add new and more extreme restrictions to avoid data centers, according to Mayor Greg Wolfe.
“The lawsuit does not come as a surprise to the Mayor or Township Council,” Monroe Township said in a June 9 statement to the town’s Facebook page, adding that the council has said that an outright ban on data centers “would lead to litigation against the Township.”
The lawsuit was moved to federal court in Camden on July 6, as first reported by NJ.com.
🔗 NJ voter cleanup may still leave 2,100 registrations on the rolls
⚠️ New Jersey plans to remove 4,500 voter registrations tied to the MVC software error.
➡️ About 2,100 registrations will stay under review because the state believes some may belong to citizens.
✅ The MVC has notified affected individuals and launched a public FAQ website.
New Jersey may leave more than 2,000 individuals on the voter rolls after the state found thousands of noncitizens mistakenly registered to vote.
On Tuesday, Gov. Mikie Sherrill gave an update on the voter registration scandal that rocked the state last week, in which a "serious software error" allowed 6,600 noncitizens to register to vote between June 2023 and June 2024. The individuals had indicated they were noncitizens while applying for identification at the Motor Vehicle Commission, but were registered anyway.
According to the governor, the MVC has mailed letters to all individuals affected by the software error.
Now, Sherrill says the state has begun to clean up the voter rolls. The Division of Elections will remove 4,500 individuals who were registered to vote due to the MVC error.
According to the governor, an initial review has found that some of the individuals may have actually been citizens. These registrations, around 2,100 of them, will be referred to county election officials for further review. Sherrill said it was important to make sure any lawfully registered voters are not disenfranchised.
“Just as we have an obligation to remove everyone who is not eligible to vote, we also have a responsibility to protect the voting rights of eligible New Jersey citizens and ensure no one is improperly removed from the rolls. And we are going to do just that," Sherrill said.
The governor again said her approach stands in stark contrast to how President Donald Trump and "MAGA Republicans" have reacted. Sherrill accused Republicans of weaponizing the issue to push what she called voter suppression schemes.
🔗 18 more NJ businesses added to The WALL
💲More NJ businesses added to The WALL in July
💲New businesses owe more than $2 million combined
💲Nearly 400 employers on the list
TRENTON — The list of New Jersey businesses that owe money to workers or the state continues to grow.
Eighteen new businesses have been added to The WALL this month, according to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The WALL is part of NJDOL's Workplace Accountability in Labor List, an online portal that names businesses with outstanding liabilities resulting from violations of the state's wage, benefit or tax laws. The list was created to combat worker misclassification and exploitation.
The NJDOL said The WALL is a "powerful enforcement tool that enables the department to publicly name companies that shortchange their workers and skip required contributions to programs such as unemployment insurance and workers' compensation."
The 18 businesses added in July owe more than $2 million combined, according to the NJDOL.
The list is updated monthly.
In the nearly three years since The WALL has been active, the NJDOL said it has recovered nearly $1 million in outstanding liabilities.
Click the link above to see which businesses have been added to the list.
🔗 Take a First Look at Bakunawa: Great Adventure’s Monster New Ride
Six Flags Great Adventure has finally given us the name and some details about its "Project Purple" coaster, set to replace Kingda Ka, and it looks absolutely awesome!
On Tuesday, the Jackson Township theme park unveiled its forthcoming "Bakunawa" coaster that’s set to debut in spring 2027.
The name "Bak-un-awa" was inspired by the “legendary sea serpent of Philippine mythology".
According to Six Flags, the thrilling new ride will be the “world’s tallest and fastest spinning launch coaster,” reaching speeds of 100 mph and a height of 382 feet.
The impressive coaster will also join an “elite class of giga coasters” as it will rank among the top “five tallest roller coasters in the world,” per the release.
Great Adventure is promising a two-minute, 17-second ride that ensures “no two experiences are exactly alike.”
This is where this conversation gets really sick, in the coolest form of the word. Bakunawa will set six new coaster records when it debuts.
Click the link above to see which records this awesome coaster will break.
Another great day trip in South Jersey (Part 3)
Gallery Credit: Dennis Malloy
These NJ towns have banned data centers
Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt
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You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com
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