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

⬛ Small towns lead New Jersey voter turnout: How your town voted

✅ New Jersey’s biggest cities voted heavily blue, but had the lowest voter turnout
✅ Small towns across the Garden State turned out in far greater numbers
✅ Scroll down to see how many of your neighbors voted

Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill received more votes for governor than any non-presidential candidate in New Jersey history as voters surged to the polls in numbers not seen for decades.

Around 51% of registered voters in New Jersey voted in this year's gubernatorial race. That's a lower rate than a typical presidential election, but fairly high compared to previous gubernatorial elections. In 2021, voter turnout was 40%.

⬛ Convicted NJ killer thanks Murphy for pardon

🔴 Gov. Phil Murphy has now granted clemency to more than 300 people.
🔴 Ronald McGraw, who was convicted of murder, was given a chance to speak about his pardon.
🔴 Murphy has pardoned 31 killers in the last 12 months.

With a Christmas tree and a menorah at his side, Gov. Phil Murphy granted clemency to another 24 individuals convicted of crimes ranging from robbery to murder.

That brings Murphy to 307 pardons and commutations. It's his seventh round of clemency since the creation of the Clemency Advisory Board in June 2024.

Wednesday's actions included 15 pardons and nine commutations. Those who received pardons had been convicted of non-violent crimes like robbery, theft, shoplifting, criminal mischief, and drug offenses.

Among the dozens of violent offenders Murphy has granted clemency to includes Ronald McGraw.

McGraw was convicted of first-degree murder and first-degree conspiracy to commit murder in the 2002 killing of Michael Carter. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison with over 42 years without parole.

He spoke at Tuesday's event and thanked Murphy for his freedom and a second chance.

⬛ Trump highlights his record and announces ‘warrior dividend’ military bonus in speech

President Donald Trump delivered a speech live from the White House on Wednesday night where he discussed his achievements and touched on some of his agenda for next year and beyond. The president also announced his administration is sending checks of $1,776 to more than 1.4 million U.S. service members before Christmas, bonuses he called “warrior dividends.”

The president’s predecessor, whom Trump continues to lambaste regularly, figured prominently at the start of his address. Trump pointed to the immigration situation under former President Joe Biden‘s presidency, as well as inflation and culture issues.

“This is what the Biden administration allowed to happen to our country,” he said, adding: “When I took office, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it.”

⬛ Backlash erupts in NJ as LGBT activist resigns under fire

⚖️ A prominent LGBTQ rights leader has resigned weeks after being charged with child endangerment and simple assault involving a foster child.
🌈 Christian Fuscarino says he stepped down to protect Garden State Equality from fallout.
🔥 Former Garden State Equality directors and activists say the resignation comes too late and demand accountability amid growing public backlash.

Nearly a month after being charged with child endangerment and simple assault for an incident with a foster child, one of New Jersey’s leading advocates for LGBTQ rights has resigned.

Christian Fuscarino stepped down as executive director of Garden State Equality sometime on Tuesday.

News of his arrest became widely publicized throughout the day, even getting picked up by an anti-LGBT social media account, Libs of TikTok.

“Yesterday I resigned from Garden State Equality to ensure that the organization's work is not impacted by a private family matter,” Fuscarino said in a statement first posted to Threads and shared to Facebook on Wednesday.

“While my loved ones & I have been working through this moment together with care and love, the press has turned a deeply personal situation into a public headline.”

“Everyone involved is safe & navigating this situation responsibly,” Fuscarino added. “Out of respect—not for me, but for my family—I ask that this be seen for what it is: a private family moment, not a public spectacle.”

“Christian Fuscarino set the LGBT movement back by a generation with his abusive behavior. And now he wants us to not talk about it,” political activist Jay Lassiter said on his own Facebook page.

⬛ Shopper throws epic tantrum in self-checkout lane

Self-checkout lanes are supposed to make grocery shopping faster and easier. When they work, they’re great. When they don’t, they can turn a quick trip for milk into a stress test of your patience.

For one North Jersey shopper, that frustration allegedly boiled over in dramatic fashion.

Montclair police say they’re looking for a man who threw an epic, fist-pounding tantrum at an Acme grocery store on Valley Road on Dec. 9 after becoming aggravated at the self-checkout.

According to authorities, the man grew increasingly frustrated as he tried to scan his items. What followed was anything but a calm complaint to customer service.

Police say the suspect punched a computer monitor at the customer service desk, knocked over a display filled with gift cards and Red Bull cans, and shoved a beverage refrigerator. At one point, officials say he stomped on a Red Bull can, causing it to explode on the floor.

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.