Tan Mom runs for Senate

Here are the top New Jersey news stories for Thursday:

⬛ New Jersey's Tan Mom running for U.S. Senate

Facebook/Patricia Krentcil

Following an incident with her daughter that made her infamous, Tan Mom Patricia Krentcil fled to Florida.

Now the 54-year-old tanning addict is running for the U.S Senate seat currently held by Republican Rick Scott.

Krentcil says she will make LGBTQ rights a focus of her campaign.

⬛ NJ poll: Gov. Murphy's approval rating has dropped again

Rich Hundley III/Governor’s Office, Canva

Gov. Phil Murphy's approval rating among New Jersey adults continues to slip since the start of his second term last year, according to a Monmouth University Poll released on Wednesday.

Fifty percent of Garden State adults approve of Murphy's overall job performance and 39% disapprove, the poll finds. The numbers are nearly identical (50 approve, 40 disapprove) among registered voters.

Job approval for Murphy is up a good amount since his first term pre-COVID. But it's down seven points from when residents were asked the same question in April 2022.

⬛ Grand jury indicts man charged with executing councilwoman

Rashid Bynum enters a Virginia courtroom (WVEC TV), Eunice Dwumfour (Linkedin)

A Middlesex County grand jury on Wednesday handed up an indictment against the man accused of executing a Sayreville councilwoman earlier this year.

Rashid Ali Bynum, 29, was arrested on May 30 in Portsmouth, Virginia, and charged with shooting Eunice Dwumfour on Feb. 1 as she sat in an SUV in front of her condo.

He was extradited to New Jersey last month after Gov. Phil Murphy made a formal request to Virginia's governor to allow Bynum to be returned to face charges in New Jersey. He is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Facility.

⬛ Another New Jersey Starbucks has voted to unionize

Starbucks union pins (SBWUNJ via Twitter)

Workers at another New Jersey Starbucks have voted to unionize, making it the fifth in the state to do so.

The store is located in Morris County at 401 Route 10, straddling the Succasunna and Ledgewood sections of Roxbury.

⬛ NJ is changing the way you get your ANCHOR rebate

NJ Dept. of Treasury/Canva

It'll be much easier to get your hands on your ANCHOR property tax relief money this year.

The New Jersey Department of Treasury began sending mail on Tuesday to more than 1.3 million people who received ANCHOR (Affordable Communities for Homeowners and Renters) benefits last year, to let them know that they'll be automatically be paid this time around and do not need to fill out an application again — in most cases.

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New Jersey's First News with Eric Scott is the longest running news program in New Jersey. Eric Scott began hosting the program in 1991.

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New Jersey's First News with Eric Scott is the winner of the prestigious National Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast.

Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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