Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show with Eric Scott on Wednesday:

⬛ NJ lawmakers push to fix veterans services after pandemic failure

🔴 Lawmakers want to create a separate state department for veterans
🔴 New Jersey is home to 350,000 veterans
🔴 Federal report found veterans homes violated civil rights during pandemic

TRENTON — A separate department solely dedicated to New Jersey veterans would allow the state to take better care of those who served their country, according to lawmakers.

One measure would create a state Department of Veterans Affairs, splitting it from the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

"Separating veterans’ services will bring sharper accountability, better access to benefits, and a system built to meet their needs with the urgency and respect they deserve," Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker, D-Essex, said.

The head of the new department would be a member of the governor's cabinet, which gives the 350,000 veterans who live in New Jersey a more direct line to voice their concerns to top state officials.

Nearly 30 other states have implemented a similar change, state Democrats said in Trenton on Monday.

⬛ Route 80 traffic nightmare crippling business: Plan for relief

☑️ Businesses along Routes 10, 15 and 46 have been impacted by the Route 80 closure
☑️ Proposed legislation would blunt the impact on businesses
☑️ Gov. Murphy says the westbound lanes of Route 80 could reopen in a week

Two Morris County legislators are sponsoring legislation to help minimize the impact of the closure of Route 80.

The closure of the interstate in both directions has pushed traffic onto Routes 10, 15 and 46 creating long delays and heavy traffic that makes commuters less likely to stop at restaurants and retailers. Assemblywoman Aura Dunn and state Sen. Anthony M. Bucco, both Republicans, introduced the two bills on Monday.

"When folks recognize that they're going to have to sit in traffic to get to a particular location, they avoid those locations and that's exactly what we're seeing. The businesses in this area in these small towns is really, really taking a hit," Bucco told Eric Scott on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show.

The owner of a bagel shop on Route 46 told NBC New York that his business is down 40% since the closure of the eastbound lanes over a month ago.

⬛ Teacher 'obsessed' with NJ student indicted on sex crimes

🔴 Teacher faces new charges including manufacturing child sex abuse materials
🔴 She's accused of having a "sexual relationship" with a student
🔴 Prosecutors said they uncovered explicit photos, thousands of texts

FREEHOLD — A Monmouth County grand jury has indicted a special education teacher who prosecutors previously said was "obsessed" with a 15-year-old student.

Allison Havemann-Niedrach, 44, of Jackson, was hit with the seven-count indictment on Tuesday, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said.

The mother of two is charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, first-degree child endangerment by manufacturing child sexual abuse materials, two counts of second-degree endangering, second-degree official misconduct, second-degree sexual assault, and third-degree endangering.

Havemann-Niedrach had a sexual relationship with a student that began in early 2024 while she was a special education teacher at Freehold Intermediate School, prosecutors said.

⬛ Police: NJ men struggled through window before hit-and-run death

🔻 NJ man knew pedestrian, cops say
🔻 Struggle through car window
🔻 NJ driver has drug possession arrests

A 19-year-old pedestrian reached through the car window of the driver who is accused of dragging and killing him in a DWI, police said.

Dominic Allen, of Millstone Township, was recently caught in Florida and brought back to New Jersey, facing second-degree counts of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident.

The 23-year-old allegedly struggled with Kyzair Robinson, of Asbury Park, before speeding away as Robinson clung to the window frame and ultimately fell, police documents said.

On Feb. 11 at 4:02 p.m., a witness called 911 about a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle.

Police from both Neptune Township and Asbury Park responded to the area of Stratford Avenue between Fisher and Myrtle Avenue, where Robinson was found on the street.

He died of his injuries the following day.

⬛ Teachers' union dues funding candidate for governor

Many New Jersey teachers are shocked and furious to learn their union dues are being used to fund a candidate for governor.

The New Jersey Education Association has said they expect to spend as much as $35 million dollars in the primary campaign.

Current NJEA president Sean Spiller is seeking the Democratic nomination.

He recently announced he has not raised enough money on his own to qualify for matching funds. However, unlike other candidates who fail to meet that threshold, he has not dropped out of the race.

Why should he? His own union is funneling tens of millions of dollars through a group called "Working for New Jersey." The group is packed with former NJEA executives.

It essentially gives Spiller a huge campaign war chest that far exceeds what the other candidates can spend.

Candidates that qualify for, and accept, public matching funds are limited by a spending cap of $8.7 million. Spiller's defacto war chest is nearly four times as large.

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Eric Scott hosts the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show 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.

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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