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

⬛ Friday commuter chaos: NJ Transit engineers on strike

💲NJ Transit engineers and their union could not reach a contract agreement
💲The cost of NJ Transit's 15 other unions invoking a 'me too' clause is too costly
💲Talks may continue Sunday with the National Mediation Board

NJ Transit engineers have walked off the job, leaving 350,000 riders looking for an alternative way to work on Friday and beyond.

During a late-night press conference at Newark Penn Station, Gov. Phil Murphy and NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri said daily negotiations failed by the midnight deadline.

While a wage agreement was near, the sticking point was a "me too" clause that would bring every other NJ Transit union in line.

"I said I respect the offer they put in from the table. I respect the negotiation they undertook with me over the last several days. And I respect the fact that we came close to reaching a wage rate that they think they're entitled to. Those are all facts. Where we could not bridge the gap is this 'me too clause,'" Kolluri said. "There was no way in which the structure that was proposed by the union could not prevent the other unions from invoking the 'me too' clause. That is basically where the dispute stands."

Kolluri said he had already reached out to the National Mediation Board and agreed to a Sunday morning meeting to continue negotiations. BLET general chairman Tom Haas said the union would also be there.

⬛ New poll shows state of play in gubernatorial primaries

❎ List of every candidates for both major parties
❎ How they performed in latest poll

With the June 10 primaries quickly approaching in New Jersey, a new poll from Emerson College, PIX11, and The Hill shows some new developments in this year's governor's race with under a month left and early voting already underway.

Released on Thursday, the polls results show a static Republican nomination fight, while a Democratic candidate appears to be surging at the perfect time.

Former assemblyman and 2021 GOP gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli leads his party's pack, notching 44% support of New Jersey Republican primary voters. Most public and internal polls have shown him in the clear lead for most of the race, and this new poll is no exception. Former radio host Bill Spadea remains in a distant second, and sits at 18% support. State Senator John Bramnick has 8% support, while no other candidate has above 5%. 23% of respondents said they are undecided.

Despite recently getting the endorsement of President Donald Trump, who remains broadly popular among New Jersey Republicans, Ciattarelli's numbers have not moved much.

Not much has changed for the Democrats either, save for one candidate.

⬛ 'Shame' for Habba outside; 'Humiliation' for Baraka inside court

🔴 Newark Mayor Ras Baraka in court after ICE arrest
🔴 U.S. Attorney Alina Habba jeered as she entered court
🔴 Next steps in this case

NEWARK — The U.S. attorney for New Jersey was booed and jeered with chants of "shame" as she entered federal court on Thursday morning for the case involving Mayor Ras Baraka.

Both Baraka, a Democrat seeking his party's nomination for governor, and interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba appeared in court for a roughly 15-minute procedural hearing before Magistrate Judge Andre Espinosa.

Habba did not address the judge, sitting in a row behind assistant prosecutor Stephen Demanovich, who said the government disputed Baraka's claims that he committed no crime and was invited onto the facility's property.

Baraka said federal prosecutors tried to “humiliate and degrade” him by making him give his fingerprints and take a mug shot for a second time Thursday after a court appearance on a trespassing charge stemming from his arrest at an immigration detention center he was protesting.

The hearing covered mostly scheduling for discovery in the case, which stemmed from an encounter Friday outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention center.

⬛ Dog saved from bag in dumpster: Cops search for who tossed it

🔻 Dog in bag found in dumpster
🔻 Cops seek woman of interest
🔻 Latest in series of abandonments

LINDENWOLD — Borough police have been searching for a woman of interest, after a dog was found alive inside a trash bag, tossed into a dumpster.

In March, officers responded to the Belmont Apartments, located at 2009 White Horse Pike in Lindenwold, for a report of a dog found in a trash bag in one of the dumpsters on the property.

Police found the small, white dog, badly malnourished and suffering from multiple severe injuries.

A local animal shelter helped the animal recover, and the dog is currently in good health and has been adopted.

⬛ Watch our town hall: Why are energy prices going up?

⚡ Electric rates will rise 20% in June

⚡ Assistance programs exclude most households

⚡ You will be forced to cover cost of unpaid bills

As the June 1 increases loom, state leaders and advocates joined me to discuss the impact on consumers and what can be done.

With public outrage mounting over stalled grid upgrades and steep bills, our panel of experts and top officials detail the reason behind the hikes and the possible solutions that can be implemented to prevent such steep hikes in the future.

The bottom line: little can be done to help you right now and the assistance programs being offered help less than 2% of New Jersey's 3.5-million households.

And here is another shocker: NJ Rate Counsel Brian Lipman confirmed if your neighbor can't pay their electric bill, you will be forced to.

Read that again.

With a 20% hike in electricity rate going into effect in June, the number of people who cannot pay their bills is expected to sharply increase.

Utility companies will still get their money.

Lipman says utility companies have the right to calculate all unpaid bills and spread that cost across all rate-payers in the form of even higher rates.

Start your day with up-to-the-minute news, traffic and weather for the Garden State.

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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