NJ files another lawsuit against Trump—NJ Top News
Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show.
🔗 NJ school districts want $300M and homeowners are on the hook
💰 Three NJ school districts want voters to approve more than $300 million in new borrowing.
🏠 Homeowners could see property taxes rise by hundreds of dollars a year if the referendums pass.
🗳️ Voters will decide the questions on Sept. 15.
Three New Jersey school districts are asking voters to approve more than $300 million in borrowing, which would mean another property tax increase for homeowners.
All three referendums are scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. One is receiving millions more in state aid, another avoided a tax increase this year, and a third is losing state funding.
If voters approve the referendums, homeowners in each community would see their property tax bills rise again. The size of the increase depends on where they live and which projects voters approve.
It comes as New Jersey homeowners continue to shoulder some of the nation's highest property taxes.
Click the link above to see if your town wants to raise your property taxes.
🔗 Cape May Makes Curfew Changes to Keep the Peace at Night
The City of Cape May has taken a page from other South Jersey Shore towns and enacted emergency measures intended to keep the peace at night on the beach and Promenade, especially concerning the behavior of juveniles.
Cape May City Council Adopts Emergency Restrictions
According to The Press of Atlantic City, the Cape May City Council voted unanimously on Thursday to adopt emergency safety actions at the request of the police.
Going into effect immediately, the juvenile curfew has been moved up from 10:30 pm to 6 am for unaccompanied juveniles on city streets or other public places.
The previous curfew went into effect at midnight from May 1 through Sept. 30 and at 11 pm the rest of the year.
Unaccompanied juveniles are now banned from beaches, beachfront areas, and access ways between 8 pm and 6 am, according to this emergency ordinance.
Everyone -- juveniles and adults -- is prohibited from carrying or wearing backpacks after 8 pm on the beach, bayfront, or on the Promenade.
Under this new ordinance, police will issue two warnings to people violating that provision, and that failure to comply would be considered a "breach of the peace."
The ordinance also authorizes police to act when individuals block pedestrian traffic on the Promenade.
🔗 NJ says Trump administration is building a ‘surveillance system'
⚠️ New Jersey is suing over a federal demand for records on 17 million CDL holders.
➡️ The database includes Social Security numbers, birth dates and driver's license numbers.
🔴 States warn the demand could create a massive federal database of sensitive information.
TRENTON — New Jersey is going back to court against the Trump administration, this time over a federal demand for the personal information of roughly 17 million commercial drivers.
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced Thursday that New Jersey has joined 21 other states and Pennsylvania in filing two lawsuits challenging federal demands for records belonging to commercial driver's license holders.
The information sought includes drivers' names, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, states of record and Social Security numbers.
The administration has threatened to cut off more than $10 million in federal funding and contracts to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators if the organization does not turn over the data, according to the states' court filing.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the Eastern District of Virginia, says the Trump administration is “bent on building a nationwide surveillance system” by seeking personal information from states' food stamp, Medicaid, welfare and voter databases as part of what the states call a “fishing expedition.”
The fight is tied to President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and comes as New Jersey is already battling the administration over voter registration information.
🔗 More than $11M in stolen checks tied to NJ bank fraud scheme
TRENTON — Eight people, including six from New Jersey, have pleaded guilty in a conspiracy to defraud banks by depositing millions of dollars in stolen checks and withdrawing the funds, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
According to documents filed in the case, from March 2023 to June 2025, the defendants conspired to deposit stolen checks, including U.S. Treasury checks, at various banks across the Garden State and Pennsylvania, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said.
The eight individuals impersonated the businesses listed as payees on the stolen checks, often by acquiring business documents in the names of the payees.
Once they opened fake bank accounts, they deposited or attempted to deposit over 100 stolen Treasury and commercial checks totaling over $11 million, Frazer confirmed.
Many of the Treasury checks were refunds issued as Employee Retention Credits, a program the IRS created during the COVID-19 pandemic to encourage businesses to retain employees.
🔗 NJ music teacher, 72, accused of sexual advances on 17-year-old
⚠️ A 72-year-old private music teacher faces child endangerment and stalking charges.
➡️ Investigators say he discussed sexual topics and attempted unwanted physical contact with a 17-year-old student.
🔴 Police recovered text messages during the investigation after the teen reported the alleged conduct.
A 72-year-old private music teacher in Passaic County is facing criminal charges, involving inappropriate behavior with a teen student.
John Bendzak is accused of trying to engage in sexual contact with a 17-year-old while at a private home in West Milford.
Bendzak, who teaches piano, violin and accordion, is then accused of sending harassing text messages to the teen.
He is charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and fourth-degree stalking, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes said.
Between late June and mid-July, Bendzak was accused of discussing nudity, sexual
activity, and sexual arousal with the victim, trying to kiss the victim and rubbing and touching the victim during what he called “touch meditation,” according to a complaint filed by investigators.
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