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

🔗 Woodbridge Center cancels carnival over staffing issues

☑️Spring carnival at Woodbridge Center mall canceled
☑️Mall officials said the decision was tied to staffing issues
☑️The cancelation follows other events disrupted by large teen gatherings this spring

WOODBRIDGE — Another spring carnival has been canceled but not for the reason you may think.

Woodbridge Center mall said the carnival operator decided to cancel this year but did not disclose a reason in its announcement.

Mall general manager Brian Rubin told NJ.com that the operator could not get staffing for the event. It may be rescheduled for later this summer.

"We understand this may be disappointing and appreciate your understanding and patience," the mall said.

The mall already announced that those under 18 had to be accompanied by an adult in order to attend.

Campy's and the mall on Thursday afternoon did not respond to New Jersey 101.5's request for more information.

The event was canceled in 2025 after about 300 unruly teens descended on the Woodbridge Center mall. Video captured groups yelling and running through the carnival in the parking lot and inside the two-level mall.

🔗 Ocean Township man charged with wife’s murder

🚨An Ocean Township man was charged with murder
🚨Prosecutors confirmed a death investigation on Seward Drive
🚨 Ocean Township mayor called the death a “tragedy” that shook the community

OCEAN TOWNSHIP (Monmouth) – A Monmouth County man was charged with the death of his wife on Wednesday, numerous sources told the Asbury Park Press.

Micheal A. Kless is being held at the Monmouth County jail on charges of murder and unlawful weapons possession. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office only confirmed there was a death investigation in the area of Seward Drive in Ocean Township.

Court documents requested by New Jersey 101.5 are marked as a domestic violence case and will not be released publicly.

Ocean Township Mayor John Napolitani said late Wednesday night that a “tragedy” struck the community earlier that day.

“We lost a neighbor, co-worker, mom, grandmom, mother, and a lot of us lost a friend," Napolitani said.

The Asbury Park Press named Kless' wife as Stacy Epstein-Kless.

🔗 I did the math—No wonder so many are fleeing New Jersey

🚨 New Jersey families are shelling out nearly $72,000 a year before buying groceries or saving for retirement
💸 Skyrocketing auto insurance premiums are adding to an affordability crisis crushing middle-class NJ residents
🏃 More families are questioning whether they can afford to stay in the Garden State long-term

This week on ‘Jersey Thing’, I talked about a new analysis by the New Jersey Monitor that shows New Jersey is now the only state in the nation experiencing a double-digit increase in auto insurance premiums. For many drivers, coverage now costs $300 or more per month.

Families are already struggling under the crushing weight of New Jersey’s cost of living, and this is just one more bill pushing household budgets to the breaking point.

But how bad is it, really?

Really bad.

Using various data points, I wanted to come up with a typical household budget. I used the median costs of basic necessities. When I started adding up the numbers, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

The affordability crisis in New Jersey is no longer just about property taxes. It’s about the combined cost of simply trying to live a middle-class life in the Garden State.

When you add up the average monthly expenses for a typical New Jersey family, the numbers are staggering.

Click the link above to see what the typical New Jersey family must spend on basic necessities, and why so many are giving up and getting out.

🔗 Customers say this family-run NJ contractor took their money — now feds want prison time

⚠️ Federal prosecutors say a South Jersey contractor family dodged more than $450,000 in taxes.
🚧 Customers had complained for years that Stephens Contracting took payments for unfinished work.
🔴 Father and son now face prison after pleading guilty in Camden federal court.

ELMER — The family that blows off customers together stays together.

Questions around Stephens Contracting first emerged on social media in 2022. Customers complained that they paid tens of thousands of dollars to the Elmer-based company for landscaping and construction work that was never completed.

That caught the attention of the Troubleshooters at 6abc, who spoke to four angry customers. One Clementon man said he was "angry." And one woman said it had been going on for years, and that the family-run company felt "untouchable."

Now, William Brent Stephens, 58, and his son Zackary Sulpizi, 30, have pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Both men ran the landscaping company at the center of the charges. Federal prosecutors said the duo dodged more than $450,000 in payroll and income taxes.

🔗 Report: Newark ICE clashes intensify outside and in

⚠️ Federal agents and protesters clash again at Delaney Hall, with arrests made.
➡️ Advocates and lawmakers say detainees report pepper spray and baton use inside.
🔴 Gov. Mikie Sherrill says state health inspectors were denied full access to site.

NEWARK — After a night marked by violent clashes outside Delaney Hall, protesters struggled with federal agents on Thursday, as reports spread of use-of-force against some immigration detainees inside.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested at least six people late Wednesday, each charged with assaulting law enforcement, the Associated Press reported.

The late night violence involved demonstrators, many wearing gas masks, and armed ICE agents, also wearing face coverings, shoving and grappling as traffic tried to get by.

The facility operated by Geo Group is on Doremus Avenue among logistics and industrial facilities, just east of a busy stretch of the New Jersey Turnpike.

“The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly – not rioting. DHS is taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters,” a Homeland Security spokesperson said in a written statement following the weekend scuffles.

“We remind the public that rioting is dangerous—obstructing law enforcement is a federal crime and assaulting law enforcement is a felony.”

On Thursday night, the state Attorney General Jennifer Davenport vowed to protect all New Jerseyans, while urging de-escalation.

"We strongly support the constitutional right to protest, but we ask that everyone conduct themselves peacefully and respectfully while expressing their views. Violence against or by protesters is never acceptable, and state and local law enforcement are resolutely committed to protecting public safety and safeguarding constitutional rights. State and local law enforcement will continue to take appropriate steps to protect the public,” Davenport said in a written statement released at 8 p.m.

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.

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You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com

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