2+ hour, 11+ min ago (223+ words) The long wait is finally over. After three years without it, Stranger Things'came back to our TVs this past Wednesday. The hit show released its first season back in 2016 and will have its fifth and final season drop on Netflix in just a few hours. It's been one of my favorites since its inception, so the excitement has been off-the-charts over the last few days and weeks. Season four was released back in 2022, so it's been a long time coming for us to finally get this final season on our television screens. The first four episodes of the season came out Wednesday, then three more come out on Christmas, and the finale comes out on New Years Eve. The wait between today and Christmas will be excruciating, I'm sure. I'll be binging the first four episodes over the next few…...

4+ day, 17+ hour ago (292+ words) New Jersey legislators in Trenton took a significant step Monday toward legalizing therapeutic psilocybin, pushing forward a bill supporters say could revolutionize mental-health treatment for thousands of residents. The Assembly Health Committee's Democratic majority advanced the measure, which would authorize supervised psilocybin therapy for adults over 21. During an hour of testimony on Monday, veterans and mental-health advocates urged lawmakers to look beyond the substance's recreational reputation. Stacy and Jeffrey Swanson, a military couple speaking for Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions, described how guided psychedelic-assisted therapy restored their family after years of failed traditional treatments. "This treatment reached the roots of trauma in a way nothing else could," Stacy Swanson said, adding that her husband now sleeps, no longer self-medicates with alcohol, and is fully present for their children. Advocates like Neal Usatin of New Jersey for Fungi and Plant Medicine argued…...

4+ day, 19+ hour ago (522+ words) Today on The Judi & EJ Show we talked about sleep'or, honestly, the lack of it. Apparently it's a trend here in the Great Garden State, because Kyle, Judi, and I all dragged ourselves into the studio after a rough night. Judi got 2.5 hours of sleep. My Fitbit gave me a very trendy sleep score of 67, which it claims is "fair," but felt more like "good luck out there, buddy." Judi was wide awake, mind buzzing, staring at the clock on the ceiling. I stayed up way too late working, finally fell asleep, then woke up with my brain immediately reminding me of all the stuff I had to do today. You know the drill. Every morning my wife and I compare our Fitbit sleep scores like it's our own weird Olympic event. Anything over an 80 and we're basically functioning humans…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (323+ words) Chowhound is a foodie site that's been around for nearly 30 years. They recently took a little walk on the wild side and named the best place for not food but cocktails in every state. Right away, you might think of your favorite neighborhood bar where they have a heavy pour giving you your money's worth, or maybe that down-the-shore club with the creative drinks with glow sticks. Ultimately, you would probably guess that the bar voted best cocktail joint in New Jersey would be something very high-end. Perhaps a selective door policy, strict dress code, etc.. The kind of place that I would rarely go to, frankly. But let me let you in on a little secret. Chowhound's pick'for the New Jersey place with the most outstanding cocktails is probably not what you'd picture. Imagine a place with deer heads…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (330+ words) MILLVILLE " A South Jersey man will spend most of his adult life in prison after being sentenced for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. On Monday, a Superior Court judge in Cumberland County sentenced 26-year-old Steven Gonzalez to 35 years in state prison. Gonzalez will be'in his mid-50s'before he is even eligible for parole, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office. In late September, Gonzalez pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. Prosecutors dropped an aggravated assault charge as part of the plea. According to prosecutors, Gonzalez admitted to killing his girlfriend at their Millville apartment on July 3, 2023. Officials have only identified the 25-year-old victim as "T.C." because she is a victim of domestic violence. T.C. broke up with Gonzalez before she was killed, prosecutors said. He snapped'and strangled her to death at the'Riverview Condominiums. Investigators said they found a note at the scene. Gonzalez had…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (278+ words) The incident is the latest in a string of crashes involving juveniles on high-speed e-bikes and e-scooters " devices that can hit 50 mph and are increasingly being ridden on busy suburban roads. Just two weeks earlier, officers investigated an e-scooter crash involving a 13-year-old on Egg Harbor Road. Washington Township Police Chief Pat Gurcsik urged parents to think twice before buying e-motorcycles or e-bikes as holiday gifts. "These crashes are happening far too often," he said. "We need the community's help to prevent a tragedy." Statewide, e-bike injuries and deaths are rising sharply. A 13-year-old boy was killed in Scotch Plains in September, two girls died in Cranford, and a 22-year-old was fatally struck in Orange. Nationally, e-bike injuries have jumped 293% since 2019. State Senate President Nicholas Scutari has pledged sweeping legislation to reclassify e-bikes by speed, require state registration and insurance,…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago (889+ words) Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show on Friday: While the longest government shutdown in our nation's history was ended with a stroke of President Donald Trump's pen on Wednesday night, actually restarting government operations is going to take some time. The impacts on air travel, food assistance programs, the education department, civilian military employees and even parks and museums will linger. About 1.25 million federal workers, including tens of thousands in New Jersey, have not been paid since Oct.1. In total, that is about $16 billion in lost wages. How and when that back-pay will be handled is still unknown. The Smithsonian Museum and National Zoo are making plans to reopen by the weekend. Keep scrolling for more on the process of reopening the federal government and why airlines are optimistic they can resume normal…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago (383+ words) NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. " If there's one thing that unites us as New Jersey drivers, it's our collective eye-roll at anyone with New York (or Pennsylvania) plates. According to a new Rutgers'Eagleton Poll, a full 33% of New Jersey voters say New York drivers are the absolute worst on the road. But here's the twist: 22% of New Jerseyans also ranked themselves as the worst drivers. It's a mix of road rage and self-awareness that feels"well"very Jersey. "It's on brand for us," said Jessica Roman, director of data management and analysis at the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling. "New Jerseyans love to poke fun at themselves"but only they're allowed to do it." Behind New York and New Jersey, Pennsylvania (14%) and Florida (10%) drivers earned the next spots on the "worst driver" leaderboard. Rounding out the list were Massachusetts (5%), California (4%), and Connecticut…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (285+ words) Craving some dumpling soup or noodle bowls? Then you'll be happy with the expansion that the chain "Ugly Dumpling' is making in New Jersey. The'fast-casual chain has three new locations "coming soon" to the Garden State,'according to its'website. Ugly Dumpling is known for taking timeless classics and elevating them with delightful twists. From hand-folded Dim Sum and savory Wontons to wok-prepared noodles and vibrant, garlic-infused vegetables, our menu is a celebration of street food culture. They offer dumplings, dim sum, and savory sides that are as artful as they are crave-worthy. With six variations of these delectable soup dumplings, we promise an irresistible burst of flavor in every bite. Much like wandering through a bustling food alley in Shanghai, each visit to Ugly Dumpling invites you to savor and discover. Don't forget about their wok dishes, craft cocktails, bubble…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (398+ words) If your social media feed was full of pictures of the northern lights over New Jersey you could get a second chance Wednesday night to get your own pictures. In the past few days, the sun has burped out several bursts of energy called coronal mass ejections that reached Earth Tuesday night and early Wednesday. The potential severe geomagnetic storms could disrupt radio and GPS communications, according to forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. How bright the auroras are and how far south they are visible will depend on when the solar bursts get here and how they interact with Earth's atmosphere. The vibrant displays could be visible across much of the northern U.S., and as far south as Alabama and Northern California. "While Tuesday night's aurora was visible throughout much of the continental United States, much of New…...