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

🔗 Polar Bear Plunge returns to Seaside Heights after blizzard delay

💧Thousands expected to plunge into the frigid ocean at the annual Polar Bear Plunge
💧The event was postponed after the Blizzard of 2026 buried the boardwalk and beach
💧Security will be heightened with FBI support, drones and undercover officers

SEASIDE HEIGHTS — From security to patient plunge participants, all is finally ready for the annual Polar Bear Plunge benefiting Special Olympics New Jersey.

The annual event was postponed two weeks from the original date of Feb. 28 after the Blizzard of 2026 left parking lots, the boardwalk and the beach covered in over two feet of snow. Seaside Heights Police Chief Tommy Boyd says another factor was the boardwalk.

"We have a brand new boardwalk, so we can't scrape the boardwalk with the machine, because it'll ruin the boardwalk. So we had to let it go normally, and you can hand-shovel it," Boyd said.

New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow expects Saturday to be partly sunny, breezy and dry with temperatures around 50 degrees. Saturday should be seasonable, with high temperatures expected right on the normal for this time of year, at 50 degrees. Boyd expects that will bring in record-breaking crowds and more plungers.

"When it's warm, a lot of people who aren't plunging will come. When it's cold and miserable a lot of times it's just the plungers, but this time, I think the weather is going to be in the 50s or 60s. So there's a good shot that we're going to have a very, very busy, busy day," Boyd said.

🔗 Heartbroken Shore restaurant owners vow to rebuild after fire

🔥A fast-moving fire destroyed the Grits & Grace restaurant in Berkeley
🔥A GoFundMe campaign raised over $20,000 in 24 hours
🔥The owners say they’re determined to reopen Grits & Grace

BERKELEY — An Ocean County community is rallying for the owners of a restaurant destroyed by fire Monday night, as the owners express gratitude for the support.

Firefighters were called around 10 p.m. to the Grits & Grace restaurant on Route 9 in the Bayville section. Heavy fire caused the roof to collapse.

Investigators said the fire started in the kitchen area along the north wall. The fire was ruled accidental, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer.

“In a matter of moments, the fire took away the business they worked so hard to build, along with their equipment, supplies, and livelihood," GoFundMe campaign organizer Sarah Stuhl said on the page. "While raising their young daughter, this family poured everything they had into their restaurant, staff, family, friends, and the community they serve."

The campaign raised over $20,000 in a single day. The PaciDough Pizza Joint in South Toms River will hold a fundraiser on Wednesday and donate of 25% of the shop's proceeds and $10 from every brunch pizza to the campaign.

🔗 This is the latest legal nightmare from NJ mayor's shameful exit

🔴 Pemberton Township has reached another six-figure settlement, paying $275,000 to a records clerk.
🔴 The town nearly lost insurance coverage over accusations against former Mayor Jack Tompkins.
🔴 Accusations include sexual advances, sexist restrictions, and a municipal office dubbed the "date rape room."

PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP — For the third time, this Burlington County town is literally paying for the mistakes of its former mayor.

But it may not be the last time Pemberton Township agrees to a six-figure settlement for women who claim they survived working under Mayor Jack Tompkins.

Records clerk Patricia Everett and her attorney will receive a $275,000 payout from the town's insurance fund, NJ.com reported. A $45,000 co-insurance cost must also be paid by the township, which the Pine Barrens Tribune reports nearly lost its insurance coverage due to the numerous accusations against Tompkins.

Two other female employees, Candace Pennewell and Nichole Pittman, have already settled their lawsuits accusing Tompkins of misconduct. They got a combined $850,000, the Tribune reported.

Tompkins was elected in 2022 and resigned after serving less than one term. The embattled Republican officially stepped down on Dec. 31, 2025, months after facing calls to step down from all five GOP members of the council and former Gov. Phil Murphy.

While Pemberton Township has a new acting mayor, a shadow from the town's former leader still hangs over its 27,300 residents.

🔗 Iran’s unrelenting attacks send oil prices soaring

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Unrelenting Iranian attacks on shipping traffic and energy infrastructure pushed oil above $100 a barrel Thursday, as American and Israeli strikes pounded the Islamic Republic with no sign of an end to the war in sight.

Iran hit a container ship off the coast of Dubai, caused a blaze near Bahrain’s international airport, targeted a major Saudi oil field with a drone and forced Iraq to halt operations at all of its oil terminals after attacking its port of Basra on the Persian Gulf.

Iran flouted a U.N. Security Council resolution from the previous day demanding that it halt strikes on its Gulf neighbors with new attacks also reported in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Sirens wailed before dawn in Jerusalem after Israel said it was working to intercept missiles launched from Iran. Loud booms were heard in Jerusalem on Thursday morning but Israeli emergency services said no casualties were reported so far. The country also said it began a “wide-scale wave of strikes” on Tehran. In Lebanon, where Israel says it is targeting Iran-linked Hezbollah militants, 11 people were killed in two early morning strikes.

🔗 Terrifying murder caught on Ring camera in Berkeley

A Ring camera caught the final desperate moments of Deonna Stewart, 38, as she fled her estranged husband on Fairwood Drive in Berkeley.

She shouts, "Murderer! Murderer!" as she runs from the home where her parents had just been shot to death by Vaughn Stewart, according to the Asbury Park Press, which saw a copy of the video recorded by a neighbor, who also shared it with police.

After firing more than 20 rounds, Vaughn Stewart is seen walking back into the house. In a chilling moment, he walks back out of the house, crosses the street, and stands over his wife's body and shoots her one final time.

Police are on the way as Vaughn walks back into the murder house, puts the gun to his head and pulls the trigger. Police hear that shot as they arrive.

The couple's three children are inside the house where their grandparents and father are now dead.

There are also new details of a previous public encounter involving the troubled couple one month ago. From a police report in Cranford, where officers responded to a QuickChek and found a woman had been punched in the head several times and had a braid ripped from her head.

It was Deonna Stewart. Her husband, police say, had done it. The police report said Vaughn Stewart threatened to "murder her (Deonna) and her family."

At the time, he was charged with making terroristic threats, harassment and simple assault.

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