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

⬛ SAT scores still falling in New Jersey

❎ SAT scores fell for the third straight year
❎ 63% of NJ high school seniors took the test
❎ Fewer colleges use SAT grades for admission

For the third year in a row, the average SAT scores has fallen among high school seniors who took the test in New Jersey.

More high school seniors took the SAT test for the 2023/2024 academic year despite fewer colleges and universities using the test as key admission criteria.

Educators suspect learning loss from the pandemic is contributing to the drop in average scores.

According to figures from the New Jersey Department of education, the average score in New Jersey dropped to 519 in math and 530 in reading/writing. A perfect score for either section is 800.

⬛ NJ DOT to fix 'dip' on Route 78 on Monday night

🔵Drivers have noticed a "dip" in the pavement on Route 78 East
🔵NJ DOT engineers checked the pavement and drainage to determine the road is safe
🔵Milling and paving takes place Monday night to smooth out the road surface

The complaints of drivers about a dip in the pavement on Route 78 have been heard and will be repaired on Monday.

Contributors to the I-78 Commiserator's Club on Facebook had been commenting for several weeks about the issue in the right lane and shoulder near milepost 5 in Warren County. Some were concerned that it could develop into another sinkhole situation like the one on Route 80.

NJ DOT spokesman Steve Schapiro said that engineers checked the pavement and the drainage system to figure out what caused the dip in the road. The road was found to be safe but signs warning of a bump were put up along the road.

The state's abandoned mineshaft map shows no mineshafts in the area along Route 78.

⬛ NYC tour company shuts down following deadly crash

🔴 A family of five was killed in a crash last week
🔴 New York Helicopter Tours halts operations 'immediately'
🔴 NTSB investigating cause of the crash

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration said Sunday that the helicopter tour company whose sightseeing chopper broke apart in flight and crashed in New York, killing the pilot and a family of five visitors from Spain, is shutting down operations immediately.

The FAA, in a statement posted on X, also said it would launch an immediate review of New York Helicopter Tours’ operating license and safety record.

The move came hours after New York Sen. Chuck Schumer had called on federal authorities to revoke the operating permits of New York Helicopter Tours.

The company’s sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair and plunged into the Hudson River Thursday, killing the tourists from Spain and the pilot, a Navy SEAL veteran.

At a news conference Sunday, before the announcement by the FAA, Schumer said the company should be required to halt all flights as the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the deadly crash.

⬛ Prosecutors slam Murphy: Freed NJ convicted killer is no victim

🚨 NJ woman convicted of murder is freed by Gov. Murphy
🚨 Convict claims she killed her abusive boyfriend
🚨 Outraged prosecutors said she was the abuser and was not rehabilitated

Early on the morning of Sept. 4, 2010, Paige Pfefferle stabbed her 21-year-old boyfriend to death in the kitchen of her family's Audubon Park home.

Pfefferle was convicted of first-degree murder and other crimes. She rejected two plea deal offers from prosecutors before heading to trial.

She was sentenced to 30 years in prison with no eligibility for parole. State prison records showed she wasn't supposed to get out until Sept. 21, 2043.

However, Pfefferle was freed from Edna Mahan Correctional Facility on Thursday. She was one of five convicted killers who received clemency from Gov. Phil Murphy this week.

“I’m grateful to be granted clemency so I can advocate for those who suffer from mental health issues and women and young girls who are survivors of domestic abuse,” Pfefferle said in a statement provided by the ACLU of New Jersey.

In a scathing response, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office said they strongly objected to Murphy's decision to commute Pfefferle's sentence.

And they warn that Pfefferle's "repeated lies" throughout her appeals process show she is not rehabilitated.

⬛ Murphy says NJ law enforcement works with ICE on a regular basis

☑️ Gov. Phil Murphy and AG Matt Platkin are under investigation
☑️ Both Murphy and Platkin defended the Immigrant Trust Directive
☑️ Murphy says NJ law enforcement works daily with ICE

Gov. Phil Murphy denied the allegation that the Immigrant Trust Directive prevents New Jersey law enforcement from working with ICE in the face of an investigation by U.S. Attorney Alina Habba.

Appearing on the MeidasTouch podcast on Friday, Murphy said the state goes after criminals "hard" regardless of their immigration status. The Democrat said that directive has helped make New Jersey "the safest state in America," by his estimation.

"What we don’t do is go after someone for jaywalking or where there is no probable cause of a crime and we are very clear on that," Murphy said. "But if there are immigration issues, we cooperate regularly, frankly, daily, with federal authorities. If you are a criminal in New Jersey, we’re coming after you."

The governor said if there is an "immigration angle," the state will work with the feds. He said that New Jersey law enforcement is "obsessed with bringing justice on crimes and against criminals." But the state is "not in the immigration business."

"Law enforcement doesn't fight fires. There are firefighters for that. We to not cross those wires but we are vigilant about crime in New Jersey and as a result we have the safest state in New Jersey," Murphy said.

U.S. Attorney Alina Habba told Fox News’ Sean Hannity last Thursday night that she is launching an investigation into Platkin and Gov. Phil Murphy because she said the directive violates orders from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and President Trump to remove violent criminals from the country.

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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