NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi

NJ Spotlight News December 11, 2024

Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…It’s not a bird or a plane, but residents swear it's a drone. More mysterious drone sightings across the state, prompting Congress to now demand answers; Plus, a massive decline in traffic stops on the state’s roads after a scathing report targets the state police for racial profiling; Also, PLASTIC WASTE, state lawmakers make another go at limiting plastics in packaging; And, LIMITING STATE FOREST ACCESS…The DEP releases new maps to safeguard the Wharton State Forest… but outdoor enthusiasts are crying foul …  
 

NJ Spotlight News December 10, 2024

Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…TRIAL DATE SET… Nadine Menendez gets a January court date for the next chapter of her disgraced husband’s sweeping corruption scandal; Plus, the FALL OF ASSAD is being felt here in New Jersey’s as the local Syrian community rejoices the toppling their homeland’s dictator; Also, the DRONE MYSTERY continues in North Jersey….residents demanding answers about unidentified objects in their skies; And, a sharp drop in drug overdose deaths across the Garden State… giving hope that efforts to fight the opioid crisis are in fact working.

NJ Spotlight News December 9, 2024

Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…It’s official… New Jersey’s newest Senator Andy Kim is sworn-in…. Stepping into the vacated seat of the convicted former senior senator Bob Menendez; Plus, NO MORE BOOK BANNING…the Governor signing a long awaited bill protecting librarians and the books they stock; Also, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora on defense… as the damaging headlines in the capital city keep coming; And, the end of Syria’s brutal dictatorship has brought celebration not only to the streets of Damascus… but to the streets of New Jersey, too. 

NJ Spotlight News December 6, 2024

Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…Banning cellphone use in the classroom … State lawmakers move a bill to restrict phone use by kids while school is in session; Plus, Congressman Frank Pallone’s new push to ban cancer-causing red dye number 3 from food; Also, workers head back to court in their fight for smoke-free casinos…will the push for casino profits or worker’s health prevail; And, Santa Claus is coming to town… but this time he is taking the train to spread a little holiday cheer. 

NJ Spotlight News December 5, 2024

Tonight on NJ Spotlight News: Time is running out to apply for the ANCHOR property tax relief program, with hundreds of dollars available to homeowners and renters; New Jersey interim Senator George Helmy joins Briana Vannozzi to discuss his whirlwind Washington tenure and the transition to Senator-elect Andy Kim; Jersey City officials tout record-breaking progress in stopping homicides in the city; Two Mercer County hospitals team up with a local organization to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

NJ Spotlight News December 4, 2024

Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…A Call to restrict cellphone usage IN SCHOOLS across the country… as mental health concerns for children continue to grow; Plus, gubernatorial hopefuls gather to pitch their economic plans to the business leaders of the state; Also, a growing push by New Jersey doctors and politicians for EXPANDING ACCESS to groundbreaking weight loss drugs; And, a SEASON OF CHANGE in D-C… one N-J republican finds new favor with the incoming President… Cory Booker gets a promotion… George Helmy moves out and Andy Kim moves in 
 

NJ Spotlight News December 3, 2024

Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…SEX TRAFFICKING CHARGES …. the state’s attorney general leveling human trafficking charges against seven defendants for operating two sex rings in Essex and Cumberland Counties; Plus, LABOR FIGHT… Senator-Elect Andy Kim is jumping into the ring to help negotiate a contract for a group of North Jersey Nurses; Also, with Governor Murphy’s orders to reduce spending, is New Jersey teetering on a  fiscal cliff? And, after a long beach battle, relief is finally on the way for North Wildwood and its eroding shoreline.
 

NJ Spotlight News December 2, 2024

Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…KEEPING HOPE ALIVE … Hamas releases a propaganda video depicting Tenafly native Edan Alexander pleading for his release … The first signs of life in more than a year since taken hostage; Plus, former United States senator Bob Menendez is looking to get his corruption conviction tossed; Also, the impact of the TRUMP TARIFFS on businesses and consumers here in the state; And, Winemakers in New Jersey may be the only one benefiting from the severe drought still plaguing the state’s southern region.
 

NJ Spotlight News November 29, 2024

Tonight on NJ Spotlight News: Several NJ counties issue Code Blue alerts with temperatures expected to dip below freezing; Rutgers announces a 20-person presidential search committee to find the replacement for outgoing school president Jonathan Holloway; Eileen Kean from the National Federation of Independent Businesses explains why small businesses are under added stress to hit holiday shopping goals this year; Workers help rehab wildlife impacted by the Jennings Creek wildfire on the New Jersey-New York border; Mettler's Woods, a virgin old growth forest maintained by Rutgers University, is added to The Old Growth Forest Network; A 12-year-old New Jersey boy battling Lymphoma signs a one-day contract with the New Jersey Devils, gets to attend practice and will drop the puck at an official game.

NJ Spotlight News November 27, 2024

Tonight on NJ Spotlight News: The US helps negotiate a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon; Former US Senator Bob Menendez wants his corruption conviction tossed out and the right to a new trial after prosecutors admitted to giving jurors evidence that was supposed to be redacted; AAA expects a record number of New Jerseyans traveling during the busy thanksgiving travel period; NJ Spotlight News mental health writer Bobby Brier breaks down a new poll showing Americans are feeling more stressed around the holidays compared to last year; Senior Political Correspondent David Cruz sizes up the GOP race for governor and how the moderate wing and the pro-Trump, far right wing of the party will clash during the primary; Atlantic City launches the Hope Work Initiative by giving 10 homeless individuals a paid job with the city.