NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi

NJ Spotlight News March 8, 2024

Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…a RISE IN BIAS INCIDENTS here in New Jersey, but most troubling says the Attorney General is the surge in crimes taking place in our schools; Plus, President Biden delivers a fiery State of the Union, how his themes on the economy, reproductive rights and immigration are playing here in the garden state; Also, IN THE RUNNING, once banned from the White House, the Prospect Park Mayor launches a challenge to longtime congressman Bill Pascrell; And, BOARDWALK MAKEOVERS, the state approves $100 million dollars to repair and rebuild over a dozen iconic boardwalks along our shores.
 
 

NJ Spotlight News March 7, 2024

Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…On the heels of Senator Bob Menendez’s third superseding indictment, a new poll finds public opinion of him is plummeting; Plus, as President Biden delivers the STATE OF THE UNION, our new Washington correspondent will be in the chamber taking the pulse of Jersey’s congressional delegation; Also, BAIL REFORM is on the table in Trenton …the public gets a chance to weigh in as crime rates drop across the state; And, LIFESAVING LESSONS are being taught on the campus of William Paterson University – their nursing program leading the way to reverse the growing nursing shortage 
 
 

NJ Spotlight News March 6, 2024

Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…U.S. Senator Bob Menendez is slammed with a third  superseding indictment, the charges against him are piling up; Plus, a new poll finds the candidates looking to replace the embattled Senior Senator …aren’t necessarily household names;  Also, hired and re-hired, a new study reveals teachers accused of sexual misconduct are skirting a law that should prevent them from getting jobs elsewhere; And, cracking down on DRIVING HIGH ..critics raising concern over a new bill requiring police to perform blood tests.

NJ Spotlight News March 5, 2024

Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Murphy grabbing a much needed victory in Bergen County looking to slow Andy Kim convention win momentum; Plus, the Vice President taking  the administration's toughest stand calling  for a ceasefire as the death toll in Gaza exceeds 30,000; Also, FILLING THE  VOID…The state's judicial vacancy crisis may be coming to an end,  as confirmation of new judges begins to resolve the backlog of trials… And, Breaking NEWS …. Fourteen NEW charges in the Menendez bribery case after his co-defendant Jose Uribe flips…new allegations of conspiracy, obstruction of justice along with new details of the senior senator acting as a foreign agent.
 
 

NJ Spotlight News March 4, 2024

Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…Commuters sound off on a proposed NJ transit fare hike, as the agency looks for a financial lifeline to offset its billion dollar budget shortfall; Plus, with co-defendant Jose Uribe pleading guilty in the Menendez’s bribery case, what his cooperation with prosecutors means for the embattled senior senator moving forward. Also, the fate of some community colleges hangs in the balance as Governor Murphy’s new budget slashes 20 million dollars of their funding; And FINANCIAL FREEDOM… On the heels of his gubernatorial bid… Mayor Ras Baraka and the First Lady of Newark launch a FREE financial education program aimed at supporting the women of Brick City.
 
 

NJ Spotlight News March 1, 2024

Tonight, on NJ Spotlight News…Check your EZ-Pass …starting today you’ll be paying a little more on the Turnpike and the Parkway but there’s more coming for commuters heading into Midtown Manhattan, the congestion pricing public hearings have begun;  Plus, REDUCING VIOLENCE…Nearly a year after the tragic death of Najee Seabrooks in Paterson, community intervention groups in Trenton are expanding efforts to curb a rise in violence; Also, POWERING NJ…Governor Murphy touting two offshore wind projects that expect to create over four thousand jobs here; And, breaking news… New Jersey businessman, Jose Uribe pleads guilty in the sweeping federal bribery case against  Senator Bob Menendez.
 

NJ Spotlight News February 29, 2024

Governor Murphy looks to FULLY FUND the public school system for the first time in state history. But will every district get a cut of the historic investment? Also, TOEING THE LINE, Senate candidates Andy Kim and Tammy Murphy continue to trade jabs over everything from her pro-Republican past to Kim’s challenge of the county line; Plus, FOOD PANTRY FIRE …The Hunterdon community looks to rebuild after a fire destroys the only food pantry in the area; And, what an extra $400 bucks a month will do, the City of Paterson looks to expand their GUARANTEED INCOME program after a recent study touts its success. 
 

NJ Spotlight News February 28, 2024

Tonight on NJ Spotlight News: Business groups and transit advocates react to the Governor's proposed 2.5% Corporate Transit Fee to help fund NJ Transit; NJ Spotlight News education and child welfare writer Hannah Gross discusses the governor's proposal to fully fund New Jersey's school funding formula for the first time in state history; Representative Mikie Sherrill calls for Congress to pass an aid package to support Ukraine; Advocates protest a proposed turnpike expansion, arguing it will increase traffic and pollution for already disadvantaged communities; A group of Rutgers undergraduate students make a groundbreaking discovery in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

NJ Spotlight News February 27, 2024

Tonight on NJ Spotlight News: Governor Murphy delivers his budget address, detailing a record-breaking $55.9 billion spending plan; State Senator Declan O'Scanlon, the GOP budget officer, responds to the governor's budget address; A panel of NJ Spotlight News experts breaks down how the budget will impact taxes, education, NJ Transit and more; Hoboken opens a "Library of Things" where residents can borrow everything from cake pans to power washers to computers.

NJ Spotlight News February 26, 2024

Tonight on NJ Spotlight News: Congressman Andy Kim secures more Democratic endorsements as he squares off with First Lady Tammy Murphy in a bid for a U.S. Senate seat; A new poll shows the majority of U.S. adults are more concerned about efforts to ban books than the possibility of inappropriate or controversial content that may be found in them; Advocates and members of NJ's LGBTQ+ community hold a vigil in Montclair to honor the life of 16-year-old Nex Benedict; The town of Nutley reinstates a Neighborhood Watch program for the first time in decades; NJ Spotlight News budget and finance writer John Reitmeyer previews the Governor's annual budget address.