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Briana: Tonight, more protests supporting both Palestine and Israel up at colleges nationwide as students at Princeton University occupy the campus for a second day.

>> Where we are now is really good and we are committed to staying here.

Briana: Plus, Congressman Donald Payne Junior's death leaves a vacant seat in Congress.

What is the succession plan at a critical time in the nation's capital?

>> We don't know, given all the crises going on in the world, when there might be an important thing you do not know about.

If that happens, you want to have that seat filled as quickly as possible.

Briana: Also, check your mailbox.

Newly designed mail-in ballots without the party line lay are arriving.

>> it was a scramble.

We did not know if our company would be able to do it.

Briana: If you are planning a trip to Midtown Manhattan, start changing your money -- saving your money.

The congestion toll pricing effect goes into effect on June 30.

"NJ Spotlight" begins right now.

♪ Announcer: From NJPBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight News," with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: Thank you for joining us this Friday night.

Princeton University students are now heading into their second night of protests over the war in Gaza, calling it a solidarity sit in.

Choreographed with dozens of other college campuses across the U.S., pro-Palestinian demonstrations have sparked a revolt and hundreds of arrests.

From Texas to California and the Epicenter in Manhattan, higher red administrations are in a showdown over free speech and the Israel Hamas war.

Demonstrations have spread overseas in Paris, Sydney, and Cairo.

Student groups, including those at Princeton and Montclair State University, are largely calling for the same actions from the universities -- to cut ties with Israeli companies, academic institutions, in some cases, the country itself.

Ted Goldberg is in Princeton, where counter protesters are in the school to cut ties with Iran.

Ted: Day two of the Princeton encampment has gotten off to a quieter start, especially compared to yesterday, and graduate students were arrested in the morning for putting up a tent and refusing to take it down.

There are also more counter protesters today supporting Israel.

The folks camping out hearsay it will take as long as it takes before Princeton divest from companies in Israel.

With a little bit of help from the committee.

>> that has been heartening to see.

So many people have come out, cook for us, what a supplies.

I think where we are right now is really good, and we are committed to staying here.

Ted: This student, who requested we don't use her name, says she is not leaving the lawn anytime soon.

>> ♪ just like the tree that's planted by the water We shall not be moved ♪ Ted: She is one of many students who vowed not to be moved.

Campus police watched on today, but did not arrest anyone.

Even the people who slept outside.

>> this is definitely the first time I have slept overnight in an outdoor space on the Princeton campus.

Evidently an unusual situation.

But we are here in collective solidarity.

We are holding this space.

It felt like meaningful community to have so many people here overnight together.

Ted: These students are calling for more than divestment.

They are demanding that Princeton stop affiliating, and and study abroad programs in Israel.

Just outside the campus walls, a different group of protesters also made noise.

>> Not on our campus.

Not in our name.

>> Not on our campus.

Not in our name.

>> Princeton, you should be ashamed.

Ted: These folks say schools like Princeton should be ashamed of hiring principal -- hiring professors affiliated with Iran.

Students say there are similarities.

>> With all we are seeing across the country on various college campuses like columbia and even Princeton, it is important to stand up for what is right to stand up against the brutal Bloody Iranian regime, and stand shoulder to shoulder with the Iranian people at this hour of need.

Ted: The protest centers on one professor in particular.

>> He is currently under investigation by Congress for his ties with the Iranian regime and his role in the 1992 bombing of a restaurant in Germany that targeted Iranian dissidents.

>> The German press back then mentioned that according to the court documents he had a role in their assassinations.

But to go forward with it and to indict him was a political decision, based on the relationship that existed back then between the Iranian government and European countries.

Ted: He was never indicted and has denied these charges in the past.

I reached up for an interview or statement for the story and did not hear back.

Arash saleh is the American representative for the Democratic Party of Iranian Curtis Sam, and says people have been angry about this professor since he started working at Princeton 15 years ago.

>> We have been talking to members of the Congress, memos of academia.

Unfortunately, I don't know how he has been able to manage to stay here for a long time.

>> -- Ted: Some of the crowd traveled a long way.

>> We are coming from all around the country -- Nashville, upstate New York, all over the country.

We believe it is imperative for such an Institute, because of the values they hold to take an action and expel him as soon as possible.

Otherwise, what kind of example are we going to set for future generations?

>> we are all in this collective effort to hold the Iranian regime accountable, to make sure their malign influence on university campuses at Princeton is not ignored.

We are here to hold them to account and make sure they heard us loud and clear.

Ted: Princeton is hearing a lot of people these days.

While the protest only lasted a few hours, the encampment looks like it could last through the weekend, with commencement coming up on Tuesday.

In Princeton, I'm Ted Goldberg, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: Funeral services for Congressman Donald Payne Junior are being arranged for next week.

The 65 euros Essex County Democrat died on Wednesday after suffering a cardiac episode earlier this month that left him in a coma.

Tributes from his friends and colleagues are continuing to pour in from across the country.

Here at home, there are also hard conversations starting to take place about who will fill the six term congressman's empty seat and just how long it could remain empty.

The senior political correspondent, David Cruz, reports.

David: In some places, the death of a congressman is cause for pause and reflection, appreciation, and even reverence.

In the 10th Congressional District of New Jersey, the vacancy created by the death of Donald Payne Junior had been the subject of speculation for some time now.

But unless the governor decides that there should be a special election, the seat could go unfilled until January, says one analyst.

>> That could be a serious problem in such a tightly contested House of Representatives, which has been the case for the last two sessions.

It's probably going to be the case again.

You don't want to leave a seat vacant for any length of time.

Don't know when there is going to be a tough vote or a tight vote, where every vote counts.

David: But filling the seat on an interim basis is complicated.

Unlike a vacancy in the U.S. Senate, the governor does not report -- appoint a replacement in the case of a congressional vacancy.

An election law attorney most recently argued the groundbreaking County line case.

He says the governor does have a role to play in choosing the process of succession, if not the successor.

Brett: The governor can designate a special election, in which case he would have to designate a particular day for the special election as well as a day for a special primary election.

Or he can designate the next general election as the date for this kind of special election for this to be filled.

David: The governor today said he had not thought about much beyond talking with and sharing condolences with the congressman's family.

>> we are not going to make any news until we do the rightful sendoff, which will be sometime next week.

But I do have a decision to make in terms of how you proceed.

I don't have a decision to make as to who.

That is the decision by others.

But no news to make today.

David: But the law is unclear on whether there would be a primary before the general election if the governor chose that date, or whether party leaders in Hudson, Union, and Essex, which make up the 10th Congressional District, would select the candidate.

And remember -- a doubleheader election in November would fill what is left of his term, and choose the next member of Congress.

Brett: That part is a little unclear from the statutes.

It will be interesting to see how that would happen.

But imagine there is probably a lot of pressure that is going to be put on the governor to do the first one, which is the special election.

Part of that stems from the fact that you can get the vacant seat filled quicker.

David: Right now, Republicans have a slim five seat majority with six vacancies in the house.

In the good old days, embers did not do much but campaign in the two months leading to election day.

But this is a Congress where moves to vacate the speaker income with a minute's notice, and who knows what crises, real or imagined, numbers can come up with in this brave new world.

Rep. Kim: I don't know too much about the protocols of what comes next and how the proceeds.

Right now, I'm going to focus on the loss of my colleague.

What I will say is that in Congress we face a very slim, narrow margin between the two parties.

So we have to be very careful about what next steps we do, and try to make sure that we are giving the people of New Jersey the kind of representation that they deserve.

>> You don't know, given all the crises that are going on, when there might be an important vote that comes up that you don't know about.

If that happens, you want to have that seat filled as quickly as possible.

Avett: As for who might be in line for the seat, or is intent speculation there as well.

But in deference to the family, must of the individuals mentioned chose not to comment until after the congressman is laid to rest.

I'm David Cruz, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: And make sure you tune into a special edition of Chat Box this weekend with David Cruz.

He moderates a conversation with all three Democratic U.S. Senate candidates vying to replace the embattled senior senator, Bob Menendez.

Catch it Saturday night at 6:00.

Mail-in ballots started going out on Monday for the upcoming election.

County clerks had to create multiple versions depending on a voter's party affiliation.

That is because a federal judge recently eliminated use of the so-called partyline Ellet structure, but only for the Democratic primary.

Joanna Gagis checked in with several county clerks as they prepare for the historic changes, and got a look at the state's first ever office block ballots.

Joanna: County clerks have had to scribble to get their ballots to match the federal court decision that abolished the county line, the ballot design that puts all the candidates endorsed by county leadership in one row.

The court order came just days before the ballots were to be printed.

>> It was a scramble.

We did not know if our machine company would be able to do it and they did not know if they could do it.

>> What is frustrating to clerks is the fact that people do not understand how a ballot is put together.

The judge kind of just -- he kind of inferred you just move the names around.

And that is not how it works.

>> Our machine company services 10 or 11 counties in New Jersey.

They have a program for their machine and it is set up to do columns, not office blocks.

So they could not reprogram it.

They had to work within the parameters of what they had.

For the actual voting machine, that is not a problem.

But for the vote by mail, it is an issue, because those are scanned, and that scanner has a template, and also parameters and boundaries of what it can do.

Joanna: The County Clerk in union had to prove 47 different ballots for the upcoming primary because of all the different county and municipal races in union.

But in the 19 counties that use the county line, the ballot changes only applied to Democratic candidates.

>> We now have two different ballot designs because the decision was limited to the Democratic primary.

And the elections in June are really two separate elections.

So dealing with two different ballot styles depending on what county you are him has been very challenging.

Joanna: Mail-in ballots started going out on Monday, and they have already shipped to military members overseas, so even though he passed on Wednesday, Commerce Mendó Donald Payne Junior will appear on this ballot.

-- Congressman Donald Payne Junior will appear on this ballot.

Educating the public is the next battle for county clerks, who are launching campaigns in a number of ways.

>> Mail-in ballot voters will have something right in the ballot packet to notify them that there is a change.

For voters who are going to the polls, we are going through a separate educational process.

We are going to be working for social media, education.

We will be trying to send out mailers to voters.

>> We are urging them to look when sample ballots are up on the website, too familiarize them cells with that.

We are also doing an educational video early next week, and that will be available on the website.

It will be available to various Democratic clubs as well as her republican clubs, if they want to see it.

>> Can you confidently say that all 47 of those ballots will be accurate, will be scammed correctly?

>> Absolute -- will be scanned correctly question mark >> Absolutely.

The percentage of fraud is less than 1%.

People proof the ballot several times, in English and in Spanish.

Joanna: Now it is up to you to proof your ballot to make sure you know how to vote on June 4.

In union, I'm Joanna Gagis, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: There is a growing rift between county leaders and a watchdog group that holds them accountable.

The association representing New Jersey's 21 counties this week sent a letter to lawmakers, urging them to investigate the office of the state comptroller after the office issued recent reports that expose waste and misconduct in three counties.

As Brenda Flanagan reports, the request comes as the legislatures -- legislature is already facing scrutiny after attempts to scale back transparency.

>> The comptroller's acting as judge and jury all in one.

Brenda: He lobbies for New Jersey County Government's and claims to have had it with New Jersey's acting state comptroller, Kevin Walsh.

The counties want lawmakers to put a short leash on the independent watchdog.

We really dislike his YouTube clips.

>> Did you know the office of the state comptroller audits and investigates New Jersey local governments?

When we do, we often find staggering waste.

A big reason why -- the chief financial officer is not doing their job.

>> I think the reports and press releases are disingenuous representation of the facts and circumstances.

Brenda: Walsh recently issued several damming reports when he out alleged -- pointing out alleged fraud and misuse in counties that vigorously disputed the findings.

In a letter to legislative leaders, one claimed Walsh attempt to evoke fear in the minds of viewers that fraud, waste, and abuse is everywhere, and public financial officers are primarily responsible.

He asks lawmakers to investigate the investigator and mandate guardrails, so they can fully rebut.

>> we would like for the legislators to conduct a hearing on the office of the state comptroller.

We are alarmed at the fact that the comptroller has the authority to levy accusations of wrongdoing when there are disputes of facts and legal matters without due process of law.

>> If the Legislature has any questions about any of the reports we have issued, including the ones that the counties are now upset about, we welcome the chance to be fully engaged.

I fully stand behind the facts that are in there and the conclusions we reach.

Brenda: Walsh freely acknowledges local governments often get it right, but adds it is not his job to award gold stars.

>> We share the fact because it is good for democracy for the public to understand where government has fallen down.

>> They have the power to investigate, and they do it well.

They have an incredibly wonderful track record identifying corruption and misuse of public funds.

Brenda: Government transparency advocates say the comptroller does not prosecute.

He just reports.

They see this as pushback by County politicians eager to bite the watchdog back, but they warn grassroots New Jersey just dumped the county line ballot and polls show folks also oppose measures to rollback the open Public records act.

They urge "read the room."

>> If the legislation does pick up, they will get massive resistance from this democracy movement.

Brenda: The Senate President told us "I can confirm receipt of the letter and we will give it a full review."

He is the sole sponsor of a bill that would create a governor appointed chief accountability officer -- basically a watchdog watchdog to supervise all state ombudsman and comptrollers.

That could elicit some howls of protest.

I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: In our spotlight on business report tonight, a start date to New York's congestion pricing plan is revealed.

The new toll goes into effect on June 30 for anyone driving into midtown Manhattan south of 60th Street.

That is despite ongoing legal challenges from New Jersey and New York's outer boroughs.

The plan will charge a base rate of $15 a day for passenger cars.

Trucks, buses, and other large vehicles will be charged a higher rate.

The MTA touted the fee is a way to cut down on traffic and pollution in the busy central business district, also to help raise a billion dollars for the beleaguered transportation agency.

Households making less than $50,000 a year and other exempt drivers could start applying for a discount.

The Murphy administration is still seeking to block the plan in federal court, arguing it will cause more traffic and environmental harm to North Jersey residents.

The state is also fighting for a portion of the revenue, but it is unclear how much the MTA has agreed to share.

The state is wrapping up Earth week with a massive new solar project.

New Jersey is getting more than $156 million from the federal Environmental Protection Agency's "solar for all" competition to expand community efforts.

It will give low income, disadvantaged neighbors -- neighborhoods access to clean energy and benefits.

The governor touted the money during an event in Ocean County, or a former landfill was closed and turned into a solar field that will provide power to roughly 1600 homes.

Murphy administration says the new federal funding will enable grid upgrades, or residential solar ownership, and committee partnerships.

It will also deliver about 175 megawatts of energy to more than 20,000 homes in the state.

The solar for all award is also expected to help New Jersey meet its goal of reducing emissions by 80% in the next 30 years.

>> and at a time when global temperatures are rising in an unsustainable and unprecedented pace, we need to work even faster and even harder.

In that spirit today, I am thrilled to announce that this year, with the help of solar projects just like this one, New Jersey for the first time ever will exceed five gigawatts -- 5000 megawatts -- of installed solar capacity.

That is a big deal.

To put that in perspective, that is enough energy to power more than 750,000 homes throughout all of New Jersey.

Briana: Negotiations are taking place right now for Newark airport workers who are part of a union.

This week, the members invited U.S. Senate candidate and Congressman Andy Kim to tour their workspaces and talk about their push for higher pay.

Right now, union employees earn about $19 an hour but are looking for a bump to $25.

Workers are also asking for paid time off, which is not currently part of their compensation.

Their jobs run the gamut from sky caps and wheelchair attendance to baggage handlers and terminal cleaners.

In 2023, 32 BJ airport workers secured the highest mandated minimum wage of $19 an hour after making the case for their essential role during the pandemic.

But employees told Andy Kim this week that still is not a living wage.

Rep. Kim: we want to make sure that people working hard at their jobs are able to earn an income that they are able to support themselves and their family on, and there is a lot of challenges -- increased transportation costs, housing costs, and other things like that.

That is something I am hearing from the workers here.

I want to make sure we are thinking through how do we help people the able to afford the kind of quality of life we want to see everybody have access to here in New Jersey.

Briana: Turning to Wall Street, stocks jumped today due to strong tech earnings.

Here is how the markets closed.

And make sure to tune into NJ Business Beat with Raven Santana this weekend.

She focuses on New Jersey's construction industry, talking to the CEO of a woman-owned company about the challenges she faced in a male-dominated field, and how it motivated her.

Then, how more students are choosing a skilled trade over college, which could help fill a gap of half a million construction workers in the U.S. Watch it Saturday and Sunday.

♪ And that does it for us tonight, but don't forget to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen anytime.

I'm Briana Vannozzi for the entire NJ Spotlight News team.

Thank you for being with us.

Have a great weekend.

We will see you back here on Monday.

Announcer: New Jersey education Association -- making public schools great for every child.

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Our future relies on empowered communities, the health and safety of our families and neighbors, of our schools and streets.

The foundation is committed to sustainability, equity, and economic empowerment, investing in parks, helping towns go green, supporting civic centers, scholarships, and workforce development that strengthen our community.

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