>> The war on congestion pricing rages on.

Governor Murphy Colin Firth told credit for New Jersey drivers entering into Manhattan as a controversial plan is set to begin next spring.

>> New York is expensive as it is and they want to charge us extra.

>> Residents in Malley grapple with aftermath of the devastating wildfires as the death toll continues to climb.

First responders from our state give us a first-hand account the front lines.

>> There's nothing I could ever think of that is experience they have gone through.

>> Plus students pressed to lower the voting age and school boards.

>> Jersey shore properties remain vacant post-pandemic as owners notice a decline in their once popular summer vacation spot.

>> In the past, we have had too much demand for the supply of Acacian rentals.

NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

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>> From NJPBS, this is NJ Spotlight News.

>> Thank you for joining us.

Though controversial, the congestion pricing plan is moving ahead.

The cost to drivers and to link -- entering Manhattan is still up in the air.

the traffic Mobility review board met for a second time yesterday to consider charging drivers anywhere between nine and twenty three dollars when the tolls kick in next year in an effort to decrease congestion and pollution in the region while raising about a billion dollars for the MTA to make public transit improvements but Jersey continues to push back.

Governor Murphy sent a letter to the board urging them to give drivers crossing the Hudson River credits to lower the impact of double tolling.

this latest move comes after the state also announced its lawsuit over the mta's congestion pricing plan calling it unfair to Jersey drivers but Advocates of the tolling plan say the more carve outs and credits they include the more expensive the plan will be for everyone else.

Melissa Rose Cooper reports.

and that's about it you know we're going to the city okay we pay tall and that's about it you know we're going there to spend money have a good time we shouldn't be charged extra for that.

>> New Jersey drivers voicing their frustration over plans to implement congestion pricing in New York City ultimately forcing them to dig deeper in their pockets every time they use the Holland and Lincoln tunnels to commute across the Hudson.

>> they don't pay the price for when they come into our our state but we have to pay more now to just go in there they're also raising the MTA prices and everything in the city so we're gonna have to pay for more when we're paying the train fare or whatever.

>> the measure aimed at alleviating traffic in lower Manhattan while reducing the city's carbon Footprints would Implement a proposed toll of up to 23 dollars for drivers entering below 60th Street.

Transportation officials estimate it could bring in roughly one billion dollars so the MTA can make much needed improvements but with the cost of living already high many new jerseyans feel that being unfairly targeted.

>> lawmakers including Congressman Robert Menendez and Josh gottheimer have openly expressed a disapproval for congestion pricing and yesterday Governor Murphy sent a letter to the Trafford Mobility review board urging the panel to lessen the burden on Jersey drivers by implementing various recommendations like credits for low-income commuters eliminating tolls during off-peak hours and giving drivers already paying tolls for Hudson River Crossings a credit to offset the added cost of congestion pricing.

the panel addressing some of these concerns during its meeting last night.

>> and a credit of 14 for users of the four tunnels would increase the base auto rate by eight to nine dollars for everyone so in this scenario everyone driving into the CBD would pay the same amount in tolls in total.

no matter how they enter the CBD but some drivers would be contributing much less than other drivers for the congestion they cause in the central business district.

it's also worth mentioning that adding eight to nine dollars to the base auto rate will get the CBD toll close to the upper range of what was analyzed in the EA the infamous 23 dollar toll.

>> like a sales tax like um it doesn't matter if you're high income or low income when you buy a new shirt you pay the same amount of tax as opposed to an income tax which is graduated based on income level.

>> Felicia park Rogers is a director of regional infrastructure projects for the Tri-State Transportation campaign she says research shows most low-income residents wouldn't be affected by congestion pricing since they already use mass transit.

>> fewer than two percent of commuters from Bergen County to Central business district travel by car of those people the median income is above a hundred thousand if you look at the same districts and you say the majority of people who are commuting earn below 80,000 they are using mass transit.

while this could provide a small amount of burden on a small number of people the vast majority of people who use cars as a discretionary way to commute at this point in time are people who are already higher income.

>> we're all working we're all paying a lot of money for everything in New York's expensive as it is and then they want to charge us extra you can have less people going back and forth then.

>> the board is expected to meet again before congestion pricing is finalized but critics maintain they won't stop fighting for the fair rights of drivers for NJ Spotlight news I'm Melissa Rose Cooper >> A new legal fight is brewing over the site of one of New Jersey's most notorious environmental crimes this week the state finalized a settlement with the chemical company responsible for polluting groundwater in Toms River.

at the site of the former seba gaigi chemical plant it will compensate the state for damages to Natural Resources as a result of the chemical leaks and conserve the land for public use but environmentalists and residents of the town are calling it a raw deal senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports.

>> I'm angry I'm here to tell you that because we need help to to take this to the finish line now residents want a better deal for decades folks in Toms River have demanded Justice from siba gaigi the chemical company that dumped 47 000 barrels of Industrial Waste into an unlined pit leaching a plume of ================================ and all njdep has done has poured salt into that wound last night he spoke at a meeting of the Grassroots group save Barnegat Bay which rejected the dep's recent settlement of a 2007 lawsuit over destruction of Natural Resources complaining the dep cut a deal without Community input it's just another slap in the face to all of you all of us and I'm just sick and tired of the arrogance and the dismissive attitude of a department that's supposed to be Protecting us.

The deal works between the DEP and BASF which acquired the site in 2009 requires the company to pay half a million dollars and natural resource damages preserve thousands of acres in perpetuity and build and maintain nonpublic agents projects including a nature center and boardwalk for 20 years.

It will also continue to clean up the plume toxic groundwater contaminated public wells.

The mayor called it woefully inadequate.

It is obviously a sweetheart deal.

>> they say they came to the agreement after doing what he called calculus of litigation risk.

>> There may be insufficient to demonstrate the damage to ♪ the ♪ resource ♪ industry ♪ so ♪ we have to carefully balance what is provable in court.

>> They hired a legal team specializing in natural resource cases they claim this deal doesn't compensate for injury to the underground and other environmental damages that they are orchestrating a publicity ploy.

>> They are trying to convince this community that what they're doing is a good thing where I mean we're clearly not buying into that story.

it's it's not surprising it's so disheartening Toms River resident Joe Cochran's daughter endured cancer a neuroblastoma they're one of more than 60 families impacted by a cancer cluster here who reached a multi-million dollar settlement with the company although it accepted no blame but Katrin wants the environment made whole every time you think you make a breakthrough with with the government agencies and you think they're going to be on your side finally or get things done the way that they say they're going to do it they don't shave Barnegat Bay says they're likely headed for a court battle I'm Brenda Flanagan Flanagan NJ Spotlight news.

>> The public nuisance statute which was passed last year allow for the states Attorney General to hold gun manufacturers accountable for gun violence.

The Attorney General released a statement following the court's decision saying he is thrilled with the unanimous ruling and the states law never should have been enjoined and now it will be back in effect in its entirety.

The General Counsel warned in a statement that the group could bring challenges to the law down the road.

It's hard to miss the devastating photos and videos circulating on TV and online of the Maui wildfires that destroyed much of the surrounding areas and resulted in the death of at least 100 people.

The Red Cross and other organizations have been working around the clock to get people to supplies and medical care they need.

Even volunteers from New Jersey like Mary Sterling felt compelled to make the long Trek to help those that have been hit the hardest Mary joins me from Maui.

>> Mary you are a long way from New Jersey why are you there and what made you want to help because we heard about the wildfires that have happened in Maui along with the the hurricane that came through that really sparked the fires that are happening that were Happening Here not sure if they're all under control at this point but certainly people are out of that area and wanting to rebuild their lives here what else would we do but go and help these people are devastated they've been in shock it seems that it took shock to get out of that situation that they were in everybody says they just responded under shock that there was no thinking about it they had no warning they had no no experience it had nobody who would ever said this is how you prepare for this.

It Came Upon them so quickly first they thought they were safe and then minutes later they did not feel safe at all with fire raging around them with the gas lines popping all over the place with with car engines burning up with tires gone on higher on cars there was just nothing that I could ever think of to experience what they've gone through how difficult has it been to get supplies I mean what are the needs is it food is it shelter is it medical at this point in our shelter we're able to help people with all those things but what we really do and what we are here for with the Red Cross is to to hug people to take care of their their =their person to be here with them to stand by them.

>>= you're talking about not just== is it will help but===================== yes========== that's with= the Red Cross can do, we can be here with them============================ =========== to them===========.

With you give the magic of water====.

=We can hold them we can just be that compassionate friend= who's here to help them.

>> for people who want to send help where can they go to send wanted Terry help?

>> Go to the Red Cross.

It's so important to have that community around them.

>> Mary Sterling all the way from Maui boots on the ground, thank you so much for taking the time this morning and as you mentioned, so many people wanting to help.

You can go to do so by visiting the RedCross.org.

A school in Patterson has been closed and is being deemed unsafe after part of the first floor ceiling collapsed just weeks before school is set to begin.

While nobody was hurt, the building is over 100 years old.

The district has decided to relocate hundreds of students and staff to different schools while repairs are made.

Activists will rally outside of City Hall and Jersey City today calling for lowering the age required to vote in Board of Education elections in the state from 18 years old to 16. the group pushing for change is vote at 16 which is being advised by musab Ali who was formerly the president of the Jersey City Board of Education Brianna vinozzi caught up with Ali about his journey in leadership at such a young age and what this new fight means to him.

>> thank you so much for coming in to chat about this obviously School Board elections have been making the headlines in New Jersey nationally is that why you see this as the time because there's momentum behind this movement why now so >> I got to say this is not a new idea you know in Indonesia and Greece they already have Federal elections where people are 16 and they can vote Tacoma Maryland was the first place in the United States where they did this and that was 10 years ago in 2013 but I've just felt like you know recently school boards had become such a Hot Topic and the fact that we don't give our students agency I think is something that we definitely Overlook so are you and the group that you're working with this group of teenagers looking at places like Maryland I believe California as well has done something similar to see how they've approached it and what do you think will really resonate with people to get them on board because of course I'm sure you hear criticism that 16 year olds aren't necessarily mature enough to be making these decisions.

>> I think that 16 year olds have so much at stake 16 17 year olds you know they're able to drive they're able to work which means they can get taxed and I think they have the agency right I work with a lot of young people you know I first got I first ran for office when I was 19.

I got elected when I was 20. by the time I was 23 I was the school board president and one of the things that I realized throughout my time there was how much students really knew about what's going on in the schools for a lot of for a lot of reasons you know we'll talk to parents and teachers and taxpayers and ask them what they feel about education but it's so rare that you actually ask students to give feedback on what they feel about what's going on in the schools.

>> what do you hear from the students that you're working with I mean what are the issues that are top of mind for them.

>> I just think there's so many facility issues There's issues around curriculum There's issues around you know the ins and outs of how schools are run and I think the fact that we don't give them a voice in that process is really just doing them a disservice I mean anything that you were to order today on Amazon like you would leave a review right you're constantly asked to like provide feedback but for some reason when it comes to K-12 education the end user we don't ask them what's happening in their District even in my first campaign back in 2016 I remember calling them the Forgotten stakeholders of Education right like everyone else is being asked their opinion on schools but the people who are actually in school are we're not hearing from them .

>> I mean and these are students I imagine who have stakes in this across the board whether that be issues like climate or you know we're obviously seeing an uptick in gun violence across the board in the country and then of course book bands curriculum gender Equity issues I mean these students are really faced with a lot do they feel like if they have a vote they'd be able to really make a change here.

>> I mean if you look at Tacoma Maryland for instance the voter turnout rates for 16 and 17 year olds was much higher than any other age group like young people really really care about what's going on I know when I go to schools and I talk to young people and I ask them even how big the budget is in schools like people have no idea how much money is being spent in education yeah and they Wonder like are there better ways to spend this money in Jersey City one of the things we did was we started a participatory budgeting process where we gave each High School ten thousand dollars and we said where do you want to spend this money and you know some people would think oh the first thing kids want are field trips but actually the first things kids ask for were facility upgrades they're like listen some of our bathroom stalls don't work right and these are the things that you know other people should have pointed out to us but some people sometimes just feel like they can't do that where students have that Independence right there's no one hanging this over to them as like a sort of a job or something and so they can be very honest and candid about things that they need to that that they see need to be fixed.

>> Musa Bali is the former Jersey City School Board president thank you so much thank you for having me >> A possible NJ transit engineer strike is looming after a federal judge blocked New Jersey transit's request for an injunction to stop the agency's engineers from walking off the job.

The BLT Union's 500 members at the Transit Agency are currently voting on whether to authorize a strike with a deadline set for August 31st but the judge also ordered the union to tell its members to show up for work on Labor Day the engineers are calling for higher wages that they say reflect their significant training requirements and stress on the job.

NJ Transit says in a statement that they're committed to continuing to negotiate in good faith.

>> support for the business report provided by the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey working for economic Prosperity by uniting business and Community leaders for 150 years membership and event information online at chamber snj.com >> well after a surge and short-term rental markets at the Jersey Shore last summer homeowners don't seem to be as lucky this year sky high prices have less some units and homes sitting vacant for much of the season with renters struggling to keep up after the toll that inflation and the economy has had on many families this year so could this significant change in the rental market be the new normal senior correspondent Joanna gagas reports.

>> in the past we've just had too much demand for the supply of vacation rentals everybody wanted to come to the Jersey Shore.

>> but this summer even in these last weeks of August some Jersey Shore rental properties remain unbooked and open.

>> I call it return to normal things have kind of return to normal the way they were pre-covered specifically that means the audience of people that vacation at the Jersey Shore is smaller it's still large but it's smaller.

>> the rental market is still very strong but uh overall I would say there's for us there's probably around the 10 reduction in rentals this year others in the market I've talked to other Brokers have talked somewhere around 15 to 25 experts say these drops are a correction to the rental market that spiked during covid throughout 2021 and 2022 more people than ever wanted to go to the Jersey Shore they weren't ready to travel overseas yet but they still wanted to to go on that trip to the beach with their family so you had reduced availability the record demand which meant occupancies reached record highs essentially every unit that was available was book solid.

>> Jamie Lane an economist who analyzes Shore Rentals says many homeowners used their Shore properties as their primary residence when work from home prevailed.

>> so now we're seeing Supply go back return to office is a thing and with those properties now back on the market supply this summer outpaced demand in some places which means the peak prices that homeowners could charge have had to shift downward as well.

>> people this year were spending twice as much time looking at twice as many listings but yet we were sending less inquiries to our owners which tells us that they're not finding value.

>> Tara hargenrader says increased home purchase prices played a part in the rising rental costs as well.

>> as the homes got more expensive to buy and people were looking to use them as rental properties and people wanted to see that return on investment on their rent property obviously the prices had to keep up with what they were purchasing their homes for plus Rising inflation rates if they have to fix things in their home all of those things have been inflated so if it costs them more to maintain their rental properties then they have to put the price up to keep up with that I have to imagine too that there's a piece of this where if people are willing to pay then homeowners are going to charge were people willing to pay more when covid was kind of still around and they wanted to stay close to home I would say that in 2020 and 2021 people were they just wanted to get out it didn't matter what it cost they were ready for a vacation now it seems like they got out they they did the vacation they don't feel secluded by covid anymore so now they're looking at the prices sometimes and they're like you know I can take five six thousand dollars and go to Disney World or go to Europe international travel is up 200 percent I mean we're looking at almost 39 percent of all Americans are doing some international travel this year that's that's a large number so for homeowners trying to compete with less demand and more Supply pricing is the name of the game say experts the more realistic and the more open they are to a better pricing methodology based on where the market is right now it gives them a better chance of getting that full summer booking and for those who still have weeks open this summer you might have to lower your price to make sure that you're getting that booking and making sure you're pricing competitively some hopeful advice for travelers looking to squeeze the last of these late summer weeks for NJ Spotlight news I'm Joanna gagas >> A reminder to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen anytime.

For the entire news team, thank you for being with us, have a great weekend and we will see you right back here on Monday.

>> the members of the New Jersey Education Association, making public schools great for every child.

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