>> Major funding for "NJ Spotlight News" is provided in part by NJM Insurance Group.

Serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

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And by the PSEG foundation.

Anchor: Tonight, Democratic contenders dropping out of the race to replace Congressman Bill Pascrell.

>> It seems to have a hierarchical way of doing things, what your term.

When he left the assembly, Nelly replace him.

Logically what would follow is she will replace immigrant -- replace him again.

Anchor: And a pause on allowing legal status to undocumented spouses.

And moves to chronic -- curb chronic absenteeism.

>> The traditional learning environment is not the best for everyone, it's not what everyone wants, especially coming out of COVID, having to be creative.

This is another opportunity to meet students where they are.

Anchor: And a rise in senior scams.

>> Everyone is susceptible to fraud.

Anchor: A fraud prevention summit to help vulnerable communities with the tools to help themselves from fraud.

"NJ Spotlight News" begins right now.

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

Anchor: Thank you for joining us.

We begin with the political jockeying over the late Congressman Bill Pascrell's seat, Democratic candidates vying for the chance to run in the November general election have been dropping out at record pace.

A Congressman, a mayor and council woman quickly withdrew names from contingent in the last 24 hours after State Senator Nelly Poe all but locked up backing from party members that make up the knife congressional district.

The contest is playing out at warp speed, past grails death last week he gave the Democratic party just days to coalesce around a new candidate before County members meet for a vote at this Thursday's convention where they will cast a secret ballot vote to determine the new nominee for the seat.

Brenda Flanagan reports the strong show of support for Poe seems to have knocked out chances for other congressional hopefuls.

Reporter: They fielded questions for an hour, three Democrats vying for the late Congressman's now vacant seat in the knife congressional district.

Even before this forum to discuss policy, politics had already positioned a winner.

County chairs for Passaic, Bergen and Hudson committees had already endorsed Nelly Poe as their compromise candidate.

>> My deep understanding of our constituency combined with my extensive experience ensures me I am prepared to hit the ground running.

Reporter: By this morning and some blue woman had dropped out and by midday, and the sibling men had texted I've not made a decision yet.

The Patterson Mayor withdrew even before last night's forum, sponsored by the New Jersey globe on New Jersey.

The party bus compromise apparently aimed to quickly quash potential bickering, according to Micah Rasmussen.

>> Do you not have any confidence in your committee people to make a decision?

I guess we know the answer.

Reporter: The Passaic County chair had originally endorsed Sumter but switched to Pou, noting it would send a New Jersey Latino to Congers for the first time, adding "with 27 years of legislative experience and a strong background in city government, Senator Pou is uniquely qualified to represent her community in Washington.

I believe she is the best ways to carry on the legacy of Congressman Bill Pascrell."

>> There was a sense of compromise for Pou.

They sort of followed the mold of those who are loyal, put in their time, weight their term get rewarded.

Reporter: After Pascarella passed away last week, Democrats faced a short runway with an August 29 deadline to name a replacement for the November ballot.

Not enough time for a primary, where all of the district's registered Democrats could vote.

The choice falls to the elected committee members, normally about 800 folks but hampered by significant vacancies in Passaic.

>> Passaic County seems to have a very hierarchical way of doing things, wait your turn.

When Bill Pascrell left the sibling, Nellie Pou replaced him.

Logically what would follow is she will replace him again.

Reporter: On Facebook, a snap poll and a comment "I am very encouraged."

The group for Islamic relations criticized him.

>> I come from a community that is remarkably diverse and people respect their neighbors.

This is the real world lesson I intend to bring to Congress.

Reporter: If Pou has to D.C., it opens her seat, which opens another contest.

Committee members meet to vote this Thursday, the day after Bill Pascrell's funeral mass.

I am Brenda Flanagan, "NJ Spotlight News."

Anchor: Here are other key stories we are following.

New Jersey's capital city now on board with the Attorney General's arrive together program.

Trenton joining five other towns in Mercer County already participating.

Partnering law enforcement officers from the city Police Department with mental health professionals at capital health.

According to the mayor's office, those teams will respond to community calls for help during a mental health crisis and conduct follow-up visits.

The mental health screeners will also provide resources and other referrals to those who call for help.

It was rolled out three years ago and is in 21 counties although not all towns participate.

The Attorney General is aiming to expand the program's reach.

Trenton's decision to take part comes on the heels of another high-profile fatal police shooting, this one of a 25-year-old whose family last month called 911 for help while she was in the midst of an apparent mental health crisis.

Also tonight, a federal judge in Texas has put a pause on a new policy from the Biden Administration that would have potentially given roughly half a million immigrants without legal status a path to citizenship if they are married to an American.

The judge's decision on the program comes days after Texas and 15 other Republican-led states filed a lawsuit to end of the policy, accusing the judge of violating immigration authorities and bypassing Congress for blatant political purposes.

The White House announced the program in June and the Department of Homeland Security began accepting applications last week.

It allows U.S. citizens, spouses and children to adjust legal status without first having to leave the country.

Make the road New Jersey, an immigrant advocacy organization, said in a statement the program is a lifeline for the roughly 500,000 longtime U.S. residents who qualify, adding that when immigrants and their families thrive, communities benefit.

We are taking a deeper look tonight at a new director from the Attorney General's office that is making sweeping changes for survivors of sexual assault by mandating all rape kits, otherwise known as safe kids, released to law enforcement, must now be tested.

For years, police departments have the option to forgo testing if they thought the results would have no bearing on the outcome of a criminal case.

Now the option won't be on the table.

It means a definitive answers for survivors and the clearing of a backlog that sits at roughly 1200 untested kits in New Jersey law enforcement possession.

That data is according to the joyful heart foundation, which tracks these reforms nationwide as part of their end the backlog initiative, with the understanding every untested kit is a survivor whose body became a crime scene.

The organizations director of policy and advocacy joins me now.

Thank you for coming on the show.

Your organization has been pretty instrumental in other states leading reforms on this issue and I wonder what you make of New Jersey's decision and how New Jersey stacks up compared to the rest of the nation when it comes to our backlog.

Ilsa: Thank you for having me.

The joyful heart foundation, we are extremely excited about these new steps in New Jersey, New Jersey has been behind the curve as far as rape kit reform.

Many other states have passed reforms at the size of New Jersey and we are happy that New Jersey is getting on board.

Anchor: Do we have a true estimate of what the backlog is nationwide?

Some systems are in place in New Jersey to track them, but do they exist in a more uniform way?

Ilse: Now we have come up most of the states have rape kit tracking systems and most have done a copperheads of come a complete inventory of what their backlog is.

We have a pretty good idea at this point.

We still have a couple states that have not done a comprehensive inventory.

South Carolina, Mississippi and New Jersey has not had a complete inventory yet.

Anchor: Where does the backlog stand nationally?

Number wise?

Ilse: Originally the backlog was about 400,000 untested kits across the country, if you can believe that number, and now we are down to less than 100,000, we may even be under 50,000.

Anchor: One of the rationales here behind not testing the kits is if it made no difference according to law enforcement departments, in the outcome of a criminal case, the test could sit on a shelf and not be tested.

Why does it matter to test each and every cap?

-- kit?

Ilse: If the survivor wants the kit tested is what matters.

They have done everything society asked them to do after a sexual assault, including have evidence collected from their body that has become a crime scene.

What we also know is when you test kits, you can link crimes together, identifying serial rapists.

Even in cases of acquaintance rape, we know rapists commit all kinds of crime.

They rate people they know and don't know.

Making sure all of these kids are tested and entered into the database helps law enforcement to get connections between crimes.

Sometimes you see a serial rapist who has also engaged in other crimes.

You can't get those patterns unless you can put the DNA into the database.

Anchor: Quite literally connecting the dots.

Another reform New Jersey is putting forward, survivors will need to be notified the kids are going to be tested.

What amount of transparency and accountability does that lead to just by notifying the survivors?

Ilse: There are a couple of things here, one is that survivors want and need information about their cases and kits.

We did research in 2016 and we talked with many survivors across the country and they said we want to know where our kids are.

Very instrumental to their hearing process and touch rental to their well-being if they don't know where their kit is and even if it has been tested.

More information for survivors is better.

Anchor: Thank you so much for coming out to talk about this, appreciate your time.

Ilse: Thank you for covering this story.

Anchor: Even post-pandemic, chronic absenteeism remains surprisingly high and some New Jersey school districts, particularly for student groups in urban and city schools where hundreds of teenagers disappear from enrollment rosters.

To fight it, four Camden County organizations launched a program this summer connecting high schoolers with job training and social service programs.

What they found is a second chance and opportunity to get back on track.

Reporter: At Hope works in downtown Camden, people are getting retelling -- re-time experience.

>> They have to see where the pipes are and if they have lead so they can call the person or company.

Reporter: The nonprofit is training the next generation of coders and techies, teaching them to create websites and prepare themselves for the job markets.

>> I have gotten a lot of help in my social skills, I usually don't speak much and I'm getting the skills to communicate more with others.

>> They teach about professionalism.

Before I came here, I was really quiet.

I was really nervous about talking to people into talking in front of people but it really helped me develop social skills.

Reporter: These two are trainees and say that it provides more than just on-the-job training.

>> If you don't have food, they provide peanut butter and jelly, coffee and tea.

Reporter: They say it's been a big relief for folks in Camden.

>> If you're feeling down and need to talk about your day and you can't get it out, your mood can really affect your workflow.

>> We carry a visible backpack with our troubles and -- in invisible backpack with our troubles and promised to go through it every day in the promise mental health help.

>> Such a positive place, kept her out of trouble.

She received a stipend for attending an afterschool program and she learned a lot.

Reporter: Vivian has seen two of her children pass through these doors and use the training to secure full-time jobs.

She is excited to see more people come through Hope works thanks to a $250,000 program funded partly by taxpayer dollars and mostly through local groups.

>> I wholeheartedly believe in the program not only because of my children but because the kids in Camden have an opportunity to excel here.

They receive a stipend for attending, they learn so much.

It's like a family environment.

There are wraparound services.

It's in incredible program.

>> The traditional learning environment is not the best for everyone, not what everyone wants, and especially coming out of COVID, having to be creative in how we engage students, and this is another opportunity to meet students where they are and get them the skills they are looking for to have a pathway yonder school.

Reporter: Since the pandemic, Camden has seen a lot of students stop coming to school.

This program aims to connect with kids who have dropped out or help them to stay in school by working your part-time.

>> These are young adults businesses which they had, they have drive, ambition, and this is at the same time businesses say they can't find anyone good to work.

We can solve that problem, we have young adults were ready to work and it is a win-win.

Reporter: This 17-year-old is a prospective student.

>> I like to work on Internet stuff, per se.

Reporter: He needs time to decide if the program is for him and he likes what he saw during a tour today.

>> The people in general, the way they work at their own pace.

Reporter: He could possibly find himself on this wall one day.

>> It's an assignment we do.

They decide to put it on the wall so you can show you did it in you learned something from it.

Reporter: Where is your picture?

>> Right there.

Reporter: Just like her picture, people here shooting for the moon or at least training for a new career with support on the way there.

In Camden, Ted Goldberg.

Anchor: In our spotlight on business report tonight, plan ahead for Labor Day travel.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey estimates a record 6.7 million travelers are expected to use the agency's airports and crossings this holiday weekend.

That is a 3% increase over last year.

You should expect heavy traffic because the majority of the trouble will be from vehicles, about 4 million projected to use the ridges and tunnels.

Port Authority so telling travelers to be prepared to wait at airports with Thursday, Friday and Monday the heaviest days.

The agency is coming off a record month, setting a record for not only the busiest July but the busiest month of all time--13.8 million commercial passengers.

The seaports hit a milestone also for the fireworks celebration.

Trains will run on a modified schedule this week and check before leaving and all nonemergency construction work is also being suspended.

Stocks saw choppy trading action today while investors look ahead to a major earnings report that will be out later this week.

Here's how the markets closed.

Anchor: Finally tonight, helping seniors from falling victim to fraud.

A recent survey found roughly 42% of American adults say they've personally experienced being scammed and tracked.

Some lost thousands of dollars, others their life savings.

The AARP New Jersey chapter recently launched a fraud prevention summit to teach older adults how to spot a scam and other forms of abuse.

Raven Santana reports.

>> My grandson was only two years old and I got a phone call saying grandma, I'm in trouble and I need money.

My grandson is two years old, he is in the crib at home.

I said which is this?

I have two nephews, Michael, and he said Michael, and I said which and he said Michael Jordan.

Reporter: This woman says 13 years ago she almost fell victim to the grandparent scam where a color claims to be a grandchild and a worried grandparent rushes to help him it usually by sending money, and once a cent, the money was gone.

Today, she was tested again.

>> As we were coming up here, I got a scam phone call.

Reporter: She was one of more than 250 people that attended an AARP fraud prevention summit.

According to AARP, over one third or approximately 120 million people are vulnerable to scams.

Even experts can be targeted.

You don't realize it until you are in the middle of it and you think you know how to do it -- I come from I.T.

I'm up on technology and yet I fell prey to it.

>> Five years ago if I had asked people, that's not gonna happen to me, I know what I'm doing.

We did a survey in April and nine in 10 people fear it will happen to them now.

Reporter: The director of fraud prevention programs for AARP says there is a misconception older people are most vulnerable.

>> Everybody is susceptible to fraud.

The technology, the ability of these transnational criminal enterprises to target us specifically is unlike any other time in our society.

If you look at data from the Federal Trade Commission, they will tell you younger adults report fraud losses more often than older.

Here is the big vulnerability, as an older adult, you have wealth.

Even if you think you don't, you have a monthly Social Security check, maybe a pension, may be insurance, 401(k), housing wealth.

Criminals know that and they are collecting information and making lead lists based on age because they know that's where the money is.

Reporter: The free event provided a variety of panels were experts shared tips, tools and personal expenses dealing with fraud, including the Attorney General.

The AG highlighted the four top ways to know something is a scam.

>> At first scammers pretend to be from an organization you know or utilize.

Next they create a sense that there is a problem or a prize to be had.

Then they pressure you to act quickly.

Finally they put further pressure on you to pay in a specific way.

Reporter: AARP says they are now on the watch for an uptick in fraud around election time and say it's important to remember that.

>> All the ways you can register to vote in the state of New Jersey is by mail, you can go online or you can go to your local election office.

You cannot register to vote by phone or text or email.

Reporter: Experts stress that if you think you've been targeted by a faint -- a scam or fallen victim, always report it.

A worn if you are not diligent it can lead to more money lost even hours after the scam has occurred.

Anchor: That does it for us tonight.

Before you go, a reminder to download the "NJ Spotlight News" podcast so you can listen to us anytime.

For the entire team here at "NJ Spotlight News," thank you for being with us, have a great night and we will see you tomorrow.

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

And RWJBarnabas Health, let's be healthy together.

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I see myself.

I became an ESL teacher to give my students what I wanted when I came to this country.

The opportunity to learn, to dream, to achieve, a chance to be known and to be an American.

My name is Julia and I am proud to be an NJEA member.

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♪