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Briana: Tonight on "NJ Spotlight News" -- Time is ticking to fill the seat of the late Congressman Bill Pascrell.

The front runner, sender and delete Poe, is set to become the first woman elected to Congress.

>> Having representation is fantastic.

It would mean a lot to women in New Jersey.

They would look at their congressional delegation and see people who look like them.

Briana: Plus, just ahead of Labor Day weekend, United Airlines flight attendants have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.

Also, Camden controversy.

Mounting calls for the resignation of Camden school -- of Camden's school Board President following allegations he assaulted a former student.

>> Everyday that he remains, we are making a statement that says morality, integrity and safety are not a necessity for those who serve in the highest administrative roles in Camden city schools.

Briana: And growing concerns amid a troubling trend of mosquito born viruses.

What to do as they make their way into the garden state.

>> Do everything you can to reduce the number of mosquitoes in and around your property.

Briana: NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

♪ Announcer: From NJ PBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight news" with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: Good evening.

Thanks for joining us this Thursday night.

We start with a few key stories we are following.

Tonight, the race to succeed the late Congressman, Bill Pascrell, is all but set with Democratic leaders backing State Senator Nelly Poe at this evening's convention, they are poised to tap the long-term legislator to replace Bill Pascrell on the November ballot.

She locked up key endorsements from party leaders including Governor Phil Murphy, and after she knocked out three Democratic rivals who were also in the running.

The last among them, assemblyman Benji Wimberly who dropped out late Wednesday.

The ninth congressional district is dominated by Democrats, so the winner of tonight's's will be heavily favored to repeat -- tonight's choice will be heavily favored.

She would also add to the state's overall female representation which currently stands at just two out of the 12 house seats.

For more on that, I'm joined by the associate director at the Center for American women and politics.

Jean, so good to talk to you.

There's still a lot that has to happen but it appears that Senator Nelly Pou will be the front runner at least in the race to succeed the late Congressman Bill Pascrell.

Also, in the race to succeed the late Congressman Donald P., McIver appears to be the front runner there.

What does that due to the makeup of our congressional delegation, when -- I looked back, we have never had a time when four women represented New Jersey in Congress.

>> It would be a big moment for women's representation in Congress from New Jersey.

As you said, never had four women serving in our congressional delegation, the high watermark is two, which we currently have.

We have already been talking about how the likely Congresswoman McIver would be the third.

That would be a record.

Now it looks like we will go to at least four.

There's still another competitive race, the Sue Waltman race against Tom Kane.

It is competitive.

We could potentially get to five this year.

Briana: I wonder how that would change how government operates in D.C. and what it would mean for New Jersey.

Just historically, what we know about how women function when they are in a position like this.

>> We know from the research that women bring their own perspectives and life experiences to policymaking.

So having diversity and representation is fantastic.

It would mean a lot to women in New Jersey.

They would look at their congressional delegation and see people who look like them.

We also talk about the role modeling affect a lot.

It means that young people will see a more diverse delegation in U.S. Congress from their state.

Which means they will look at these women and men who are serving and say, hey, there are people who look like me -- I could be a member of Congress, too.

It's a very important moment for the state.

Briana: Certainly when you talk about representation, it mirroring what your constituency looks like, when I think about Nelly pou, -- nelly Pou, this could be significant in that the Latino community just lost a prominent figure in Menendez leaving.

>> Absolutely.

We have also never had a Latina represent the state in Congress.

It would be a big moment in that way.

A number of groups have been pushing for this for a long time.

Latinas foundation and all the people involved have been pushing for greater representation among latinas in elected office.

This would be a significant moment to have nelly Pou serving in our congressional delegation given that our state is one of the most diverse states in the country, i think we have the fourth largest Hispanic population in the country.

This would be a big moment.

Given that were lost Senator Menendez's representation, it is nice to see a Latina come into Congress in this moment.

Briana: Would you say that the groundwork that started -- it's been ongoing for many years, but we really saw a significant shift in 2016 and 2018 with more women in general.

A greate pipeline for women -- A greater pipeline for women getting into politics and running for elected offices.

Is this sort of the fruit of that labor that we are seeing?

>> I think to some degree, absolutely.

I think it even predates that by years if not decades.

But we certainly saw in 2018 and since then record numbers of women running for and winning office in the U.S.

Particularly on the Democratic side.

This mirrors the trends we have been seeing.

It's interesting that there have been so many opportunities, you don't normally see that, in any one year, there was no expectation that there would be so many opportunities in Congress in the state this year and it just played out that way.

Unfortunately due to a couple of deaths in some cases.

But women were poised and ready to go.

To your point, that pipeline has really made all the difference.

Briana: Associate director at the Center for American women and politics.

Jean, thanks so much.

>> Thank you so much.

Briana: Another morning plagued by delays for New Jersey transit commuters.

This time, disruptions were due to signal issues and one of -- in one of Amtrak's Hudson River tunnels according to the rail agency.

Causing delays of up to 45 minutes in and out of New York Penn Station.

But those delays snowballed throughout the morning.

It is the third major disruption during this fair holiday week that ends after Labor Day, where all New Jersey transit trains, and buses and light rails are free for riders to make up for the summer of brutal commutes.

But it has not gone so smoothly.

On Monday, power issues were to blame for 90 minute backups on the line between Hoboken and Secaucus.

Then on Tuesday, Amtrak repairs on tracks under the Hudson River caused more than 100 disruptions during the afternoon rush.

New Jersey transit has pointed fingers at Amtrak's infrastructure and other train breakdowns.

Amtrak is not commenting.

From trains, to planes, ahead of this holiday weekend, there's a strike are -- a strike authorization at a major airline carrier.

United Airlines announced Wednesday members overwhelmingly voted in support of a strike authorization with 99.9% of members voting yes.

Attendants held demonstrations Wednesday.

The union has been bargaining with United for nearly three years but this is the first time in decades they have approved such a proposal.

Flight attendants are requesting higher pay and better worklife balance among other items.

But the odds of a strike are unclear.

Federal law prevents workers from walking out en masse and the airline has indicated it wants to avoid a work stoppage.

A presidential visit to a small town can be a boon for the local economy and its profile, but it can also cost the community's Police Department a significant amount of money and resources to help the Secret Service.

That problem has been intensified in light of the recent assassination attempt on Former President Donald Trump.

State and federal leaders today called a meeting to figure out how to help places like Bedminster, home to one of Trump's National Golf courses, and the site of an upcoming political fundraiser pay for the TAB one POTUS comes to town -- tab when POTUS comes to town.

Brenda Flanagan reports.

>> Don't worry, the check will be in the mail.

We would rather know that those resources can be provided.

Reporter: Bedminster's mayor says empty promises will not pay for a high-end 24/7 police protection for Donald Trump and his local golf club.

The extra security was requested by the Secret Service after a July 13 assassination attempt on the former president current Republican presidential nominee in Butler, Pennsylvania.

So far the bill for extra local and state police protection comes to $1 million.

>> Bedminster is a small town.

Sumter County is a small County.

But when the federal government makes a request saying, can you provide some assets over here, in the wake of what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, you really have no choice but to say, OK, we will help.

But let us know if we are going to get paid on the backend.

Reporter: Bedminster has encountered extra expenses covering Trump's activity here particularly during the transition following his 2016 election.

Congress did approve extra funds then to reimburse local csosts -- local costs but the current request is another order of magnitude, officials say, without disclosing security details.

>> Certainly, after July 13th, the request for assets and the extent and scope of those assets are tremendous.

>> There have been increased demands and those demands need to be met and a lot of that is falling on the shoulders of Mayor Jacobson and the men and women of Bedminster.

A town of 8200 people, 27 square miles, six and five members of police, -- 65 members of police, Volunteer fire and EMS, and all of those folks answering the call.

Reporter: State Senator Doug Steinhardt invited state and local officials to meet behind closed doors this morning to discuss how they would meet such unprecedented security demands for presidential nominees over the upcoming fall campaign.

The Secret Service relies heavily on local resources, but there is no guarantee that they will pay for it, says Congressman Tom Kean.

>> The local taxpayers are providing a significant amount of the funding necessary to protect presidential nominees in states and towns across this country.

But now, specifically here in Bedminster, there is a real-time expense to local taxpayers.

Because of this gap identified after the 13th of July.

Reporter: Congressman Kean sponsored a bill that would let local entities like Bedminster or Somerset County seek reimbursement for extra security expenses from the department of homeland security.

He is hoping for bipartisan support.

Members of the Governor's office and Senator Cory Booker's office were in on this meeting.

The presidential security resources reimbursement act of 2024 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee, but bills take time.

Meanwhile, local resources will get stretched to provide the stepped-up security, which could impact nearby towns that depend on each other for mutual aid.

>> They are being deployed to lend assistance there.

That means that they may not be potentially available in other places.

The purpose of the discussion today is to make it loud and clear to Washington that this is their responsibility.

We will do our part, but they need to do theirs.

Reporter: Biden called for a bipartisan investigation into what occurred July 13 on top of a separate probe launched by the Homeland Security's Inspector General.

In Bedminster, Brenda Flanaga, -- Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: An update on a story we first brought you in April.

A grand jury will hear the case against the now former Atlantic City high school principal Constance Chapman, accused of failing to report child abuse and is also charged with official misconduct and obstruction of justice.

The case involves a teenaged daughter of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small and his wife, the school district's superintendent, who accuse her -- accused her parents of physical, verbal, and emotional abuse.

The claim set off an investigation which charged the Smalls with endangering the welfare of a child and linked Chapman with covering it up.

No dates have been set yet for either case.

Meanwhile, in Camden, the district's advisory board President is refusing to step down despite chaotic protests and mounting frustration from the community over the embattled leader.

They want President Wasim Muhammad to be fired or resigned following a $2 million settlement with a former student who accused him of sexually assaulting her three decades ago.

Ted Goldberg has that story.

>> As a parent, it's outrageous to believe that the people in elected positions would not have made this easier for the community and just ask Mr. Muhammad to step down.

Reporter: Wasim Muhammad has drawn outrage in Camden for staying on as president of the city's school advisory board despite being the subject of a recent $2 million settlement for child sexual abuse in a civil case.

Wasim Muhammad's lawyer did not respond to our request for comment, but said Muhammad would not step down from his position.

>> This is not a war on -- head hunt war on Mr. Muhammad.

This is us leading to the city -- leading to the city of Camden, if decided by a jury that they are guilty, you will open the floodgates for anyone that thinks they can have in the seat and have a record and that's unsafe for our community.

>> If one piece is broken, that means a whole will is damaged.

-- the whole wheel is damaged.

Reporter: The response has been widespread anger at school board meetings.

>> Since when do we stand for injustice?

Reporter: One of the speakers at this meeting was the lawyer representing Selena Robinson.

She claims Muhammad groomed her and sexually abuse her since she was in the seventh grade.

And a jury sided with her earlier this year.

Her statement read in part -- >> "Every day that he remains, you are making a statement that says morality, integrity, and safety are not a necessity for those who serve in the highest administrative roles in Camden city schools."

Reporter: Muhammad took a leave of access earlier this year because of the lawsuit and he missed enough consecutive meetings that the school board could have drawn up a motion to remove him.

Robinson is furious that did not happen.

>> She knows him, and that's just the kind of person that he is.

She is more upset and surprised that the board -- the superintendent have not taken whatever steps -- in fact, they have not even said anything publicly to denounce his actions.

Reporter: According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Camden school district has paid more than $200,000 to the lawyer defending Muhammad.

The school board did not respond to our request for comment.

They argued they do not have the power to pick out Muhammad.

-- to kick out Muhammad.

>> The members of this board of education pursuant to state statute do not have the power or authority to remove a member under these circumstances.

>> Yes, you do!

Yes, you do!

Bold-faced lie!

>> Residents are not going to settle for a as usual and settle for the excuses that were being given from city leaders.

Reporter: Another option is a recall election to knock Muhammad off the board.

Parents have started that process but they need a quarter of Camden city's registered voters to sign off.

That's more than 10,800 people.

>> It can be done.

Because I think everyone realizes that the people are staying together saying this has to be done because it's not about Mr. Muhammad or anything else more than we are saying the Camden residents will not tolerate anyone with a record of any kind of criminal charges to sit at the front of government.

To lead us in any way.

>> This is an uphill challenge, but the Camden residents I think are, as they said in the meeting, fed up and fired up and are looking to any means that they can to bring about accountability.

Reporter: In the meantime, expect people in Camden to make noise at school board meetings.

>> Shut it down!

Reporter: Especially if they are not satisfied with the response from other elected officials.

>> The community has not heard statements from the mayor, city council members, despite the fact that the city Democratic Party has supported Muhammad's previous political campaigns.

And so, really, the community right now is looking for leadership.

>> When you see people up in arms, upset and disrupted, it's because they finally hit a point where they have had enough.

You can't continue to bully your residents that are your constituents.

People are going to stand up and are going to have a response.

Reporter: Governor Phil Murphy has called for Muhammad to step down.

Others have asked the school board to demote Muhammad as president, even if they don't have the power to kick him off entirely.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Ted Goldberg.

Briana: New Jersey is now among the states that have seen a rise in cases of rare but potentially deadly mosquito borne viruses with Eastern equine encephalitis detected in mosquito pools across the state.

That is in Cape May, Morris, and Union counties along with one person infected.

Over in New Hampshire, the virus has reportedly now claimed a life, while four cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed by the State Department of health here, the most recent in Camden County.

officials are not releasing details about the infected residents' age, location or condition and say that there is no need to panic, but you should stay informed.

For more on that, we turn to Montclair State University epidemiologist Dr. Stephanie Silvera.

Stephanie Silveira, good to see you as always.

We should note even though there is a a of this Eastern equine encephalitis, it is still very rare, yes?

>> Absolutely.

So, I believe right now in the entire country, there have been four noted cases.

The good news about this particular virus is that, yes, it's very dangerous if you are infected and become symptomatic, but most patients, about 95% of people infected, do not show signs of clinical disease.

Briana: What are the symptoms?

What should people know so that they don't feel alarmist when they get a mosquito bite because inevitably we are going to have them -- the summer is still going, we have a big holiday weekend coming up.

>> Right.

Unfortunately, the symptoms are sort of generic to start.

They are fever, fatigue, you will start to, if it progresses, you can start to see changes in that individual's behavior.

That said, most people who get a mosquito bite are not going to be infected, and most people that are infected are not going to develop this disease.

Briana: What do you think is most important then for folks as they head outside to some barbecues or the beach this weekend, to understand and to know about also how to protect themselves?

Is regular bug spray enough?

Is there more we should be doing?

>> I think the typical -- What we recommend for any sort of mosquito born illness prevention is wear those deet-based mosquito bug sprays, the ones that don't have deet that smell really pretty will not protect you as well.

If there is any standing water in your property, you want to make sure that gets dumped.

That allows the larva to regenerate.

We don't want that.

If you have a pool, make sure you are running that motor.

If you have pots, tip them over.

You can use those foggers in your backyard.

That should kill them as well.

The other option if you are not comfortable with deet, there's clothing that you can purchase.

It is treated if you are going hiking.

Long sleeves and long pants if you can tolerate them in the heat are recommended.

Briana: There is also a fourth case of West Nile virus contracted in New Jersey.

I wonder about the transition of these viruses.

Is it becoming more prevalent?

Are we actually seeing more?

Are we getting better about reporting it?

Where do we sort of stand when we look at how many cases we would typically have if at all in a season?

>> Part of it is also that we are all much more aware of the spread of viruses now particularly post-COVID, so people are more likely to report symptoms.

This year for West Nile virus, it has not been particularly bad.

For Eastern equine encephalitis, the peak was in 2019 with about 34 cases.

We are still well below what we have seen in the past.

That doesn't mean we should be complacent.

Nobody likes a mosquito bite, whether you are getting an illness from it or not.

So do everything you can to reduce the number of mosquitos in and around your property.

Briana: Dr. Stephanie Silveira, thank you so much as always.

In our spotlight on business report, there have been a lot of steps in getting the new Hudson tunnel project off the ground, and this is the last one.

The Gateway development commission board this week secured a $3.8 billion grant, it's the final funding piece to build the $16 billion real tunnel that will carry Amtrak and New Jersey transit trains under the Hudson River.

The two-track tunnel will replace the existing century-old tunnel made worse by Superstorm Sandy damage, and it's been blamed for wreaking havoc on train commuters' trips.

The project is slated to be complete by 2035, with work already in progress.

Turning to Wall Street, mixed results for investors.

The Dow hit a fresh record, while other major averages were tame.

Here's how the trading day ended.

♪ 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.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

For the entire team at NJ Spotlight News, thanks for being with us.

Have a great evening.

We will see you back here tomorrow.

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♪ >> Have some water.

>> Look at these kids.

>> How are you?

>> What do you see?

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 belong and to be an American.

My name is Julia T. Crompton.

And I am proud to be an NJEA member.

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