>> Funding for NJ Spotlight News provided by the members of the New Jersey education Association , making public schools great for every child.

RWJ Barnabas health, let's be healthy together.

And Orsted, committed to delivering clean, reliable, American-made energy.

>> Tonight on NJ Spotlight News, what is happening with the water?

Elected officials are weighing in after residents continue to report a foul odor and flavor in drinking water.

With millions traveling by the air and wrote this holiday season, what you need to know as you prepare to get around.

.co so far we have not seen too much disruption and even if there have been delays, they have been relatively mild as a result of FAA staffing.

>> with a few weeks to do till President-elect Donald Trump takes office, what does the future look like for immigrants in the U.S.?

>> Trump is wrapping up some of the talk of immigrant detention and deportation and that is where the uncertainty is.

>> holiday health is on the way in Camden as volunteers hand out thousands of pounds of food to feed families.

>> the goal is to make sure every family in this area and throughout Camden gets food on their plate for the holiday season.

>> NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

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

>> thanks for tuning us tonight.

We begin with a few of today's top headlines.

President Biden announced this morning he has commuted the death sentences of 37 prisoners facing federal execution to these are convicted murderers who are now sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Biden said in a statement he condemns these murderers and groups for the victims of their families but cannot step back and allowing -- and allow a new administration resumed executions I halted to as a reference to President Trump saying he wants to expand executions.

President Biden said in his statement he does not believe in the death penalty at the federal level except in cases of terrorism and hate motivated mass murder.

That is why he did not commute the death sentence of three prisoners who will remain on death row.

Tylan roof, the man who killed nine lack of church members in the Charleston church massacre, the Boston marathon bomber and Robin Bowers who killed 11 Jewish members in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.

Details about reported water problems in North and Central Jersey.

Residents had been complaining about a foul taste in their water for a week.

After extensive testing by the company that supplies the water New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection, the DEP has reported the source of the problem has been identified.

It was caused by a leak into the Raritan River December 16 at a packaging facility in Branchburg.

The company is responsible for packaging fragrances and the flavorings.

American water in the DEP are quick to note all recent testing shows the drinking water meet state and federal standards.

It is not Pollux -- it does not pose a public health risk.

New Jersey's legislative Latino caucus has a new leader.

The Senate majority leader to Nesser Ruiz has been named the new chair.

The position was opened after Nelly Paul left to fill the vacancy of Bill Pascrell.

Senator Ruiz has served in the state Senate since 2008 taking on leadership roles throughout including chair of the Senate education committee.

Alongside her on the caucus will be Senator Elsa Cruz Pérez as Vice Chair, assemblywoman Lopez as treasurer and assemblywoman Palacios Gill as Treasury Secretary.

She said I look forward to working alongside our 11 incredible members and I am grateful for the trust they have placed in me to lead.

We will to fight for a brighter future for all Latinos ensuring our voices are heard and their families thrive.

The holiday week kicked off with a holiday travel rush that came to a screeching halt this weekend should down wires on Amtrak rail lines halted service between New York and Philadelphia.

While the service has been restored, Amtrak noted there would be lingering delays on the Northeast corridor during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Congressman Frank Pallone released a statement calling the issue an unmitigated disaster and criticizing the agency for continued cancellations and delays despite federal investment into the real luncheon need a medic affected writers and called on Amtrak for continuous updates until the issue is resolved.

Whether you are using planes, trains or automobiles, be prepared for big crowds.

The Port Authority expects almost 14 million people to use its airports or roads.

Ted Goldberg went into the thick of it at Newark airport to see how the travel day is shaping up.

>> millions of New Jerseyans are traveling for Christmas and Hanukkah and they are bringing their fluffy friends with them.

>> she is a woman of few words.

>> I always come early because you cannot recheck so it takes a little more time.

She is worth it to >> Patti Smith and Gucci were among the travelers who preferred to fly south out of Newark rather than enjoy a white Christmas in the Garden State.

>> Fort Myers, Florida.

The way it turned out, the freeze that came, the timing is great.

>> Tucson.

Going to be enjoyable.

>> it is 80 degrees there.

>> nine degrees this morning.

We are going to the 70's so I figured this is a good change of pace.

I am moving on up.

Two other travelers had no problem braving the cold.

>> going to be like zero degrees in Newark.

Now closer to around 13 or 14.

>> you are working up a sweat.

Doug Co. thick jacket.

>> very excited to see their loved ones.

>> my siblings are dragging me down to meet my newborn nieces.

>> you are leaving willingly to meet your new family members.

You are being dragged.

>> hopefully we will get through quickly.

It is a holiday travel day but the kids are in good spirits and the family is in good spirits so I think we will have a good time.

>> the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is expecting a record crowd of holiday travelers.

14 million people using their airports and roads in the tri-state area.

>> travel has been as accessible as it has ever been in terms of the options folks have.

We have seen the resurgence coming out of COVID.

The demand really has not subsided.

>> Aidan O'Donnell is the general manager of New Jersey airports for the Port Authority.

He says they have gotten off to a smooth start with the Strat -- the staffing shortage of air traffic controllers could lead to delays between now and the new year.

>> there is still a possibility we see ground delay programs and other initiatives the FAA traffic will implement as a result of staffing shortages.

The staffing shortages are not new.

>> he is optimistic Newark will not face major problems.

>> so far for the holiday season, we have not seen too much disruption and even if there have been delays, they have been relatively mild as a result of FAA staffing so we are hoping we will manage that successfully.

>> plenty of New Jerseyans will drive for the holidays.

AAA projects 3 million of us will travel 50 miles in the next week and a half, up about 3% from last year and most of the traffic will be on the roads.

>> card travel remains the most popular mode to get to your destination.

It is the easiest and cheapest way to move an entire family so that is why we see 90% of those traveling going by car.

That is up two .1% from last year and equates to 2.5 million New Jersey residents.

>> Tracy Noble as a spokesperson for AAA mid-Atlantic.

She says today is a great day to test your cars battery.

And anything else that might be worth checking.

>> check your battery if you have not done so because these temperatures can be brutal especially with all the electric drain we are putting on our cars.

>> the Port Authority reminds travelers to get airports two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights.

Pre-booking parking is the best way to guarantee a spot.

>> with President-elect Trump assuming office in a matter of weeks, New Jersey's immigrant communities are bracing for the promise of mass deportations and to keep up with that demand for administration, ice will look to expand its abilities to detain and hold immigrants including in New Jersey.

Over the summer ice notified private prison companies of their plans to contract with new detention centers in our state according to court filings but the state is locked on a legal battle to prevent companies from opening up new prisons.

Our social justice writer joins me now to discuss this proposed private prison expansion and efforts by advocates to protect New Jersey's immigrant population.

I want to know what are you hearing from people in New Jersey as we get closer to the start of a Trump administration that has promised mass deportations.

>> there is a lot of concern in New Jersey.

There are over 400,000 undocumented immigrants in the state and about a quarter of the state is foreign-born.

There is a significant immigrant population here and Trump has talked about ending birthright citizenship for certain families, deporting millions of immigrants across the country.

People are kind of wondering will my family be able to stay, lie be able to stay, will we be torn apart.

There is a potential attention facilities could expand in New Jersey.

Ice did put out a search -- a notice over the summer they were looking for new facilities.

Any detention capacity could help support Trump's plans to help deport a mass of mount of people.

>> under the Biden administration and including the Murphy administration we have seen efforts to close private prisons including ice detention centers.

Do you see that reversing under the Trump administration?

>> Murphy a few years ago did tried to put out a state law that would ban detention in general of immigrants in the state.

That was partially struck down as unconstitutional and private prisons are able to expand and continue to exist in the state.

That is still being decided.

The state is appealing that decision.

There is a lot of uncertainty about what this could mean for private prison expansion to private prisons do account for a majority of immigrant detention across the country.

Biden had gone into office promising to end private detention of immigrant facilities should he has expended it under his watch pinned it is not a political issue per se.

But Trump is ramping up some of the talk of immigrant attention and deportation and that is where the uncertainty is.

How could he carry that out, what legal means will he used to make that happen.

>> some of the criticism we have heard is they don't deport people.

They keep them there so they can continue getting paid for that head so to speak.

Have you heard any approach to address that?

>> a few advocates and criminal justice experts have told me -- one thing private prisons will do is like you said, we don't do any of the -- ice actions.

We don't arrest people necessarily.

We are responsible for holding them and keeping them safe but those advocates and experts have said what happens is people end up becoming the commodity.

They are the product that is sold so these facilities say here is our price per head and they are awarded that contract.

Under the eyes of some critics, that becomes a financial gain for these companies to expand their operations.

>> there is a lot of uncertainty around >>.

Trump has said he believes those daca recipients should stay.

Where could that program end up?

There is a lot of certainty and speculation around.

>> a looks like Trump is trying to get rid of a lot of these different programs.

Ending birthright citizenship for children who are born of undocumented immigrants.

It seems like everything is on the table for him and he will find different ways to get rid of the programs.

>> he has said he believes daca recipients should be able to stay in the country as of recently.

Good to talk to you.

Housing people with mental illness has been a priority in New Jersey.

The state contracts with several nonprofits but what happens when those arrangements go awry?

Adam Clark recently wrote a heart wrenching article about Frank and Frankie, two men diagnosed with schizophrenia whose time living together ended with one strangled to death and the other charged for his killing.

I sat down with Adam to talk about how this case sheds light on deeper problems.

So great to have you on the show with us tonight.

You wrote about a story recently that on its surface feels like a cut and dry murder case but you and your reporting with your team have uncovered real underlying issues in this case.

Help us understand what happened here.

>> this story is the worst nightmare scenario for anyone who has a family member with serious mental illness to these are two gentlemen from a vulnerable population.

They both have schizophrenia.

They were placed to live together in a condo in Wayne, New Jersey by a not-for-profit organization called serve which helps adult with -- adults with mental onus find Hao-ching Chan Frank rants on the night of November fifth 2021 was convinced his roommate had stolen his Social Security check .

He called police and the police arrived.

They questioned him who told them he did not take the check.

He went to the mailbox and opened it the check was not there and the officer instructed Frank rants to call the Social Security office and request a new check.

The officer asked for assurance there was not going to be any problems when he left.

Frank rants shrugged.

Not say much.

After the officer left, Frank rants later admitted he strangled Frank my Jerry to death.

He is charged with first-degree murder.

>> all of this is seen on by footage which you and your team included in the story and it is disturbing to see how the situation is collated so quickly within an hour to Frank Maggiore being killed.

Serve as the not-for-profit that works for the state, contracted by the state.

You talked about how there were red flags missed here not just in this case but in others.

What is happening with serve that is not being caught?

>> in this program the two Frank's are living in, they are supposed to be having weekly check ins according to Frank Maggiore's family.

The check ins would be to make sure these gentlemen are taking their medication, they are taking care of their daily household needs and to make sure they are doing well, that they are not spiraling or relapsing in any way.

Frank Maggiore's family said these check ins were becoming more sporadic during the three months these two lived together and what we found through our investigation was Frank rants was having trouble sleeping.

He was having some delusions and paranoia.

He was calling police once at 4:00 a.m. about missing mail.

He was convinced a former roommate was impersonating the FBI to get in touch with him.

Then of course he was convinced on that night his roommate had taken his check.

>> does the state bear responsibility as well?

You said these check ins are not happening.

Is it the state's job to check in and no longer contract with a not-for-profit like serve?

>> that is one of the big questions failure numbers are asking and experts and advocates are asking about is the role of the state in supervising all of these organizations because they contract with several dozen of these organizations.

The state says their role is to watch from afar and if something agree just happens, if there are continuing problems to potentially step in but the state based on the interview I have done, the state does not have the manpower to watch on a week to week basis and make sure these check ins are happening.

>> one of the things you talk about is there is a push to house these people and too much of a push.

What are the families asking for?

>> they are still asking for a lot of answers and for accountability.

Frank Maggiore's family would love to see a Frank law.

They would love to see someone step up and address the issues in this case and figure out what can be done to prevent this from happening again.

>> terrific reporting by you and your team at NJ advanced media.

They queue for coming to talk with us.

Be on the hustle and bustle, the holidays are chance to bring out the best in all the bus.

We are learning about a food giveaway in Camden spreading holiday cheer to families in need.

This morning, volunteers distributed between 9000 pounds of food at the Arab-American Community Church joined by city leaders who helped hand the groceries to anyone and everyone who braved the cold so they could serve a warm meal this week.

We spoke with several volunteers about why this event is so critical.

>> Merry Christmas to me.

>> Camden resident Odessa McNeil was one of more than 300 residents who braved the cold with smiles and excitement for the second annual holiday food giveaway.

>> people giving back.

Sharing, showing the love to each other.

That means more than anything especially in Camden.

>> residents could be seen with alterable backs, shopping carts and some had their parked cars waiting for them as they waited their turn in a line that nearly wrapped around the corner at the intersection of 3rd Street and State Street.

>> last year was hundreds and hundreds of people.

This is going to go until 1:00.

I told them to get as much as you want, go home, come back, call your aunts, uncles, brother is ancestors.

I expect this to be gone and when all of this is on that warms my heart.

>> this time of the year, lot of people spend money on gifts.

Fresh food is a big factor.

To see people come and take benefits and carry their bags.

>> the event was sponsored by a business owner and member of the Arab community church.

>> thanks to Blessed of hope organization.

We in partnership with them as far as the city of Camden, Public Works, the mayor office and etc.

We managed to bring 29,000 pounds of fresh food from strawberries to bread to Gatorade to bananas, pineapples.

Multiple fresh vegetables and food and some meat, some greens which is great for the holidays and the people.

>> dozens of volunteers including councilwoman Jeanette ramose could be seen handing out food and encouraging residents to tell their neighbors to come back for more.

>> I am a sibling of seven to die grub in North Camden.

My mom used to get a lot of things from churches and organizations.

These are things that although times have passed and I am older and in a different position you still have those families that are in need so it is important to be able to give and let them know during your hardest times there are entities again that do help.

You have to not feel embarrassed to get the help.

>> what is the goal today?

>> the goal is to make sure every family in this area gets some food on their plate for the holiday season.

>> the Camden County Commissioner Al Dyer pointed out the fourth word is considered a food desert and says the annual food drive is a major buffer for residents especially during the holiday.

>> we don't have no large food chain.

We are in the food section at Wegmans somewhere because there is so much stuff for people to get maybe this stuff is fresh.

This is a good thing and I am glad we have a lot of people.

I see people circling and coming back.

>> he says the goal is to spread holiday cheer to anyone and everyone.

>> it is the holiday season and we want to make sure people have a stress-free holiday and you come out here and get as much food as you want, tell people to come out here, but we just want to give back and make sure everybody can enjoy the holidays and have something on their plate.

>> that is going to do it for us tonight.

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

For the entire team here at NJ Spotlight News, thanks for being with us, have a great night and enjoy the holiday week.

>> NJM Insurance group, serving the insurance needs of residents add businesses for more than 100 years.

New Jersey realtors, the voice of real estate in New Jersey.

More information is online at NJrealtor.gov and the PSEG foundation.

>> NJM insurance group has been serving New Jersey businesses for over a century.

As part of the Garden State, we help companies keep their vehicles on the road, employees on the job and projects on track.

Working to protect employees from illness and injury, to keep goods and services moving across the state.

We are proud to be part of New Jersey.

NJM should we have New Jersey covered.

>> if you need to see a doctor, RWJ Barnabas health has two easy ways to do it from anywhere.

You can see an urgent care provider 24/7 on any device with our app.

Use air -- use our website to look a is it with a medical group provider or specialist even as a new patient.

You have taken every precaution and so have we so don't delay your care any longer.

RWJ Barnabas health.

Let's be healthy together.

♪ ♪