>> Major funding for "NJ Spotlight news" is provided in part by NJM insurance group, Serving the needs of businesses and residents for more than 100 years.

And by the PSEG foundation.

Anchor: Tonight, electricity rates rising so you might want to think twice this summer before cranking up the AC.

>> It's concerning the prices we are seeing and I think it's going to impact what we can do in New Jersey going forward.

Anchor: Plus, first lady Murphy has a goal, get the state in shape for World Cup mania.

>> We are focused on this incredible opportunity for the region and we all understand the responsibility we have.

Anchor: With wildfire season around the corner, state firefighting officials met today to find new strategies to control the burn.

>> Things like wild risk mapping so you can zero in on your home, your property, and see your level of fire risk and get important information and tips on what you can do to protect your home.

Anchor: And is the price of eggs even you shall shock?

The bird flu driving up costs.

"NJ Spotlight News" begins right now.

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

Anchor: Hello and thanks for joining us, I am Joanna Gagis in for Briana Vannozzi.

Week begin with top headlines, first look at your utility bills, the price is about to go up.

Starting in June, electricity costs around the state expected to rise by about 17 to 20%.

What does that mean in terms of actual cost?

It will between 25 to $28 extra per month with JCP customers on the low end, Rockland in the middle and Atlantic city at the high end.

Why the increase?

PJM interconnection, which operates the electrical grid for New Jersey and 12 other states, saw an 800% increase in costs the last year and that drove up prices at the annual auction where local utilities lock in the cost of electric supply for the year.

The higher supply cost is being passed on to you and probably most electric customers.

>> People are selling electricity to your electric company and the company will provide that to you.

In this instance, the electric companies are not making a profit, it's just the cost for their supply.

Anchor: Also a win for the Trump Administration efforts to shrink the size of the federal government by encouraging workers to resign.

A District Court judge in Massachusetts denied a challenge brought by several unions representing federal employees who challenged trumps incentive plan.

That plan was crafted by Trump advisor Elon Musk and offered federal workers the option to voluntarily resign the promise of being paid through September.

Critics of the plan say the promises are uncertain because Congress hasn't funded the federal government beyond mid-March so money cannot be promised outside of the budget plan.

Nonetheless, the plan gave federal workers until last Thursday to resign.

The Massachusetts judge froze the program to hear the court case and last night he ruled unions fighting the plan don't have standing to challenge the matter because they are not directly affected by the plan.

That doesn't include ruling on the legality of promising funds before Congress allocates them and whether any additional lawsuits take up that matter is yet to be seen but the ruling on froze the program and officials probably enacted a new deadline of 7:00 p.m. last night for any federal employees looking to take the buyout.

And home rule in New Jersey may be ruled out when it comes to recreational marijuana.

A new bill was introduced by the Senate president, who has been the leading advocate in the legislature for a cannabis marketplace in the state.

His bill would allow medical marijuana facilities to bypass the often sluggish process of getting approval for recreational facilities.

Many cities have opted out on having cannabis stores on Main Street and only about one fourth of towns have any marijuana and the industry has rolled out slower than planned.

This bill would allow medical marijuana facilities to bypass the approval process and begin selling their product for recreational purposes.

It's likely to get pushback from communities that still say not in my back yard.

First Lady Timmy Murphy can add to her resume chair for the board of directors for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Eight tournament marches -- matches will be played in East Rutherford and a little more than a year and one of those will be the final match of the World Cup.

It's a huge deal for New Jersey in the region and takes a lot of planning.

The first lady joins me now to explain what goes into it.

So great to have you with us, you called these games and once in a generation opportunity for the region to define itself could we talk about planning, help me understand what planning is required to ensure fans have a great experience in the games go off without a hitch and the business and transit sectors are ready.

I know, easy to start.

Ms. Murphy: Thank you.

If you think about planning an event, it's everything from soup to nuts, everything from transportation and logistics to security to making sure the experience, which is what I'm particularly focused on, the experience on the ground is fantastic and whether one is able to go into the stadium or one of our many fan fests it will be activated across the region, the excitement, the energy is palpable.

A million when details go into this and right now we are working with FIFA and everyone who touches on any piece of this -- hospitality, construction, everybody involved, it's keeping those threads moving forward.

Anchor: How many people are expected to come into the region for the games from out-of-state, out of country and what you expected the impact to be economically to the state and local businesses?

Ms. Murphy: First of all, there will probably be over a million people coming to our region.

Our region defined as New York City into the state of New Jersey because it is a joint bid for both of us together.

It will be an economic driver for the region upwards of $2 billion, which is fantastic.

I'm giving you the low end of the range, by the way.

We are anticipating over 14,000 jobs will be supported through this endeavor and it's really exciting, we are mobilizing a lot of our businesses and industries in the region and it will impact all of us and I think we will all feel it and I'm excited about that.

Anchor: You mentioned it is a joint venture.

What kind of communication is required right now.

And I have to ask, is there any strain in some of those communications having to do with congestion pricing and what's happened in the region recently?

Ms. Murphy: Flawless communication.

We are talking all the time, our teams are talking at the levels where they need to be integrated across New York City and New Jersey.

And the mayor and I speak, we've met.

I would say we are all focused on this incredible opportunity for the region and we all understand the responsibility.

This will be 48 countries that will be coming together and fight for the final which we are incredibly excited will be in New Jersey.

There are a lot of moving parts but we are in this together.

Anchor: Perhaps one of the biggest moving parts is NJ transit, a thorn in the side of commuters as of late and probably in the side of your husband and the administration.

How do you ensure needs to happen that it's ready for the moment and that seems to be the million-dollar question for anyone looking to take on NJ transit right now.

Ms. Murphy: Look, not to cast aspersions but NJ transit is humming along.

We are reliant on a lot of federal partners for pieces of this puzzle and we can only do so much.

Some pieces don't belong to us but I will say we continue to ingest -- invest in New Jersey transit, it's incredibly important and we recognize that and the connectivity is important not just for these kinks but our state and our country as the percentage of people who go through our state to reach New York or Boston or Washington and other areas.

We are still working on it.

It will be a work in progress but it will require additional investment and we know that.

There are other pieces to the puzzle we are putting together right now.

Anchor: What do you hope folks who come to New Jersey in particular walk away saying about our state?

Ms. Murphy: I hope they walk away saying wow, that was the best experience I've had in my life and I hope they say they want to come back.

I hope they say they had an amazing time and enjoyed the games and were not bothered by security or infrastructure or anything.

That they would most they've had the time of any World Cup they've attended.

Anchor: First lady Murphy, chair of the Host Committee for the FIFA World Cup, thank you.

Local sheriffs caught in the crosshairs of a Trump Administration target on undocumented residents in a state law that prohibits the sheriffs from working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It has led to a lot of questions about how they can do their job and which administration they should listen to.

Brenda Flanagan looks at the conundrum many sheriffs find themselves in.

>> I'm not one of those people that thinks every immigrant needs to be put on a plane and sent back home.

Reporter: But this sheriffs says he would welcome a renewed chance to work with nice agents as they ramp up the hunt for undocumented immigrants who could pose "serious concerns to residents" in his county.

But in 2018, the trust directive part local law enforcement from participating in ice raids or turning over detainees for minor criminal offenses.

Nolan joint Ocean County in lawsuits to overturn the directive and lost.

>> My position was I was not a supporter of a sanctuary County but until that law is changed or modified, I am stuck.

I've spoken to many sheriffs in our state organization and a lot of them feel the way I do.

Reporter: But he sees opportunity for change.

The Trump Administration is pushing to meet enhanced arrest quotas after the president public -- promised the largest mass deportation in U.S. history.

The newly minted Attorney General is suing New York in federal court over state laws that forbid cooperating with ICE .

>> You will be held a cannibal if you don't follow federal law, we are coming after you.

>> If an Trump Administration is successful in getting that directive modified or changed, I think I would be quite happy.

>> All day sheriffs and law enforcement across New Jersey are still bound by the immigrant trust directive.

Reporter: The ACLU says federal law doesn't override state authority to direct its own law enforcement officers.

She called the Justice Department lawsuit performative.

>> They are providing airtime to the narrative about immigration that is causing panic among immigrant communities, pushing people into the shadows.

The second thing they are doing is bullying jurisdictions into trying to get them to do the governments bidding.

>> There's tremendous fear in the immigrant community and they are reacting by not sending children to school, not going to work, not walking the streets.

Going underground.

Reporter: This advocate says doubled ICE.

The Attorney General said in a statement jerseys directive has over six years allowed state and local officials to work with federal authorities to remove violent criminals from this country while otherwise insuring individuals who are victims or witnesses to a crime can safely come forward to New Jersey law enforcement officials regardless of immigration status.

>> There is a lane for federal immigration enforcement and a lane for enforcing against crimes in the state of New Jersey.

That's basically what it is and I think it has worked.

There are folks who want to add to that end I think we will see where that lands.

Reporter: Nolan acknowledges the fear in immigrant communities when ICE agents showed up for his swearing-in ceremony.

Social media sent out alerts and people panicked.

>> What I want to do is target my enforcement, the bad actors -- I don't want to see little children scared to go to school or businesses struggling in this environment closing doors because of rumors.

And it was horrible.

Reporter: The sheriff says he wants to do more outreach in the immigrant community.

Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

Anchor: Wildfires ripped through New Jersey summer and fall, burning acre after acre of forest and threatening homes and businesses.

884 wildfires in total since last September.

Governor Murphy is launching a campaign called NJ wildfires smart to better understand where the state needs to improve his wildfire response today he met with numbers of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Ted Goldberg was at the event where he learned what New Jersey is doing to deal with its ongoing dry conditions as we head into the spring.

>> There are some pretty cool vehicles used to fight fires but sadly they've gotten more use lightly with the record drought contribute into a larger risk of wildfires.

>> That's interspersed with a sudden, intense rainfalls that cause extreme flooding events and this is the world of worsening extremes we are dealing with.

Reporter: In response, Governor Murphy has launched a campaign called NJ wildfires smart.

>> Safety, medication, awareness, response, training.

Reporter: Ahead of peak welfare season in a month, state agencies plan to pool information to make it easier to read it so you can stay safe.

>> You can zero in on your home and your property and see your level of fire risk and get important information and tips on what you can do to protect your home appear to -- your home.

Reporter: Some is, things like not setting off fireworks in the middle of the woods but others you might not think of.

>> Zero to five feet of the house, you can't have vegetation touching the house.

It needs to be devoid of everything.

Reporter: Governor Murphy announce the campaign at this roundtable with mayors affected by wildfire.

They agreed they want to see more prescribed burns or controlled burning to clear the forest floor of things that can spark or accelerate flames.

>> It's important we look at doing controlled burning because I think that will prevent us and we've got hundreds and hundreds of acres.

>> They should do more burning.

>> 32% of the property is New York watershed property.

Unfortunately there's a lot of deadwood and I understand that's a precursor to having a greater risk for forest fires.

Reporter: The New Jersey Forest fire service has an annual goal of 45,000 acres of controlled burning but last year they went through just 20,000 acres and some years they are much further below that goal.

>> We prescribe burn, every chance we get, New Jersey is rough, you go from the burning season right into fire season and some of the things we want to burn are not necessarily state property, folks might not support the idea of burning.

>> We've ramped up the program in the last five years, we have dedicated a team to look at the prescribed burn going on throughout the state.

Reporter: Other issues include a reduced workforce at the Frost fire service.

Even as the book of the state is still expensing severe or extreme drought.

>> Volunteer fireman, I'm sure a lot of them would love to have a professional career in the forest fire service.

>> 60 people doesn't sound like a lot.

>> I know money is an issue but a lot of the equipment is very old and I give you the credit for working with what they have, they put together the vehicles in a Quitman on a don't know how they do it.

Reporter: The governor also give a preview of the state budget.

>> Most states are living through what we are living through, we deliver really overspent after the pandemic to get back on our feet.

I'm happy to say we don't have to trim our sails to fight fires.

Reporter: He says the forest fire service will get the same amount of money it received last year despite the growing whisk -- growing risk of wildfires statewide.

Anchor: In our spotlight on business report, you might have seen the empty big shells at your grocery store or maybe they are limiting the number of cartons you can buy or maybe you are paying more for breakfast at your local diner.

Whatever your situation, it's hard not to be affected by the rising cost of eggs.

From December to January alone, prices spiked by 15% mostly due to a short supply from avian flu.

Raven Santana talked to local business owners about the impact they are feeling and where big prices go from here.

>> I used to spend $10 a week on eggs and now $25 a week.

Reporter: Not only have X become expensive, but hard to five because of the spread of avian flu.

As it continues to wipe out flocks at farms, consumers like Brooks say they are feeling the pain financially.

>> I have to pry shop and find the best deal I can.

Reporter: His sentiments echoed by Paul, who says the price hike is hard to ignore.

What's the most you pay?

>> I got a 30 pack and it came out to $19.

Reporter: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average cost of large great a eggs was four dollars on five cents in January, up from $4.15 in December.

This comes after the latest consumer price index shows the price of X is up 53% from where it was a year ago.

According to the USDA, the average price of a dozen eggs is now $7.95, up from $3.30 this time last year.

And according to this professor and finance from Rikers -- Rutgers business school, it could be months before we see relief.

>> I don't think there will be near-term relief because when avian flu is detected on a farm, clean up sanitation can take a long time.

And then we have to wait for fresh birds to hatch and it won't be overnight.

I think it could be in the vicinity of six to nine months we are looking for big relief or relief from inflation.

Reporter: A concerning rally -- reality on business owners.

>> A case of eggs, 30 dozen was between $40 and $50 a case last year.

Right now, it is $225 a case.

Reporter: He's the co-owner of the Roxy diner with his brother and mom and they are not rising prices yet.

He says it's costing him between $10,000 and $20,000 a week.

>> You used to be able to balance out your menu.

I make this much on prime rib but I make this much on eggs but it affects everything.

There is a chain reaction.

If eggs go up, maybe everything else will go up.

It affects your bottom line and what you get to keep, you are working the same hours and you are making a lot less money.

Reporter: He's worried about passing the burden onto customers and says he may need to pivot if prices don't decline by April.

>> One of the options we discussed is when we make a sandwich with eggs we put two eggs on and maybe we do one big and you still get the flavor and everything and it won't be as noticeable and it's probably a better option than charging more.

Reporter: He says another option could be adding a temporarily $.50 per egg surcharge to the menu as he fears prices could continue to hike.

I am Raven Santana.

Anchor: That will do it for us tonight.

For you go, and reminder to two into Reporters Roundtable.

David talks with the executive director of the ACLU NJ about the organization pushing back on Trump Administration policies and executive orders and challenges faced by social justice advocates.

And a of local journalists to talk about the week's political headlines.

That's Friday at noon.

For the entire team, 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.

RWJBarnabas Health, let's be healthy together.

And Orsted.

>> Orsted believes clean energy is more than just a power source, it's an opportunity to create stronger economies and communities.

Together, the South Fork wind and sunrise wind projects will provide American wind powered energy for New Yorkers into support jobs, education and the local supply chain.

Orsted, committed to a clean energy future for New York.

>> have some water.

Look at these kids.

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 be known and to be an American.

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

♪