Briana: Tonight on NJ Spotlight News, Rutgers University board unanimously votes to raise tuition and merge their New Brunswick and Newark medical schools.

All despite opposition from lawmakers and unions.

>> The merger of the medical schools will hurt and not help people in Newark.

Briana: Plus, lowering prescription prices.

>> The unfortunate truth is that Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anybody else.

Briana: Governor Murphy signs a new log regulating prescription drug pricing, but will costs actually come down?

Also, as the price of flood insurance goes up, New Jersey lawmakers urge Congress to reauthorize and reformat the national flood insurance program.

>> Our legislation provides greater stability for homeowners, business owners, and the real estate markers -- market.

Briana: Record-setting heat.

100 million Americans are bracing for more relentless heat as temperatures become the hottest ever recorded.

Is there any relief in sight?

>> We have to look forward to warmer summers.

Briana: NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

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

RWJBarnabas health, let's be healthy together.

And Orsted, committed to the creation of a new long-term sustainable clean energy future for New Jersey.

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

Briana: Could evening.

Thanks for joining us this Monday night.

It is going to cost you more to attend New Jersey's flagship University.

The records Board of Governors today unanimously approved a 6% tuition hike, along with increases on the cost for housing, dining, and other fees.

The vote comes as lawmakers recently approved a new state budget adding roughly $33 million in state aid to help Rikers cover increase cost associated with new union contracts.

The board today insisted higher tuition rates will be offset by more financial aid available to students, and that was not the only controversial item on the docket.

The board also approved the merger of its Newark and New Brunswick medical schools, despite objections from some powerful County state and union leaders.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan has the story.

>> All in favor?

>> With the unanimous vote during a virtual meeting, records Board of Governors approved creating the rockers school of medicine.

It is a merger combining the RW J medical school in New Brunswick with the New Jersey school in Newark.

It aims to create a larger school with a single accreditation, according to Chancellor Brian Strohm.

>> Combining the two schools gives more opportunities, the class sizes are not going to change, the faculty component is not going to shrink, it is only going to increase.

The student to faculty ratio will not get worse.

The clinical facilities are not going to decrease in the process.

Brenda: Promised Newark would not be ignored, but the online vote followed vehement public dissent from doctors, students, teachers, and community members who cited a 2012 New Jersey law that requires the schools must serve their respective communities.

Plus, the 1968 Newark Accords also requires University hospitals provide clinic -- critical health care in the city, and it is suffering.

>> We don't have the staff or the support in terms of residence and nurses that waited so desperately need in Newark.

The merger of the medical schools will hurt and not help people in Newark.

>> The merger would weaken University Hospital, the only public hospital in the state of New Jersey where health services are made available to all, regardless of affordability.

>> There has been consistent and overwhelming opposition to this merger by our clinical and basic science faculty.

Those who have the most direct understanding of the impact such a merger will have on our students, residents, fellows, faculty, patients, and our respective communities.

Brenda: Legislators from the 29th district sent a letter asking the board to postpone their vote, and the union representing rockers doctors asked jerseys Attorney General to investigate the merger, according to a spokesman.

>> The Board of Governors votes to do this effectively changing some things that has had a 50 year history and has deep commitments to their respective communities.

Even though overwhelming numbers of faculty, residents, students, NAACP, other groups, that they have all unanimously were against this.

It really begs the question of, who is this board serving if it is not serving the students and faculty and patients?

Brenda: He says the unions exploring legal options meanwhile the wreckers board voted unanimously on a new fiscal year 2023-24 $5.4 billion budget that kicks up the cost for students.

It will boost tuitions and fees by 6%, room rates by 5%, and dining costs by 7%.

It adds up to an additional $378 person muster in tuition and fees.

Jersey former NAACP president opposed the increases.

>> Tuition and fees are too high in the state of New Jersey, one of the wealthiest states in the U.S.

The best way to reduce the burden of student debt is to reduce the cost of education in the first place.

Brenda: Wreckers says it will boost financial aid to help keep unaffordable.

.

The vote followed an unprecedented week long strike by faculty that earned it staff salary and benefit increases, but raised costs for the University by $184 million over the next four years.

New Jersey did kick in more state aid as promised by Governor Murphy, but Rikers is still running a $77 million deficit.

I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: New Jersey is cracking down on the cost of prescription drugs.

Governor Murphy signed a package of bills that caps out-of-pocket cost for some of the most frequently used medications.

And requires more transparency into the process of negotiating those prices.

Advocates say it will eliminate bad as this practices that drive higher rates for prescriptions like insulin and inhalers.

Some opponents worry it will send the wrong message to investors in the state's pharmaceutical injured -- industry.

David Cruz reports.

David: The unfortunate truth is Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anybody else.

David: Health care costs are a raging hydra, forcing families into tough decisions, including how to pay the ever increasing cost of prescription drugs.

>> More than half of our residents are concerned about being able to afford prescription medications.

And we know the affordability issue is far more severe in our communities of color.

David: At today's bill signing ceremony, advocates from the AARP were on hand to celebrate what they admit is one small step towards health care affordability.

But since the governor, it is an important one.

>> Where proud to announce we are capping out-of-pocket costs for insulin, EpiPen's, and asthma inhalers.

These are life-saving medications that people depend on and need regularly.

We will be capping a months worth of insulin at $35, EpiPen is at $25, and asthma inhalers at $50.

>> Wen Yu are consumed by things that make you think about them each and every hour each and every day, it does not allow you to live fully your best life, and to make your life is full and rich as it can be, sitting there every day having to worry about how you are going to pay for prescription drugs in the future.

Worrying about how they will provide for a loved one, a grandparent or a parent or a child.

How they go through that each and every day.

This will help ease that burden a little bit.

Everything we can do will have an incredibly profound effect.

David: Not everyone is thrilled with the potential of new regulations over a key state industry.

The pharmaceutical industry plays a major part in New Jersey's economy, says a statement from the NJ BIA.

The of health care is much more complex -- the pricing of health care is much more complex than setting a price control for one segment of a multilevel health care sector.

>> The package of bills also establishes a drug affordability Council, beefs up the division of consumer affairs ability to collect and analyze data on drug pricing across the supply chain, and creates tighter oversight of PBM's, pharmacy benefit managers, third-party companies who manage most prescription drug plans.

>> What does the manufacturer do?

They set up the greatest acronym ever.

The wholesale acquisition cost.

What is that acronym?

WAC.

Will that -- it is like a car sticker price.

Because the manufacturers know they have to negotiate down, so they sent an unbelievably hot.

Do you think PBM cares?

They don't they get a percentage of what they save.

David: In the end, it's a business, and eventually, everyone gets sick.

These bills say advocates and lawmakers are a necessary first step toward leveling the playing field between an industry that has all the supply, and consumers who have all the demand.

I'm David Cruz.

NJ Spotlight News.

>> Support for the medical report is provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

Briana: The deadly massive fire aboard a vehicle cargo ship docked in Port Newark is finally contained.

Two Newark firefighters, Wayne Brooks Junior and another, were killed in the initial response to the blaze last Wednesday night.

Their funerals are scheduled for later this week.

A Gofundme page organized by the Newark firefighters union to benefit their families has raised or than $100,000 so far.

Six other firefighters were injured, responding to the fire, which continued burning in the upper decks of the Grande a custody of Oreo into the weekend.

Elizabeth firefighter Warren white was one of the injured.

On Friday, he was able to walk out of the burn center at Cooperman Barnabas in Livingston to Applause P the ship was carrying about 700 cars and trucks.

Smoke from the fire wafted through the area, smelling of burning rubber and melting plastic.

The Coast Guard says there are no air or water quality concerns.

The ship is now stable, and Port Newark channel has fully reopened.

According to the Port Authority, the port largely continued to operate as normal during the fire response.

>> The fact that this fire was aboard a ship made for a complicated situation.

Yet our first responders adapted and rose to the occasion.

Once again, they have proven we have the world's best less you firefighters and first responders.

We all marvel at their remarkable skill, professionalism, and courage.

Sadly, we continue to mourn the loss of a gusto Augie Aqaba, and Wayne bear Brooks Junior.

The Newark firefighters who gave what President Abraham Lincoln called, and equipped the president "the last full measure of devotion."

Briana: New Jersey's internal -- Attorney General is investigating a fatal police involved shooting over the weekend in Jersey City.

Officials from the U.S.

Marshals Service and the region's's fugitive task force Saturday night were helping the Orlando Florida Police Department execute an arrest warrant.

The suspect was wanted for murder and attempted murder.

He fled first to Brooklyn, then Jersey City, where he was located near Jefferson Avenue.

The encounter with the marshals is unclear, but the suspect was shot and taken to Jersey City Medical Center where he died.

Suspect's identity is not being released, in the investigation is ongoing.

2019 log requires the Attorney General's's office to investigate the death of anyone during an interaction with a police officer during official duties.

As extreme weather events become more frequent, two of New Jersey's veteran federal leaders are calling on Congress to pass flood insurance reforms, by re-upping the national flood insurance program for another five years.

Bringing with it a number of other changes to bring down cost and make for a fairer claims process.

Those are two items homeowners, for years, have set our barriers to getting the coverage they need.

Alyssa Rose Cooper reports.

>> You can't afford to be unprepared when it comes to people's homes and businesses anymore.

After all, a home is often the single greatest asset that any New Jersey and will own.

Melissa: Yet the Senators as many residents across New Jersey are in danger of having the greatest wealth filled or washed away by flooding.

That is why the senator and representative Frank Pallone are taking steps to protect homeowners as well as small business owners by introducing the national flood insurance program reauthorization act.

>> Our national flood insurance program reauthorization bill implements the lessons we learned after Superstorm Sandy.

It makes sweeping reforms to make the programs more sustainable, affordable, fair, and efficient.

It makes premiums more affordable, so that we can grow the program, get more people to use the national flood insurance program.

Melissa: Last fall, FEMA updated flood risk assessments under what is known as risk rating to point out.

FEMA has said the change would cause two thirds of policy holders in New Jersey to have their premiums increase less than $10 a month.

And that 20% of policies would actually see a decrease.

Lawmakers point out that those increases have been enough to cause about 12,000 New Jerseyans, and even more people nationwide, to drop their flood insurance.

>> One of the things that we do is, and this is probably the most important one, we say that the most you can have is an annual rate increase of 9% to keep the program affordable for homeowners.

About 100,000 people dropped the flood insurance program in the last year, once risk point -- risk 2.0 went into effect.

We estimate at least that many each year if we don't do something to change it.

We will drop the insurances.

>> This legislation will help stabilize our real estate markets, especially in flood vulnerable areas.

It will help reduce costs in communities like these.

We applaud any effort to further reduce financial barriers to homeownership.

Melissa: The program also aims to make the process of filing claims easier for policyholders affected by flooding.

Something this resident says was challenging after Sandy.

>> There were multiple overlapping programs that work obligated, they were hard to understand, no one can understand them.

The result of that is a disaster.

That is the reason we end up with a bunch of clawbacks.

People didn't know that if they filed for this and that, five years later, they would come back and say this was duplication of benefits.

That has to stop.

We have to simplify the process so that can't happen again.

Melissa: Congressman saying the flood insurance program is a critical step, especially as New Jerseyans deal with the effects of inflation and climate change.

>> Especially in light of the fact that we used to talk about 100 year floods as if that was an accurate description.

Because of climate change, we are seeing what we thought were once 100 year floods and more, more frequently.

In some cases, we have seen them in consecutive years.

Even in places that have not had a history of flooding.

Melissa: The flood insurance program would include a 90 day grace period for policyholders who may not be able to make the initial payment, as well as vouchers for low income families to help subsidize their costs.

For NJ Spotlight News, on Melissa Rose Cooper.

Briana: Scientists are warning we are entering into unchartered territory as the likelihood grows that 2023 will be the hottest year on record for the earth.

The average temperature around the globe hit 63 degrees on Thursday.

That is according to researchers at the University of Maine.

That was the third milestone last week alone, lasting through other climate records days earlier.

While some scientists with the federal government took issue with that exact data, they do agree it is a symptom of a larger problem.

Climate driven extremes that will have significant consequences.

For more, and as part of our ongoing series, Carol and promise, I'm joined by climatologist Dave Robinson.

To have you on the show as always.

Talk to Neil about these record-setting temperatures.

63 degrees, maybe does not sound high for a place like New Jersey, but we are talking about the globe on average.

What does this say?

Dave: The fact is that the globe keep swarming.

We are -- keeps warming.

D.C. it for multiple reasons, the last week or so has made the headlines in terms of the warmest temperatures on record going back to the last interglacial 120,000 years ago.

It is a combination of three things.

One, it is summer in the northern hemisphere.

The globe is warmer during the northern hemisphere's center.

Because there is more land to heat up in the northern hemisphere than summer -- than the southern hemisphere.

That is part one.

Part two, there is a developing El Niño event in the Tropic of the Pacific.

For that matter, most of the globe's oceans right now are well above normal temperature wise.

And they cover 70% of the planet.

That has an impact.

And third is human activity.

It is the background, the baseline on which El Niño's develop and which seasons come and go.

Have a higher foundation now, a growing foundation, of warmth due to human activities.

It is really a three-part situation that is leading to these warmest global temperatures that have been generated based on models and observational runs going back several decades.

Briana: I'm glad you brought up El Niño.

Talk to me a little more, explain the effect, and what we can expect in the future because we only anticipate temperatures to continue warming.

Dave: Yeah.

El Niño is one means of the earth's oceans ridding themselves of their heat.

You tend to get your warmest atmospheric years temperature wise when there is an El Niño going on in the Tropic of the Pacific.

When the eastern Pacific becomes much warmer than normal.

And it generates different circulation patterns, not only in the tropics, but across the middle and high latitudes as well.

It really disrupts weather patterns.

This is just one influence, but it is well-known, that with global warming and an El Niño, you are going to find your warmest atmospheric temperatures.

That is what we anticipate in the months ahead, as a matter of fact.

This is only the beginning of this El Niño event after three years of the opposite La Niña type pattern.

Briana: What does that mean for the future of our summers, and especially here in New Jersey, and the Northeast?

Where we did not exactly break any records last week, but it sure as heck was hot and humid.

Dave: We have dodged the worst of the heat that is affecting the U.S. and other parts of the globe thus far this summer.

We have to look forward to warmer summers.

I attribute a lot of that to the warmer ocean temperatures right off our coast.

Oceans will keep warming, they keep our nights warmer with more moisture in the atmosphere.

With that, we will see this relentless pattern of warmer summers.

Just last summer was one of the warmest on record.

This summer, we have gotten off to a slow start.

It may not be.

It does not mean each summer is going to be warmer than the last one.

But overall, the pattern is increasing warmth in New Jersey.

We are one of the fastest warming states.

We are by a very rapidly warming ocean.

With that, we are going to have to be prepared for more of this in the future.

Briana: It may not be a linear rise, but a rise nonetheless.

New Jersey state climatologist Dave Robinson, thank you so much.

Dave: My pleasure.

Briana: In our spotlight on business report, it took an ultimatum from the state, but it takes city finally passed a budget.

Council members unanimously voted during a special meeting late last week to approve a $225 million spending plan.

The state, which has controlled the short town's finances since 2016, threatened to withhold a planned property tax cut if the budget did not pass.

The city Council in May struck down the proposal, citing a lack of transparency in the budget process, from both Governor Murphy and Mayor Marty smalls administrations Council members now say they did not want residents to lose out on the tax savings.

The five cent cut in the rate would save the owner of a property valued at $125,000 a little over $60, according to the mayor's office.

A spokesperson for New Jersey's Department of community affairs explains the ultimatum was given to Atlantic City in order to meet a state-mandated deadline.

Turning to Wall Street, here is where trading numbers ended today after last week's market slide.

>> 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 ChamberSNJ.com.

♪ Briana: That is going to do it for us tonight.

A reminder to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen anytime.

I am Briana Vannozzi.

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

Have a great evening.

We will see you back here tomorrow.

♪ >> NJM Insurance group.

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

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

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More information online at NJrealtor.com.

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

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♪