>> tonight on NJ Spotlight News, nurture New Jersey.

Governor Murphy and the First Lady establish a maternal center, seeking to improve disparities in New Jersey's birth outcomes.

>> here in Trenton but also across New Jersey.

>> plus, a state of emergency.

The Garden State is still recovering after a weekend of torrential downpours, flash flooding and power outages.

Five people are dead and two children are still missing in the Philadelphia area.

Also in the take of it, warmer weather is causing an increase in tics, sounding calls for a safe and effective vaccine.

>> the big problem it is increasingly worse year-by-year.

>> global exchange creating peace with kids from the Middle East and Lawrenceville with a toss of a frisbee.

>> for us, it is about bringing people together to learn about each other, to acknowledge the beauty of different cultures.

>> NJ Spotlight News Starts Right now.

>> Funding for NJ Spotlight News is provided by NJM Insurance group, serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

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♪ >> from NJ PBS, this is NJ Spotlight News with brianna.

>> thank you for being with us tonight.

I am Raven Santana.

Governor Murphy in Trenton this morning, establishing a new maternal and infant health innovation authority and center.

Part and parcel to the first lady Tammy Murphy's nurture New Jersey plan that hopes to improve infant and maternal health outcomes in the state.

Murphy says the center will drive policy and provide badly needed maternal health care services in Trenton.

A city that does not even have a birthing center.

Correspondent Joanna responds on the innovation Center and what it means for the community.

>> it has been three to half years since first lady Tammy Murphy launched the nurture NJ initiative to improve maternal and infant care in New Jersey, which was ranked 47th nationally.

Now improved to 29th.

A massive milestone in the effort.

>> recommendations are merged to establish an innovation center, to ensure that we all work to solve this crisis and it will continue for generations to come, long after our administration is done, thanks to our partners in the legislature.

That is about to become a reality.

By signing this bill it officially establish the government authority that will build a maternal and infant health innovation center right here in Trenton, New Jersey.

>> the bill creates government authority to oversee and centralize the work started by the first lady that now includes 22 branches of government.

From health, education, transportation and more, coordinating together to improve the states staggering rates of maternal and infant death.

>> this will be an incubator for research and development.

An academic and natal workforce training Center, a data collaborative and it's so much more.

It will offer comprehensive clinical services for moms before, during, and after pregnancy it will not only help us transform the maternal health in Trenton, but also across New Jersey.

>> Anderson is to cancer what this will be too infant and maternal health.

It will not just be a New Jersey resource, not just a national resource, it will be a global gold standard resource.

>> the health innovation center will include a birthing center that will be run by an existing entity in the state, possibly a major health care system.

It is welcome news for the community in Trenton, a city that has been called a birthing desert.

>> we've lost two of our birthing centers so we do not have one, but this is the case for many other communities as well.

So to have the science and innovation center here would help us.

A lot of women and moms here live in poverty.

To be able to have these resources for prenatal care right at the onset of your pregnancy would definitely be able to increase the maternal infant rate.

>> the governor explain the millions in funding required to get both the agency into the center off the ground.

>> 2.2 is an appropriation to set the authority up.

It's not a brick-and-mortar investment.

$30 million in this year's budget via the economic development Authority for capital, bricks and mortar.

Last year's budget had 20 million of capital and then there is a federal grant that we are pursuing that I believe is 25 million.

And that is to be determined.

We will get something there.

>> the location of the center is yet to be determined but where it ends up will be based on community feedback.

Things like closest access to public transportation or schools and neighborhoods.

The decision will be made soon and the administration is hoping to have the center open before the end of the Murphy's term.

In Trenton, Joanna, 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 and Blue Shield Association.

>> the state is drying out from a massive rainstorm this weekend.

Some homes were left in habitable -- uninhabitable.

Recovery is just beginning is roughly 100 county residents were displaced due to landslides and flood damage to roads and homes.

Heaviest rainfall came down in White Township which got more than seven inches.

Most parts of New Jersey get about four inches in the entire month of July.

Governor Murthy declared a state of emergency on Sunday afternoon due to the severe storms that left thousands of customers in the dark.

Power has been restored for most residents.

Outages linger throughout the day.

That heavy rainfall also proved to be deadly in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

At least five people are dead and two children remain missing after a family tried to escape fierce floodwaters.

According to police a search effort remains in place to find the missing children.

A journalist from Jersey has now found himself at the center of the story he was reporting on.

New Brunswick today reporter Charlie was served with cease and desist notice after raising questions about where New Brunswick's terrestrial -- director of police lives during a meeting.

He was threatened with criminal prosecution after he questioned why Anthony Caputo resides in and is registered to vote more than 2 Hour Drive from his employer.

The city says reporting the street Caputo lives on violates Daniel's law, which prohibits the disclosure of certain public officials home addresses to protect their safety.

It was enacted after a federal judge's son was killed in her home.

The ACLU is fighting back on his behalf, arguing it is unconstitutional to use Daniels law to limit journalists from reporting on public officials.

Charlie joins me to explain why.

Charlie, officials are now accusing you of putting this public official in danger by revealing the street he lives on.

What is your response to that?

>> I think it is absolutely absurd.

We are talking about a civilian police director who is an appointed member of our parking Authority board and what I did was raise this issue to the city Council that our police director, appointed member of an important city board is residing over two hours away.

It raising important questions about how much work he is actually doing.

>> for those watching, especially those who disagree with you, why was it important to you to include the street name he lives on?

>> well, the reason I brought it up is I think that councilmembers should punch that into Google maps and see just how far away the director is living.

I thought it would be over-the-top to mention the street number, but I did tell the Council what street he lives on in Cape May and I don't think I did anything wrong by doing that.

>> the thing that they are citing is Daniels law.

You know, is a reason for the cease and desist.

We know, you know, that is a law.

So is this a public official that is protected under the law?

>> we actually do not have any way to know.

He is eligible to apply for protection and he could have done so and been approved, but the way the law works is very secretive, so I tried to contact the office of information and privacy and ask if I give you a name, can you tell me if this person is covered by the law?

And they declined.

They said we cannot tell you.

>> for viewers were watching, the way the law works as it protects personal information of active or retired judges or prosecutors, law enforcement officers.

And their immediate family members.

So that is why they prohibit the publishing of the home address and telephone number of anyone who has requested protection.

So you are saying you have no idea if he is under Daniels law.

>> after I brought this up at a city council meeting to be clear, I did not publish anything, I brought it up at a city Council meeting and I received this letter here from the police director telling me that I've got to knock it off or else face consequences.

>> let's talk about the consequences, what are they?

>> in New Jersey Daniels law does allow for civil damages for an official to seek damages against a citizen.

But also criminal.

So now that I have received this notice, unless the judiciary does the right thing and intervenes, IM actually restrained from publishing factual information about our police director.

>> the ACLU has argued that your reporting is the core of protected free speech and in fact an unconstitutional attempt to prevent you from publishing stories on his residency.

How can this -- why is this so important to the future of reporting on similar stories throughout the state for other reporters?

>> I am no lawyer but I do know that the case law in this matter is very strong.

There have been well-intentioned state laws over the years that seek to prevent the publication of certain information that legislators think is too sensitive to be published.

But at every turn, these things have been challenged and when they have ultimately made it to the higher courts, they are struck down because publishing factual information is the right of a free press.

>> Charlie, thank you for joining me.

They may be small but they can also be dangerous.

I am talking about ticks and New Jersey seems to be a favorite summer vacation spot for them as the regions ticks population has risen in recent years and so have cases of Lyme disease.

Experts are concerned those numbers could increase given the warm weather due to climate change and now Rutgers University is participating in a clinical trial that would test the efficacy and safety of a Lyme disease vaccine.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports.

>> Rutgers researcher Matt fully expected to find some in this Bergen County park as he swept the underbrush with a white baby blanket tacked to a pole.

The hunt took less than a minute.

Look, Asian longhorn ticks, easy to see but teeny baby nymphs on his pants legs are harder to spot harder to spot.

>> people do that all the time and those people tend to get bit often multiple times.

>> he found a black legate ticks, the ones that carry Lyme disease.

Most folks call them deer ticks and they are thriving in New Jersey where the deer ramble through suburban neighborhoods.

>> June and July are the times when we want people to be aware that deer tick nymphs are active and you you are at risk of getting Lyme disease.

That is when the most human cases occur.

>> I think it is getting worse.

The climate is getting a lot harder.

They like the humid weather.

>> they survive the winter, Gloria Kim says.

That is when her son got a chronic case of Lyme disease, plus two other bacterial and factors from bites.

>> my son was bit on a cold day that had snow on the ground.

And ticks still bit him.

They bite all year-round round and people do not realize it.

>> AC/DC map shows since 2001 Lyme disease cases ebbed and flowed, peaking in 2017.

In 2021, it's clear that New Jersey is a hotspot.

The apartment of health Lyme -- logged 4300 Lyme disease cases last year.

>> which indicates that the problem is increasingly worse year-by-year.

>> Toledo oversees research for rectors.

He says New Jersey does not conduct active long-term surveillance but New York does.

And he says the data shows several different ticks, including the ones that transmit Lyme disease, are following the warming climate into new habitats.

>> is migrating north, we know that.

And it is migrating west.

The environment and the climate factors are suitable for this ticks to settle in new areas.

>> last year at Rutgers launched NJ ticks for science and has got 500 that it plans to test for different pathogens.

Rutgers is participating in a new vaccine trial.

Taylor signed up her son, shamus to get the VLA 15 shot made by Pfizer and a French firm.

>> shamus and I have both had Lyme disease before, so when I saw the opportunity to sign him up for the trial it was kind of a no-brainer.

>> the trial involves 3000 kids, up to 100 in New Jersey who will get three doses of a vaccine and a booster.

The last Lyme vaccine was withdrawn in 2002 due to side effects and negative press coverage.

>> ticks are so bad this summer that it is obviously giving me some peace of mind.

>> they can transmit other diseases and five to 20% of people who get Lyme disease contract a chronic form.

Gloria has a Lyme support website called families for joy but says folks usually ignore Lyme disease.

>> they don't care about it until they get bit.

>> she says they should care.

Her son Brandon is 27 and not fully recovered after enduring years of crippling, painful symptoms from chronic Lyme disease.

She describes the devastation.

>> outside of watching your son suffer and feeling as a parent like a failure that you're not making your son better because that is what moms are supposed to do, right?

They are supposed to heal everything and make it better.

>> she urges people to be cautious, where light colored pants, spare yourself with repellent and your clothes.

After being outdoors, always do a tick check.

In Hackensack, Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

>> in our spotlight on business report, pressures continue to mount as 160 thousand actors remain on strike following stalled contract negotiations.

The actors who went on strike last week joined in nearly 11,000 screenwriters who had been on strike since May.

This marks the first time since the 1960's both unions have walked out simultaneously.

With the strike shutting down Hollywood, union members take to the streets of New York where Ted Goldberg reports from the picket line.

>> we've got the power.

>> what kind of power?

>> union power.

>> if this was a movie and these were background actors and you are the lead character, doesn't this add to all of the mood of what you are doing?

And it brings the scene to life and that is what we do.

>> Christine is one of 100 60,000 actors on strike.

The background actors and New Jersey native says pay or lack there of is one contribute in factor.

>> our day rate is ridiculously low and now they are talking about paying us $187 to capture our likeness in perpetuity, to use us forever and ever and not pay us again.

>> another issue is studios using AI to replace actors or film actors and then digitally copy them for future projects.

Without paying them.

>> many nonunion members have signed away their rights and I know many union members who have battled with casting and production companies on the set where we have had to call a union rep to protect our image, likeness.

That is how we make money, that is who we are.

This is my calling card, it belongs to me.

It does not belong to a production company.

>> underneath is a fight for intellectual property.

What we would think of as intellectual property.

Who owns my image?

>> Susan is a professor at Rutgers in employment relations.

She says actors are upset by not earning residuals from shows on streaming platforms.

>> on the streaming shows, Netflix, crime and everything, producers do not have to tell you about their actual viewing numbers.

So there is no denominator there to say how much of that should be a residual to an actor or a writer.

>> the actors strike brought big names outside of HBO's headquarters.

Some you might know from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or bones.

>> we are standing strong, we are strong, we are union strong and that is why we are here today, to fight.

Fight for fair contracts, fight for what we deserve.

>> actors are not the only one stepping out for a deal.

The writers Guild of America is on strike as they have been since May 1.

Writers like Jersey City's Sarah Montana hope that solidarity leads to leverage.

>> you know the scene in a war or a Tennessee movie where the battle is happening and then you look up on the field and reinforcements have come and you're like were going to make it, we are not alone.

That feeling, basically.

It has been a huge boost to morale to know that we are not out here alone.

>> we're the ones who collaborate.

The executives who make the most money barely even make a decision about what projects get greenlight, so what are they getting millions upon millions of dollars for?

>> the actors have been on strike since last Thursday.

While they are joined by writers, they will not be joined by directors.

Their union agreed to a deal last month.

In Manhattan, Ted Goldberg, NJ Spotlight News.

>> stocks are on the rise as we start the week and here is a look at how the markets closed today.

>> support for the business report provided by the chamber of com or Centre New Jersey, working for economic prosperity by uniting business and community leaders for 150 years.

Never ship and event information online at chamber S.com.

♪ >> a summer camp is trying to bring global peace through Frisbee.

Global peace was established in 2008 as an organization that uses ultimate Frisbee to unite people and educate youth from around the world.

The campus been running for over 10 years in Israel but due to the safety conditions in the Middle East, it was moved to the U.S. for the summer.

This year for the first time ultimate peace is holding its ultimate Frisbee summer camp in Lawrenceville.

Melissa Rose Cooper reports.

>> I did not know anyone coming to the camp but I made some friends that I think I will know for a long time.

>> a gift of friendship they are thankful for receiving during her time at ultimate Frisbee summer camp on the grounds of the Lawrenceville school.

Weeklong activity brings kids together from all over the country and across the world, to learn and play the sport of ultimate Frisbee.

>> it has been all positive, coming into this new place, I was nervous because we are sleeping away from home and I do not know anyone, but everyone was so warm and welcoming that I felt at home immediately.

>> hosted by ultimate peace, Dave Camp has been at uniting kids of various cultures for more than a decade.

>> we started the program in the Middle East 12 years ago.

With the idea of bringing together Muslims, juice, Christians who live in the region, to learn the game because it was not a game back then that was known.

And to hopefully -- we had this idea that they would learn to love the game and also potentially learn to love each other.

>> because of safety issues, this is the first summer the camp is being held in the U.S.. David, founder and Executive Director of ultimate peace, says creating the program was especially dear to him having played the sport himself.

>> one of the core values of ultimate Frisbee is the spirit of the game.

What it means is that because there are no referees, you have to take responsibility for your actions.

You have to call your own fells, admit when you are out of bounds.

And you have to make calls on other opponents when they do not see something that you see.

You have to work it out, resolve the differences.

And I thought if we can bring people together onto the field to learn those skills, they would be potentially really great to translate off the field.

But at the very least, they could learn them on the field and grow as human beings.

>> Anna Maria is part of a world champion ultimate Frisbee team from Columbia and is excited to be one of the camps coaches.

>> you issue could give them all of your knowledge, but I think the most important thing is this is a game.

First thing, you need to have fun.

Second thing, you need to respect your teammates.

And also, use the game as like a learning experience, so people did not come here just to become better athletes.

Which is nice, which is really good.

We all like that.

But also we came here to become better human beings.

Better people in society.

So ultimate Frisbee is the type of sport that creates that environment.

Because we have these -- the spirit of the game philosophy.

Which is the heart of this board.

So that is what I think is the most important thing to teach them.

It's not just about the game, it is about all the other things that surround this board.

>> seeing a kid from British Columbia who a week ago had never met anybody from Georgia, all of a sudden, they are walking side-by-side, talking, chatting as if they knew each other, learning about each other, playing together and learning just how to get along on a very micro level.

Those happen all the time.

>> creating impactful memories that will last a lifetime.

For NJ Spotlight News, I am Melissa Rose Cooper.

>> that is going to do it for us tonight, but a reminder to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen anytime.

I am Raven Santana.

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

Have a great night and we will see you here tomorrow.

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We are proud to be a part of New Jersey.

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They gave me a new lease on life.

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