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♪ >> Tonight on NJ Spotlight News, a summer surge of COVID-19 cases here in New Jersey and across the country as new variants emerge.

>> We're are definitely seeing an increase in the number of cases.

They are associated with some of the new variants that have been floating around, literally floating around in the air around us.

>> Plus, despite now having a woman at the top of the Democratic ticket, the push to boost women in politics appears to have stalled.

>> we don't have a record year in terms of women running for office whether it be in the coalitional office or below at the state legislative office.

>> also, new urgency here in the state to help the homeless after the Supreme Court protections for the unhoused.

>> some of those rides would look like the right to vote, the right to emergency medical care , and the right to move freely in a public space such as parks.

Public transportation or on sidewalks.

That goes against what the Supreme Court ruling has laid down.

Reporter: and a pair of New Jersey so school score medals for team USA in Paris as the games get underway.

NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

♪ Announcer: From NJPS Studios this NJ Spotlight news with Brianna Vannozzi.

Raven: Hello and thanks for joining us tonight.

I am Raven Santana, in for Brianna Vannozzi.

COVID-19's latest variant, the FLiRT variant, is on the rise in New Jersey and across the country.

The number of COVID-19 infections reported in New Jersey has been steadily increasing over the summer.

The summer wave of COVID could also be in part due to the Blur -- FLiRT variant being highly contagious, and people are gathering in large groups indoors or out.

While COVID-19 infection numbers are still relatively low compared to the numbers during peak infection of December after 21, new variants have found a way to evade immunity, affecting even people who previously had COVID-19.

And as Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports, the uptick in cases has now left pharmacies selling out of COVID antiviral medication.

Reporter: at Hudson drug of Cresskill, pharmacists diagnose New Jersey's latest wave of COVID cases by the spike in order for the antiviral COVID medication Paxlovid instead of dispensing two or three packs a week, they have been selling that much every day.

>> In fact, this past week in stock we had run out of Paxlovid due to the fact that we had six or seven boxes on the shelf and they are all dispensed because, you know, that has been an increase in infections.

Reporter: COVID has generated summer mini waves.

The virus spreads when folks pack airports for vacation, or cluster in big crowds for parties and rallies.

And the recent heat wave drove people together indoors to cool off.

Plus, the virus has evolved a more infectious FLiRT variant.

>> we are definitely seeing an increase in the number of cases associated with some of the new variants that have been floating around, literally floating around in the air around us.

>> people are not testing quite as much as they had in the past.

I think the numbers are much higher than we know and a lot of people are saying well, it's a cold.

Maybe flu or allergies.

It is likely to be COVID.

>> whenever there is a surge, we see associated increases in hospitalization, too, just because there's a lot of vulnerable people out there.

Reporter: the Department of Health reports Rick cases rose from 170 on the weekend in June 29 to over 2200 in mid-July, easing off last week.

Hospitals logged about 230 COVID cost this shows that rose to more than 400 over the same time frame.

Though not every hospital reported.

And while, COVID patients used it to be for most age groups, it is -- >> It's a very rare occurrence, whereas now we see predominantly people are being hospitalized because of COVID.

They are generally 65 and older, have medical issues and can be heavily compromised.

Reporter: Dr. Kessler says if you are over 65 or have health problems, take precautions like wearing a mask and a crowd and while traveling -- >> Going to Europe for a trip of a lifetime that is going to be lasting three weeks.

When I was first arriving there, I would take precautions and go and put that well fitting N95 mask.

Reporter: experts note FLiRT variants can infect folks who have had COVID before.

But the current vaccine does offer some protection and can help ease misery.

Upper respiratory symptoms, fevers, muscle aches, and the newer debilitating fatigue.

>> people are saying they just can't even wake up.

They are just sleeping a lot.

And so it's a lot harder for people in terms of can you muscle through and even work from home?

>> we do want to do what we can to try to protect everybody else around us and that means taking the steps of the CDC has talked about, and then largely common sense, stay home when you are sick.

If you are coughing or running fevers you should not be exposing other people, whether it is the flu or anything else.

Reporter: Studies have shown the current COVID vaccine also helps prevent Long COVID, a new monovalent vaccine designed to target the FLiRT variants should be available this fall.

>> we are expecting to see that in pharmacies, mid to late August.

Reporter: meanwhile, he is talking more Paxlovid.

I am Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

Raven: Since President Joe Biden announced he was exiting the 2024 presidential race, favorability for Kamala Harris is increasing.

Several new polls about this week show the risk tightened in key battleground states.

The new data comes as Vice President Kamala Harris could be the first black woman and Asian American person to win the Democratic Party's nomination for president.

Despite what could be a historic nomination, women are largely underrepresented when it comes to the number of females running for federal and state red office of, according to a new report by the Center for American women in politics.

So could Harris's nomination be enough to spur more women to run for office?

And what role will the female voter play in the upcoming election?

I spoke with the authors of the new report to discuss more.

On the heels of Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the presumptive them a nominee for president, the Center for American women in politics posted a virtual press briefing to discuss the role of women in the 2024 elections.

>> big storylines below the top of the ballots are that we don't have a record year in terms of women running for office, whether it be at the Congressional office for below at the state legislative office.

And when it comes to the race and ethnicity, the diversity of women candidates as well, we've only had one minor record when it comes to the number of women by different racial and ethnic groups that are running this year.

Raven: Kelly is the director of research for the Center of Women and Politics at Rutgers University and an associate professor of political science at Rutgers Camden.

She says their latest release points out the current structural and institutional barriers that women in politics face.

>> there are a lot of reasons that contribute to the dearth of women in office.

A lot of them are the structural and institutional barriers that happen later in life.

You know, women's access to money.

Party gatekeepers who have been dominantly white and male.

Raven fish in the center, which is a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, is the main source for tracking in terms of the number of women running for office, who wins, and also looking at trends overtime by party, by race and ethnicity and by state and place.

>> Women are doing better than they have, but we are still less than a third of members of Congress.

Women still barely make one-third of state legislatures.

Of the 50 governors in the United States, only 12 are women.

And there is also tremendous partisan disparity at all of these levels of office.

Democratic women are doing much better.

The Republican women, not so well.

Raven: Debbie Walsh is the director of the center of women in politics.

She says according to the data, money has also been a huge barrier for women candidates.

She says while, many women in other countries around the world have elected women to serve at the highest level, we in the United States have not done so yet, even in 2024.

>> There is a perception, particularly for women of color, that they are not able to raise the kind of money necessary to win four statement offices, you know, United States governors.

We have never seen a black woman governor, by the way.

If the perception is that women are women of color can't raise the big dollars, then they are not seen as viable.

And when they are not seen as viable, they can't raise money, because people don't want to give to candidates that aren't seen as viable.

Raven: Which is why Walsh is confident that Harris will energize women voters who, in turn, will play a key and pivotal role in this upcoming election.

>> She brings to this position as nominee some tremendous assets that have to do with race and gender and being able to be relatable to communities of voters that she can speak to.

Issues -- speak to issues in ways that even Joe Biden couldn't speak to.

Raven: She says while the vice president Raven: She says while the vice's endorsement and support of her presidential run is his stomach, she says it does not representation or under tell the story of women's -representation, or even the impact of women in office, which is why it's important to keep eyes on the other levels of office.

Legislation aimed at protecting the rights of unhoused people in New Jersey is currently stalled as lawmakers take the unofficial summer break.

The proposed legislation calls for equal treatment of homeless individuals but all state and municipal agencies, and prohibits discrimination based on housing status.

It comes in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision allowing cities to enforce a ban homeless individuals sleeping in public places.

Advocates say the ruling has sparked fear among those who are already vulnerable and at risk of homelessness.

A mental health writer drives me to talk about the potential impact of this proposed homeless Bill of Rights.

Bobby, thanks for joining me.

GUEST: thank you very much for having me.

Raven: Alright, we know it is uncommon to see those who are homeless and encamped out on streets and in front of businesses.

We know that the Supreme Court has allowed cities to enforce bans on those who are homeless to do that.

Here in New Jersey, there is a law trying to do the exact opposite.

In fact, they are trying to protect those who are homeless from being banned or kicked out.

GUEST: That's right.

Right now we have two senators, Senator Bernie Timberlake and Assemblyman Reginald Atkins advocating for a bill that would do just that.

Outline the specific rights for people experiencing homelessness here in the state of New Jersey.

Some of those would look like the right to vote.

The right to medical care.

The right to move freely in a public space such as parks.

Public transportation or on sidewalks.

That goes against what the Supreme Court really has laid down for cities and counties not only here in New Jersey, but across the country.

This bill, currently known as the homeless Bill of Rights, it should also be noted that this has been in front of lawmakers since the 2018-2019 session and has not been up for a vote since that time.

A lot of lawmakers and advocates have spoken to them and said they will really push lawmakers to get this bill signed into law once they come back from the summer break.

Raven: While, advocates are happy about this proposed bill, there is a problem lawmakers are , on this unofficial break.

So now what?

GUEST: Right now the lawmakers I have spoken to have said they will try to hit the ground running to push forward to get this bill signed into law.

That comes as lawyers and people experiencing homelessness have spoken about this general fear that even though there are certain cities that have really instituted the same types of protections that lawmakers are trying to do in Trenton, they speak about the general fear towards what they call criminalizing homelessness, that essentially if you are seen sleeping in a public space, you could receive a ticket with nowhere else to go.

It should be noted there are other places, click here in the city of New York and other cities, that have worked extremely hard against that proposal.

Raven: There are roughly 10,000 homeless people in the state, according to a count in 2023.

What is the concern or fear now with this law?

GUEST: Right now the main concern is that if somebody is ticketed with having nowhere else to go, they end up in a very difficult situation where they are already vulnerable.

These are folks that are many times working full-time, many times working towards a more significant status, towards having a full-time job.

But it is a difficult situation that they find themselves in.

And it is throughout the state really, whether that's Hammonton, Atlantic City, places that already have ordinances that people are not allowed to speak in -- to sleep in public places.

You also see it in places in northern counties like Roselle Park.

It is certainly throughout the state right now.

Raven: So there is a general fear out there.

GUEST: completely.

And I think that fear may grow the more that we see more of these towns kind of pass these more quiet ordinances in place.

But you also see some lawyers and advocates fighting hard against that.

And lawmakers in Trenton trying to put this homeless bill into place.

Raven: Alright, we will see when everything gets back in session and see where this land.

Bobby Brier, thank you for the excellent reporting.

GUEST: Thank you.

Raven: The Camden County Police Department is ramping up its technology and tactics to arrest and prosecute illegal dumpers in the city.

Dumping ranges from small pieces to hundreds of thousands of pounds of garbage that is unloaded onto the streets and empty lots.

The problem has both officials and residents fed up, installing cameras and even turning to the city for help.

And as Ted Goldberg reports, the city is now offering cash rewards to those who help in the fight to crack down on illegal dumping.

Reporter: step inside the tactical center in the country, the -- the Camden County Police Department, you will see monitors reflecting 120 plus newcomers dedicated to stopping illegal dumping.

>> while that number may seem small, it equates to camera views that are able to be utilized not just for illegal dumping but for curtailing crime throughout the city.

Reporter: the cameras were installed because city leaders are tired of folks trashing their city streets.

>> I was born and raised in the city and worked in the city for over 22 years, and as long as I could remember, people would illegally dump in the city with little accountability.

>> Walk in the school and seeing pathways or fields where house was torn down and somebody just started dumping illegal stuff.

Reporter: Thanks to a half million dollar grant, cameras were installed in the last year.

Recordings have brought up 23 incidents and 12 people are now facing criminal charges.

>> This person was so egregious, he said he felt entitled because the Public Works Department, it was their job to pick up the trash for him.

>> The idea is that somehow you feel like you have the right to dump in Camden.

Well, if you do, then we have the right to be accountable to the people we serve and take care of what you are doing.

>> We are letting these people know that we are serious about you not doing what you're doing.

Reporter: Dumping has long been an issue in Camden.

Whether it is small pieces of garbage, or the infamous soil pi le that was cleared out of the summer.

>> this is not just an eyesore, it undermines the pride we have in our community.

And we have lead to serious health hazards.

Piles of trash attract rodents, insects and harmful substances.

It can seep to the ground, contaminating the soil and water.

Reporter: leaders say locals and non-locals alike are guilty of dumping here.

>> We have seen contractors.

We have seen automotive businesses.

People with general household waste.

We have seen landlords.

We have seen everything across the board, there is no one facet that you can really pin down and say, hey, this is the person that is dumping in Camden.

Reporter: Camden is also instituting a bounty program.

If residents spot trash-tossers, they can make up to $1000 if they call in a tip that leads to a conviction for illegal dumping.

>> How do we make this a collective effort in no way where it helps our community also by keeping their eyes open and really paying attention to what goes on, what is happening when it comes to individuals dumping illegally.

Reporter: some of the new cameras move around during the day.

Others can stay stationary for a year or longer as leaders try to keep illegal dumpers at bay, and streets and neighborhoods cleaner.

In Camden, I am Ted Goldberg, NJ Spotlight News.

♪ Raven: In our Spotlight on Business Report, on Wall Street, stocks rise to begin the week as the market wait for monthly corporate earnings to emerge, and news from the U.S. central bank.

Here is how they closed for the day.

♪ Raven: Raven: Starting in May 2025, there will be a new set of quality standards for the pharmaceutical industry to move away from using horseshoe crabs for drug testing.

The new guy does approves the use of two synthetic chemicals for detecting toxins in medical products, rather than a substance based on horseshoe crab blood.

The writer is here with me to explain the other environmental benefits from the new standards.

John, thanks for joining me.

GUEST: You are welcome.

Raven: The pharmaceutical industry announced new standards when it comes to the biomedical harvest of horseshoe crabs.

Can you explain those new standards and what's required now?

GUEST: Well, the new standard is that there is an organization called USP which is an independent group that sets our professional scientific standards for the pharmaceutical industry.

What they have said is they have actually enough their endorsement of two synthetic reagents for the testing of endotoxins in medical products, including vaccines.

And what that means, is that there is now an officially endorsed -- these two substances are officially cleared by the industry's standard-setting body for the testing.

It means they don't have to use a substance used LAL, which they derive from horseshoe crab blood.

The conservationists hope that that is going to mean a reduction in the demand for horseshoe crabs in Delaware today.

Raven: What is so interesting for those who had no idea that horseshoe crabs really play vital role in medical research.

So what are they being used for?

GUEST: They are two main uses.

One is as bait for the commercial fishing industry.

And that practice largely continues, with the exception of the Jersey, which banned the taking of horseshoe crabs back in 2008 and its waters.

The other main use is for biomedical uses, in the biomedical industry -- biopharmaceutical industry.

Raven: In terms of the requirements, what could change with how vaccines are now tested?

GUEST: What the conservationists are hoping is that more pharmaceutical companies will switch to using these synthetic alternatives to the crab-based product.

One of the arguments in favor of that is that since they are synthetic, they can be manufactured to demand rather than for the whole industry to rely on the crab-based product.

Any industry that relies on something that is derived from an animal is clearly opening itself to less reliability.

So the conservationists hope this is going to mean a reduction in the demand for horseshoe crabs in Delaware Bay.

Raven: You just mentioned it is being considered a victory, what role the horseshoe crabs play in preserving a healthy ecosystem along the Atlantic coast?

GUEST: The main thing that they do is, they lay eggs that are eaten by migrating shorebirds.

Particularly, and you may have heard, there was a little shorebird called the red knot that has garnered all kinds of attention for the last decade because its numbers are kind of perilously low at the moment.

It is highly dependent on eating eggs from horseshoe crabs to sustain it.

Raven:.

Raven: Thanks for joining me, John.

GUEST: You are welcome.

>> 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.

Raven: The Jersey athletes are already seeing the podium in Paris.

The United States won its first gold medal at the Paris Olympics in the Men's freestyle relay final.

It comes as part of a long-running rivalry between the U.S. and Australia.

The team, made up of Jersey's: Jack Alexy, and teammates Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong and Caleb Russell.

The victory also marked the first career Olympic medal for Jack Alexy.

The 21-year-old is a Mendham native and former Delbarton state champ.

But he wasn't the only New Jersey swimmer who took home a medal.

Morristown native 31-year-old Nic Fink two, silver medal after a time with a British legend in the 100 meter breastwork.

He will have a second shot at a medal in the medley relay later this week and I could be with fellow New Jersey and Jack Alexy.

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

I'm Raven Santana.

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

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

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We support our communities through NJM's corporate giving program, supporting arts and culture-related and nonprofit organizations that serve to improve the lives of children, rebuild communities and help to create a new generation of safe drivers.

We are proud to be part of New Jersey.

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