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Raven: Tonight on "NJ Spotlight News" -- Deadly weather.

Plainfield, still recovering from last week's sudden severe storm, as New Jersey braces for the remains of tropical storm Chantal.

Plus, public health advocates warn that President Trump's Medicaid changes threaten to keep the most vulnerable from getting the care they need.

>> They are already exhausted and working hard to the bone, and the last thing they need is discouragement on a life that is already hard.

Raven: Also, community college funding.

While the new state budget restores some funding, some students could face financial hardships.

>> Community colleges are helping fill some of the big shortages we are seeing right now.

Whether it's in nursing or teaching or other programs across the state.

Raven: And, an empty sky.

Debate over if New Jersey's official 9/11 memorial remains incomplete.

>> I feel like it feels abandoned, and it feels like a disgrace.

Raven: NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

Announcer: From NJ PBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight news" with Briana Vannozzi.

Raven: Good evening and thanks for joining us on this Monday night.

I am Raven Santana, in for Briana Vannozzi.

We began with a few of today's top stories.

First, central Jersey is still recovering from severe storms that swept through the region suddenly Thursday evening, leaving three people dead in the Plainfield area and causing that city to declare a state of emergency and canceling July 4 activities.

More than 20,000 power outages were reported around Plainfield after the storm.

Most have had service restored, but some outages have persisted into today, according to PSE&G.

Clean-up continues in the area into this week, with numerous homes and vehicles experiencing significant damage from downed trees.

New Jersey got a reprieve in recent days with picture perfect weather for the holiday weekend, but storms are forecast to return to the state this week starting this evening, as the remains of tropical storm Chantal blow through the area after causing dangerous flash floods last night in North Carolina.

From storms in New Jersey, to the devastation in Texas.

A New Jersey native is being recognized as a hero after helping in rescues from the deadly flooding in central Texas.

26-year-old Scott Ruskan helped save 165 people from Camp Mystic.

The Christian camp has become a central tragedy from the July 4 weekend storm.

The Waterloo baked River rose 25 feet in less than an hour, sweeping through the campground on the banks of the river.

Ruskan stayed on the ground to lead triage efforts at the camp, working tirelessly to get people onto helicopters and to safety.

It was his first rescue mission.

According to the latest estimates, at least 95 people have died in the flooding, including 27 children.

Dozens are still missing.

Among them, 10 girls from Camp Mystic remain unaccounted for.

In our our Spotlight on Business Report tonight, Newark airport may finally be back on track after the completion of a key infrastructure project that the FAA says will improve network infrastructure and reliability.

The brand-new fiber-optic communications network between New York and the Philadelphia trade com, which controls aircraft arriving and departing Newark airport.

The project was spurred after a series of communication outages between air traffic controllers that grounded flights and lead to weeks of delays and -- led to weeks of delays and cancellations as well as cutbacks to flights in and out of Newark Liberty.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement the new fiber-optic line will prevent these equipment failures.

It is the first step in upgrading the decades-old air traffic control system in Newark.

>> Support for the business report is provided by the Newark alliance presents the 2025 Halsey Fest.

Featuring the vibrancy of Newark's arts and education district and Halsey Street.

Halsey, a neighborhood built on hustle and heart.

The schedule is available at HalseyNWK.com.

Raven: President Donald Trump signed into law his massive tax cut and spending bill on the July 4 holiday one day after the House narrowly passed a controversial measure and sent it to his desk.

The so-called one big beautiful bill makes permanent Trump's 2017 tax cuts and expands funding for immigration enforcement and border security.

It is a big win for the president and his allies, who celebrated outside the White House on Friday.

But the bill has been widely criticized for paying for those priorities by cutting funding for food assistance and health care.

With new requirements expected to push millions of Americans off Medicaid.

Here in New Jersey, hundreds of thousands are expected to lose coverage over the next decade, including individuals with disabilities.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports.

Reporter: When the president signed what he called the most popular bill ever on July 4, he highlighted the sweeping tax cuts paid for by deep reductions in spending and primarily in -- aimed at social safety nets like Medicaid.

>> The largest spending cut, $1.7 trillion, and yet you won't even notice.

It is just waste, fraud and abuse.

>> We are talking about taking 350,000 eligible residents off of New Jersey family cares is not about addressing fraud or waste or abuse.

This really undergirds our public health system in New Jersey.

Everyone will be affected by the.

Reporter: State officials warned that New Jersey's public health and hospital systems face a $3.3 billion annual cut in federal funding that will slash services.

But Republicans who voted for the bill argue that there will be no loss of Medicaid for legal eligible recipients.

There will be no changes in coverage for those in need of assistance, including kids, expectant moms, seniors, or people with disabilities.

>> For us, having this Medicaid has been a lifeline.

Reporter: This Newark mother needs Medicaid services to care for her severely disabled son at home while she is at work.

>> There is no way we would be able to hold it together if any did not have that private duty nursing and the services and the respites that come with Medicaid.

Reporter: Now they mandate a 20 hour work week for able-bodied adults on Medicaid and makes some reregister for benefits every six months, instead of once a year.

Her family mistakenly lost coverage for two months because she says the bureaucracy is already overwhelmed by paperwork and riddled with errors.

She fears that thousands will permanently fall through the cracks.

>> It is still such a complicated web.

This could mean devastation for so many families that are already exhausted, working hard to the bone, and the last thing they need is discouragement in a life that is already hard.

>> That's exactly what the bill is designed to do, to create bureaucratic barriers to keep otherwise eligible residents off of Medicaid.

Reporter: But many Republicans regard Medicaid as a flawed and bloated system that needs radical reform.

They welcome the new law.

Speaking to Newsmax, Congressman Steve Scalise noted -- >> Those able-bodied adults that are turning down work, the 35 girl sitting on his mom's basement playing video games will have to go get a job again.

Reporter: The political divide remains stark.

>> It is disheartening.

It's a grim time.

Reporter: She advocates for New Jersey with disabilities.

She says a recent meeting of stakeholders fingered the funding cuts could end up reducing options like dental services or home and community-based programs like visiting nurses.

>> All of those things, I think, are on the table to come into play as the state is going to have to figure out how they are going to run the Medicaid system with so many fewer federal dollars.

Reporter: The new law takes effect in phases, phased over the next three years.

Some recipients would have to pay more out-of-pocket costs starting in 2028.

But nobody has seen the new rules yet.

>> I think is going to be a really rocky road.

I think there's going to be a lot of unknowns as this unfolds and people on expansion Medicaid will be a great risk of losing access to Medicaid, being terminated.

Reporter: The new state budget includes a $6.7 billion surplus, in part to help cushion the federal funding cut, but nothing of this magnitude.

Time Brenda Flanagan -- I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

Raven: Community colleges across New Jersey are getting some financial relief heading into the next school year thanks to lawmakers who have stepped in to restore some of the funding initially cut from the $59 billion budget.

However, not all funding was spared.

Financial aid programs including the community college opportunity grant were reduced.

So what does this all mean for students here in Jersey?

To discuss more, I am joined by the education and child welfare writer, Hannah G. Let's start with the good news.

How much are we talking about and where are the funds going?

>> Lawmakers restored $20 million in operating aid to the community colleges which helped them pay for programs and services, help some not increase tuition too greatly from year to year and restored funding for summer tuition aid grants which help students pay for their college over the summer to stay on track to graduation.

Raven: And how does that help students, when we think about that financial stability?

>> It is important, especially at the community colleges, if students stay engaged over the summer, they are more likely to return for their second year.

So having that funding over the summer is super important for kids who are maybe working and they are part-time students.

Raven: When we think about who that affects, how many students are we talking about here in New Jersey?

>> So there's about 240,000 students who attend the community colleges.

It's a huge chunk of the undergraduate population here.

Raven: And we understand that this move was made with bipartisan support, is that correct?

>> During budget hearings, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were outspoken about the need for increasing funding for community college.

Governor Murphy has made funding for higher education a huge priority during his time in office.

But tried to flat funds or decrease funding for a lot of these higher education programmings.

Causing lawmakers to step in and increase the funding.

Raven: Not all the funding made it through.

So what cuts were made and who is that affecting?

>> So there were some cuts to the community college opportunity Grant, which is basically part of the state's promise for free community college.

So, in the past, it helped students with family incomes up to $100,000.

If your family was making under $65,000, you could go to community college for free.

Going forward, for students who are newly eligible for the program, you can only take part if your family is making under $65,000.

Raven: So how are students through your reporting pivoting?

>> I mean, they are trying to stay on track to their degree is -- as best is possible.

The summer tuition grants are still in place for this summer so they are trying to take summer courses to stay on track and next summer there's some money available.

It's not going to be the full cost as estimated by the higher education student assistance Authority.

So they are hoping they can get some more money there or just pile up on the credits and keep making progress.

Raven: When you think about community colleges, bigger picture here, how important is that to Jersey's economy when we think about students who may not have any access to that education?

>> It is huge for the economy.

Community colleges are helping fill some of the big shortages we are seeing right now whether it is in nursing or teaching, and other programs across the state, students are also very likely to stay in New Jersey whether they are going on to a four-year college or university or joining the workforce.

Often in their community.

So the money that goes to community colleges generates more dollars for the state economy.

Raven: That's an excellent point.

Of camera we spoke about this, you have been in conversations with community college presidents.

What is their reaction to this when we think about the cut to funding and financial aid?

That impacts them as well.

>> They are pleased that they are getting more money than was initially proposed in the governor's budget.

They told me something is better than nothing.

But at the same time they already had to plan their tuition for next year before the governor's budget was struck, so there are tuition increases but this means that services and programs are able to remain at many of the state's community colleges.

Raven: We know you don't have a crystal ball, but what do you now foresee happening with these funding cuts?

>> I mean, it depends who the next governor is and who was in the legislature next year and how important funding for community colleges and higher Ed will be.

These colleges are also under a lot of pressure at the federal level, with threats to take over their funding based on their use of diversity, equity and inclusion programs and some other cuts across the board.

So they are in a bit of a sticky situation right now.

Raven: Hannah, excellent reporting as usual.

Thank you so much.

>> Thank you so much for having me.

Raven: For the 640 police officers faced major discipline in 2024, according to new data released by the New Jersey Attorney General's office today.

That's a 40% increase over last year.

The majority are for attendance violations but the report also includes several serious allegations of misconduct.

The AG today also reported more than 15,000 internal affairs investigations involving about 8800 officers across the state.

The figures come as the new bill is introduced in Trenton, sparking strong reaction on both sides of the debate over police oversight.

The legislation backed by Republican State Senator Michael Testa would remove the state police from under the Attorney General's authority and place the agency directly under the governor's control.

Supporters argue that it would free troopers from directives but single rights -- civil rights groups we say that it will weaken critical accountability measures.

Ted Goldberg has more in our "Under the Dome" series.

>> They say to me all of the time that they feel the handcuffs have been placed on them, not those accused of criminal activity.

Reporter: A bipartisan bill cosponsored by Senator Michael Testa would make the state police its own government department reporting to the governor rather than reporting to the Attorney General as they do now.

For Testa, the bill is partly based on criticism of the state's immigrant trust directive, which limits how New Jersey police are allowed to interact with ICE.

>> Prior to the directive if someone came in and tried to turn themselves in, the state police would've detained that person and make some phone calls, potentially some females, some form of contact with ICE to determine whether this individual was in fact wanted by ICE.

And they were not able to do that.

They turned to that individual away.

Reporter: One of the detainees who broke out of Delaney Hall in Newark tried to turn themselves into police in Bridgeton.

But police said they could not bring them back because of the immigrant trust directive.

The proposed bill has fierce critics.

>> This proposed bill is an assault on black people.

Reporter: Social justice activists like Reverend Charles Boyer say that this bill is a way for state police to avoid the reforms that Attorney General Matt Platkin recommended, coming from to reports -- two reports that found racism in the internal affairs and promotions practices.

>> They have discriminated and persecuted Black state troopers.

Black civilians are not safe.

>> I'm not sure what the motivations are behind it.

Where that is coming from.

Overall, other than the police not necessarily being in alignment with some of the reform work that's been going on over the last several years.

>> There is no secret that they are upset and angry because of the recent reports that have come out which has shown a -- which has shown a light into how egregious the state police continued to be.

So the whole push to come out from underneath the Attorney General's office is a push to deal with less accountability.

Reporter: From 1999 to 2009, state police were run under a consent decree from the federal Department of Justice after allegations of racial discrimination.

The state NAACP which has called for superintendent Patrick Callahan to resign for failing to address problems in the force says it is open to the bill.

>> We want change.

And we want accountability.

And if that means moving it to the governor's office, that is good.

>> They are equal opportunity discriminators at the New Jersey state police.

This is a department that seethes with racial injustice and discrimination.

Reporter: New Jersey is in the minority of states that the AG's report to the office.

Inspector General model might work better for the New Jersey.

>> We need an independent body.

And when that individual is appointed, I would like to see that individual appointed to like a six year term so that does not come with -- that not coincide with the Governor's term.

Reporter: Senator Testa says he believes this bill could pass during the lame-duck session.

Or at least some form of it.

>> Under the dome is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

A private corporation funded by the American people.

Raven: And has been more than two decades since the September 11 attacks and the empty sky Memorial at Liberty State Park in Jersey City is meant to serve as the state's official monument to honor New Jersey's victims.

But the memorial is in the middle of a fight between state officials, September family members and advocates as well as the designer over the conditions of the memorial.

So is the memorial actually finished and is there funding to support any future design or restoration?

David Cruise went to the memorial recently to investigate.

Reporter: Almost by default, the empty sky Memorial at Liberty State Park is the most visited Memorial in the state with an estimated 5 million people walking through it in a year.

It is the centerpiece of a 2.5 acre specifically landscaped site that its original designers and a panel of nine family members expected to look like this -- 9/11 family members expected to look like this.

Instead, the memorial today, 14 years after it was dedicated, looks like this.

Unkempt, neglected, and in decline.

>> This memorial is my life's work.

Reporter: Jessica is the original designer of empty sky.

When she sees what is here, the naked cracked exterior, the grove of dead trees, weeds growing in light fixtures that don't work, and broken information kiosks that could let anyone know what this was supposed to look like, it can be a lot.

>> We are sitting here in front of it.

There's a big exterior wall of this place.

It looks like the exterior of a prison, to be honest.

>> Well, David, I'm sorry that it feels like that.

And I feel that it feels abandoned, and I feel like it feels like a disgrace.

>> If you go there and you see what is there and what the original concept was, you could see how people could be upset especially people whose family members are ingrained in that shrine.

Reporter: He is a former state trooper who lost friends and colleagues on 9/11 and in the years after.

He says victims and their families deserve a little more respect than the state is showing.

>> It's a shame, because I think the folks that are putting out that the project is complete, if they had loved ones that were part of what occurred at 9/11, I think they would have a different tone.

>> I did not even know that Memorial was there.

Reporter: Cheryl Cooper's longtime partner died on 9/11, too.

He was a Port Authority cop.

She says she appreciates the site for what it could be.

>> It's nice.

They just need to finish it and make it look reasonable.

-- make it look presentable.

Reporter: Like anything involving state bureaucracy, the story of this memorial, would it -- what it looks like and what remains to be done is complicated.

There were $14 million in cost overruns from the beginning, say state officials.

Funding ran out.

The state rushed to finish up the project and changed elements of the original design.

They tried to execute a separate contract and did not consult Jessica.

Like I said, complicated.

Last month, treasury and DEP said they considered the project complete.

It should be noted that the Attorney General's office, the Department of State and the Port Authority all have a piece of the purview over what happens here.

>> So, I feel as though the interdepartmental nature of this project is what collapses it from getting anywhere forward, because DEP has ideas and treasury has ideas, and people agree and people disagree, and sometimes the governor really cares, and sometimes there are other things going on and -- in their agenda.

The families were promised a fitting memorial to honor their loved ones and this is not it right now.

Reporter: She says she has contractual rights of approval to any changes in the design.

Officials we talked to at treasury and DEP acknowledged that the memorial is incomplete.

It is unclear if they have knowledge Jessica's claimed to final approval over changes.

She says she is looking for a hero, but with no money in the new state budget to get the project done, it does not -- -- there does not appear to be one insight.

The DEP says the Plaza surrounding the central terminal and the rest of the grounds surrounding the memorial are due for a major makeover.

The designer and some 9/11 families hope that by then the memorial will finally be complete.

I'm David Cruz, NJ Spotlight News.

Raven: That is going to do it for us tonight.

But a reminder, you can download our podcast wherever you listen and watch us any time I subscribe into the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel.

Plus you can follow us on Instagram and blue sky to stay up-to-date on all the states big headlines.

I'm Raven Santana.

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

Have a great night.

We will see you right back here tomorrow.

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