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>> Tonight, funding universal pre-k.

Governor Murphy and lawmakers make moves today expanding access to pre--- free pre-k. >> This does not come cheap, but the payoff is extraordinary.

Most importantly, the transformation of these kids' lives.

>> plus, and eyes raid rattles lives.

Also, deportation trauma.

Our mental health reporter followed one family dealing with the stress of deportation and the mental health toll rates are taking on immigrant communities.

>> For a lot of families and children that are experiencing deportation rates and arrests, they are looking at the threat of intergenerational trauma that will last longer than this current administration.

>> And NJ decides.

The race in district seven is getting crowded as more Democrats try to take on the Republican Congressman Tom Kane Junior.

Can they flip the district blue?

"NJ Spotlight News" begins right now.

♪ >> from NJPBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight News."

>> good evening and thanks for joining us on this Wednesday night.

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

First, more New Jersey kids will have access to free preschool and full day kindergarten.

Governor Murphy was at the Plainfield early learning center today to sign three bills expanding early childhood education by making the state's current preschool funding formula written law and adding terms so the government can afford to expand existing programs in the long term.

The bill today put New Jerseyans on track to provide free kindergarten for every New Jersey family by 2030.

The bills also extend contract terms for preschool providers so they can grow their operation and reach more kids.

More than half of New Jersey school districts with elementary schools now offer free pre-k.

Governor Murphy has made the program a priority of his administration by adding hundreds of millions in state funding.

>> we will make sure every parent in New Jersey will eventually be able to enroll their child in a high-quality pre-k programmed at no additional cost.

The future of our state, our economy, our workforce, our quality of life -- you name it -- hinges on the success and well-being of our children.

>> Also tonight, scathing accusations that a town misuse money meant to help people struggling with drug addiction on two opioid awareness concerts instead.

A report alleges officials spent more than $600,000 in opioid settlement funds on the events, which took place in the summers of 2023 and 2024.

The report alleges the concerts were held without input from the city's health and safety officials, community groups, or residents on the front line of the crisis and the bulk of the money was stared toward a Township employee who was a DJ.

The mayor who initially sued to block the comptroller from publishing this report, shot back today, saying, with all due respect to the OSC, they know nothing about my community and the people within it.

He claims Township employee is handed out opioid awareness booklets and connected residents with addiction treatment services during the events, calling it an effective way to reduce stigma in a predominantly black and brown community.

And more help with managing your rising energy costs just in time for the sweltering temperatures.

Governor Murphy this week signed two new bills into law.

The first requires gas and electric providers to notify customers how much their usage is costing throughout bill cycles.

Utilities will send either a text or email as part of the new energy bill watch program on the 10th and 20th days of billing, so customers have time to cut back on energy use and avoid an unexpectedly high payment.

The second law requires the Board of utilities to study the effects of data centers on electricity costs.

Research shows data centers use large amounts of power to process AI, and that is at least partly to blame for driving up higher generation and distribution rates for both residents and commercial customers.

Electric bills started spiking in June by an average of 20 bucks more a month after an annual auction by grid operator PJM.

>> support is provided by the Newark alliance presents the 2025 Halsey Vest -- Fest.

Halsey -- a neighborhood built on hustle and heart.

>> And eyes raid at an Edison warehouse is sparking outcry from workers and immigration advocates after 15 to 20 people were reportedly detained on Tuesday by federal agents and taken to detention centers.

Raven Santana was in Edison today speaking with workers and joins us with the latest.

Raven: Where outside a warehouse in Edison were on Tuesday agents conducted a raid and detained workers.

Employees I spoke with who arrived to work today say they are now concerned that this will happen again.

Video from Tuesday shows as agents rounding up workers, checking immigration status.

Those cleared were given wristbands.

Others without valid ID were zip tied and loaded into waiting fans.

>> I'm straight.

I good still -- I'm good still, but I don't know if I will stay that way forever.

Everybody is on edge right now.

>> This Reverend arrived on site to the rate and spoke to what he witnessed.

Including one man who said agents eventually cleared him but not before slamming him to the ground.

>> they put me on the floor and handcuffed me.

>> When we got there, we walked to the back and found tons of U.S. customs and border patrol vehicles as well as ice vehicles.

Mostly white, big men with their faces covered and lots of guns and handcuffs, but we have a hotline people: They are in traumatic situations with immigration.

Since yesterday, 11 different families representing 11 people who were taken yesterday have called our Hotline, desperate for help with legal services, desperate for help with what they should do next.

The trauma created by yesterday, we are experiencing it in the calls that have been coming through all yesterday afternoon and this morning.

>> he says his church hotline has been overwhelmed with calls from families urgently looking for legal resources and comfort.

>> By the time I got back to the church yesterday after being at the warehouse, a woman came in and said, I watched your Facebook Live.

That was my husband's place of work.

This is someone who lives in this town and his kids are the same age as my kids.

They have been here 27 years.

They have been contributing to the school and community, and I know there has been very well.

I was there enough yesterday to watch families start to arrive once they heard that mom had been taken.

>> what is the biggest request now?

>> Lawyers.

Understanding the legal system.

Sometimes family members do not understand what is next or what steps to take to be able to get their family members out of detention centers.

>>'s attorney is helping people navigate their next steps.

Do you think it's going to get worse?

>> absolutely.

Look at the bill that just passed.

I think there was billions of dollars in new funding for ice.

What we are seeing now I think it's just the beginning of what will be a really huge influx of fascist political apparatus that is trying to strip our country and the process.

>> Governor Murphy addressed the situation briefly today but offered few details.

>> Obviously, I have said time and time again that we do not stand in the way of federal authorities doing their work and we cooperate with them all the time, but beyond that, I have no insight into the Edison situation.

>> it remains unclear where those detained are being held.

Ice has not yet responded to our request for comment, but family members remain in limbo worried that Tuesday's raid may just be the beginning.

>> ramped up ice rates are not just having an impact on businesses, but also on the mental health of immigrant communities and their families.

Advocates tell us that chronic uncertainty over fear of deportation is being linked to heightened anxiety and posttraumatic stress, especially for kids in mixed status homes, who say they worry a parent or loved one could be detained at any time, leaving them to pick up the pieces.

I spoke with our mental health writer on Tuesday just before the incident at Edison about the issue, and one Red Bank family he followed dealing with the aftermath of deportation.

Good to see you.

You spoke with not just mental health professionals but also people who have been impacted directly by this, about the long-term effects.

I wonder what stood out to you most about how this trauma lingers long after a family member or loved one has been deported.

>> that's right.

Multiple mental health therapist I spoke to really spoke to this time that they coined, intergenerational trauma, which is essentially untreated, from things like separations, deportations, or fear that ripples down through a family.

Say, a grandparent may be faced deportation.

If that trauma is not addressed, that oftentimes is passed down to the parent which is passed down to the child.

A lot of times, this may come out in things like emotions or behaviors or mental health therapist have even said silence, just not talking about the issue at all.

Until that is addressed, that is when the healing process can start for a lot of families and children that are experiencing a lot of rates, deportation, or arrests right now or even the threat of them.

>> when you think about immigration and this sort of hardline policy from a 30,000-foot level, you might not necessarily connect the mental health component, but you found some really powerful stories.

>> That's right.

I spoke to a young advocate who is now 21 years old.

Her father was deported when she was just 14 years old.

When she told me in recent interviews was that these recent events she is witnessing are unfortunately her kind of reliving some of the trauma she has lived through in the past.

One of the things she spoke about was some of the efforts she's taking along with community organizations to address immigration rights and to other people that they have rights, that they have representation available to them, and the importance of staying in community as much as possible and to not isolate socially.

Oftentimes, those are two keys to improve mental health long-term.

>> I want to get to those resources in a bit, but I want to stay on this for a moment.

How does that story of this young woman in particular who you interviewed -- how does her story mirror what families are going through right now currently with these ramped up ice rates?

>> absolutely.

Her story is unique in its own sense but universal in that same sense.

She comes from a mixed status family, meaning that the immigration status of herself or her parents are different from one another.

For many families, that creates this ongoing fear or lingering uncertainty that can cause long-term anxiety, potentially depression, wondering if something could happen to a loved one or family member or friend.

Even though her story occurred in 2018, this is what we are seeing play out across the state and country right now.

>> do these communities have enough and the right mental health resources to turn to, especially for the kids?

>> Right now, there is plenty of resources available.

There is immigrant rights program in Newark along with many other organizations and folks working on the ground to address the mental health impact, but what many advocates and mental health professionals talk about is this true lack of therapist who can speak both Spanish and English and have a level of cultural competency that can really address the underlying mental health issues so many are facing right now.

That lack of bilingual therapists is not just here in New Jersey but nationwide.

That is a push we are seeing from mental health professionals to be able to gain more bilingual therapists in order to address some of this ongoing trauma.

>> you can read Bobby Brier's reporting on our website.

Thank you so much for coming in.

Now that the matchup is set for the gubernatorial race this fall, Democrats in New Jersey and across the country are mounting a full-court press for the 2026 midterms, targeting the state's seventh district where five Democrats are running to oust Republican Tom King Junior from the seat and flip it blue.

The centerpiece of their campaign -- President Trump's big, beautiful bill.

>> it got Republican applause, but the president's deeply controversial budget bill is a two-edged political sword.

It has given Democrats a cohesive message and they hope some political firepower.

Donald Trump can see the battle lines forming.

>> not one Democrat voted for us, and I think we use it in the campaign that is coming up, the midterms.

>> Democrats smell blood in the water.

Democrats CA small midterm environment shaping up for them.

>> Tom Kane Junior voted for the bill and it has helped make him a special target for the Democratic Congressional campaign committee, which listed the bill as one of its 35 Republican-held districts in play.

Even though Trump carried the seventh by a point last November, according to committee spokesman Eli cousins -- >> This is very purple terrain, a district that has swung back and forth in recent years.

What is different about this time is the fact that Congressman Kane Junior has voted for one of the most unpopular and toxic bills we have seen in a very long time.

>> State officials project more than 350,000 New Jersey residents will likely new -- likely lose health care under the bill's Medicaid cuts and more could see their food assistance shrink.

>> you will see the best Democratic candidates.

They are going to give their tier-one candidates because the perception is among candidates, that this will be a good environment for them to run in.

>> So far, five Democrats have announced they will run.

Among the first to declare, pharmaceutical executive Rebecca Bennett.

She is a U.S. Navy veteran chopper pilot.

>> Being able to bring that piece of my experience to the table, my experience working in the business sector, working in health care and also being a mom of two kids and understanding the challenges families are facing.

>> Bennett went to school on the G.I.

Bill and has connected with Vista groups and so far raised close to $1 million in campaign cash.

>> I don't come from a wealthy family, so I fundamentally understand the challenges families are facing in a way I don't think Tom Kane Junior ever will.

>> the most recent addition to the race, a jersey-born doctor who served in both of the Obama and Biden administrations.

She raised more than a quarter $1 million the first day of her campaign and calls herself a moderate Democrat.

>> I have demonstrated that I can work across the aisle, and I think that's what this district wants.

>> She described treating a diabetic patient who got sick because he rationed his insulin.

>> what we are watching is the active dismantling of U.S. health care.

We are watching Tom Kane Junior rubberstamping Trump's agenda.

We are watching misinformation spread and I'm just not willing to sit down anymore, so I'm stepping up as a doctor to restore science and sanity into D.C.. >> But remember, kane last won reelection by five points in the nation's most expensive congressional race.

His campaign sites his vote for Trump's budget as fully restoring the salt deduction for American families, securing our borders, and restoring the integrity of vital safety net programs like Medicaid for their intended beneficiaries.

Make no mistake, his political opponents are creating a vulnerability for themselves by advocating tax hikes and open borders.

Both parties will be playing for keeps and control of the Congress.

>> Summer in New Jersey means long, hot days and a constant threat of severe weather.

Both were in full force yesterday as temperatures pushed into the mid-90's across the state before giving way to thunderstorms.

The combination of hot, sunny days and intense rain feeds a lingering problem in the state, harmful algal blooms were toxic bacteria can reach dangerous levels in the water.

The blooms can force swimming beaches to close and keep visitors away from towns that depend on tourist being able to enjoy going out in the water.

It has become a serious problem in recent years.

Correspondent Ted Goldberg has been visiting lakes to check out the situation and he joins me now.

What can you tell us?

>> I'm here at orange reservoir, where there is currently no advisory for harmful algal blooms, but if you look at the water, there is that distinctive bluish, greenish hue.

>> the results, some bacteria concentration can only be obtained through laboratory testing.

>> she has the New Jersey Center for water science and technology at Montclair State where they study, among other things, Habs.

>> you might see some green color that you cannot really say for sure what are the concentration level.

>> She says harder weather and frequent storms are the perfect combination for Habs to grow.

Blooms are made of cyanobacteria , a group of bacteria that become dangerous for people and dogs at high concentrations.

Measuring the toxicity level for an entire reservoir or lake is not so simple.

>> it can be like concentrating water for sure, but the next minute, the wind might change direction or the paddler might ride the paddleboat, create current, and move this to another location.

>> so how much cyanobacteria is too much?

>> that's a difficult question.

Different bacteria produce different cyanotoxin.

Plus, some chemicals minor irritation like skin irritation.

Some actually damage our liver.

>> When it gets more intense like it is at Spruce run, where there are enough toxins to affect by skin contact, they really have to close.

Spruce run recreation area used to be popular for swimming, but the state decided to permanently retire the beach after persistent have levels -- persistent hab levels.

New Jersey's frequent storms have fed into the growth of Habs statewide.

>> They pick up whatever happens to be floating around, and in many cases, that includes fertilizers and herbicides, and those fertilizers have high nutrient value.

>> one of the sides the DEP has tagged with an advisory is Budd Lake week part, which is close to somebody major renovations.

The business administrator for Mount Olive says the Township has hired a Lake consultant to manage New Jersey's largest natural spring medley.

>> due to the oxygen levels in the lake, they cannot treat it now because that will impact the fishery and eventually kill off a lot of the fish that are there now.

The lake is a natural ecosystem.

It is very complicated to treat.

>> He says people can reduce Habs by intersecting storm water before it reaches rivers and lakes.

He says rain gardens would also be a big help.

>> There is a bill that passed a couple of years ago in the legislature, which allows municipalities or groups of municipalities with counties to form storm water utilities in the places where this is most prevalent.

The legislators are calling it a rain tax and want nothing to do with it.

>> Dr. Wu says people who go swimming in blue-green algae should wash their care immediately.

>> you can download our podcast wherever you listen and watch as any time by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

Plus, you can always follow us on Instagram and blue sky to stay up to date on the biggest headlines.

For the entire team, thanks for being with us.

Have a great night.

We will see you right back here tomorrow.

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♪