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>> Tonight on "NJ Spotlight News ," congestion pricing lives on for now.

At the 11th hour the Trump Administration extends the deadline to end New York City's congestion pricing program.

Plus followed after President Trump signs and exec of order aimed at dismantling the education department.

What could this mean for students in New Jersey?

>> It is dictating and frankly outrageous.

>> Also long Covid lingers on, five years after the pandemic.

A new report shows many Americans are still suffering from the virus's long-term effects.

>> It is a roller coaster and I still have ups and downs for the last five years.

>> And Miss Newark USA and public health advocate on her journey to the crown.

"NJ Spotlight News" begins right now.

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

Brianna: Thanks for joining us on this Friday night.

First, neither side is backing down in the congestion pricing fight.

The Trump administration extended the deadline, getting officials another 30 days to comply while still threatening to withhold billions in federal funding that help keep the city's subways and buses running.

The White House last month issued an ultimatum, demanding the MTA turn off its overhead license plates scanners by today, but New York Governor Kathy Hochul was planned to defy it and says the extension changes nothing.

Her administration filed a lawsuit saying it will take a court order to end the program.

Hochul says she feels confident they can come to an agreement.

One lawmaker urged New Jersey presidents to keep track of their told in case they can get a refund.

The latest traffic data from the Port Authority shows the program is keeping cars away, with nearly 75,000 fewer drivers using the Lincoln and Holland tunnels during the first month alone.

also tonight, a standoff at the Jersey shore over what is known as the five mile Island project.

The state DEP gave the four towns involved in the beach replenishment plan until this Tuesday to recommit or risk losing the money entirely.

During a virtual hearing with the state, the mayors of lower Township agreed to move forward them about attorneys for Wildwood and Wildwood Crest did not respond.

The request calls for pulling sand from those beaches to build beaches in North Wildwood and construct a massive June along the coastline through all four towns.

The mayors cannot seem to agree on whether the plans will help or hurt their slice of the shoreline and the communities that rely on them.

During the hearing the court issued temporary restraints to block Wildwood and Wildwood Crest from pulling out.

Now a Superior Court judge is asking their attorneys to make their arguments during the hearing on April 15.

Until then, the project is officially on hold.

And two new New Jersey bridges were named in a federal report warning about their safety.

The National Transportation Safety Board this week identified 68 bridges in 19 states, including New Jersey and New York that it says need to be assessed.

The bridge over the Delaware River and the Newark Bay Bridge are not in imminent danger of being struck or collapsing, but the NTSB says they need to be inspected to see if they are up to new safety standards.

The report stems from last year's fatal collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

It fell into the water after it was struck by a massive container ship.

The port authority, New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and Delaware River Port Authority were among 30 bridge owners cited in this NTSB report, which also named the heavily traveled George Washington, Brooklyn, and Verrazano bridges in need of a safety check.

Petition officials here say those crossings are held to the highest standards.

President Trump made good on another campaign promise, signing an executive order aimed at is mentally the federal Department of Education -- aimed at dismantling the federal Department of education.

He says it is not needed in a country where states have control over their education needs.

But the agency has a critical role like overseeing enforcement of discrimination laws and overseeing aid money for low income students and those with disabilities.

Experts say you may not see much change in the short-term them about the long-term impact of this decision could have major implications for students and families.

I am joined by the Executive Director of the education Law Center.

Good to see you.

The Trump administration said this was coming.

Yesterday they did it.

An effort to dismantle the Department.

What was your first take?

Robert: It is extremely disappointing.

It is devastating for the country that a president would go so far as to dismantle a federal agency meant to galvanize our resources and efforts in support of public education in this country.

We know that 90% of students go to public schools and there are so many kids with special needs in those school systems that are represented by different agencies and parts of the U.S. Department of education.

To signal dismantling all of that is devastating, not only signaling the wrong direction for education at the highest levels, but devastating to the millions of students and families who rely on so many funds and functions of that Department, and the districts that rely on the federal government to provide that guidance.

It is devastating and frankly outrageous.

Brianna: Congress created this Department under the Carter administration back in the late 70's.

It has pretty much been in the crosshairs since then.

Can President Trump do this lawfully?

Robert: no.

The Congress created the U.S. Department of education in 1979.

At the time, they recognized and found that the different functions of the current Department were already dispersed among multiple different agencies across government, and that was causing a lot of fragmentation, a lack of efficiency and lack of focus on education in this country, at a time when even back then it was recognized by Congress that education is becoming more important as a national priority to ensure the well-being of our country.

That is why the Department was created by Congress back then.

Those rationale still hold true today.

Only Congress has the authority to affect the future of a cabinet agency like the U.S. Department of education in such a dramatic way.

Brianna: three of the Department 's areas that are among the most important, student loans, Pell grants, and civil rights enforcement.

According to the White House press secretary, will remain.

But what are your concerns about how they might be able to carry out network?

And is there room for more efficiency if these tasks are dispersed among other government agencies?

Robert: We are hearing different stories about those functions remaining or purporting to remain, albeit dispersed to other agencies.

But I think that really shows a lack of understanding of why it was so important to have these functions housed at the U.S. Department of education.

We have millions of students, 12 million plus students, who are student borrowers, they get federal aid, loans and other grants to support them having access to go to college, or to get work-study programs approved and up pand running -- and up and running so they can pay some bills while they are in college.

Those are critical functions.

For that alone to threaten disruption and delays in that process by transferring them to an agency that does not have experience with those functions, that is playing with fire here because so many millions of students directly rely on those funds.

Any disruption in that would be catastrophic to those students.

The civil rights function is another matter.

I used to work in the U.S. federal government for civil rights.

I know very deeply what takes place in that office.

We have thousands of investigations going on, affecting districts K-12 and higher Ed across the country.

They are already disrupted.

The idea that there would be a transfer of those functions to another agency such as justice or for students with disability issues to be handled by HHS, tremendously disruptive.

Really betrays a lack of understanding that in the education context, civil rights law's such as title IX, such as the civil rights act, such as the disability rights laws in this country, there is expertise that needs to be applied in the education context.

Other agencies just don't have.

This already is a huge disruption and would only continue -- Brianna: All that said, very quickly, where might you think folks here in New Jersey would see the first impacts of these changes?

Robert: I am sure they are already seeing the impacts.

I believe what we will see are delays in funds and money that is entitled to go to districts for a number of services, we will see those delays.

That will translate to cuts in the classroom, bigger class sizes, disruptions to services and supports for students with disabilities.

I think we will see these effects quite soon.

We should not delay in our efforts to counter this effort.

Brianna: Robert Kim is the head of the education Law Center in New Jersey.

Thank you for your insight.

Robert: Thank you.

Brianna: five years after the start of the pandemic, millions are still suffering from long-term effects of the virus.

In what experts have termed long Covid, it is estimated that 17 million adults in the U.S. have it, and the majority say it has had significant limitations on their daily lives.

What is worse, the research shows the disease is affecting many groups already considered vulnerable, with limited access to health care.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports.

Brenda: Five years ago with Covid patients crowding ICUs in the pandemic's early days, no one knew what to expect back then.

Locals cheered first responders and medical workers in Manhattan each night.

[APPLAUSE] At Mount Sinai Hospital, a new New Jersey nurse shared some pizza with coworkers, but they also unwittingly shared the Covid virus, she says.

She got sick in March 2020 and even months later needed a doctor's note, citing ongoing Covid Sumption's and -- ongoing Covid symptoms that made her not fit to return to work.

Aliza: I still have ups and downs for the last five years.

Sometimes it is demoralizing.

And it is definitely frustrating.

Stephanie: Most of the cases, particularly the severe cases of lung Covid, were seen from the people that -- of long Covid, were seen from the people that were exposed to the first wave.

There were no good treatments.

Brenda: But even patients with mild Covid symptoms sometimes develop long Covid.

A study last December noted 8% of American adults surveyed, 20 million people reported Covid symptoms lasting longer than three months after they were infected.

Many complained it limited their activities.

>> A lot of people impacted were 35 to 45.

That is a lot of life left for them to live with what will be a long-term disability.

>> We are trying to figure out what will work best for them.

It is very challenging to determine who should qualify for a disability, who is not able to return to work.

>> A Bergen County -- it helped to return to work in Mount Sinai, but with adjustments to deal with her lingering fatigue.

>> My coworkers are-- they understand.

Nurses in general, sometimes the day is long and the day is hard and it is heavy.

Sometimes I need a half an hour and feel good with that.

>> Fortunately she's been able to make that arrangement and have the support from her colleagues to be productive and do the good work that she does.

That is a challenge.

Brenda: There is currently no real cure for long Covid and it remains an elusive diagnosis.

The Center often sees patients who have run out of options after hitting a wall with frustrated medical providers.

>> They basically dismissed the patient's or tell them I'm not comfortable filling out this disability form because I am not really sure you are disabled.

Then they get worse.

They have the impediments to be productive and do the work they used to do.

Brenda: Most folks do eventually recover from Covid.

CDC data show more than 87% of Americans have antibodies indicating previous Covid infections, and vaccination rates have certainly dropped.

>> The idea that once you have Covid, oh, I should have some protection, the data indicates the more you have Covid, the more susceptible you are because it is degrading your immune system the more you get it.

There is so much more we need to learn and I don't think any of it will be good news.

Brenda: Even getting a cold now can trigger a flareup for her.

She advises if you have long Covid -- Aliza: Don't settle.

Find yourself a health care provider that will help you.

Brenda: And she does recommend vaccinations.

I'm Brenda Flanagan, "NJ Spotlight News."

Brianna: Finally tonight, a 27 are old New York native is not just of the Miss Newark USA title, she is a first generation student, earning a Master of Public health degree at Rutgers who has faced a number of setbacks in life that could have derailed her journey, but instead strengthened her purpose and resilience.

Iyamu is now using her program to mentor kids and raising awareness about the disparities in environment and public health that hit people in her community harder than most anywhere else, and she joins me now.

Great to see you.

So happy to have you here.

You started out not necessarily wanting to have a public health degree, but the pandemic and your initial degree changed that.

What happened for you?

Osasenaga: It started with my interest in pharmacy.

I was so fascinated with how medications helped heal the body, and I wanted to take part in that.

I first wanted to become a chemist, like a medicinal chemist that helps create different types of medication to help cure illnesses.

After working as a pharmacy technician and sitting in my first few classes as a freshman at the University of Hartford, I realized, okay, even though this is a very lucrative direction to go, the morals behind it, I could not allow myself to be at peace with it.

Specifically learning that when you create a new medication, it is not as accessible because it is more expensive and it's not normally tailored to people in the city areas such as Newark.

Why not make it so?

Brianna: Yeah, why not use your talents to align with how you feel morally, it sounds like.

You get this Miss Newark USA 2024 title.

Congratulations on that.

You decide, I'm going to use my platform to talk about sustainability and the environment, which is not something we always put together with a penchant title -- with a pageant titleholder.

Osasenaga: Same thing with when you look at sustainability.

Normally when one thinks of sustainability, it has to do with the environment and that is it.

But what is amazing about public health is it's such a multidisciplinary and interconnected field that when you are looking at different health disparities, you are not looking at, okay, what was their diet, or what is their daily routine?

It is, what do they have access to?

What are the other social determinants of health that are being considered when looking at various disparity issues?

Brianna: Why was that important for you?

Being a Newark native, you are the firstborn daughter of immigrant parents from Nigeria.

Why in particular it was that so important for you to bring to your platform?

Osasenaga: Initially, I'm thankful for my parents for doing this, but like you said I was born and raised in Newark.

My parents made it their mission to allow us to see where our family started.

And I have had the opportunity with my siblings to go back home to Nigeria and see how, when cooking food, cultural food, every resource is used.

You are using the planting to make a meal -- the plantain to make a meal, but the peels are repurposed for something else.

Coming to new work triggered a lot of questions -- coming back to Newark triggered a lot of questions fo rme.

My dad was like, your questions are plenty, ask your teachers.

That opened the door for me to pursue public health as I navigated high school and college.

My questions just would not stop.

I love the fact that public health allowed me to embrace the fact that I was able to ask questions but also spark my curiosity where I can be creative in looking at the same problem from different lenses.

That is the beauty of sustainability.

You are looking at very ordinary life problems or social issues through very different lenses.

In some way it impacts each area of one's life very differently.

Environmentally, socially, economically.

Brianna: What do you want your message to be, especially to other young girls in Newark who are thinking about what other retirement duties -- what opportunities they may have?

They see you as Queen of Newark with your crown, rightfully so.

What do you want your message to be when you go to schools and meet with students?

Osasenaga: Embrace all of your differences.

That is one thing.

Embrace the challenges that comes with being so different.

Sometimes the obstacles that we face in life is not particularly to put us down, but to stretch us in ways that we did not think we could stretch.

Brianna: Is that something you experienced?

Osasenaga: 100%.

I was just telling a friend of mine, some of the challenges I experienced being the darkest girl in the classroom, having a thick accent, pronouncing words differently, those all made me stand out, but eventually I allowed myself to lean into it and embrace it.

Standing out is not always a bad thing.

It may be uncomfortable, but it is not a bad thing because there is always someone else in a different space that is looking for someone that they can see themselves as.

Being able to represent the city of Newark as well as my home country and as a proud embodiment of both, embracing both, and the challenges that come with not only being an African-American woman but also a child to Nigerian immigrant parents is a blessing.

I do not take any of that for granted.

I want all girls from all walks of life, of all different ethnicities and backgrounds to also see, okay, she went through this, this, and this, and here she stands, strong, victorious, and just ready to walk in her purpose and inspire others to do the same.

Brianna: Osasenaga Iyamu, thank you so much for coming.

It was a pleasure to get to meet you.

Osasenaga: Thank you.

Likewise.

Brianna: That will do it for us this week.

Before we go, remember to check out Reporters Roundtable with David Cruz.

David talks with Senate Republican leader Anthony boo go about sounding the alarm on soaring energy costs.

Plus a panel of local journalists talk all the week's political headlines.

And on chat box, he begins a new series, the gubernatorial challengers, talking every week with candidates from both parties about why they want to be New Jersey's next governor.

The series kicks off this week with Republican State Senator Jon Bramnick and Steve Sweeney, right here on NJPBS.

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

Enjoy the weekend.

We will see you right back here on Monday.

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