>> Making public schools great for every child.

RW Jay Barnabas health.

Let's be healthy together.

New Jersey realtors.

The voice of real estate in New Jersey.

And or stated, committed to delivering clean, reliable American made energy.

>> Air traffic slowed down.

Fewer flights and fewer passengers traveled through New York -- Newark airport but the DOP says safety is arriving on schedule.

>> The most critical infrastructure project this country has at this moment.

>> New vaccine guidance raising serious concern among health care providers in the state.

>> This decision to limit the Covid vaccine access was made without any input from pediatricians, without input from obstetricians or gynecologist spiritually without expert opinion.

>> Uncertainty at the shore.

Some business owners are bracing for a potential dip in tourism the summer.

And a breakdown of the high ticket items in the Governor's nearly $60 billion budget.

>> The numbers are getting bid -- big but a lot of New Jersey residents are frustrated with high property tax bill.

This is to address those concerns.

>> NJ spotlight news begins right now.

♪ >> This is NJ spotlight news with Breanna have a nosy.

>> Thank you for joining us on this Wednesday night.

We begin with a few of today's top headlines.

There are signs of progress at Newark Liberty Airport, which has been plagued with issues relating to air traffic control staffing and equipment failures.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy touted a list of improvements made over the last 30 days when I series of communication out again which caused air traffic controllers to lose connection with pilots.

The D.O.T.

say they deploy the software to control flights in and out of network and worked with Verizon to lay a new fiber line between Philadelphia and New York with plans to start using it in early July after the FAA runs safety testing.

More than one does not do air traffic controllers are wrapping up training and will be added to the system in the next few months and once the new runway is complete, flights will be bumped up from 28 to 34 an hour.

This comes as New York error -- Newark airport reported little to no delays or cancellations during the holiday.

Thousands of Union Hospital workers in New Jersey are preparing to strike over what they considered to be safe staffing ratios, an issue that is a sticking point in contract associations for health care workers since pandemic.

HVAC versus the health provider -- productions in several counties have contracts set to expire May 31.

Union reps say they will not ask that contracts that do not think food enforceable ratios which they say saves lives and prevents workforce burnout.

It includes union members at Newbridge.

Last year the union threatened to strike and successfully negotiated safe staffing languages and contracts with or other hospitals.

Back at the bargaining table today and plan to meet three more times before the Saturday deadline.

Residents are bracing for steep increases to their electric bill starting next week, when all the electric utilities serving the state will increase rate by about 20%.

A change that has been months in the work following results of auctions held by the grid operator PJM which determines how much utilities pay for power.

The grid faces a supply crunch as new electricity demands outpace power sources.

Social justice activists and local officials gathered outside PGM headquarters this morning in the rain, calling for changes to how the grid operator conducts the auctions and urged policy change to allow new clean energy projects like solar farms to plug into the grid quickly or -- quickie -- quickly.

>> We should not let an old organization like PJM dictate for all of us, millions of people, what gets connected and what doesn't.

>> In a statement PJM says it has warned about supply and demand issues for years and has brought new energy resources online in record numbers, saying he blames the group for pushing power resources off the system.

The federal government has announced it is removing Covid vaccines from the list of recommended shots for healthy kids and pregnant women.

RFK Jr delivered the policy change there were a video posted on social media saying we are one step Oser to realizing President Trump's Thomas --promised to make America healthy again.

This breaks with expert guidance and bypasses advisors at the CDC who would normally vote on changes to immunizations.

New Jersey pointed to the past winter is a reason for concern where roughly 11,000 children were hospitalized with Covid.

The majority were under age five.

For more, I am joined by pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Bishop.

What does this mean in terms of access if people still want to get the shot who are now no longer on the list?

>> That depends on the licensing from the food and drug administration.

If the FDA would go so far as to not license the vaccine except for at risk people, that would greatly limit access.

If they do not do not, if it is just the recommendation that changes, it is likely people would have access to the vaccine but they probably would have to pay for themselves.

Briana: Because insurance companies would not pick up the cost?

>> They might not.

As with a lot of things now, there are a lot of unknowns.

Briana: What is the federal government using to determine what makes a healthy kid?

>> That is probably the most concerning thing here.

As far as I can tell, this decision to limit the Covid vaccine access was made without any input from pediatrician, without any input from obstetricians and gynecologists, truly without expert opinions.

The advisory committee on immunization practices has served this country well for decades.

To totally skirt, not ask that committee this very important question really makes no sense and is very concerning for what might happen.

Briana: I know today the head of the committee was quoted as saying he was blindsided by the decision.

Is it fair to say other countries in Europe, the World Health Organization, have also agreed that healthy children do not need to get this vaccine?

What are the implications in terms of risk?

Does the benefit outweigh the risk?

What does the science tell us?

>> You are correct, many countries have decided to go on risk-based recommendation.

When this was discussed at the last advisory committee on immunization practices, that is exactly what they were talking about.

However, that was with all of the information, all the evidence, all the input from the experts.

I think that is very different than a person with no medical education, a person who has outright said he does not believe in vaccines, to make that decision for our country.

To me, that is simply wrong.

Briana: I know your background is in pediatrics.

What about for pregnant women?

Previously that was listed as a potential reason for someone to be at greater risk of complication from infection.

>> It was listed because it is true.

Pregnant women get into much more trouble with COVID-19.

They can have all sorts of complications with the pregnancy, go into preterm labor.

It is bad for the mother, bad for the baby, and if the mother is immunized, not only do you protect that mother, you protect the baby for the first six months of life.

So this is a decision that makes absolutely no sense.

We know pregnant women are at risk.

We know very young infants have very small airways and that puts them at greater risk.

So we not only have said we are not going to protect pregnant women, but we are also not protecting babies for the first six months.

Briana: We have to leave it.

Thank you for your insight.

We really appreciate it.

>> Thank you, and thank you for asking.

>> Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent licensee.

Briana: Seasonal business owners are heading into summer with uncertainty between tariffs, and patient and rapidly changing economic policies at the federal level.

Factors that have historically caused vacationers to take a wait-and-see approach before booking a getaway.

So what does it mean for tourism this year and the bed is -- and the businesses that benefit from it?

>> When it comes to predicting how the summer season will be, experts are split on how optimistic they feel.

>> The general sense I think is that we are probably in for a reasonably good summer sure season.

>> There is a lot of uncertainty.

People are holding back now in booking family vacations.

Reporter: Between tariffs and fewer Canadians visiting the U.S., not everyone is bullish on a big summer in Jersey shore.

If Newark airport keeps having problems, Oliver Cook says it could attract more people to the beach.

>> Very high gas prices.

People often substitute local vacations, something at the Jersey shore instead of flying and this year I think it is more ambiguous, air prices are already kind of down, we had some indication some airlines are starting to struggle and prices are coming down.

>> I think it's cool because it will make -- it will mean they drive down to us instead of other places.

There is something different every day.

My ADHD brain likes the changeup.

[LAUGHTER] So it works really well for me, always having a different challenge.

Reporter: She is hopeful for a big summer and still hiring, whether the help comes locally or overseas from that J when visa program being threatened by federal budget cuts.

>> Know better where they come from, we want good people.

We are picky about who we hire.

>> This year it looks like potentially given the current proposed federal budget and cuts at the state department that might be in the future this might be a bigger issue.

>> There is still demand spirit I have a lot of resumes that were sent to me and I had to say we do not have more positions because an influx of people applied so we already hired all we needed.

Reporter: Maria Salzman is the marketing direct care at the casino bridge in Seaside.

It got off to a bumpy spar.

This weekend, more than 70 were arrested and three were stabbed.

>> Memorial day weekend, a lot of juveniles come, unfortunately.

Reporter: She says the biggest factor for the rest of the summer is not trade wars or immigration, it is the weather.

>> If the weather is good we have an influx of gas.

So we hope we have a sunny summer season.

>> If it is sunny, they show.

Reporter: Tammy is the co-owner of pliable's on the boardwalk.

>> It will rain tomorrow and the next day.

Hopefully it fills the reservoirs and then we get a drought until October 1.

Then people will show up.

Reporter: He says the iPhone whether I can be a major obstacle and sometimes scares way customers who do not want to brave bad weather to get a smoothie.

>> If it is going to rain for five minutes at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, they put a rain cloud on the icon for the whole day.

So somebody on Monday looking at Thursday's weather, they say it is going to rain in Seaside, and they don't come.

Reporter: Adapting to life with fewer Canadians.

For 25 years, there was a tourism office in Montreal and many visitors to the wild woods were our neighbors to the north.

They have pivoted the last couple of years with ads in Spanish.

>> Latino families of the fastest growing segment of our population.

17% to 19% total population and growing and that should make up some shortfall in Canadian business.

Reporter: They expect a record number of visitors despite uncertainties around travel in the economy.

On the Jersey shore, I'm 10 Goldberg.

Briana: They are now entering the home stretch, Governor Murphy and lawmakers need to come to an agreement on spending priorities by the end of June.

A key piece of this year's debate is the overall size of the budget, which has grown to record highs during the Murphy administration, largely because the governor and Legislature have increased spending on things like direct property tax relief public school aid and public worker pension obligations.

John Whitmire joins us as part of our under the dome series for a deeper look at the tensions in negotiations, playing out against the backdrop of the big fall election.

We cannot ignore it.

You outlined some big ticket items.

What is at play?

>> Direct property tax relief.

At an all-time high in New Jersey and it has been a priority of this governor and legislature to beef up spending on direct property tax relief.

10 years ago when Chris Christie was governor we were around $1 billion on a $34 billion budget.

Now if Murphy's latest proposal becomes part of the next budget it will be over $4 billion on a nearly $60 billion budget.

As the top line numbers go up, so do numbers for things like direct property tax relief programs.

A lot of people are probably familiar with the anchor program.

A new one is coming online called stay NJ for senior homeowners next week and that is seeing a $600 million Inc. present or Murphy's proposed budget so numbers are getting big but a lot of residents are frustrated with high property tax bills, so this is an effort to address those concerns.

Same with school funding.

We see a lot of community struggling with how much we put aside to fund public schools, which are funded at the local level with property tax revenue.

So spending has gone up in this area as well.

If Murphy's budget is enacted as proposed would be over $12 billion just on what is called formula aid, which goes directly to the classrooms through state school funding for K-12 schools and then pension fund income of the benefits promised public workers in New Jersey is a defined benefit, it is a pension.

10 years ago we were spending a little over $1 billion on pension contributions.

Now more than $7 billion.

We can take off a bunch of these and that is how you get a budget that 10 years ago was in the mid 30's and now creeping close to $60 billion.

Briana: Is it not a fair criticism for lawmakers, particularly Rublev -- Republicans who have pointed out how much the budget has grown?

>> How much and what is required to sustain the spending.

There have been tax increases along the way.

Some of it is normal growth and others is revenue raised through taxes and that is whether the arguments playing out in Trenton are centered, as we meet these obligations, state schools funding for Milla says we should be spending a certain amount on public school aid but you have to bring in the revenue needed to spend at that level, or change the formula.

This is an example of the type of debates that play out, these items get so big, there is always tax associated with it like in the case of school funding, it is income tax.

Briana: They play out behind closed doors and in budget hearings that you cover.

On the property tax relief, based on those programs, how many dollars are we talking about out of the budget that actually go to direct relief programs?

>> Direct programs are on course to rise above $4 billion for the first time under under Murphy's proposal and we are in that now, we are waiting for lawmakers to draft the next spending bill.

Murphy proposes a budget and has the power to say, this is how much revenue will come in in the next fiscal year but lawmakers have the authority to draft the spending bill.

So they can take what Murphy proposed and put it in the spending bill or they can rewrite the numbers.

We are in that now, waiting for lawmakers to speak to the appropriations bill.

Briana: You mentioned stay NJ, that is for seniors.

The other benefit are staying flat at a lot -- at a time when a lot are talking about affordability and inflation.

What is there for the average guy?

>> For non-seniors, homeowners and renters, largely benefit from the anchor program.

As proposed, anchor benefits would remain flat.

Property tax bills are up on average by about $300 on rents are increasing.

The issue is for seniors, you will do well.

For non-seniors, as your costs increase, state-funded benefits are not rising.

You are still getting them, but the buying power has been eroded by inflation.

Briana: You can read all of John's reporting on this and to continue following it on our website.

John, always good to talk to you.

Thank you for being here.

>> Under the dome is made possible in part -- Briana: You cannot beat hands on learning, especially when it comes to a job in the trees.

Thousands of students got a sneak peek at what a career in construction might be during career day in Edison where they learned what it takes to do the job and different paths to get there.

Ravens antenna reports.

-- Raven Santana reports.

Reporter: This is not your typical career fair.

Thousands of students from New Jersey arrived by bus and filled the Expo Center in Edison, exploring career opportunities in construction.

>> It is an industry of opportunity.

People need to see a career path.

That is what we are affording them here today, to understand where people started and what you get for it, that they are getting an education essentially for free.

Reporter: Chief operating officer of the contractors of New Jersey says the organization alongside various industry and labor partners sponsors the interactive correct -- interactive instructional career day.

>> They need students with a passion to learn.

They will teach you a skill.

Union apprenticeship programs run anywhere from three to five years.

It is all training, classroom instruction coupled with hands-on learning.

Pay while you learn.

Reporter: Over 25,000 students from across the state got a chance to explore different interactive hands-on demonstrations like the one behind me.

>> The ultimate goal is to get our students through this pre-apprenticeship and directly placed.

In what -- in today's market it is important to have a sustainable career path.

A lot of these kids cannot afford college.

We consider this, I might even have a logo on my shirt, it is a pathway to a debt-free career.

>> I am here to look for a job today that pays well.

I have kids.

Whatever can provide for me and mine, I am into it.

I feel like most women, we got this too come and show how hard-working we are, like what mail do -- male do, we can do.

>> I want to do electric.

I want to work on a switchyard.

That is my main goal.

I want to know how to get there and what to do.

Even if you come into this and sign up, you have so many that you have signed up for and it is more fun going this way than college because you go straight to work, you can stack it up a little more.

>> I want to further my education.

I just started but I am really enjoying it.

For me, I have always been the type, I do not sit -- I do not like to sit around, I like to work with my hands.

Reporter: In addition to exploring careers in construction trade they have a chance to visit recruits hosted by colleges, trade associations and federal and state agencies.

The event could be game changer not only for those looking to build the careers, but those looking to help shape the future of New Jersey.

>> Support for the business report is presented by Riverview Jazz, the Jazz Festival May 27 through 31st.

Event details including performance schedules are online.

Briana: That is gonna do it for us tonight but tune into chat box tomorrow night.

David will talk with Lamont McIver about the assault charges brought against her by authorities after the scuffle outside Delaney Hall and the Republican drops of disciplinary action against her.

For the entire team here, thank you for being with us.

Have a great night.

We will see you right back here tomorrow.

>> And G.M.

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Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

And by the PSEG foundation.

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In Trenton and in your neighborhood.

We support initiatives that safeguard home ownership, strengthen communities, and reinforce our economy.

Learn more at NG realtor.com.

-- njrealtor.com.

♪