Briana: Tonight on NJ Spotlight News, pulling the plug.

The Danish offshore wind developer Orsted is out, canceling development of two proposed wind farm projects.

What does it mean for New Jersey's energy plan?

>> New Jersey is going to miss out on benefits that were right around the corner, including good local jobs that would have been created in this new industry, reductions in air pollution, and improvements to people's health.

Briana: Plus, the affordability factor.

Democrats hoping recent tax relief gives voters to the polls next week, while Republicans say it is not enough to fight rising costs in the state.

>> I think for a lot of voters, affordability is a key issue.

There obviously other concerns but a lot of people will be voting with their pocketbook.

Briana: Also, college campus fears.

>> Some of the students are physically afraid to leave the building.

Briana: As Israeli forces escalate their ground invasion in Gaza and the death toll rises, students stayed what -- stage walkouts amid a rise in Islamophobic and anti-Semitic threats.

And Congressman Josh Gottheimer and the mayor wage of their latest war on the congestion pricing plan.

NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

Announcer: Funding for NJ Spotlight News provided by the members of the New Jersey Education Association, making public schools great for every child.

RWJBarnabas Health, let's be healthy together.

And Orsted, committed to the creation of a new long-term, sustainable, clean energy future for New Jersey.

♪ Announcer: From NJ PBS, this is NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: Good evening and thanks for joining us this Wednesday night.

I am Briana Vannozzi.

Offshore wind isn't dead, but two of New Jersey's major offshore wind projects are.

Danish developer Orsted is scrapping plans to build wind farms off the coast of the jersey store.

In a stunning announcement Tuesday night, the developer blamed supply chain costs and rising interest rates, delivering a considerable blow to the Murphy administration's efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and make New Jersey a hub for offshore wind energy in the U.S.

The decision comes just four months after the governor signed a law giving Orsted $1 billion in tax credits to keep the projects afloat, and throws it last minute curveball into the elections, which are less than one week away and will see all 120 members of the Democratic-controlled legislature on the ballot.

As David Cruz reports, offshore wind has become a controversial topic for both Republicans and Democrats, who are likely to use this announcement to galvanize their base.

David: That giant sucking sound you heard was the wind literally going out of the sales of New Jersey's clean energy economy.

Orsted pulling the plug on its two offshore wind projects, dropped a bombshell into next week's elections, and threatens the linchpin of Governor Murphy's environmental legacy.

>> This is an "I told you so" moment.

David: The statement from Orsted said as a result, we have no choice but to cease development of ocean wind I and ocean wind II.

This was not totally unexpected.

The company had announced a delay in the project in August.

What as recently as September, the governor said he was still bullish on offshore wind, and on Orsted.

>> I actually still think there's a good shot that they get this done on time.

I would not be shocked if there was a delay, but this is going to happen.

And it has to happen.

David: But it is not happening.

Murphy, who pushed lawmakers to approve tax breaks to prop up Orsted's project, will not be happy to have to eat his optimistic words.

Today's decision by Orsted to abandon its commitments to New Jersey, and calls into question the company's credibility and competence, he said in a statement today.

Adding that the state will actively pursue legal options to collect the $300 million guarantee from the company.

So what does happen next?

The first impact could be felt next week at the polls.

Republicans were against the project all along, calling it a nightmare for the short, and blaming it for the death of whales and dolphins, despite dubious evidence.

Today, they were ready to spike the football and were adding questions.

>> Just when did the governor learn that Orsted was pulling out?

And when did my colleagues on the Democratic side of the aisle in leadership learn that Orsted was pulling out?

I am wondering if they were trying to keep this quiet until after the election.

David: Democrats, stuck between the rock and the hard place of this issue, reiterated he was a no on tax breaks.

He says he wants the Attorney General to sue Orsted too.

The administration backed a bad deal, he said.

>> It is not a good look for them.

The bill was a bad bill, it is a bad look for them, and we cannot rush into things like this and we cannot let corporations hijack us.

That is why I voted against the bill and I wish more people voted against it.

It only passed by a single vote.

It should teach a very valuable lesson for the state of New Jersey for doing businesses with companies like Orsted in the future.

David: and the losers?

>> New Jersey will miss out on benefits that were right around the corner including good local jobs that would have been created in this new industry, reductions in air pollution, and improvements to people's health, reduction in hazard and cancer rates, as well as economic and energy security provided by homegrown energy off our shore.

David: Orsted's decision does not mean that offshore wind is dead.

The Murphy administration says there is a lot of interest in similar projects right now.

But the economic projects of wind projects is at least now more certain.

Taxpayers to not lose $1 million in with $300 million still out there to collect, is not a total loss.

It just feels like one.

I am David Cruz, New Jersey Spotlight News.

Briana: The final countdown is on with just six days to go before the general election in New Jersey.

And preliminary numbers show more residents are taking advantage of the increased early voting options this year.

According to the state division of elections, more than 352,000 people cast vote by mail ballots as of yesterday, and another 46,000 people turned out in the first four days of early in-person voting.

With more voters leading Democratic.

But both parties agree, affordability is a key factor driving voters to the polls this year.

Yet they have very different ideas on how to tackle it.

Tonight, we continue looking at issues dominating November 7's races.

For more on that, I am joined by John Reitmeyer.

Democrats and Republicans both say they are very committed to finding solutions to the affordability issue.

But what do they see as the main component of it?

Because they are not necessarily in line when it comes to that?

John: That is actually a good way to frame it.

When it comes to the Democrats who are in the majority right now both houses of the legislature, they have done a lot of things, whether it is increasing funding for property tax relief programs, or doing things like an extended child tax credit, that can cost the money -- costly state money in the long run.

What the Republicans have tried to draw attention to is this overall increase in spending that has occurred at the state level under our Democratic legislature and with a Democratic governor in office.

And tried to make the connection at Wen Yu see things in your life like inflation -- that when you see things in your life like inflation, those things connect back to the government spending a lot of money, and in this case they are complaining about the state government spending a lot of money.

I think that is a good way to frame it, whether you are receiving tax credits or tax relief rebates, versus less spending in general.

Briana: Because you mentioned it, the tax rebates, let's talk about the anchor program which Democrats rolled out and a second check was issued just recently.

Some folks may be still seeing that money trickle in.

How does that play into this?

Democrats' argument is this is direct money into your wallet.

So not necessarily taken off of your property but cash in hand.

John: This election will be a great test for this approach.

Republicans have drawn attention to we have yet another year over year increase in the average New Jersey property tax bill last year and it is now a record high and has been for the last few years.

Republicans like to draw attention to the fact that those kind of costs had been rising during this period of Democratic control.

Where is the Democrats have really ramped up spending on these relief programs.

Now the maximum anchor benefit is $1750 for senior homeowners who meet certain income qualifications.

And so there has actually been two different rounds of anchor payments this year including those that have just been going out in recent weeks and will continue into November.

The deadline for filing is at the end of December.

This will be a real test because a lot of people are receiving their benefits just as they are getting ready, or even voting early, just as they are getting ready to cast their ballot.

It really will be, do they make that connection that this is money that is coming to offset those rising costs, or are they just happy to get the money and not necessarily going to vote in favor of the party that is returning that money to you and me.

Maybe take the message of the other party saying let's hold down costs overall instead of doing these costly relief programs.

Briana: That would be the test, as you say.

Should we expect to see this really drive voters?

There is no denying the cost of living has ballooned these last couple of years.

Should we expect that voters will be looking at that as a key way that they make their choice for candidate?

John: This is an issue going back even to the election two years ago for legislature, and even the governor had a near upset.

Affordability has been a key issue going back -- inflation has been high, the rate is not as dramatic as it has been but prices are still high.

I think for a lot of voters, affordability is a key issue.

There are obviously other concerns, but I think a lot of people will be voting with their pocketbook this time around.

Briana: John Reitmeyer for us.

Thank you so much.

For more on which candidate is running in your district, and where you can vote, head to njspotlightnews.org and click on the NJ decides 2023 tab.

And make sure you join us right here next Tuesday, November 7, for our live election night coverage, beginning with David Cruz at 8:00 p.m. and then I take over with a team of reporters and analysts starting at 9:00 p.m. Two decades after resigning from office, former Governor Jim McGreevey is looking to make a political comeback.

The Democrat on Tuesday filed forms with the state's election law enforcement commission indicating he will run for mayor of Jersey City in 2025.

In an email to supporters, he said his campaign will bring, quote, the change we need to the city, with promises to fight for more accountability, safer streets, and to keep property taxes down for working families.

The current mayor already announced he will not seek reelection and is instead running for governor.

McGreevy appears to be the first announced candidate for the seat, but other contenders are expected.

The 66 are old started his political career as a legislator, then Mayor of Woodbridge before becoming governor, which ended in 2004 when he came out as gay.

According to his email, a formal announcement in Jersey City is scheduled for next Thursday, November 9, that is two days after the state's general election.

The first wave of Palestinian evacuees today made it through the rafa crossing from Gaza to Egypt.

The border opening to those fleeing for the first time since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

After weeks of negotiations between the U.S., Israeli, Egyptian government, and Hamas, with Qatar mediating the deal.

U.S. citizens are confirmed to be among the more than 300 foreign nationals making up this initial group crossing the border.

Dozens of other evacuees included critically wounded Palestinians who are now getting medical care in Egypt.

It comes as the Israeli military claimed responsibility for an airstrike on the neighborhood, a refugee camp in Gaza City, killing dozens and wounding hundreds more according to Palestinian officials, making it the third such strike in the densely packed area in the last one for hours.

Israel defense forces say the strike killed a top Hamas commander, but Hamas denies that claim.

Gaza's health ministry says nearly 8800 civilians have been killed in airstrikes since three weeks ago.

The result of an October 7 attack by Hamas that killed 1400 Israelis.

The war sparking outrage at home and a nationwide walk out today in more than 100 colleges and universities, including Rutgers, where pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups have clashed.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports.

>> [chanting] Brenda: Students for justice in Palestine organized their second demonstration to demand the University dump its Israeli investments.

The students joined a nationwide walk out at an estimated 100 campuses, all focused on the same goal -- BDS, or boycott divestment sanctions.

>> we cannot stand for the kind of language and the kind of views at Rutgers tothat -- that supports hate crimes.

>> Over 8000 people have been killed.

40% of homes have been demolished.

And when the U.S. is finding that, when Rutgers Isris contrie into that, it is a shame.

Brenda: Students say they have faced Islamophobic reprisals.

>> When they say I am hurting it sometimes feels like, you cannot say that right now, because it is seen as somehow anti-Semitic.

Brenda: a chaplain at the center for Islamic life at Rutgers calls these protests displays of anger, like the call for a rebellion.

>> They feel their humidity and their family's humidities are being stripped away from them.

Brenda: With each side entrenched, tensions keep rising at New Jersey's largest university, especially among students at Jewish centers here, including houses for Jewish students.

>> There is a decent percentage of people that are very outraged with what is going on and want to take a stance.

Brenda: Outside the house, ripped up posters of Israelis taken hostage during the Hamas terror attack, marked a conference --campus confrontation.

>> When some of our students were filming, this person tearing down the signs, they were then verbally yelled at and abused.

Brenda: The Rutgers protest comes as the war in Gaza rages on, driving a spike in hate crimes.

Police yesterday charged a 21-year-old Cornell student in connection with online death threats against Jewish students there.

At Rutgers -- >> Some of the students are physically afraid to leave the building.

And when they go out, they want to go out with friends, and they feel that the street, or certain elements of the street, can cause them harm.

Brenda: The Anti-Defamation League reports an over 388% spike in anti-Semitic incidents across the U.S. since the October 7 Hamas attack compared to last year.

As for the BDS movement.

>> A movement which we consider to be anti-Semitic at its core, in that it is looking to delegitimize the state of Israel.

In terms of U.S. assistance, Hamas is not an entity that believes in the two state solution.

They believe in wiping Israel off the map.

Brenda: Rutgers says its police department increased security and patrols, especially around religious properties.

It says it is also closely monitoring social media along with the FBI, state, and federal agencies.

Even amidst ramped up federal surveillance, some Muslims here at Rutgers complain authorities are not addressing rising Islamophobia.

>> we fear retribution in terms of jobs, and being doxxed.

On this campus just Wednesday we had a random Palestinian attacked by a random bystander.

Brenda: Rutgers says its investment policy encourages members of the University community to submit divestment requests and manages its endowment pursuant to the University's investment policy.

Students did not say whether they have actually submitted a formal divestment motion with the school.

In New Brunswick, I am Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: Republic is getting a rare peek into the state's prison system, which is typically closed off from the outside world.

The newly created office of the corrections just released its second annual report.

The watchdog, taasked with recommending reforms, says it received thousands of complaints in the last year.

As senior correspondent Joanna Gagis reports, the problems are largely unchanged from previous complaint.

>> Why are there so many grievances?

Why are there 10,000 a year?

And those are the ones that people decide to reach out.

Joanna: He fields concerns and complaints from people in the state's prisons, as well as from their loved ones.

They just released to the annual report detailing what most of those calls are about.

>> Property health care, housing and classification, communication with loved ones, and personal safety.

>> The value of it is to give taxpayers a sense of how their money is being spent, to open up a closed world, and to highlight things that seem to be a problem.

Joanna: Just a few years ago, advocates would say most everything about New Jersey's correctional system was a problem.

Some recent leadership changes, including a new commissioner of the department of corrections, as well as a new on Bud's men, who has more authority in his role than those who came before him, have even the sharpest critics acknowledging some major changes.

>> They are responding, they are inside of the prisons.

And I think that lease to the second big take away, which is they are repairing trust in the public and in the people in the facilities.

Joanna: They say detailed reports like this help everyone understand where improvements still need to be made.

Personal property being stolen, lost or mishandled, was the first.

Second was health care.

>> We get hundreds of contacts about people who are in prison who would like to see a doctor and they are not getting a response when they put in a sick call slip.

Or they would like to get a specialist visit.

>> The lack of mammograms, or completely inappropriate treatment for multiple sclerosis.

People needing dialysis.

We get calls on everything, from the medical care to the transportation.

>> People don't have adequate health care.

Really, if you look at the state budget, the amount of money that we put into health care and contracts with Rutgers, correctional health care, that cannot happen either.

Joanna: Personal safety is fifth on the list, but a major concern to be addressed more broadly.

>> Just because somebody is incarcerated does not mean that they forgo their human rights to personal safety.

Right?

Nobody should feel threatened.

Joanna: They see reports like this as a critical piece to working alongside the Department of Corrections, as it works to make systemic changes.

>> What we can do is look at trends and see, is this something really coming from one facility, is this systemwide?

If so, can we elevate it as a systemwide priority?

>> It gives the Department of Corrections an opportunity to say, you know what, this has to be changed.

It gives the people an opportunity to say, you know what, you are doing this on my behalf and I prefer you do it this way.

It provides openness in the system.

And I think that is a critical role.

Joanna: There is consensus that the goal of corrections should be to help someone choose a different path, which only serves the public good.

>> If corrections creates opportunities, they will breed hope, and hope we the spark for transformation.

Joanna: I'm Joanna Gagis, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: Congressman Josh Gottheimer is teaming up with the mayor of Fort Lee to take on New York City's congestion pricing plan.

The political leaders today announced a lawsuit against the federal government, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the MTA, and the New York board tasked with setting the congestion tolls.

Arguing a plan to charge drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street up to 20 dollars will increase pollution and traffic for residents in North Jersey, especially Fort Lee.

That is where the entrance to the GW bridge is located.

The suit was filed jointly in court by the mayor and a resident seeking to create a class of plaintiffs, including residents suffering from asthma and inconvenienced commuters.

It contends the federal highway administration failed to consider the safety and well-being of neighboring states, and failed to conduct a thorough environmental review than the plan.

The Murphy administration already sued the MTA in July to halt congestion pricing, making a similar argument.

Today, Congressman Gottheimer argued the MTA is giving more than $130 million to the Bronx to mitigate air pollution, but none to New Jersey.

>> Not a nickel to Jersey.

Not a nickel for environmental or health impacts for our families.

Not a nickel to mitigate traffic.

You think they would be worried about our children.

Apparently not.

They are moving ahead and instead spreading their hush money to buy off the Bronx and elsewhere, because they know what they are doing is wrong.

Briana: Turning to Wall Street, stocks climbed after the failed -- the Fed held interest rates steady today.

Here's a look at how the markets closed.

♪ >> Support for the business report provided by -- Briana: And that is going to do it for us tonight.

But make sure to tune in tomorrow night for Chat Box with David Cruz, and the fall election showdown.

David hosts a political panel with GOP strategist Chris Russell and New Jersey state Committee Chairman Leroy Jones about what is at stake in a week's elections.

That is tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. on the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel.

I am Briana Vannozzi.

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

We will see you right back here tomorrow night.

Announcer: NJM insurance group, serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

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

And by the PSEG foundation.

>> Life is unpredictable.

Health insurance shouldn't be.

For over 90 years, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey has provided quality, affordable health plans to New Jersey residents.

We have served generations of New Jersey families and businesses, and are committed to driving innovations that put you at the heart of everything you do.

Our members are our neighbors, our friends, and our families.

We are here when you need us most.

Horizon.

Proud to be New Jersey.

>> Orsted will provide renewable offshore wind energy jobs, educational, supply chain, and economic opportunities for the Garden State.

Orsted, committed to the creation of a new, long-term, sustainable, clean energy future for New Jersey.

Online at US.Orsted.com.

♪