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

Hello, and thanks for joining us on this Tuesday.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

Tonight a few stories we'll get into later in the broadcast.

After steering New Jersey transit through a turbulent year, President and CEO Kris Kolluri is preparing to step down.

What does it mean for commuters?

And the state releases a no regrets roadmap for its future energy plan.

What's in it?

And can Governor-elect Sherrill deliver on low energy costs while keeping the state on track?

And later, devil for a day, we take you to the Prudential Center where the hockey team is bringing an unforgettable experience to kids battling cancer.

But first, a few of today's top headlines.

Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill wants to hear from you.

Her team launched an online survey today inviting residents to share their priorities, frustrations and big ideas for the state.

She says her transition The state's administration teams will use the feedback to shape recommendations for her administration as she prepares to take office in January.

The survey also asks how the state can communicate better, be more accountable and help families save time and money.

Meanwhile, Governor Murphy is wrapping up his time in office by issuing another major round of pardons and commutations, adding 55 more people to the list that now sits at 283 total of grants of clemency, calling it the largest scale clemency initiative in the country, which began here last year.

The governor today said each grant recognizes accountability and growth and helps families reunite, especially, of course, just before the holidays.

Among those pardoned today was a former inmate who now mentors high-risk youth and runs a violence prevention non-profit.

Also tonight, a new parental bill of rights in Colts Neck is sparking intense community debate.

The school board for the Monmouth County District voted unanimously to require schools to inform parents if their child changes pronouns or gender identity, shifting away from the state's previous guidance allowing transgender students privacy if they ask to have their names or pronouns changed.

The new rule goes beyond parental notification.

They also reinforce parents' ability to opt their kids out of health and sex education and give the right to consent or decline school-based health or counseling services, among other things.

LGBTQ+ advocates warn the policy could endanger vulnerable students, arguing that "forced outing" can lead to discrimination and even suicide, risks that have been documented by national youth advocacy groups.

But supporters praised the board's decision, saying parents shouldn't be kept in the dark about major changes in their kids' lives.

Colts Neck joins a growing number of districts reconsidering transgender privacy policies after a recent appellate court decision allowed schools to rethink those existing guidelines.

And the major funding freeze from Washington is putting beach replenishment projects up and down the shore on hold and raising alarm for coastal communities.

It comes after Congress eliminated beach nourishment funding in the 2025 budget and passed a temporary spending bill that includes money for the Army Corps of Engineers, which leads the projects through January 2026 and really no clear path to restore that support.

State officials warn the loss of federal money threatens long-term coastal protection and makes local communities, along with the DEP, responsible for finding the money elsewhere, even as they face mounting costs from continued erosion.

Meanwhile, a new Rutgers-led report finds sea levels are rising fast, projecting up to nearly two feet in the next few decades.

Atlantic City alone could see more than 100 flooding days a year, putting home roads and tourism at risk.

Lawmakers from both parties say they are pushing to restore the federal funding, but some are also looking to tap state revenue to keep the beaches from disappearing.

Coming up, we hear from New Jersey Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri on the future of the agency and the progress that's been made on the rails under his leadership.

That's next.

Funding for NJ Spotlight News provided by the members of the New Jersey Education Association.

Making public schools great for every child and RWJBarnabas Health.

Let's be healthy together.

Well if you're heading out for the long Thanksgiving weekend New Jersey Transit is boosting service to help ease the crush.

Adding early getaway trains and buses, extra parade day routes into New York and its family super saver fares, those let kids ride free through Monday morning.

All of it though comes as the agency prepares for a leadership change.

President and CEO Kris Kolluri who's guided New Jersey Transit through a turbulent year of delays, budget strain and major fleet decisions, is set to step down in January.

He joins me now to talk about the progress made and what's next for the agency.

Chris, welcome.

Good to have you back.

Good to be back.

You confirmed at a recent meeting, yes, that you will leave as planned.

Have you been asked by the new administration to stay on?

Well, first of all, it's a privilege to have a job like this.

It's not an entitlement.

And as you know, the governor-elect has just announced her transition committee.

I'm sure there'll be a lot of substantive discussions to make sure the transition happens smoothly as they take over.

My philosophy in the 25 years I've done this has always been to say I'm here to help.

Whether it is on the inside, outside, I think the governor will have to make a decision.

And she has extraordinarily competent and talented people around her.

And she, as you know, is one of the most decisive elected officials I've ever had a chance to interact with.

So I'm sure whatever decision the Governor-elect makes is a good one.

There's a lot of people, though, who would like to see you stay on.

Chief among them, former Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, who for those who don't know, was an ever-present figure at New Jersey transit meetings, has had a lot of input and say throughout the years, "She would like you to stay.

Others of similar stature would like to see you stay on."

If you were asked, would you?

I mean, I know you say you want to be helpful, but if being helpful is staying on in the role, would you do it?

I think the Governor-elect, this is a decision that among many decisions that she'll have to make, and I think our job is to fundamentally be there to help.

In what capacity?

I think this decision and many other decisions will be left up to her.

Ever the diplomat, alright, we'll let that be.

You came in a year ago, it has felt like a couple of years, at least just from watching back.

I'm sure it has for you.

You had a lot of goals, chief among them though, reliability and customer service.

Is there something that you can point to that commuters, something tangible where commuters can say, wow, I have really seen and felt this change?

Yes.

Look, customer service was a very important moment for me.

I ride the trains every day.

I think it's important for a head of an organization like this to make sure he or she is close to the ground on the service that we provide to our customers.

I think it was important to make sure we provide our customers real time information.

Have we gotten it fully correct.

Not yet but I think we've made substantial progress.

Cleanliness Penn Station is a good example.

We not only have cleaning crews there every day cleaning the station but we have ambassadors at some of the major train stations providing real time information to our customers.

Those are important because they impact the travelers quality of life in their commute.

That is an important moment.

But it's more than that.

I wanted to make sure we modernize the system.

And this was Governor Murphy's objective.

And I've been able to finally carry it out.

That means by 2031 the entire system will be modernized for the first time in 45 years.

Yeah you just got the approval from the board.

Nine hundred seventeen million dollars to change over the fleet.

How quickly might we start seeing that happen and are you confident it'll be done by twenty thirty one?

The first cars are going to come as early as January and from then on at some increment all the way to twenty thirty one.

And buses we will have twenty four hundred buses that have already started coming in till twenty thirty one.

Because you've noted the agency has rail cars from the 70s from when it began.

How might that help with some of these reliability and service issues that people see because no matter what when your train still later doesn't arrive no matter what's happening elsewhere.

Right I mean that's your day that's your commute to work.

That's right.

I think it is kind of shocking that we essentially inherited a bankrupt railroad system 45 years ago and we still have cars that are from that era.

I don't know how you run a reliable 21st century system with that kind of a rail car.

We have said we will modernize it and that means all rail cars and all buses have to be new.

That is the only way we're going to ever bridge this gap.

And the customers rightfully should ask why is it not happening.

We're doing having a dedicated source of funding is something that has troubled everyone who's been through the agency.

The governor-elect says she'd like to see more of this transit development and relying on that.

It's not a system that can generate a lot of money for itself.

It's a public service as we've talked about in the past without the corporate business tax or without some type of dedicated source of funding.

How finite is that pool just using something like development and the revenue that would come from it?

I think the governor-elect deserves a lot of credit for focusing on transit-oriented developments.

There's a couple of benefits.

We laid out what is called a land plan, which is our roadmap for the new governor to implement.

If we do it correctly, we can monetize on 800 of the 8,000 acres of property we own, and that will generate up to $1.9 billion for New Jersey Transit, $1.6 billion for municipalities, and up to $14 billion for the state of New Jersey.

That is a real plan with real money.

Will it solve all the challenges?

No, but the governor-elect is intuitively focused and understands the complexity attached to the funding on this, and she has said this is a component part of it.

That means she understands we need a reliable funding source that will meet all the priorities of the state.

There was a lot of anonymous with Amtrak when you came in.

How's that relationship now?

I think it's a very constructive relationship.

And I'll just give you one example.

The fact that we've been able to work with them to repair all the catenary wires really ensured a really better spring and summer this year.

We have more work to do with them.

I think my preference always has been we need to have a constructive dialogue, an honest dialogue on what the problems are and how we're going to fix it.

Look, three of the biggest problems that impact on-time performance is Amtrak, our own mechanical issues and weather.

I know we can do something about the first two, but the last is up to God.

The FIFA World Cup is coming quicker than any of us can put our finger on.

Looking ahead to that, is the agency going to be ready?

Yeah, I look at the world in terms of controllables, non-controllables.

If you look at controllables, do we have a good pressure tested system in place?

Yes, because we went through that in 2025 this past year with the FIFA World Cup.

What I worry about is what are the uncontrollables.

So that's why we have a contingency A, B, and a C to make sure we try to manage all those uncontrollable events.

What people should expect and the new governor should expect is to make sure we have all the things that are within our control properly planned for.

President and CEO of New Jersey Transit Kris Kolluri, good to speak with you as always.

Maybe we'll be talking again in January.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Well, as he prepares to leave office in just a couple of months, Governor Murphy this week released New Jersey's long-awaited Energy Master Plan.

An 89-page roadmap he calls a "no regrets" strategy for tackling energy affordability, rising demand and climate change.

The update largely continues priorities laid out in the previous plan, including a push toward renewable energy while phasing out fossil fuels.

But it also reflects the realities of the moment, with far less emphasis on offshore wind after years of setbacks.

And all of it will fall to the next administration to carry out.

Governor-elect Sherrill's made lowering energy costs her top campaign promise, but will she be able to follow through while hitting these goals.

Joining me now to help explain the plan is Ry Rivard senior reporter with Politico.

Ry always good to see you.

Thanks so much for coming on.

I wonder what stands out to you as the biggest shift from the 2019 energy master plan.

I think we're seeing a lot of less.

We're seeing fewer firm targets.

You know the governor's top top climate adviser said something like stuff changes things change.

And this report I think is meant to be a road map for a future administration that doesn't have to follow it rather than a road map for the administration of Phil Murphy which is why the last energy master plans were so closely watched.

We thought that was going to sort of telegraph what he did.

Now the question is whether share will follow through on some of these priorities that he had for the past eight years.

Yeah I mean I can remember in the first few press conferences once Governor Murphy took office he was asked about this and exactly how he would hit those targets.

But as you say there's a little bit more movement for a share all administration.

What about the de-emphasis on wind.

I guess it's not so surprising given the collapse of multiple projects.

But does it mean that that era is effectively over for now.

I think it's over for now but that's not what the report is about.

The report is more about moving away or diversifying the current energy mix, which is heavily dependent on natural gas and nuclear.

And this report, sort of a swan song for the governor's administration on energy policy, says to diversify the energy portfolio is something, again, in his words, there won't be any regrets about, no regrets.

And we'll also potentially stabilize prices, just like when you're investing in stocks, you don't put all your eggs in one basket.

They say a similar thing about our energy mix, make it more than just natural gas and nuclear.

- There is still though, a goal of reaching 100% clean energy by 2035, but there's a heavy reliance, no, on natural gas.

How would that play out and is that target still realistic?

I think the Sherrill administration has, the candidate, Sherrill as a candidate, promised to follow through on Murphy's goals of having 100% clean energy.

I think it's a little unclear how we get there and it's a little unclear if we have to.

I think we're watching this lame duck legislative session closely to see if the legislature makes Murphy's goal into a legislative mandate.

And I think there's going to be a tension between how quickly we can build a bunch of new things of any kind to create energy reliability and the problems we have with costs of energy.

And there's just going to be a tension that anybody would have to deal with.

- Yeah, well, I guess let me stay on that affordability issue.

The report notes that for the first time in two decades, electricity demand is growing.

The state needs more power generation.

You've reported though, that building those new sources also costs money, in the short term at least.

And that'll be on, as we've just said, this new administration to sort of figure out.

The governor-elect has said she will tackle this problem.

It's one of her first priorities when she takes office.

How did the two square.

I think it's a real challenge.

I think there is the thinking that one of the reasons our prices are going up is there's a supply demand crunch.

So if you increase the supply you won't have prices going up just because demand is rising.

The issue is you have to put a bunch of money sort of on the table or have a bunch of money ready to go to build billions of dollars of new natural gas plants or billions of dollars of new nuclear plants.

And some of the legislation that lawmakers are looking at, again, we'll see if that happens in the lame duck or if it happens early in the Sherrill administration, would put rate payers on the hook for that in a way that they aren't right now.

Right now the state's utilities can't build with rate payer dollars.

They sort of pass through costs from other power generators and these bills would sort of change that and give the utilities a chance to build their own power plants and sort of create a monopoly for those costs.

Finally I just want to ask you you know the governor's is sort of qualifying this as a no regrets list based off of your reporting based off of our previous energy master plans.

What do you see and what is the I guess next administration going to face as the biggest risk if it doesn't get addressed or if this plan doesn't see a follow through?

I think there's a lot of different risks.

If there's not enough energy you know literally the lights could go out.

I think that's a regional issue not just a state issue.

And I think you know there's a tension between what kind of energy you build you know if it's a power plant and if it's in a community that doesn't want it there's a risk of pollution there.

But if you don't build it there's a risk that you don't have enough energy.

And if you use pollution there's also you know pollution generating power plants.

There's also you know the contribution to climate change although it may be small at a state level it's still a significant thing that you know Democratic politicians in particular have have tried to avoid.

Rye Rivard with Politico thanks so much for your reporting thanks for coming on the show.

Thank you.

Fresh off a big win last night the New Jersey Devils are gearing up for their annual hockey fights cancer night on November 29th and this year one young fan is taking center ice in a very special way a seven-year-old lymphoma survivor from Somerset County is getting the full pro player experience complete with his own locker stall time with the team and even a chance to skate alongside his heroes Senior correspondent Joanna Gagis was with him earlier today as he practiced alongside the team.

Hey guys this is Trevor.

It's not every day a 7 year old gets to walk into the New Jersey Devil's Locker room, get a jersey with his name on it, and then step out onto the ice for practice with the pros.

But Trevor Bobev isn't your ordinary 7 year old.

He's a cancer survivor who loves to play hockey.

In hockey I can skate really fast and skating is one of my favorite things to do.

Trevor was 3 when his parents Gina and Dan Bobev learned that he had a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma called Burkitt lymphoma.

Initially it was scary hearing your 3 year old son has cancer but at the same time we had a great support system at the hospital where he was.

I still keep in contact with his nurses actually so after the initial shock of it they were amazing.

I can't say enough good things about him.

The scariness wore off very quickly once we knew he was getting the proper treatment and great care.

The Bobevs went to the Rutgers's Cancer Institute, part of the RWJ Barnabas Health System, which is an underwriter of NJ Spotlight News.

They're presenting their annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night this weekend and Trevor will have front row seats.

But today he gets to experience something that very few ever will.

Scoring on his favorite Devils goalie.

I saw a couple of smiles from him so that means a lot and I think that's what it's about.

I think it's a great thing to give something back to the community.

I mean he's such a warrior so having him here means a lot to everyone.

Which player do you think you want to be most like?

Jack Hughes.

Why?

Because he was my favorite player since I was in the hospital and he can do moves that some of these players can't do.

You said that when you were in the hospital you got to watch your favorite hockey players.

Did that help you when you were going through a hard time?

Trevor credits his dad for inspiring his love of the Devils.

And it wasn't just Trevor who had the time of his life today.

It was really fun and we got to see the Devils members and also we got a signed puck from Marty Brodeur.

Today is like a dream come true.

Not just for me but for my son.

I've been a fan for 30 years of this team.

So to share this experience with Trevor, who's been a fan throughout his life, is just something special.

I think the guys were just really awesome to him and treated him like family.

So that was really awesome to see.

And the parallels of the resilience required in sports and in fighting a cancer battle aren't lost on the Bobevs.

You gotta dig deep and lean on teammates and family and the wider community.

And Trevor is just an example of resilience.

So I'm really proud of him.

To see how far he's come, to see him grow, to see him take on challenges, to play sports, just to see the smile on his face.

It's all the little moments that you really appreciate so much more because of it.

I was little when he got diagnosed and at that age I thought that all cancer meant automatic death.

So I'm really happy that he survived and he's healthy now.

And as if all this wasn't exciting enough, Trevor got a surprise from Devils goaltender great Martin Brodeur.

He had no clue that he had to sign a contract before going on the ice.

So we got him a one day contract with the Devils so I'm sure when he's going to go home and he's going to probably frame that contract and I think it's something cool.

Suffice it to say that this is a day that Trevor will never forget.

In Newark, I'm Joanna Gagis and J-Spotlight News.

Finally tonight, if you have been scrolling Facebook and spotted a massive bronze statue of John Bon Jovi recently unveiled here in New Jersey, we have some very bad news for you.

The rock legend does not have a giant monument, though he does have a rest stop on the parkway.

The viral images, those were actually cooked up with AI, complete with fans holding signs and even one statue there where Bon Jovi is holding two microphones.

That's a clue, by the way, that the photo is not real.

What's even scarier, though, is a recent study from the marketing agency Graphite that finds AI-generated articles now outnumber human-written ones online.

The Bon Jovi hoax is just yet another example.

In real life, he was honored with the Garden State Parkway Service Area back in 2021, and last month, he became one of the first inductees at the Red Bank Walk of Fame.

And that is not fake news.

- That's gonna do it for us tonight.

I'm Briana Vannozzi for the entire hardworking team at NJ Spotlight News.

Thanks for being with us.

We will see you right back here tomorrow.

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