Reporter: Tonight on NJ Spotlight News.

Governor Tahitian way -- the next lieutenant governor.

>> We have made historic progress but our work is far from over.

>> Also a nursing home shutdown.

Elderly care at apron stem -- Princeton care facility suddenly closes.

>> I think it is a crime they put all these people, their health and well-being at risk.

>> And a scathing DOJ slams -- its failure to care for veterans at two state homes.

>> They violated the veteran 14th amendment rights.

They did not provide the proper care, the proper procedures.

>> And reclaiming the net -- land.

The Native American tribe land being turned into an educational center.

>> My ancestors actually came from here.

For this offer to come look -- come to us like it did a never thought something like this would happen.

>> NJ Spotlight News starts right now.

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♪ >> From NJPBS this is NJ Spotlight News with Rihanna Vannozzi.

Joanna: thank you for joining us this Friday night I am Joanna in for Rihanna.

-- the former New Jersey secretary of state sworn into the office of lieutenant governor today filling the vacancy that was left last month with the passing of Sheila Oliver who was only the second person and a second woman in the state to hold the position.

To Keisha way is now the heart -- now the third.

And before that she held a freeholder position in Passaic County before that.

People cannot help wonder about the timing of this announcement on the heels of a scathing report released by the DOJ after investigation into two of New Jersey state run veteran homes.

We have more on the politics on the announcement and how other leaders in New Jersey feel about Murphy's choice for tenant governor.

>> So help me God.

Congratulations.

David: Considering that she was of a top of the governor shortlist, tahisa way announcement as lieutenant governor could have been announced at any time.

It comes on the same week of the report of the handling of long-term care facilities during Covid you have to talk that up to good news timing?

Still, way, grabbed universe -- and a judge is no lightweight.

Having served as Murphy Secretary of State.

>> During her time as Secretary of State, she has set a new and high standard for defending democracy in New Jersey and I might add also across the nation.

She is also thriving in that position under the most challenging circumstances you could awesomely imagine.

In the face of a once in a century pandemic.

Along with a relentless assault on our democracy.

Tahesha Went above and beyond to secure our election system here in New Jersey.

David: She is also a black woman from North Jersey who has no outward ambitions for -- and they are keen to shore up the base.

Do not forget, almost 90% of black voters hold for Murphy twice.

>> It is a perfect pig because not only does she make so many -- perfect pick because not only does she make many black folks proud from the historical piece of this but she represents everybody.

That is what it is about.

People historically have been Arjun Allies and they can see themselves -- have been marginalized and they can see themselves.

And at the same time somebody who has a steady hand in the love for everyone regardless of race.

>> It was important that it was a black woman because of the role that we play in government and for change.

And being a conscious relay at a leadership table where sometimes the knees -- needs of the African Diaspora and black and brown communities and marginalize vulnerable communities are not at the forefront.

>> We made it progress but our work is far from over.

That is why own so excited to assume the role of lieutenant governor and continue in my role as Secretary of State.

I know our greatest accomplishments are yet to come.

David:Way is inspected to get her first shot at running things the mom when the governor travels out of the country -- when the -- running things win the governor travels out of the country.

The news here otherwise were not so great.

-- was not so great.

I'm David Cruz.

Joanna: As David mentioned, the Department of Justice bounds that New Jersey violated the constitutional rights of veterans by failing to provide sufficient care at state run veterans homes during the Covid pandemic.

The report comes -- shows significant failures in safety protocols and slammed the veteran home operators for conducting staff to not cooperate with the DOJ investigation.

They said that violations continued.

The Murphy administration has since hired outside vendors to run those home.

Governor Murphy offered a statement yesterday saying it is clear we have significantly more work to do and we are open to exploring all options.

Senator Joe Cryan who chairs the Senate men -- military and veterans committee said the attempt is not good enough.

He is considering legislation to take control of the veterans homes away from the Department of military and Veterans Affairs.

>> The report shows we failed.

When you fail the reflection of this is on a very human level we lost lives and we did not respond in ways in which most folks would consider is appropriate in the way we was -- responded and the situation at the time.

We did not do that.

Lack of PPE, letting folks in with Covid.

The report is on a human one to one level with lives lost and lives impacted is beyond horrific.

It is like you have failed, what will you do about it?

I'm not sure that we've emphasize that enough.

Joanna: And we have an individual that has been vocal on this issue from the beginning.

I want to zero in on 2020 during the time of Covid what did the justice report find?

--Ken: they violated their 14th amendment rights.

They did not have the proper care and control procedures.

We go back to early in April of 2020 when they -- when you showed up to work with the mask on you had a discharge.

We set all along they were violating the rights they denied the veterans and their spouses.

They died at some of the highest rates in the world.

Joanna: In late 2022, the state hired an outside vendor to oversee and manage those two homes as well as the other facility.

The report really focuses on 2020 and 2021, I am curious since the state hired the outside vendors, have we seen improvement?

Ken: It is too early to tell.

It's only been a few months.

We have not met with them.

We've met with the director of health care.

She assures us and the deputy commissioner, and they assure us that some changes were made and those were -- we will have to see.

Joanna: Transparency feels like it has been an issue here all the way are around -- around.

The government produced a full-scale report of what went on here and we will get that later this year.

Democrats have also rejected some Republican proposals for oversight for the formation of a select committee with subpoena power.

What do we need to see here in terms of transparency that -- to better understand what is happening in these homes?

Ken: You are right the VFW and the senator spoke about it yesterday.

They had a proposal to dismantle that group and have authority with more transparency and state holders -- stakeholders for the veterans community and commissioners that oversee the operation of the department of veteran affairs and that would include the homes.

Joanna: You are looking for an agency to specifically oversee these veteran homes?

Ken: And all the veteran services that the state provides not just the homes.

They have other roles for homeless veterans and things like that.

Joanna: Department of veteran affairs and so on.

Do you think there is the political role for that to happen in New Jersey?

Ken: With this report there probably will be.

Like you said it's been years, the governor promised two years ago to take that, have a full accounting of what happened.

We've been waiting two years, the grand jury does not take that long I think the state, I know the state -- we have not heard anything about that either.

Joanna: Thank you so much.

We appreciate you being here with us.

Ken: Thank you.

Joanna: To hear more about the states failures outlined in the Department of Justice report checkout the reporting at NJ Spotlight News.org.

Families are reeling from the sudden closure of the Princeton care center a long-term care facility that last Friday gave residents less than a days notice to be out with nowhere to go.

Lawmakers are blaming the state for not having a plan in place to protect these most honorable seniors.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan spoke to those affected.

>> I'm incredibly angry.

Brenda: Stacy is furious with the operators at Princeton care center a nursing home caught in extreme financial crisis and it abruptly shut down Friday of Labor Day weekend triggering a emergency evacuation.

73-year-old mom called her in a panic.

>> My mother called me sobbing that she needed to be out.

She had just been diagnosed with cancer.

For this to happen without any advance notice.

>> There is no way.

There is no absolute way.

Brenda: Phone video one family posted shows the city in -- complete chaos.

Even Doctors got caught by surprise as New Jersey long-term care advocates scrambled in place to transport residents while the state health department crisis strike team observed.

[INDISCERNIBLE] >> If you were interested in that you would know at least what would happen.

Brenda: Elaine spent hours at PCC finding a new home for her 93-year-old mom, Eileen who suffers from dementia.

She is beyond angry that the nursing home shut down without warning.

The state had been monitoring PCC's mounting financial troubles for months.

>> Complete chaos.

There was really no plan on how to execute anything.

We were on our own pretty much to figure out what to do.

>> There was a buyer.

Everything ended at the last minute.

The buyer pulled out at the last minute.

This is the worst possible outcome for those residents.

Brenda: Lori Brewer says the chaos traumatized patients.

>> We found people who were asking us did I do something wrong?

Why was a rip from my home?

Where are my friends?

Brenda: Regulations require a 60 day notice for a potential nursing home closure.

The Department of Health can waive the requirement for an a virgin see vacuum -- an emergency evacuation.

How do you define that.

The department says the facility was unable to pay it daft despite the repeated assurances that the department -- to the department that payroll would be made and could no longer provide care to his residence.

Because of this it had an emergency evacuation land.

They repeatedly asked the state for a plan to avoid an emergency evacuation.

>> Why not put a plan in place saying this is where we will put the people, how we get them there, so we are not scrambling for hours at the very last minute to find vehicles to move people?

>> It was clear the Department of Health was in a compliance mode and observing, but not controlling the situation.

Brenda: State Senator Andrew says the emergency pool of money should have been available to quite literally buy more time for residents and families.

Spokesman Andy Aaronson said this type of abrupt closure should never happen.

When it is known that a nursing home is struggling the New Jersey Department of Health, working with a provider, has many tools to assure the residents are prioritized and an orderly closure takes place.

>> I think it is a crime that they put all these people, their health, their well-being at risk.

And they let it come to be situation.

They need to be held responsible.

Brenda: The Department of Health says it is actively reviewing the case to discuss solutions to further strengthen the quality and resiliency of our long-term care system that may help to avoid a situation like this from occurring again.

Willie says the families are discussing a lawsuit.

PCC's owner did not return our call.

I'm Brenda Flanagan NJ Spotlight News.

Joanna: For more on the backlash of the abrupt closing of the Princeton care center check out the recording at NJ Spotlight News.org.

Summer may be over for most people in New Jersey, but the water is still warm at the shore and families are still going to the beat.

-- beach.

But the hurricane season created rip currents that led to a surge in rescues and drownings.

Four people drowned this past Labor Day weekend.

We spoke to lifeguards and beachgoers about the water conditions and what you need to look for to a safe.

>> We got off at 6:00 the call came in at 6:06 we are still in the area packing up.

>> Six minutes after the lifeguards were off-duty they ran back on to serve -- rescue those stuck in a rip current.

But one drowned.

>> It was about 50-1 hundred yards north of us I saw a group of lifeguards going in the water to a north of us.

They had spotted somebody that, you know, in trouble out there.

By the time they got to that person, they were already unconscious.

Ted: Parson says this is the first drowning of the season in Belmont.

A reminder that people should not go swimming in the ocean if no lifeguard is on duty.

He understands that sometimes people just want to go in the ocean.

>> If you're going to go and do not go in alone.

Don't go far, don't go at night.

Ted: at least four people drowned off the Jersey shore over Labor Day weekend.

As hurricane season increases the severity of rip current.

Steve knows what it is like to be at -- to get caught in one.

Steve: I tried to swim back in and I'm not going in there.

It has a feeling a sucking and Seshan that you are pulled out to be.

sea.

Ted: He rescued a man caught in a rip current while -- unknowingly filmed it on his go Pro.

Steve: he held onto the gear handles.

Thank God I had the board.

I served eight years in the Marine Corps so I know that rescue and water is the most dangerous.

I have the rescue water survival experience that they trained us in the camp.

>> We had probably 25-30 rescues that day.

The water was bad and it was hot.

We cannot keep them out.

We tried to keep them in tight but when a set of waves would come in somebody would go from waist level up to chest level.

Ted: Jovan Giovanni says a trained I can spot a rip current from the shore.

>> The water is discolored, you get a ripple effect, and as the waves come in it pushes through the wave coming in and it cuts through it.

You get a rip head and at the end it looks like a mushroom.

Ted: A closing to the National oceanographic and -- atmospheric administration at least -- people have drowned in New Jersey since 2010.

It can push swimmers away from the shore at five miles an hour.

>> The fast is a Libyan swimmer cannot outswim a rip current.

-- Olympian cannot outswim a rip current.

It is generally caused by waves crashing on the shore.

What happens is all of that pushes the water up to shore.

It has to turn around and go offshore somewhere.

They form and sometimes narrow and sometimes wider corridors in the water pushes offshore.

Ted: He says rip currents happened year-round but they are more dangerous and hurricane season.

When a storm 1000 miles away can make things worse in New Jersey.

>> You have storms in the Atlantic Ocean treading up a lot of water.

The water dissipates as the swell.

The swell is what dissipates and carries away from the storm.

Ted: Hurricane Lee is currently a category four storm in the Atlantic.

It is inspected to be strong through next week as it moves toward the east coast.

It is already strong enough to contribute to dangerous rip current down the shore.

In Monmouth County, I'm Ted Boebert.

NJ Spotlight News.

Joanna: In our report tonight the future of a proposed liquefied natural gas export terminal in Gloucester County is in serious doubt.

Last week the Biden administration suspended a rule that would allow liquefied natural gas or LNG to be shipped by rail.

A controversial rule that was approved during the Trump administration.

When the roll was in place, the company planning to operate the expert terminal, plan to ship LNG by rail from the ASP fields of Pennsylvania to the terminal and Gloucester County.

Those trains would have passed through Camden and other South Jersey communities sparking intense pushback from opponents who say it is a disaster waiting to happen.

Now that the Biden administration has suspended the real transit rule, new energy could move the liquefied gas by truck.

The LNG terminal still faces challenges like getting permits in New Jersey and building in the Pennsylvania side of a project.Here is a look at how the markets closed for the week.

♪ >> Support for the business report provided by the Chamber of Commerce southern New Jersey.

Working for economic prosperity by uniting business and community leaders for 150 years.

Membership and event information online at chamber S and J.com.

-- ChamberSNJ.com.

♪ Joanna: 63 acres of land has been return fruit -- to the Native American -- Corporation.

It was once home to this tribe.

We caught up with the organization's president to discuss her plans for the land that once belonged to her ancestors.

>> Right now we need to see water, we need to save the soil, teach people how to do better gardening.

>> A mission to the more it -- to be more environment -- environmentally friendly she is committed to making it happen.

>> Her goal is one step closer to reality.

The organization is in the works for converting this property in Salem County to an educational and environmental enter.

-- center.

>> This is open for any organization, any school system, anybody that wants to learn ways to save on air, water, soil and all of our conservation methods.

>> And they also have a special connection with the land.

Once it was side of the church, before it was a place of were true, it was -- worship it was home to a indigenous Native American tribe.

It is a state recognized tribe that she is a member of.

>> We are part of his tribe formation.

The Cohan sick people which is the ancient name, we have been here since European incursion.

It is our family property.

>> At one time, all of the land was occupied by original inhabitants.

The first people that were here.

As colonial settlement occurred the land was acquired and balled up and occupied by Western people.

To have this land returned back to the people that were originally here is incredibly significant for me.

and I think for the whole community.

>> Run is the Delaware Bay watershed regional manager for the Jersey conversation -- conservation foundation.

He says most of the land has not been farmed and it has great ecological significance.

>> Al of our land has been -- all of our land has been developed since humans have been here.

The more we need to live and work the less area the is for natural habitats.

The natural habitats that were here before we came have native plants and a lot of times we have invasive species that come and crowd out the native land -- plants.

We have species that do not provide proper nutrition for the fauna that was here.

>> Know the land will be used to help preserve the ancient traditions her father is happy to say this -- see this.

>> My mother was an herb is she could make potions to heal people.

I would like to broadcast that out to our community so that other people know that there is a place to go they can get healed.

>> And he is grateful the property has been returned.

>> My ancestors came from here.

For this offer to come to us like it did, I never would have thought something like this would have happened.

I am relishing it.

I am able to spend my last days -- celebrating what we have done.

>> They will offer various programs including hands-on workshops where people can learn about how to be more environmentally friendly.

Donations are accepted to assist with organization initiatives.

Spotlight news.

-- NJ Spotlight News.

Joanna: That will do it for us tonight but do not forget to download the NJ new spotlight podcasts so you can listen to us anytime.

From us at the entire NJ Spotlight News team thank you for watching us and we will see you back here on Monday.

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More information is online at NJrealtor.com.

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