>> Tonight, it's New Jersey versus New York in a fight over congestion pricing.

The governor pursuing a lawsuit to block it.

>> We are suing to block the ill-conceived congestion pricing plan.

>> The nurses union rejecting a contract from the University Hospital in New Brunswick.

Plus, Camden residents at one housing complex are fed up after issues like mold and roaches.

Landlord denies wrongdoing.

>> I don't deserve this, my children don't deserve this, the people of the community does not deserve anything that is going on.

>> Officials discouraging state residents from dangerous swimming after tragic recent drownings.

>> Once you get trapped in the water where you can't see logs, boulders, they become trapped and subsequently drowned.

>> NJ Spotlight News Starts Right now.

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♪ >> This is NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi >> Thank you for being with us.

New York is moving.

My head with its congestion pricing plan to further told drivers going into lower Manhattan.

New Jersey is pushing back in court.

The Murphy administration sued the federal government saying a gave an uncritical rubberstamp to the plan.

The goal of the pricing is to reduce traffic,/pollution and improve safety.

Critics say it will only push financial and environmental burdens onto the side of the Hudson.

Her fee announced the lawsuit this morning and that's not all he did.

Our Senior correspondent reports.

>> We are suing to block the ill-conceived congestion pricing plan.

>> the governor is attempting to outmaneuver New York's plans to implement congestion pricing south of 60th Street in Manhattan, a plan that would raise $1 billion but charge New Jersey commuters up to $23 per border pricing -- crossing.

New Jersey is suing the University -- the Department of transportation.

>> We will not allow this to be fast-track when the lot is not allow it.

This is at the heart of the matter New Jerseyans being treated fairly and we will fight to ensure that is the case.

>> The lawsuit slams federal officials misguided decision to proceed without conducting a complete environmental impact study.

It charges heavy traffic will pilot at the bridge to avoid paying fees on top of tunnel tolls.

>> Trucks will be backed up in New Jersey as far as the eye can see.

Billowing cancer-causing pollution into the lungs of our children.

They should come and look for mayor in the eye and tell him why it's OK to give cancer to the children in our communities >> Opponents complain the MTA set aside $130 million to mitigate traffic for kids in the Bronx but not a nickel for New Jersey children.

And with discounts unlikely, politicians here fumed.

Quite we are not the ATM.

.

If they don't know it by now, they will learn it.

New York must provide full toll credits for our commuters and they must exempt our buses.

>> The plan is a brazen money grab.

It is how a robbery.

Under no circumstances should the state of New York and the MTA make up the budget shortfall by squeezing every dollar from the neighbors across the river.

>> advocates who support congestion pricing gathered outside the news conference.

They called the lawsuit entire environment and hypocritical for someone who was a champion for the climate.

>> New Jersey transit is underfunded.

Congestion pricing is dedicated for the MTA.

We want the governor to address his own hypocrisy and look for ways in New Jersey to fund New Jersey transit because writers are not getting where they need to go.

>> jersey is also slapping back with new rules designed to keep tax dollars on the side of the Hudson.

>> this is now the law of the land.

>> Under the new law, Jersey will collect taxes from New York residents who work from home for New Jersey companies.

New Jersey will pay New York companies that open offices in Jersey so remote workers here won't have to pay New York income tax.

Governor Murphy is not asking for a temporary injunction to block congestion pricing even though the MTA is already assembling license plate readers on the perimeter.

>> The step today is let's make sure the feds do what they should have done which is to do a full assessment.

>> A nurses union has rejected a contract offer from University Hospital and strike.

The union reached a tentative agreement Monday but some nurses felt the offer did not go far enough as there was an overwhelming vote to strike over understaffing and pay and benefits.

It puts health care workers one step closer to the picket line.

RW J said it's disappointed that none agreement has not been reached, but in this committed to patient care without disruption.

An increasing number of people are using the 988 hotline but a study from the national alliance on mental illness shows many Americans still don't know about the number.

Our Senior correspondent reports from one of the states call centers.

The Department of humans services held a panel discussion to hear feedback from folks who handle those crisis calls to better understand what supports they need as they help those who might be ready to take their own life.

>> Additional resources to be able to provide additional training for more counselors additional ongoing learning for counselors that we already have.

>> it's very important work but it can be emotionally taxing for us so I think first and foremost being able to have the staff and the people who are there to pick up these calls and support these people and you know avoid that burnout um so we have that time to decompress opposed to you know call after call when it's super busy.

>> can get some counseling and Support to get us where they can get some counseling and quickly and in their Community .

>> those requests heard directly by Department of Human Services commissioner Sarah Edelman who facilitated the conversation and outlined some of the next priorities for 988. the next part of our system is to also build mobile response so that when there is someone who may need some additional in-person support we have the sort of functionality and capability to respond to people >> Right now only about 85 percent of the crisis calls that come into call centers are answered here in New Jersey that means the Overflow goes to backup call centers that aren't local so the state's putting some real money behind expanding its capacity.

>> we are investing through the Department of Human Services 10 million dollars to help 988 Lifeline centers increase staff and expand technology so they can manage the increased volume of calls chats and texts.

this is in addition to the 3.7 million dollars in federal funding that centers have received since the transition to 988. one of the state's five call centers contact of Mercer County is able to communicate with people in crisis via chats and texts that come through 988 which is allowing them to reach younger people a group that's increasingly in crisis I remember my first chat I met with someone who was being bullied and harassed and wanted to take their life because they were they were being bullied about their sexual identity.

>> I think especially for young people it's so important because they feel it's more Anonymous and they feel it's more confidential and so they are they're much more familiar with technology versus picking up a phone and actually speaking and I think especially with with the crisis for young people it's so important that they have a friendly medium for them and important they know it's there for them when they need it the state's launching a three million dollar public awareness campaign so more people know there's someone on the other line who cares.

>> From mold to roach infestation, 10 tenants are fed up with conditions that they say have been neglected for too long All American Gardens Apartments is owned by Nationwide housing management its founder Joe Caruso denies any wrongdoing and says he blames the city and tenants so who's responsible for providing a safe living environment for these residents.

>> Ted Goldberg reports >> I don't deserve this my children don't deserve this the people of this community does not deserve anything that's going on.

>> Desiree Vega has lived in All-American Gardens for about five years she says because of her landlord life there is a nightmare my wall has caved in and you hear a faucet behind my wall I have no socket inside my fuse I have holes from the mouses eating through the wall and my landlord is telling me to put brillo pads inside.

>> other tenants have made similar complaints about Nationwide housing management mint a Camden county-based company in charge of these 86 units.

>> the mold got so vicious that I don't know what was going on in here they were breaking out they were coughing they were having trouble sleeping catching their breath when they're waking up like upper respiratory like crazy.

>> that zida Kellum says at one point a mushroom was growing into her apartment and that she's dealt with mice and roaches for years they were coming out of the sink Falls it's the tub faucet they were coming up in the in the toilet it's to the point that I'm sleeping in the bed with my two children and I'm scared because even though we're sleeping in the same bed together we still having stuff crawling on us it's been hell I don't have company at all period I'm on a constant cleaning like this is a major job every single day.

>> City officials toured the building on Wednesday and tell me they're in the process of issuing fines over the past week one resident has been moved to another Nationwide property because the infestation was so bad.

>> the crawl space was infested with the roaches and the Exterminator was there but he was overwhelmed there was a lot of infrastructure damage there uh I would say most of what we saw there was uh the owner.

>> I don't care how he tries to spend this he's not doing what he's supposed to do and we're going to make sure he steps up to fix the Myriad of problems that he has.

>> he is Joe Caruso the founder of Nationwide this is what I got to deal with as a landlord in the city of Camden okay and this is where we get zero help from the health department and the mayor and everybody else that comes here and says that I'm a slum Lord.

>> while the city blames him he blames the city and residents for these issues Caruso showed us an apartment belonging to someone in the middle of eviction proceedings.

>> This Is How They Live he says it's become difficult to evict tenants that don't take care of their property.

>> when we have tenants that are dirty they can cite the tenant and say clean up your unit if they're hoarding if they're dirty that affects everybody in the building.

>> Caruso says there are other issues at play like the previous owner of these buildings.

>> we've certainly inherited some issues here okay we've only owned this building for a few years okay it was owned by the Altman group for 35 years prior to that a lot of roof leaks a lot of plumbing leaks and which we've been going through and fixing replacing valves replacing pipes we've done a lot of underground work.

>> Caruso says Nationwide has spent more than a million dollars in improvements across these buildings but if these fines rack up he could face more financial problems while residents deal with these damages and live with them.

>> The constant threat of thunderstorms and the occasional blast of Canadian wildfire smoke combined with major tech issues and a shortage of air traffic controllers have caused constant major headaches for travelers recently.

The House of Representatives on Thursday past reauthorization of the FAA requires a study of a critical alert system that failed earlier this year leaving all departing flights nationwide to be grounded for more than one hour.

The bill enhances protections for travelers who have to deal with canceled flights, attempts to grow the pipeline into the industry and keeps a research center based in New Jersey.

Not everyone was so thrilled.

Bill was one of just four votes against because it raises their retirement age for commercial pilots and it does nothing to address noise pollution from helicopters.

An issue that they have long focused on.

The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.

Stocks ended the week on a high capping off attend a winning streak.

Here's a look at how the markets closed for the week.

>> Support for the business report provided by Chamber of Commerce.

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

>> police and rescue teams are pleading with the public to avoid a dangerous but popular spot for swimming in Essex County called The Devil's Hole.

earlier this month a Newark teenager drowned while swimming in the unsanctioned site and it's not the first time tragedy has struck in the area.

the drowning comes after the body of a Patterson teen was found in the Delaware Water Gap.

despite both areas being unsafe drownings continue to happen Melissa Rose Cooper reports on what officials are doing to discourage residents from swimming in these areas.

>> while this area has some Scenic Beauty to it it also is extremely dangerous and treacherous for people that wander into the area who don't really understand what's what it is underneath that body of water dangerous Cedar Grove Police Chief John Kennedy says can cost your life earlier this month as they died after attempting to swim here at Devil's Hole the area isn't sanctioned for swimming yet Kennedy says people still tend to venture to the site despite the warning signs.

>> either it's an extreme drop off from what would be you know ankle deep to 14 plus feet deep and once you get trapped in that water underneath it where you can't see or logs Boulders things of that nature that you could become trapped in and subsequently drown.

>> the drowning at Devil's Hole is one one of the latest across New Jersey on Sunday Searchers in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area discovered a 19 year old's body days after he disappeared while swimming park officials say there have been more than a hundred drownings there since they began keeping records in the 1970s.

>> 60% of all drownings in the water crop have occurred while someone was swimming and all of them did not have a properly fitted life jacket and that's the number one thing you can do to prevent these drownings is to wear properly fitted life jacket.

>> anytime you were natural water settings I mean you're really in an uncontrolled environment if you're in a you know a river a large body lake or even the ocean there's a current and you know that current pushes against your body many people underestimate their swimming abilities Adam ketchumarchi is the executive director for the national drowning prevention Alliance he says swimming in sanctioned areas always comes with a risk so it's even more important to avoid areas where it's prohibited .

>> and what we've learned through covet is many people are not reverting back to their you know previous Recreation ways prior to the pandemic um so now we're we're much more used to you know going to these undesignated swimming areas and many people are just simply unprepared for the risks that they're going to face in those areas when you think about these undesignated areas emergency response isn't there and drowning is fast and it's silent it's going to happen in 30 to 60 seconds and now you're relying on bystanders to make that rescue instead of a professional that knows what they're doing and oftentimes that could lead to multiple victims which is something we absolutely want to prevent.

>> since the latest drowning in Devil's Hole more security measures are being put into place including new cameras that send a live feed to police so officers constantly monitor who's in the area and we can send squad cars out there if needed officers conduct routine Patrols in the area as well.

I been in touch with our Engineers as well the state dep to see what types of permanent Solutions can be implemented in the water and for now with the camera our routine police presence and working with the state to see what we can do to to stop people from actually entering the water we're considering whatever options we have to.

>> ordinances are in place prohibiting entry into the water a Devil's Hole anyone caught can be issued a summons but Town officials hold people will instead take the warning seriously so they can stay safe.

>> The next episode in our 21 digital film series is now online.

It examines the question of does where you live in the state affect how you live?

It profiles one person in each of our 21 counties.

The latest film introduces us to someone in Warren County who embodies the change she wants to see, inclusive communities that embrace diversity wherever one is valued.

She simply strives for a brighter tomorrow.

Breanna taught with her.

Take a look.

>> I'm just curious about you, Laura.

You have had so many experiences that shaped where you are now.

What drives you?

>> first of all I think what drives me is is being a mom and I think since I became a mom I feel I can't imagine anyone else's children not being loved or not being included or not being not having the access and resources and opportunities that that possibly my kid would have and I think that definitely was the was what motivated me in the very beginning but my faith my faith is rooted in the belief that human beings are inherently good a community's biggest asset and resource is its people and you know not not their wealth or their resources >> I'm curious was it your kids who really influenced your decision to get involved in the local school board there and your work within the schools.

>> yes and no I I've always been an educator I've always been passionate about the educational space and as an immigrant my first visibility representation to me was my fourth grade teacher Mrs Malloy who was a Filipina American.

I never believed that I could not be a teacher in America even as a young immigrant who spoke very broken English and you know I had to learn English.

that was never out of my reach because I I saw that I saw that mirror and even though I didn't see myself very much in our in our education in my education but I was surrounded by lots of mirrors that made me believe like what was possible for me that not only my kids need the mirrors you know in a in a increasingly shifting Community I feel like all kids need a good balance of mirrors and windows into their life so they know that what's possible for them.

>> why is that so important to you I know you were instrumental in getting legislation passed in New Jersey for curriculum that recognizes Asian American history but also your work has really encompassed lgbtq inclusivity why has your organizing gone in that direction why is it so important to you.

>> well personally I am a parent of a young adult who identifies as a transgender but that was not that was not a space where I felt equipped to to fight in but but in most recent years it feels like it feels like not just for my child but for all children who don't feel safe I'm a homebound instructor for students that are recovering from mental health and a disproportional a disproportionate number of students identify as lgbtq and and I feel like it is it is rooted in the stories that they tell themselves and the world tells them that they don't belong.

I feel like in all my efforts I just tried to create spaces where everyone feels like they don't need to be anything else that they that they can bring their whole selves and be safe.

>> I like that sentiment uh earning not having to earn your inclusion Laura Choi thank you so much for participating in our documentary and for your time.

>> thank you so much I appreciate your interest >> and you can meet Laura and the other extraordinary Jersey residents at mynjpbs.org/21.

>> I am boy you -- I invite you to view the website and listen to the podcasts whenever you can.

>> Funding for New Jersey Spotlight News funded 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.

>> Our future relies on more than clean energy.

Our future relies on empowered communities, the health and safety of our families and neighbors, our schools and streets, the foundation is committed to sustainability, equity, and economic empowerment.

Investing in parks, helping towns go green, supporting civic centers, scholarships, and workforce development that strengthen our community.