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Disturbing video, troubling numbers, nursing home concerns: Weekly Picks

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VN NJ Spotlight News
This Week's Spotlight

 Week of March 18, 2023


This week we got to see and hear what happened in the hours between a call for help and the killing by police of a violence prevention worker in Paterson. It's all in hard-to-watch recordings made public by the state Attorney General's Office as many still grapple with how a man in mental distress ends up dead. Adding to the community outrage is the fact that a police shooting like this is not so rare, and according to a review this week by NJ Spotlight News, Paterson has seen the most such deaths in the state. 
-- John P. McAlpin, managing editor,  [email protected]    
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Minute-by-minute: Paterson police shooting video

Recordings from police body-worn cameras show what happened during an hours-long standoff before Paterson police fatally shot Najee Seabrooks on March 3. The recordings were released Thursday by the state attorney general’s office. Minutes before he was killed, after an officer asked Seabrooks if there was anyone he wanted to talk to, he said his mother. Taylor Jung goes through the timeline of the recordings.

Full story
 

Police-involved shootings in NJ 

Police-involved shooting deaths: 2019-2023 The location, number and dates of shootings in the presence of law enforcement that resulted in at least one fatality and are subject to investigation by the state Attorney General's office. In most, but not all cases, local police in the municipality fired their weapons and in all but one instance only one person was killed. Asbury Park Bass River Bayonne Bloomingdale Buena Vista Cherry Hill Deptford Edison Englewood Farmingdale Fort Lee Hillsborough Irvington Two police-involved shootings in New Jersey in the span of a week bring to 46 the number of people who have died in the state either from gunshots fired by the police or during police encounters. Colleen O’Dea reports on the hard-to-find data, with breakdowns for each city and town.

Full story
 

Campaign finance lawsuit 

Jeff Brindle, New Jersey's top elections watchdog, filed a lawsuit against Gov. Phil Murphy Thursday, claiming that Murphy and his aides are trying to oust him from his job. Brindle has been a sharp critic of so-called dark money in New Jersey political campaigns. The lawsuit comes days before an expected vote on legislation that critics say could gut meaningful campaign finance regulation. Jeff Pillets has the details. 

Full story
 

Who’s going to fund public health? 

While New Jersey saw billions in federal aid during the COVID-19 pandemic, little went to local public health offices, despite their role on the front lines. It’s a pattern public health officials say they’ve seen before during other emergencies. Now they are calling on lawmakers to reestablish an annual state public health fund that was cut by Gov. Chris Christie in 2011 and include at least $10 million annually. Lilo H. Stainton reports. 

Full story
 

Protest over Meadowlands plan 

Environmental advocates rallied in Newark on Monday against a proposed natural gas plant in the Meadowlands. The plant is part of NJ Transit’s Transit grid project to provide a reliable energy supply for its rail infrastructure. The advocates said the plant would add to pollution, exacerbate climate change and harm public health. Melissa Rose Cooper reports. 

Full story
 

Policing nursing homes in NJ 

Among the wretched conditions that state officials found at a Cherry Hill nursing home in late 2021 were feces-stained floors and walls, fly infestations, and broken handrails. The home is owned by a limited liability company with a dozen officers including Benjamin Landa, who owns more than 130 nursing homes nationwide and who is being sued by New York state for fraud, abuse and neglect. Landa is also connected with at least two other New Jersey facilities, one of which has drawn multiple complaints. Does the state have the tools it needs to weed out potential bad actors in the nursing home industry? Lilo H. Stainton reports.  

Full story
 

Goodbye to gas-powered vehicles when? 

If New Jersey is going to achieve its aggressive goal of having 35% of new cars sold be emission-free by 2027, it must ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles by the start of 2024, according to clean-car advocates who say the state can’t afford to dilly-dally. That's a very tight deadline, as the Department of Environmental Protection acknowledges. Tom Johnson is at the wheel for this story.

Full story
 

Support NJ Spotlight News

Become a member
 

Chat Box: Menendez on banks, other issues 

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez joins David Cruz on Chat Box to discuss the recent bank failures and their implications. He also gives his take on other issues, including immigration. And NJPAC president and CEO John Schreiber shares details of the newly announced North to Shore festival that’s set to take place in three cities this summer. 

Full show
 

Outrage over forest project 

Conservationists are angry over how the Division of Fish and Wildlife went about creating habitat in South Jersey for the American woodcock, a species of concern because of its declining numbers. Four conservation groups say thousands of trees were felled and valuable wetlands were damaged at the Glassboro Wildlife Management Area; they want an immediate halt to any further activity at the site. Tom Johnson has the details. 

Full story
 

Offshore wind hearing 

Republican Reps. Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith held a hearing on offshore wind development Thursday and hundreds of people showed up. The main focus was a putative link between the offshore development and recent whale strandings on beaches in New Jersey and New York. While scientists have so far refuted any connection, those in attendance — including the congressmen — expressed a different view. Ted Goldberg reports.

Full story
 

Spotlight on data: COVID-19 since last week

COVID-19 Cases Over Previous Week Number of new COVID-19 0 cases confirmed 005 positives and antigen positives over the past 010 week per 1,000 015 population. Click on a county to see its new case count and deaths over the last week, as well as total cases and deaths since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Note: Data updated weekly. 0.20 0.25 I 0.30 I 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.70 Source: NJ Spotlight News analysis of NJ Department of Health data Follow the spread of COVID-19 in New Jersey with maps and graphics created by Colleen O’Dea and Genesis Obando. Updated weekly, the data includes case and fatality trends, and other breakdowns. This chart tracks county-by-county infection numbers over the last week. 

Tracking COVID
 

Op-Ed: Living with COVID-19  

In mid-March 2020, New Jersey’s health commissioner asked Dr. Eddy Bresnitz to return to government service as the health department’s COVID-19 medical adviser. His agreement to do so, Bresnitz writes, was “one of the better decisions” in his career in public health and medicine. Looking back at three years of COVID-19, he writes, “We have learned to live with the coronavirus and must continue to do so.” 

Full story
 
Number of the Week

12

New Jersey's ranking among states with highest GDP.

 

Spotlight Reads: Favorites from NJ's local news

Each week, NJ Spotlight News highlights some of the best coverage from our hyperlocal and community news friends, following their councils, schools and countless other stories important to their communities. Please visit them and support independent local news.

 

Coronavirus Hub: What you should know

The amount of daily news and information related to the coronavirus crisis can be overwhelming. NJ Spotlight News has collected its coverage of the crisis in New Jersey and other important information onto one page. Read more.

 
We can't do this without you.

Support NJ Spotlight News

Become a member
NJ Spotlight News focuses on New Jersey with multiplatform, independent journalism and is part of The WNET Group, which is supported by the public it serves.
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VN NJ Spotlight News This Week's Spotlight  WEEK OF MARCH 18, 2023 This week we got to see and hear what happened in the hours between a call for help and the killing by police of a violence prevention worker in Paterson. It's all in hard-to-watch recordings made public by the state Attorney General's Office as many still grapple with how a man in mental distress ends up dead. Adding to the community outrage is the fact that a police shooting like this is not so rare, and according to a review this week by NJ Spotlight News, Paterson has seen the most such deaths in the state.  -- John P. McAlpin, managing editor,  [email protected]  If you want to receive our daily newsletters, sign up here. MINUTE-BY-MINUTE: PATERSON POLICE SHOOTING VIDEO Recordings from police body-worn cameras show what happened during an hours-long standoff before Paterson police fatally shot Najee Seabrooks on March 3. The recordings were released Thursday by the state attorney general’s office. Minutes before he was killed, after an officer asked Seabrooks if there was anyone he wanted to talk to, he said his mother. Taylor Jung goes through the timeline of the recordings. Full story POLICE-INVOLVED SHOOTINGS IN NJ  Police-involved shooting deaths: 2019-2023 The location, number and dates of shootings in the presence of law enforcement that resulted in at least one fatality and are subject to investigation by the state Attorney General's office. In most, but not all cases, local police in the municipality fired their weapons and in all but one instance only one person was killed. Asbury Park Bass River Bayonne Bloomingdale Buena Vista Cherry Hill Deptford Edison Englewood Farmingdale Fort Lee Hillsborough Irvington Two police-involved shootings in New Jersey in the span of a week bring to 46 the number of people who have died in the state either from gunshots fired by the police or during police encounters. Colleen O’Dea reports on the hard-to-find data, with breakdowns for each city and town. Full story CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWSUIT  Jeff Brindle, New Jersey's top elections watchdog, filed a lawsuit against Gov. Phil Murphy Thursday, claiming that Murphy and his aides are trying to oust him from his job. Brindle has been a sharp critic of so-called dark money in New Jersey political campaigns. The lawsuit comes days before an expected vote on legislation that critics say could gut meaningful campaign finance regulation. Jeff Pillets has the details.  Full story Who’s going to fund public health?  While New Jersey saw billions in federal aid during the COVID-19 pandemic, little went to local public health offices, despite their role on the front lines. It’s a pattern public health officials say they’ve seen before during other emergencies. Now they are calling on lawmakers to reestablish an annual state public health fund that was cut by Gov. Chris Christie in 2011 and include at least $10 million annually. Lilo H. Stainton reports.  Full story PROTEST OVER MEADOWLANDS PLAN  Environmental advocates rallied in Newark on Monday against a proposed natural gas plant in the Meadowlands. The plant is part of NJ Transit’s Transit grid project to provide a reliable energy supply for its rail infrastructure. The advocates said the plant would add to pollution, exacerbate climate change and harm public health. Melissa Rose Cooper reports.  Full story POLICING NURSING HOMES IN NJ  Among the wretched conditions that state officials found at a Cherry Hill nursing home in late 2021 were feces-stained floors and walls, fly infestations, and broken handrails. The home is owned by a limited liability company with a dozen officers including Benjamin Landa, who owns more than 130 nursing homes nationwide and who is being sued by New York state for fraud, abuse and neglect. Landa is also connected with at least two other New Jersey facilities, one of which has drawn multiple complaints. Does the state have the tools it needs to weed out potential bad actors in the nursing home industry? Lilo H. Stainton reports.   Full story GOODBYE TO GAS-POWERED VEHICLES WHEN?  If New Jersey is going to achieve its aggressive goal of having 35% of new cars sold be emission-free by 2027, it must ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles by the start of 2024, according to clean-car advocates who say the state can’t afford to dilly-dally. That's a very tight deadline, as the Department of Environmental Protection acknowledges. Tom Johnson is at the wheel for this story. Full story Support NJ Spotlight News Become a member Chat Box: Menendez on banks, other issues  U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez joins David Cruz on Chat Box to discuss the recent bank failures and their implications. He also gives his take on other issues, including immigration. And NJPAC president and CEO John Schreiber shares details of the newly announced North to Shore festival that’s set to take place in three cities this summer.  Full show Outrage over forest project  Conservationists are angry over how the Division of Fish and Wildlife went about creating habitat in South Jersey for the American woodcock, a species of concern because of its declining numbers. Four conservation groups say thousands of trees were felled and valuable wetlands were damaged at the Glassboro Wildlife Management Area; they want an immediate halt to any further activity at the site. Tom Johnson has the details.  Full story Offshore wind hearing  Republican Reps. Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith held a hearing on offshore wind development Thursday and hundreds of people showed up. The main focus was a putative link between the offshore development and recent whale strandings on beaches in New Jersey and New York. While scientists have so far refuted any connection, those in attendance — including the congressmen — expressed a different view. Ted Goldberg reports. Full story SPOTLIGHT ON DATA: COVID-19 SINCE LAST WEEK COVID-19 Cases Over Previous Week Number of new COVID-19 0 cases confirmed 005 positives and antigen positives over the past 010 week per 1,000 015 population. Click on a county to see its new case count and deaths over the last week, as well as total cases and deaths since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Note: Data updated weekly. 0.20 0.25 I 0.30 I 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.70 Source: NJ Spotlight News analysis of NJ Department of Health data Follow the spread of COVID-19 in New Jersey with maps and graphics created by Colleen O’Dea and Genesis Obando. Updated weekly, the data includes case and fatality trends, and other breakdowns. This chart tracks county-by-county infection numbers over the last week.  Tracking COVID Op-Ed: Living with COVID-19   In mid-March 2020, New Jersey’s health commissioner asked Dr. Eddy Bresnitz to return to government service as the health department’s COVID-19 medical adviser. His agreement to do so, Bresnitz writes, was “one of the better decisions” in his career in public health and medicine. Looking back at three years of COVID-19, he writes, “We have learned to live with the coronavirus and must continue to do so.”  Full story Number of the Week 12 New Jersey's ranking among states with highest GDP. Spotlight Reads: Favorites from NJ's local news Each week, NJ Spotlight News highlights some of the best coverage from our hyperlocal and community news friends, following their councils, schools and countless other stories important to their communities. Please visit them and support independent local news. * Jersey Shore Online: Barnegat School Board Embroiled In Conflict * The Retrospect: Collingswood High students rally around Michaela Bogon * NJ Indy: How the burning of a Pride flag ignited the Sussex County LGBTQ community CORONAVIRUS HUB: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW The amount of daily news and information related to the coronavirus crisis can be overwhelming. NJ Spotlight News has collected its coverage of the crisis in New Jersey and other important information onto one page. Read more. We can't do this without you. SUPPORT NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS Become a member NJ Spotlight News focuses on New Jersey with multiplatform, independent journalism and is part of The WNET Group, which is supported by the public it serves. Share Tweet Forward You are signed up to receive emails from NJ Spotlight Like this weekly recap? Forward it to a friend. Getting too many emails from us? You can .  Want to stop receiving all emails from us? . To contact someone specific at NJ Spotlight, go to njspotlight.com/contact Our mailing address is: NJ Spotlight News 825 Eighth Avenue, 14th Floor New York, NY 10019-7435 Add us to your address book  
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