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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
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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.
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NJ Spotlight News focuses on New Jersey with multiplatform, independent journalism and is part of The WNET Group, which is
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