>> Major funding for NJ Spotlight News is provided in part by NJM Insurance group, ensuring -- And and by the PSE foundation.

Briana: Tonight, and he Kim clenches more democratic endorsements, dealing a decisive blow to Tammy Murphy's campaign has both look to unseat embattled U.S.

Senator Bob Menendez.

>> Right now it is pretty clear that the momentum is on Congressman Kim's side.

Briana: Lawmakers are eyeing guidelines targeting book bans as a new poll finds book censorship is a top concern among state residents.

People understand that it is un-American to limit access to Books, speech and ideas.

Briana: Plus the Township of Nutley revives a neighborhood watch program and an effort to combat an increase in crime.

>> We are partnering with our neighbors, our residents, because the more eyes we have on the street when you see something, say something.

Briana: Can Governor Murphy prepares for his annual budget address, but it comes at a time when the state faces declining tax revenue and rising costs.

>> The governor has indicated one of the areas we should expect to see spending increased is on public school aid for K-12 districts.

Briana: NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

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

Briana: Good evening and thank you for joining us this Monday night.

I am Briana Vannozzi.

U.S. Senate candidate and current Congressman Andy Kim is fighting to take down the so-called, party line even as he racks up endorsements from it.

Kim filed a federal lawsuit today over New Jersey's ballot design that groups candidates in a column known as the county line rather than by the office for which they are running.

The conch -- the Congressman wants to strike down the line, pushing back against the very establishment that just this weekend through their support to him.

This weekend Kim picked up two more endorsements in Hunterdon and Burlington counties.

He already got Monmouth County Democrat's blessing.

That makes three to rival first lady Tammy Murphy's one county line, although she has a slew of endorsements from powerful party leaders in areas with high populations of Democratic voters.

Kim's landslide weekend is the latest blow to Murphy in the battle to take the senate seat.

David Cruz reports.

David: As bad campaign weeks ago, first lady Tammy Murphy's past week was right up there.

In less than seven days the Senate candidate saw her campaign manager exit, saw Andy Kim win the endorsement of the national organization for women PAC, and, oh yeah, lose three secret ballot conventions.

>> There are very ominous signs for him.

David: This analyst thinks the theme for a campaign reeling from its own missteps, but perhaps more so from the times themselves.

With so much attention paid to how party bosses control candidate selection via the party line, and a sense that two Murphys in statewide office is at least one too many.

The first lady's less than convincing public appearances have made it seem like it is getting late, early.

>> Any time there is a vote of Democrats and it is a real vote among Democrats, she cannot crack 40%.

This is the third County.

And so it is a very ominous sign.

I don't know that it is soul-searching time yet but I certainly think that she has got to be thinking this is not going the way I thought it was going to go.

David: But the losses were not entirely unexpected.

Kim represents Burlington and Monmouth in Congress, and former Congressman Tom Malinowski, a prominent Kim supporter hails from hundred 10.

Also, those counties make up less than 6% of Democratic voters.

A week from today Democrats in Bergen County, with the state's largest election of Democrats, will convene for a secret ballot vote.

Politico's Daniel Han has been covering the conventions closely.

>> The first lady still enjoys institutional support from a lot of party leaders in counties where the endorsement process is much more top-down.

And that alone, if it still holds together, that could be enough to still have her be the Democratic nominee come June.

If Kim were to win Bergen, that would throw the first lady's strategy into disarray because them Kim would be favorite to have organizational party lines in much of the state, perhaps even being equal to the advantage the first lady would have.

David: But Dan Brian, a -- the chief strategist for this Murphy's campaign, says they are right where they expected to be.

>> If you look at where Tammy Murphy is putting together her coalition of support it is largely voters of color and women, which by the way tends to be the coalition that wins Democratic primaries paid we are really excited about the counties we have coming up, not only Bergen County but still many more counties including Hudson, Essex, Somerset, Mercer.

A lot more of the game to be played and we are playing our game could our path to victory is the same it is today as it was.

David: There is still plenty of time to redirect momentum and change the narrative of this campaign.

But the way things have been going so far, Bergen County is shaping up to be a must win for Murphy.

And for that matter, for Andy Kim as well.

I'm David Cruz, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: It turns out the politics of book banning is not very popular among New Jersey residents.

At least that is what a new Rutgers Eagleton poll finds pretty survey of adults released today shows the majority are more concerned about efforts to banned books and sensor certain topics than the possibility of inappropriate or controversial content that may be found in them.

As Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan reports, the pole comes a week after lawmakers postponed a hearing on a new bill that would set our lines around when and how books can be removed from libraries.

Brenda: Emotions can drive debates over banning books in school libraries, drawing big crowds and strong objections to sex and German -- While raucous board meetings read headlines, surveys reveal a different reality, says Rutgers Eagleton poll director.

>> We hear the loud and strong voices but they do not necessarily represent a majority.

Brenda: The poll of New Jersey residents found 58% felt more concerned that some schools may banned books and sensor topics that are educationally important.

While 35% felt more worried that schools may teach books and topics viewed as inappropriate or offensive to parents and students.

8% are unsure.

>> We see over half of every single demographic say they are more concerned about books being banned rather than about inappropriate content in books.

>> People understand that it is un-American to limit access to books, to limit speech and ideas.

So I am not at all surprised by this poll and I am delighted to see it.

Brenda: Martha is a librarian who has drawn harsh criticism, even threats, for refusing to pull several controversial books off the shelves at North hundred 10 Voorhees high school.

She confirmed his school parent in her district on February 13 formally challenged the teen book, let's talk about, which explores sex and gender.

The board is now assembling a committee to review the controversial book.

>> Nobody has to read that book in the library picked if a parent is truly concerned about their child accessing it the best way to handle it is to have a conversation with the librarian or the administrator and request that their child's access be restricted, not every child's access.

Brenda: A bill pending called the freedom to read act would provide uniform guidelines to evaluate book challenges, limit such challenges to folks with vested interests, students, parents, or teachers in the district, and protect school librarians from civil and criminal lawsuits.

New Jersey school librarians agree.

>> They will continue to do their due diligence in selecting books.

But there is an ear out there because of the loudness of some of the voices in the areas where books are being challenged.

>> Today, we have librarians putting books on the shelves that have graphic sexual content.

Brenda: Republican assemblyman Eric Peterson has two kids in school.

He says folks answering polls don't realize what these books show.

He think they are so vulgar, school librarians putting these books on the shelf are breaking obscenity laws.

>> And that is what this bill is trying to do, is it's saying the librarian is going to decide what is in the library, not the elected officials, not the people who were elected, but the librarians are going to decide.

There are no boundaries because they are immune from criminal prosecution.

So, I think that is just awful.

Brenda: As for librarians restricting a student's access by parental request.

>> How do you know that the librarian is following your request that the content not be given to your child?

Brenda: The bill is scheduled for debate in Trenton March 14.

I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: New Jersey was just one of many locations nationwide this weekend holding vigils honoring 16-year-old Nex Benedict, the Oklahoma teenager who identified as non-binary died in early February, one day after being attacked in their high school bathroom as the apparent target of bullying.

Benedict's data sparking calls against anti-Elgin by -- As allies remind the public, this traumatic incident hits close to home for far too many here in the state.

Melissa Rose Cooper reports.

>> There has to be a point where we stand up and say enough.

Enough with the bullying.

These kids these are of a chance to live there authentic truths.

Melissa: Members and advocates of the LDG to cuss -- Gathered at Montclair over the weekend to remember the life of Nex Benedict, the 16-year-old non-binary student from Oklahoma who died earlier this month, a day after their families as fellow students beat them in their high school bathroom.

>> I am a non-binary adult which is what Nex would have looked like had they survived until age 42.

I never thought I would make it to age 42.

I did not think I would make it past the age of 23.

I did not think I would make it past the age of 33.

But here I am, looking in December, at age 43.

So, I wanted to do nothing else but to give the people in this room an opportunity to look at what a thriving, joyful, proud, non-binary, trans masculine adult can look like.

Because I want you to talk about us in front of your children.

Because if kids do not see an option for themselves as a grown-up, what do they do with that?

They either suppress who they are or they do not survive.

Melissa: Although police say preliminary information from an autopsy shows Nex's was not a result of trauma, members of the LGBTQ+ community say their treatment in school is a prime example of the challenges transgender and non-binary children face.

>> New Jersey is not an oculus to what happens across the country and directly what we are seeing with hate speech and rhetoric, bullying that happened to Nex in Oklahoma and other students in other states.

We're also seeing high impacts of bullying in students in New Jersey.

Melissa: Shannon is the chairperson of the New Jersey anti-bullying task force.

The organization's most recent report found hate and bias speech quadrupled in the state, with over 10,000 harassment, intimidation, and billing incidents reported.

The largest number since New Jersey's anti-bullying bill went into effect.

>> Culture in our schools is directly linked to how students feel safe and supported emotionally, physically, and academically.

And we have seen, as our report highlights, that since 2016, the last time the anti-bullying task force issued a report, that there is a direct link to what is happening on the national level and what we are seeing within classrooms, hallways, are linked to what is happening either on state legislatures, that are coming from our leaders, with hate speech and rhetoric targeting our most vulnerable and marginalized populations.

>> We know that representation matters.

I sensed inside at the vigil, to every person who is advocating for repealing policies that protect trans folks, for all the folks who are attempting to ban trans and non-binary folks from bathrooms, and all the hateful rhetoric that is out there, this is the consequence of all of that.

Melissa: Advocates are calling on legislators to do more when it comes to protecting members of the LGBTQ+ community, so children like Nex can live long lives without fear.

For NJ Spotlight News, I am Melissa Rose Cooper.

Briana: In Essex County a debate over bell reform is leading to intense talks about how to combat crime.

With an increasing number of vocal critics linking the social justice movement to an uptick in illegal activity like car thefts.

That is despite public safety data showing crime rates are down since the reform took effect.

As Senior correspondent Joanna Gagis reports, in one town the issue led local leaders to bring back a decades-old neighborhood watch program.

>> Dale reform needs to be reformed in New Jersey.

Joanna: There are increasing calls for reform on how and when offenders are released on bail.

Bell reform was enacted during the Christie administration to stop the detention of people rating -- people awaiting trial's and live didn't have money.

>> Bail reform is needed.

Nobody knew he should sit in jail just because they are indigent.

But the cases we are trying to look at change are the ones that involve threats to the public, who just don't meet certain standards of violent crimes but they are doing a ton of property crimes and get out again.

Joanna: Judges use data to the public safety assessment tool to determine if a person poses a threat if released.

The Fairfield police chief wants that to include property crime, because car thefts have been on the rise despite laws passed last year strengthening penalties on car thieves.

The East Orange Mayor Ted Green says urban mayors are most concerned about guns.

>> We saw an influx of the guns in our communities.

We saw our police officers had to tackle this bail reform, where someone would get arrested on a Monday, and with all their hard work, then on a Friday that person is back out on the street, which causes us to believe that that law has to be a little stronger.

Joanna: They'll reform has been championed by Chief Justice to his Radnor recently convened 25 bipartisan people to assess its success.

The ACLU of New Jersey's Alex is one of them and he disagrees with the mayors.

>> They are wrong and a data simply does not support it.

We rank 50 in violent crime.

We are the safest state in America for violent crime.

Violent crime and crime in general have dropped in New Jersey since Bell reform has been in place.

Joanna: The administrative office of the courts share data with those released on Dale -- on bail.

A little more than 1100 people were released after being issued a warrant in the first six months of 2021.

990 of them were not rearrested during that time, meaning about 10% were.

>> Dale reform, with all due respect, in New Jersey is viewed as the national model.

Period.

Are there laws that we could have on the books that would address home invasions, car thefts, which we have already worked with the legislature on, open-minded clearly.

But bail reform has been a huge success in New Jersey.

>> That does not mean neighborhoods are not allowed to feel unsafe or worry about auto theft.

Those are all fair and legitimate.

But it is not borne out by the data.

Joanna: It has gotten so frustrating for the people here that the town has launched a neighborhood watch program where residents will be patrolling the streets looking for suspicious activity.

>> We are partnering with our neighbors, our residents here, because the more eyes we have on the street when you see something, say something.

Joanna: Streets will have captains, but the public safety director says residents have been warned not to engage with anyone they think looks suspicious.

>> A lot of my friends from Nutley are cowboys.

Somebody breaks into my house, they are getting shot.

Unfortunately you will be shooting a kid because most of them are kids, and I know nobody wants to live with that the rest of their lives.

And they will wind up being the ones in jail.

So we keep preaching that message.

You are not a cocked.

Please just call the police.

>> The concern with neighborhood watch is you have untrained folks who cannot identify the difference between someone borrowing a friend's car and someone stealing a car, and wind up trying to play police officer when we have trained people who should be doing that.

Joanna: He does not want to see New Jersey repeat situations like the shootings of Trayvon Martin or Ahmaud Arbery, innocent Black men who were murdered in their own neighborhoods.

Briana: In our spotlight on business report, Governor Murphy will deliver his annual budget address before lawmakers tomorrow, and he has a tall order ahead.

After last year enacting the largest budget in-state history, Murphy and legislators will have to figure out a way to sustain that spending while the state battles high inflation, high interest rates, and lagging tax collections.

There are dueling proposals on whether the administration should rein in the budget or reinstate a tax on corporate businesses.

John Reitmeyer is with me now with more on what to watch.

Good to see you ahead of what will be a busy day tomorrow.

What to expect the governor to list in his speech as the big-ticket items this year?

John: The full details for sure have yet to be released by the governor has begun to talk already about this new spending plan he is going to put forward one of the big priorities he has talked about is school funding.

For the last several years New Jersey has been on a public school funding ramp up.

That's K-12 aid that goes right into the classrooms.

The governor has already indicated that one of the areas where she -- where we should expect to see spending increased is on public school aid for K-12 school districts.

We have also heard his administration officials talk at a recent meeting, basically the board that oversees the state pension system and pension investment systems, talk about another full year of pension contributions.

So, when you put those two together, that is $11 billion on the school funding side and another $7 billion on the other side.

We are already sketching this out before the full details tomorrow.

Then there' things that have to be paids.

These are things that come due that the city has to pay.

That is another several billion dollars.

While we don't have the full $50 billion, we know the broad sketches.

Briana: We have had a couple of years where the state has been somewhat flushed with cash.

Do we expect that trajectory to continue or is this owing to be a tighter budget?

John: That is one of the big questions heading in, is exactly where the Murphy administration foresees things going when it comes to revenue collections.

So you are right, the last several years New Jersey has been collecting or seeing year-over-year growth in tax collections.

As we head into this budget message, the latest tax collection data indicates that the state has been behind the pace that was set this time last year.

Briana: How much are you keeping an ear out for items around transportation?

We have the transportation trust fund this year that needs to be renewed, and New Jersey transit already announced that for the first time in nine years, there will be fare hikes.

Should we be keeping an eye on that?

John: I think two big themes headed in are education, which we have already discussed, and transportation, which is not necessarily in the four corners of the budget.

NJ Transit has a standalone budget, but the state every year subsidizes NJ Transit and provides a subsidy that helps NJ Transit operate its own budget.

That will be something important to watch.

Do lawmakers seek to intervene these hikes or soften them?

Also, transportation trust fund.

It's technically a different fund, not exactly part of the state budget.

But the deadline for renewal is June 30, the same deadline for a new budget.

So we expect all of this to get talked about together as we go over the next few months.

That transportation trust fund pays for road, bridge, and rail in for structure improvements throughout New Jersey.

Briana: Which of course the fact that some of the state coffers have gone to subsidize those in many past years has been a gripe by many organizations in the state for a while.

We will be talking about all of that and more.

John Reitmeyer, thank you so much.

John: You're welcome.

Briana: A defunct New Jersey military base is a major step closer to becoming a new home for Netflix.

The streaming giant just got a key approval from the state to build a massive production studio complex at the former Fort Monmouth Army base in Ocean County.

The required zoning to building more than 900 million dollars studio got the green light from the Fort Monmouth economic recital is a authority board.

The plans can now go on for approval from older -- other local boards.

It's expected to include 12 soundstages on a little over 290 acres of land all along Route 35 in Eatontown in Oceanport.

It is being touted as a big job creator.

Thousands of construction and production jobs are anticipated.

There are concerns though about the environmental impact of the construction.

Local planning boards are evaluating that according to recent meetings about the project.

On Wall Street, stocks took a breather today after a record-setting week.

Here's how the markets closed.

♪ And that does it for us tonight.

But make sure you tune in tomorrow afternoon for a special edition of NJ Spotlight News covering the governor's annual budget address.

I will be live with a panel and team of reporters breaking down the proposal for how to spend your tax dollars.

Our coverage begins tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. on NJPBS and streaming on our digital sites.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

For the entire NJ Spotlight News team, thanks for being with us.

Have a great evening.

We will see you back here tomorrow.

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