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Tonight on NJ Spotlight News, flight restrictions at Newark Airport could be extended as staffing shortages continue to plague air traffic control.

So what does that mean for your next flight?

Plus, visitation fight.

Families trying to visit loved ones held at a New Jersey immigrant detention center say they face grueling wait times and unanswered questions.

Well, advocates told me that it feels that they're punishing families as well, not just, you know, the people that are detained here in the detention center.

Also, protecting against mosquitoes.

With West Nile virus detected across most of New Jersey, experts are sharing how to limit your risk.

Most people probably get infected with West Nile have no symptoms.

So that's the positive.

The issue is with certain people, especially immunocompromised and elderly, it's fatal.

It could be fatal.

And Black Business Month.

This August, the state is shining a light on the impact of black entrepreneurs and black-owned businesses.

Black businesses are in need of significant participation in the state's economy.

NJ Spotlight News starts right now.

From NJ PBS studios, this is NJ Spotlight News with Brianna Vanozzi.

Good evening and thanks for joining us on this Monday night on Raven Santana in for Brianna Vanozzi.

We begin with a few of today's top stories.

First, the Federal Aviation Administration has proposed extending flight limits at Newark Airport through October 2026.

The FAA in May capped flights at just 34 arrivals and departures each an hour through the end of 2025.

But officials say ongoing air traffic control staffing shortages will require a more long-term fix.

It comes after a series of communication outages earlier this year that prompted delays, cancellations and a federal investigation.

The FAA says improvements have been made, including a new fiber optic line between New York and the Philly TRACON that was completed in July to prevent communication disruptions.

But that the agency needs more time to address, quote, staffing deficiencies.

Their amended proposal would allow 36 arrivals and departures each per hour through most of 2026, including during the FIFA World Cup, when many airlines say they plan to increase operations to meet the demand for travel to the region.

The extended flight restrictions have yet to be approved.

And the city of Patterson and surrounding suburbs remain under a boil water advisory that has been in place since Friday morning when a massive 30-inch water main that's 140 years old broke near Hinchcliffe Stadium.

The Passaic Valley Water Commission, which serves the area, said repair work is expected to be finished later tonight or tomorrow.

Residents of Patterson and Prospect Park are urged to boil their tap water for at least one minute before use to kill any bacteria that may be present.

Hilton and North Hilton are also under a boil water advisory as the local water company serving those towns buys water from the PVWC and is impacted by the main break.

The Passaic County Health Department has ordered all businesses serving food in the affected area shut down.

PVWC handed out bottled water to affected people at Hillford Park today and portable showers and toilets were made available at John F. Kennedy High School.

Mayor Andre Seah today shut down splash pads and asked residents to conserve water until the issue is resolved.

Also tonight, new information is emerging in the case of an undocumented immigrant who allegedly killed a woman and her daughter in a drunk driving crash last month in Lakewood.

According to a recording obtained by the New Jersey Monitor, state prosecutors sought to detain Raul Luna Perez while he awaited trial.

But a superior judge denied the request and ordered him to be released.

In the hearing last month, prosecutors said Luna Perez had been arrested three times in four months for driving under the influence.

But based on a pretrial assessment, the judge sided with Luna Perez's attorney and ordered him to be released to his home with an ankle monitor.

He was later arrested by immigration agents.

It comes as the White House has accused the Murphy administration's immigration policies of shielding criminals, claims the governor and attorney general have denied.

It's a painful wait filled with confusion, frustration and often no reunion at all.

Family members and friends trying to visit loved ones held at the Delaney Hall Immigration Detention Facility in Newark say they've endured grueling waits of up to 12 hours only to be turned away.

A recent documented NY report details ever changing visitation rules that leave many wondering if they'll ever get in.

Journalist Mauricio Guerrero, who reported the story and spoke with those affected, joins me now to share more.

Mauricio, in your reporting, you spoke to nearly a dozen different families.

Tell me a little bit about what you heard on the ground.

What did visitors tell you about their experiences trying to see loved ones?

Yeah, well, I visited the Delaney Hall on July 27th.

It was a Saturday.

So the people I interviewed, they told me that they had to wait from 7 to 12 hours every time they tried to visit their loved ones in Delaney Hall.

That day, for example, there were people that arrived eight hours before and they were still waiting to visit their loved ones.

So, you know, this is dangerous because we're talking about a heat index that is above 100.

And, you know, some days in July, it reached 105.

This month, as well, it's expected New Jersey to be as well very hot, or at least that part of New Jersey, you know, reaching 105 degrees.

So it's extremely dangerous.

What I saw, it was a pregnant woman, you know, minors, at least two children were there.

And people are, you know, it feels for them when they told me and as well advocates told me that it feels that they're punishing families as well.

Can you walk us through what a typical day looks like for someone trying to visit?

Well, my understanding is they changed the rules again because that was another complaint.

They were changing the rules constantly.

It was just a little bit chaotic, according to the interviewees, because people had to stand in line, you know, for these long hours.

However, the rules have changed again, I understand, since August 5th.

There are new rules for visitation hours.

They expanded the visitation hours, which is good news.

But I'm not sure exactly how they're coordinating now their visits.

Another complaint was that even though the GeoGroup was announcing certain hours for visitation, in reality, certain hours in their website, in reality the visitation hours were different.

So just advocates were, you know, reaching out to people and, you know, posting Instagram posts to say, to clarify exactly what were the hours.

There's as well miscommunication, lack of communication.

So, yeah, people are unsure of what to expect.

Well, let's talk about that.

How transparent has Delaney Hall or the facilities management been with visitors about these changes?

It seems like they keep flip-flopping.

And did you get any response from the facility or from county or federal agencies overseeing it?

Yeah.

As you can recall, Delaney Hall was in the news, you know, a couple of months ago, where Major of Newark, Raz Baraka, was arrested there.

And another representative of New Jersey trying to, you know, certify and make sure, inspect the facilities to make sure that the rights of detainees were being respected.

Then afterwards, I contacted Geo Group for this interview.

They just, you know, sent me a boilerplate statement saying that, you know, the food is fantastic.

It's, you know, approved by dietitians.

They also said that, you know, the facilities, they're never overcrowded, which is false, no?

Because we've seen in several Geo Group facilities that there's, you know, bad food, overcrowding.

And just this year, four people at least have died in Geo Group facilities.

This, despite the fact that for Delaney Hall specifically, they received $20 million contract from ICE.

And they expect to make at least $400 million this year for, you know, the expansion of the detention apparatus in the U.S. What do you want people to take away from when they think about the impact of these restrictions and delays on detainees themselves, even?

Yeah.

So, as I said, you know, it's one thing that the detainees, which is the conditions as have been, you know, many organizations have documented, they're bad.

That's what people told me as well in Delaney Hall.

That's one thing.

But there's another issue with the families, which, you know, they're not detained.

They should be treated with, you know, respect, with dignity.

And that has not been the case so far.

What I expect Geo Group to do, especially, you know, when they're receiving millions of dollars in contracts, is, you know, as I said, at least to be transparent in terms of hours, the rules of visitations, and probably, you know, to schedule something more rational in terms of, yeah, the people that are allowed there to see their loved ones.

Mauricio, thank you so much for joining me.

Thank you so much, Rae.

Turning now to a look at reforming New Jersey's addiction recovery and rehab industry.

Two bills were signed into law today by acting Governor Tahitia Way, aiming to end illegal marketing practices, as well as body brokering, a disturbing practice where recovery coaches would get kickbacks for referring patients to certain centers.

These fraudulent acts were all detailed in a 2024 report from the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation.

Ted Goldberg spoke with patients and family members who have all been targets of these crimes and what happens next as part of our Under the Dome series.

If a law is going to affect a group of people, they should be involved in creating that law, and that's why I think this one is extreme.

These two bills are very strong.

Acting Governor Tahitia Way signed two bills today targeting bad actors in addiction recovery.

The bills increase penalties for deceptive marketing and body brokering, a practice where people are paid to refer patients to specific rehab centers.

Alyssa Tierney says this happened to her.

It's gone so far as to people will pay you to relapse, and then you go back to treatment and they'll give you a cut of the money that they're making.

The whole point is to get these people out of the cycle of addiction, and I heard the reports myself that a lot of these facilities, that's not their main goal, and that's the problem.

Nicole DiMaria lost her sister Georgine, a former Miss New Jersey, to addiction about four years ago.

She's referring to reports written by New Jersey's State Commission of Investigation, which found evidence of fraud and ethical misconduct in the state's addiction rehab industry.

These are the most vulnerable patients, but they're also the most desperate, and it's not just the patient, it's also the family.

People are in crisis mode at this time, so they just want to get their loved ones into a treatment center, so they're not really thinking, oh, they're going to Florida.

Tierney says her private insurance made her a prime target.

I have been sent out of state to Florida numerous times.

I had great private insurance, and there were times where detoxes were sending me to a treatment center I've never heard of, and when I asked to go to a different treatment center, they punished me, basically.

They called my parents, they told them I was manipulating them.

These bills passed through the statehouse without a single no vote, with one senator not present for the votes.

While Tierney was happy about that, she's also interested to see how the bills are enforced going forward.

Any law is only as good as its implementation, so if these bills are implemented, it will be leading the way for body brokering in the country.

These bills bump up body brokering from a fourth-degree crime to a third-degree crime, the equivalent of a more serious felony, and implement a $50,000 fine.

Advocate Elizabeth Burke-Beattie says more laws may need to be written if bad actors find loopholes in these laws.

Wherever there is money to be had and money to be made, and we know that the opioid crisis has really created more funding, which, thank goodness, it has.

However, we need to be careful that the people who are trying to secure those funds are doing it for the right reasons.

Any focus on this industry I really appreciate and it's welcome.

Anything we can do to make it more transparent, to have accountability in the industry.

The bills also require restitution to be paid to patients and insurers that are affected.

State data shows more than 44,000 people were admitted for substance abuse treatment in New Jersey in 2023, and these bills aim to protect these kind of patients going forward.

In Trenton, I'm Ted Goldberg, NJ Spotlight News.

Under the Dome is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

So far this year, no human cases of West Nile have been reported in New Jersey, but mosquitoes in 19 counties have tested positive for the virus.

That's pushing officials to ramp up control efforts.

In Bergen County, the Bergen Bites Back program is looking to limit the risk with surveillance, spraying and even mosquito eating minnows.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan takes us behind the scenes and explains why the peak risk is still to come.

So these are mostly Culex mosquitoes.

A behind the scenes look at Bergen County's mosquito fighting arsenal turned up surveillance traps called pools.

This one's baited with fermented water and grass, says expert Matt Bickerton.

So it has a certain type of odor.

It's called we call it stink water.

Turns out stink water is irresistible to Culex mosquitoes, making it easy to trap and check them for West Nile virus.

This trap uses the smell of human sweat to lure Asian tiger mosquitoes.

Another West Nile vector lab tests of the so-called mosquito pool samples in Bergen reveal a potential problem.

And for the last couple of weeks, we have almost all the mosquitoes we tested were positive for West Nile.

It's above average.

It's kind of in line with where things were last year.

And last year, we had quite a few people that got sick from West Nile virus because we've had such a high positive pool tests.

We believe that we want to be out in front of this to prevent somebody from getting the disease.

Pools like these get tested weekly across the state.

Out of more than 5000 mosquito pools tested in New Jersey, 384 so far this season have revealed positive evidence of West Nile virus in 19 of 21 counties.

Mosquitoes like warm, wet weather and they breed in standing water in amounts as small as a bottle cap full.

This is a hot zone, you know, Bergen County, Hudson County, Union County tend to be relatively high for West Nile.

We think that's mostly because the mosquitoes that are the best vectors for West Nile virus are urban, the urban species.

These larvae mature in about a week.

The females can live and bite for a month, laying multiple egg batches.

To attack the hatchlings, the county's two million dollar Bergen Bites Back program sprays residential neighborhoods with vector back a biological larvicide, usually over housetops and into yards during pre-dawn hours.

You've got to be proactive in some fashion.

So I think part of it is an education process, explaining to folks the trade offs.

Right.

And we are using the safest products that are on the market.

Bergen residents can also call the county and ask to have their yards individually sprayed for free.

Folks are urged to clean pools and dump standing water, even bird baths.

The county also deploys special minnows that devour the larvae called wigglers in ponds and lakes.

Meanwhile, global warming only helps extend the Culex mosquitoes breeding season.

Bickerton figures we had an early West Nile positive.

That was May 21st.

So that was really unusual.

We haven't had activity that early in recent memory.

Last year, New Jersey reported 41 human cases of West Nile in 14 counties with eight deaths from complications compared to 13 cases and one death across seven counties in 2023.

But most people bitten by infected mosquitoes don't even know it.

Most people probably get infected with West Nile have no symptoms.

So that's that's that's the positive.

The issue is with with certain people, especially immunocompromised and elderly, it's fatal.

It could be fatal.

Mosquitoes carry other diseases, too, including dengue fever, malaria and chikungunya.

New Jersey's West Nile season peaks between mid-August and mid-September.

In Paramus, I'm Brenda Flanagan and J Spotlight News.

In our spotlight on Business Report tonight, August is recognized as National Black Business Month established in 2004.

The month shines a spotlight on the economic and cultural impact black entrepreneurs and black owned businesses have had in communities across the country.

Joining me now is John Harmon, founder, president and CEO of the African-American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

He joins me to talk about the progress made, the challenges ahead and how we can all play a role in strengthening black owned businesses across the state.

John, thanks for joining me.

You know, it's my pleasure to be here.

And I really appreciate, Raven, you extended an opportunity for us to chat today in your opening reference Black Business Month.

And I'm pleased to know the founders of Black Business Month, Fred Jordan and John Templeton, two amazing gentlemen I know from the Bay Area who thought fit to really stand up Black Business Month as something that we should all recognize.

Well, I love that intro.

I want to I want to put a pin in that.

How would you describe the current state of black owned businesses and are some of the current economic conditions impacting black owned businesses here?

The short answer is, you know, it's a little complicated.

On one hand, recent census data shows that black businesses have grown exponentially coming out of the pandemic.

This is based on the 2022 census that puts us today about one hundred twenty four thousand black businesses in New Jersey.

But they're largely sole proprietorships.

They're not really a part of the economy where they can grow and scale their enterprises.

So that's an opportunity for the state of New Jersey.

So that opportunity, if it's met with intentionality and a significant degree of reciprocity, it can lead to a more competitive state.

So black businesses are in need of significant participation in the state's economy.

So, John, you spoke about the needs.

What are some of the biggest barriers black entrepreneurs face when it comes to starting or growing their businesses?

No, I think that's a great question.

Capital is always an issue.

Access to opportunity is in greater need more so than access to capital, because if you have contract opportunities, you can tend to find the capital.

And black businesses, as demonstrated to the state's disparity study, are not getting an equitable share of public contract opportunities, notwithstanding our participation in the tax system in the state.

We don't have a deficiency of businesses that could participate in the economy.

They're just lacking access to the opportunities, being invited.

So that speaks to this current environment.

Given the federal government is pulling back on MBE programs, minority businesses, minority business enterprises and women business enterprises, as well as disadvantaged business enterprises as programs to give entree to federal contracting.

That's a problem, particularly for our businesses.

Well, it seems like there's no lack of talent.

But when you think about corporations and policymakers, what can they do better, John, to support black owned businesses?

Great, great question.

It's all about a couple of things.

Intentionality and reciprocity, right?

If we can deliver the value that's going to have an impact on your bottom line of your corporation or large business, we should be afforded an opportunity to compete.

So they have to be intentional about it, partner with the African-American Chamber of Commerce and be willing to have a reciprocal relationship based on a value imperative that would derive mutual benefits.

Well, we are in an election year.

Has either gubernatorial candidate proposed policies to strengthen black owned businesses in the state?

Or what would you like to see, John, done in the next administration?

So, Raven, a fantastic question.

I'll give you both sides of that.

We have had extensive conversations with both candidates.

And so I'm pleased and thankful for that.

However, given that blacks have voted 90 percent for the Democratic Party consistently over a number of years, I personally, as a registered Democrat, but as an organization that speaks to both parties from a bipartisan basis, I would expect the Democratic Party to be a lot more forthright and intentional about how they're going to mitigate the systemic challenges in terms of specific black agenda initiatives.

And we haven't seen that.

We've seen overtures which are pointing in the right direction, which is encouraging.

But today we need to see your cards.

This election could be transformational for the next administration, as well as for the black community.

John Harmon, thanks for joining me.

Raven, thank you so much for the opportunity.

Support for The Business Report is provided by the Newark Alliance presents the 2025 Halsey Fest featuring the vibrancy of Newark's arts and education district and Halsey Street.

Halsey, a neighborhood built on hustle and heart.

The 2025 Halsey Fest schedule is available at HalseyNWK.com.

That's going to do it for us tonight.

But a reminder, you can download our podcast wherever you listen and watch us anytime by subscribing to the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel.

Plus, you can follow us on Instagram and Blue Sky to stay up to date on all the state's big headlines.

I'm Raven Santana for the entire team at NJ Spotlight News.

Thanks for being with us.

Have a great evening and we'll see you right back here tomorrow.

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