Announcer: Funding for NJ Spotlight News, provided by the members of the New Jersey Education Association, making public schools great for every child.

RWJBarnabas Health, let's be healthy together.

And New Jersey Realtors.

The voice of real estate in New Jersey.

More information is online at NJrealtor.com.

Briana: Tonight on "NJ Spotlight News," more details emerge following the fatal crash of NHL player and Jersey native Johnny Gaudreau and his brother.

Advocates are demanding safer streets.

>> The system that they have now is definitely not working, and we need to end the carnage on our roadways.

Briana: Plus, three years later, tropical storm Ida's devastation is still gripping some homeowners in New Jersey.

A bill on the governor's desk could deliver critical aid.

>> It looks like we are still in the hurricane.

We are still struggling.

We are still fighting for what's right.

Briana: Also, a New Jersey Court rules smoking can continue inside Atlantic City casinos.

A major blow to casino workers.

And banning cell phones, as kids head back to school, several district are implementing new rules in the classroom.

NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

♪ Announcer: From NJ PBS Studios, this is "NJ Spotlight news" with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: Good evening and thanks for joining us this Tuesday night.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

We began with a few key stories we are following.

First, Rutgers University is in the hot seat.

President Jonathan Holloway is calling for an external investigation into the state school's women's gymnastics program following allegations that the team's coach fostered a toxic culture of bullying and favoritism, and that pleas for help by athletes were ignored by the athletic director, Pat Hobbs.

Hobbs abruptly designed August 16th, citing vague health issues.

Governor Murphy on Friday publicly confirmed before his departure that Rutgers was conducting an internal investigation over a possible inappropriate consensual relationship he was having.

Murphy called the allegations from current and former Rutgers gymnasts "really ugly and very disturbing."

Some team members filed formal complaints, but told NJ.com they believe Hobbs shut them down at least partially because he had a relationship with the coach.

In a statement, Rutgers says it takes very seriously and investigates all complaints, alleging violations of university policy.

Hobbs was slated to stay in his position, in which he earned more than $1 million a year until 2028.

And Governor Murphy late today signed legislation expanding New Jersey's sexual assault victims Bill of Rights requiring that victims are notified of certain developments when it comes to evidence in their cases, including whether police obtained the DNA profile of an assailant during processing, whether the DNA has been entered into a database, and if it matches the DNA of other profiles in other databases.

The new law also expands reporting on so-called rape kits by letting victims know if evidence was submitted to a forensics lab.

Also tonight, we are entering the final weeks of what's been historically hot and humid summer.

But a proposal to protect New Jersey workers who have to deal with extreme heat on the job remains stalled in Trenton.

Labor advocates are urging state lawmakers to take up a bill that would create new protections for workers on hot days, with requirements including more frequent breaks Trenton And access to water along with increased staffing to spread the workload.

Hundreds of workers across the country have died from heat exposure over the last decades, according to federal statistics, and the issue is becoming more pressing, as climate change drives temperatures and humidity higher.

Business lobbyists have fiercely opposed the bill calling it an expensive and inflexible proposal.

The bill comes as the Biden administration pushes to create new workplace heat protections on the federal level.

And there are more details tonight surrounding the tragic death of NHL hockey star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew.

The accused drunk driver who hit and killed the brothers near their family home in Salem County last Thursday is a high-ranking military officer in the state.

According to NJ.com, the driver Sean Higgins is a major in the New Jersey Army National Guard and works at a nonprofit for substance abuse treatment headquartered in Pennsylvania.

Police documents show Higgins admitted to police he drank 5-6 years before the crash.

The Gaudreau wives and sisters posted tributes on their social media accounts, speaking publicly for the first time since the fatal accident, vowing to honor their lives.

It's been a dangerous year on New Jersey's roads.

According to state police statistics, there have been 407 fatal crashes and 429 fatalities so far.

That is a roughly 13% increase from last year, with still several months remaining in the calendar.

Sanguita B. knows all too well the pain the Gaudreau family is experiencing.

Her 11-year-old son was killed by a driver in 2011 after they ran a stop sign.

She has dedicated her life's work to preventing similar tragedies by creating a foundation and families for safe streets.

She joins me know.

Sangita, I am glad to get your insight for a topic like this.

When you read about another family losing their children in a preventable tragedy, what goes through your mind?

>> Every time I read another traffic death, it's like the heartbreaking loss of the Gaudreau brothers.

I relive the tragedy of losing my son in a car crash, when the driver ran through a stop sign.

Behind every statistic is a story of unimaginable grief and a loved one that was taken too soon.

As you may know, each year, around 600 people die on New Jersey roadways.

These deaths are all preventable as you said -- these are preventable crashes.

We need to change the system.

And the system that we have now is definitely not working and we need to end the carnage in our roadways.

-- on our roadways.

Briana: Through your foundation and through the Vision Zero Alliance, what have you identified that is missing?

There have been a number of new laws put on the books.

You in fact have helped usher some of those reforms through.

Then, what largely are we missing to be able to save another life?

>> Right, so, there's a ton that we can do, a lot of things that one can do.

First of all, we need to thoroughly investigate each traffic death and create safer infrastructure, especially for biking and walking.

And fill the gaps for everyone, to ensure no matter how they travel, they can do so safely.

Briana: Our bike lanes and -- Are bike lanes and pedestrian lanes enough?

Inevitably, people get behind the wheel intoxicated.

>> Absolutely.

They are not enough.

That's why I say we need to holistic approach.

I talk about biking and walking infrastructure, because you see that in urban areas, but not so much in the rural areas.

That's why I bring that up.

I also think we need to equip our police with proven technologies that will enforce speeding laws.

We need state agencies to prioritize safety.

Which has not been happening.

And the state needs to follow the national roadway safety strategy, that at the heart of it is the safe system approach which talks about safer roads.

What does that mean?

You design the roads in a way that will mitigate human mistakes.

It recognizes that humans will make errors.

But our road system should not.

We should be focusing on safer promotion of designs and technologies that will help us prevent these tragedies.

We need to set speed limits based on the road design and the conditions.

And we need to have safer road uses to create a and responsible -- to create safe and responsible driving behaviors.

And the post-crash care, which is to improve emergency response and also the medical care we can provide to people with these injuries.

Briana: Sure.

>> And that is why we as vision zero New Jersey alliance are urging our state leaders to pass the target zero commission bill, and this bill aims to study and examine and review all aspects of traffic safety.

With a specific focus on equity, access, and mobility for all New Jersey users that will end traffic fatalities by 2040.

Briana: Sangeeta, thank you so much for your time today.

>> Thank you.

Briana: Three years ago, tropical storm Ida tore through New Jersey, causing severe inland flooding and destroying homes.

Many of the homeowners who were hard hit are still feeling the burdens of the storm, unable to move forward with fixing their properties and living in disarray.

A bill sitting on Governor Murphy's desk would offer some financial help, but as senior correspondent Brenda Flanigan reports, he has yet to sign it.

>> While the hurricane has passed, and it's been three years, it feels like we are still in the hurricane.

We are still struggling.

We are still fighting for what's right.

Reporter: Three years after Ida, Debbie Josephs has partially repaired and refurbish her Mandeville home.

The last time we spoke in her bare living room, only a year had passed since Ida's floodwaters inundated this lost valley section of town, forcing her to flee in a police rescue boat.

That trauma lingers but a bunch recovery has only made it worse, she says.

>> People are giving up.

Reporter: What do you mean?

>> They are just walking away.

Some people are just walking away because they are tired.

They are tired of fighting.

Reporter: Josephs borrowed $25,000 from the federal government and took up more personal loans just to make her home livable, but FEMA has classified the house as substantially damaged.

So, to sell it, she needs to elevate it above potential floodwaters.

But without a federal grant, she can't do that out of pocket.

She is stuck.

>> You can't sell your home.

You can't sell it.

You cannot sell it until you elevate it, or the buyer agrees to elevate it.

Who's going to buy a house and then have to put another $100,000 in it?

>> They are at this point where they feel people don't hear them and they are invisible.

Reporter: Jody Stewart as an advocate who has push for more government aid for Ida survivors.

She says Ida is still taking a human toll.

>> I am watching families breakup right now because of the lack of recovery.

It's not right, it's not fair, and I will blame the government every time about it.

Reporter: Last September, DEP officials decided not to spend any more federal aid dollars on fixing or elevating homes in Manville, because it figured Lost Valley would continue to flood.

Instead, it offered 78 residents here blue acres buy outs.

>> You have to pay to lift it, and also is not really worth it, -- it's not really worth it, because your house is still in the valley.

It's going to get flooded no matter what.

Reporter: He says his family will likely take a buyout for their home.

It's a hard choice.

Some lost Valley homes stand frozen in time partially raised.

But New Jersey's Legislature unanimously passed a bill that would offer qualifying Ida victims a break on mortgages and foreclosures.

>> It allows some of these property owners that are still waiting for answers sometime -- still waiting for answers some time without interest fees or penalties and hopefully some answers to questions they have been asking for three years.

Reporter: Republican Senator Doug Steinhardt backed the bill that would provide a year of mortgage and foreclosure forbearance for people who got federal disaster relief or damages Ida did to their homes, have a household income that is less than 150% of the median earnings for their ZIP Code, and do not have significant savings on hand.

The governor still has not signed it, so Steinhardt says he just sent Murphy a letter urging, "for these families, you hold the keys to their homes and families, literally.

Please let them in."

>> It's extremely frustrating, and I tried to express my frustration as politely as possible.

Reporter: Democrat Troy Singleton said in a statement, "every day, week, month and year of an action is more time these -- of inaction is more time these families suffer financially and emotionally."

>> Our members are disappointed in our governor.

They really feel he doesn't care.

Where has he been?

>> It's a 12 month forbearance.

That will mean absolutely nothing to the higher ups.

But to us, in Manville, it would mean the world.

Reporter: The governor's office has not responded to our request for comment, unless Murphy vetoes it, the bill becomes law September 12.

Josephs says that might help her sleep at night.

I'm Brenda Flanigan, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: in our spotlight on business report tonight, smoking will continue inside Atlantic City casinos.

A Superior Court Judge Friday dealt a major blow to a group of casino workers who have been trying to get smoking banned from casino floors.

They kept in place a loophole that exams casinos from following the statewide ban on indoor smoking.

As Ted Goldberg reports, the union for workers argued they had a constitutional right to breathe clean air but the judge did not see it that way.

>> That was like a gut punch.

>> A kick in the groin.

Reporter: Casino workers hoping to avoid tobacco smoke will dealt -- were dealt a losing hand last week.

>> Had allowed myself to believe -- >> I had actually allowed myself to believe that this would be done this time.

>> We have waited three months just to hear we were dismissed and that everything else the other side wanted was granted.

Reporter: New Jersey smoke-free air act bans indoor smoking in almost all workplaces and public spaces.

Casinos are a notable exception.

They say the carveout violates the state constitution.

A judge disagreed and throughout a lawsuit representing some casino employees saying while the Court is sympathetic to the health hazards, it has determined that safety is not a fundamental right.

>> I find that to be so outrageous when the casino said it in court, I was shocked.

Reporter: They say safety is not guaranteed, particularly when a person freely chooses to work in a dangerous profession.

Nancy Erica Smith, lead counsel for the union, plans to appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court.

>> That is not how we live anymore, just say quit the job if the job is made unsafe by greedy corporations.

Coal miners don't have to work in coal mines, why we going to make them safe?

We could say women who don't like being sexually harassed, stay home.

Reporter: The dismissal was praised by the casino Association of New Jersey.

President Mark Antonio said in a statement, we are gratified by the court's decision to dismiss.

The casino industry and other stakeholders including the city of Atlantic City and unite here/ local 54 have taken significant steps over the years to create a healthier environment for employees and patrons, including limiting smoking to just a fraction of the floorspace.

Workers are now looking to go the legislative route.

Even though bills to ban smoking have stalled in Trenton.

>> They have the right thing right now.

As soon as they get back in session, let's move the bill, let's make it right for these workers.

>> We will call people out publicly into PR campaigns, we will have rallies.

Again, we are fighting for our lives.

We are like a cornered animal right now.

We are fighting for our lives.

Whatever we have to do, we will do.

>> We need somebody courageous enough to say, this is wrong, it is time to stop.

And there our people that have an opportunity, that have the influence and power in the state that are not stepping up.

Reporter: A bill to eliminate the carveout for casinos did pass the Senate's health committee in January, but we have not heard about it since.

>> The court adopted the casino argument that Atlantic City is different.

[Laughter] Other than their intense political contributions, I can't imagine why Atlantic City is different.

>> We are going to keep on taking any opportunity we have to keep fighting for this.

We are not going to stop.

We are fighting for our lives literally.

>> Some of our opposition are waiting for this to end and us to go away quietly and it's not going to happen.

We have to do this every night eight hours a day.

We are not going away and we will win this fight.

No doubt about it.

Reporter: Casino workers say if the bill continues to stall, more people will be at risk of inhaling secondhand smoke.

>> As we are waiting and as everybody wants to see what happens, I got to see what -- I get to see what really happens, and it's another cancer diagnosis from my girlfriend just recently.

>> It is time to recognize that these workers deserve the same as everybody else.

Reporter: The casinos have argued that eliminating smoking would lead to a loss of jobs and revenue.

Some say less smoke would invite more gamblers.

But it's a safe bet that this argument is not going away quietly anytime soon.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Ted Goldberg.

Announcer: Support for the business report is provided by Riverview Jazz.

Presenting the first annual Jersey City Latin Jazz Festival on Saturday, September 14 at Exchange Place Plaza in Jersey City.

Performance schedule and further details for the event can be found online at Riverviewjazz.org.

Briana: Some public school students are starting the new school year with a new rule.

No cell phones.

It's a growing movement in districts across the state, as more evidence points to the negative effects of excessive cell phone use on youth, including increased anxiety and depression.

Our senior correspondent, Joanna Gagis, reports the policy is being rolled out smoothly in some areas while hitting a few hurdles in others.

>> It was really challenging to compete with students and their cell phones during instructional time.

Reporter: So Middletown students returning to school today were met with a new district policy.

>> An away for the day policy which includes any type of electronic communication device.

Reporter: Students in Cherry Hill saw a similar policy change.

>> During instructional time, students are prohibited from displaying or utilizing a wireless give indication device.

That would be cellular phones, iPad, airpods, your phone -- earphones.

Reporter: They say it strikes a middle-of-the-road balance between locking phones away or letting them stay in the student -- on the student's person.

He says the policy came after polling teachers and parents and having lengthy meetings with students.

>> Students agree that the devices presented a negative aspect to their day.

But they did not want us to completely and totally ban the devices outright from school.

So the request was find a happy medium.

And that was allow students to maintain their devices in th -- their bags or person but ban them during instructional time.

Reporter: The superintendent says they are hoping to see a positive impact on students' social and emotional health.

>> Students more than ever before have been experiencing mental health challenges, whether it be anxiety, school avoidance, and all those things have come on the heels of the pandemic.

And certainly the cell phone use and students having devices in their hands has definitely ramped up since that time where many, many places including education really went to a totally virtual environment.

Reporter: Those mental health challenges are clear and the work that Ashley M. does as a licensed professional counselor that works with young people.

>> We definitely see a huge increase in anxiety and depression.

We even see almost 50% of youth from 13 to 17 years old reporting cyber bullying going on online.

Youth also know that being online is contribute into these feelings of anxiety and depression.

>> She sees the phone ban as a positive.

>> All we can hope for is -- hope for is more students get the chance to shut them off for a bit to give them that relief.

Reporter: But many districts in the state including Montclair are still considering how to move forward with phone policies.

The state's left it up to districts to decide.

Parents in Montclair sent a letter to the superintendent asking for a more drastic step that would use a program called YONDER that locks phones away in a pouch.

>> My goal is to make sure that my child and his peers do not have cell phones in the classroom distracting them while they are paying attention to instruction and in the lunch room socializing and making friendships that will help them get through their day and their next number of years of school.

Reporter: As more districts put policies in place, questions around enforcement will have to be considered as well.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Joana Gagis.

Briana: our NJ decide podcasts drops today, where David Cruz, choline all day and I go one-on-one with the candidates running for Congress this November.

All 12 U.S. House seats are up for grabs and one Senate seat is on the line.

This is a chance for you to meet the candidates and hear why they think they deserve your vote.

Here's a sneak peek.

>> This November, your vote is critical, and it could decide the balance of power in Congress.

All 12 congressional seats are up for grabs here in New Jersey.

So we are talking to the candidates and drilling down on the issues to help you decide where to cast your vote.

The wrist completely changed the fact that there is no -- The wrist completely change the fact that there is no county line ballot and you knocked out the first lady from running in the primary against the.

That is big stuff.

>> I am proud of the fact that New Jersey politics will never be the same.

>> there's nothing better than connecting with their constituents.

And right now I feel like we need better representation in district 5.

>> You also talked about wars, you are not saying that the wars in Ukraine and Israel, Palestine, that we had anything to do with that, that the Biden-Harris administration has something to do with that.

>> Had a president Joe Biden say we should build the pipeline.

>> He's been in office since 1988 and this district since 1993.

>> I'm guessing it would support term limits?

>> Absolutely.

>> How are things with you and him and him with you?

>> He has my father.

And that's obviously been a challenging couple of months -- >> he is my father.

That's obviously been a challenging couple of months.

My focus was always focusing on what is within my control.

>> Chris Smith likes to say, we want abortion on demand, up to the ninth month, a that fetus and a woman at eight months is called an abortion.

We cannot be treating other human beings is what.

>> Went on to win the primary almost by nine points.

I did not have any political backing with me.

I did it on my own and that's what I intend to do in the general election as well.

Briana: You can check it out by downloading the NJ decides election exchange podcast wherever you'd listen.

Episodes start dropping today.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

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

We will see you back here tomorrow.

>> NJM Insurance Group.

Serving the insurance needs of for 100 years.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

And by the PSEG foundation.

>> NJM insurance group, Serving New Jersey businesses for over a century.

We help companies keep their vehicles on the road, employees on the job, and projects on track, working to protect employees from illness and injury, to keep goods and services moving across the state.

We are proud to be part of New Jersey.

NJM, we have got New Jersey covered.

♪ [CAPTIONING PERFORMED BY THE NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE, WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS CAPTION CONTENT AND ACCURACY.

VISIT NCICAP.ORG]