Briana: tonight on NJ Spotlight News, Governor Murphy takes the stated once again for the National Governors Association.

>> it is my privilege to elect Utah governor Spencer Cox as NGA 2023-2024 chair.

Briana: the life of firefighter Wayne Brooks Jr. honored today.

>> My dad died doing what he loved to do and he is so brave.

Briana: prime date means savings for you, but it comes at a cost for Amazon warehouse workers.

>> You should be expecting to go home the same way you go to work, with all your limbs intact.

Briana: and a new health care center aimed at helping adults with developmental disabilities.

>> This is a community that is so vulnerable.

Briana: NJ Spotlight News starts right now.

>> Funding for New Jersey Spotlight News funded by the members of the New Jersey Education Association, making public schools great for every child.

RWJBarnabas Health, let's be healthy together.

And Orsted, committed to the creation of a new long-term, sustainable, clean energy future for New Jersey.

♪ >> This is NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: I'm Joanna Gagis.

Governor Murphy played host for the Governors Association annual meeting.

The bipartisan group rotates between Democratic and Republican leadership.

Murphy used the event yesterday to unveil his strategy to address youth mental health issues across the country.

First lady Tammy Murphy health initiative is aimed at reducing infant deaths.

David Cruz is in Atlantic City with the priorities that will guide the National Governors Association.

>> On the final day of the summer conference, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy passed the gavel on to Utah governor Spencer Cox.

Spencer Cox, a 40 nine-year-old Republican heading into an election year, presented his initiative for the coming year.

It's called disagree better with the goal of finding a way for us to print -- branch the harsh discourse of the day in the interest of preserving democracy.

>> The course that we are on right now as Americans is unsustainable.

I can't long remain the United States if this continues.

>> Where Murphy's initiative addressing youth mental health had a clear goal of increasing services and opportunities for kids to deal with mental issues they are facing, promoting stability especially in the heated rhetorical landscape of America in 2023, is a little harder to achieve or at least measure.

>> How do you have the success of an initiative that says disagree better?

>> This is not just a warm and fuzzy initiative.

There is actually science behind what we are attempting to do.

We are working with several universities across the country.

Duke has a group that's focusing in the depolarization space as well.

There are groups out there measuring this work.

The vice chair Jared Polis helped unveil how they distribute nationally.

>> You know they are right.

There's a healthy way to deal with conflicting opinions.

It's OK to disagree.

>> It's not just OK, it's crucial.

>> Did you just disagree with me about disagreement?

>> Healthy agreement means not assuming the other side is deluded, misinformed.

>> the video was very effective in lowering the animosity that people felt towards the other party when they saw members of different parties together.

>> This organization almost uniquely stands.

I'm not sure if there's any other organization in that could sponsor that other than the National Governors Association.

It's going to be fabulous.

>> Murphy was asked what's next for the former chair of the National Governors Association.

>> 1000% behind the president and we will leave it at that.

I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow.

Water this afternoon.

>> There was a time when this conference was seen as a potential coming-out party for Murphy as a presidential candidate.

He had to settle for being a good host.

In that regard, it seemed by most accounts it was mission accomplished.

Joanna: the city of Newark is mourning the loss of Wayne Brooks Jr., one of two firemen who died last week.

Brooks will be laid to rest today.

His funeral services held at the Cathedral Basilica of Sacred Heart in Newark, where just yesterday his fellow firemen Augusto Acabou was laid to rest.

>> As much as it's painful, we are here not to celebrate the death of Wayne Brooks Jr., but we are here to celebrate his life.

>> More than a thousand people paid respects to Wayne Brooks Jr., one of two firefighters who died at Port Newark last week.

He was remembered as an exceptional firefighter and a proud family man.

>> He was the type of person to brag about family.

He brags about his daughters.

>> I'm so appreciative of the relationship we shared and I'm grateful to have called you dad.

I'm grateful you got to see all the accomplishments and I will continue to make you proud.

>> You have strengthened me, guided me and protected me throughout my life.

And each memory will be cherished and remembered with a smile.

>> Brooks leaves behind two daughters and his wife Michelle.

>> Wayne, you loved me in a way I had always prayed for.

You made me feel safe and secure just as you made your family, friends and the public be served.

>> I feel cheated, but I know not to question God.

He would have made a great leader for whatever letter company you would have led.

>> Brooks became a captain during his funeral thanks to a posthumous promotion.

His fellow firemen remembered his kindness and his love of cooking.

>> He was always a gentle giant.

And today I want to take this moment to honor you for being an amazing human being.

But moreover for being my great big brother.

>> We are all going to miss your smile.

Your hugs, handshakes and cookouts.

>> His meals brought us together as a family.

We spent many of life's big moments at the firehouse.

And more often than not, it was Bears food that gathered us together.

>> Today marked the second great -- the second day of funerals.

>> I feel the same hurt that you feel.

This has to be one of the worst two weeks in the history of this department.

>> When the call is made, they do not have the luxury of staying home, turning around, changing their mind, who walk into fires while most of us watch.

>> Brooks was a 16 year veteran.

Joanna: the small short town of North Wildwood says it needs a beach replenishment program to protected stories meant -- protect its tourism industry.

The mayor sued the state asking for support from the Army Corps of Engineers that towns around them have received.

North Wildwood has taken matters into its own hands.

The state intern sued North Wildwood for conducting unauthorized work.

Briana Vannozzi sat down with the mayor to discuss where the small town stands.

>> Get us up to speed here because there has been so much back and forth between your administration and the state DEP over beach replenishment and securing your beaches.

Where do things stand right now?

>> Unfortunately the city of North Wildwood has the distinction of being the only oceanfront community in the state of New Jersey that has a need for a short protection project that is not currently in one and this has been the case for going on 10 years now.

The city has spent over $30 million of local taxpayer money on beach nourishment projects.

In that same time period, there have instances where acting in an emergency situation, we have had to take action that the DEP later said were violations against us.

We have actually sued the DEP to force them to put us into their beach nourishment program.

There has been a lot of back-and-forth between the city and the DEP.

The commissioner and I exchanged letters in the last week or so laying out both sides position.

I think they were productive letters.

The commissioner and I have spoken several times directly and I believe that he is trying his best to remedy this situation.

Of course there's a bureaucracy we'll have to deal with and it's going a lot slower than we would like to see.

In these summer months, we have real serious public safety concerns with the condition of our beach.

>> The state's stance is you will move forward with these projects without having state approval.

>> A coastal storm can come up any time and cause significant damage that you have to fix immediately, especially during the summer season when you have tens of thousands of people.

The DEP works on a regulatory timeline which is completely inconsistent with protecting the public from immediate hazards.

Their turnaround on responses to request for emergency authorizations is upwards of five days.

Could you imagine leaving a hazardous condition on the beach on the Jersey shore in July for five days while waiting for the DEP to respond?

It's not practical.

The municipalities have primary responsibility for public protection and the agencies have to respect each other's responsibilities.

We are not getting that from the DEP.

Both organizations need to get on the same page, prioritize public safety and work together to get this incredibly important project moving forward.

Joanna: the fight for student loan debt relief is far from over for President Biden.

Today he gave $39 billion of debt -- for gave -- forgave $39 billion of debt.

A new plan would fix mistakes made by lenders.

Miguel Cardona says borrowers have slipped through the crack's and this change would correct that.

Under a new income-based repayment option, student loan debt will automatically be forgiven after 20 to 25 years of payments.

100 60,000 actors are now on strike, meaning Hollywood is all but shut down.

Members of SAG-AFTRA walked offset after their attempts to reach agreement with the studios failed.

They joined the 11,000 members of the Writers Guild Awards America who have been on strike since May.

This marks the first actor strike in more than 40 years on the first time both unions have been on strike together in more than 60 years.

The actors are demanding improved wages and working conditions and they have expressed concern over the use of AI.

Union reps say studios want to use AI to capture the actors images to use repeatedly while only paying them for one day of work.

Both want better compensation for work that runs on streaming platforms.

>> The writers have gained some leverage by being joint with the actors over pretty similar issues.

I can't tell you, I think nobody can predict.

I think it's going to take a while.

I can't tell you what the outcome is going to be.

I think these unions are going to do pretty well.

Joanna: Prime Day is an exciting one for consumers.

Most of those purchases can show up at your door within just a day or two.

But what does it take on the backend to make that happen?

Melissa Rose Cooper looks at the impact of Prime Day on Amazon's workers.

>> When workers are asserting for themselves the need to have safe enough conditions to be able to survive, they can't be put in a position where they have to choose between a paycheck.

They can't under the threat they are not going to have a job if they protect your life.

>> That's what many Amazon workers are experiencing.

He says members often share stories of working under extremely tense conditions, especially during peak period like Amazon Prime Day.

>> Last summer on Amazon Prime Day, three New Jersey Amazon workers lost their lives in three weeks.

The highest profile of those three deaths got a lot of attention for good reason.

According to reporting, his coworkers clearly blamed excessive heat in the work place and production pressure from Amazon for his death.

>> And OSHA investigation concluded there were no hazardous conditions that led to his death, but workers have been complaining about conditions at Amazon for years.

>> Amazon has somewhat increased pay because it has to to attract workers.

That has not been an issue so much as the incredible conditions workers find themselves under.

What I found was as other studies have shown, a high rate of injuries and fatalities at Amazon warehouse is compared with other warehouses partly because there is such incredible intense pressure to meet certain production numbers and certain rates.

It's just a very relentless place to work.

Incredibly repetitive work, incredibly isolated work, but incredible pressure to meet these rates.

>> Federal data shows that workers at Amazon facilities sustains nearly 39,000 injuries in 2022.

The company was responsible for more than half of all serious injuries in the industry.

Amazon says the findings are based on manipulated data.

Meanwhile, some lawmakers support the need for further investigation.

>> The idea of do good work, you should be expected to come home the same way you go to work, with all your limbs attached.

The workers go in and come home the same way.

>> Amazon maintains the health of workers is their top priority.

But worker advocates say it's not enough and are pushing for advocates to hold the company to higher standards.

Joanna: the markets closed strong after days of consecutive gains.

Here's a look at today's numbers.

>> Support for the business report provided by the Chamber of Commerce southern New Jersey, working for economic prosperity by uniting business and community leaders for 150 years.

Membership and event information online at ChamberSNJ.com.

♪ Joanna: new center has to better support adults with disabilities.

It opened in Elizabeth.

It's goal, to provide inpatient behavioral health services for those with disabilities who are also dealing with mental illness.

Raven Santana gives us a look at the new space.

>> Nearly 100 behavioral health specialists, advocates and.

there's gathered at Trinitas Regional Medical Center for a ribbon-cutting to unveil the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities on the hospital's new point campus.

>> As of 2023, New Jersey now has the third highest rate of autism in the nation.

This means more and more individuals are aging out of child and adolescent services with limited programs and resources.

>> The new center expands services for adult with developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental illnesses.

>> I think we tend to think that we don't realize we can't do a one-size-fits-all treatment for everyone.

We really need to look at the specialized needs of each community.

And this is a community that is so vulnerable, and having someone able to get the treatment they need, have behavioral specialists who really understand how to figure out what works best for each individual that comes into the unit.

>> It will increase the hospital's capacity to 22 beds.

>> The state Department of affairs assisted and we had tremendous support from the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey and the Trinity test foundation.

Without that support, we never would have been able to expand our services in this way.

>> Typically when someone with an intellectual disability arrives at an emergency room, it's because there has been some destabilizing event.

It could be that their medications need to be adjusted.

They have gone to a more excited or acute state, so they are often confused, frightened, agitated.

>> This is an example of one of those 11 rooms.

Each has two beds.

There is also a bathroom for those patients which staff says will help decrease the time vulnerable patients spent in the emergency room.

>> Any acutely ill individuals may inadvertently be at risk to harm themselves, either through falling or self stimulating behavior or maybe even behavior that they are not completely in control of.

This environment is designed to be as safe as possible and allow both privacy and access by the clinical staff to be able to keep a watchful eye on them 24 hours a day seven days a week.

>> I'm Raven Santana.

Joanna: reminder to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast so you can listen anytime.

I'm Joanna Gagis.

Thanks for being with us.

Have a great weekend.

We will see you back here on Monday.

>> NJM Insurance Group, serving insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

New Jersey Realtors, the voice for real estate in New Jersey.

More information is online at NJRealtor.com.

And By the PSNJ foundation.

>> Our future relies on more than clean energy.

Our future relies on empowered communities.

The foundation is committed to sustainability, equity and economic empowerment.

Investing in parks, helping towns go green.

Supporting civic centers, scholarships and workforce development that strengthen our community.

>> Look at these kids.

What do you see?

I see myself.

I became an ESL teacher to give my students what I wanted when I came to this country.

The opportunity to learn, to dream, to achieve, a chance to be an American.

♪