>> Tonight on NJ spotlight news, a financial disaster.

The debt ceiling approved >>.

That means full steam ahead for state budget makers.

>> A fast-moving fire in New Jersey shuts down roads and forces air quality alerts.

Climate change will bring an onslaught of floods to the Garden State, making homeowners at risk of mud -- mold outbreaks.

>> We will see more and more mold growth and people getting sick.

>> Celebrating pride as the LGBTQ plus community fights book bands and -- >> We have to have graced to one another.

>> NJ spotlight news begins now.

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>> From NJ PBS, this is NJ spotlight news with Breanne of a nosy.

>> Welcome to NJ spot light news.

It is a done deal, the U.S. avoiding a default on its debt which critics believed would devastate the economy.

Late Thursday night, the Senate gave final approval on bipartisan legislation that suspends the debt limit, and increased news spending caps.

President Biden celebrated the passage in the Senate and is expected to sign off on the bill ahead of his address to the nation Friday evening.

He says the agreement protects our historic and hard-earned economic recovery, and the progress of workers have made.

We are joined by our very own budget and finance writer.

Thanks for joining me.

It is a done deal.

Biden has described this as a bipartisan agreement and a big win for the economy.

Break down, what is negotiated in this package and why is no one happy?

>> It is nice to be with you.

It gives a green light to the federal government to continue borrowing and paying its bills and that prevents the worst case scenario, not being able to pay the bills including defaulting on debt so that's a big thing.

Also in the agreement are spending caps.

The Congressional budget office estimated that will save $1.5 trillion over the next decade.

There is some rescission of federal COVID aid, mostly at the federal level.

Raven: Specifically, what does this mean for us in Jersey and does it impact legislators negotiating the budget?

>> That was the big thing we were keeping a close eye on and the real bad outcome that would have affected budget negotiations would have been a default by the government that upset the markets and changed the dynamic for state revenue collections going forward.

The fact that that outcome has been avoided means full steam ahead for state budget negotiations.

At one point there was more talk of far-reaching pullback of COVID money and New Jersey still has COVID money unspent, so there were concerns.

They went away as negotiations went forward.

Raven: Another interesting move was the joint statement that this legislation includes they cannot block military funding and we think about aid to Ukraine.

>> Some of the concerns are what happens going forward and that came up in the Senate yesterday before the vote.

It looks like it might be an impediment to this getting through on schedule because what has been identified as the x date for when the deal has to be in place and signed is June 5.

They were able to get that agreement in place, still concerns about the U.S. credit rating due to this partisanship and brinksmanship.

Definitely looks like in place and time for paying bills on time.

Raven: I was going to bring that up because there are consequences for it being right down to the wire.

>> Perhaps now, this should prompt some discussion about is this the best way to do this going forward?

The federal government does borrow to pay for its annual budget so that's an issue but with this borrowing limit coming up, you get into these situations.

That's bad for the market and investors as a whole.

Raven: Thank you for joining me.

>> Thank you.

Raven: A massive 5000 acre wildfire continued to burn in South Jersey.

Allen Road fire began in Bass River State Forest and is 50% contained this afternoon according to the fire service.

Smoke combined with fog forced authorities to briefly close a 25 mile stretch of the Garden State Parkway.

The road reopened in both directions by 10:00 a.m. with a 50 mile-per-hour speed designation because of visibility.

The smoke contributed to poor air quality across the state and especially South Jersey.

That is expected to be the case through Saturday.

Wildfires aren't the only extreme weather we deal with in New Jersey.

This week marked the official start of hurricane season.

Climate changes making storms more intense and frequent, making it more likely that we will experience flooding or water damage in homes.

Mold often follows.

In our latest collaboration, Renda Flanagan reports on the problems mold can cause.

>> I have a full-time job but I am so overwhelmed.

Brenda: Charlene still struggling to pay for the $20,000 when the hurricane flooded her basement.

Ida swamped New Jersey and caused $2 billion in damage, homes festering in the heat with mold spreading.

>> I opened the closet.

There is black spots going up.

I said, oh my gosh.

Brenda: She spent frantic months trying to hire a contractor.

Her dad, who lives with her, found himself fighting for breath.

>> He will be breathing and hacking and I have to give him nebulizers.

That goes on.

So I said, my gosh, this mold is affecting him.

Brenda: Her dad ended up hospitalized.

She said that convinced her contractor to rip out the carpets and walls.

Another family in Bridgewater tells a similar tale of Ida flooding and mold test kits showing fungus growing in their home.

Alyssa says she did not have to see it.

>> You could smell it in the air .

It smelled totally different than upstairs.

We need something, let's put on masks.

>> Heat, mold, and a food source.

Brenda: This mold expert includes a growing problem that impacts living spaces and jeopardizes health as the world gets hotter and storms more intense.

The DEP 2020 science report on climate change warns of water damage to buildings and a higher chance of dampness and condensation indoors creating mold and bacteria growth.

>> That will happen more and more as we have catastrophic flooding events.

Clearly, this is a climate issue.

>> I remain convinced that fungi can make people sick.

Brenda: This research are sampled mold that grew in homes after Superstorm Sandy and she predicts a looming health crisis and notes while not everyone reacts badly to mold, it can cause severe illness.

In New Jersey, six hundred thousand adults and 160,000 kids already suffered from asthma.

>> With climate change and the number of really devastating storms going up, we will see more and more flooding, more mold growth and more people getting sick.

Brenda: Mold remediation remains costly, government aid can be glacially slow and hard to get for tenants who depend on landlords.

Resulting health issues are not always diagnosed as a mold problem.

>> It is often called sick building syndrome or damp building syndrome.

There are many people who feel that they have been made sick and have respiratory issues and brain fog and fatigue by living in multi houses.

-- moldy houses.

>> Is it more risky for me to not have a home or have a potential health risk?

Brenda: They recommend families have one room for vulnerable family members and make it as available as possible.

Her parents helped pay the $6,000 to remediate her home.

Her dad is out of the hospital and her house is in the home -- is mold free but she obsessively monitors every storm forecast.

Yet another worry and a warming world.

I am Brenda Flett -- Brenda Flanagan.

Raven: For more on how climate change sets the stage for mold to grow and what that means for people's health, check out our reporting on NJ spotlight news.org.

It has only been a few months since the deadly police killing of Knology Seabrook's.

Lawmakers in Trenton introduced a bill which would establish a community crisis response advisory Council and crisis response teams to be piloted in Camden, Essex, Middlesex, Mercer.

JoAnn reports on why advocates will help cities.

>> No man, woman, or child should die experiencing an emotional crisis when all they were asking for was help.

>> That is the message growing louder in the light of the police shooting while he was experiencing a mental health crisis.

Trenton lawmakers are adding their names.

>> It is to reduce incidence of uninsured -- unintended shootings and friction with the community.

We do that by enlisting the community.

>> This assemblyman is the sponsor of a pilot program putting funding behind crisis response teams like the Patterson healing collective and North community Street team that respond to mental health crisis's differently.

>> That means somebody who has been through what they have been through who can relate to them and get them to change their ways and a more, less violent, volatile, systematic way.

Just basically relating to them on experiences.

>> The bill would provide $10 million across five counties.

Allocating $2 million to bolster the efforts of the existing crisis response teams in each county.

It would be run under the Department of Health, shifting these responses from law enforcement to more of a public health matter.

It has the support of faith leaders.

>> I love this bill because it allows for our community to be the first responders in essence, those that are trained, and because the bill resourced to be able to address mental health challenges as they arise, these crisis moments, from folks that have the training.

Police officers are not trained and do not have that level, nor should they be with all they have to take care of.

>> The bill would create a community crisis response Council.

>> Advocates have been long arguing.

We have seen these and other states so it is a step in the right or text -- direction.

Other alternative and viable ways of addressing community-based violence and prevention strategies.

>> New Jersey day piloted a mental health prevent -- professional with law enforcement when responding to a crisis to allow crisis response -- this would allow crisis response teams to lead the effort and collect data.

>> We will be able to collect data and determine the viability of these programs.

As the Council and Department of Health begin to allocate funding to these organizations, there's always going to be the option to evaluate.

That allows us to collect this data and make more informed choices.

>> The bill passed committee but Senator -- committee members Spearman is hopeful.

>> This is a pilot program for the first three years so if we have good results, and we believe we well, great results have already been experienced in Trenton and Patterson and Newark and Camden for that matter.

We believe this is something we can expand to other departments.

>> The Senate needs to take up a version of the bell and despite the support on the ground, that effort has stalled.

NJ spotlight news.

Raven: Spotlight on business, the cannabis regulatory commission publishes yet another high-profile cannabis retailer.

They stripped a harmony of its license for manufacturing and cultivating cannabis, saying the company owes hundreds of dollars to the state.

Ted Goldberg response -- reports on the response and legal hurdles ahead.

>> Harmony cannot grow or manufacture adult use cannabis.

Ted: They brought the hammer down on harmony after accusing them of not paying $700,000 in licensing fees.

The CRC granted more than 100 new licenses yesterday and ruled harmony can no longer grow or manufacture cannabis.

Although they can still sell it.

The harmony CEO said he was baffled by the decision, saying "if we had been notified this action was being considered, we would have gladly explained we are in complete compliance with the February 15 agreement we reached in terms of paying our license fees.

The rash decision taken is an alarming wake-up call to the New Jersey entrepreneurs seeking to work within the confines established by state regulators to further grow the cannabis industry."

>> If you do not pay the fees to restore your license, it will get vacated, but you still have the right once you pay those fees to get it reinstated.

Ted: The next step for harmony is pay the fees and reinstate -- she works in cannabis law and wonders if harmony will be similar to Curaleaf.

They had a separate Institute -- incident resolved quickly.

>> It was a labor peace agreement that was not in place and it was a violation of regulations.

We were reaching out to elected officials and the campaign worked.

I think there's a lot to say about the fact that political influence and mass organizing to a degree does work.

Ted: The CRC isn't the first group of accusing harmony to pay them.

Harmony has been accused of misappropriating company funds, not paying rent, and failing to pay attorneys.

A spokesperson declined to comment.

Last night, the CRC heard other complaints about New Jersey's first full year of cannabis regulation from business owners to the landlord to host them.

>> One individual was in prison 27 years, here's his opportunity to make something of his life with this facility.

I said, I'm going to do everything to get this over the line.

Here we are eight months into this, still nothing.

He's burning cash.

>> Marginalized communities are supposed to benefit the most, are being pushed to the side.

The of transparency and integrity has created a stifling environment for cannabis businesses.

Ted: The CRC voted to prioritize social equity applicants for certain licenses, majority owned by those who have a low income, live in economically disadvantaged areas, or have been indicted for a marijuana offense.

I am Ted Goldberg.

Raven: The markets reacting to a strong jobs report all the economy added 339,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate still up to 3.7%.

Low income workers are making historic gains in wages.

Here's how the markets closed for the week.

>> 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/ Raven: Join me for NJ business feed to highlight some of the most interesting conversations this season with members of the business community, from lucrative side gigs to a talk with former Governor Jim McGreevey on getting the formerly incarcerated back to work, Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday morning on NJ PBS.

Raven: Governor Phil Murphy Germans nine governors to oppose censorship of textbooks.

Murphy along with governors from the nation are pushing back on textbook publishers agreeing to censor education materials at the order of state governments like Florida.

This comes in the wake of debate over LGBTQ+ educational materials in schools as battles heat up.

Advocates are reflecting on the general atmosphere amongst the trends community in New Jersey -- trans community in New Jersey after troubling bills catching fire nationwide.

Project manager and trainer Damien Allen Lopez is a proud transgender man with hopes to shift the conversation.

Lopez joins me on how trends representation can -- trans representation can inspire confidence.

Let's talk about why banning books with LGBTQ+ content like you are a children's book is problematic.

>> Absolutely.

It is interesting because I just came back from a training this morning.

When we talked about inclusive curriculum to the youth between seventh and ninth grade, I expressed it is your right and the law to learn about the communities that are your own, to see yourself reflected in the things that you learn.

It is super imperative to decrease bullying.

Done our inclusive -- inclusive curriculum.

It decreases bullying and increases compassion.

We have comprehensive lesson plans and resources for those youth.

It establishes great connections.

Raven: You spoke about uplifting each other but we know that's not happening everywhere.

Over the past few weeks, we've seen mixed reactions from different school districts considering policies wrist choir -- policies requiring schools to notify parents about gender and/or sexual orientation.

When you hear that, what would you like to see, for people who are listening who are on the fence or may not support this?

Why is it so important they take the time to educate themselves and listen to someone like yourself?

>> Coming out is a very individualized process, very personal, maybe even sacred because it takes a lot of mixed emotions and resonating and self reflection on finding what resonates with you.

We want to promote the privacy of students.

Coming out is a scary process.

Some students do not have supportive parents and to take away that power goes against that moment of saying, this is who I am and I want you to love and support me.

While schools are going against some specific policies that may be outing them, that isn't their right to do.

We want to promote students rights and privacy and celebrating autonomy.

Raven: It is interesting because we think about students rights.

We can't talk about LGBTQ+ education without also talking about access to transgender and gender affirming health care.

In 2023, I want to ask, from one being the worst and 10 being the best, how would you rate access to LGBTQ+ health care and why?

>> My goodness, I would say 100.

We are going off the scale.

Gender affirming care saves lives and when we look at the data and research every day, it not only increases overall mental well-being, it increases quality of life and saves people's lives.

What is important is not just accessibility but making sure they have it consistently.

If I didn't have my gender affirming care, I did shed a tear the other day.

I don't want to detransition.

I cannot imagine me not being Damien.

It is fulfilling, self-love, and we have to give grace to one another.

Raven: You are living proof that everyone should be heard and feel valid.

Thank you for joining me.

>> Absolutely, thank you for having me.

Raven: Before we leave you, a reminder that Tuesday is primary day in New Jersey.

In person voting opens today, though overall turnout for the primaries is expected to be low.

Nearly 200,000 people have already voted by mail.

Most of 5% of the more than 4 million registered Democrats and Republicans in Jersey.

6.5 million residents in total are registered to vote.

There is no same-day registration in the state so make sure you are signed up.

Last June marked the first primary with early in person voting would only 20,000 some odd voters turned out early.

Districts have contested primaries with the most heated ones being on the Republican side.

Tune into reporters roundtable with David Cruz as he talks to Sue Altman about entering the race to unseat Congressman Tom Keene Junior in the seventh district.

On chat box, David talks with NJ Department of environmental -- about the plan to revitalize Liberty State Park Saturday 6:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m. on NJ PBS.

I am Raven Santana.

For the entire spotlight new steam, thank you for being with us.

We will see you back here on Monday.

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