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♪ >> From NJ PBS, this is NJ Spotlight news with Briana Vannozzi.
Briana: Good evening and thanks for joining us this Monday night.
I am Briana Josie.
-- Briana Vannozzi.
An 11-year-old's Burlington County's girl death by suicide is being publicized by a grieving mom.
Now school officials say Felicia Melendez died two days after being found unresponsive in a bathroom school at her middle school.
According to Melinda's's family, the 11-year-old repeatedly notified the school she was being bullied, but no action was taken.
February 6 incident happened just days before 14-year-old seasonal -- Central regional student was bullied.
Raising questions about what is driving this alarming nationwide rise in teen suicide, and just how much responsibility should rest with schools to prevent it?
For more, I am joined by Dr. Stephanie Marcello, Chief Psychologist for the Rutgers University Behavioral HealthCare.
This most recent tragic incident of an 11-year-old in Mount Holly, Burlington County, who died by suicide, she herself had emailed school administration officials about the bullying.
We know there has been a lot of talk from parents and students about the fact that they have notified the school that bullying goes on, with the incident with Adriana Kusch, what is a parent to do, when they are being met with no response from a school rotation or AB even resistance?
-- maybe even resistance?
Dr. Marcello: That is part of the challenge.
Parents can do a lot, but they cannot do it alone.
And I think having safe school communities and bringing them together, it is really powerful, but again, we cannot do it alone.
Briana: We know, of course, suicide is a very layered and complex issue, and bullying is not the only factor.
What are some of the signs you tell not just family but loved ones, friends, to look for in someone who might be exhibiting some of these behaviors?
Dr. Marcello: I always say that one of the biggest thing with kids, or anybody, really, is any change from their normal behavior.
So a kid who typically ask one way suddenly is not acting that way, or they are hanging out maybe with different people or spending time alone, or hearing sometimes more negative comments about them, about themselves, so really trying to talk with our kids, have these conversations before, you know, things are actually happening.
Briana: How you have a teenager who does not necessarily want to talk to you about some of this, how do you approach that?
Dr. Marcello:Dr. Marcello: I think it starts when kids are young.
It starts with parents, letting our kids know that we should not be treated this way.
Briana: What is missing from this conversation about how we can combat this?
Dr. Marcello: I think there is federal law, I think there's training and support for teachers who just do so much.
So much can be done to it think prevention is missing.
I don't think, you know, universally, we do enough prevention at school to really build the physical and emotional safety for these kids.
I think there is not enough funding answer or to have enough guidance councils and training school staff and students to help sustain, like, bullying prevention experts over time.
There's a training here, a training here, but not really addressing the climate and filter in a school and community.
Briana: Dr. Stephanie Marcello, Chief Psychologist with Rutgers UBHC, thank you for your insight on this.
Meanwhile, federal regulators took a major step in fighting the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. Overdoses, driven largely by opioid use.
The FDA approved nationwide over-the-counter sales of Narcan, a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of old pure overdoses.
The move supplements and a program that already exists in New Jersey.
Melissa Ruth Cooper looks at how it is working and how the federal program could help save even more lives.
>> It is incredible moves, something that harm reductionist's have been fighting for for a very long time.
>> Data applauded the FDA pose a to make the opioid for dorsal drug -- reversal drug available.
Now the FDA giving pharmacies the green light to sell the nasal spray over-the-counter.
Jenna: Narcan is an incredibly safe medicine, but it only works when it is widely available.
It should have never been prescription medication in the first place, and now the FDA is rightsizing that by making Narcan over-the-counter.
Melissa: The FDA's announcement is a plan to fight the open your crisis.
In January, the Department of human services initiated a program to provide free Naloxone to residents at pharmacies across the state.
>> They don't have to sailor name.
.
We just have to confirm that they are 14 years or older, and they are able to get a Narcan prescription, with no questions asked, under Jane Doe.
Melissa: One of hundreds of pharmacies participating in the program.
Owner Neil says so far they have saved about 30 lives.
>> New Jersey is ahead of the game, and we do appreciate that, because we feel there are a lot of overdoses.
Middlesex County is in the top 20% of overdoses in the state, so we are concerned about that we know, to this day, there is a significant amount of stigma surrounding what we call harm reduction efforts, and we consider Narcan to be harm reduction, meaning that it is not necessarily the silver bullet to stop someone from using opioids or to stop someone who has an addiction, but it is literally there to save their life, to give them an opportunity to have a second chance, to be able to get the care that they need.
Melissa: Catherine Coleman, vice president of addiction recovery services in New Jersey, says having Narcan on hand is a necessity, especially since some people who overdose may not even be aware it is in their system.
Katherine: we have had individuals who may even be using marijuana, and there might be thinkable in the marijuana, and they go into overdose, and they might not even have an over -- opioid based addiction or issue but now are needing that.
Melissa: With the cause of Narcan raising about $80 to $100, there is concern about making the prescription available without limiting accessibility.
>> Many people who need this lifesaving medication are unable to afford it, because a lot of people with substance use do not have expendable money or maybe even the wherewithal to pick this up from the pharmacy.
So if it is inexpensive and easily accessible, I think it will be big.
Hopefully it is not changed things like the free availability of Naloxone, but people really are marginalizing those who can't afford it.
I think the over-the-counter availability will help many others who might have or know of people who have substance use disorder, and they want to keep some with them, and if they witness an event.
Melissa: Harm reductionists say the FDA's approval of the over-the-counter Narcan nasal spray will save more lives.
They are hoping more versions of the drug will be available soon.
For NJ Spotlight News, I am Melissa Ruth Cooper.
Briana: Stripping a campaign-finance dog of its independence.
The election transparency act passed both chambers last week, not without debate.
To build double campaign contribution limits and holds campaigns to stricter reporting delight -- requirements, but it also allows Governor Murphy to directly appoint commissioners to the law enforcement commission, the agency tasked with investigating campaign finance violation.
Last week, three commissioners resigned in protest.
Critics call the move a power grab by the governor, but supporters of the bill say it will shed much needed light on so-called dark money group, by requiring them to reveal donors, and say it has been in need of a major overhaul.
Inflation may be to blame for a lot of the high prices we are seeing, but that is notthe only factor in New Jersey's rising rent cost.
The state is short -- New Jersey's rising rent cost.
The state is short units, and a problem many advocates worry if delayed construction gets approved by lawmakers.
Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan has that.
>> I think everyone should get to experience something like living here.
Brandy: Leslie Vargas has lived in Millburn for 20 years.
She praises the upscale suburban town's plans add another couple hundred affordable housing units here.
>> And immigrant, too, like,, you know,, you know, it is great it gives so much opportunity for parents, for kids.
I think it is absolutely wonderful.
I think Millburn should be more inclusive.
>> I think as long as the schools can accommodate everybody and there is a place for everybody, that I don't have.
A problem with it, personally.
Brenda: Affordable housing is tough to find in New Jersey.
Studies show a shortage of 225,000 units for low income a very low income folks, and rents soared 20% to 40% since the pandemic started.
Housing advocate the Stacy Berger calls it a crisis.
>> Routinely, everyday come all the time are getting phone calls from families, residents, people with disabilities we have a desperate, desperate need for affordable places for people to live.
Brenda: Like Millburn, every town in New Jersey must comply with affordable state housing mandates, with new goals negotiated every the two years for the fourth building cycle starts in July 2025, but a senator has introduced a bill to delay the next round until 2028.
>> These units will be built, it is just a matter of how much and when.
Right now, towns are struggling.
Towns are struggling all over the state with trying to meet these obligations, and once they do, then they need to be given an opportunity to be able to develop these units, before they get thrown into a next round.
Brenda: She says planning more affordable housing burdens towns with expenses they can ill afford following the pandemic.
He wants to cross -- pause the process and study where new development makes sense.
But New Jersey's fair share housing center opposes any delay.
>> What does that mean for families?
It means paying too much in rent, living in places that have mice running around, subsidized housing.
It is a really, very direct impact.
Brenda: But a delay will affect how cycles are currently working.
>> And how those changes are impacting the municipality, from a, whether it is an infrastructure standpoint, school standpoint, whatever it may be, that will be what may come in the next round.
Brenda: There is a hearing in Essex County court.
There some opposition.
A change.org petition has gathered more than 2000 signatures.
It claims the process -- project will obviously segregate its residents from the rest of the Millburn community on the basis of income and other factors.
No feasibility studies have been done regarding this project's effect on infrastructure, schools, flooding, and traffic, but the town councils approve the fair share housing land and more.
>> Passing a state organs that includes a 20%.
>> We need to open our doors and finally let people in.
It is a final -- wonderful town.
Brenda: In Millburn, I am Brenda Flanagan, New Jersey Spotlight News.
Briana: A dangerous social media challenge, the so-called Kia challenge, helps thieves target certain Kia and Hyundai vehicles because of a vulnerability in the car's design.
Now, 23 state attorneys general, including New Jersey's are demanding the company is confront the issues.
Ted Goldberg reports.
>> About a year ago, someone figured out how to hotwire certain Kia's and Hyundai's with a screwdriver and a standard USB cable.
That information spread to TikTok, where users spread the so-called Kia challenge.
Now, we are dealing with a surge of stolen cars.
>> It affects as many as 4 million vehicles across the U.S. That might involve over 200,000 vehicles here in the state of New Jersey alone.
Ted: Tim Appleton leads the New Jersey Association of automotive retailers he says Kia and its parent company Hyundai did well to respond quickly when they learned about the Kia challenge per day stop short of a recall but have offered seat -- free software fixes that dealerships for people who own the affected cars, which includes several models made between 2015 and 2021.
Tim: they were able to quickly come up with a way to block the hack, millions of vehicles that were in use, and implement that block to the hack, that has to be hands-on.
This is the value of the franchise model, where Hyundai has 40 dealerships across the state.
Ted: One reason these cars are easier to steal as they do not have an engine immobilizer, a small tip that would stop a car from starting, unless its original key is nearby.
Tim: Kia and Hyundai left their vehicles vulnerable to theft, and now they are in a mad scramble to make up for what they should have done on the factory floor when they were building the vehicles.
Ted: Michael Barry works with the insurance information Institute, an industry funded nonprofit.
He sees some insurers stop offering new policies on these cars in certain states.
You cannot get Allstate in New Jersey for the affected Kia's and Hyundai's, and State Farm will not cover them in some places outside of New Jersey.
Michael: This is highly unusual, and it is really because of the many fractures of the Kia and Hyundai vehicles decided to cut corners and did not install these engine immobilizer's, which would reduce the FAFSA.
Ted: Matt Plotkin and other Attorney General got involved, writing a letter to Kia and Hyundai.
"Your company's made a choice not to include antitheft immobilizers and standard equipment and many of the models sold in the United States, even though they come with immobilizer's when sold in Canada and Europe."
By 2015, they were standard on other manufacturers vehicles, yet in that same year, only 20% of Hyundai and Kia models came equipped with an immobilizer as standard equipment.
>> The AG visa do more, keeping the communities safe, protect our property.
I don't know what more Hyundai or Kia could do in this point in time.
Ted: The State Senate Judiciary Committee addressed car theft by passing a Bills in December.
Some of them have been combined together, but none have been sent to Governor Murphy's desk for his signature.
For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Ted Goldberg.
Briana: In our spotlight on business report, plastic utensils are now in the crosshairs of environmental advocates, who are pushing a bill to ban disposable cutlery and condiment packets, you know, the kind that hold your catch up and mayo, to be bandit restaurants throughout the state.
They would like to see them go the way of the plastic bag.
It would prohibit restaurants from going with plastic and let customer asks for them.
It would also require some businesses to use reusable, rewash a bowl utensils instead and urged all of the food establishments to find eco-friendly alternatives.
Violations would include a thousand dollar fine for the first offense and up to $5,000 for the defense.
The money would go to the claim community fund which includes -- promotes litter pickup removal and enforcement.
Markets are reacting to the surge in oil prices following a surge in production.
Here is a look at tonight's closing trading 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.
♪ Briana: At least four tornadoes touched down in New Jersey this weekend.
Another three are under investigation after a powerful storm slammed the city Saturday night.
South jersey bearing the brunt of it, causing widespread damage to homes and downing power lines.
The National Weather Service confirmed tornadoes hit Jackson Township and Burlington County.
Winds reached as high as 70 miles an hour, and hail was reported as large as an inch and a half in diameter.
In Jackson, a 100,000-square-foot inflatable sports dome deflated and sustained serious damage, according to officials there.
Schools in both Jackson and Howell were closed today amid ongoing power outages and other destruction.
The National Weather Service also recorded tornadoes in nearby Delaware and Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
Across the country, though, tornadoes ripped through the South and Midwest, killing more than two dozen people, leaving communities in absolute ruin.
Alright, well, the spring season has finally arrived and so has one of our least favorite times of the year.
The sneezing, itchy eyes, and runny noses that come with allergies.
New research shows higher counts of pollen are starting earlier and are lasting longer.
You can thank the mild winter weather for that.
For allergy sufferers, this season is expected to be a whole lot worse.
How bad?
I recently asked Catherine Monteleone he, an allergist and immunologist at Rutgers Johnson medical school.
It seems like allergy season never ended.
Has this become a year-round issue?
Dr. Monteleone: So many people do have year-round allergies because they have indoor and outdoor allergies.
Normally, you would get a break over the winter, or summer when it is very hot and dry.
This year, it is starting early, so people are having symptoms earlier.
Briana: Is it earlier and longer, and what can we attribute that to?
It is earlier, it is longer, and -- Dr. Monteleone: It is earlier, it is longer, and unfortunately, it also has more pollen being distributed from each plant, and that is really all global warming, increasing temperatures, so pollen and plant growth is starting earlier and going longer and longer.
Briana: Why is that?
For allergy sufferers like myself, not good news.
Why is that?
This seems to be a trend now that we have seen over the last several years.
Dr. Monteleone: Right.
It varies year-to-year, but there is a trend, and it seems to do with global temperatures and with carbon dioxide in the air.
So there is more robust plant growth, because the temperatures are warmer, and also warm temperatures this winter, they are just growing earlier, and that growth is continuing and not drying out.
And the pollen therefore is being shed longer.
And because of increasing carbon dioxide levels, the plants themselves are making more pollen.
Briana: So it is not more pollen, it is more potent.
Dr. Monteleone: It is more potent, because there's more in the air.
Briana: How does one tell the difference, then, between allergy symptoms, and we are in in this respiratory season as well, of different illnesses going around.
How does one tell the difference if they have a cold or respiratory virus or allergies?
Dr. Monteleone: People seem to know, because they know it is coming.
It is that time of year.
For people for whom this is new, somewhat itchy, sneezy, runny, you don't really get the fevers and aches that you get with a cold, so that is a little different, and the cold will be shorter lived.
It will go away in five days, and an allergy will not.
It will continue.
Briana: Yeah.
OK, if we are seeing it flare, let's say, a month earlier than we typically did, how long does the allergy season go?
When might we get some relief?
Dr. Monteleone: Well, we are in tree season now, and that might drag to tree pollen season.
You might get a little relief if it gets dry and hot, rather than -- end of July, beginning of August, and then ragweed and the others start, and some people just go all year.
It really depends, mold is out there, if you get more mold in the summer, spring, and fall, so depending on what you are allergic to, unfortunately, it does tend to go from one season into the next.
Briana: So your office is never not busy, that is you are telling me?
[Laughter] All right, Catherine Monteleone , allergist with Rutgers, thank you so much for your time.
Dr. Monteleone: thank you.
Briana: That does it for us tonight, but a reminder, you can now listen to NJ Spotlight News any time via podcast wherever you stream, make sure to download it and check us out.
You can also follow us on our social platforms and on NJSpotlight.org.
Keep up with all the greatest -- latest news on the garden state.
I am Briana Vannozzi.
For the entire NJ Spotlight team, thank you for joining us.
Have a great evening.
We will see you back here tomorrow.
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