>> Major funding is provided by NJM insurance group, serving the needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

New Jersey realtors -- the voice of real estate in New Jersey.

Your information is online at NJrealtor's -- more information is online.

Raven: Tonight -- time is running out to apply for the anchor property tax relief program, with hundreds of dollars available to homeowners and renters.

Also, time to go.

New Jersey interim Senator George Helmy joins me to discuss his whirlwind Washington tenure and the transition to Senator elect Andy Kim.

Sen. Helmy: I'm hopeful that Senator elect Kim takes office soon.

We will see New Jersey priorities come to fruition.

Raven: Plus, record-breaking progress.

Jersey City Mayor reveals the latest crime data for the city.

>> For the first time this year, we have a lower homicide rate than New York City.

We have a significantly lower homicide rate than the national average.

Raven: And raising the bar -- hospitals in a local organization reveal a new program designed to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

>> With think about the crisis about maternal Child health.

Raising the bar comes at a perfect time, because we are thinking about how can we advance care within the state.

Raven: NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

♪ >> From NJPBS Studios, this is NJ Spotlight News, with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: good evening and thank for joining us.

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

First, tomorrow is the last day to apply for the state's anchor property tax really program, which is available to residents who rent or own a primary residence in New Jersey.

So far this year, more than a million homeowners have gotten a benefit, which can be as much as $1700 for people who meet certain income limits.

According to the Treasury Department, or than half a million tenants have also collected on anchor check.

The benefits vary between $400 and $700.

All of it is to help offset New Jersey's skyhigh property taxes, which average close to $10,000 statewide.

To reach more people this year, the Murphy administration extended the application deadline and to week, ending Friday, December 6, tomorrow, and has paid out nearly $2 billion to residents who have already applied.

We can find more information about eligibility requirements.

How to apply and where to get in person help from the Treasury Department in the story.

Just had to NJ Spotlight News.org.

Also tonight, a long-awaited win for bus commuters who have had to deal with and Hatton's deteriorating Port Authority bus terminal and the chaos that ensues inside.

The federal government signed off on plans to build a $10 billion modern replacement terminal, the last step needed to get the project off the ground.

The 70-year-old facility was once a marvel and is still the busiest terminal in the world, used by about a quarter of a million people daily.

It has fallen victim to its age.

The first phase of the rebuild is slated to start early next year.

It will require building roadway decks over diary and I view -- dire Avenue and the Port Authority Expressway.

The three and a half acre site will put up a temporary terminal while the existing one is demolished and rebuilt.

Once it is open, the temporary site will be converted into a park and open space.

According to reports, the Port Authority has been racing to get the federal loan approved while President Biden is still in office.

And new data from the state shows students' math any glitch test scores are improving, but performance on standardized testing still falls short of pre-pandemic levels.

The numbers released from the state Board of Education on Wednesday reveal passing rates for English language arts sit at 52%, an increase of about a percentage point, but still about 5% lower than pre-pandemic scores.

Although ninth graders did surpassed their English scores from 2019 -- that is the first group to do it.

Math proficiency also increased by about 2%.

Passing rates remain four points lower than 2019.

Caps remain between key demographic groups.

For example, black and Hispanic students as well as students with disabilities scored below the statewide average in all subjects, and there were major gaps when you compare district to district.

New York schools saw just a quarter of students meet or exceed expectations in English, compared to an area like Colts neck, where it was 80%.

A new office of academic recovery will help with the learning loss.

In less than three months since taking office, U.S.

Senator George Helmy has introduced or cosponsored 30 bills, voted on five resolutions, and 20 federal judicial nominees.

He served on three Senate committees, stumped for VP Harris on the campaign trail, and made a trip to the Middle East.

Even his Republican counterparts have said Helmy hit the ground running in Washington, making the most of his brief tenure serving as a caretaker of the position vacant by convicted former Senator Bob Menendez.

That will come to an end on Sunday, when Helmy officially steps down from the interim role he was appointed to by Governor Murphy and helps Senator elect Andy Kim more permanently transition into the seat.

What is his big take away?

Senator Helmy joins me now.

Senator Helmy, it is really good to talk to you.

I imagine this whole experience has felt pretty surreal.

You have been extremely busy.

So much so that Republican counterparts have even commented on it.

What would you say has been the biggest focused for you?

You really hit the ground running.

Mayor Fulop: Thank -- Sen. Helmy: Thank you.

Surreal is one word.

It is an incredible honor, is the other.

The question about hitting the ground running, I think it is why the governor thought it was the best choice to fill the short-term appointment.

I have been the staffer for former senators.

I knew the issues.

I knew what we were fighting for with the congressional delegation.

We have been able to hit the ground running.

As I have in my entire public service career, I know the best route for getting things done is to reach across the aisle and take meetings and explain the issues.

I have been very fortunate not only on the youth mental health, which has been my domestic priority, but other appropriations requests, to really see bipartisan support on these issues.

I am hopeful that Senator elect Kim takes office soon.

We are going to see those New Jersey priorities come to fruition.

Briana: You both had pretty glowing remarks about the relationship you have forged.

What have the conversations been like?

I know you said you have really kept the lines open to help him with the transition.

What has it looked like so far?

Sen. Helmy: The good news is while we are a very populated state, New Jersey is not that big.

I have known Andy for a good part of 10 years.

He will tell you I was one of the first meetings he took when he was even considering running for Congress against then Congressman MacArthur in a very conservative district.

I have known him for a long time and I have always admired his public service and I have always been engaged on public policy issues.

The minute I was appointed, I reached out to him.

I told him what I want to talk about, whether it be foreign policy and humanitarian issues in the Middle East, to military and issues in South Sudan, but clearly a focus on the issues impacting New Jersey, whether it be health-care or appropriations requests, clean drinking water.

These are issues that he frankly is even more versed on than I am, given his tenure in the legislature.

Briana: He will be coming into a very different White House, a Republican-controlled Congress.

Being there, being in the halls, there is a lot of talk about Congress not getting things done, about the polarization.

Would you categorize it that way?

What has been your experience?

Sen. Helmy: One of the most surprising things and frankly the thing that gives me the most optimism -- you know me well.

Even before I got started, I reached out to as many Republicans and Democrats who would have a cup of coffee with me before and during my term.

These are men and women who put America first and their partisan affiliation second, and want to get things done.

You may disagree on 90% of the stuff.

You can put that aside and say there is 10% of the stuff we can work on.

Briana: You managed to squeeze in a trip to Jordan.

You gave a passionate speech on the Senate floor about the crisis in the Middle East.

Are you concerned at all about the direction that U.S. policy has been trending?

And may likely trend under a new White House, with regard to support for Israel, given what you say you witnessed with the humanitarian crisis?

Sen. Helmy: Thank you for asking that.

I am the first Coptic Orthodox to ever serve in the United States Senate and the only Arab-American in the entire institution right now, and there will be no Arab-American coming into the next Senate.

That focus on the humanitarian crisis was very personal to me.

Fairly, we have a huge Arab population in New Jersey that is demanding action.

We are witnessing one of the greatest decimation's of human life in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon that I think we have seen in some time.

We are still seeing nearly 50,000 dead in Palestine and the inability to really address the humanitarian crisis for noncombatants.

It was important to go out there, hear from our embassy, here from the NGOs, the nonprofits, the U.N., USAID, and the Jordanian leadership.

Winter is coming.

Children are freezing.

Children are starving.

It is incumbent on us to hold our allies accountable for compliance with international norms, international laws.

I came from my last Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where the conversation was about Ben Cardin' us leadership on human rights, and our need to hold, whether it be Russia or Israel or anybody else, accountable for doing better on these issues.

Briana: Senator Helmy, thanks so much for your time and good luck.

Sen. Helmy: Wonderful being with you.

Briana: Jersey City leaders are taking a victory lap, touting new crime statistics that show homicide rates have dropped to a historic low in the city, reaching a single digit level.

The mayor credits the achievement through collaboration between police and the community.

What if you dig deeper, according to some of his opponents, the stats show other smaller crimes like car break-ins and package thefts are not slowing at the same pace.

Ted Goldberg reports.

Mayor Fulop: This will be the first year we actually achieve single digits of homicides, which we are very proud of.

>> Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop says his city has made major strides in bringing down homicides.

About a decade ago, Jersey City averaged 20 or 25 homicides a year.

In 22 any four, that number is six, including one homicide from a few years ago that was reclassified as a homicide this year.

Mayor Fulop: For the first time this year, we have a lower homicide rate in New York City.

We have a significantly lower homicide rate than the national average.

Ted: fulop, who is running for governor next year, said there were several factors, including work from community groups, more cameras citywide, and better cooperation between police and the courts.

Mayor Fulop: -- James: We were finding who did it but were not able to successfully prosecute.

We have invested our efforts over the last 10 years into technology, into getting a better picture of who is committing crimes.

Ted: Whatever is causing the drop in homicides, it has happened with fewer police officers working citywide.

The presentation of numbers included another decline in the number of cops, which has dropped for three years in a row, and despite the shrinking staff, city leaders say police have maintained a fairly consistent number of illegal guns confiscated.

Mayor Fulop: The guns are still there.

Just law enforcement and the prosecution, the prosecutor's office and the community activist is doing a better job in keeping our streets safe.

Pamela: Who would have thought we would be able to say there were no homicides this summer?

Ted: Pamela Johnson leads the antiviolence coalition of Hudson County, and she is quick to spread around the credit.

Ebola: Officers being out trained to prevent or intervene or de-escalate in any type of violence -- the fact that we have a plethora of community organizations who have been producing miraculous magic for families across Hudson County.

Ted: But the numbers were not all rosy.

>> Stolen vehicles, package theft -- we are still struggling.

Ted: Public safety director James Shea says you cannot compare numbers for these kinds of crimes because they are calculated differently now, using a national model.

James: The system is much more granular, much more involved.

It captures a lot more detail about the crimes that are occurring and is now the required reporting throughout the country.

Ted: shea blames Bill reform for the increase in crimes like car theft.

When I asked how bail reform could lead to more theft and fewer homicides, he said it is because those crimes are treated differently the criminal justice system.

James: I'm aside perpetrators, if they are prosecuted, they are removed from the streets for a long time.

I believe in bail reform.

I do believe we have to fix this without fixing the bail reform thing.

But that person is now out.

And unfortunately, those lower-level criminals commit multiple crimes.

Some of them 20 to 30 day.

>> If you -- Mayor Fulop: If you are doing 20 to 25 crimes a day, you should probably be moving through the judicial process more quickly.

Ted: He hopes to see numbers improve next year, when New Jerseyans will elect a new governor.

Pamela hopes the next governor will continue funding community groups like hers.

Pamela: without the funding which began under Governor Murphy, who did something no other governor would do -- he put violence prevention intervention in the budget.

And then stood 10 toes down and created funding to support the organizations.

Ted: Which is one of several issues in the years governor's race, something fulop and other candidates will be sure to chime in on.

In Jersey City, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: More water woes for Trenton residents.

The same company that was recently caught lying about replacing lead service lines in Newark is now being investigated by the federal government for doing the same thing in the capital city.

According to reporting from the Jersey vindicator, cruise from Trenton waterworks and the state DEP are in the process of re-examining some 32,000 lead service lines that were allegedly replaced by the contractor JAS group enterprise, which was charged with fraud by the feds for leaving lead pipes in the ground in New York -- Newark, but reporting they had been removed.

For more, I'm joined by a country bidding editor at the Jersey vindicator.

Jeff, I'm so glad to talk to you about this.

The me ask you this first.

From your investigation into this and from the actual investigation that is playing out, why do you think it is that JAS group, a company more known for real estate development, was selected to do this work in the first place?

And from what you can tell, does it indicate this problem may be much more widespread than Newark and Trenton?

Jeff: I think you have put your finger on one of the essential mysteries of this story.

Why was this company chosen?

We could not find any construction or public works background to speak of, public works contracting.

They did have some construction background building houses.

It is very unclear why they have been chosen to do this work they don't have the experience for.

I think you are going to see that investigated, looked at, if it is not already being looked at.

Obviously, there is political connections.

They hired a lobbyist.

$30,000 last year.

The received tax breaks from the state, or approval for tax breaks from the state.

I think that is one of the questions.

Where do they come from?

Did they know anyone?

What was their experience?

We have not been able to find any documents on their experience that were sent to Trenton.

Briana: What does it say about the oversight of the capital city and the state, and these public contracts?

What are the potential health and occasions here?

This is not the first problem that Trenton has faced when it comes to drinking water.

In fact, we are on the heels of one that we just discovered.

What are the health implications?

Jeff: The lead issue is one that Trenton residents are being assaulted from different angles.

Trenton has lead in the soil from the historic plants on the east side.

That is going to be a Superfund site more than likely.

They said the water has been OK, that they have been testing the water the way they armor -- are supposed to test the water, that they have been adding compounds to the water to reduce the effects of the corrosive lead in the pipes.

We just don't really know.

As you say, we do not have a lot of confidence that what they are supposed to be doing, they are doing.

The DEP is supposed to have been watching over this for several years.

They said not long ago that everything was all right, but it is clearly not alright.

I think that is an open question.

It is a serious question.

Briana: You say "we" because you are a resident of Trenton.

This affects your family as well.

What has the public response been from the city, from the DEP, about their role in helping to investigate this?

Jeff: The city has had no response.

The DEP has had no response -- not to us, anyway.

It is quite an uproar on local websites, on social media.

People are really incensed and they are wondering what do we have to do to get some oversight , to get some clarity and transparency out of city government.

The mayor here was elected a couple years ago partly on campaigning that he was going to clean up the waterworks and make the waterworks functional again.

It does not appear he has really succeeded at that.

There has been quite an uproar here in Trenton alone.

Briana: Have you learned what steps are being taken to make sure that the lead line replacement project is finalized, is completed?

Mayor Fulop: -- Jeff: There has been nothing taken yet.

They do not have money to do this.

They told me they needed a billion dollars in the next 15 years to do necessary capital improvements of the water plant, and that would include money for the lead line, to finish the lead line project, which is going to extend past the 10 year deadline of 2031.

Briana: A journalist uncovering a widespread issue with lead line replacement, fraudulent lead line replacement, in the city of Trenton.

Think you so much.

Jeff: Appreciate it.

Briana: Finally, Mercer County hospitals are teaming up to improve maternal health outcomes for their patients.

It is a two-year program aimed at enhancing the relationship between doctors, nurses, and the people they care for.

Raven Santana spoke to Doctors at one of the participating hospitals about the key parts of this program they believe will make a difference.

>> We know what is going to happen.

We do this every day and patients do not.

Raven: Dr. Christina is the medical director of labor and delivery in the mother-baby unit at Penn medicine Princeton Medical Center.

A new pilot program called raising the bar for maternal health equity and excellence is paving the way to make sure mothers are heard and seen before, during, and after birth.

>> Providers are not used to raising the issue themselves and saying I understand there could be this concern.

How can we do this better for you?

How can we personalize this for you?

>> When we think about the crisis around maternal child health, raising the bar comes at a perfect time.

How can we have advanced care within the state?

Raising the bar is unique in this way because it gathers local hospitals in New Jersey, and not only gathers these hospital partners to do this really great work and efforts around raising the bar, but also around raising community members, which is unique to this project.

Raven: The program officer for New Jersey health care quality Institute that partnered with two hospitals in Mercer County, including Penn medicine Princeton Medical Center in Plainsboro.

The two-year initiative is focused on improving birth equity, maternal child outcomes, and the experiences of people giving birth.

>> Within the nation and particularly New Jersey, we are at a state of crisis when it comes to maternal child health.

For black women in the state, they are about seven times more likely to face pregnancy related death, compared to their counterparts.

For black babies, it is about three times more likely.

>> There is much more about the holistic picture of the patient than just having a healthy baby and healthy mom.

Did we meet her expectations?

Raven: The pilot, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson foundation, includes three key elements.

The creation of the first perinatal community advisory boards reviewing each hospital paternal health data to identify areas that need improvement, and the implementation of a shared decision-making model of care called teambirth, which will improve communication and teamwork throughout the birthing process.

>> The most impact is the huddle program on label and delivery.

As the medical director, my goal is to make sure the execution of that part of the program goes off well.

A lot of that is education and spreading the word to the medical staff on this is what we are doing.

This is why we are doing it.

Raven: Jennifer is the director of patient care services at Penn medicine Princeton Medical Center.

She is confident the program will improve not only the inequities at birth, but safety.

>> Everyone can think back to times where you think you may be a strong person or you think you are educated, and we have conversations, and there are still times in health care where people are scared to speak up.

They are scared to ask a question they may feel is silly or stupid, or they are intimidated, or you may think that something is normal.

This program teambirth really gives the opportunity for the patient to be able to do that.

Raven: Staff says they are focused on continuing to gather data from surveys to see how maternal care and infant health outcomes improve as a result of the pilot program.

For NJ Spotlight News, I am Raven Santana.

Briana: That is when to do it for us tonight but make sure you check out Reporters Roundtable wtih David Cruz tomorrow.

He talks to a Democratic state senator about the pending fiscal cliff.

That is after the Murphy administration ordered agencies to cut budgets, put a freeze on hiring and pay raises.

Here what of Scanlon -- here what he believes Governor Murphy should do to put New Jersey back on solid fiscal ground.

And all the weak's political headlines.

That is tomorrow at noon on the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

Things for being with us.

Have a great night.

We will see you back here tomorrow.

>> New Jersey education Association -- making public schools great for every child.

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