(upbeat music) - From NJ PBS Studios, this is NJ Spotlight News with Brianna Vannozzi.

- Hello, and thanks for joining us tonight.

I'm Brianna Vannozzi.

Coming up, I talk with New Jersey State GOP Chair Christine Hanlon about her party's response to the situation at Delaney Hall and a look ahead to the June 2nd Congressional primary races.

Plus, Bayonne elects its first female mayor.

We'll talk with the mayor-elect on her plans for the Hudson County City.

And later, students solving decades-old cold cases.

We'll take you to one college classroom that's making groundbreaking discoveries in unsolved cases using DNA technology.

First though, let's get a check of the top headlines with Joanna Gagas.

Jo.

Thanks, Brie.

Governor Sherrill announced a new plan this week to deal with the rise of AI data centers.

Standing alongside state legislators, environmentalists, and labor leaders, Cheryl outlined four key pillars that she'd like to see become state requirements before our data centers allowed into a community.

First, they'd have to pay their own way, meaning they supply their own electricity and pay for any electric grid updates needed to handle larger energy demands.

Second, data centers would be required to disclose how much energy and water usage they require, and that would be reported every six months.

She called that a step toward transparency.

Third, the companies would need to engage with their communities and make investments into the neighborhoods through community benefit agreements, supporting housing, schools, and more.

And finally, any development of an AI data center would be required to use union labor and pay a prevailing wage.

Cheryl says she's the first governor in the nation to comprehensive guideline, but the plan is still in its infancy and will require the legislature to get a bill to her desk.

Back to you, Bree.

Coming up, the head of the New Jersey GOP joins us to discuss the growing controversy at Delaney Hall, the battle for control of Congress, and what new polling could mean for Republicans heading into the midterms.

That's next.

Funding for NJ Spotlight News provided by the members of the New Jersey Education Association and RWJBarnabas Health.

Learn more at rwjbh.org.

Well tensions are still escalating in and outside Newark's Delaney Hall Detention Center where protesters and ICE agents have clashed for seven consecutive days amid a detainee hunger strike and allegations of inhumane conditions inside the facility.

Including today reports from the advocacy group New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice that detainees alleged being beaten with batons and pepper sprayed by guards.

In a statement Governor Sherrill's office separately said the State Department of Health was given only partial access earlier today to conduct an inspection.

Those findings will be made public.

All of it though is adding to a number of high-profile political tests facing Republicans right now.

For more on that I'm joined by the New Jersey State Republican Party Chairwoman Christine Hanlon.

Chairwoman welcome and thank you for your time.

I don't have to tell you that there is a national spotlight on this detention center, not just because of those protests, but because there are advocates and detainee attorneys who say that there are folks inside there, despite having valid green cards, legal status, or that they were picked up while attending scheduled immigration proceedings.

Where does the state GOP stand on this?

Great to be with you.

We support our law enforcement officers, our ICE agents, our law enforcement at the federal level and while people are making arguments and advocating we understand that.

We believe that our law enforcement officers are making the proper arrests that they need to make and and that the facility is being run properly.

We know that there have been several high-profile Democratic lawmakers both from New Jersey and New York have who have visited.

Are there any plans for or can we expect to see any GOP leaders there in the coming days.

I have not heard if people are going there.

I think that it really was a political stunt that took place on Memorial Day, which is really a day that is supposed to be reserved for honoring our fallen soldiers and members of the military.

And it's unfortunate that our Democrats, leaders in New Jersey, took to this solemn day to go conduct a political stunt outside of a facility on a holiday and on a day that we're really supposed to be remembering our fallen service members.

It's a shame that that took place, clearly a political stunt.

And it's, you know, I think residents across New Jersey really saw that for what it is, playing politics with the safety of our law enforcement officers.

And it's a shame that that happened.

Could you see a benefit as far as we've been able to confirm?

None of the three Republican congressional members have paid a visit.

Obviously, Tom Kaine Jr.

out on medical leave, which we'll get to.

Could you see a benefit to them being there firsthand to see or to negate these allegations that are being made?

Well, you know what, our congressmen, Congressman Smith, Congressman Bandrew, they are terrific leaders and I will leave that up to them to do.

Is there any concern, Chairwoman, that this issue could sway voters as we head into the primary election next week?

Well, clearly the political stunt that took place on Memorial Day of all days was designed to sway voters.

But you know what, it's really important to note that we have the World Cup coming up and unfortunately the political stunt that took place really risks what is going to happen with the World Cup coming up because as you know our federal leaders have now said if they can't utilize the facility and get the support of local police that they may no longer have customs at Newark Airport to to vet packages and individuals coming into our country.

And the World Cup situation has been a debacle here in New Jersey on every turn and now we have a political stunt getting in a way with in the way of tourists and visitors coming here for the World Cup.

Yeah I mean there's a lot for voters to contend with.

I mentioned Tom Kane Jr.

His district race is arguably one of the most closely watched here in the state.

We know he's been battling an undisclosed medical issue.

It's kept him away from Capitol Hill since March.

Do you have any updates on the congressman or when we might see him return for votes that you can share with us?

The congressman is expected to return in the coming weeks.

I believe he did a media interview recently.

He's in our thoughts and prayers and we are hoping for his very quick return and speedy recovery and he'll be back on the trail soon and I believe that he will be a strong in a strong position going into November and I'm excited for his return.

How has that affected his ability to campaign?

Obviously in the Republican side, he's uncontested, but heading into November, is there any concern about him being able to retain his seat given this medical issue?

Well, as we know, this is a targeted race.

We have resources from around the country working on this race, and it is a very important race from a national perspective.

And, as I said, he'll be back soon and will be campaigning, and I think he'll be campaigning strong.

And we expect him to hit the ground running.

Let me just ask you quickly and more broadly, a number of polls out this week, The Economist, and the Sanderson College, showed the president's approval rating dropping when it comes to his handling of things like the economy, foreign policy, specifically the war in Iran.

Even if you discount some of these approval numbers, do Republicans risk alienating swing voters if concerns about the economy in particular persist heading into the midterms?

Well as we know the economy is always an issue but I think that Republicans will be in a strong position going into the election in November.

The economic numbers have been very good for our president and I think that will carry through to November.

The president had very strong primary elections over the past several months in terms of his support in key races in the primary.

Republicans were coming out strong, and I think that we will be in a very good position going into the midterms.

New Jersey State GOP Chairwoman Christine Hanlon, thank you again for your time.

We appreciate speaking with you.

Thanks for having me.

The Hudson County city of Bayonne is preparing to enter a new political era.

Mayor-elect Sharon Ash-Nedrowski made history after recently being elected Bayonne's first female mayor and the first mayor in more than two decades who is not a former law enforcement officer.

Ash-Nedrowski won with a decisive victory, but she's taking office facing major questions about affordability, rapid development, and political power inside the Hudson County Democratic machine.

So what is her approach going forward?

She joins us now.

Mayor-elect, welcome and congratulations.

As we said there on that victory, thanks for your time today.

That wide margin, it was in a race that many people expected to be much more close.

Are you attributing that to residents saying we need a change?

Are you seeing it as a mandate for change?

>> Yes, thank you for having me.

And I believe that's exactly what it was.

Everyone was expecting, including myself, a runoff.

But, you know, the people spoke, you know, this was a referendum.

People want change.

Residents want to feel heard.

Quality of life is a big issue.

And the people spoke and I'm proud and honored that they put their trust in me to deliver on exactly what we promised, better quality of life, affordability, and transparency.

How exactly are you planning to go about that?

Are there some, I'll call it, entrenched practices in Bayonne local government that you've already pinpointed that you're planning to do away with or to change?

So I was on the council before in Bayonne.

I was eight years as City Council President and so I know both how City Hall works and also what doesn't work so well.

I also have a different approach.

I come from the private sector.

I am a professional and I formed a different type of team.

We do have a diversified in our professionalism and our experience.

My candidates range from public safety.

We do have a former police officer and a former firefighter and small business owner.

We also have a mechanical engineer.

I myself work in IT.

And we also have a business administrator and a retail person who launches business.

So we come from a very diverse professional background and in the public sexo.

So I think that we're going to have a different approach, a different kind of approach to government.

One that's more professional, one that's more targeted, one that's more focused on end results.

You mentioned affordability, which was a major platform in your campaign.

Part of that was through holding developers accountable, more specifically rejecting developer contributions.

But there are, of course, as you know, critics who point out, as you mentioned, you were a part of the previous administration for eight years.

A large chunk of that is council president.

How do you respond to people who may see all of this as a contradiction?

Well, there's a time and a place, right?

Things that were what was needed 12 years ago now are not the same things that are needed now.

When I was first elected back in 2014, the city of Bayonne had virtually no development going on for multiple decades.

We had received the military base when it was closed and it was sitting there afoul, not generating any revenue.

And to turn Bayonne around, I came in with a $24 million deficit.

We used the tools that were available to us to spur development and pay down our debt.

And that's exactly what we did.

And now, you know, 12 years later, well, even eight years ago, when I was leaving, we had lowered the number of years that pilots were right, we started out with the typical 30 year, 25 years, we were down to 20. we had a plan to exit the pilot game and we were down to 15 year pilots when I left office unless it was something major like a hotel or some big commercial that was going to spur a lot of jobs and economic development.

we had an exit strategy and over the past few years there is an uptick.

most pilots are being given out for 25 years to 30 years again.

there are developments that are in town where when I was there we were developing a new utilized piece of land or old industrial land.

well and one of those major developments was the 1888 film and TV studios which you helped secure.

what's your vision for that and how are you planning to ensure that residents you know get the dividends of what that investment costs?

well the 1888 studio is a is big for Bayonne right it gives us the opportunity to attract new business to become in the film in industry and trade.

it's how we're transitioning out of the old industrial types of businesses that were in Bayonne.

that's no longer the model and this is the perfect example of repositioning ourselves.

you know we will be looking to partner with our schools.

we will look to make sure that our residents have opportunities for employment here.

this will also spur economic development, small business development, it'll bring more economic funding to the area.

but we also have to balance, right?

we have to make sure that we don't impact the neighborhoods in the area and you know that it's a balance of all this extra people, extra cars, traffic, without really impacting the neighborhood unfairly.

So it will be a major balance, but it's a challenge that we're glad to have.

Your win also comes with significant influence inside, as I mentioned at the top there, the Hudson County Democratic political apparatus.

There is already speculation about county positions you'll name, even, you know, a backing for a possible assembly seat.

How are you planning to reshape the power structure here?

You have talked a lot about transparency and accountability.

Are you going to go about this in a different way?

Because of course, you're going to have the county power brokers that you'll be up against.

Listen, I'm known to have a reputation for, you know, going my own way and, you know, always got to be a team player.

You know, you can't get things done being out there all on your own, so we have to partner.

We have to build relationships because that's what good government does, right?

But we have to build smart relationships.

Relationships that put Bayonne at the forefront and take Bayonne residents concern, you know, above all else, because that's what's important to me as the mayor of Bayonne.

- There was a big flashpoint about the AI data centers during the campaign.

Where do you stand on that?

Are you opposed to a data center being built in Bayonne or would you support one under certain conditions?

- Bayonne's a very tiny community, right?

We don't have a lot of open space.

There's nowhere that you can safely build in Bayonne and not be impacting residential communities.

There's just not enough open space.

You know, again, these data centers were not going to power us here in New Jersey.

So why would we want to have our environmental impact?

Our rates go up, our quality of life, our quality go down to be really impacted without any benefit to the residents of Bayonne.

I don't see a fit where that is.

I don't see a vision in Bayonne where that makes sense.

Mayor-elect Sharon Ash-Nedrovsky, we wish you good luck and good luck at your swearing-in ceremony July 1st.

Good to speak with you.

Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

A program at Ramapo College is giving students the power to solve real-life cold cases that have gone years, even decades, without a lead.

It's called the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center and students so far have solved 43 cold cases using DNA.

Here with us now to talk about it is the director of the center at Ramapo College of New Jersey, David Gurney.

David, great to have you with us.

We're talking about your program that really relies heavily on both traditional and genetic genealogy.

Can you just explain what those two terms actually mean?

Sure.

So investigative genetic genealogy, as you mentioned, is really a combination of traditional genealogical searching with genetic genealogy information.

So when we start a case when evidence from a crime scene or evidence from unidentified human remains gets uploaded to the databases that we have access to, the first thing that we see is members of the public who have taken consumer DNA tests and happen to be related to this person that we're trying to identify.

So that's the genetic genealogy component because we're seeing how much DNA is shared between the subject, as we call them, the person we're trying to identify and these genetic relatives.

From there, the bulk of the work involves traditional genealogical searching.

So anybody who has ever built their family tree using census records or obituaries or gravesite records knows what this is all about.

You're finding relatives, building back in time, and using those kinds of publicly available records.

So almost all of what we do is traditional genealogy using publicly available records that are available to anyone out there to build family trees.

Of course, I'm sure when a lot of these cases were first opened or first investigated, this publicly shared DNA probably wasn't available, right?

Let me just ask you this, though.

How are you identifying the cold cases that your students are trying to pursue?

So we have contacts with agencies all over the United States, and in fact, some in other countries at this point.

So detectives, medical examiners all around the country are looking for ways to solve their cold cases and their active cases, anything where they have DNA.

So when we started our program four years ago, we did a lot of outreach to agencies around the country to let them know that we exist and that we were available to work on their cases.

Now that we've been around and we've established ourselves with over 43 solved cases, we get most of our outreach directly from these agencies.

So they're coming to us looking for the expertise that we provide to help them resolve their cases.

It's really a phenomenal success rate.

You have 43 solved cases in just four years since you started this.

I'm just curious.

Is there anything that compares out there right now, or are you leading an effort here?

I think there are other teams for sure that are solving more cases than us, but those teams have far more people involved in their efforts, and they have a lot more money behind what they're doing.

Our effort is driven entirely by volunteers who work on our cases along with our full-time staff and donations that we get from our generous donors who want to help move this field forward.

The sad reality is that most agencies in the United States do not have funding available to perform IGG.

So we are able to actually cover the costs for those agencies that otherwise would be out of luck.

They would know that this methodology is out there, but they wouldn't actually be able to utilize it.

So I think that's the real difference that we make.

And the fact that we have so many volunteers.

Oh, go ahead.

Well, I want to get the student involvement here.

Of course, your students are earning accreditation through the program as well, right?

Can you just help us to kind of help us understand some examples of a case that you solved that really had no possible chance of being solved without your student involvement?

So I think one of the cases that is near and dear to my heart is a case that we worked in our first IGG boot camp.

So this is a really unique experience where we bring together 15 seasoned IGG practitioners to our IGG lab at Ramapo College.

So they're actually working on the case in person at computer stations where they can speak to each other and talk about the case.

And in our first IGG boot camp we were fortunate enough to have a case referral from the Great North Innocence Project in Minnesota.

And they had a case of two brothers that they believed had been wrongfully convicted of a crime back in 2000.

And this was for the murder of a woman in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1987.

So they had been in prison for 25 years.

When we got that case, another IGG team had been working on it for approximately two years, and they had worked diligently as hard as they could, and they'd applied best practices.

But the unique features of our IGG boot camp brought together those 15 individuals just working intensively on this case and they were able to provide a lead in two days.

And so we identified the source of DNA from the crime scene that was extremely probative.

It was blood and semen that was found on the victim that didn't belong to the two individuals who had been convicted.

And so with that identification, those two brothers, Robert and David Bence, they were exonerated and freed from prison last year.

So I think I am most proud of that case and extremely proud of our students for helping to bring justice to those two brothers and to identify the true perpetrator, who unfortunately was deceased.

But now the family of the victim at least gets to know exactly what happened.

You raised such an interesting point here, David, because this is not just about bringing closure to the deceased or their family members, but you just raised the point that you can actually exonerate folks who've been wrongfully accused.

Give us another quick example of someone who was deceased whose murder you helped to solve.

So another example is also from Wisconsin.

In fact, this was the murder of Mary Schlaes.

This was back in 1974.

So it was a very long time ago.

Very by sheer coincidence, to a certain extent, there was a piece of evidence from that crime scene that had been retained by law enforcement.

Of course, in 1974, they would have had no inkling that DNA was ever going to be a tool for securing justice in this way.

But they had this piece of evidence, and we were able to work with a lab that generated a DNA profile from that evidence.

And it ended up being uploaded to the databases, and we worked on that case for quite a long time.

This one took approximately a year and a half, because it was a case where there was misattributed parentage is what we called it.

There was unexpected relationships in the family tree where people did not know who their real birth parents were, it turned out.

So we had to work to solve those misattributed parentage cases first.

Over that year and a half, we were able to identify the perpetrator in that case who was an 84 year old and he's now serving time in prison for that case.

- It's incredible.

You have an incredible success rate.

24, excuse me, 43 solved cases, 25 that have been shared with the public.

And of course, so much of this does hinge on the public sharing their DNA publicly.

And just a few seconds left, how can people go ahead and do that if they so choose, if they want to get their DNA out there for these types of cases?

- Anybody who wants to help with our work can take a DNA test through FamilyTreeDNA and then opt in to IGG searching when you upload your DNA.

And any single person can be the linchpin that solves a case.

You could be that person who helps to bring justice to grieving families.

- David Gurney, Director of the Investigative Genetic Genealogy Center at Ramapo College of New Jersey.

Thank you so much.

Great work you're doing there.

- Thank you for having me.

Appreciate it.

- That's gonna do it for us tonight.

I'm Brianna Vannozzi.

For the entire NJ Spotlight News Team, thanks for being with us.

We'll see you right back here tomorrow.

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