kimberly richardson of wabc has the story. >> let's hear it for our champion! come on!ed, exceptional. a 17 year old who's dedicated to changing stereotype when is it comes to being blind. >> sometimes they're like gold medalist, who's here? >> reporter: this past summer, the long island teen competed in the paralympics in tokyo and brought home gold. and for that and everything she continues do, supervisor dan clavin presented her with official key and a mraplake fore town of hempstead. including a necklace in braille. >> not a lot of things are set up for me. just having that is so special. >> reporter: doctors diagnosed her with an auto immune disease and started losing her vision when she was 11. by 14, things rapidly declined. but she wanted to get back into the pool to the sport she loved. she put in hours of hard work and returned. for her family, this is a full-circle moment. >> we're all over the moon. you know, so excited everything happened. but i mean, it's been, we've been doing a lot, it's been hard, you know. this has not been an easy journey. >> reporter

our moderators for this evening are wabc anchor sade baderinwa and wpvi anchor brian taff.

our moderators for this evening are wabc anchor sade baderinwa and wpvi anchor brian taff. mr. taff: and good evening, everyone. welcome to this debate tonight between the republican and democratic candidates for governor of new jersey. i'm brian taff. ms. baderinwa: and i'm sade baderinwa. over the next hour, the candidates will be answering questions posed by brian and myself, as well as questions myself as well as questions from our media partners including amanda hoover from new jersey advanced media, adrian a vargas in univision 41 and candidates will also answer questions from rutgers eagleton institute of politics and rutgers school of public affairs and administration. as well as several submitted through twitter. >> as you will see behind us tonight we have a significantly smaller audience in attendance in adherence to covid-19 protocols. we have asked them and they have agreed, several times, to refrain from applause or any other disruptions. >> under the debate rules candidates to whom the question is posed will get one minute to answer followed by a 40 secondary but

performing arts center wabc seven in new york wpb i can put in alphabetical order, republican jack democratl murphy are moderators this evening wpb i anchor. evening, welcome to this debate tonight republican and democratic new jersey. >> over the next hour, the campus will answer questions posed by flight and myself as well as questions from media partners including amanda from the offense media the candidates will answer questions from a politics school of public affairs and administration as well as several submitted through twitter. >> we have a significant a smaller audience here tonight with protocols, we've asked them and they have agreed to refrain from applause or any other disruptions. >> the candidates to whom the question is posed bukit onene minute to answer all of my 42nd rebuttal from the opposing candidate they've agreed to one minute closingat statement the end of the debate prior call, the first question comes from brian to mr. murphy. >> thank you for being here tonight new jersey was hit hard by hurricane ida, the highest ethical of any state. her opponent make this an i

he spoke to wabc and he was asked about brian's state of mind, and this is what he said. >> chris andeving. they knew he was so upset and, you know, they just couldn't control that he was leaving and he left. he walked out the door, and chris has said to me, i wish i could have stopped him but i couldn't. >> reporter: and the timing of this is key because if he was grieving on september 13th, remember, there hadn't been a homicide reported yet. gabby petito's remains hadn't been found yet, so what was he grieving about, what did he know and what did he share with his parents. the family lawyer was asked about that "good morning america" this morning, what, if anything, brian laundrie told his parents. here is what he said. >> that's not something that i can comment on right now, and i'd like to just leave it at that. >> well, if you can't comment on it, it means you know something about it. >> well, i think everybody out there knows that, you know, whether the family or myself have some information to share, but, you know, there's not much we can say at this point in time. >> reporter

in new york wabc finding randy wicker who was part of the nation's first gay rights protest in frontre destroying people's lives by giving them dishonorable discharges. it's like having a criminal conviction on your record. >> reporter: in san francisco, kgo profiling phyllis lyon and del martin who founded the first organization for lesbians in america in 1955. in fresno, california, kfsn meeting el donya. one of central california's first drag kings. >> and being raised out on the farm, well, you know, i thought i was the only one that was gay. >> reporter: in chicago, wls speaking with tracy boehm, co-founder of "the windy city times" and at the time an underground newsletter sending out urgent warnings about potential raids at gay bars. >> a lot of it was tips and how to get legal protection, what your rights were if you were arrested. but in one incident they went actually all in and named the police officer who was doing the entrapment of gay men. >> reporter: in philadelphia, wpvi highlighting those who staged a sit-in at one of philadelphia's most popular coffee shops. >> the

wabc dd new york and w pti host the event at the new jersey performing arts center in newark, new jersey's largest city. >> lie from the new jersey performing arts center in newark, new jersey, welcome to the 2021 new jersey gubernatorial debate. two nights debate is brought you by the new jersey performing arts center, debbie abc seven in new york, and w pti in philadelphia. our candidates in i alphabetical order, republican jack ciattarelli and democrat phil murphy. our moderators fori, this evenig are w abc anchor sade baderinway and w pti anchor brian taff. >> getting everyone. welcome to this debate tonight between the republican ande democratic candidates for governor of new jersey. i brian taff. >> and i'm sade baderinway. the candidates will be answering questions posed by brian and myself as well as question from a media partners including amanda hoover from new jersey has mediacom adriana vargas from univision 41 and the candidates will answer questions from rutgers eagleton institute of politics and rutgers school of public affairs and administration as well as several submitted

i'm a reporter with wabc eyewitness news in new york, and i've been covering gabby petito case since one. we do know that gabby petito lived with the laundries in north port, florida, for about 2 1/2 years. >> brian and gabby were actually engaged before they went on this trip. >> so we are right outside capitol reef right now at a free dispersed campsite. since we left new york, i only set up my hammock once. >> and we are kinda, like, in the desert. >> you see this evolution. you see them growing. you see the excitement. you see -- this is where they're -- there, you know, what's happening. you -- you watch someone grow up right through instagram photos. >> the petito family talked to abc australia. >> she always wanted to do this. she planned it out. she knew what she wanted to do, and she knew where she wanted to go. >> oh, of course i worried. i told her to be careful. "be safe," you know, "make sure to be aware of your surroundings." you know, "don't trust everybody." i knew, but i felt safe because she was with brian, and i felt like she would be okay. i think i thought he wou

wabc dd new york and w pti host the event at the new jersey performing arts center in