New Jersey Nightly News; New Jersey Nightly News Episode from 12/11/1980

A New Jerseyan is tapped for a key Cabinet post with the Reagan administration. In sports the nets lose to the mix a win for St. Peters and a garden state Bowl preview. And we'll take a closer look at angry backlash over the proposed release of convicted police killer Thomas Trentino. New Jersey likely new with power in stone. And Bill Perry. When evening President elect Ronald Reagan today nominated a New Jerseyan US Secretary of the Treasury Donald Regan of Colts Neck in Monmouth County He is chairman of Merrill Lynch the nation's largest brokerage firm. And in a brief statement Reagan hinted how he made a deal with the nation's troubled economy. That this new administration will cut the budget. And when you have tax savings when you have savings in the budget you can afford tax cuts. We know that the effects of our tax cuts can be similar to the economy and once you get the economy

stimulated you get things going again. You'll be able to find that both the tax cut and the budget cuts that will go along with it you can't have one without the other. You must have both budget cuts and tax cuts together with the nomination of Reagan is subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate which will hold hearings early next year. And Sandra King is in New York with some background on the new Treasury nominee. If he is confirmed as secretary of the Treasury Reagan will take on his first job in government. It will also be his first real job away from Merrill Lynch where he's worked since 1946. Back then he was an executive trainee and in 25 years he found his way to the top executive position in the world's number one brokerage firm. It's been nearly a decade since he won the post of chairman and chief executive officer. But those 10 years have made all the difference with Reagan in

control. Merrill Lynch was transformed from a just a brokerage house. However giant to what we can is called a diversified financial service supermarket. Now less than 30 percent of the firm's 1.5 billion dollar revenue comes from commissions on listed stocks. Fortune magazine's called Reagan's move one of the top 10 business triumphs of the 70s and the Harvard grad has left his mark throughout the business community. He's a past vice chairman of the New York Stock Exchange. A member of the Business Roundtable and a trustee of the Committee for Economic Development. His admirers say bring all that plus a five year stint in the Marine Corps to his new job in Washington in Newark. Working. New Jersey is going to lose one congressional seat. Census officials confirmed that last day during a news conference in Washington they said because of population shifts 16 seats will move from at least 14 states to other ones. That's two more seats than had been expected. The state Senate today refused to give Governor burn

changes he wants in New Jersey's no fault auto insurance system and attempt to restore the so-called verbal threshold for lawsuits failed. The governor's bill isn't dead yet. Steve Taylor reports live from the State House. Karen the Senate adjourned at about 6:00 this evening without voting on the governor's bill as it stands now the bill would allow lawsuits if the person injured in an auto accident had $1000 in doctor and hospital bills. Now the inclusion of hospital bills was a change that was made today but the total bill is not voted on. The governor has said that that $1000 threshold would allow too many lawsuits and would continue to tie up the courts as he says does the current $200 threshold. The governor wants to specific injuries before lawsuits would be allowed not dollar amounts. He didn't have the votes to get that today but sponsors say they'll keep trying. Also today the governor vetoed a measure which would have mandated jail sentences for criminals who use handguns. The sponsor of that measure Senator Frank Graves says he'll try for an override of a governor's veto next month and that bill to require daily periods of silence in public

schools was before the Senate today. The idea of course is that students could pray if they want to. But the Senate didn't vote on it today even though the Assembly passed it last money Monday the Senate referred it to committee today and that's it from the State House. Back to you Karen. Thank you Steve. A witness who identified himself as a former mob hit men took the stand for the state commission of investigation today. He testified about kickbacks from a union prepaid dental plan kickbacks which allegedly found their way into the pocket of the late Philadelphia crime boss Angelo Bruno. Mariam also has the story. The witness testified behind a bulletproof glass barrier wearing a black hood and surrounded by federal marshals. He identified himself as Charles Allen a mob associate who turned informant and helped convict mob members on arson and narcotics charges. Today Allen told how the late crime boss Angelo Bruno ordered a South Jersey Union official Ralph Nataly to use a certain

consulting firm in setting up a prepaid dental plan. That firm was written house consulting enterprises of Cherry Hill. Allen said Rittenhouse is President Larry Smith made regular cash payment kickbacks to union officials the tally just once a while I would come in Ralph and Ralph would always be happy to get a number. He said that's my man. And then when we were leaving Ralph would you know take the money and counted. And there was a hierarchy to this kickback scheme Allen said because Ralph tally in turn would make payments to Angelo Bruno earlier in the day Rittenhouse President Smith denied in a CIA allegation that he skimmed more than $150000 from the dental plan. It was the later George Frank an arrow a former law

Governor testified about his role in a dental plan for North Jersey Teamsters and clerical workers. Testimony continues tomorrow and later in the day the CIA is expected to make recommendations for legislation to curb dental plan abuses in Trenton. A federal judge has denied a motion by Senator Harrison Williams to have his Abscam indictments thrown out. The New Jersey senator wanted his indictment dismissed on grounds that his constitutional speech and debate protection was violated. Williams now goes to court in February to face bribery and conspiracy charges. And Congressman Frank Thompson convicted on Abscam charges last week will not be subject to disciplinary hearings and Congress trying to Democrat to fit it in his recent re-election bid will be out of office by the time the House of Representatives reconvenes its business next year. Strong warnings came today from the state's water emergency task force. But the warnings weren't so much for consumers as for water purveyors in North Jersey. Those are

the water companies and agencies that distribute the north shallow water supplies. The task force says they're not doing enough to force conservation. Hawkins has a report. It was not an entirely calm gathering this morning as drought task force chairman Dirk Hoffman tried to read the riot act. It's reached the point now where the state is thinking very seriously of beginning to impose Boersma action on you. Hoffman focused on reports that the 37 water purveyor is all represented at the meeting are supposed to send the task force twice a month. The reports would include water use levels and surcharges handed out to over users as penalties but barely half of the reports have been sent in. There wasn't one of you that told me that it was going to be a real burden to get that information to us twice a month. There wasn't one of you that said I'm for the life of me I can't understand why we're getting such a runaround on getting this stuff in.

Some of been quite successful. Newark for example has sent out sixty seven thousand dollars in penalties surcharges but has spent a lot of time and money more staff and overtime work tracking down the over users. Wendell in hopper of the Passaic Valley Water Commission spoke from many saying the state edict sure sounds easy but isn't many used to it. This period covers my oh please cancel that kind of thing. What do we do with that issue. We trust that when we start to turn the world the state is going to provide additional staff to try and help out. The word went out clearly today the water purveyors must do more. The word came back at the task force just as clearly you are asking too much while offering too little help. By the end of the meeting all der Kaufman could do is say that the holidays would be truly happy if there was more rain and more cooperation.

This is Phil talking. Three suspects in the slaying of Newark police officer John Godfrey were indicted today. Twenty seven year old Willie Lee Lawson and two alleged accomplices all thought to be members of a militant Muslim sect are charged with murder and robbery. Raid was shot to death last month during a hotel holed up at a New York bank while taking care of some personal business. New Jersey is a step closer to getting needed money to help clean up more than 200 chemical dump sites. President Carter today signed into law a 1.6 billion dollar national Superfund to remove toxics waste and spills. Carter who lobbied strongly to get that landmark measure passed by Congress last week said it will have a great impact on preservation of the environment. Among those attending the ceremony today was Camden Congressman James Florio. He was a principal sponsor of the bill. I and the other members of the Congress as well as the president this administration they can all be very proud of what we've done in this very crucial area not

just this legislation but really to address the whole problem of the inappropriate disposal of toxic. Really that's a two part problem prospectively we have a new regulatory system which is just going into effect now the conservation recovery act and therefore we should have no new Love Canal is being created and this bill of course which is to go back and clean up what unfortunately has been done over the last number of years. New Jersey's toxic cleanup fund has run out of money. State officials say they'll ask for up to a hundred million dollars from the new federal Superfund. Should Atlantic City casinos pay higher electric rates to cover the cost of growth that they have caused. That question will be answered through a series of hearings before the Public Utilities Commission began today. South Jersey correspondent Don Torrance reports. Casinos use a lot of electricity right through the night when other big users are shut down. Yet some rape experts contend it's residential customers of Atlantic Electric who aren't paying their fair share of

power costs. The Board of Public Utilities wants Atlantic electric to see if casino should be put in a special rate class because of high use. That's what this hearing is all about hearing faces likely to take weeks and since there is no definitive proposal right now to restructure Atlantic electric rates. The casino industry officials didn't want to have any comment. They do say though in the coming weeks they will call witnesses and plead their case. The casinos don't want special rates based on use. Atlanta electric realizes it can slap residential users with a sudden large increase. Even the public advocate isn't sure how to make the rate structure fair. But some residents of Atlantic City fear they will be squeezed again should they swarm the big problem already with assessments and everything else from the testimony and evidence gathering could last through January in Atlantic City on Don Torrance. A fire and explosion of North Brunswick power substation lit the skies of central New Jersey early this morning and power around the New Brunswick area was cut off for some 15000 customers. The blast came shortly after 1:00 a.m. and

sent flashes of blue and white light across the sky. Just why that two hundred thirty thousand volt line exploded is still under investigation. No one was injured however. Power to most customers was restored about 15 minutes after the blast. Restoring service to 14 or 400 residents of the Dayton South Brunswick section took a little bit longer. And now here is the weather forecast for the state tonight will have clear skies it will be cold. Temperatures will be in the upper teens to low 20s. There is a chance of some rain or snow late tomorrow. Temperatures should be in the mid to upper 30s. And the outlook for Saturday cloudy with another chance of light snow. The proposed release of convicted police killer Thomas Trentino ironically

has coincided with a spate of shootings of policemen and prominent public figures recently. The New Jersey parole board proposal that Trentino pay restitution for his crimes has further angered some people. In tonight's closer look correspondent Gus Henning Borgen producer Bernard Morris went to Lodi in Bergen County where the Trentino case began in 1963. This memorial outside police headquarters in Lodi stands as a stark reminder of the events of a hot August night 17 years ago. Police responding to a disturbance in a local bar brutally gunned down. Police Chief the brother of Peter Voto one of those murdered offices recalled the scene for me this week. I ran into the entrance dimly lit in the bar. And I felt myself slip about two feet. And. I found that I had stepped in what was quite a bit of.

Lated blood on the floor. That's how badly pistol whipped my brother was my brother's body was. Really brutalized. He had the power to make the decision. As to whether Trentino gets out gets out with restitution I doesn't get out at all. What would your decision be. It doesn't even take much thinking. My position is not getting out at all and that's an unselfish position because I'm thinking. That an example should be set for those. Who think that they can kill. On Monday and because they're a different person on Tuesday they can just walk out of jail. Public 17 years ago over the brutal murders focused on Thomas Trentino convicted of those killings. The same emotions have swirled up again with the ruling the Trentino who once faced the death sentence should shortly be paroled subject to a court determination of restitution

regardless of what I did in the past. Whether you believe like you or I am not that person now. And that's the person you should be looking at. Trentino this case will not be helped by the macabre convergence of recent highly publicized events. The handgun murders of John Lennon in New York and Dr. Michael Howe burst them in Washington closer to home. Public anger over a blatant criminal acts and leniency for criminals was apparent in the crowds gathered this week at the arraignment of the accused killers of a New York policeman. And no segment of the population is more angry than the policemen themselves as shown by this demonstration. Judge the trial blind struggle to set the terms of restitution and the Trentino case as requested by the parole board. The judge declined to do it saying it was beyond his or any other human being's ability to set a monetary value on human

life in murder cases. Judge ruling or lack of it was referred to the appellate division. That's where the matter stands today ironically trying to appeal by law must be carried by the Office of Attorney General John Degnan who has said publicly he personally does not think Trentino is rehabilitated. A position also taken by the minority of the parole board and it's free to vote. The police always is the frontline and he's out there in the public eye and if he's killed anybody can be killed. The Hackensack police demonstration was organized by Paramus police lieutenant. I asked what effect he felt the demonstration had had on judge ruling and I think it had a tremendous impact I think aside from the show of emotions not only for police but from the public. And then in addition to that we had a brief filed by one of our attorneys I think had a tremendous impact on just trial when I think he relied

heavily on the brief that we submitted. Is this going to be a continuing effort on your part to be a continuing effort on the part of the PBA and over the citizens of all there's a new coalition that is as a result of this call Pat as police and citizens together. Tremendous surge of people have come forth. Even those people who are against the death penalty I mean joining our ranks that's a key constituency I know that is behind bars for life. The second officer murdered in the lounge on August 25th 1963 was a probationary patrolman Gary to the ASCO. I visited with the mother and one of his sisters Mrs Elaine Harvey and their home on low rise Harrison Avenue. Mrs. Harvey tell me what the death of your brother has meant. In. Personal human terms to you and your mother in the family. Over all these years. We went through that just that night alone. There is a story in itself. Since that time we have been completely destroyed. My dad cried every

day till he died. It's very difficult to explain what it feels like to have any kind of a loss. But in this case. Where Gary and even I didn't know him personally but to go into this. This place and actually. An execution was performed on them. And to think of his last moments of the parts that hurt us this kind of discussion has to be very difficult for you. Why do you do it. Why do you subject yourself to this. I feel that if we can get the people in you know in New Jersey and also in America to join together with us to try to get legislation which would protect the victim of crime not the criminal. Because once somebody especially a violent crime is committed the criminal gets all the protection the victim. This he says if he doesn't survive. Goes to the morgue if he survives he goes to. Spittle. That's what happens and the families have a heart ache for there and a last hope for the rest of their

lives. And so Thomas Trentino waits and Benson town as the wheels of justice turn once again deciding his fate. If nothing else his present life is easy. He spends much of his time talking with reporters. The wife whom he married on a furlough in the past year seeks to build understanding and sympathy for her husband. This probably has evoked as much emotion controversy on both sides of the question as any issue that has come before New Jersey's parole board and many here personally. How has all of this publicity this emotional problem affected you. How do you react. With a great deal of sadness. I feel that certainly there are victims in this situation. This family and myself are also victims. I mean she referred to me as Tommy had thought it was Tommy good she was. The rabbi Trentino the slaughter of the two cops that she was talking about. She says that.

He's a victim. And she's a victim. I want to throw up. She says he deserves a second chance. He got a second chance in 1972. When the Supreme Court struck down the capital punishment as being cruel and unusual. He got a second chance. Mark is a law school professor Stephen give us a specialist in criminology does not think the parole board finding in the Trentino case is legally appropriate. I think that restitution will not be authorized by a court in a case like this. However I think the parole board has made a release decision. That his release is not incompatible with the public welfare and that he just to do the time you spend in prison is sufficient to justify his release. And they would like to have a condition of restitution attached to it. But if that's not appropriate in this case I think ultimately a court will order his release.

This is going to Henning Berg reporting. And tonight at 8:00 on New Jersey Public Television both Thomas Trentino and Joe Delaney will be featured on McLaughlin's beat. The Nets and the Knicks last night here is Bill Perry. Bill thank you Karen tough loss for the Nets one of those could should and would again he was but it didn't happen for New Jersey when I was 6 1 0 for the final Mike Newman on fire for the nets for

only 16 first quarter points for new and that's by 3 24 21 at the end of one new one of a variety of ways burning the next Newman finished with a season high 38 points in the second quarter it was Mike Kaminsky 12 in the second. The next stretch their lead to as many as 10 but led by only two fifty two fifty at the half Kaminski finish with 21 going to the fourth quarter the Mets are up by 583 78 but the next with the three guard off and came back Michael and Hart from DP at 79 in the fourth. Now tied a hundred. Bill Cartwright will get the ball with 24 seconds to play he will put it down. The Nets with a chance to tie that new one had it stripped away. Glenn with the defensive play Michael Richardson hit two free throws as the nets will force the POW Kaminskas final bucket can only get the nets within two nets lose 1 0 6 2 1 0 4 college baskets last night fairly Dickinson lost at Maryland 1 0 9 83 St. Peters one at home topping St. Francis 62 47 St. Francis lead early Eric Green for the terriers number 10 he had 22 points Mark Murphy number

54 a good shooter for the peacock's Murphy had 19 on 8 of 13 from the field. Kevin Rogers had 12 points on the LOB coming up right here from Murphy. Nice. St. Peters run off a 4:41 sport midway through the first half they led by 10 at intermission. They were never threatened in the second half Rodgers finds Murphy the running game going. St. Peters wins it 62 to 47. This is the trophy which will go to the winning team as Garden State Bowl 3 will be played Sunday at Giants Stadium the match up Houston against Navy. An interesting match up used in a team which finished the regular season with a 6 and 5 record and a team which will last that's the last regular season game. Thirty five to seven to Rice. So question marks about Euston Navy an impressive record 18 3 but losers 33 nothing here at Giants Stadium to Notre Dame. And everyone's always questioning Eastern football. So questions about Navy is this a match up

between two teams which have something to prove. Well I don't feel way then to prove what we would like to play better here than we did against Notre Dame and we're certainly capable of playing better but as far as having anything to prove now we have an 8 3 record. I just don't understand I think it's incredulous that we the people have not accepted the good teams. Do you feel that your football team has something to prove. A latte it if they don't feel that way then I'm bitterly disappointed in them. And we've got a serious problem. But I think they do it as Wells says no Navy doesn't have anything to prove Houston's yeomen says the Cougars do Garden State Ball three Sunday at Giants Stadium that's what's ahead. Bill thank you. And once again our top story tonight Donald Regan of Colts Neck in Monmouth County was nominated to become treasury secretary today. And that's the new Bill Perry for the New Jersey. New Jersey join Cruzan New Jersey Public Television

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