New Jersey Nightly News

Good evening. I'm cannot hand I'm Rolanda Watts increases are recommended for Port Authority transit fare and a New Jersey man is four million dollars richer this evening and correspondent Michael Aaron will have a special report on the state's only institution for juvenile delinquent boys get past the rail fares and New York New Jersey bridge and tunnel fares could be going up if the recommendations in a report released today are adopted by the Port Authority. Governor Kaine and New York governor Hugh Carey appointed a six member bipartisan panel earlier this year to recommend improvements. The panel is also suggesting that the Port Authority begin moves to sell the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. In addition the panel is calling for the creation of a bank for regional development and the freeing up of 50 million dollars a year for each state to use on transit water and sewer projects under the proposed plan the governors of each state would become more involved in the financial operations of the Port Authority. Right now if New York wants to make a move with money that is available from the Port Authority New York New Jersey has to approve that move.

This would allow the governors to act on their own within their own states on the needs that they think are priority needs. The bi state panel recommends of the one way fare on PATH trains running from Newark and Hoboken to Manhattan be raised in stages from the present 30 cents to 90 cents by 1900. The panel also wants to hike the bridges and tunnels operated by the Port Authority from the present one dollar and fifty cents to two dollars. It's estimated that the rail and toll increases in the sale of the World Trade Center would raise six hundred and fifty million dollars. Five hundred and fifty million of that would be used to make path line improvements. The remaining 100 million would be used to create an infrastructure bank for use by both states. New Jersey assemblyman Thomas Cowen chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee the committee which would have to approve the recommendations before they go to the full assembly for a vote says he's opposed to the hikes. The resolution that we're operating under with our inquiry we had most expeditiously and we are also going to ask the state treasurer here to

conduct his part of the resolution that was passed by the state assembly. The port authorities booked the proposed plan now has to be officially approved by the governors of both New York and New Jersey before legislation can be created to implement the recommendations. Rolanda the Cain administration says it may delay implementing the new moment of silence law on public schools the controversial measure was an acted last night when the state senate overrode Governor Kaine's veto. Twenty seven to eight groups ranging from the State Council of Churches to the New Jersey Education Association are opposed to the law saying it may violate the separation of church and state. The executive director of the state's Civil Liberties Union is even talking about taking action. We are very seriously studying how we're going to bring litigation in this matter and I think I can say with some confidence that we will. The question that we have to address is when to bring it where to bring it. And before the plate

ever challenges filed Attorney General Erwin Kettleman says the state will not defend the law in court. And once again the New Jersey legislature has been unable to reach a consensus on a tax to bail the state out of a projected 62 million dollar budget deficit. Last night the assembly adjourned without voting on a proposal to increase the state income tax for people making over $50000 a year. Larry Stewart Nichol has the story. The Assembly vote on the income tax was postponed until Monday after the failure of the fifty nine point two million dollar supplemental appropriations bill. The money would have come from the tax and restored cuts in aid to schools mass transit subsidies welfare equalization aid prison costs and road aid because it was emergency legislation 60 votes were needed for passage. The final tally was 42 to 27. There was unanimous Democratic support. But Republicans rejected it because they said they didn't have enough time to study this emergency resolution a minute before it was called to the floor by

some even Van Wagner we didn't even get a chance to look at it. In fact he started reading it because we didn't have the bill in front of us. But assembly speaker Ellen Karcher the sponsor of the income tax legislation said Republicans rejected it to delay a vote on the tax. That list has been the restorations was given out early this morning. They've been aware that it's just posturing on their part. They knew what our restoration back as was since probably Monday night. The proposal by Karcher and Senator Wayne Dumont would raise the state income tax rate for people who make over $50000 a year from the current two and a half percent to three and a half percent for earnings between 50 and $60000. Four and a half percent on income between 60 and $80000. Five and a half percent for people making between 80 $100000 and six and a half percent for income exceeding $100000. Forty one votes will be needed to pass the tax in the assembly. 21 in the Senate. Carter thinks he has enough votes to pass the measure and send it on to the upper house.

Tonight a vote on the emergency one member had to go home because he had a meeting back in his city tonight but I think it's a pretty good indication of what the vote was on the emergency resolution as you saw the Democratic Party was solid on putting up all of their votes except for the one who had to leave to go back to the city. So I don't want to talk numbers but I think that's a pretty good indication. Carter also says the governor is bluffing in his threat to veto the tax if it clears the legislature. But last night Governor Kaine said there are not enough votes in either House to override a veto. Every income tax the debt issue has to be. There's no way that that can become law in the state. And so to spend a lot of time on it instead of spending time in some of the solutions that are viable some of the things that you may be able to get the votes for not the governor will sign doesn't seem to me to make an awful lot of sense when faced with a budget deficit the governor has threatened to cut a hundred fifty million dollars in state services unless the legislature can present him with alternatives. He believes the income tax would cost the state jobs

but supports a 1 cent increase in the state sales tax. The Senate rejected that proposal on Monday. And Carter says he won't post the sales tax bill in the Assembly because there's not enough support for it to not post a bill as assembly speaker it doesn't seem to me to be a terribly irresponsible action if it's got the votes got the votes in the house. And he says you're bluffing about the veto. I don't bluff. The showdown on the income tax is scheduled for Monday. The assembly goes into session at 10:00 a.m. the Senate at 4:00 in the afternoon in Trenton. I'm Larry stupid. A new state report says most freshman entering New Jersey colleges flunked basic algebra tests gauging what they learned or haven't learned in high school. A survey of the results of basic skills testing at colleges in the state shows that 61 percent of the freshman lacked proficiency in algebra. Other results show that 46 percent of the new college students could not do simple math particularly problems involving fractions.

Thirty one percent of the new students lacked proficiency in English. State Higher Education Chancellor Edward Hollander says it's very disturbing that even students who were taken three years of math in high school failed the basic math tests. One of the largest single lottery prize ever awarded in New Jersey has gone to a very lucky Gloucester County man Donald bakelite who works as an electrical engineer was the only person to correctly choose all six numbers in last night's pick six lotto drawing. And today he's close to 4.3 million dollars richer. Governor Kaine today presented by a clay and his wife Paula with a check for one hundred sixty two thousand dollars to receive additional checks of two hundred fifteen thousand dollars each year. They never expected to win. Well you always have to play games but you know what I don't really think you do. But I still think you can tell me when we are going to win those two hundred and fifteen thousand dollar checks each year for the next 19 years last night when

came exactly 12 years after New Jersey's first lottery ticket. Can't have been superior court judge today ruled that I was the best qualified buyer for the burned out Garden State Rice track the decision ends five years of uncertainty over who would buy the track since it was destroyed by fire in 1977. Brenda Flanagan reports. When the bidding began this morning the courtroom was packed with potential buyers. However only five serious bidders emerged including the attorney for last week's front runner a businessman said by late afternoon only two bidders remain in covenant holding company of Delaware and the international Breeders Association of Hightstown. It was ITV A which won over Garden State parks with an offer of 15 and a half million dollars in cash. Attorneys for at least three of today's major bidders admitted their clients were very encouraged by a bill Governor Kaine signed into law yesterday that measure gives private investors a break

on the taxes the rebuilt race track will pay on the money bet. It also doubles the number of racing days to two hundred a year. Yes because that law is only one day old Garden State Park stock holders who stand to benefit from the track sale. Asked that the decision be postponed if true it was only yesterday about noontime and we found that we had struck oil on the property in the sense that we had a new racing bill which added substantial value. And while we provincial in New Jersey think everybody knows about this there are probably buyers all over the country if not the world who do not know that there is no rationing under certain circumstances in New Jersey available as an investment opportunity. However Judge junior ruled the sale had been delayed long enough. He approved the contract offer from plans to rebuild the grandstand on this two hundred eighty six acre site. But despite the ruling the case isn't over yet. Hartman has promised to appeal the decision in Camden. I'm Brenda Flanagan. More headaches over drug store pain relievers tonight this time the makers of dress tan are pulling

most of their coal capsules off North Jersey store shelves. The recall comes after a threatening letter was received by the Bergen Record and other news organizations. The letter warned the dressed and capsules had been tampered with quoting the letter to show the makers of these products they can no longer ignore public safety capsules enclosed with the letters have been found to contain bits of broken pens but no poison drest and capsules in sealed containers have not been recalled. Neither have dressed and tablets and nasal spray. There's no verdict yet in the conspiracy misconduct trial of state senator and London Mayor John Gregorio. The five man seven woman jury has been deliberating Gregorios fate since noon today. The choreo is charged with conspiring to conceal his interests and to Linden go go bars. The trial in New York Superior Court has gone on for five weeks. The jury recessed for the evening just a short time ago and they will resume deliberations in the morning.

Let's take a look at the weather forecast windy and cold with variable cloudiness tonight the lows will be in the low to mid 20s and tomorrow is going to be partly sunny breezy and cold again with highs in the mid to upper 30s. And the outlook for Sunday cloudy unseasonably cold. For weeks now we've been reporting that if the legislature fails to enact a tax increase by

January 1st Governor Kaine will have little choice but to cut the state budget by a hundred fifty million dollars and that would come on top of the 64 million dollar cut already announced last August. Well tonight producer David O'Connor and correspondent Michael Aaron Take a look at one of the programs that will likely be affected Michael. Thank you Roland. In the first round of budget cuts Governor Kaine told Corrections Commissioner William flew over to cut five point five million dollars. Faced with severe overcrowding in the adult prison system for oversight he was forced to look through the juvenile system to make the cuts. He decided that at the end of this year he would have to close among other things the state's only reform school for boys under the age of 14. Boys hardly looks like a correctional facility. There are no bars no fences no walls no visible security. But then again these are no ordinary criminals. They are young all under 16 years old. Some as young as 11. They are burglars muggers purse natur here in the rolling hills of Somerset County or 170

criminals too seasoned to be on the streets too young too tender to be imprisoned. We get the kids Ordinarily when the behavior can no longer be tolerated in the community and the judge has exhausted all of the remedies that are available in his community. A kid isn't just isn't viable anymore and. The judge then will have to remove him to a just place in the middle of the place separated by the state. This is the one and only. We have to attempt to provide all those missing cases. I'm with the first word. Good. For the kids here the missing pieces are often the essential ones. Family Home Education. Most are from the cities many from one parent homes. Their kids have spent most of their time on street corners and little time behind books at Skillman they have little choice but to hit the books. We try to provide a. Structured environment.

Guidance. And educational program many of our kids have been trolling for a good part of their time. That should have been in school even though they're perfectly capable of learning they are very far behind. Established in 1968 Skillman is the only institution in New Jersey's juvenile system specifically designed to rehabilitate the very youngest offenders. Scaling the program is an excellent program. My reputation among each of the judges in this county and by the most important thing is the results they accomplish. We have the feeling that they do do something for that you'll also get there because of the tense seventy of the program that they have and because they get the chills because before. They are. So high and in the process that no one can help them. One reflection. Look ahead is what does return right. Kids to the system. Within three years one out of three the kids will

be returning to the system which is. Just about half of what the rate was prior to the establishment. Still there are eleven hundred beds like these in the state's 11 juvenile correctional facilities each and every one of them is filled at the moment. In fact the juvenile system is approaching the overcrowding now found in the adult system. But despite this and despite a tough new juvenile code set to go into effect next year the state is about to cut back on the number of beds in the system closing Skillman would eliminate one hundred seventy beds at a savings of 1.7 million dollars in this fiscal year. But it would also create a very serious problem where to put the 170 residents of Skillman through Skillman be closed on January 1st. What would happen to the kids who are here now. I don't really know what would happen. It would be unprecedented to shut down. Some of this kind when it's your two three weeks away from closing I find it hard to believe that there are no plans for where to place these kids have to go from here

to somewhere else. I don't think there's been any designation somewhere else. And I think part of the reason is because I don't know of anywhere else. I don't know who does. The options open to corrections officials are unappealing. The kids could be sent back to the courts where the judges would have to decide whether to release them or send them to already overcrowded County youth detention centers where the kids some as young as 11 years old could be transferred to institutions for older offenders like James Byrd where they'd be open targets for physical and sexual abuse and where they'd likely learn new crime skills from older more sophisticated criminals seem to be setting the clock back 30 years. Yeah again all the crowded games are. Why again mixing the youngest with the older and is something that generally decided a long time ago was not a good thing to be done differently. There would be long term problems as well. Skillman has a waiting list. Kids in county detention centers waiting to be transferred. Take away Skillman in the center start bulging like the

county jails losing Skillman also reduces the choices available in sentencing future offenders. For Judge Murphy of Essex County whose court sees 25 percent of all the juvenile cases in the state the alternatives are troubling. For example yesterday I had a 12 year old before me and he was convicted of a felony murder. Of an 84 year old woman. Now you are placed on the horns of a dilemma with a situation such as that you have a 12 year old child which is one end of the spectrum. You have an 84 year old victim which is the other end of the spectrum. You can't send that child to an adult type institution. On the other hand the public demands quite probably that you not turn such a child loose more than a year. But it's questionable whether it would really save money in the long run. It's.

It's. Out of time but we could make a difference one where. They're most able to be influenced in terms of the entire correctional system. And that's where. We would be cutting. Yes while it's true it is expensive to run a program Alternately it would be more expensive if. The students were to ultimately be a. Long time. Commitment or cost a lot more a lot longer. And chances for rehabilitation. Time to increase. Yesterday the state pushed back the closing date of February 1st to allow 45 days for layoff notices to be mailed to the school. Thank you Michael. As the last week of the lame duck session of Congress wound to a close two major issues have dominated debates. A jobs bill and a five cent increase in the gas tax.

The Senate talked about the gas tax all week but so far nothing has been done about it. And as a result of the filibuster over the five cent gas tax increase little else has been accomplished. One thing that must be passed by midnight tonight is an emergency spending bill to keep the wheels of government turning. The Senate's been working on that since the wee hours of the morning. Earlier in the week when the House of Representatives okayed a temporary spending bill to keep the government going it tacked on a five billion dollar jobs program as well. Democrats pushed hard for the jobs proposal despite White House threats that the whole package the jobs plus the catch all spending bill would be vetoed. All of New Jersey's Democrats voted for the measure that included the new jobs program. They were joined by four Republicans one of those Matthew and all those said Congress had to do something about high unemployment. However three Republicans disagreed they voted against the five billion dollar package. Today after more than 30 continuous hours of debate the Senate also OK to a jobs program but on a smaller scale. The Senate version would cost

just over one billion dollars. New Jersey's Democratic Senator Bill Bradley voted to include the jobs package in the emergency spending bill. Republican senator Nicholas Brady voted not to include the billion dollar jobs program in the catch all spending bill because the president has threatened to veto the measure. If Congress doesn't pass the emergency spending bill by midnight tonight. The money to run the federal government will run out. Can this anybody for tennis feel funny of Ted to tell us serve it Ken thank you so far

no surprises at the Toyota women's tennis championships two of the seeded players played last night the seeds one and two more play tonight ok last night top seeded Martina Navratilova serving here top 20 Turnbull 6 2 6 1. I was in a quarter final match Martina was dominant winning and 47 minutes Turnbull who beat Bonnie could do sick Tuesday night had few bright moments but this is one. Of. The Martina serving at match point when she can't return and that's it Martina advances to the semi's but she won't think about the finals until she gets past her next opponent. Let's not talk about the final seven of there if I get there then we can talk about it but of anybody has a good chance and about it because nobody's been playing indoors since March. So the fact that I've played some indoor tournaments you know in January February has nothing to do with the tournament in December in another quarterfinal match rash night on a mad week of us serving here defeated a game brought a pot or great match great point right there to the right.

With the accent and that third set went to a tie breaker he was serving in that tiebreaker. Finally she will get the point to win it MAN 4 6 6 3 7 6. And 7 3. In that time. Great. Points here because she did tonight's quarterfinal parents Tracy Austin against Andrea Jaeger and Pam Shriver against Chris Everett The winners meet tomorrow. It's never too cold in the other semi tomorrow when the Giants play in Washington Sunday expect a tough defensive game special teams very well could be a key in the Giants now have a bona fide threat in their punt return man Leon bright remember this I'm sure you do Thanksgiving Day. Leon nailed by Leonard Thompson and Ray Perkins was furious. Ouch.

Fortunately brite was OK after missing a subsequent game against Houston. He played against the Eagles last week with no fear. You are you thinking about the hit from the trust enough. But I've talked to a lot of guys on the receiving team and then they told me Don't worry about nothing out there just kissed the ball and just run the ball and I had a lot of time out to receive the ball and to do anything I want to set the table look back didn't even do anything else I went back because they were blocking Excellent excellent. That's the word for bright returns last Saturday nine four hundred forty three yards the 9 returns in one game an all time Giants record the 143 yards just four shy of them 1951 club record bright means field position. That can give the guys uplifting a lot a lot of time the off as a starter out there and you put him in good field position to go in and all it do is make two three first down the field goal range right in two years as a giant has yet to call for a fair catch he has returned 75 punts he still has not put the arm up but he says he will soon own a line they definitely you know

when they hang up to the five to six seconds to go up. College basketball St. Peters want to get a last night the peacock's are now 6 and they beat Brooklyn College 61 51 tonight 5 in a Rutgers place in the Kentucky Invitational against Tulane one for Seton Hall meets north eastern in The Atlantic City Classic the nets continue on the road tonight New Jersey plays in Los Angeles the Devils Idol since last Sunday play in Edmonton tonight. Hello Mr. Gretzky a good while to wait out in Atlantic City last night this is final seconds 11th Ron and Robert Sawyer about to be now asked who he was by Lewis resto then in the 12th round. Rest Oh you'll see I'm just teeing off and it was stopped. Rest of the TKR when all Sawyer had to do was survive the round and he had it won that according to the official scorecards and the official scoring will be different in Jersey starting January 1st the referee will no longer score a fight. Three judges Well now it's the ref and two judges also fighters will have to have a document listing their fights and the state of New Jersey is looking to ensure a recovery period for boxers between bouts of the state

making some rules hoping ultimately to protect fighters and that's what sports you know that's good. And that's the news for this Friday let's start the weekend for Bill Perry and Michael Ware and I'm Rolonda Watts and I'm can't man a hand from all of us here in New Jersey Nightly News have a good weekend. New Jersey Supreme Court play grants from the foundation. Sports coverage was provided by New Jersey Bill. New Jersey complete production of The New Jersey network in association with WMD. He recorded.