NJN News; Tuesday August 6, 1996

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to inform and lighten and educate the citizens of New Jersey. NJN News with Kent Manahan, Dick Forney with Business and Jerry Henry with Sports. The search for more suspects continues tonight following a deadly shootout at a South Jersey Mall. Good evening, investigators are looking for two people after an attempted armored car robbery ended in bloodshed at the Deppford Mall in Gloucester County. The shootings left a would-be robber and a bystander dead and two other people injured. Kent St. John has the latest on the probe and on how the incident has affected the community. Flags were flying at half-stab today as the Deppford Mall reopened for business after a botched bank robbery at the Midland bank yesterday. The robbery left one suspect dead.

He's identified as 28-year-old Vincent Reed of Camden, who had a criminal record. So dead is bystander 17-year-old Nicholas Morris of Clayton, who was captain of Glassboro High School's football team. Gloucester County officials say preliminary ballistics tests indicate Reed's gun killed Morris. The victim that was killed was struck four times. Three projectiles have been recovered and are being submitted for comparison. It appeared to be from the perpetrators' weapon. A 15-year-old Swiss burrow girl and the Brooks Armored Guard are still hospitalized. Officials say the guard's gun killed Reed. He fired nine rounds from a 40-calibre semi-automatic weapon. That has been verified. A Vincent Reed, the perpetrator who is now deceased, who was shot, he fired four rounds from a 38-calibre semi-automatic weapon.

Police say another shot came from a nine-millimeter gun recovered from a red Honda and a parking lot a short distance away. They won't say which gun shot the 15-year-old girl. Authorities are looking for two suspects. We have no suspects and there are no arrests. Yesterday's melee is still visible in Merchant Gary Brand's mind today. He heard what he thought was firecrackers. And the next thing I knew, there was a black male playing on the ground over there, slumped, hit shot, pulled blood coming from him. And there was a young lady over by the steps who had been shot. Merchant Bob Southwick called for help. Security guard asked me to call 911 so I crawled to the back of the store and did what I was asked to do. Still, many who returned today to them all were upset and fearful. Very, very vulnerable and you think of your own family in terms of what's been lost. The only investigation continues, more operators are looking into setting up a scholarship fund in the name of 17-year-old Nicholas Morris. Officials say they are hopeful and arrest will be made soon.

Anyone with information is asked to call Deppard Police at 609-845-222-0. Ken St. John and JN News, Deppard, Gloucester County. While Deppard is dealing with the robbery and shooting, scores of other New Jerseyans will be in parks or on streets or even on their front porches tonight. It's national night out against crime and people are being asked to leave their lights on as a symbol. Rich Young is standing by at a community-wide event in Hamilton Township. Rich? Well, Ken, we're at the Veterans Park in Hamilton Township where a couple hundred people have come out to say crime will not be tolerated. Here you can see the latest in home security measures elsewhere you can talk to police about better ways of protecting your home or neighborhood. Elements like this one are being held statewide tonight, their local grassroots efforts from people who have a message for criminals that they're not welcome. It does show people that they do have to come out and their crime is a problem. There's no doubt, and it's everybody's problem. It's not just a police problem.

And if they can do just a little bit to protect themselves, it makes our job lot easier. This Hamilton event is one of about 8800 nationwide where residents are taking a stand against crime. In every city and town homeowners are asked to leave their outside lights on tonight between 7 and 10 p.m. But some communities like Hamilton have made the fight against crime almost a celebration. Here children can have their fingerprints taken or their bicycles inspected, adults can learn about the newest techniques in crime prevention like this computerized security control board. Hey, it's got 16 different zones, and you can program the zones for medical response for water level if you have even water in a basement that can tell you if you have a house down a shore, I can tell you if the temperature is going low before the pipes freeze. Earlier today, Batman was in Newark helping kick off that city's national night out effort. The city teamed up with PSE and G in the lighting of a huge light bulb. A warning to that city's criminal element, they're being watched. National Night Out has that basic purpose, getting people out to show the criminal element

in the community that when the people, the good people, bind together, there's no end to what they can do. Although the events in Newark and this one in Hamilton really reduce crime is debatable. One thing more certain, the events give residents a feeling they're taking an active role in the fight against crime. I was interested in what's going on in our neighborhood. People are getting robbed and they don't know what to do about it. If they think something like this will make a difference. If they come out and watch it, sure, there's all kinds of good stuff out there. Now, there are about 100 events around New Jersey tonight, 8800 nationwide. They range from flesh like walks to ice cream socials. It's a way for communities to get involved to take a stand against crime. For now reporting from Hamilton Township, Rich Young, NJN News, come back to you. Rich, thank you. Senator Lautenberg blasted at the National Rifle Association today criticizing the organization for impeding the government's war against terrorism. Just this week, Lautenberg introduced legislation calling for tighter airport security measures. The bill also calls for tagging or ID markers that make it easier for law enforcement agents

to trace explosives. Today Lautenberg blamed the NRA for trying to block that part of the reform effort. The knowledge that explosives contain these markers should make terrorists and potential terrorists think twice before attempting a bombing. The NRA contends its position on tagins is misunderstood, and that the only concern the organization has with the ID markers is that studies show they can make certain kinds of explosives unstable. The State Appeals Court has turned down a bid by Public Utilities Commissioner Ed Salman. Today's action will allow Salman to keep his job for another week in order to file an appeal of the dismissal to the State Supreme Court. Last week, the State Executive Commission on Ethical Standards voted to remove Salman from his BPU post for socializing and for accepting free meals from people in businesses regulated by the agents. I think what's most important in this whole case is I've already gone through an 11 months administrative law hearing, and the final statement in that administrative law hearing emphasized

that there's no evidence whatsoever that I ever compromise the integrity of my office in any way. Two weeks ago, the Executive Commission on Ethical Standards voted unanimously to remove Salman from his 92,500 dollar a year post to find him and to bar him from public office or a state job for five years. Thousands of thousands of New Jersey schoolchildren should have safer trips to and from school, thanks to a bill signed into law today by Governor Whitman. The measure requires all New Jersey public school buses to be equipped with an automatic arm. That children will have to go around before crossing in front of the vehicle. Jim Hooker has more. It took ten years in the deaths of eight New Jersey schoolchildren over that time, but a bill designed to protect the kids against school bus fatalities was finally signed into law today. Over the past few years, unfortunately, several young children have lost their lives in a tragic accident of this nature.

It's certainly our hope that this legislation will prevent that kind of heartache from any family. Seven-year-old Christy Leos Strowski of Trenton was the last child killed in New Jersey while crossing in front of a bus after being dropped off near her home. The may accident spurred the legislature to finally join a dozen other states requiring the crossbars on school buses. The crossing arm will change the dangerous scenario by forcing children across the street well out in front of the bus and well within the driver's line of sight. The crossing arm law was signed on what would have been the 11th birthday of Robbie Newber who was killed five and a half years ago while crossing in front of a school bus like this one near his Washington Township Gloucester County home. His parents lobbied hard for the bill and say today's signing means their son didn't die in vain. The tragedy of the law is going to be with us forever and this is just one very positive thing that has come from it. Three thousand New Jersey school buses have the crossing arms. The state will pay four million dollars over the next two years to install the device

on 12,000 buses that don't have the arms. Very happy that they're doing what they're doing because it's kind of helped you direct and accidentously injuring children. The state also plans to require buses for private schools to have the crossing arms in the future. Jim Hooker, NJN News, Trenton. In Newark school conditions have been described as deplorable. Today hundreds of kids and adults took up brooms, rakes and garden tools and headed back to school. Marie DeNoire reports it was school beautification day in one of New Jersey's most notorious school districts. Burnett Elementary School is going to have a new garden growing beside its basketball court. Just down the road at Raphael Hernandez Elementary, the focus was on cleaning up the lawns and sidewalks. Throughout the city, nearly 1,000 volunteers led by the Newark school board and a community organization called just one spent this day putting their backs into their belief in

the renaissance of the Newark school system. People in Newark feel the spirit, they feel that the schools are on the way up, that we are in the process of implementing our reform agenda and they're very excited about it. This day means a lot more to Newark schools than cleaner sidewalks and need our gardens when you consider where it's been and how far it's come. It is real nasty, the bathroom's never had tissue in it, it is really nasty. Last July, Beverly Hall, the state appointed superintendent of schools, used adjectives like deplorable and appalling. After touring the schools and finding bathrooms with no running water, I'm seeing graffiti and crumbling walls, she demanded changes. Eight million dollars and one year later, the city's schools are in better shape, physically. Now you could be able to sit on the toilet, not sit on the toilet, but you know, not be scared to go to the bathroom and blaze up because there are doors on the stalls now. It's always tissue in there and you don't see things that you're not supposed to see.

The year old state takeover of Newark schools has yet to produce measurable academic improvements, but school officials hope the structural and physical improvements will help make the schools an integral and important community possession. Are you glad to be helping out at the schools? Why is that important to you? Because, you know, this is our community. On that score, school beautification day gets an eight plus. Marie DeNoia, NJN News, Newark. Still ahead tonight on NJN News, the issue of abortion appears to be a major stumbling block as Republicans get set for next week's convention. And in our health watch, details of a new medical program for children that's helping to save lives. You know, we do. The Republicans could face a floor fight on abortion when their convention officially

begins next week in San Diego. Yesterday, language calling for tolerance on various views on the issue was removed from the GOP plank. Not although presidential candidate Bob Dole supported it. The party platform still calls for a constitutional amendment to outlaw all abortions. Today, a pro-choice governor Whitman said she would join a floor fight at the convention if necessary to make the platform more inclusive. There are at this point, as you know, several governors who have said that they will take the lead on this. And that's fine by me. Everyone knows where I am. I've been very consistent on this issue. There's no need to have 15 leaders to get something done. New Jersey will certainly be there if there is going to be a floor fight on this issue. At the convention in San Diego, Whitman says that infighting there could hurt Doles and

other GOP candidates' chances for winning the election. In tonight's health watch report, we take you to a place called the Children's House. It's a new program at Hackensack that deals with kids in crisis. Health and medical correspondents, Sarah Lee Kessler, joins us now from Newark with more on the story. Sarah Lee, what count it's a place where pediatrics is practiced the old fashioned way. Exams from nose to toes. Patients come in all hours of the day or night. You don't make an appointment to go there, however. Generally, you're brought in by Diffus or by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. These are kids who've been physically or sexually abused. The scope is everything and anything you can imagine. Dr. Evelyn Shoukat is director of Children's House. In the four months it's been open, she and her staff have treated nearly 100 abused children. Dr. Shoukat has seen it all. Nine-month-old with fractures of different parts of their body to children who've been

sighted by so badly that they have fresh tears and bleeding. The children are diagnosed and treated here, removed from abuse of homes, hospitalized, if necessary, and referred for specialized therapy. There you go. I wanted to make sure that he was okay because I did use drugs. Children's House is a joint project of Hackensack University Medical Center, Diffus, and the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office. Our unit handles approximately 450 to 500 cases of both sexual and physical abuse of children and about 75% of them are children under the age of 13. It's a kid-friendly environment, teddy bears, lollipops, real food too. A far cry from the sterile environment of a police department or prosecutor's office. We found that we're getting a lot more information and we're taking statements here. A social worker debriefs the children in a room with a one-way mirror.

Some of them will have post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Dr. Eric Hirschman is the psychologist at Children's House. We'll use the anatomically correct dolls here. They're not that sexually aware, but usually they have an idea of what we call the different genitalia. How important is the work you do here? It's the most important type of pediatric sector ever imagine and the most fulfilling as well. It's what keeps children alive and safe. And any magic antibiotic could. It's a wonderful place, Count. The question is, who pays for children's house? I'll tell you, it's a little complicated. We do. There are state tax dollars involved. Hackensack University Medical Center pays, but there are other sources. I've learned that a quarter million dollars in seed money actually comes from Bergen County drug dealers. That's right. This is cash that's been seized in drug bus and re-channel. We'll put it that way, re-channel, to another source.

Children's House. Count. Thank you, Sarah Lay. Still ahead tonight on NJN News in our business report. The latest report out on New Jersey's economic outlook is showing good signs and travel on the cheap, decorning details the latest airfare wars. It'll spark in our economy here these days. Yeah, you know, they call it momentum is what this is the word that they're using now economists are.

The New Jersey's economy may finally be on a roll, continuing a slow but steady recovery from the recession of the early 1990s. Now, that's the conclusion of the latest report on the state's economic outlook released today by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The Fed's economic activity index for New Jersey rose to tens of a percent. In June, it's fifth monthly advance. Over the last 12 months, the index has risen 1.3 percent. Our index looks at payroll employment, the unemployment rate hours worked, and it's the payroll employment number in New Jersey that has been showing consistent growth over the past several months. At the same time, the Federal Reserve's index of leading indicators shows little chance of the state's economy backsliding into a recession in the near future. We look at several things. We look at housing permits. We look at initial unemployment claims, as long as they're coming down, means the economy has some momentum. And we also look at the momentum in our coincident index. In other words, how has the economy done over the last few months, is there a momentum

in that index and there has been momentum in New Jersey? The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia tracks economic activity in the eastern part of Pennsylvania and New Jersey south of Trenton. Fleet Financial Group, the new owners of NatWest Bank USA, have settled at dispute with the state's largest consumer action group over allegedly shady home improvement loans made by a former Fleet subsidiary. In the late 80s, the subsidiary Fleet Consumer Finance allegedly made home improvement loans to low income and immigrant communities at interest rates as high as 23 and a half percent. In a joint news conference with the Consumer Action Group, Fleet said it will make easy to qualify for low interest loans available to those customers. It took a great deal of time, but a comprehensive program was developed that we will believe that we do believe with extensive outreach will hopefully make a difference in the lives of these people. According to Citizens Action, the Consumer Watchdog Group, which organized the protest against Fleet, 1,300 of the high interest home improvement loans are still held by

New Jerseyans and there have been more than or that there have been. That is 904 closures since 1988. If you have insomnia, it could work in your favor. The next couple of months for those able to take a red eye, that's a night flight. Fares is lowest $300 round trip to the west coast of available from Newark. The latest volley in the airfare wars was launched by America West Airlines. The cheap o'fares require nighttime travel and a change of planes and have other restrictions. TWA united another flying from Newark, matching the America West ticket prices on routes where they compete. Snews and through the session on Wall Street. Details are next. Tonight's NJN News Business Report is made possible by Core States New Jersey National Bank, providing financial services to New Jersey families and businesses. Ken thought I said zoom in. No, I said snooze and I didn't say that.

It was as if someone had set a wake up call for about three this afternoon on Wall Street. The stock markets news. There was to the session then came to life late in the day. The dollar industrials managed a nearly 22 point gain to close at the 5696 level. The DMX index was just about unchanged. The NASDAQ composite rose eight and the third and the standard of poorest 500 added about two points. I guess the ozone levels got the best news and all those things. Thanks, Dick. Still to come. A check of our forecast is just ahead in and in sports news. One of New Jersey's baseball teams is enjoying first place, looking ahead to playoff action. Jerry's off here's tonight's sports action.

The Trenton Thunder is roaring toward the playoffs. The first place Thunder is eight and a half games up in the Southern Division. Tonight the team is out for revenge against the Redding Phillies after losing five to three last night. Last year the Thunder lost to the Phillies in the first round of the Eastern League playoffs. This year the team hopes to ramble past the competition in the AA World Series. We got around 30 games left so things on the bag. We got a long way to go. I'd like to have your pitch and set by time you get the August but sometimes you lose guys and other guys have to fill in and so with the 30 games left we got to still go out there and play hard and win some games in order to get in and then once we're in then we'll start thinking about the playoffs.

An optimistic Ken Mocka looking toward the end of the season. Tomorrow the Thunder faced the Phillies again for the third time in the four game series. Well how about our air quality these days New Jersey's air quality has reached unhealthful levels in southern parts of the state today and that's because of the continued hazy humid conditions in the region. Many EEP officials warned people especially the very young and old and those with heart and lung problems to consider staying indoors on days like today. Many people are sensitive to levels of ozone. It will increase the incidence of asthma attacks and it does cause respiratory irritation, watering of the eyes, those types of effects and sensitive people. Here's what the ozone levels looked like today in New Jersey. They reached code red levels this afternoon in Camden County and in Northeast Philadelphia. Central New Jersey was approaching unhealthful levels. Tomorrow levels are expected to reach code orange or approaching unhealthful levels. Let's take a look at the forecast.

In North Jersey for tonight partly cloudy with lows in the mid 60s. Tomorrow it will be sunny and more men humid again with highs in the upper 80s. In South Jersey tonight more men humid with a low of 65 degrees. Tomorrow sunny and hot with a high of about 90 in the southern part of the state. And finally tonight this week they've been forcing around in Sussex County at the 60th annual Sussex County Farm and Horse Show. Governor Whitman saddled up and opened the show riding wild man. Participants in the equestrian event come from all over the country with hundreds of riders taking part. There's also pony riding for the kids and horse judging for the experts. The show continues through Sunday in Augusta Sussex County. That's our news for tonight. I'm Kent Madaghan for Dick and all of us here at NJN News. Thank you for being with us and we'll see you again tomorrow night.