New Jersey Nightly News; New Jersey Nightly News Episode from 11/07/1978

The. New Jersey night. Was with the Baucus bill in Trenton and Clayton Vaughn in Newark. Good evening and the News Tonight Election Day in New Jersey. The voters casting ballots the national and local candidates and on several referenda. We'll have reports nurses have gone on strike at to Hudson County hospitals Pollak hospital in Jersey City and Meadow View Hospital in Secaucus and gasoline industry spokesmen are warning of a possible shortage in New Jersey of unleaded gas. Good evening Rebecca. In sports ball bloodline takes a preseason look at the Rutgers basketball team. Team of the bowls is in the nation's top 20. And on a closer look we'll talk about the new look or the lack of it in New Jersey news coverage by the New York Times and The Daily News. New Jersey voters had a raft of issues and candidates to deal with today and Despite predictions of a low turnout some areas report heavy votes. The difference may be the drawing power of local races. The polls across the state are open until 8:00

tonight except in Camden County. There a judge ordered the polls kept open until 9 because of problems with some of the voting machines. Voters throughout the state certainly do have enough to choose from. Everything's on the ballot in the U.S. Senate race with national overtones to a decision on county option gambling on hotline. In between there are the 15 congressional contests local races of all sorts and state questions running from court consolidation to spending millions on urban parks. We're back. Despite the length of the ballot most of the interest in most of the campaign money has been in the race for U.S. Senate. It had national significance from the start since it was supposed to have been a contest between the state's elderly senior senator and a youthful basketball star. But that was before Jeffrey Bell beat Clifford Case in the Republican primary and before California's Proposition 13 turned Bell's campaign into an economic crusade with Democrat Bill Bradley as its target. Reports now on the two candidates final campaign day for Mariama Rosso in my power. First Mariama Rosso.

Bradley voted at 8:00 this morning in his hometown of Danville and then spent the rest of the day in near seclusion with family and friends. But while Bill Bradley had stopped campaigning his staff hadn't they were still getting the vote out today over the phone on foot and in cars with loud speakers. Early this afternoon Bradley workers began decking the hall at the Meadowlands Hilton in Secaucus where supporters will wait for results tonight. And camera crews from seven stations set up shop to record tonight's moment of victory or defeat. But Bradley seems confident of victory. He has already scheduled five or six campaign stops on Thursday throughout the state to thank voters for their support. It's a caucus I Mariama Rosso. Jeffrey Bell and his supporters will assemble tonight at the Inn of Trenton where television crews have been setting up equipment all day to monitor the return. Mail came to two years ago with his guns drawn on incumbent Republican senator Clifford

Case. Well disposed of case in a primary but since then has remained a decided underdog in the race against Democrat Bill Bradley. The National Republican Party has poured two hundred fifteen thousand dollars into the campaign and national political observers will be watching the returns for one reason. To see if the tax revolt that caught fire in California has showered any sparks in the east. Mail has advocated a 33 percent cut in federal income taxes. And a vote in Trenton this morning. He was met by reporters along the way just a few blocks from the state capitol. He said he expects support from one bloc of voters that normally turns out heavily for Democrats. The Democrats normally rely on an 80 to 90 percent share of the black and Hispanic vote. The most recent Eagleman poll found that we were getting thirty two percent of it with a percent still undecided that indicates to me that we're going to cut into his quote that these voters. Understand that the issue I've been talking about is more than just tax cutting it's an opportunity

for everybody. And the poll released last week showed bail behind Bradley by 18 percentage points. Valle of course says that part of the Eagleton poll was wrong. Intrans. I might power a year ago Essex County voters approved a charter change that set up the post of county executive. Today voters are deciding who that executive is going to be. We have two reports ya economy on Democrat leadership Earl and John Hall with Republican Robert I'm Jack. I'm Jack Hardy and Shapiro headquarters. The candidates spent most of his day today moving from one polling place to another throughout the county maintaining a strong campaign to the end. There's a lot at stake here the county executive position may well turn out to be the second most powerful elective office in a state and a 26 year old candidate could use it effectively to move almost anyplace. But of course it's age has become a factor in the closing stages of the campaign. Republicans are stressing what they call Shapiro's youth and

inexperience and labeling those things drawbacks. SHAPIRO won its first election to the state assembly almost three years ago. He's won one since then and he's proven to be an exceptionally strong campaigner and a vote getter. Even when he ran against the party machinery now he's working under a strong Democratic endorsement with help from Governor BRENDAN BYRNE And even from the Kennedy family as well as an endorsement from The New York Times. So at this point he's got to be considered a front runner. Even so he isn't taking any chances because his opponent Bob not he is running hard to more now on the nutty campaign from reporter Jeff Hall. For Bob Noddy the Republican candidate for Essex county executive and former director of the Newark Housing Authority. Today was an historic event. He voted for the first time in his life. Noddy's opponent Peter Shapiro has been using Noddy's non-existing voting record as a weapon throughout the campaign. After casting his ballot Bob not he spent the rest of the day pumping voters hands in at

least 30 polling places throughout Essex. In the closing weeks of this campaign Noddy's own independent poll shows him chipping away substantially at Peter Shapiro strong earlier lead Noddy's most recent figures show him trailing by only 3 percent. He knows if he's going to win he's got to whip Shapiro in three of New York's most heavily populated Willard's particularly the north ward where Bob nobody is counting on the predominantly Italian vote. A former State Senator Anthony Imperioli is said to wield immense political clout there and he's told everyone to vote for Noddy despite some earlier ambivalence with the Nati campaign in Newark. I'm Jeffrey Hall. How long with that county wide race was also a question for voters in the city of Newark. Whether to approve or reject pay raises for the mayor the city council on top city administrative people. The council voted in the raises but opponents circulated a petition against them forcing today's vote. And for all voters across the state there are other money questions. The 200 million dollar bond

issue for parks the Green Acres program another hundred million for state institutions construction mostly for the mentally retarded in the prison system. Twenty five million dollars in flood control bonds and a proposal to refinance three hundred seventeen million dollars worth of sports authority bonds which could actually save the state some money. And money matters there is a proposal to incorporate the county courts into the superior court system. And another gambling question whether to permit counties to allow betting on high lives. Florida is one of the states where I live gambling is legal now. In Florida voters today are deciding whether to follow New Jersey's example and bring more casino gambling to the east coast. The casino question is a big one in Florida and has produced a hot campaign both by supporters and opponents. We're back. The head of Atlantic City's Vice Squad says casino gambling hasn't attracted the large numbers of prostitutes previously expected but the prostitute arrests have doubled in the past year mainly because of a crackdown on hookers after several gamblers complained of being robbed by the girls. Judges are handing out six month sentences to professional

prostitutes amateurs on the other hand are reportedly being treated with more compassion. On the first arrest they get a warning. Few were major crimes were committed in New Jersey this year than at any time in the past 10 years. State police report major crimes are down by almost 6 percent. But rape and auto theft are up by eight percent. The report also says murder and larceny decreased as did breaking and entering. One further statistic. A white man between the ages of 25 and 34 is most likely to be the victim of a burglary or larceny while blacks are the most frequent victims of violent crimes. State police say although blacks make up only about a tenth of the state's population they account for nearly half of the murder and rape victims. Clayton more than 200 nurses to Hudson County hospitals are on strike tonight. The registered practical nurses of Balak hospital in Jersey City and Meadow View Hospital in Secaucus have set up picket lines. Those lines are not being honored by other unions. Steve

Taylor reports. The nurses at the two county owned hospitals have been working without a contract since the beginning of the year. Hoping for a settlement which has not come. The nurses voted to strike last evening but the walkout really began yesterday afternoon. About half the nurses on the 3:30 shift just stayed home so that they could go to the union meeting. Some of them called in sick quite a few of them just didn't call. POLLAK hospital is a rest home for about five hundred twenty patients. Many of you cares for about the same number of psychiatric cases. Both hospitals are staying open using supervisory personnel and volunteers. But the health services director for both facilities doesn't know how long they can go on like that. The supervisory nurses and the physicians and other personnel are working 12 hour shifts. Obviously in the ordinary event the things that people cannot be expected to be working 12 hour shifts. Seven days a week the nurses main complaint is that they make less money than their counterparts at nearby hospitals not owned by the county and they have another complaint.

We are drastically and as far as registered nurses go and the nurses are just frustrated because it's impossible to do professional nursing care to these patients. But we really deserve that. There weren't any contract talks today and none are scheduled. County officials have the Election Day holiday off. Other hospital unions are not honoring the picket lines here at public and admit a few hospital administrators say it's because the other unions resent nurses abandoning their patients. The nurses say that until pay and working conditions improve those patients won't be getting adequate care with or without nurses. In Jersey City. I'm Steve Taylor the Camden School Board last night approved the contract settlement that's officially ending the month long teachers strike. Last Sunday teachers and other striking school workers ratify the agreement. Classes resumed yesterday and school spokesman say they haven't decided yet whether students will have to make up the 17 school days lost during the strike. The school board kept Camden's 32 schools open

during the walkout but recorded only 10 percent attendance. The state is launching a counterattack to stop violence and vandalism in public schools. Commissioner of Education Fred Burke has announced the six month campaign to be spearheaded by a special task force that taskforce will hold a series of public discussions involving students and will also conduct public opinion polls in its search to find ways to curb vandalism. I'm very adamant during the election night November 7 the complete protectors of the Essex County executive race. It's a new office created last year when the voters okayed a new form of government for the state's most populated county. We'll have returns as soon as there are available election night so

you get you and your New Jersey Public Television channel that's Tuesday November 7th at 8:00 p.m.. Here's the weather forecast for New Jersey increasing cloudiness tonight with a chance of occasional rain throughout the state in North Jersey temperatures will range in the low to mid 40s. A little cooler in the southern part of the state. Tomorrow sunny unseasonably cool throughout the state with high temperatures ranging in the mid to upper 50s. The outlook for Thursday is sunny and milder. It's hard to it's hard to believe that college basketball is just around the corner but here to tell us about it. Thanks Rebecca the first game is still three weeks away but at Rutgers people are already getting excited about basketball and for good reason the Scarlet Knights are coming off a 24 and seven season and they look even better this time around. One big reason is 6:09 center James Bailey back for his senior year and called by many of the finest big man in the entire nation. A year ago Bailey was the team leader in

scoring rebounding and steals and then their 6 7 adèle Anderson also a senior. Anderson should started one of the forward positions for Rutgers. Other returning include guard Tom Brown. And there's a lot more talent coming back. And how about the newcomers. Well Rutgers had a good recruiting year. Their top prospect is junior college transfer student Darryl Strickland an All-American at Essex County College a year ago. All in all there's plenty of talent to teach. Coach Tom Young happy according to most preseason polls Rutgers is among the top 15 teams in the country. How does that affect the players. I think it's positively really because the more respect they have the more confident they feel and I think that if I was a player I would prefer to go into the season with people thinking we're going to be good to go out and prove it rather than. Trying to go out and get some attention which is difficult to do. And tomorrow evening we'll have a report on James Bailey a pre-season first team All-American and

undoubtedly the player on whom records will depend. Well Weightlifting is a sport that suffers from misconceptions the main one being that all lifters resemble the huge Russian world champion Vassili Alexei. But in reality most lifters are agile well-proportioned athletes. Interesting Gaspar is has a report on one such weightlifter name Luma Cardo. How many athletes train in the fresh air of the great outdoors. This small stuffy Jinan room a cart of domain all year round. We were senior at Montclair State College but he says it's not a study to take up most of his time. It's quite like. Six days a week three hours a day. He trains. A hundred and eighty one pounds blue with a light heavyweight he lifts more than twice as weighting competition and an average workout he lifts 95 times for a total weight of 18 tons. But it's paid off in October he was chosen for the U.S. weightlifting team and competed in the world championships against countries all over the globe. He finished 11th. Who feel that the important point lifting isn't without its problems. He has weightlifter suffer from a

bad image. A big misconception about weight lifters is that they're slow and they're obese. But Lou straighten me out about all that. Whenever we have TV coverage we have most of the time we have the super heavy weights when we really care for her in the way of guys who are stronger a lot faster more muscular and. Some super heavy weights obese I think. Now you were telling me before that you have to be flexible Why do you have to be flexible of why do you have to have speed some of the different positions that you get in you have to have. Strong flexible hamstrings and shows have to be flexible rotate back and forth. First you withdraw from the floor overhead right and well you can work. Sometimes you look like you're almost in pain or you know just facial expressions when when you make do with the battery. There's no pain at all when you miss it is an awful lot of pain mental and physical. And what did you expect from all the elegance. Like every other serious weightlifter a spot on the

Olympic team it's hard to get press reporting. There was announced today that soccer ball seventy nine for the championship of the North American Soccer League will again be played at Giants Stadium soccer ball 78 between the cosmos and the Tampa Bay rowdies was played at Giants Stadium and attracted a crowd of more than 74000 which is undoubtedly one big reason in the league's decision to hold the game there again. And that's sports Rebecca. Thanks Paul. A trial is underway in Mount Holly in which nine jockeys and trainers are charged with race fixing the judge's ruling tomorrow on whether or not a series of articles in Sports Illustrated linking race fixing to murders beating and organized crime can be used in court the defense apparently wants the articles introduced to undermine the credibility of the prosecution's key witness. A confessed horse race fixer Anthony Chula the articles linked with at least 11 murders and racetrack violence around the nation's tracks. Clayton. It's been five years since the Arab oil embargo caused those long lines at the gas pumps.

Now there is the threat of another type of gasoline shortage that could be almost as bad. The difference this time according to oil industry sources is that the shortages of unleaded gas read Wells reports. Ever since the gasoline shortages of one hundred seventy three the American driver has been switching to a smaller more economical cars and cars with catalytic converters which require unleaded fuel. The demand for unleaded gas this year has been so great that oil companies can't keep up. They say the problem is at the refinery where some of the oil companies have not converted their equipment quickly enough to keep up with the increased demand for unleaded gas. Oil companies say they have more than enough crude oil to make the unleaded gasoline but the refinery has to be specially refitted for the conversion process. The production of unleaded fuel is a separate process which requires new equipment. Jerry Ferrara The director of the New Jersey gasoline retailers association says the current shortage need not exist. Many stations have even short storage capacity because the company's then converting underground

storage enough so I think there is a form of technological for it but is the fault of the mages for not anticipating this. In one thousand seventy three service stations sold virtually no one leaded fuel at all. But now unleaded gas accounts for nearly 50 percent of all gasoline sales in New Jersey. Oil Company officials say it could be three or four months before refineries are able to meet the demand for unleaded gasoline. In the meantime if demand continues to exceed supply it could mean higher prices for unleaded gas. In Newark. I'm right well if you have problems finding unleaded gasoline call this number area code to a 1 6 8 6 1000. That's the New Jersey gasoline retailers organization and they can tell you which service stations in your area has supplies. Thursday night at 8:00 on New Jersey Public Television a debate on the issue of allowing cameras in

the courts for noted attorneys debate the issue before a panel of six state Supreme Court justices. At issue the defendant's right to a fair trial the destruction of the courtroom balanced against the public's right to know what the New Jersey Supreme Court about to consider an experimental TV in the court's program. Watch the judiciary and the media. Thursday night at 8:00 on New Jersey Public Television. Remember. They haven't been around for a long time and after an 88 they

strike the New York Daily News in the New York Times are back on the street in New Jersey. But I was not business as usual during the strike. Both papers decided to cut back their New Jersey coverage to news to announce that it would shut down most of its bureau in West Orange and eliminate its special New Jersey EDITION. The Times announced in Monday's edition it will introduce a new daily section called Metropolitan report. And that news from New York and Connecticut with New Jersey happenings. In short no more exclusive New Jersey pages. What do these changes mean for New Jersey newsmakers and news readers. Richard Hixson teaches journalism at Rutgers and he's our contributing reporter on media. I was on the news desk of the New Jersey edition of The New York Daily News now he's the managing editor of the program. Gentlemen why the cut. Why have they decided to eliminate. Specifically New Jersey coverage. I think it's mostly economic Rebecca I think that. Both newspapers have found. That whether they devote coverage specifically to New Jersey or

not. They're going to get the same circulation the same advertising linage in New Jersey. And the same readership. And I think they've come to the point where. Economics will prevail over public service. Where are they getting enough advertising dollars. Now. I think something else too is that it's impossible for either of the papers to cover the entire state of New Jersey. You know it is very costly to do that job without an economic base but it's also very costly just to have reporters around the state covering things seems to be very very difficult. Is this going to mean what kind of a loss is this going to mean for New Jersey. I think. I've said before that the people who read the Times and the people who read the news are going to continue to read the Times and news. But I think that. Iraq of this. Presence in New Jersey or cut back in this presence is going to mean that some of the other newspapers can take it easy. And I think

that's one of the the strong points. That these papers additions in the state had is that they kept the other papers honest. I'm not sure they can do that anymore. I mean honest in terms of covering this I mean honest in terms of being a backup and being. Someone you have to fight with over the news every day there's not going to be that kind of fight to get the news back you mean that there's going to be open for a New Jersey paper let's say the Star-Ledger or the Bergen Record of courier post to fulfill a statewide kind of coverage. I don't think so. I I can't imagine the Bergen Record. Up in North Jersey covering South Jersey you know. The Camden Courier Post going up north. One of my favorite reactions to this is that New Jersey has 27 daily newspapers. Only one of which covers this in the entire state the Star-Ledger. But I think New Jersey is one of the best cover

states in the union terms of newspapers and there are 26 and some of them are very good. They're just so localized that people tend to think of them as not as important they don't get press from other media the way the papers to other hand there's the news that affects us daily is not national international business. Would you be upset or feel a mass if Philadelphia decided to cut out its New Jersey coverage of South Jersey. Well I'm not as familiar with that but I don't think that's a real loss I think the Post is doing a marvelous job covering South Jersey and there are some other dailies in the area and we'll deal with landing city up the coast. I think there's a vacuum in state wide coverage that these newspapers will fill and can fill the Star-Ledger claims to be the state's only state wide newspaper. I have serious reservations about whether it is or not I don't think it is. I think New Jersey could use a statewide newspaper. Just because of the diverse elements within the state

but never get exposed to one another. The other thing that strikes me is that at a time when there is such talk about television coverage of the state in such a sense of lack of any kind of cohesive coverage of the state even though there are no real statewide newspapers anywhere. Seems to me that this could hurt us even further. As far as our image goes if nothing else. Well I tend to keep that split along the north south Jersey lines just alive. And there's an end of the inevitability about that however that the kind of crap matters was New York in the Capitol first his head of the Philadelphia that maybe but as Karl mentioned I don't think that lack of coverage is going to hurt subscription to The New York Times or The New York Daily News. Thank you gentlemen both of you for being with us Richard. Thank you. Once again our top stories on this Election Day New Jersey voters electing a new United States senator and deciding numerous congressional and local races and several state questions and bond

issues elsewhere nurses to Hudson County hospitals are on strike. Salary is the issue. And a spokesman for the gasoline industry say that because of high demand there may be a shortage of no lead gasoline in New Jersey this winter and that's the news. The Jersey election returns in New Jersey at 8:00 p.m.. Tonight. Good night for the New Jersey. New Jersey nightly news a joint presentation of New Jersey Public Television 13 broadcast weeknights at 6:30 on Channel 13 at 7:30. The New Jersey Public Television and updated edition is broadcast at 10:00 p.m. on New Jersey Public Television. And it's 7:00 the following morning on Channel 13. Portions pre recorded.