New Jersey Nightly News; 02/02/1982

New Jersey tonight with Don Torrance and can't get ahead. Good evening to Cain cabinet appointees up surprisingly smooth sailing in the state Senate. Now the governor names his insurance commissioner in sports Rutgers was an easy winner in college basketball last night. Pat Scanlon has the highlights and we'll take a closer look at a new role for some of New Jersey's corporate giants daycare providers. Two of Governor Kaine's more controversial Cabinet nominees today cleared critical hurdles. The Senate Judiciary Committee gave its OK to new commissioners of environment and community affairs as well as energy. A showdown expected over the environment and community affairs nominations never materialized. Jim Acosta has the story. A bumpy ride before the Judiciary Committee had been expected for at least two of the K nominees Robert YUI for the Department of Environmental Protection and John Brennan for the Department of Community Affairs. As it turned out however it was mostly all smiles by all concerned. For instance on the UEP nomination Senators Democrats and Republicans alike made little reference in their questioning to

environmental groups opposing the selection of a Sierra Club spokeswoman said Hughie a local planning consultant and former college teacher would be in over his head on the job and he would not be a forceful environmental advocate for his part acknowledged he wouldn't be an environmental trailblazer but said the E.P. need something else. I think that that the key to that department is to take a number of very hot issues to involve the public in the decisions that you make to be stable and consistent in the way you approach the policy. I have a nine inch thick one of the best briefing manuals that I've seen put together by the transition team for the governor. It is nine inches of problems. There there is not a half an inch of solution and nothing much critical came from the Senate panel in regards to Renna the Department of Community Affairs nominee who once served as executive director of the New Jersey Housing Finance Agency that agency was criticized heavily in a recent report by the state commission of investigation on everything from

financial mismanagement to political favoritism. The committee also cleared the nomination of Leonard Coleman as energy commissioner even though he acknowledged he could be presiding over a department. The Cain administration might dismantle the full Senate which reconvenes on Monday is expected to formally confirm the nomination is then it would bring the total cabinet confirmations to 11 with nine other posts still open. Nearly three months after the election for governor in Trenton. I'm Jim acquainted. And Governor Kaine today nominated a 66 year old lawyer from Morris County as his Insurance Commissioner Joseph Murphy of convents station formally was vice president of continental insurance companies in New York. He also served in the 1950s as Deputy State Superintendent of insurance in New York and as DIMA Quiney reports. Murphy will have his job cut out for him. Some New Jersey insurance commissioners have felt that some insurance companies have dumped their financial problems on the department's doorstep especially auto insurers coming for rate

increases at every turn rather than relying on more inventive ways to cut costs. Yet some of the 51 New Jersey based auto property and health underwriter is regulated by the state say in turn the department doesn't have a full or realistic grasp of the company's financial binds. As a result several auto and health companies have stopped writing policies in New Jersey and the department in some remaining companies have what one state official called a fender bender relationship. The new commissioner will have to deal with that and state efforts to reform its 10 year old no fault auto insurance program. It's been criticized as too lenient and costly to consumers by keeping rates high. Also the state is accused companies of skimming the cream of the drivers crop and dumping the rest in the costly or assigned risk category. One of 20 drivers who are in that category a decade ago. Now it's one in four. The new commissioner will also have to be defending in court the department's recent hospital rate hikes to Blue Cross Blue Cross said the 40 percent hike granted within the past six months was not sufficient to cover costs. So the new commissioner will be

merging into a department that consumers have criticized as too soft on rate hike requests and that insurance companies have criticized as being too hard on them. In Trenton I'm Jim McQueen. Passaic County freeholder virtually unknown outside his home county has joined two other Democrats in the race for Harrison Williams U.S. Senate seat. Sayen Ereli who is also a Paterson city councilman said he would have to run a vigorous campaign to gain statewide recognition. This is his first statewide race between 300000 and one million dollars to run his campaign is campaign paying for now is at about $50000 or only calls himself a free enterprise candidate and said his first priority as senator would be to balance the federal budget. Two other Democrats already in the race are Andy McGuire from Bergen County and Howard Rosen from Essex County does a teacher's day begin when he or she walks into the classroom in the morning. If it used to. It doesn't anymore. And administrative law judge has ruled that a

disabled Patterson school teacher is not entitled to full disability benefits because her classroom accident occurred before official school hours. It's a precedent setting decision. SANDRA KING reports. Joan Folco taught school here for 18 years and she always showed up early but on a hot June morning five years ago that extra effort worked against her. She was trying to open a window into a cool room off before the kids arrived you know. But something gave way in her vacuum and the damage was severe. She has not worked since. She's been told she will never work again. And then. In a word ruin my career. I was. So full go apply to the teacher's pension and annuity fund expecting to receive an accidental disability pension equaling two thirds pay the fund said no she'd get 40 percent only and now an administrative law judge

has said no to. He claims her injuries were not traumatic and more important that they were not sustained while she officially was on duty. If she come to work a half hour later after that opening bell she might now be receiving seven hundred twenty dollars per month. Instead she draws only 450 and word of her misfortune has spread not only in Paterson but throughout the state. More teachers may be giving less time as a result of a full story. I think your reaction will probably be buried across the state. First of all I think the unions were very very seriously consider what implications it has for counseling their teachers as to whether or not they should just come in between the bells just such counseling has already begun in Newark. The teachers union today sent a notice to the school board warning that unless the board assumes full liability any extra hours will be considered at risk. Most of our teachers come in early most of them stay. And what this says to them is that

regardless of what your intentions are your desire dedication our school board rules are don't come in and don't stay later than you contracted ours and that's what we're urging our people to do. And if other union locals follow New York's lead teachers may be racing students to see who's first out the door. In Patterson I'm something. Classes resume today at Columbus Elementary School in Lynn Hurst laboratory test results turned up no new cases of meningitis and that school officials ordered the school closed yesterday following the death of a third grade teacher over the weekend. Fifty two year old Teresa Henderson died of bacterial meningitis and some 200 students parents and teachers who had been exposed to Mrs. Anderson have been tested. Officials say 90 percent of the cultures taken have come back negative so far and none of the fever nausea or aching symptoms have been detected in anyone who came in contact with the teacher at NL Industries of sire Ville has agreed to pay the federal Environmental Protection Agency and a $2000

fine. The fine stems from the company's failure to read it December 30 1st deadline for reducing a portion of the acid wasted dumps in the Atlantic. The announcement came at an EPA sponsored public hearing into whether to extend an els ocean dumping a permit for three years while the hearing was held in New York City. Much of the testimony came from New Jersey residents. We're not asking the Environmental Protection Agency to censure anyone industries but rather to take a step towards leaving a legacy for future generations and environment that will continue to support life. The EPA is not expected to decide on the permanent till the end of this month. Members of the environmental group Greenpeace attended the hearing and waved banners outside the building last way Greenpeace launched a protest against an els ocean dumping sending inflatable motor boats out alongside a barge carrying the company's waste products. The protesters stopped when NL obtained a temporary restraining order claiming the demonstrators were interfering with the barge. Today NL removed its request for the restraining order saying

Great Peace had agreed to keep its demonstrations more peaceful. Greenpeace meanwhile says that it intends to step up protest against the barge and at the same time using the same tactics. Congressman James Florio one of the sponsors of the federal toxic waste superfund law says the Reagan administration is undermining the intent of that law. Florio charges that Reagan's Environmental Protection Agency officials have changed the approach to toxic waste producers asking them first to voluntarily clean up waste instead of cleaning up first and making the polluters pay later. The South Jersey congressman accuses the EPA of failing to take toxic waste cleanup seriously. But EPA officials say their new approach asking for voluntary cleanup will save taxpayers money. Police in New York report things are a bit more hectic during tonight's rush hour than usual. The reason is the closing of the Bridge Street bridge between Harrison and Newark in Harrison police say traffic on route 280 has been backed up from the house and exit as motorists find their usual route blocked off the bridge will be closed for the next two years for repairs.

Area Police say commuters will get delays until alternate routes become better known. A smoky fire today forced the evacuation of employees and a crowd of lunchtime shoppers at the Menlo Park Mall in Edison. Fire officials say the blaze was contained to a transformer room beneath the mall where it began shortly after noon. A short circuit caused bolts of electricity to arc between power cables in the room. Because of that short is unknown. The fire burned itself out about half an hour and there were no injuries reported. Officials were concerned about the possible toxicity of the thick smoke that filled the buildings of the route one mall was closed down. Menlo Park should reopen tomorrow but some areas of the shopping center will remain without power until 4 transformers can be replaced. Patterson police have convinced a superior court judge to put off the layoffs of sixty three of their colleagues. Judge Peter Cellino has ordered the city of Paterson not to lay off the officers until a hearing on the matter can be held on February 10th. Police Chief James Hannan claims that his department won't be able to perform its functions with the proposed 17 percent reduction of officers but the city claims it has no money to keep the officers on since the policeman

refused to accept an 11 percent pay cut and claims that foot patrols will have to be eliminated and the number of patrol cars reduced if the cuts are made and the force is reduced to three hundred and twenty officers. The study of Meteorology may have turned weather forecasting into a science and the Farmers Almanac may be more dependable. But every year on this day grown men and women still trust the groundhog shadow to tell them if spring is near. Rolanda Watts is one of those grown ups Woodrow K. chalks audience huddled in the crisp winter air today eagerly awaiting the groundhogs annual prediction. Now according to legend the groundhog or woodchuck awakens from a long winter sleep on February 2nd. So Woodrow stays outside her house. And yes Woodrow is a lady. Expect an early spring. If she's frightened back in buyer shadow expects six more weeks of winter weather. And just as we thought we might shed those winter coats a little earlier this year. Woodrow made a mad dash for her house. No one else saw a

shadow but Woodrow apparently did. Although science has not confirmed the groundhogs day theory workers at the turtle back zoo's say Woodrow has been 90 percent accurate over the past 10 years. Might be her female intuition. I'm not taking my long johns off for six more weeks I can guarantee she's right. This is a fact. Six more weeks of winter I guarantee it. But most folks get their weather forecasts from television. What do you think of television weather people. I rather go by my Groundhog not that we doubted Woodrow we just wanted to double check. So we went to the official source says the groundhog saw his shadow this year there. We have forecast the committee room that agree with the groundhog that his forecast may be correct. What are the next six weeks look like the next six weeks look like turnout usually to be generally below normal and we will have the precipitation above normal and maybe Woodrow is just as accurate as any human weather forecaster. One thing's for sure she doesn't joke around. She says what she has to

say and goes back to see the eternal bags who in West Orange. I'm realigned Awad's. Well I'm not a ground hog but here's a look at the weather forecast tonight will be cloudy and mild with rain late in the evening and continuing through tomorrow. Temperatures in the mid 30s. Rainy windy and mild tomorrow daytime highs in the upper 50s and the outlook for Thursday. Clear and cold. Not too long ago mother stayed at home and took care of the kids and dad went off to work. Mom usually

put off going back to work until after the kids were in school. Well if mother did go back to work sooner than that she found a willing relative or neighbor to watch the children. Some women still make it their business to watch other people's children but with more and more mothers making childcare a way of life the creation of daycare centers was needed. Tonight producer Janice Eleanor and I take a closer look at some New Jersey corporations that are in the daycare business. That primary point you hear right now. You're going to turn right here. Karyn Warner is a single parent divorced. She has to make a living for herself and her 5 year old daughter Kelly. The waters are getting along just fine now but they were in quite a quandary two years ago. Then Karen water wanted to go back to work and had no want to watch Kelly Kelly's grandmother also works and private babysitters are expensive and hard to find public daycare is very inexpensive depending upon family size and income parents pay between $2 $9000 a week if they're eligible. As a practical nurse Karen water

makes more than the income cutoff for a family of two and therefore is not eligible for public daycare private daycare hours do not coincide with a nurse's schedule. I looked into a few cock so it would have been a matter of finding it in the drop off so I probably have gone back to work until she wasn't. But Karen Warner got lucky. She works for a rather progress of hospital Mercer Medical Center in Trenton Mercer recognizes the special day care needs of its employees and it set up a corporate daycare center in 1079. The Mercer Children's Center is a consortium open to the community as well as employees of the medical center. It's based on the Montessori method the program that encourages independence and self-reliance. I was just concerned with her three years on how she would make out in a way for me for the whole day. And she started the first months that she went she just

went two or three days a week and she just I feel very confident now she did much better than I expected. Mercer actually is one of only a handful of daycare centers which provide infant daycare. It's been estimated nearly a half million New Jersey workers could benefit from daycare. But New Jersey and the rest are United States have been slow in answering day care demand. The Soviet Union has had public daycare since the 1920s. Many European countries instituted corporate daycare just after World War Two. In the United States there has been public daycare in one form or another since the World War Two days of Rosie the Riveter. But corporate daycare was practically unheard of until the late 60s or early 70s. Corporations really weren't all that interested in daycare for a long time they didn't see it as a need. But as more women and also single fathers and single mothers get into business working there to find it an important part of offering security and in the job market. So I think there's a greater interest

now in the 80s in the 70s. Richard Weber associate professor of economics at Monmouth College did a study of corporate daycare and its economic implications back in 1979. He found that opening a corporate daycare center is not only good for the employees but is good for the corporate balance sheet as well. If you count only operating costs there can be a greater than. 100 percent return to the farm for helping with the day care center. No worries they can get back really more in the way of reduced turnover costs in the way of reduced absenteeism costs and in the way of increased productivity as a result of providing that they care for their for the children of their employees. Setting up a daycare center is not an easy task. First you have to find a place to house the center. You have to apply for a license from the state and find qualified teachers. Sometimes this process takes as long as two years. There are approximately fifteen hundred licensed public and private daycare centers in the state but there are only six licensed corporate daycare

centers in New Jersey. Parents pay between $45 and $70 per week for corporate daycare but can deduct $2000 per child and up to $4000 for more than one child. Princeton University's now day nursery was one of the first corporate daycare centers in the state in its 12th year the center combines now a non sex stereotyping with the needs of Princeton University students faculty and employees. Princeton University supplies the building and takes care of the maintenance and return three quarters of the children in the center have to be affiliated with the university. The rest of the children come from the community. It was just here right next to me. Bachmann Laroche the Nutley based pharmaceutical and health corporation has perhaps the most unique set up for a daycare center. The center is completely company run. Not only does hospital Roche provide housing for the center it also provides all the operating costs that it has made daycare a component of the corporation. The staff people love the childcare center employees that

receive the same benefits. One attribute is closer to the company. Parents can visit at lunch time so there was a wide range of reasons but primarily because of the moment the Hospital Center does not receive any state or federal funds nor does it take children from the community. So chances are that it will not feel the impact of the Reagan budget cuts but a twenty two million dollar social services cut is forced 5 of New Jersey 22 state operated day care centers to close leaving 250 children without services. Some corporate data. Care centers are following President Reagan's lead in doing their part to pick up the slack replacing federal funding with their own money. However no one expects the corporations to carry the whole load. What's needed for the future is the cooperative effort of parents industry and society. Thus far the corporations who have pioneered daycare in New Jersey have been either universities or health care companies. They've had their eyes on attracting and keeping women in the workforce. Some farsighted companies are already offering their employees the option of day care in a cafeteria style choice of

company benefits. The future daycare experts say may bring a time when a parent will choose his or her job based on the quality of daycare The company provides. Bill Perry is on assignment so that Scanlan is sitting in for sports. Thank you Ken. It was an exciting and not artistic either but Rutgers versus past southern

Illinois Edwardsville last night 57 to 45 the visitors are not to be mistaken for the Saluki. The school in Carbondale Illinois which produced a Walt Frazier for the Scarlet Knights it was their 13th win against five losses and guard Kevin Black had a big hand in the win with eight points in the first half. This lead coming up made it 11 to 2. There are 35 Archie Tyson from Newark was the only bright spot for a QB coach Tom could see Tyson had six in the first half. What you said why 11 after black's jumper and it was a nine point halftime bowled 27 to 18. That lead evaporate into a two point spread with Tyson leading the way for the Cougars he finished with 13 for the game. But at that point right there center Roy Hansen took over. Roy had five straight points to want to rebound dunk adding a three point play coming up here as the skylights pulled away winning it 57 to 45 and afterwards coach Tom Young assessed Hinson's heroics. Can he can dominate. He can play most centers in our leg

if he can sing with the cause of add too that everybody needs and he needs so if he has that attitude and he plays aggressive he knows he's a good player then it's going to help us and help him. Help himself to a game high 21 points and this is sort of play something to time Young recently discussed with Roy. We had a long discussion on the plane coming back to St. Bonaventure and he told me you know we discussed my confidence and. I'm grateful for the talk of a lot better. The NBA resumes play tonight following the all star break and the Nets begin the season second half with sidelined they made the Chicago Bulls tonight. Looking back Sunday's all star game capped 12 weeks of NBA action. But for a trio of all stars and led to reflections on what's to come. Three Rookie of the Nets Isaiah Thomas of Detroit once a pretty fast company Sunday at the Meadowlands. The recognition in their

first NBA season. So what comes next. Hopefully the rookie of the year award for New Jersey. Says the NBA All-Star selection took all three rookies by surprise. It was never really expected as we want to think of it we just wanted to come in and help our teams respectively and get a part of the action and to have this happen to us. You know I can say on behalf of all three of us we're very excited. It seems everyone was happy except for the mother of 20 year old Isaiah Thomas. Though our lives could be like that I say or both mental as in the US soccer team is making news the NASL cosmos host Montreal tonight. Every game is a must win of

the cosmos or to cling to slim playoff hopes and MISL New Jersey Rockets coach team Ola County is a casualty of the rockets Cosmo's rivalry. Let's Koski was fired today for failing to field a quote exciting and winning team defender in Anderson will be a temporary player coach. That's sports tonight Don. Well you know Anderson of Jethro Tull's and a flute player. Thank you. Thanks a lot. And repeating our top story tonight two of Governor Kaine's cabinet appointees who are supposed to invite challenge and state senate hearings today didn't get much environmental protection nominee Robert Huey and community affairs nominee John runa faced mostly friendly faces before the Senate Judiciary Committee today which cleared both nominations. Governor Kaine also announced he has nominated Joseph Murphy of Morris County as his insurance commissioner. And that's the news for tonight for Don Tarrant. Pat Scanlon and the rest of the nightly news team I cannot a hand wishing you a good night. New Jersey has a joint presentation of the New Jersey network doesn't do

any. Recording.