New Jersey Nightly News; New Jersey Nightly News Episode from 05/28/1980

Another Abscam indictment names Angelo Erik happy. In sports the nets lose one for Dorian's as the new NBA team in Dallas stocks its roster and two senators make it official they want Channel 9 to move to New Jersey. New Jersey Nightly News with Karen Stern. And Bill Perry with sports. Good evening for the second day in a row Camden mayor and state senator Angelo Eric Kennedy has been named in Abscam indictment. Mariam Rosso has the story. Mary Catherine today's indictments charge that Eric Kathy and to Philadelphia and then conspired with Pennsylvania Congressman Rainman letterer to get a $50000 bribe from phony Arabs in exchange a letter was supposed to introduce immigration bills so that the Arabs could stay in this country. It's about the same scenario as yesterday's indictments only they involved another Pennsylvania Congressman Michael Ozzie Myers the indictments were separated apparently because Miers and letterer did not know the other was

working the same deal. And Eric Kennedy has been charged in connection with both Congressman Eric he was not especially dismayed yesterday that he didn't seem particularly dismayed today. You're like the old technique that was used by the Chinese in regards to the water torture treatment you know one of the time I'm not just not dismayed about that that my feelings are very similar to yesterday's it's the one that I feel very confident that I'll be vindicated in a court of law. Welcome the opportunity go to court and to present my side a story which I will do you think more indictments are coming. Well I don't know but I would by yesterday today and I still I meant I was notified officially I would be surprised he hasn't been surprised he hasn't seemed upset and he's been completely accessible to the media ever since the first indictments became public yesterday. I don't know what I dislike most obvious inability to get I'm not going to come out of that thing. I don't I don't know what nobody would talk about.

Every Caddy was in his city hall office well after quitting time last night on the phone talking to every reporter who wanted to talk to him. This is perhaps not the usual response of a public official who's just been indicted but then Eric Katty is not your usual public official. Now the indictment occurred after after having lived on the run this hemorrhage of news leaks and sources informants and whatever have you. I haven't had an opportunity to go to court and be judged by the judge and my peers and jury. That's when I get my side of story and I am positive I'll be vindicated. Emma Kathy had not even been officially notified of the charges against him. You first got the word yesterday from CBS and last night about 7:30 he was relating the specifics of the indictment via another reporter to his wife on the phone of Martha Stewart right. You know he you know I want to say you know what should drive a given day. Right. There close it with the same you that they gave the game argument

like you know with the west side of the me you were there I was there and I hope and you know you know early Abscam media leaks Eric he was portrayed as a key figure who introduced the phony Arabs to a host of New Jersey and Philadelphia officials. Other news accounts that era Kerry accepted a $100000 bribe with former casino commissioner Kenneth MacDonald. But he has not been indicted for that. Do you feel you've been treated badly. No I accepted on politicians you accept these things as occupational hazard. Eric Carey has one of the best criminal lawyers in their jersey to defend him. Ray Brown and traditional wisdom is that a conspiracy charge is very hard to prove. So it all depends on how much the FBI has on its take on their MRO So thank you. Casinos and the possibility of budget cap reform were among the topic of the discussion of the thirty fourth annual Mayors Conference in Princeton today. Can't man a hand report.

The conference wasn't exactly packed with mayors considering there are five hundred sixty seven in New Jersey and about 175 were at the conference. The theme was cooperation between state and local government so commissioners from several state agencies were invited to speak to Community Affairs Commissioner Joseph Lafont they discussed a comprehensive study on budget cap reform which will be completed by Labor Day. The Caps impose a ceiling on municipal spending and the français says that with today's economy that causes a lot of problems. One mayor called me last week and told me as a result of the collective bargaining process they will not. Binding arbitration for a pay raise for his police and firemen and the all the tray toys awarded a 17 percent increase which is 12 percent over the cap he only had 5 percent. Transportation Commissioner Louis Gamba Seanie told the mayors local resources are needed to support transportation efforts in the state and assist an environmental commissioner Betty Wilson plug a one hundred forty five million dollar environmental resources bond issue. Then in a rather low key

manner Casino Control Commissioner Joseph Lord I discussed the commission's efforts to keep tabs on the number of casinos Atlantic City can accommodate in the future through a series of investigative hearings were in those hearings. Not only are reviewing statistics and projections with respect to casinos but also as to the essential services housing transportation parking to ensure that as each. Each application to see sort of the scene of the trial commission releases sure that we as a commission are satisfied that the city is in the position to service. Thank you see the photo. The liveliest moment of the day came when young Joseph Kennedy showed up to campaign for his uncle. Kennedy's remarks were pretty much routine campaign rhetoric until he mentioned the strong arm tactics a certain politician in the state referring to Governor Byrne was using to win votes for President Carter and to ensure himself a future comfortable job in Washington. Some of the state commissioners weren't quite sure they were hearing correctly. But Commissioner Wilson did.

She walked out of the conference was quickly brought to a close at the mayor's conference in Princeton I'm can't mount a head on while Joseph Kennedy was in Princeton his uncle was also campaigning in the Garden State. Ted Kennedy made an appearance at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark this afternoon. Senator continue to express hope for his campaign even after yesterday's 4 primary losses to President Carter. Kennedy is looking for a strong showing in New Jersey's primary next Tuesday. And today the Eagleton poll reported President Carter slipping but he still held in higher regard than senator candidate among Democrats here. Poll Director Cliff Zukin said New Jersey Democrats view their choice as making the lesser of two evils. But statewide both Carter and Kennedy received more unfavorable than favorable notices in the poll. Well again Ronald Reagan fared better while 36 percent of New Jerseyans polled think and favorably. Only 32 percent view him unfavorably. Kennedy and Carter both had more negative than positive responses. That Eagleton poll did not mention

Independent John Anderson but he was in Trenton today and Steve Taylor has a live report from the State House Steve what it looked like about half an hour ago when Anderson arrived at the assembly chamber of the state house in Trenton It was a news conference for the usual state House press corps. And there were about 100 others here. They seem to be mostly Anderson supporters and the congressman thanked them for making New Jersey the first state to accept him on the ballot as an independent candidate. His difficulties in getting on the ballot in other states occupied most of the time in the press conference it wasn't very long when he said that in every state where the filing deadline passed after he decided to run as an independent he has gotten on the ballot because the other states he's worrying about he is suing the state of Ohio for inclusion on their ballot he's been denied there he's talking about suing in four other states. He would not set a minimum number of states that he would accept in order to stay in the campaign all the way to the end. He predicted that he'll have at least 40 said he was shooting for all 50 states. On the matter of debates with the major party candidates he said President Carter's statement that Anderson should not be included or more accurately Carter's press of the secretary statement was

not good enough. He wouldn't accept it. He didn't think the people would and he predicted the popular pressure would force him on the ballot would force him to be included in the debates whenever they occur this summer. And that was about it as far as the news conference was concerned Anderson is now on his way to a fundraiser in Princeton. He pointed out that most of the money he's running on has to be private because he's running as an independent candidate. He will be spending tonight in Princeton back to you Karen. Thank you Steve. Comparing New Jersey television viewers to refugees this day two U.S. senators announced today they're trying to get New Jersey a commercial station. Senators Bill Bradley and Harrison Williams have petitioned the Federal Communications Commission for the broadcast license of New York's Channel 9 reporter Jackie Kennedy was in Washington when the two made their announcement. At a news conference today in Washington Senator Bradley said that the second best remedy to New Jersey television problems devised by the FCC have been a dismal failure in his words. And now is the time for the

FCC to give New Jersey its first commercial be a Jets television station in nearly 20 years if the FCC is ever going to bite the bullet and make the reallocation of the station New York or Philadelphia to New Jersey. This is the time. This is the station and these are the circumstance that Senator Williams said the move would result in a considerable increase in programming directed primarily if you were in New Jersey. I want to describe our present position. In comparison to the boat people where mass media boat people the drift between New York and and Philadelphia and we are under the Bradley Williams petition. Only the station facilities would be moved. The transmitter would remain in New York presumably on the World Trade Center. That means the new station would have

to locate within a 25 mile radius of New York City. Channel 9 is the target because its owner RKO general lost its right to operate the station when the FCC was considering its license renewal earlier this year. The big question still remain. What city in North Jersey would get the station. It could be Hackensack Patterson Jersey City New York. The senators refused to indicate any preference. And the biggest question can a station known as the New Jersey TV station survive in a market is big and competitive is New York. The senators believe it can and will if the FCC will give it a chance. In Washington I'm John Connor. But New Jersey isn't about to get any quick action on that television proposal RKO has appealed the FCC decision to the courts and the appeal is likely to take years. In the meantime it can continue programming on Channel 9 when inmates seize the Essex County Jail last March one of their demands was for a bigger and better law

library. A 76 year old New York attorney took that demand to heart. And today Francis Tansey presented the jail with more than 500 volumes collected in the course of a 53 year career. Virtually all of the jails more than 500 inmates are being held sending trial. They claim access to those law books is for them a matter of survival. Tansy meanwhile calls his gift of the books his swansong capping a law career that began in Newark in the 20s. The jersey nursing homes can be ordered to allot a certain order not a certain number of beds for poor patients as a condition of license renewal. That decision came from the state Supreme Court today. The court ruled that the state health department can order Holmes to provide a reasonable number of beds for patients on Medicaid. It is said that there is a severe shortage of nursing home beds for those poor patients and ruled the private homes are really qualified public and subject to extensive regulation in the public interest. Now here is the weather forecast for the state tonight will have fair skies with temperatures in the mid to upper 50s. It will

be partly sunny tomorrow and a little warmer will be in the upper 70s to low 80s. And the outlook for Friday Partly Cloudy With A Chance of showers. That's lose a swing man and Bill Perry is here to translate. OK thank you Karen the NBA is newest team the Dallas Mavericks made its expansion selections today. Each existing NBA team lost one

player to Dallas as far as the nets are concerned its bye bye Bourne's Wynford going to the next number one draft choice. Two years ago out of the University of San Francisco was picked by Dallas points as a 6 6 ring man plays a little guard a little forward deployed sparingly during his two seasons as a net win for does have ability I think will help Dallas and went from has something else it's pretty important it's called confidence. I've always thought I could be really just a matter of convincing everybody Horn's told us that after one of his good formants was off the bench now he should get a chance to prove it another player who goes to dialysis gyms for NorCal gyms in Jersey City product was Philadelphia's number one draft choice last year out of Duke but played little as a rookie the next to last you have to use then that means Dallas passed on Hollis Copeland at Giants Stadium today a press conference to announce the closed circuit sites for the Sugar Ray Leonard Roberto Duran of World Welterweight Championship out June 20th main events is promoting the closed circuit Jersey end of it no home TV Bob Arab's the man behind the bout in Montreal.

You're right you're right it is going to he's going to want to be really right in the world. Related or not I don't know. Right right. You know if you're going you know I'm going to murder them both Leonard and Duran spoke to the press today from their respective training camps over a phone hookup 14 locations in New Jersey will carry the fight. Forty thousand seats total of valuable the sites have been selected so that there is an outlet within a half hour of all of New Jersey's major population centers nationally the fight will be shown in all 50 states and an estimated 30 million dollars will be generated from the closed circuit showings. I just wish I had the popcorn concession baseball today Mets six cardinals or five bad news Giants fans linebacker Dan Lloyd will miss the entire 1980 season because of a disease of the lymph nodes and there's a list of 43 year old still eligible for the July 18th Meadowlands pace it was announced today Naya Trost harness racing is undefeated

superstar heads the list of eligibles qualifying races for the pace will begin on July 11. If half or more of the remaining 48 nominees start in the qualifying races the purse for the Meadowlands pace will reach one million dollars while I was talking about millions of dollars and I think the about the two $3 a week. Oh dear Bill. New Jersey Transit Corporation approved an 11 percent bus and rail fare hikes today in Newark. The vote came after 11 public hearings were held around the state over the past month. At today's meeting there was strong opposition from citizens groups who plan to ask the governor to veto those increases. The Board hopes to put the new fare hikes into effect June 30th. The increase is on the company's rail and bus lines would help cover a 16 million dollar budget deficit. Meanwhile a state budget official says the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey does not need to increase tolls on its bridges and tunnels. Herbert Sternberger an accountant with the state budget division has told the Senate Transportation Subcommittee the authority is using coercion to get those increases. The authorities

proposed hiking the roundtrip toll on its Hudson River crossings from a dollar fifty to do dollars. It's also proposed raising the price of past rides 10 cents for each of the next two years. Sternberg told the subcommittee he's reviewing the authorities books and he thinks it's solvent. It took weeks of debate both on and off the floor of the state legislature before bills

reorganizing New Jersey's Casino Control Commission were finally adopted. Tom Kane and Dick Leon are out as your commentators believe just passing that compromise legislation won't put an end to the casino controversy. Dick after months of wrangling and also the legislative problems it seems that we finally have a casino bill in the state something to regulate casino gambling. The compromise in the Joe Lhota question he's going to be there for another six months as chairman and then if he wants to one of the six months on the commission they're going to be five full time Commission is that a reasonably high salary that's supposed to be a judicial code of ethics established on the commission is. But the big question everybody's asking is who are these commissions going to be what kind of people. I know that seems to be the heart of the matter going way back in time the whole thing really got started because one of the commissioners was mentioned in Abscam and had to resign. And after that the fight focused on what would happen to Joel or die. Not so much on the

substance of the reforms. In addition there are a couple of holdover commissioners and the governor was looking to replace them on an interim basis and apparently couldn't get really top flight people to serve under these conditions. Now he'll be going into a situation where he has to get top flight people to make the whole move credible. And I understand as the newspapers have said that they had the FBI director from this region locked up and lost him. He went to Kentucky because there was a delay over there over the hill and because of the Lodi fight so I think it's going to be very difficult to find first rate people I have a hunch that that's what they'll try to do people with reputations of their own and with some independents who can stand up to the casinos and to the political people in this state and that's going to be the tough task ahead of them. When you know it's a tough tough job are asking them to do. If you figure all the problems of one to three casinos have generated up to this point. We're talking for these new commissioners within within the next couple of years having seven to

10 casinos which is just going to make the work incredible and the people are going to have to deal with very very bright people these casinos go out and hire the very best people available at the very highest salaries available and these commissioners again have to listen to their arguments and realize when they're trying to hornswoggle the public and put something over and deal with it it's a it's a very very tough job. Tom the thing that impresses me the most about this whole process and you know as an ex legislator you must have wondered about it maybe even a part about it as I weigh that how much influence the casinos had over the legislature during this debate about the reform bill one would have thought from a distance they would act quickly to put into place any reasonable reform in order to protect the state's reputation and deal with all the negative publicity instead of that very few casinos are able to hold this matter up for months while the country watch New Jersey. I think that's true and of course one problem I don't think we've solved yet is the question of ethics. Part of that will be solved if he appoints the very best people and people who are going to be as a

shining symbol of people of death itself. But we still got all those people who followed that golden road from Trenton to Atlantic City we got the ex-U.S. attorneys and the ex attorney generals and the ex legislators and state senators and so on. We're all looking for the same nose now. Now the public's going to have to be convinced that or that the thing's being run honestly and that's going to be a continuing problem for these people. There's a lot of cynicism among the public I heard a comment the other day that this was supposed to solve unemployment problems in Atlantic City and state it seems to be dealing with the employment problems of ex-politicians and former government officials who are doing very well so far under this bill isn't clear that people actually are doing very well. Well you know one problem that's. That it's going to remain is no matter what I think what happens in Atlantic City no matter how much construction there is no matter how much building and how much how many jobs unless the people of this state really and honestly convinced that the casinos are going to be

run honestly and in the state's best interests than all the construction and all the jobs. I don't think really going to mean a thing. Hi Mike I think you're right and I guess this process of selecting the commissioners will be the first and most difficult task in rebuilding public confidence and I think you're absolutely right. New Jersey officials should be barred from closed door deals involving insurance sales to local and county governments. At least that's what the state commission of investigation urged today. Three days of SCI hearings last June revealed a number of closed door activities by public buyers and private sellers of government insurance. The commission wants the creation of a state office of public insurance Maj MIT to oversee County and Municipal insurance transactions. You know that cute little boy in the teeth of the way commercial the one who says by a captain in that squeaky voice. Well he's Danny Pinto and he lives with his parents in mill town just outside New Brunswick. And although he's only four years old Mariam are also reports he's already got a career that would make a lot of unemployed actors drool

announcing new ways goodbye there. The kid's a natural whether he's under the hot lights in the studio. Oh. We're out in the heat roaring with his dog for a news crew. He's got the kind of porcelain lawn looks happy temperament and concentration that translates into video charisma. He's a member of the Screen Actors Guild an after us and he's done commercials for Snoopy drawing on jewelry and yes on a rock show. Plus he appears on the soap opera As the World Turns. His mother goes with him on all his shoot and told us how a four year old can get his first big break. My boys would always say when I would bring him in a shot and he's here to talk about that. And now he would say Oh you've got to get this kid can you I can get you I thought I would like to that it so I don't know that you know that a lot and I thought of his windshield agency and I was quite an interview. And my children and I could say he's not going to take it

and not he life. Do you like doing this. Do you like the commercial. Yeah. Why do you like what little still. You like the soap opera. Why do you pretend that you're somebody else in a soap opera don't you or you wouldn't suffer. Danny may do 100 takes while shooting a commercial 100 repetitions of the same lines but his mother says he doesn't get cranky and he says doing it again and again makes him in his words very good. He's not only an actor he's a little producer. He suggested we shoot him playing with his dad and riding his big wheel. And he was upset we didn't shoot him playing on the porch because as he says he's very good on the porch. The money he makes for being very good goes into a trust fund and commercial fees being what they are. It's probably the closest thing to a recession proof college fund and it's a question like this to be a genius.

You know town I Mariama Rossetto once again our top stories tonight for the second day in a row Abscam indictments were returned by a federal grand jury and also for a second day in a row those indictments named Camden state senator and Mayor Angelo Eric atty. Sanders Bill Bradley and Harrison Williams petitioned the FCC to have Channel 9 move from New York to New Jersey today and the 76 year old attorney has donated his five hundred volume law library to the Essex County Jail capping a career that began in Newark in the 20s. That's the news for Bill Perry. I'm Karen still. Good night for the New Jersey nightly news. New Jersey Nightly News is a joint presentation of New Jersey Public Television. And w an 18 or 13. The program is broadcast weeknights at

6:30 p.m. on Channel 13 and at 7:30 p.m. on New Jersey Public Television. There's a repeat broadcast at 10:00 p.m. on New Jersey Public Television. And at seven the following morning on Channel 13 it was pre recorded.