New Jersey Nightly News; New Jersey Nightly News Episode from 03/01/1982

New Jersey 19 news with Don Torrance and can't get ahead. Good evening the legislature passes a bill designed to protect New Jersey's beleaguered savings and loans then that's a back of 500 Bill Perry has the pro and college basketball highlights tonight in sports. And in our segment assignment the arts Diana London examines the Cain administration's commitment to the arts. The state legislature today passed bills to protect state ownership of savings banks and to prevent a New York sex club from opening a branch in Ocean County. Steve Taylor has those very different stories that I think is the second story that interests people more but let's get to the other one first Don in these hard financial times the legislators are concerned that state chartered thrifts institutions are being bought out by stronger banks in other states. So the assembly today passed bills which give the state banking commissioner authority to approve or disapprove mergers or acquisitions of banks. The same measures passed the Senate last week so now they go to the governor. Also today Plato's Retreat The New York sex club which is trying to open a branch in Brick Township. Ocean County ran into legislative

opposition. The assembly and Senate passed bills outlawing such clubs unless local governments vote specifically to allow them. That Bill's not gone to the governor to. One very controversial measure was postponed in the Senate today. A similar bill ran into a delay in the Assembly last week. Now these bills would force the governor's top aides and cabinet members and wives to reveal their sources of income. The candid ministration has issued an executive order requiring such disclosure as did the Byrne administration. But the candid ministration is against these bills because they're more comprehensive than the executive order. And some lawmakers think senators and assembly members should be included in any new disclosure laws so because of the arguments there was no vote today. Don thank you. The former president of the New Jersey State Senate Joseph MORLEY Now today announced his candidacy for Congress from the 4th District around Trenton. His campaign theme typifies that of most other democratic candidates running for Congress in New Jersey this year. Contrast and that is the expected campaign theme of Republicans running for Congress like Rodney

Frelinghuysen Morris County freeholder who also announced his candidacy today. Jim acquainting has the story. Democrat Joe Merlino who left the legislature after 14 years to run last June in the gubernatorial primary placing fourth opened his primary campaign for Congress from the 4th District. Hardly mentioning anyone else but the president chose for his announcement. A union meeting hall near the General Motors Fischer body plant scheduled to be closed at a loss of twenty six hundred jobs. Blame the economic problems on the president and his economic policies. A theme most Democrats acknowledge they will sound repeatedly in congressional races throughout the state this year. Republicans promised economic recovery. They delivered to a favor Republicans for sacrifice. And then only by contrast

Republican candidates like Rodney freely highs in a Mars County freeholder who announced his candidacy today in the 12th Congressional District appear to be siding with the president asking voters to give his economic programs a chance to work. Yet many white Freeling Huysman will also try to put some distance between themselves and Reaganomics. I think the president is sensitive to what's going on. The problem is that he also recognizes that there are many people in our society who are traditionally dependent on certain services. And he thinks that some of those people should not be dependent even so for candidates like Freeling highs and amorally know to be grappling with a national issue like Reaganomics in the June primary and usually just a popularity contest suggests most political observers agree that Reaganomics may be the single biggest issue in the November general election. I'm Jim a queen.

Talks aimed at keeping the General Motors Fischer body plan in Ewing Township open began today. Union and management officials will have to come to an agreement on so-called givebacks items unionized workers will be willing to give up to reduce labor costs and increase productivity. GM announced last Thursday the plant will close within two years unless the auto hardware it makes becomes cost competitive with the same hardware that GM can buy from outside suppliers. Over 2000 workers would lose their job if the plant were to close. Items being negotiated by United Auto Workers Local 731 and GM plant Representatives include relaxed overtime rules tighter seniority requirements and job classifications. The talks are expected to be intense over the weekend a two week deadline was set to come up with a proposed agreement. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency is suspending its ban on the dumping of hazardous liquid waste in landfills for 90 days. But New Jersey won't be taking advantage of the restriction relaxation. According to Deputy Commissioner of the State Department of Environmental Protection Paul Arbus meant New Jersey

already has strict rules prohibiting the burial of hazardous chemicals and a change in federal regulations will not affect those rules. EPA officials have sent a notice to the Federal Register a publication saying that the dumping prohibition in less strict States is not workable because even barrels with small amounts of liquid material have to be open for inspection. That they say causes health problems. The suspension will give federal officials time to look into alternatives in order to establish minimum standards for waste disposal Don. Well as of today Oyster Creek nuclear power plant in Lacey township is facing fines of up to $1000 a day for failing to complete installation of an emergency warning system. Salem one and two plants and lower alleyways creek have met the deadline but Jersey Central Power Light companies Oyster Creek is run into a right away problem and a protest. Forty five hundred forty six sirens are in place but a local Ocean County resident doesn't want that forty six siren near her property and township officials aren't sure the power plant followed correct procedures in securing the right of way. Nuclear Regulatory officials say that the four

fines are imposed all on usual installation problems faced by power plants will be taken into account. Members of the Englewood Teachers Association walked off their job today after contract talks with the school board broke off. Rolonda Watts has more classes taught by administrative personnel and substitute teachers were over at Inglewood schools by 12:30 today. That will continue until teachers secretaries and teaching aides go back to work. The district's two hundred sixty eight teachers walked off their jobs today because they want more money. They claim they are the lowest paid teachers in Bergen County making two to four thousand dollars less than teachers in neighboring communities. The board has adopted an admin position. They have made a last and final offer. They claim that they have no freakin money to offer us. We really are hiding money anywhere it's not in Swiss bank accounts. It may have been to city council meetings and they know what our cap is and they know the

kinds of state federal cuts that we've received over the past few years. They don't understand that. They don't understand. I guess it will be a long strike. Inglewood teachers have had a history of salary disputes and 975 they went on strike for two weeks demanding better pay and threaten to do the same three years ago. The striking union members have been working without a contract since September when the local high school was the only one in the state reporting picket lines before school began. About three thousand three hundred students in the districts four elementary schools one middle school and high school are affected by the strike. They too have their say. All I want them to do is come to a final settlement because I can't really learn anything with the teachers out there on the picket line. At this point neither side seems to be giving in but the teachers say they will continue the strike until the school board meets their demands. In Inglewood I'm Rolanda Watts. Municipal judges Levy thousands of dollars in fines every day local

officials like to count on that as a source of revenue. But the fact is that many of those fines remain unpaid in municipalities all across the state and in Vineland City officials blame the problem on a state law. Brenda Flanagan explains. Unpaid municipal court fines in the city of Vineland total three hundred twenty five thousand dollars most of that money is owed by people find a year ago. But by law the city cannot demand a full and immediate payment of even a $25 fine. A decade ago a defendant either paid the court fine or went to jail. But in 1971 the state supreme court ruled that no one could be jailed due to inability to pay a whole fine. Instead the court set up a system to allow partial payment of fines by installments. Judges now assess a person's financial situation based on salary and credit and then set how much that person will pay per week. But violin there Patrick fear really calls the plan a racket. It's an easy way to get out of it they make two or three payments and they don't pay the rest. And then we have to go chasing them at the taxpayers expense.

Fear really the remedy is simple. Change the law to force people to pay up or go to jail. I think that's the answer to it. If you commit a crime if you violate the law there should be a penalty the penalty should be made as easy as possible. You should be something you remember. Maybe you're going to go without for months but you pay the fine. The judges agree the current system not only defers the payment but also creates an avalanche of paperwork in municipal court system simply wasn't designed to handle. But Vineland Judge Daniel Hoffman maintains that despite its obvious problems the law is realistic if it comes to where we're talking about a 600000 or a million dollar back money owed to the court. And that's what it has to be. If a person is making a lot of $35 a week supporting a wife and three kids. Am I supposed to tell him you have a 30 dollar fine. I want that $30 this week out of your paycheck. Which one of the kids doesn't eat this week. I can't make that determination. Judge Hoffman says some defendants have even requested jail in lieu of partial payments because they just don't have the money. And as long as this recession continues he predicts the

amount of unpaid fines will increase in Vineland Cumberland County. I'm Brenda Flanagan. Trenton State Prison Inmate Thomas Claus o broke his seventy six day old fast over the weekend voluntarily but officials will not return him to his prison cell until he can stomach the food there. The 30 year old Cossotto stopped eating to protest his 10 to 20 year sentence for aggravated

assault. He's presently a patient at College Hospital in Newark. Last February 19th officials obtained a court order to force feed the prisoner. However he did not require immediate force feeding to prepare him for the resumption of eating solid food cause I was hospitalized for observation. But according to the Corrections Department officials he apparently got hungry over the weekend and decided on his own to eat. Claus 0 claims he had taken only tea lemon and water during his fast. Officials however could not verify his claim. That at Princeton University an anti-abortion group has been blocked from sharing facilities with another campus group. The result is debate between students and controversy over the university's involvement in the situation. Diane doctor reports. The Women's Center at Princeton is the center of the controversy. It was established in 1971. It's run primarily by students and it's funded by the university. Members are self-described feminist pro abortion pro ERISA and involved in distributing information on women's issues. On February

17th the center voted down a bid by the anti-abortion group Princeton pro-life which wanted to start its own task force at the center. We feel that the women's center if it really is open to the points of view and to the concerns of all women should also include the pro-life viewpoint as well as the pro-choice viewpoint. I don't think it is possible. There are seventeen hundred women enrolled as undergraduates at Princeton. Less than 100 are involved in either of the two groups. But for the students it's become a larger question. Should the school fund organizations which exclude opposing points of view. It hasn't come up in the past. But I think it's a problem that may have to be addressed many times in the future in other organizations. And I think they can dictate to us as an organization a student organization or a canvas what our views should or should not. The whole issue is currently under discussion by university officials but it's uncertain if any

action will be taken. Right now a university spokesman says the school views it as a conflict between two student groups at Princeton University. I'm dyin doctor. A strike by employees of a Newark alarm company has left more than 200 homes and businesses in the city without burglar or fire alarms. More than 40 employees of the electronic Protection Corporation walked off their jobs after refusing to take pay cuts of 60 cents to a dollar an hour. A spokesman for the striking workers says the company simply can't operate its plant without half a staff. Right now I'm systems are too important to be playing games with as well as my fire alarm and we will get no signal hold ups now to service. You need this this is northern New Jersey you need this. Officials at the alarm company could not be reached for comment. Well a list of challenges to Newark Mayor Ken Gibson keeps growing today. Junius Williams a New York attorney and former president of the National Conference of Black Lawyers announced his candidacy for mayor to a crowd outside the scouter

homes housing project in New York's central ward. Williams told the crowd he would take his campaign to the streets walking through Newark to meet the people he says the Gibson administration has ignored. They did place grieving that they did not have the money necessary. We have an employee which is yet to be fully developed a program that. Not only the police. But. In 1970 we charged our elected officials in Newark with a mandate to go for the creative imaginative and inventive in dealing with the problems that have beset our cities. It was an expression of trust hope and a dream for the betterment of the lives of all of new people. Twelve years later we find ample evidence that this dream has been betrayed. Brenda Greer a former member of the Newark Board of Education has also declared her candidacy for mayor Greer who now works for the State Department of Education is also suing Mayor Gibson and the school board saying

she was railroaded out of her board position. The Reagan administration at the request of the head of the Burra Heart Lung Center is considering allowing mercy flights from Poland to the U.S. The Burra hospital President Stanley Frisian ski rope President and Mrs. Reagan directly and asked them to allow direct flights to bring seriously ill children from Poland to the hospital for treatment. The flights were Vanda December as a sanction against Polish martial law. The hospital has been treating Polish children free of charge but they have to be routed to Canada to get to the Burlington County facility. So far 38 Polish children have been saved but another 72 are on a list for treatment for. He hopes to hear the Reagan reaction by the end of this week. Ever since pollution caused about 100000 acres of New Jersey clam beds to be declared off limits 21 years ago commercial clamorous have had to work harder with reduced resources and summertime clam relaid program has since opened up a few of those polluted sources to

clamors. But only recently has the state taken steps to make the relay a year round operation. Brenda Flanagan explains. Monmouth County climber Bill Jenks and his sons recently spent a chilly February morning on a short river Cove working for a pilot winter Klan related project for 12 years now the state has permitted climbers to rake summer catches from a few of the courses like the shark and Manasquan and transport them to be replanted in plots of clean water supply. Climbers going to harvest the purified clams in 30 days. It's been us. Summer Program because biologists aren't sure if clowns can withstand the cold weather transfer climbers say they can and hope winter relays will let them build up a clan inventory over the winter months. The payoff would be in the end this summer when the market is good. Along the shore and after the state tests these clams and find some acceptable they will be put on the market and

we will all benefit from this. So the Department of Environmental Protection is sponsoring three test relays this winter. The test clams are raked up and bagged. Officials monitor air and water temperatures. Then the DDP drives the clams down to the Moloko river for a boat ride out to clean cold great bay at specially chosen sites. The clowns are dumped overboard to hopefully to survive under the E.P. surveillance until spring testing. We're basically concerned with the water temperature and we've been monitoring the water temperature continuously with a sever graph which provides a paper printout of the temperature. 24 hours a day will be raking them up as a clear would if he was from participating in this type of relay and will be checking mainly for mortality. The DP will OK the winter really if 70 percent of the clams survive the climbers are counting on success. They say profits from two summers of relaying on the Shark River yielded one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to about 10 climbers when the

DP opens two more rivers. The Clam rich Navesink and Shrewsbury to the relay this spring climbers predict an industry boom which they're hoping will be allowed to continue all year round. I'm Brenda Flanagan. The weather forecast not exactly clamming weather tonight will be cloudy and cold with a chance of a few showers or possibly some snow flurries the temperature in the mid 30s. Mostly sunny skies tomorrow in MA with a high near 40. Now the outlook for Wednesday partly cloudy and cold. I don't know. During government Gov. Cain's campaign he made a strong commitment to the arts in New Jersey.

But with federal cutbacks just how realistic can that commitment be. Tonight on our assignment segment taped last week Diana Lunden talks with Aileen Lawton executive director of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts about the realities of the situation. Thank you. Eileen Welcome to New Jersey nightly news. And we're all very interested in what Tom Cain is going to mean for the Arts in New Jersey I've heard kind of a sigh of relief perhaps mistakenly from some arts organizations who seem to think that Tom Cain's personal support may translate into support for the Arts. However he is also a governor who has stressed cutbacks in government spending. What does it mean having Tom Kaine in office for the Arts. Well I think it means that we have a powerful chief executive who understands what support of the arts means the value that the arts have for the state in terms of its. Environment whether that's to attract industry or just to be a better place to live. So that's a big plus. You don't have to explain it to him.

I do think that it would be a mistake for anyone to translate that support automatically into dollars. It's just unrealistic to expect large amounts of money. Coming to the arts in a year when. The forced programs are expected everywhere else. You've talked about dollars and cents and last year you had a budget of three point three million dollars for the Council on the arts and this year you've requested 3.9 million dollars will you be able to maintain the level of support you've been seeking and. Perhaps increase that level of support. Well we're optimistic about that. We're only one twentieth of 1 percent of the state budget which is a very small amount. We can also justify certainly why we need the money we get. We have three million dollars this year we had six million dollars worth of requests. We know that the arts are an industry that provides a $200000000 economic impact. So I think that. It will be easy for us to justify why we should get a small increase. How are federal cutbacks affecting the Arts in New Jersey. Well

not dramatically so far because New Jersey has never received a large amount of national endowment money. Now if you're talking about see the grants which some arts organizations took on. For payroll purposes that's been a problem from the beginning because it was always only temporary money. But we have a block grant from the National Endowment for the arts and at this point we expect the level. Will be maintained. Last fall we spoke in fact on this program about recommendations that were made to the governor at the time that was Governor Burns has Governor Kaine responded at all to those recommendations some of which included certain economizing steps that arts organizations might be able to take. Where we feel fairly certain because of his interest that he has seen the report. I think he said an awful lot to do in the first few months of his. Tenure has had a chance to focus on it. We did try out one of the recommendations the use of one orchestra for the symphony the opera and the ballet. We did it in Atlantic City and you know our girl concert work well. We'd like to try it

again. I think it'll be up to the Council on the arts really and some members of the corporate community to push for that. Do you see any major new direction that the arts will be taking over the next four years. They have to broaden their base of support. Government will be not not be there to pick up deficits and they must learn to manage better so that they stretch their resources. Thank you for joining us. Hope to see you back soon. OK thank you Bill Perry is now in Newark with sports bill. OK thank you Don that's beat San Diego yesterday 110 95 Mets again at five hundred twenty nine and twenty nine in the Atlantic Division that's third place that's played the fourth place Washington Bullets Tomorrow night the bullets are just a half a game ahead of the Nets yesterday the Clippers jumped out to a 14 to 8 lead 10 first quarter points by Michael Brooks. Ray Williams got hot nets back in it Williams 11 in the first quarter 15 for the half and 23 for the game now. Watch the nice play coming up here Buck Williams outlet to writer Albert

King Len Elmore will slam for two Mets played within two 16:14 might be what the nets in the second quarter with seven point three point twenty gave the nets a 34 28 We 10 42 left in the half with 54 47 that's. At the half. Williams had 17 points and nine rebounds with three minutes gone in the third quarter and made it 76 63 nets at the end of the third and ended the game with this three point bomb 110 95. College Basketball Writers stop West Virginia's 23 game winning streak Saturday 74 64 sixth ranked mountaineers lead the Scarlet Knights 8 4. When Todd Collins hit it was 9 4 before workers went on to take a 3:41 spurt to take the lead Chris needed an animated 13 to 12 as the knights were going to the off chance of boards Kevin Black had a game 18 rector's about 26 20 at the half to the delight of nine thousand fans of collegiate attendance record at the Rutgers automatic center mountaineers cut the lead to 52 54 47 left. But Rutgers got buckets from Clarence Tillman who had 15 and Roy Hansen to establish a 56 50 lead they pulled

away to win 74 to 64. Also Saturday how do you Mohan Seton Hall pirates dropped a 92 74 decision to Boston College Dan Callan DRO scored 36 points in his final appearance at Walsh auditorium the Eagles were led by Martin Clark's 15 points in the first half. Here's Clarke this bucket gave B.C. a 22 14 lead 12 48 left after leading by 13 Dr. Tom Davis's club close to forty seven forty five and a half and then they took the lead at Seton Hall. Johnson made it forty nine forty seven a minute and a half into the second half but. PC standout John Bagley help at Seton Hall way with 15 points in the final 20 minutes he had 20 for the game that jumper gave Boston College the lead for good. That's despite his heroic Seton Hall fell 92 74 seat knowledge 11 and 15 overall 2 and 12 in the Big East also Princeton beat Harvard and Dartmouth over the weekend a programming note tomorrow night Eastern a college basketball playoff game. Rutgers and Rhode Island 10:30 on the New Jersey network tonight on sports insight will be talking college basketball is Rutgers Seton Hall and St. Peters. Get ready for their league tournaments That's at 8:00 o'clock tonight on the New

Jersey network and finally in boxing in Atlantic City yesterday Frank Fletcher of Philadelphia retains his USP a middleweight title by defeating Camden's Toni Braxton unanimous decision Fletcher in the lighter trunks. Both guys are former prisoners actually and Braxton had beaten Fletcher once in a previous meeting at Rahway state prison. One fight ended in a draw but yesterday Frank Fletcher the winner finally dropped football for dropping out of sports let's take it back to Trenton. Thank you Bell. And that's our news for tonight. For Don Tarrant's Bill Perry and the rest of the nightly news team I'm can't Monahan Wishing you a good night. Jersey is a joint presentation of the New Jersey network and the 30. The program is broadcast on weeknights at 6:30 on Channel 13 and at 7:30 on the New Jersey network. There is a repeat broadcast at 10:00 p.m. on the New Jersey network and at 8:00 the following

morning on Channel 13. Portions recorded.