New Jersey Nightly News; 08/06/1979

New Jersey Nightly News with Rebecca suable in Trenton and Clayton Vaughn in Newark. Good evening and the news tonight. The search is on for a fourth suspect in the weekend shooting of an Essex County police officer and the state senate holds its last session of the summer acting on a number of bills including the one on the drinking age. Clayton Good evening Rebecca. Also in the news tonight Newark was visited today by President Carter's chief domestic affairs adviser who promised federal money for inner cities hit by unemployment in a recession. And in sports Paul bloodline reviews the first boxing card ever at the Meadowlands. And last night's Cosmo's win a fourth suspect is being sought in the shooting death Saturday night of Essex County Police Officer Joseph Puccio. Three other suspects were arraigned today on first degree murder charges Poggio a seven year veteran of the county police force was killed in his squad car and Norks Branch Brook Park read Wells reports. At 10:00 this morning two of the three defendants 24 year old Carlos Delgado and

21 year old Steven K-Doe were taken from their cells of the Essex County Jail. The suspects being held without bail were taken to superior court and charged with first degree murder. Gungho needed an interpreter to translate the judge's remarks. A third suspect is a minor and his name is being withheld because of his age. He was arraigned in juvenile court. A fourth suspect 32 year old Felix Rodriguez is still at large. Late Saturday night officer Puccio chased a car that was speeding in the wrong direction of a one way street and Branch Brook Park Police officials say the suspects had just held up an illegal gambling operation on Bloomfield Avenue. According to witnesses in Puccio stop the car in question. One of the suspects got out and fired one shot into Puccio chest at point blank range. An hour later the Essex County policeman was dead. Police are continuing the manhunt for Felix Rodriguez. Other suspects remain in jail. A bail hearing will be held Wednesday and they'll be a probable cause hearing later this month to determine if there's enough

evidence to turn the case over to the grand jury for indictments. Meanwhile funeral services for Officer Pogo will be held Wednesday. He would have celebrated his 30th birthday later this month and he was planning to be married in September in Newark. I'm Reggie wells. Joseph Fisher the New Jersey ex-convict former mental patients and self-professed mass murderer was described today in Poughkeepsie New York court as competent to stand trial for the killing of his wife. The finding came from two psychiatrists who had examined the fissure. They say he can understand what is going on and help in his own defense although charged only in the killing of his wife. Frazier has claimed that he's killed and 20 other people in six states after his parole in Trenton State Prison last year. However he's only been linked so far to two other murders in Oklahoma and Arizona. We're back. Governor burn today signed a bill putting a $475 million transportation bond issue on the November ballot. The bond issue would finance road resurfacing electrification of some train routes and would buy some new buses and railroad

cars for the first time. Some of the money would go directly to municipalities to fix up their roads. The state Senate is meeting in its final session of the summer. The senators are trying to finish up work on a number of bills before taking off on a recess. Mary Amoroso is at the Senate chamber with this report. The Senate just gave final approval to a bill providing state financing for gubernatorial primaries plus a companion bill that will allow Jersey City Mayor Tommy Smith to keep some four hundred thousand dollars he's collected for his gubernatorial run. The Upper House also approved a measure that will raise the casino tax by 3 percent. The governor is expected to sign it. That extra casino money will go towards reducing the fuel bills of senior citizens this winter. Under another bill approved today earlier today the Senate confirmed Bearnaise Jerry English as the new state environmental commissioner. Mrs English has no scientific or engineering background but she was praised by Democrats and Republicans alike for her energy and her administrative ability. The

Senate also gave final approval to statewide high school graduation requirements and it voted once again to raise the drinking age to 19 killing convoluted assembly amendments that would have allowed teenagers to drink. Beginning on July 1st after their 18th birthday the drinking bill now goes back to the assembly which is expected to meet on August 20th at the State House. Miriam GROSS So Madison Avenue seems to have rescued the Jersey Shore. Ocean County officials say a two week advertising campaign on Area television has attracted tourists who were staying away in droves. The gas crunch. Bad weather with the culprits and they made May June 2 of the worst months for tourism in recent years because of the ads on New York and Philadelphia stations things were looking up in July. Officials say a busy August will turn a disastrous summer season into at least an average one for sure merchants. The two Atlantic City casinos have announced their winnings for the month of July. A combined take of over

35 million dollars. Even though July was the first month of casino competition Resorts International enjoyed its best month ever. Gamblers lost over 800000 dollars a day. That's over 24 million dollars for the month and Caesars world didn't do badly for its first full month operating at less than full capacity Caesars still managed to win over 10 million dollars. That's more than three $140000 a day it boggles the mind. That's good news for the casinos as well as for the state. As of now New Jersey taxes eight percent of the casinos gross revenues. Clayton there's no mob in Atlantic City is casino operations according to state police superintendent Clendon Pagano. When casino gambling went into Atlantic City Governor Byrne Warren organized crime to stay the hell out and begon now says that's been the state's top priority and always had the casinos themselves are clean. He could not say that there was no mob activity in other areas in Atlantic City such as prostitution and loan sharking. It might be more of a threat in the future. President Carter's chief

domestic policy adviser Stuart Eizenstat came to Newark today with promises of federal money for the inner city is if a recession should raise unemployment. Reporter Jack Kennedy followed Eisenstat through New York's central war. The streets of Newark were hot today as Eisenstaedt arrived by limousine with Newark Mayor Ken Gibson to visit urban regional housing project under construction. But many black leaders have warned the court or administration that with or without the summer sun streets like Bruce Street in Newark once riot torn central ward could heat up again in a deep recession fueled by high unemployment. Eizenstat says the Carter administration believes in the future of the cities and is trying to make that future more secure with what amounts to recession insurance. It responds to the need that we learned only after the fact and the 1973 1974 recession. When these types of programs came in only after municipalities and cities like Newark were so

badly hit and their municipal services so badly impaired by the recession. Eisenstaedt talked about rebuilding the urban tax base and under Carter's new rules. Newark would stand to get nearly four million dollars in direct fiscal assistance. Still that figure is far short of the nearly $10 billion in federal aid. The city lost last year but under another anti-recession Bill linked to the national unemployment rate. New work would do far better with a special funding formula and linked to the city's fourteen point two percent jobless rate. Mayor Gibson a vocal critic of Carter's urban policy was pleased a city like New York which has a basically high unemployment rate. Suffers more recession and depression than any other comparable city closes in this region. So the message Eisenstaedt brought from Washington today was yes the Carter administration is prepared to stand behind the cities in hope no doubt that the cities will stand behind

President Carter at the Democratic National Convention in New York. Just one year from now. In Newark I'm Jack Kennedy. New Jersey is at the bottom of the list of states when it comes to distributing federal insurance benefits. The head of the state agency involved says it's partly the federal government's fault for not giving the stage enough money and equipment to handle a load of computerized data system for instance would help. Critics on the other hand say poor management at the state level is the problem whatever it is. New Jersey is forty eighth among the states and getting out supplemental security income benefits bed last in accuracy for Social Security. A month from now a unique way of dealing with juvenile crime will spread across New Jersey. The program's been in effect since the first of the year in Camden and Gloucester counties and involves making juvenile offenders make restitution to victims or perform some kind of public service work. Use involved in things like murder or rape are not eligible for the program but kids who steal or vandalize are for instance a boy whose measures your car windshield can be ordered to

wash and wax that car or clean up the police cruisers. A program is being financed largely with federal money. Rebecca Ron Cokers Valley Hospital reopened today a week after it was forced to close down and evacuate all of its patients. The electric power problem that prompted the evacuation has been fixed. Now the problem is returning the hospital to normal operations. Feltz Hawkins has a report. The scene of the rent Croker's Valley Hospital today was a good deal calmer than on July 28th when all 255 patients of the 18 year old hospital were evacuated. Most were able to go home but 88 were sent to other hospitals in the area. Some 50 Ranko because nurses followed to help the other hospitals cope with the extra patient load. The problem arose when three main power panels blew out. Evidently as a result of massive short circuits caused by moisture condensing in the panel insulation. No action against the manufacturers is being planned.

The panels themselves were about 19 years old and it just appears to be a set of freak circumstances at this point that caused the initial failure. However we're awaiting the insurance company's actual report on the series of events. The cost of the new equipment alone was fifty thousand dollars installation and the costs of closing the hospital for a week have not yet been figured there could be other costs involved here like the reputation of the hospital after all. Hospitals aren't supposed to close down and officials here admit that initially they were concerned about whether both patients and doctors would want to return. But return they did. Janice steede of Bristol Pennsylvania said it was one of the first to be admitted as a hospital officially reopened. I can't fool around with them and the doctors are coming back to Jack SAHLBERG reported that doctors are referring even more patients to the hospital than was expected.

So I would anticipate that if anything this may have a positive effect that people know that when we reopen today that everything has been thoroughly checked out thoroughly replaced. In fact we've gone ahead with other projects and really the hospital looks better now than it has for a long time. And as hospital workers enjoyed free food today in the cafeteria one smiling worker said the power outage could have been a blessing in disguise. In wheeling borough. I'm Phelps. Hay fever sufferers are in for some unpleasant times this month. Pollen levels are unusually high for August according to researchers at Middlesex General Hospital. The recent rain combined with high humidity have contributed to the high pollen count the high levels are expected to continue through Labor Day weekend. And if you've got hay fever that's not good news. But what is good news is the nice weather we had most of today will be with us through tomorrow. Tonight will be clear and cool. Less humidity lows will be in the upper 50s. Tomorrow looks sunny pleasant highs in the mid 80s. Wednesday will be hot temperatures again in the mid 80s.

But there is a chance of a thunder shower. Giants Stadium is usually thought of as a place for football and soccer but that's about to change. And here's Paul that line. It is right. We've mentioned this before. Now it's official. For the first time boxing is coming to Giants Stadium on Tuesday night September 18th for about card will be held at the stadium.

Promoters are hoping for a crowd of about 15000 today at the stadium the fighters were on hand for the usual pre-fight photo session. This boxing card is being put together by promoter Dan Duba of main events. Duba usually promotes the fights at ICE world in total. Now he's making a step up the Giants Stadium and he has no doubt it will be a success. No I don't have a doubt about that. I think that we have the best boxing talent available in New Jersey and we have the best facility in the country here and I think together that combined together they're going to do about the people going to come out and support the show. The Giant Stadium card will have some very popular local fighters like New Jersey heavyweight champion Scott Frank. He'll defend against Bill Connell of Atlantic Highlands. Also Turner's Vale's Mike Rossman will be in a feature bout against Ramal and Ron Koi-Lo of West New York. Rossman has been out of action since April that's when he lost his WBA light heavyweight championship to Victor Glenda's in Las Vegas. Ramon low on the other hand only last week scored a first round knockout over Ralph Quanto in toto. If Mike Rossman wants his title back he must first beat Ramon Ronquillo in September.

Look good beat this guy. You know he's. A. Strong guy and comes in you know and I know he's comfortable fight you know every guy coming once a chance to give him a chance. So if he's going to come out I'm for that fight card again on September 18th in Giants Stadium and then four days later on Saturday September 22nd there's another first the first college football game to be played in the city of Newark. It'll be Cheney's state of Pennsylvania against Seton Hall and the first annual Pride Bowl. Proceeds will go to Newark's project pride a program to help young people coaches and players from both teams were in Newark today to talk about that upcoming game. Seton Hall is coached by Ed Mann again while the head man at Cheney state is former Camden high school coach Andy Hinson the pride Bowl is largely the idea of sports columnist Jerry Eizenberg of the Newark Star-Ledger. We have not had anything since the riots of 1967 that crossed over racial and ethnic and whatever other kind of boundaries and laws you want to name are geographical divisions. This is going to be an

opportunity for the people in this town stopped being ashamed of themselves stop being defensive. Stop being afraid of each other. They might find out they have a lot in common with people that live on the other side of town. The Pro Bowl will be at Newark schools stadium Cheyney State against Seton Hall on September 22nd. Well after a week of tennis the pro tournament at South Orange came down to yesterday's final match between John McEnroe and John Lloyd. McEnroe is expected to make the final. He's the third ranking player in the world. But John Lloyd Well that was a total surprise. He had been in a slump ever since he began dating Chris Everett and now his wife. And yesterday's final John Lloyd in the far court continued as surprised by winning the first set but then McEnroe took command winning the next two sets and the match John McEnroe the winner. Then last night in Rochester the Cosmo's had to play without Georgio King. He's out with a groin injury but that did not prevent the cosmos from making it six wins in a row. The big man was analogus replacement Mark deliberate. Here's his first goal of the game 13 minutes in. Four minutes later Liberec again off a feed from Denny Tilford it was two to nothing still in the first

half. Then near the end of the half mark Leveridge made it the hat trick scoring his third goal. It also proved to be the game winner as the Cosmo's won by the final four to two. The 22 and 6 Cosmo's are home Wednesday with Tampa Bay. And finally tonight New York Yankees catcher and Captain Thurman months and was buried today in his hometown of Canton Ohio. Monsen died near Canton on Thursday when his private jet crashed. The entire Yankee team flew to Canton this morning for the services in those services. Thurman Munson was eulogized as a great competitor and a great family man. Also most of baseball's upper hierarchy including Commissioner Buie Khune were in attendance Thurmon Munson is survived by his wife Diane and three children. Tracy Lynn Kelly and Michael Thurman months and was 32 years old and that's sports for tonight. Thanks Paul. Twenty five thousand state employees are voting on a new contract this week. The workers members of two unions are checking off yes or no on a tentative 60

million dollar agreement. The state employees walked off the job four days last month until they got that offer and now they have until August 18th to send back their mail ballots. Pope John Paul the second has been given another invitation to use giant stadium for a papal mass when he visits this country in October. The original offer came from Governor Byrne and now Archbishop Peter Garrett he has extended an invitation to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. The pope's tentative plans are to arrive in the U.S. October 1st speak at the U.N. The next day and then spend another four days here working on visits to Washington and Chicago. State Senator Martin Greenburg today said goodbye to his colleagues. Greenberg who's been a legislator for five and a half years says his state business takes up too much time and you might want to represent casino interests in Atlantic City which would be a conflict of interest. Should he have kept his seat. Was former law partner Brendan Byrne gone from the gallery. Greenberg said goodbye. He said The hardest

part of leaving the Senate was saying goodbye to his colleagues the honest and hardworking people with whom he had worked so closely over the years. He also said the bill of which he is most proud is the revised criminal code which he sponsored over a year ago and which goes into effect on the 1st of next month. And you can add this to the list of things that you would rather not know. You are probably breaking the law when you hire a neighborhood kid to mow your lawn or blow the snow off your driveway. It has occurred to somebody that the child labor Act of 1940 forbids putting anyone under 17 to work with powered ribbon machinery which is certainly water power lawn more or a snowblower is. And now that it's a matter of public knowledge after only 39 years the New Jersey legislature may do something about it namely change it. Insurance people who tend to be concerned about things like this are supporting the change of course and are of course pointing out that after the law is changed it will be OK for you to hire that good to cut your grass and blow your snow just as long as you

buy a workman's compensation insurance policy. New Jersey retailers who have sales would have to be a bit more careful under a new rule proposed by the State Division of Consumer Affairs. The rule would be aimed at those stores that advertised sale items and then run out of that merchandise. The

store would be required to give the customer a rain check and ship the item when it's restock or else sell a comparable or superior merchandise of the advertised price. Exceptions would be allowed for items with a specific quantity limitation or bucking the state legislature has just about finished with its busiest session in years. But according to our at issue commentators quantity doesn't necessarily mean quality. Here with their legislative Picks and Pans Richard Leon and Tom Kane. Tom with the exception of a few bits and pieces the 1979 version of the New Jersey legislature has wound up its work. There were some substantial accomplishments and a few regrettable actions and there is unfinished business. One glaring omission for example is the failure so far to settle the auto insurance issue that's been put off. But there's still a push to get a bad highlife bill through the legislature. Now I know of no bubbling public demand to legalize another form of gambling but

lots of people want and need auto insurance reform. The legislature also has failed to act on a well-intentioned bill to create a Department of Cultural Affairs. Now I'm in as much in favor of culture as the next guy and maybe more so. But I don't think we need another department of state government. In fact I have a hunch that more bureaucracy in the area of Cultural Affairs is likely to be counterproductive. This bill along with the proposal to create an economic development department should be allowed to sit for a while until their need is clearly proven. On the other hand a bill that should be moving and isn't is the proposed change in utility gross receipts tax. This tax now provides an enormous windfall to those communities which happen to have power plants located within their borders. A more equitable treatment of utility tax receipts probably would mean more tax relief for more taxpayers than any money we'd ever make from Highline and perhaps even from casino gambling. It's a reform that's long overdue but of course no legislature ever completes its total agenda. Maybe some good bills might yet pass

before this fall's legislative election. Tom I hope when people vote in November they will think not only about who they want to send back to Trenton but also about what they want them to do when they get their. Dick. It is a lot of unfinished business. But I for one don't want to see this legislature finish it. I agree with you there are some bills of merit that should be passed. Of course they've copped out on insurance reform. They should pass those bills. It was a good bill pending giving tax credit for inner city development and I'd love to see them return and pass the initiative and referendum. And what about what a sunset bill. Remember that's the one that allows government agencies to quietly fade out of existence once they fulfill their function. It's been wedding action in the Senate committees since early January. But I don't believe that this legislature will pass these good bills no matter how long they've said. They will pass other bills. However that's what I'm worried about. This group of lawmakers has introduced over 7000. Bills or resolutions these bills get into

every conceivable subject. One requires you to get a license if you plan to catch more than 25 eel's in a day. Another would create a state law mandating that each passenger on a bicycle ride in a separate seat. A third introduced by Jim Bourne Hyma one of the weight here legislators amidst the manufacture of 200 gallons of BIA within the home for personal consumption. But these aren't the bills that really concern me. The ones that do fall in three general categories one group would spend money the state doesn't have. And would be required to get through new taxes. The second group pushed by lobbyists would give special interest groups an advantage at the expense of the general public. A third large group of pending bills mandate more and greater government regulation of every aspect of our lives. Is he afraid that this legislature returns don't pass the bad bills instead of the good ones so big. I'll sleep a lot better if our lawmakers don't return to Trenton. Perhaps the electorate will make

some needed changes this fall. Then we can get on to unfinished business. Once again our top stories. Authorities are searching for a fourth suspect in the weekend shooting death of an Essex County police officer. The state Senate trying to finish off the summer raises the drinking age to 19 but that must now be approved by the Assembly. And that's the news. Good night Clayton. Good night Rebecca. Good night for the jurors of the Night. In.

New Jersey Nightly News is a joint presentation of New Jersey Public Television and WAPT 13. The program is broadcast weeknights at 6:30 on Channel 13 and at 7:30 on New Jersey public television. There's a repeat broadcast at 10:00 p.m. on New Jersey public television and at 8:00 the following morning on Channel 13. Portions pre-recorded.

And now. From the New Jersey Public Television Studios in Trenton. It's time for the drawing of the picket number for August 6. Know Right Now you may. Be one. I'm telling ya. You're right. Show. And helping me night.

Is Margaret. The New Jersey State Lottery. As you can see each of these machines trained 10 balls numbered 0 9 Barford. Will you please please turn on the machine building now. We met up with one ball from each of the three the three quarter wrong. We have a lot of people watching tonight. Here. You. Go. Here. We go. Out for. A. Night. Out of. Our. Third and final. Three. Out. Number 9 4 0. And again tomorrow night for another pick up show and don't forget on Friday you'll have a chance to win more when we select the pick for number of them. Till then

I'm hella. Thank. You watching. Good night. At