NJN News; Monday August 5, 1996 7:30 PM

You major funding for NJN News is made possible by Grant Strong, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, which believes that an informed citizen relieves to a healthy democracy. The SENG committed to serving customers strengthening the business community and investing in New Jersey's future. First Fidelity is now first union, serving the financial needs of individuals and businesses from Connecticut to Florida. HIP Health Plan of New Jersey dedicated to providing quality health care to employees of large and small businesses,

as well as individuals for two decades. And by Bell Atlantic, the heart of communication, in partnership with public television, serving to inform, and lighten, and educate the citizens of New Jersey. NJN News with Kent Manahan, Dick Forney with Business, and Jerry Henry with Sports. Two men are dead and at least two others wounded after an apparent armored car robbery at a South Jersey mall. Good evening. It happened this afternoon, this afternoon, near the PNC Bank of the Deafford Mall. A Brooks armored guard and a young girl are in serious condition tonight following the incident. Ed Rogers is standing by at the Deafford Mall with the latest on the story. Ed? Kent, the Deafford Mall is still closed tonight. SWAT teams have just finished going through the mall and securing it, and investigators are still collecting evidence here.

The body of an unidentified man, an innocent bystander who was caught in the crossfire during an apparent robbery, was taken from the Deafford Mall tonight. The trouble began around 3.30 this afternoon, when a Brooks armored car driver entered the mall and was confronted by an armed suspect. At least one armored car, the robber, was shot. He then ran further into the mall where he collapsed, maybe about 50 feet into the mall. He is dead. The guard was able to go into the bank and ask for the bank employees to get assistance to get the police. Another mall patron, reportedly a teenage girl, was also wounded in the gun battle. She and the wounded guard were taken to Cooper Medical Center for treatment. A 9-millimeter pistol was recovered at the scene. The shooting has left mall workers and shoppers shaken. Jova, coming into the night ship, saw this collusion. It's just a bit sad situation. The FBI is checking to see if more than one person was involved in this crime. There were reports of a car speeding away from the scene, authorities are checking that report.

The situation is still rather fluid here, reporting for the Deafra mall in Gloucester County. Ed Rogers, NJN News, back to you. And thank you for that report. In other news tonight, it has a $548 billion price tag designed to become the centerpiece of Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole's campaign. Today, Dole proposed a bold across the board tax cut. He hopes will energize his campaign effort. The plan calls for an across the board tax cut of 15 percent over three years. It would cut the capital gains tax rate in half. The measure would also allow for a $500 a child tax deduction. The six-year plan is meant to lower taxes for 90 million Americans and balance the federal budget by the year 2002. State House correspondent Jim Hooker sampled New Jersey reaction today to the economic plan and has this report. It's going to return total taxes to where they were when Ronald Reagan left office. That's a big, big step in the right direction. That also depends on who you ask.

Governor Christie Whitman, whose tax cut gamut three years ago appears to have been the Dole blueprint, likes the idea. But she says her experience tells her Dole should be prepared to weather a storm of criticism. I think it's an excellent and a bold proposal of his. I know it's going to be criticized. I can practically guarantee some of the things that will be said, probably something along the lines of a desperate act by a desperate candidate. If anybody can sell this while keeping a straight face, it's Bob Dole. But it's going to be a challenge, even for him, because he spent 30 years criticizing supply side economics. And now, in what appears to be a move of desperation, he's embracing it. Bern contends the Dole plan, unlike Whitman's, will fall flat with voters. He says the tax cuts will broaden the federal deficit to Reagan era proportions. Christie Whitman had a pension fund that she could raid. Bob Dole does not. Ronald Reagan didn't have a pension fund to raid. And so he increased the federal deficit by about $3 trillion. I don't think the American people want that. Whitman says Dole's not relying as much on an economic boost to fatten government revenues.

You got to cut. You got to cut government as well. You cannot expect to grow your way out of revenue losses. And I don't believe that Senator Dole thinks that he's going to grow his way out of it. Dole said in Chicago today he believes his capital gains tax cut will help create jobs. And more dollars will also stay with the women and men who own the smaller business that will create the jobs that families depend on. One economist told NJN News he believes the success of a Dole program would be in budget cuts that Congress historically has shown little resolve and making. There were some supply side effects of the Reagan tax cuts, but they were not counted by any real spending reductions. And I think we could have the same problem this time around if, in fact, we didn't deal with the spending side. Jim Hooker, NJN News. His book won't be on the shelves until Wednesday, but already ex Whitman political advisor Ed Rollins is generating controversy. Marie DeNoia reports his new tell all account of his experience in politics throws a curve at old questions surrounding Governor Whitman's family and her campaign.

Governor Whitman, fresh from a family vacation in Alaska, was greeted with heat today, the kind that measures 90 degrees in the sun, and the kind generated by a battalion of reporters after answers to questions raised by former GOP strategist Ed Rollins. The book, Bear Knuckles, in back rooms, my life in American politics is due out on Wednesday. It claims, among other things, that the governor's husband was a real problem during the campaign. And that Christy Whitman had one point pleaded with Rollins to get John Whitman off her back. I would never ask Ed Rollins of all the people in the world to get my husband off my back. I mean, that's another reason. Now, this is just silly. But perhaps the most controversial material revisits the claim that the Whitman campaign paid off Black Ministers to keep the African-American vote down. Rollins made the boast a few days after Whitman won. There was a huge uproar. The state's Black Ministers railed against the accusations, the Democrats demanded and got a federal probe. In the end, Rollins were candid and the controversy died.

But in his book, Rollins writes about having a gut feeling that payoffs were actually made. I don't need to comment on that, as I say. Ed Rollins stood up before a lot of people in the nation and told one great whopper that he then had to raise his right hand before a grand jury and recant. Former Governor Jim Floreo lost his seat by a very narrow margin during the election in question. It was a very sad chapter in the history of the state to have this dispute. Of course, no one will ever know which time he lied. Rollins also writes that Whitman's brother, Dan Todd, bragged that payments of so-called walking around money helped keep the Black vote down. Today, Todd did not return our calls to his Montana ranch. As for Mr. Whitman, the governor's spokesman told us, John Whitman would not dignify the issues raised by Rollins' book with any comment at all. For Redinoia and JNU's Madison. They may not exactly reflect, reflect New Jersey, but they do mirror the Garden States Republican Party. That's what a state GOP official is saying about New Jersey's 48-member delegation, which Governor Whitman will lead to the National Convention in San Diego.

The convention begins next Monday, but preparations are already underway. The typical New Jersey delegate is said to be a white male businessman in his 50s. There are four African Americans and one Hispanic in the New Jersey delegation. Whitman will serve as temporary co-chair of the convention on the first day. And NJN News will have complete coverage of the convention from San Diego beginning next week. Michael Aaron and I will bring you live broadcast at 6, 7, 30, and 11 o'clock from the convention. We'll have daily reports on New Jersey's delegation and the nominating process as well as live interviews with key leaders and analysis from our two political insiders, Republican Roger Bodman and Democrat Jim McQueenie. Crash investigators are examining a tangled mess that once was the cockpit of TWA Flight 800. After divers discovered the pile of debris yesterday and brought it ashore today, officials are saying it will be a long time before it can be fully examined. The record will also be inspected for chemical residue, which might be evidence of a bomb. Authorities confirm that a missile theory and mechanical failure are also being examined as possible causes of the crash.

With the public edgy about the safety of flying today, Federal Aviation Administration official showed off some high-tech security equipment designed to make air travel safer. As Sandy Levine reports, while the CTX 5000 baggage scanner is being tested in New Jersey, it will not be coming to airports here anytime soon. Today at the FAA's Technical Center, officials demonstrated a new weapon in the United States war against terrorism. The CTX 5000 SP takes X-rays of baggage in slices like CAT scan machines used in medicine if it detects something that could be an explosive, an alarm is automatically triggered. Unlike any other piece of equipment in the world, this is the only equipment that must make that initial decision, ye or nay, for explosive automatically. So that means the CTX 5000 SP has up to date. We signed off and said it met all of the laboratory requirements that we put it through to meet that FAA certification.

While the technology is now certified by the FAA, it still is undergoing testing in only a limited number of airports. Currently, two of the $900,000 a piece baggage scanners are in place in Atlanta, one in San Francisco. Two more are scheduled to be installed soon in airports in the Philippines. Today, New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg was also shown this system which can detect trace amounts of explosives and tough cargo containers designed to withstand the impact of a bomb. Last week, Lautenberg introduced legislation calling for a comprehensive aviation security system which would include better screening of baggage and more training of security protection. We have to put the emphasis on these programs that deserve life saving. And, you know, we're going to work with minimum wage people to save lives, I hardly think so. The FAA estimates a comprehensive aviation security system could cost up to $6 billion over the next decade. Lautenberg's plan calls for a surcharge of up to $4 on each round trip ticket to help foot the bill.

Sandy Levine, NJN News, Pomona, Atlantic County. There's much more ahead tonight on NJN News, including a warning for some businesses. How the state is cracking down on sweatshops like these. Stay tuned. You have a comment call NJN News at 1-800-Jersey-1 or our email address NJN News at al.com. And our mission is to protect the interests of organizations which keep our economy growing and people working.

Hill Wallack, attorneys at law. Council to those. When people think of sweatshops, they often think of rundown garment factories operating overseas. State labor officials say there are dozens operating right here in NJN. Today, new rules went into effect aimed at stopping them as rich young reports. New Jersey is the home to hundreds of clothing manufacturers. State officials say as many as 200 are sweatshops.

Just over a week ago, federal authorities busted the Mid-Sale Company in Northvergan. Authorities arrested 52 illegal aliens and charged company management with locking workers inside. Labor officials are now hoping new regulations change that. These new regulations allow us and additional tools to ensure that the good manufacturers in the state are protecting have a fair level playing field against illegal sweatshops. Those new regs are called the hot goods provision. If a company is cited three times over three years for violations, such as paying below the minimum wage, employing juveniles, or poor record keeping, the state has the right to seize all goods and equipment from the company. We feel that the cost to the state of New Jersey is not only an improper wages and benefits to employees that deserve this protection and labor laws, but also it affects a $3 billion year power on industry in this state. We want to make sure that there's fair competition and everybody plays by the rules and complies with our labor laws. The state's rules come just after President Clinton joined Kathy Lee Gifford in Washington, where he signed an agreement in which clothing makers pledged not to manufacture and sweatshops.

Congressman Bob Benindes, who's district includes Northvergan, his current state and national efforts are just the beginning. Punishment side is always easy. What we want to make sure, however, is that we don't hurt people in the process and have them lose employment. So we don't want their labor to be taken advantage of, but we also want to create a climate in which we can create jobs and promote jobs. Benindes says he's not looking to book companies out of business. He just wants to protect people who have a right to work, but can't find employment because it's taken underground. This Jersey City woman agrees. I think it's unfair because the people that really want to get a job that should get a job, they don't want to hire them. Rich Young, NJN News, Northvergan. Island Beach State Park is open again for business. The beach in Berkeley Township was closed on Sunday because of an oil slick. Reports of an oily sheen and a strong fuel-like odor forced the closure yesterday morning. The State Environmental Protection Department says a helicopter is tracing the slick to pinpoint its origin.

Still to come tonight on NJN News coming up in our business report. Some of the recent highs and lows of Atlantic City casinos and gaming enters its 20th year on the boardwalk. I think it's going to be a good time for business with Dick. So what was the take? Well, the take was not bad. Actually, it's very, very good even though it looks a little bad by comparison in last year, which was an all-time winning July. The take we were talking about, that's equivalent to revenues for casinos, was off not quite 1.5% in July.

However, the Casino Association of New Jersey says July still posted the third highest monthly take in the history of gaming at the shore. The Casino trade group blames the relatively cool July weather this year and competition from events such as the Olympics, which kept many would be Casino patrons at home. It was the first report of decline in revenues since January. The president of the New Jersey Casino Association says Lady Luck is still a big factor in the success or failure of a Casino at the shore. After all, patrons have to lose for the house to win. But in recent months, New Jersey's casinos have been on a hot streak, but Luck can be fickle and the competition is ferocious. We've been here and a few other people have been here and we had to suffer through bed times and now it's boom time in Atlantic City. In May, on Presario of the Boardwalk, Donald Trump opened his newest property in Atlantic City with his usual showman's pizzazz. In addition to the usual amenities, the Trump's world's fair features a break with Casino tradition. You see usually gaming halls are built without windows so that gamblers are not distracted from the business of rolling the dice, cutting the cards and spinning the wheel.

But the world's fair has floor sealing windows overlooking the boardwalk and Atlantic Ocean shoreline symbolic perhaps of a new era for the shore resort. One that focuses not just on gambling, but on entertainment and a family life vacation atmosphere. In 1978, resorts opened the first of what would become 13 Casino hotels at the shore. It was standing room only. And the competition poured in at a dizzying pace, a building boom which shows no signs of slowing even today. 18 years ago, resorts international opened and now we are pleased to announce a 700 room addition along with 70,000 square foot of Casino. Cezars is proud to announce that we are well underway on an addition of 620 rooms. We have in the last 12 months began the construction of 300 rooms at the grand. But as many as five years ago, industry analysts were warning of a gaming town with too many players chasing too few dollars.

And Atlantic City experienced its first Casino bankruptcy when Elsinore Corporation filed for Chapter 11. Indeed, in the first quarter of this year, Casino revenues were up, but profits were down for the 12 Casinos operating between January and March. Why? Because Atlantic City still is subject to the whims of nature and a crippling blizzard kept gamblers away. And there's higher expenses for each Casino company as they fight tooth and nail to get the customer to place their bets at their address. The state of the art Casino development in Atlantic City is really 10 years old. The Las Vegas Entertainment Superstore has raised the level of consumer expectations for Casino gaming environment, bringing together gaming, lodging, entertainment, and retail. With still increasing competition and expenses, a shakeout in the industry has begun. Hilton Hotels recently agreed to buy ballet entertainment and more acquisitions are expected in the near future.

But I think at the end of the day, 90% of the square footage in the Casino industry is going to be controlled by no more than 10 operating companies. Well, even with consolidation Atlantic City's Casinos will need a facelift and expansion to compete with gaming and other places like Las Vegas. And that construction boom and expansion is already benefiting the city as Casinos invest in more non-gaming attractions at the shore. I'll breathe there after a week of rally. Wall Street details are next. Tonight's NJN News Business Report is made possible by Core State's New Jersey National Bank providing financial services to New Jersey families and businesses. After soaring 245 and a quarter points in the last four sessions of last week, the Dow began this week with a pause to assess the situation. So today, the Dow industrials fell five and a half points to close to 56.74 level, the MX index slid less than half a point.

And as that composite, off 4.40 and the standard in poor is 500, drop two and a quarter. Now and then you got to stop, catch your breath. Alright, pause it refreshes. Still ahead tonight. A check of our forecast coming up and in sports, Carl Lewis finishes his Olympic career as a record holder and a spectator. Jerry is on vacation. I have sports news. In the end, he was a spectator watching his colleagues lose the 400 meter relay from a VIP booth high above Olympic Stadium. No one will ever know if having Carl Lewis in the relay would have changed the results and given this New Jersey native his 10th gold medal.

As it is, he's the only American to ever earn nine gold track medals, but it's been a long road to success. 20 years ago, King Carl, as he's now called, was a Willingborough High School freshman on Coach Gary Jenkowski's track team. It can't be something that somebody tells you to do or anything else. It has to come from within. As I said, in high school, he showed promise as a good athlete. Now, to how far he could go, it depends upon internally himself and the dedication to dedicate 16 years of his life and training. Most people are not willing to do that. In all, Lewis has said or helped to set 10 world records. In football news, well, if the Giants have any chance at all of making the playoffs this season for the first time in three years, they have to depend on their young offensive line to produce. Early in Friday night's game against Jacksonville, the big blue line struggled against an aggressive Jacksonville Jaguar defense.

Head coach Dan Reeves is looking to turn his season around. Well, quarterback Dave Brown is now matured, and when Cedric Jones comes back from his injury, the Giants hope to be ready to tackle the tough NFC Eastern conference. Also in football news, the Philadelphia Eagles lost 17 to 9 to the brand new Baltimore Ravens. Next Thursday, the Eagles hope to soar over the jet set their exhibition home opener. How about whether well a hazy warm and humid day across New Jersey today? We saw temperatures in the 80s. It was a perfect day to build sandcastles at North Beach Haven on Long Beach Island. These folks were trying to escape the heat while proving their artistic talents as they enjoyed making some sand creations this afternoon. The return of summer heat and humidity resulting in code orange or approaching unhealthful ozone levels in south and central to north eastern parts of New Jersey. Tomorrow, code red or unhealthful ozone levels are forecast across most of the state. Here is the forecast in North Jersey tonight, partly cloudy with a low of 60. Tomorrow will be sunny, warm and humid with a high of 90.

In south Jersey, tonight mostly clear skies with a low in the mid 60s. Tomorrow sunny and humid with highs in the upper 80s. And finally tonight, letting children be children. That's the idea behind an organization which unites hundreds of youngsters from Northern Ireland to American host families. Project children brings young Irish natives to the United States for five weeks every summer. Today, the youngsters enjoyed a lunch gathering in Hoboken. The program gives them a chance to get away from the violence and conflict that plagues their homeland and enjoy a fun summer vacation with new friends in America. It was just exciting to get away from Ireland again. They've taken over three summers in a row. So it's great to come over. Graham has been going on for a number of years now and the organizers' ups to days event called for a return to peace in Northern Ireland. That's our news for tonight. I'm Kent Manahan for Dick and Jim and all of us here at NJN News. Thank you for being with us. We'll see you again tomorrow night.

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Hi, everyone. I'm hella young alive from NJN, the New Jersey Channel with a lottery drawings for August 5th. Tonight's assistant is Linda of the New Jersey lottery. All drawings are under the observation of the independent auditing firm of KPMG Pete Mawick. Now let's draw pick three. The first digit is nine. The second digit is two. The third digit is six. And there it is. The winning pick three number is nine, two, six. Try the lottery's $3 instant game Win for Life. Win for Life is an easy game to play. Just match the word life three times to win $1,000 a week for the rest of your life. And the Win for Life instant game offers you three chances to win on every colorful game ticket.

There are fountains of loot yet to be discovered to play Win for Life. Now let's play pick four. The first digit is nine. The second digit is one. The third digit is four. The fourth and final digit is zero. And there you have it. The winning pick for a number is nine, one, four, zero. Now for the two giant jackpot games, the bonus million game and pick six lotto. First the bonus million game. This is an easy game to play. Just match the five digit number located next to each pick six lot of selection in exact order and win an entry into a grand prize drawing. Cash prizes range from $500 to $50,000. With an annuity top prize of $1 million. Now for the winning bonus number. Good luck.

The first digit is eight. The second digit is four. The third digit is five. The fourth digit is five. The fifth digit is six. Once again that's eight, four, five, five, six. Now for the biggest most exciting game of them all, it's pick six lotto. I've released the balls number zero one to 46 into the cylinder. You can match four or five of the numbers selected and win. But to be a top prize winner you must match all six and they can be in any order. If you match all six numbers telephone lottery headquarters and Trenton after nine tomorrow. Tonight's annuity top prize based on one winner is estimated to be.