New Jersey Nightly News; New Jersey Nightly News Episode from 05/11/1982

New Jersey Nightly News with Don Tarrance and Ken Monahan. Good evening. Urban political machines could be retooled this Election Day. Elections officials expect that heavy evening turnout is Barnesville. Perry will tell you about a possible college basketball innovation and tonight's closer look we return to the Patterson project and some residents who may like what Reaganomics is doing. Sunny skies and mild temperatures were the order of the day but there were a few clouds in the air in parts of New Jersey as voters went to the polls today to elect local officials. One of the hottest contests is going on in Newark. The voting so far has been light there but it's expected to pick up later. Voters in the state's largest city are casting mayoral ballots with the knowledge that the two top contenders have been indicted by an Essex County grand jury for misconduct in office. Mayor Ken Gibson is seeking a fourth term. He and his chief opponent City Council President Earl Harris have been charged with hiring a retired councilman for a no show job decides. Also in the race attorney Junius Williams in City Texas senator Joseph for Siena in Union City officials would not comment on

today's turnout at the polls where voters are deciding if they want to keep the incumbent mayor and state senator William Mustoe who was sentenced yesterday to seven years in prison on federal racketeering charges. Mustoe heads a ticket of five candidates for the city commission that turned out in Trenton. So far has been like today but officials are expected to pick up later in the States capitol a black minister who is also a former state assembly speaker is trying to unseat the man who has worked at City Hall for all. Four of the last 16 years. Reverend Howard Woodson wants to be the city's first black mayor. He thinks Arthur Holland has been in the job too long. Also on the ballot Neal Katyal a 29 year old substitute teacher and in Atlantic City where the incumbent mayor dropped out of the race. Voter turnout has been heavy all day. Last November the city's residents rejected the 70 year old council form of government and chose instead a mayor council for Assemblyman Michael Matthews and assistant school superintendent James Asri and businessman James Mazlan are on the ballot.

I feel that the nightly news will present special election coverage tonight at 10:00 on New Jersey network and at 10:30 on W. Hannity 13. Well you must bid to remain Union city's mayor continues tonight unimpeded by the state attorney general but not for want of trying. Attorney General Erwin Kimmelman will have to wait until tomorrow to see if a superior court judge agrees with him that Mustoe should be removed from the mayoral post out of the state Senate because he's been convicted of racketeering. Judge Thomas O'Brien put off making a decision in the case today after attorneys for Mosto asked the question Kimmelman rep couldn't answer. Why is the state trying to remove Mustoe and it didn't try to remove former Camden mayor Angelo Ketti convicted on Abscam charges while the state will have to supply the answer to that tomorrow. Unlike Mustoe Eric ketty did not seek re-election. In other news New Jersey's critical shortage of bed space for inmates in state prisons as well as county facilities was tossed into the courts again today. Public defender Stanley Venez filed suit today on behalf of ocean county inmates Steve Katz has a report.

The suit against the Ocean County Jail claims conditions that constitute cruel and unusual punishment and violate at least six amendments to the United States Constitution. Just last month a federal judge ruled that union county must alleviate unconstitutional conditions at its jail. Public defenders Stanley Van Ness who filed today's action on behalf of a group of ocean county inmates says things are even worse at the Toms River facility. They've gone one better Nosheen County the allegations are that there aren't even mattresses provided for all the people that are sleeping on the floor sleeping and always. On catwalks. Under the toilets. In the visiting area in the recreation areas that previously existed. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. If there was any condition like that I'd be the first to go and take one of my officers to task and Sheriff Brown challenges other charges made in the complaint although he wouldn't allow us inside the jail today. Brown said conditions here are no worse than at other county jails. There is no recreation space but that's not unique or new he says. Brown denies allegations that prisoners have only limited access to family members and lawyers and he makes a few allegations of his

own. I think I'm being discriminated against. You have seven other counties that have more inmate population with a higher percentage of all inmates in their county jail than I have. And again it's an election year and what happens can you get singled out. There were 185 prisoners in the Ocean County jail today less than 40 of them state inmates. The suit says the facility was built to hold 80 people. Brown says the capacity is 140. Just a few weeks ago construction began here on a $50 dollar 200 bed jail. It should be completed in about two and a half years. The new facility will have recreation space. And Sheriff Brown says it will solve the crowding problem. The Van Ness says that even without the overcrowding conditions at the jail must be changed. And he says similar conditions at the jails in Essex Monmouth and Camden counties may prompt complaints to be filed against those facilities in the near future. In Toms River Ocean County I'm Steve Katz. Governor Kaine told New Jersey nightly news today he's not holding up the nomination of

Ronald Lewis as your creation commissioner because of residency problems but because of allegations that Lewis plagiarized large portions of his doctoral thesis late yesterday a source in the governor's office had released information that the nomination was being held up because Lewis was still a resident of Pennsylvania and as such he couldn't hold a New Jersey cabinet post. But the governor denied that. He says the plagiarism charge is a serious one and he will make the final decision on Lewis's fate. Once his staff has reviewed the case. It felt good. That's how labor secretary in New Jersey and Raymond Donovan described his testimony before a federal grand jury in Brooklyn today. The grand jury is looking into charges that Donovan was present when a bribe payment to a labor union official was discussed back in 1977. While Donovan was vice president of Shivani construction company of Secaucus Donovan would not reveal what he told the grand jury in five and a half hours of testimony and related developments reports published today say that FBI tapes linked Donovan to

the late Salvatore's Sally Bugg's Bergoglio a reported labor enforcer who was gunned down on a new York street in 1978. Donovan has sworn he never met the man. Don there is a citizens group in Hoboken which claims their city's arson problem is just part of an effort to drive poor tenants out of their homes and convert the buildings to more profitable condominiums. Well today the group took their protest to the site of a fatal arson fire and Rolonda Watts was there. Anyone traveling through Hoboken can see that a lot of money has gone into renovating many of the old buildings here apartment buildings that were at one time dingy and run down. Now almost sparkle with fresh paint and new storm windows. Many of the renovated buildings here are being converted to condominiums. At the same time Hoboken has been plagued with a rash of us. Some residents here claiming that the poor are being burned out. So the contractors can move in today to citizens groups the All People's Congress and community united for new action staged a protest at the

site of one of Hoboken most recent fires in which 13 people were killed. Fire officials attribute the blaze to arson. There have been 58 arsons in Hoboken over the past two and a half years. Angry residents here are afraid many more lives might be lost to arson unless the city repeals vacancy decontrol under vacancy decontrol landlords are permitted to charge new tenants whatever they wish. That apartment is they're no longer subject to controlled rents. Residents claim with this flexibility for landlords the poor are being displaced. They claim some landlords feel the best way to get the poor out of their buildings is by lighting a match. This community is 15 minutes from Wall Street and all the upper class rich folks who want to move in and be 15 minutes away from work and in order to do that they've got to kick out all the poor people. So they've decided to gentrify this area that is they call it a new renaissance where they are pushing up rents 200 300 and 400 percent. They're burning buildings murdering people to scare all the black

and all the Latin and all the poor people out of there to make room for the rich. And that's the absolute truth. The group also calls for stricter smoke detector laws. The state already requires all apartment buildings to have smoke detectors but the residents claim they are not being enforced in their city. Hoboken Mayor Steve Cappiello argues that Hoboken uses more smoke detectors than anywhere else in the state. He says the city is also working on passing an ordinance prohibiting the conversion of burned out buildings to condominiums. The purpose to try to satisfy some of the people who claim they're living in fear of being burned down by people who are looking to profit from However city attorneys are concerned that the measure could be challenged on constitutional grounds Sotos says this Saturday his group will march in protest of arson for profit in Hoboken. I'm Rylander wants. The immense task of keeping the state's transportation systems working lose before John Sheridan now that he's been approved as the next commissioner of transportation. The state Senate

late yesterday voted in favor of Governor Kades nomination of Sheridan. The Princeton lawyer and Cain transition committee member takes over the department at a time when it's involved in taking over commuter rail lines from Conrail. The immediate struggle is to get enough federal money to do that. But Chariton also says a top priority of his department will be to complete four major highways interstate routes 287 87 and 195 and route 55. He will be sworn in next week. Former President Gerald Ford has endorsed Congresswoman Millicent Fenwick for her June 8th primary Senate primary. In a statement released by Mrs. Fenwicks campaign committee Ford said he knows of no one in public life who quote exemplifies honesty integrity and compassion more than Millicent Fenwick through a press secretary Mrs. Fenwick said today she was encouraged by the endorsement from the former president. She says Ford knows her record of service to the party and the citizens of New Jersey. Former President Ford though is not expected to make any personal appearances in the state before the primary.

And Joseph Lafont is hoping a television blitz will break him from the pack in the crowded Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate. A father carries a split endorsement from the state Democratic Party. He shares that nod with millionaire businessman Frank Lautenberg who has been waging a heavily financed campaign on TV for the past three months. The Fontanes message stresses that his government experience is something to be proud of as a leader in the state assembly then in Congress and as a former head of the state division of community affairs compare to the Democratic candidates for Senate. Two were successful businessmen. So is Joe Fanti one directed the state agency. Giuliani ran the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. One is the father who plans to spend an estimated $400000 for the 18 day blitz over New York and Philadelphia stations. The Casino Control Commission given the right to ban card counters from Atlantic City casinos is instead going to consider rule changes to make life tougher for those counters. A state Supreme Court ruling last week said only the commission not the casinos could ban the counters. Keep track of their

cards that favor their hands and usually have an edge over the casinos. But rather than banning them the Casino Control Commission will consider rule changes like more frequent shuffling and the use of more decks per table to shift the odds back in the house's favor. The proposed changes will be offered for public comment before the commission votes on the State Department of Agriculture has announced the start of its 12th annual gypsy moths spraying program of all the caterpillars stripped a record amount of state woodlands last year. State officials say funding cutbacks will mean some local communities will have to organize their own spring. Dan Hodson explains the gypsy moth Caterpillar eats practically anything green with over 300 different kinds of trees and shrubs falling prey to its voracious appetite. Every year in most areas the caterpillars have just hatched. The states identified 88000 acres of residential woodlands where one more year without spraying would likely mean widespread tree loss. The state will provide expert supervision to communities in these priority 1 areas who decide to spray. But state funding assistance to those

communities has fallen from 25 percent of the total cost to zero and federal assistance has dropped from 50 percent of the bill to just 12 and a half percent. As a result almost a third of the priority 1 areas have decided not to spray. This could mean a loss of up to 30000 acres of trees but in addition because of funding assistance level is so low some communities are deciding to spray on their own without state or federal assistance. This gives them more flexibility in deciding where to spray and the ability to comply with local political pressures. In a Monday press briefing state officials expressed concern about those community run programs. The danger that I see is that our program is carefully supervised and we have a chase plane in the air. We have the air to ground communications. We have people in the block monitoring the spraying and I don't I do not know whether they will have the same kind of supervision on the ground or the conduct of those programs. Some communities have also decided against spraying due to strong environmental opposition to the use of the pesticides 7. It's much cheaper and easier to apply than alternative

sprays. The Department of Agriculture secretary Philip Lampy says fears about its use are completely unfounded. The facts are that is the safest. We have not found any effect on birth control. Votes effects you know. And therefore we feel that it is safe that sector of our culture and our private is use. And we've tested it thoroughly tested by the Food Drug Administration where the U.S. to primary culture in every case is has a fairly Rougemont on a slightly brighter note State officials say the gypsy moth population is cyclic and predict we'll see a gradual drop in the number of infected areas beginning this year especially in North Jersey. But they say commercial pest trips and private efforts to control the moths really don't work where large populations are already present without spraying programs and the critical priority areas. There may not be a next year to worry about. In downtown Gloucester County I'm damn hot. Firemen from 15 companies fought a major fire this afternoon in Paterson an abandoned plant manufacturing building two city blocks long was engulfed in

flames when firemen arrived about 1:00. There were no serious injuries but smoke from the fire could be seen from miles. Firemen successfully kept the blaze from spreading to a warehouse across the street which contained explosive chemicals. The cause of the fire in that paint building is unknown but arson is suspected but other fires spread across 50 acres of woods along a section of Route 40 in Buena Vista Atlanta county late this morning. The blaze threatened several homes in the area caused minor injuries to one fire. A fire department spokesman says there were no evacuations necessary and the flames were brought under control early this afternoon by fire and from three surrounding communities. Firefighters plot a clearing behind some of the homes in the path of the blaze to help control it. The cause of this fire is under investigation. Here's a look at the weather forecast. A lot will be clear and mild with the temperature in the upper 40s to low 50s. Sunny and mild again tomorrow the daytime high in the mid 70s and our outlook for Thursday sunny and once again live. Ronald Reagan has complained that the news media has spent too much time focusing on the

troubles of an unemployed worker in a mythical place called South succotash our contributing reporter Howard Hughes has spent the past nine months following the effects of Reaganomics on a real place. The city of Paterson the Patterson project is tracking the fortunes of four families ranging from rich to poor. The news has not been all good by any means but tonight a story the president would probably like. A year ago. The Heath Family was out of place on their well-kept and well-to-do street on Patersons east side. They were nearly broke their small stationery store in downtown Paterson had banged up as Ray puts it. Gone bankrupt. There was doubt whether they could afford to send daughter Christine to college. Plus she was that the great this year for us. You need to put your hands on every dollar you could. Your view of the Heath Family today may depend on your politics. You could say there are prospering despite the recession. Or you could say there are early beneficiaries of Reaganomics but there's no doubt they are prospering thanks to the job they got last

summer. As a salesman of a popular office copying machine look we just finished the biggest one through its history from the Jersey version of. We saw little or no clue that this would be an increase in commissions. He was hoping for in December came to pass in a big way. In March he was named the firm's top salesman for the region an honor that brought with it a week or two in Acapulco. Like any good salesman Ray credits the quality of his product for his success and rewards but he gives partial credit to Ronald Reagan's tax cut plan specifically to tax credits for equipment leasing even if those credits should be cut back now. And they are under fire in Congress. Ray believes they've already done the job. Ronald Reagan had in mind. It served its purpose. It got things done. And that's what it was supposed to do. It was supposed to be a long term solution to a problem. It was supposed to create an activity in the private sector did the Reagan budget has other implications for this family though because of it raised success will have a price tag

with his income likely to top $30000 a year. It's likely to that his daughter will no longer qualify for the federal loans and grants that made it possible for her to go to Villanova this year with college costs more than $8000 in here. That boss could be substantial. But the Heaths feel confident they could absorb a loss of education aid as the president would like. He stirred their deep belief in self-reliance. If you can afford it and let's assume you're making 40000 dollars a year and you can't afford it then you shouldn't complain that the government isn't going to come to your aid you can't for a day let someone some kid who can afford it by any means. Have the them. So we kind of let the chips fall where they may with the hope to if we make enough money to pay for all this and we'll pay for all this. OK. If we don't then we hope that the kids can go for whatever aid they need. Yeah. OK. We

don't. We've always done what we had to do. That's not a universal view in the heavily Democratic side where cuts in student aid may mean more in the short run than almost any other aspect of the Reagan budget. At a recent meeting of the east side neighborhood association a group that Ray Heath once headed the reviews of student aid cuts were decidedly mixed. I think that if loans become more difficult to get through the federal government and one has to seek higher interest loans and one is less likely to go to an institution with a higher rate of tuition when it becomes more dependent on state schools. Not to say that state schools are inadequate but let's face it there are different levels of education different approaches in different institutions. If I as a young man had the option at this point in time going to an Ivy League school or going to a state school and I had to make that choice based on the availability of funds I

would feel that my rights were being grossly restricted. This group's chief purpose though is upgrading and publicizing the virtues of the state we. Once thought to be in decline. The neighborhood instead has begun to attract a racially mixed group of new buyers. Young relatively affluent families. Surprisingly many in the neighborhood association feel that one of the most criticized aspects of Reaganomics high interest rates are helping to continue the upward trend in the neighborhood. The reason high interest is offset here by low house prices. There is value here. Who's getting good value here. The amount of house you get for the amount of money you have to pay. Well again this house could not be replaced and if you were to replace it out in the suburbs you couldn't touch it. Local realtors confirm the trend is very easy for any real estate broker to sell a house in the east side especially if the people have taken their time and went to other towns and see

to see what their dollars can buy and then come to us after and we show them what dollars can buy in our better parts of Paris. So the family may find their neighborhood improving along with their own personal finances. One ironic footnote is Oliver Ray. He is doing well selling Japanese made goods. On the other side of town at this machine shop business is bad. They supply parts to American makers of copy machines firms now hurting from Japanese competition. In Paterson. I'm Howard Hughes. Bill Perry bought a brand new sports jacket just to come back and do sports and I believe it's really nice.

Thank you Don you can borrow it anytime. It'll cost you though. First it was Hearn's haggler then Leonard Stafford. Now another title fight is off the WBA heavyweight championship bout scheduled for June 2nd in Atlantic City has been postponed because of a shoulder injury to champion Mike Weaver he was to have met Tex Cobb one title fight that is still go as the WBC heavyweight fight between Larry Holmes the champ and Jerry Kewney. Today the Meadowlands racetrack announced that they will have the closed circuit TV of that one from Las Vegas June 11th. Rutgers basketball coach Tom Young has reiterated he is in favor of a shot clock for college basketball this coming as the astronauts go to a conference disclosed they will discuss the possibility of a clock and a three point field goal at the league's annual meetings next month. And this game Rutgers Pitt last January was a 48 46 pick. When Rutgers equaling its lowest point total in a game at the rack earlier in the season they scored 46 and beat St. Peter's stall ball was prominent last season. Low scores was the result. Rutgers in a conference competing with the Big East would want to see a clock figure a 45 second clock that would certainly bring some exposure some notoriety for the league which is looking for a glistening rectors

football now. Coach Frank Burns will have a quarterback battle when the team reports the fall camp in August. This in light of the Spring Game. Burns says the job is up for grabs. Tween oun Andrews and jackalope prairie because those two guys are neck and neck now and our continual quest to bring you the unique in sports Frisbee Frisbee Trishna Gaspar's has this story. It was opening night of the sixth season of the ultimate frisbee league in Mercer County. The 20 teams in the league consisting of 300 members dusted off their frisbees for a brand new season of competition. Now at the beginning of the baseball season naturally the first baseball was thrown out. And here with Ultimate Frisbee it the same thing the first Frisbee is thrown out. But this league has added a little bit of a twist. It started with a plane and a skydiver jumped 7000 feet to deliver that past Thursday. It was the idea of. NAISI the captain of the Sharks team.

The true way to bring a Frisbee in is through the air and what better way than by sky diver. And what exactly is Ultimate Frisbee. Nick should know his Mudlarks have won every championships in. The game. Well the idea is you can't run with the frisbee you have to pass it to your teammates and the defense idea is to block that pass or to make the person unable to throw it correctly. That's a non-contact sport so you can't hit each other. You have to be able to throw the frisbee accurately. You have to be able to run with a run for long periods of time sprinting as in soccer it's a very stamina oriented game. The teams play every night of the week until the end of August at Mercer County park. I'm Trischka Gaspar's. All right that's our sports enjoy your Frisbee. That's a tough sport. Thanks you the out-of-work guys out here says as it plays of all time he always gives see nightly news. New Jersey nightly news will have special coverage on today's local elections beginning at 10:00 here on NEW JERSEY network and at 10:30 on Feb. 13. Hope you'll join us. And that's our news for tonight. For Don Tarrance Bill Perry and the rest of the nightly news team I'm

Kent Monohan Wishing you all good night. New Jersey Nightly News has a joint presentation of the New Jersey network and W 18:13. Portions recorded. For