New Jersey Nightly News; New Jersey Nightly News Episode from 12/17/1978 6:30 pm

New Jersey Nightly News with Robert Cohen in Trenton. Good evening and thank you for joining us IN THE NEWS tonight. Public employees in New York are laying plans for their massive protest of layoffs in that city. Despite a spending freeze some lucky state workers are getting pay hikes and it's a seller's market for Christmas trees in New Jersey. We'll have a report. In sports Bill Perry has highlights of the Eagles must win over the Giants along with a classic thriller of a basketball game. A closer look. We'll get an inside view of Brendan Byrne public employees unions in Newark are asking last or making last ditch efforts to save the jobs of more than a thousand school employees and 200 policemen as well as reports on some of the union plans. There's not much activity here at the provincial mall on a Sunday but next Thursday unions here in the city say they're going to fill this mall. They say with 10000 people and a rally to protest city layoffs. The unions are getting together to try to show that the public doesn't want these. They don't they don't want these layoffs. And. I believe they're going to

try and show force out there who are voting population. Ron Gasper Netti. President of the Newark PBA says the layoffs could still be prevented. I think the governor and the legislature and the state can do. A job for us in the last minute. They can pass laws necessary to allow or suspend the reserve money that we have in this city and they could even appropriate more money for us so that we could alleviate this problem. John Johnson is the president of Local 6:17. The service employees international union that represents clerks and school system security employees. Johnson says the layoffs are a political hoax. He says 70 percent of the Newark school budget comes from the state. Mayor Gibson has said part of the reason for the layoffs is the loss of federal funds. But since state money finances the schools Johnson says it cut back in federal funds should not have any effect on the operation of Newark schools. And Johnson also says the school board needs a course in bookkeeping and the bold claim

that out of four million dollar deficit. According to all figures there's something wrong with the books. The books are not being kept correctly that bad. Fiscal management. With respect to. That statement. I wonder what. A close look. And audit a review. Of all the records of say the Teachers Union or SEIU or the cafeteria workers or any one of those other agencies would yield. What would that tell us about. Growth of staff. Our growth of. Income in terms of percentage of those organizations and where they roughly match what's taken place in the Board of Education or wouldn't that. Sharif not only speaks as the president of the Newark Board of Education. He's a personal aide to Mayor Gibbs. Gibson says he's adamant about the layoffs but emotions run high when it comes to the loss of jobs the unions hope their 11th hour appeals won't fall on deaf ears. And Newark businessmen hope the recent headlines will give Newark an image of being a city of

chaos. So far. Newark's economy has not been affected by talk of fewer teachers in the schools and fewer policeman on the street. Retail sales are up 12 percent over this period last year. But after the layoffs the picture could change. In Newark. I'm Ridgewell. Despite governor Birns budget problems which have led them to impose a 2 percent spending freeze on general state operations. A few state employees have been given some healthy pay hikes ranging from two to 25 percent. Among those 54 workers receiving the salary increases for seven of the governor's aides. A spokesman for the governor says many of the increases have been in the works for some time that no more such wholesale pay hikes will be granted. One of the biggest increases went to Marilyn Thompson the head of the state's lobbying office in Washington. Her salary had been $35000 a year but now it's up to forty three thousand five hundred dollars. Five days of hearings on administrative charges against Resorts International have ended with resorts labeling the charges a witch hunt. So what's attorney

Joel Stern says the casinos shouldn't be blamed for any violations of state gambling laws during the first weeks of operation because of the confusion that was unavoidable at that busy time. Resorts in the state Gaming Enforcement Division will be submitting briefs to the hearing examiner this Wednesday and a decision on the pending charges will be made sometime later. A group of some 50 Nationalist Chinese graduate students who attend Stevens Institute in Hoboken held a news conference today complaining about President Carter's decision to establish formal diplomatic ties with Peking and cut off ties with Taiwan. The students said the move violated both a long standing national treaty commitment. Mr. Carter's personal human rights commitments while New York is generally regarded to be the art center of the Western world may be surprised to learn that many of this country's most notable artists live in Roosevelt New Jersey. The town was planned in the 1930s as a garment workers community. But today it's one of the nation's centres of artistic activity. A score of takes us there.

Ben Shonn was the first to make Rosevelt his home. He and his wife for not painted this mural in the new planned community that was to have been the country's boldest experiment in cooperative living with for workers who lived in the lower part of New York. And whatever they do and where they worked they're all in poverty. It was a very long time. And if you come back to a pound being counted by one all the factory workers could work in the fields and you could also have their homes and then go and. The experiment failed. But the idea was at the heart of everything Benjani believed in. And so we moved into one of the Bauhaus inspired contemporary homes. That was to happen utopia for a blue collar family that was dealing with tohu and we were willing to commit so absolutely

completely to what he was doing and we did and lots of other people did too. It was a great thing in the American view of government and its relationship to people. Others followed suit. Musicians poets writers and artists space in New York City is very difficult and I came out here because I knew Ben Shonn who was living here at the time and working here in the school bureau and I found as he had before me that this was an ideal place to hide out. One of the things that made me feel comfortable about coming here and staying here is that this town is a liberal town with a tradition that stems not only from the social experiment but from some of the people that came into the experiment. It's a humanistic tradition and I'm a humanistic artist. Today Roosevelt is not the noble factory workers community it was designed to be. It's much like any other American town middle class and heterogeneous but it is

different to its greatness its people. People like Ben Shonn Jacob Landau Gregorio presta piano and Stefan Martin and others. They follow the dream and they made it real. Roosevelt gave us. The Bridgwater redevelopment agency which has been pushing the proposed regional shopping and office complex where Roots 2 0 2 2 0 6 22 and 287 come together says its negotiations with the developer or at a critical stage and a construction contract might be signed by mid-January. But opponents to the Bridgwater Commons project are racing that deadline. They're trying to get at least 4000 signatures on a petition to dissolve the redevelopment agency before it can sign any contracts. Opponents say the Commons would create traffic problems and worsen flooding in Somerville. It's now the height of the rush to buy Christmas trees. For many that means stopping by the nearest shopping centre or a gas station to pick one out. But others forge out into the wilds in search of the perfect tree with just a little bit of help.

Phelps Hawkins has a report. A Christmas tree farm. It's not exactly like the pioneers and some of the workers here say that there's even a psychology to choosing a tree. For example I would supposedly go for a big one somewhat like this. I think it's a shaky premise. No matter the Julias downed tree farm there are plenty of trees to choose from covering some 75 acres and you can get them already cut. Or do it yourself. More than half the people would rather pick their own and cut it down themselves using saws hatchets axes whatever. Steve Willard whose father started the Christmas tree business 35 years ago says he's not sure about the psychology but he does know that his customers are choosy. You have it you have your people who are dedicated to the. Have people who are addicted to the firs and they don't want anything else. Mainly what they're looking for is a nice. Nice. Christmas tree. I'd say the average is probably around six or seven feet. That's these

things to make the decisions the parents make the decisions or the kids the parents give them the joy like this hearing kids say yes or no I don't like that. They don't like it. Know they don't get it but it's up to the kids I say that 85 percent of the time whoever decides there are a lot of people showing up at the tree farm this year more than 400 trees were sold yesterday. And Steve willer thinks the season total may top ten thousand and an average of 15 dollars a tree that's one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. And this is just the Willard family's hobby when they're not selling Christmas trees. Their tree surgeons. The sandy soil in the area is evidently good for tree growing. The only attention the trees need is yearly trimming a six footer will take around 10 years to grow. Prices go as high as $40 for a 12 foot Douglas fir. You want to cover all your bets in the Christmas tree business. So for the non Paul Bunyan types Here's an easy way out. No big decision

one size one color and it's plastic. So if there's a fire. All that to do is melt after a big decision. It's time to relax. From Julius down I'm Phelps Hawking. Cold northwest winds brought a chilly end to the unseasonably warm December we've been having it seems like the New Jersey winter has set in for good. The weather forecast for New Jersey calls for partly cloudy skies more gusty winds with continued cold temperatures tonight. Lows will be in the mid to upper 20s. Tomorrow it will be mostly sunny but windy again with very cold temperatures across the state and North Jersey highs will be around 40 degrees in the southern part of the state highs will be in the low to mid 30s. The outlook for Tuesday is partly sunny skies with continued cold temperatures. On. The map.

I'd like to tell you about our jersey for programming this way. It's a special holiday present for you. We have music this season we have the footnotes an acapella group from Princeton University. First the foods we show you how to make Christmas cookies and crepes to share your holiday plans. The give and take care of her children of all ages. We visit Santa Claus and we take a look at a fantastic train set up all this and more this week on Jersey fire watch JERSEY file tomorrow at 8:30. The Eagles look like they're going to the NFL the playoffs and Bill Perry has the details right. Robert thank you. Philadelphia beat the Giants 20 to three so the Eagles did what they had to do and now they're watching the scoreboard. The Eagles had to beat the Giants today in either Green Bay or Minnesota had to lose for Philly to make the playoffs. Right now Green Bay at L.A. rams up 14:7 in the third Minnesota. Oakland Raiders leading the Vikings 21 6 in the third Eagles looking good. Here's how the Eagles kept it alive at the expense of the Giants first possession Wilbert Montgomery breaks one for 46 yards. Montgomery became the Eagles leading season rusher

today 25 carries 130 yards today for Wellbrook four plays later Montgomery will get a touchdown six to nothing the extra point failed. Eagles rushed for 238 yards just 48 for the Giants second Philadelphia possession. Ron Jaworski put one way up for Harold Carmichael 96 great game which Carmichael had at least one catch. Ties in with Lance for second on the all time list Dan Abramowitz holds a consecutive game record with 1 0 5 very next play it's Montgomery with a touchdown 13 nothing after the conversion. Still in the first quarter the Giants come up with their only highlight of the day. The flea flicker. This worked early in the season and it worked again today as the season came to a close. Randy Dean hits Jimmy Robinson but the Giants have to settle for three on a Jozen of a field goal so it's 13 to 3 and that's how it's turned into the fourth quarter. Nice play there. Bad play here. Third and 27. Joe Bossart check now in at quarterback with the Giants he is intercepted by Franklin M.. Touchdown he brings it all the way in 20 to three final. So

the Eagles did what they had to do. Dallas beat the Jets 3 7 again in the two games of interest the Philly fans Rams leading the pack 14 7 and the Vikings are losing to Ocwen 21:6. Also in the third. Other scores. Detroit beat. Let's get those scores back up if we can Detroit beat San Francisco 33 to 14 New Orleans over Tampa Bay to 9:43 Cincinnati 48 Cleveland 16 Buffalo 21 Baltimore 14 St. Louis beat Atlanta 42 21 in the third Seattle Weeting Kansas City 20 to 10 also in the third San Diego leading Houston 24:17 and New England and Miami. Close it out tomorrow night. Well Arizona State beat Rutgers 34 18 in the first annual garden state Bowl yesterday and Paul Butler took it all in. It was the first major college football bowl game in the northeast of this decade. And it was a chance for the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers to prove that they can play with anyone. But despite the inherent drama and just about perfect weather a disappointing crowd of

33000 turned out yesterday to see the Garden State Bowl. The Rutgers fans who did show up certainly got their money's worth in the first half. On the team's very first possession flanker Dave Dorn's stunned the Arizona State Defense and just about everyone else with a 47 yard touchdown run. Dorne has been the game breaker for Rutgers all year long. This Gord gave the Scarlet Knights a seven N-nothing lead after less than three minutes of play. Rutgers made it 10 to nothing with a field goal. Even the governor had trouble believing what was happening. But then the tide turned. Rutgers was about to make it 17 to nothing. When Dave Doorn the hero of moments earlier fumbled on the Arizona state two yard line. At the half Rutgers was still leading 10 to 7 but the Arizona State fans had travelled too far to be discouraged by a measly 3 points. Not all. No no no. No. We're even further behind in this. With our teams. You could sense that just about everyone had the feeling that Arizona State was

about to explode in the second half and they were right. The Sun Devils took the lead when quarterback Mark Malone hit John Missler for a 26 yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. 9:46 Arizona State. Then moments later it was Malone again to Chris de France 53 yards and another Sundsvall touched down. The visitors from tempy. Had a lot to cheer about. Arizona State added a couple of more touchdowns. Rutgers scored one more The final score. Arizona State 34 Rutgers 18 from Giants Stadium. I'm Paul Butler on. The Rutgers Princeton basketball game. Last night was another thriller whenever these two get together you come away with memories what a series. Princeton came out and played its deliberate style the Tigers and the darker jerseys never trailed in the first half they led 29 23 after the first 20 minutes. Now in the second half Princeton up 43 39 Darrell Strickland takes over for Rutgers. This basket made 43 41 8 0 5. Strickland ties it at 43

7:37 a play down the the nights with 17. Rutgers took its first lead on this James Bailey bucket 45 43 6:41 left barely held in check. James had six points. Now 49 47 night's big play of the game coming up. Watch it closely. For instance Neil Kristol is called for an offensive foul basket disallowed Crystal's fifth. He fouls out. Putting it mildly. Princeton coach Pete Carroll went wild. Two technicals were called on Karylle and one more on a tiger. Assistant coach. Tom Brown went to the line he made the first tape but then missed four in a row. Bill Clark then replaced Brown and hit the final technical free throw. So Rutgers got two points out of all of this to take a lead of 51 to 47 after Clark hit the tee Tom. All law had a jumper for the Tigers to close it to 51 49. Five seconds left but three Rutgers free throws proceeded another jump to the 54

51 final. Just another Princeton Rutgers game. You know since I've been here we play him seven times. We beat him six and everyone's been a struggle. I don't think anyone has been finished where there's been a difference in more than 10 points at least were six out of seven. But about that call. No comment here. But Pete Carroll has this analysis we the play he could be such. That the Eagles have. The best head count. And if there was a foul on the other part. They thought he had left. This. Is all we're asking. And this. Could have been considered. A flagrant foul. Check the movies on. But you can bring that back. I thought it was dead so I got upset because right there was a ballgame. What a day in sports. OK Robert. Thanks Bill. Lawyers for Rubin Hurricane Carter are expected in court in federal court tomorrow to file a writ of habeas corpus asking that Carter be released from prison as NAACP attorneys will argue that he and John Artis were wrongly convicted of three murders. The two men were

first found guilty in 1967 when that conviction was thrown out by the state Supreme Court. They were tried again and convicted again. Carter's lawyers will ask or will say rather that there was possible jury misconduct in that second trial. On. You. Want to devote an. Hour. We're going to show you on the sports bar too on the week playing. Coming up Monday December 18th at 3 o'clock. And by golly we're going to make it strong. So join us then. That's it in sports Monday at 8:00 for New Jersey public television. We are a lot about the governor. He's in the news almost daily. On a closer look tonight we'll take a

decidedly non news view of Brendan Byrne. The private man. Rebecca Sobol recently spent some time with him to provide a personal profile of the state's number one public official. The. Public didn't burn surrounded by symbols of power. I'm one of the days we spent with him his state police helicopter flew him to Newark and like most days he spent more time with his aides than with his family the aides and foremen protect him running interference for him on a hectic day day time is schedule to the minute and much of that timing is done on the run in a sedan rather than a limousine. The switch of automobiles was one effort by the governor's staff early in his term to improve his public image. This is another of their efforts. A speech to business leaders the topic. The revitalization of New Jersey cities. But a main point behind the speech is

what set up after it an appearance before a smaller group the governor's aides feel he's most impressive in more intimate gatherings not at the public lectern. In fact Bernie admits the public ceremonial events are the most difficult part of his job. His critics say he hasn't hidden that feeling very well. He's looked and sounded bored. His staff says that's the weakness of a politician who refuses to be slick. They like to paint a picture of burn as a thoughtful governor. In scenes like this one in his Newark office he seems to enjoy the nuts and bolts of governing. His critics say he enjoys them too much. You know I'm losing sight of the whole picture. They say that's how we came up with the income tax and for that they named him one term burn. If the image pushed by his aides and the opinions expressed by his critics seemed to spiral into confusion. If the descriptions of him seem to contradict each other that may only be natural. He's the most visible figure in the stage and the most

powerful governor at least on paper in the country. We wanted to cut through the confusion and image building. We wanted to strip the man of the symbols of power. And this is the private man we found. Well if you can get two nights in a week. Get lucky and you're never sure. How things sort of symbolic is the fact that we've had a hand Smithfield ham that we wanted to cook for dinner about six months and we've never been sure that we can that we can get that ham out. So what you have to do and then. You've got to assume for the amount of privacy that you're going to get is very limited. And for instance this is White House and we regard it as a whole. But we know that in order to wander around this house or maybe a meeting going on in one word or suddenly Senator waiting for an you. So

you've got to be decently dressed to walk around your own home. That's from that standpoint the privacy is good. What do you feelings about the children in the time that you have to spend had time this year with these kids. We had certainly during the campaign you would get out with the kids you know. I used to get to know them better way. And. By the time I'm home and I have a couple of minutes with and then and a few games. You know what I can do all kinds of contortions. Billy Luxmore to be a powerhouse another powerhouse in the family is the governor's wife Jeanne Byrne has raised seven children alone. The legacy of public life. I think what attracted me to him by his. First. I guess his intelligence his interest in so many things and I we have

found through the years that we do have a common interest in things such as the opera. There's an interesting thing as well. Just before World War Two I had landed a job. In the neighborhood theater and then never was which was a legitimate theater run by Cheryl Crawford. He has a great time. He asked me about about things he wants to know what makes things tech. I say as time went on and people saw him in smaller groups I saw some very ready quick dry sometimes caustic read those a couple of years ago said that half the people who wouldn't walk across the street to spit at me and you would appear as you would have happened years ago in the middle of controversy or past attacks program and we would see the benefits for it. And I really hadn't had a chance to go out on the stump and explain to people

where I was I suspect I'm a little too shy it was for the business I'm in the profession. And so I think that's misinterpreted a lot of people and I to see when I am I'm generally very introspective. At times when I probably shouldn't be. I've had the advantage of having as I say you know being in the right place at the right time having challenges which is sort of suited where I was like if you could characterize how you would like to be remembered. That's a difficult question because I'd like to be remembered for a better educational system for better treatment of the underprivileged to this day. But I'd also like to be remembered as the guy who finally demolished the image of New Jersey as being between New

York and Philadelphia and New Jersey it's deadening in its own sense of pride in its own glamour. And I think we're doing that. And just to do it for the sense of the glamour of New Jersey is relatively meaningless. But if you do it in terms of you bring some glamour to New Jersey. And one of the other things improvers as our own sense of pride increases so I think you've got a package here which is worth being remembered for. That profile originally aired earlier last week. Now recapping our top stories public employees unions a Newark plan for large scale protests of that city's budget cuts the state's spending freeze will not stop more than 50 state workers from getting pay increases. And in sports the Eagles beat the Giants with their equalised toward the playoffs.

And that's New Jersey not only was the Sunday edition. Thanks very much for being with us. Mike