NJN News; 09/12/1989/ Tuesday

I mean, one, two... MUSIC Major funding for New Jersey Network News is provided by the Geraldine R Dodge Foundation, First, Videldy Bank and Jersey Central Power and Light. New Jersey Network News with Kent Manahan and Phil Bremen. Good evening. President Bush's war on drugs marched on in the search of recruits today, as the president made a televised speech to the nation's school children via satellite. The 20-minute address asked youngsters to not only stay away from drugs, but to help others already in trouble. Marie DeNoia watched the president's speech with a group of students from Middlesex County. The Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, situated on a tree-lined street in New Brunswick, has

a deceiving appearance for an inner-city school. Officials here say at least half of the 180 students attending come from the urban side of town. Today, the entire 6th, 7th and 8th grade sat respectfully, some intently, listening to President Bush deliver his anti-drug pro-action speech. Here, his words needed to appeal to a range of perspectives. Saying no won't make you a nerd, won't make you a loser. In fact, it will make you more friends than drugs ever will. I think he was very right about the way drugs are killing people, and people spend their lives on buying drugs. I think it was good. He talked a lot about when you don't have to be afraid to say no, because other people won't make fun of you. And later in class, teachers encouraged more discussion. If you keep on getting it into their mind, then they'll, like, learn to say no to drugs. Teachers here were receptive to the president's strategy.

This is not a normal human being. This is the president, so the fact that the president is speaking to them is important to them. It's not a total preoccupation, but it does come up very frequently in discussion since so many students do live it every day. They're around it. They're exposed to it, and they are aware of it. The essential message heard by these students and students in 70,000 schools across the nation is one most of them have heard hundreds of times. At this time, it was the president, and he was asking them to do more than to just say no. Today, I'm not just asking you to get help. I'm asking you to find someone who needs you and offer to help. My best friend was on drugs. I tried to help him talk him out of it, like, to get him off the hook. A promise many of the students we spoke to were willing to make today, and it seems to be the promise the president was asking for. We're redeploying our new Jersey Network News, New Brunswick. The president has some energetic boosters in Lindhurst, and that Bergen County community more than 1,000 students became instant cheerleaders for Mr. Bush's anti-drug team.

Trish Degaspris reports. It looked like a pep rally from decades ago where students would whip themselves into frenzied excitement, but these Lindhurst Grammar school students weren't rooting for their team or even their school they were rooting for themselves, and although the sound was deafening, the message was music to the ears. In Lindhurst, the Board of Education decided that the president's speech would be the catalyst for this anti-drug rally. The administrators here brought in people from the community to talk to the kids about their first-hand knowledge of drugs. Detective Francis McSweeney told the students that they're the army in this war. The students were also told that their first contact with drugs wouldn't be from a pusher, it would be from a friend, and to help that friend by telling someone, a coach, teacher or parent.

None of the kids we spoke with said they'd ever been approached with drugs and they all said they mean to keep it that way. For the people that are out there that are going to be watching TV, should really take mine and don't do drugs. I learned to say no, and I never will. I'm going to find out who's doing those drugs. What are you going to do then? And then I'm going to bring them in. And another great thing about today say the kids that all homework was suspended and instead the kids will go home and talk to their families about drugs. Trish Degas Burst, New Jersey Network News, Flinthurst. And joining us now to discuss how New Jersey schools are responding to President Bush's anti-drug program, Assistant Education Commissioner Richard DiPatri. He joins us from our Trenton Newsroom. Mr. DiPatri, the president is going directly to the schools with his message, how is New Jersey going to take up the challenge? Well, we're pleased to see that the president has gone to the students in this country and in particular New Jersey.

We have been responding to that challenge and glad to see that he's raised the awareness of not only the general public as he did last week, but now to students throughout the state. A few years ago in 1986, the governor appointed a task force and as a result of that cabinet level task force, a number of changes have been made. In particular, we're focusing our resources and being sure that every student at every grade level, on grades K through 12, is exposed to drug and alcohol education to help meet what the president outlined, which is a challenge to convince students to not engage in drugs. And in effect, cut off the demand of drugs throughout this country. Not about in urban areas, though, what can educators do and the state do to help kids who weren't in school today to hear that message and won't be there tomorrow? Well, I think we have to continue to carry the message to those that are there with us. And I'm sure that will happen through the president and in other ways. We have to continue to focus resources in this urban areas, but I think we'd be wrong

to suggest that that's only where this problem exists. It exists in all districts and all types. I think more severe in our urban areas, particularly because we have to fight the drug culture that exists there and the influences that are available to the students tend to be a disruptive influence to them and not a good role models for them to see. And that's where education in schools come in, and we have to provide those kinds of better influences for them. Thank you, Mr. Dupatry, for sharing your thoughts with us this evening, Phil. You're welcome. Can't also on education tonight, the confrontation is looming in Pemberton Township where a teacher's strike is in its second day. This afternoon, the Pemberton Township Education Association voted to continue the walkout. Just despite a court order requiring the union members to return to work. Under state law, public employees, including teachers, are prohibited from striking. A regular school board meeting scheduled for tonight has been called off, and negotiations are to resume tomorrow.

So is the picketing. The mother of a four-year-old Trenton boy who was kicked out of a church-run daycare center after informing officials that the boy had AIDS has filed a complaint with the state division on civil rights. This got Moniac reports last night, the church board decided not to allow the youngster to attend school because of so-called behavioral problems. Nadine Walther's adopted son, John, can no longer attend the St. Bartholomew's Church Day Care Center. The four-year-old had been a regular at the center for more than six months, until his mother notified officials in August that he was about to begin treatment for the AIDS virus. While officials from the children's center claim that the four-year-old has a behavior problem, and that's the reason he's been expelled, his adoptive mother insists that it isn't true. Last night, the board of directors at the daycare center rejected a plea to re-admit the youngster. Today, Walther filed a formal complaint with the division on civil rights, charging that her son has been discriminated against. The whole purpose is to rectify this as soon as possible so he can go into school. It's not to turn this into a circus or anything, it's to do a simple thing and fight for

his right to get him back in the school where he belongs. It's difficult for the four-year-old to understand why he can't play with his friends at the center, but he does understand that he has a disease. Do you feel bad? Do you wish that you go back to school and play again? John's mother says the AZT treatment doctors initially recommended can't begin until his condition gets worse. She prefer having a choice as to whether John stays in the center or finds a place where he's more welcome. He would understand that it's not because people are afraid of the disease that lives inside of his body. Sometimes people have stopped accusing him of outlandish behaviors that instead it's because mommy decided on scratch that honey you're going to get hurt. The mommy decided that there's a better school for me to be attending. Although John seems to be in perfect health right now, doctors say he stands a 50-50 chance of reaching age 12.

Scott Moniac, New Jersey Network News, Trenton. The state should assume a bigger role in the governing of Atlantic City according to the chairman of two legislative committees. Today they announced they'll hold hearings later this month to determine just how much state control there should be in the gaming city. Democratic Senator Richard Cody was an original supporter of Casino Gambling to rebuild Atlantic City. On the one hand we have a glamorous, dynamic city drawing millions of visitors to glittering Casino hotels. On the other hand we have a city with little or no decent housing, a second-class boardwalk in Beach, an outdated convention hall, and a woefully inadequate airport. Republican Assemblyman William Schumer referred to recurrent corruption problems, including recent charges against Mayor James Osrey, in the city that inspired the board game Monopoly. The players revolve around a board, taining housing, demolishing it for hotels, and then periodically some of them go to jail.

The lawmakers said no one wants a complete state takeover, but that at least Atlantic City's planning and zoning decisions should probably be in state hands. When we come back, the candidates for governor take aim at auto insurance. And we'll meet New Jersey's representative in the Miss America pageant. Stay with us. It's the Mississippi high University music. I'm here. No, no, no, no. I'm here. Don't ray, can ray hear me? Let me talk to Ray here.

Ray. Ray Herbert. Hey Ray, on the med stage, lose it when I give the front of the store. As the meds win it five, two, okay? Ray. The candidates for governor collided today over auto insurance. Jim Corder accused Jim Floreo of flip-flopping his stand on the joint underwriting association. And Floreo called the quarter camp ignorant on the issue. Larry Stoopnagle reports. Standing outside the building that houses the debt-written joint underwriting association, Republican Jim Corder, today linked Democrat Jim Floreo to the high-cost auto insurance pool. And he accused Floreo of flip-flopping on the JUA since Floreo's 1981 bid for governor. But the important thing to keep in mind is that Congressman Floreo, when he was running for governor of the state of New Jersey, said the JUA was perfect.

I was a-okay. And you really can't have it to both ways. He is an essence part of the problem. Corder repeated his auto insurance reform plan that includes eliminating the JUA, repealing anti-trust exemption laws that he says allow insurance companies to fix rates and to regulate the insurance companies, which he says will force the companies to compete and lower their premiums. Now, what you're doing is saying to insurance companies that they have to compete. You're not guaranteeing profits. As you move from a highly regulated and price-guarantee system to real competition and insurance markets. Floreo was in parameters to add an auto theft task force to his plan for lowering auto insurance rates. Floreo, who called Corder's position, a hands-off approach to the problem, says he would junk the JUA, have the companies pay off its $3 billion debt, and make the industry base its rates on person's driving record. We're going to have it based upon whether you're a good driver, accidents, driving tickets, miles driven, safety of your car.

All of those types of things are the opposite of hands-off. My approach is hands-on. Floreo says the JUA that was finally adopted in 1984 was not the same plan he supported in 1981, and he called for a special form where he and Corder could debate auto insurance alone. This is an issue that demands some minimum degree of understanding about the issue, and unfortunately I don't think there is that minimum degree of understanding. As a matter of fact, if I was less kind, I'd talk about abysmal ignorance on the other side with regard to auto insurance. This is not the first time that Floreo and Corder have clashed over automobile insurance, nor will it be the last. You can look for the issue to be prominently featured in both campaign's television advertisements. Larry Stoopnagel, New Jersey Network News, Paramus. Now tonight's business report with Jim Bansichel.

Yes, in a while back, you know, Uncle Sam told all the thrift institutions to get their houses in order beef-upter capital-based. Well, one New Jersey bank comes in a bit ahead of schedule. Morris town headquartered Carter Red Savings, core capital they report up to the required standard of 3% of total assets, and that they note well ahead of the December deadline. So the savings institutions are called upon to get their acts together. But what about the folks doing a calling? One is Uncle Sam going to get his financial act together. After all, the United States government is the biggest business going. It's bookkeeping, though, a mess. It's financial management piecemeal. It's parts operating under several hundred different accounting systems. And half of those have not been approved by a general accounting office. All this from the American Association of Certified Public Accountants. Reporting on the findings of a task force set up in 87 to help the government sort out its trillion dollar budget. One of many recommendations.

How about putting one person in charge? Call him the chief financial officer. Let his office set up among other things, the uniform system of accounting. So we can all know where the pieces are and what they add up to. Well, as for the markets, same old story, waiting for Godot again. At least the Guru's say, all those numbers coming out Friday have all the big spenders on the sidelines, a few more winners and losers. The anticipated news will bear on factory usage inflation. But it's not expected there will be any excitement in the news, which they say accounts for some of the general lethargy. As to the picture, old triple witching coming up on Friday. Say, how's your spelling? Spell magazine. How about deceive? On that, did you remember the rule I before E except after C? How about penitentiary? Can you spell it? New Jersey Company ran off of spelling tests. Took ten common words.

There they are. They tested some 4,200 Americans, Brits, Canadians, and Australians. And guess who came out the worst? Yeah, the Americans, of course. Of the ten words, none particularly tricky. Most of the Americans could spell only four correctly. Of course, the company that set up the test had its own motive. Franklin Computer makes these devices where you can punch in what the word sounds like and have the machine give you the spelling like K-R-O-C-K-A-D-I-A-L, you know, crocus. But they do emphasize the point made by Labor Statistics Commissioner Aaron Hall not so long ago. Aaron Hall pointing out that if anything is going to hurt this region's economy, it will be the failure of education to train up the sophisticated workforce of the future. Okay, let's test the guys here. Constantinople, can you spell it? It is IT. Thank you, Jim.

Another kind of drugs in the news tonight. The kind that you can find in the drug store. We're going controversy over generic drugs. They're supposed to be just like brand name pharmaceuticals, only cheaper. But a federal investigation suggests a number of firms, including one here in New Jersey, knowingly sold generics that don't measure up. The story from our science and health correspondent Mark Levinson. The Food and Drug Administration says you can't tell Able Labs generics from the brand name drugs they copy. The FDA says most generics are safe and effective, but it has turned up ten firms whose generics don't stack up. Raising questions about generic safety. Among the allegations, Whippenys' quality research labs gave the government false data to clear a potentially dangerous multivitamin, a disclosure that drove the East Hanover parent company to order a recall last May. In another case, two firms trying to market a generic version of the high blood pressure drug diazide may have switched their copy with the brand name. The public is entitled to a good quality product. I think that for the most part, those products are made by brand name quality drug houses.

Those diazide copies are still on the market, making New Jersey pharmacists complained to the state council that decides which generics go on sale. Regrettably to date the state has not yet acted. We believe the state is making a mistake. But the drug utilization review council says until the FDA recalls diazide must be available. The council also links its approvals to what amounts to blind faith. If the generic firm commits fraud or lies in the paperwork, then of course we just like the FDA have no way of ascertaining that. So you have to trust the manufacturers? That is correct. But there really hasn't been any problems with any bad reactions to the drugs from these companies that are under investigation. Under New Jersey state law, pharmacists can substitute generics unless the doctor says no. That's made generics in New Jersey big business, saving customers up to 70% over brand names. We know for five that say, we're going to choose a generic. The FDA hopes to assure that generic drugs are safe, while also ensuring public confidence in the $8 billion

generics industry. Mark Levinson, New Jersey Network News. And coming up and end to the late summer heat wave, I'll have the forecast. In sports, the giants top the redskins in a close one in DC. Pat Scamon has the story next. Oh! Okay, Rick. Hi, Rick. Hi, Mom. Like... Hi, Dad. Yeah. He's dying. That's right. What he's going to look for in the storage of my ears? He's a field clown here. I thought I'd probably be able to do a virus with him. So I was hoping to get a lot of things to do. Yeah, well, yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Temperatures were a little more bearable today, but if you really want cold weather head west to Colorado and Wyoming, where they had up to eight inches of snow today. Closer to home at Stockton State College this afternoon, a light drizzle was falling as these two students took a break from the books. School just started, though. There will be more showers tonight and tomorrow. Here's a look at current condition. The clouds are everywhere. 79 in Newark. A few degrees cooler in Trenton. Light showers in Atlantic City. More clouds will move in across the state tonight. There might be some showers in some places between 52 and 65 degrees. Showers likely for tomorrow highs in the 70s statewide. Sun clouds and then the likelihood of showers on Thursday. More readings in the 70s.

Time now for all the action in sports. Pat Scatlin reports tonight from Garden State Park. Pat? Yes, Phil. We're here at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill because the New Jersey sirens takes. Fair Finals will be held here tonight. First time the fair finals have ever been held at a paramutual track. And New Jersey Network working on an hour special to air later on. But let's talk football. How about that? I think it's going to be 27-24 win last night over the redskins on a sultry night in the nation's capital. 54,000 intense redskins fans packed a sweltering RFK stadium. But the giants were able to conquer Washington in one of the most hard-fought games in the two teams rivalry. I'm very, very happy to win down here. We've been lucky to do so a few times. I'm very pleased and it wasn't a Rembrandt. I'll tell you that. The giants led 21-17 when Phil Sims was intercepted by Monty Coleman with seven minutes left in the game. The redskins took the lead for the first time 24-21.

Tremendous. Tremendous mistake under a price of situation. Well, not even pressure because we were still in control of 21-17. They got scored, that's down to win. So to make that mistake could have been fatal and I'm just glad it wasn't. It wasn't because Sims came through into clutch, leading the giants to a tying field go with Mark Bavaro making one big reception. And with six seconds left, Raul Alegre, a 52-yarder to win it. You try to do everything that you're supposed to do and just concentrate on that. And just go through whatever fundamentals we have in kicking, it's like two or three, but you know. Defensively, Lawrence Taylor forced a key fumble by Gerald Riggs. LT suffered through dehydration but helped the giants stanger away with the win. To find a way to win the game in their territory, in this type of heat. And I can't even explain, I think it was a big win for us.

And with some big heroes like Odessa Turner, three catches for 99 yards and this touchdown. And O.J. Anderson rushing for 96 yards and another giants touchdown. And there was giant rookie Dave Megett, all five foot seven inches, the rookie bouncing off one tackler and going for his first NFL touchdown, a 62-yard explosion. And so a character builder for the giants they can undertake to throw on Detroit on Sunday. The Eagles go down to play Washington and Jets News today, New York science, Johnny Hector. Well every Tuesday night throughout the fall, we'll be featuring our NJN high school football top 10. Here's our preseason pull. Number one, according to our polls to Brian Weber, JFK Patterson. Then it's Union, Middletown, South, Buna and Randolph in fifth. Six finds, Penn Socken, then Cherokee. Number eight, last year's number one team, Madison Central. Elizabeth is ninth in Ewing, running at our top 10. Baseball will the Yankees try to snap a two game losing streak tonight against California.

More importantly, the match remaining four and a half games behind the Cubs, they take on the Phillies tonight. Now last night, the match jumped out to an early lead on Kevin McRannell's three run home were off Bruce Ruffin in the first inning. His 20th of the season, accounting for three of his four RBIs on the night, the match went at five to two. So that's the story in sports. I'm Pat Scanlon. Let's go back now to the studio. Okay, Pat, thank you. She's bright. She's beautiful and she's trying again to become Miss America. She's Laura Murray, Miss New Jersey. At today's rehearsal for the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, she spoke with Deborah Zara. And now the 63rd inning of Miss America pageant. Looking for a Miss America with a platform. She's not our platform. It should be her platform, her issues. My Miss New Jersey, Laura Murray. And I'm a Cubs. And I'm proud to have Marley and Dickinson University. This 25 year old English major from Livingston was practicing her walk down the famous convention hall runway today with 50 other contestants rehearsing for Saturday's televised pageant. Laura Murray came back from a second place finish last year to win the Miss New Jersey crown this year.

And says she welcomes the Miss America pageant's new emphasis on issues. Some problems in this country really bother me. Again, living in my part of the state. We have lots of different religions and different ethnic groups living together. And it's really troublesome. A dirty environment also bothers Laura Murray. That's why she's a writer and researcher for an environmental newsletter. And she says if she becomes Miss America, she'll push for cleaner land, air, and water as one of her top priorities. We have industry up north and then we have the rural areas down south. And it's very important to keep the environment clean. So if I were to become Miss America, I'd really like to push for recycling. But it's not all serious issues for the aspiring Miss America. According to her official pageant resume, Murray likes to collect antique hats, make chocolate bags, and travel. She's also finishing her work on her first novel.

It's about an IRA member. And to me, it's a very interesting topic. And it will always be timely. Because unfortunately, I think that terrorism will always be with us in one form or another. But for now, Murray's top priority is to make it through those long pageant rehearsals and concentrating on learning to walk down the runway. Because on Saturday night, she's hoping to take that walk alone. Deborah Zara, New Jersey Network News, Atlantic City. Well, we certainly wish her good luck. I'll say I haven't even started my first novel. Let's all for the night. I'm Phil Bremman. And I'm Kent Maddahead from all of us here at New Jersey Network News. Thank you for being with us. We'll see you tomorrow. Good night. This has been a presentation of New Jersey Network. Thank you.

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