NJN News; Friday April 7, 1995

Coming up, a defiant congressman Robert Thuracelli won't apologize after revealing a CIA source. He says may be connected to slangs in Guatemala. That is House Speaker Newt Gingrich threatens to oust the Bergen County Democrat from the House Intelligence Committee. A suspicious package is found in the Douglas Library just days after a crude bomb blows up in the same area. The man who killed an infant by dropping a bowling ball from an overpass is sentenced. And the cost of going to Rutgers is going up, and JN News is next. Major funding for NJN News is provided by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. That's Fidelity Bank, PSENG, and Bell Atlantic. This is NJN News with Kent Manahan and Pat Scanlon with Sports.

Good evening, Bergen County Congressman Robert Thuracelli. Today admitted he violated his congressional oath when he disclosed classified CIA secrets. The veteran lawmaker acknowledged it could cost him his seat on the House Intelligence Committee. But as Sunder King reports, Thuracelli defends going public with revelations of CIA links to a Guatemalan colonel and accused killer, insisting he had no choice but to follow his conscience. An American citizen was murdered, the government knew who murdered him, the government paid the person who murdered him, and his family for years has sought the truth. And the truth, says Thuracelli, is this, that Efrain Velesquez, husband of this American lawyer, and Michael Devine, an American in-keeper, were the victims in political assassinations ordered by a Guatemalan colonel with close links to the CIA. This isn't a dispute about policy, a legitimate argument about some principle, this is a crime.

And though there's little dispute about those facts, the act of disclosing them is another matter. Newt Gingrich says that may amount to the violation of Thuracelli's official oath. And if it does, he says he'll use his power as speaker to remove the Bergen County Congressman from his seat on the House Intelligence Committee. The speaker knows that I attended no hearings of the Intelligence Committee on Guatemala. It was very careful not to receive any information through channels. But there are two different oaths at issue here. One, the committee oath. It provides that no member will reveal any classified information obtained through committee channels. And Thuracelli insists that oath, he never broke. I think that's been acknowledged. The information came to me of people of good conscience within the administration who knew that there was criminal activity and wanted to expose. And then there is the general oath that all House members take. It too bans disclosure of classified information. And that oath, Thuracelli this morning admitted, he has broken.

But he says, with good reason. I did in order to keep another oath, the oath of office. The oath of office is that I will uphold the laws and the constitution of the United States. The laws of the United States require that any citizen, any member of Congress, reveal criminal activity and help bring those to justice. And American was murdered. I don't think an obligation of member of Congress is any different than any other citizen. Though Thuracelli insists he did no wrong, the Republican pressure shows no sign of letting up. So the congressman from Englewood today agreed to let the House ethics committee decide if he was out of line and if he should keep his committee seat. Sandra King and Jay and News. Another small homemade explosive device has been found at the Douglas College campus library in New Brunswick. This morning, the FBI and state police bomb squad were called to the scene after a suspicious package was discovered in the same area where an explosive went off just days ago. Joy Purdy has the latest.

This scene is becoming all too familiar at the library on Rutgers Douglas College in New Brunswick. Federal and local authorities spent all day retrieving a suspicious package from the library's lower level. On Tuesday, a small explosive device went off in the same area, causing about $100 worth of damage. Investigators don't know if the two incidents are related. About 930 this morning, a library staff person in the Mabel Smith Douglas library found a suspicious item in the lower level of the library. About 40 people were evacuated from the building when the package was discovered. I was just asking one of the police over here and he told me that they found a book that was hollowed out within the alarm clock and some wires hooked up to it. Officials are not saying what the package looks like. They say they're afraid it might jeopardize today's and last Tuesday's investigation. In the meantime, some students say they're afraid for their lives. I'm kind of nervous because I just wonder, is it going to be ever in the dorms or wherever I live at a party at a student center?

It's a worry that I really wish I didn't have to deal with at college. Off camera, a library aide said anyone can just walk into the library. He said since Tuesday's incident, one unarmed guard was placed at the door. We have not been searching people as they come in. It doesn't mean that we won't get to that point. I hope we won't. But generally, we've not done that. People find that very offensive in the university environment have to be searched before they enter buildings. School officials say the library is off limits until sometime tomorrow. Joy, Purdy and JN News, New Brunswick. We have just learned that effective immediately, the university will carry out baggage check for security purposes at the libraries. Tuition ed Rutgers is going up. Beginning next fall, students will pay more. An increase of 4 percent has been approved by the Board of Directors. For in-staters, that means about $73 more a semester. Non-resident undergraduates will have to shell out over $148 more per semester. Roman board will also cost 4 percent more.

Students on the 19-meal plan will pay an additional $94 a semester. And fees will also be going up. What about the urban schools? That's what some legislators are asking regarding selected sites to discuss education reform. Schools in major cities in the state were left off the list, slated for school funding hearings later this month. Jerry Henry has that story. The first of a series of town meetings on education reform was in February, televised here on NJN. But the sites of other planned meetings have angered some people. While the 21 public hearing sites only one is located in a special needs district, Vineland, which is rural. Some legislators are upset that state education officials ignored schools in major cities where there is most need. If we're really looking for solutions, this isn't the way to do it. If we're really looking for input from those schools that had the toughest time, putting the dollars together, making those dollars useful and providing quality education, this is not the way to do it.

And I've suggested another way to do it. We'll see what the commissioner says. The Supreme Court has identified 30 special needs districts, including the state's major cities. Education officials say the sites were chosen based on seating and parking, and call the lack of urban schools and oversight. And that most of their emphasis was put on outreach efforts, aimed at reaching those who couldn't make the first public hearings. It was my responsibility to say, well, did we get a good mix here? And but because of the fact that we're going to do this on a monthly basis, add additional hearings, the phenomenal outreach that we're going to do in a small group basis, it didn't strike me as a major problem to say that, well, we don't have one in this particular location or that particular location. The series of public hearings will begin April 27th and end in October. That's when education officials say they'll begin work on a proposal that the governor will hand to the legislature next January. Jerry Henry, NJN News, Trenton. 19-year-old Calvin Settle has been sentenced to 10 years for reckless manslaughter in the death of eight-month-old Natalia Rivera.

The Jersey City man was convicted of killing the infant after he threw a bowling ball from a state highway overpass near the Holland Tunnel. The 16-pound ball smashed through the windshield of the child's parents' car. The youngster later died at the hospital. Settle must serve four years before being eligible for parole. There's much more ahead tonight on NJN News. A closer look is coming up at how a New Jersey actress is playing two roles in her life, and a quilt is teaching hundreds of kids some hard facts about AIDS. Stay tuned. There was a visual reminder of AIDS in Morris County today.

The AIDS Memorial quilt is on display at Drew University. And as Belinda Morton reports, it was an emotional eye-opener, some students say they won't forget. As the names of people who died from AIDS were called, the reality of the virus that kills touched the heart of many students. Nearly 1,400 teens from schools throughout Morris, Mom with Somerset and Union Counties came to take a look at the AIDS quilt in Madison. I saw one for a little girl who was only eight. I wanted to tell her how you tell a little girl who's eight years old that you're dying because we can't find a cure. It bothers me. You know, so many people dying at this thing. It's scary.

You don't know what to do anymore, you know? These panels, nearly 1,400 of them, represent the stories of some New Jersey people who died from AIDS-related illnesses. Well, let me know how powerful this disease is and how many people have died. It's very uplifting because it's those people that aren't getting the proper education. Their parents are not teaching, and the teachers aren't allowed to teach them. They were asking me questions today that were unbelievable, like, why do people have to die like this? The display at Drew University is just a small portion of the quilts existing 30,000 panels, which have only been shown in their entirety in Washington, D.C. This labor of love is scheduled to go on display in its entirety once again in the nation's capital in October of 1996. Some 50,000 panels are expected. Billing DeMorton, NJN News, Madison. Working moms, how do they do it? They're either invincible or tired, supported by a staff or struggling on their own. In tonight's closer look, Anisa Mejidi introduces us to a working mother who's also the leading

lady in the Paper Mill Playhouse's Brigadoune. Remember and Lowe's Brigadoune is on stage at the Paper Mill Playhouse. It's a tale of her magical Scottish village. She's frowning out with you. You'll hear it. You have to listen. I must say it didn't sound like you loved her very much. It doesn't. But before the magic of theater is the rigor of rehearsal. Maybe four rehearsal rigors need the right actors, like Lee Merrill, who can't rehearse unless her baby's taken care of. I brought somebody with me from Houston to watch the baby. Merrill's husband David and seven-year-old son Michael are back home in Houston. While Merrill and baby daughter MC and Rosalinda, the sitter, are living near the Paper Mill Playhouse with three months through the rehearsals and run of Brigadoune. I was really blessed to have six months with her at home where I could just be a mom and

just enjoy her first six months, but I really needed to go back to work. And also, I mean, I loved performing. And now, I'm sorry I said that, but you're angry when you called us and say, you don't like it very much, do you? Well, that's the odd part. I like it very much. I just didn't like anything you say. You know, there's also the thing of you need to feel fulfilled. You know, you need to feel like you're using your gifts. And this was such a great opportunity. It's a part of the country that I haven't worked in as much and a company that has a great reputation. But it is hard, really hard. The first two weeks of rehearsal, I'd rehearse eight hours. There was the three hour commute to get into the city, you know, and back again. And then I couldn't come home like I used to when I walk in the door and there's this little baby that wants to be fed and you know, needs to get time with me. And there's grocery shopping to do for diapers and as all moms know, you're kind of on call

all through the night. So there's none of this. I have to get eight hours of sleep, but I'm not going to be able to give a good performance. You know, this is a piece of maze in the moment that when you're with your children, you have to give them 100% and when you're in rehearsal, you have to let go of what you're leaving behind at home and give that 100% too. So many moms and dads can relate to the hectic pace, the endless logistics, the babysitters and carpools and everything we do to make our lives and our kids' lives run smoothly. And all the while we're just wishing we could spend more time together. Was there ever a question of not bringing her with you? No, absolutely not. No, I wasn't able to nurse my first child that just didn't work out and so I wanted to keep that up for as long as I could. So six-month-old MC lives in Melbourne, spending her days with Rosalinda oblivious to all but her own needs and the joys that come from the leading lady in her life.

Unaware of the joys mom brings to so many others as the leading lady of Brigadoune, Denise Mehdi, and JN News, Melbourne. In tonight's business news, the unemployment rate in New Jersey was down in March.

The State Labor Department reports a 3-10th percent drop to 5.8 percent. The lowest level in four years reflects the creation of more than 5,000 jobs a month. This is a significant drop because it confirms something that we see throughout the economy that jobs are being created and new businesses coming to New Jersey. The daily racing form, the Bible of the thoroughbred industry, plans to lay off between 50 and 100 workers at its printing operation in East Windsor. Drivers, pressmen, clerks, and administrative employees will be affected. The cuts will be made next month. Pensacan-based aluminum shapes has broken ground for a $20 million expansion. As one of South Jersey's largest employers, aluminum shapes, was part of the effort to restore the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island. The project will expand the capacity of the 1.5 million square foot facility by 35 percent. And it's going to add 150 new jobs to the current total of 1,200 employees.

The Board of Public Utilities has given South Jersey Gas Company approval to reduce its rates by 2.9 percent. Customers will get a one-time credit in May. The future is here when it comes to caller ID. Bell Atlantic customers in New Jersey would be able to see both the telephone number of the caller and the name of the person calling as part of the company's new ID surface. If approved by the Statue of Public Utilities, the future would be made available early next year. And that's a look at tonight's business news. Spring in New Jersey means more than baseball, planning flowers and soaking up some sunshine. It's time when anglers break open their tackle boxes and check their lures. Tomorrow hundreds of thousands of fishermen take to the waters as trout season begins. NJN News' resident fisherman Ken St. John reports. This year officials from the New Jersey Division of Fish Game and Wildlife are stocking over a half million trout in 200 sites around the state. Trout season puts about $100 million into the state's economy.

The season officially opens on Saturday morning, April 8, and trout stock waters cannot be fished until then. Things about two to three weeks to get the trout and sufficient numbers to be available for everyone for the opening day of trout season. So the season is closed up until that date. Just so the numbers can be brought up to catchable rates in each lake. Fish and game officials say this year they are putting in some real lunkers that anglers are sure to enjoy. There was quite a few brewed stock that went into not brewed stock breeders that went into Grandlock and this area here big leaven on run. So the anglers are going to be quite surprised and I think they're going to be happy with what they get. You must have a licensed to fish in New Jersey, but on June 10th and 11th, anyone can fish for free in any state lake or stream. Most of them offer good public access, you know, parking areas nearby. So they're generally in good places for people to fish and they can access them. Officials also want to point out that the challenge stocking program is self-supporting. This program, our trout stocking program, supports itself.

This program isn't funded by any tax dollars. The sale of licenses and trout stamps pay for this program. So it pays for itself. So if you plan on fishing for these little beauties come opening day, make sure you have two things. You're fishing license and of course a trout stamp and also make sure you have your lucky hat. Ken St. John, NJN News, Grandlock Lake, Camden County. He's having a good time. Still to come on NJN News and check of our weekend weather at Pat's here now with the preview of what's ahead in his sports report fishing. Well, no camp at the NHL trade deadline comes and some players go. And why are baseball fans turned on by the Trenton Thunder? I'll have details coming up next in sports. All right, just page down now so I can see what else is there.

That's good. Keep going. In sports, Pat. Yep. Keep going. Keep going. There it is. Any old check trade stats back up up one in any old check trade stats. Two down. Next one. 9 seconds. Camden too. They packed them in for last night's opener at Waterfront Stadium tonight, a full house. That's right. A lot of fun. Yeah. Last night and they'll be there tonight as well. As the Trenton Thunder opened the season last night, it provided fans with their first taste of baseball. And for many, it was a welcome relief. As baseball touched down in Trenton just under 7,000 were on hand in Mercer County's Waterfront Park. It was chilly too. Mentionally, baseball's labor problems have people turning to minor league teams.

While the play may not be on a par with the Biggs, teams like the Thunder offer fans another alternative. I'm an Oreo fan, Rayleigh, but I'm going to be more into this. I'd rather come to the minor league games. It's a lot more enjoyable, more affordable because I have a family and it's just better. It's real to death there's a minor league because I am not going to support the Major League. Not after that. Turn it off. Yes, it did. And I was a real Philly's fan. Not anymore. Do you like this as much as you do the Major leagues? Yeah. Because it's cheaper to buy season and the players are a much cooler and they have a better mass got than the other Major leagues. That's Boomer. Last night, Kent and Akron spoiling the Thunder home opener, winning three nothing. While Westbrook's wild pitch scored the Indians Damien Jackson for the only one the visitors would need. In fact, two runs scored on wild pitches. Thunder defense came up big here, left fielder Doug Hecker coming up with the ball and gunning down Jackson in the seventh, Walt McKeill making the tag at the plate.

That held it to two nothing, nice defensive play. But in the eighth, the Thunder loading the bases with two outs, but again, it was Hecker at the plate. He pops up on the first pitch, Trent managed just three hits, losing three to nothing. Well, tonight, Cherry Hill native Sean Senior takes the mound for the Thunder. The winning ways he learned at Cherry Hill West High School have helped the 22 year old get to double a baseball. Definitely, a winning add to comes out of there and we won a lot of games in high school and I kind of try to bring that with myself to my college team and we seem to do a good job of college. So I've always seen him be on winning teams. It seems to help me along the way, trying to compete at a higher level. He also put an NC State and College ball. Well, in hockey, the devil's let the trading deadline pass without making a deal. But the Flyers sent defenseman Gary Galli to Buffalo for Blue Liner, Peter Simabota. Last night, Phil and Elf, you're looking sloppy here, letting Tampa Bay break out on a three

on one. Rob Zaminick feeds X-Devil, Alexander Seamack for a two-nothing lightning lead. Flyer Galli won. Hexdoll lost it, smashing his stick into pieces. Hexdoll did get a new stick and play continued. Flyers woke up. They scored three straight. Brent Fettick put them head three, two. Flyers won it. Five, four. By the way, Ed Oldcheck traded by the Rangers to Winnipeg. At the Masters today, Ordell's Jim McGovern struggled, 73 today, 77 yesterday. Meanwhile, Jay Hoss, with the best round in five years, and eight under par, 64, one off the Augusta record. He's nine under for the championship, John Houston, one stroke back. Here's Scott Hoke throwing it right at the hole on 13. It takes a couple of hops and backs up for the birdie, Hoke at six under par. That was the shot of the day. A nice, eagles shot by Scott Hoke, I'm going to go out and try and duplicate that this weekend. All right, Pat. You've got the green jacket too.

Thank you, taking a look at our weather conditions, a sunny and mild day with temperatures well into the 50s across the region. Here's a look at our weekend forecast. In North Jersey for tonight, mostly clear skies, a low around 40 degrees. Tomorrow, variability cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain in the afternoon, highs around 50. And the extended forecast mostly fair skies with very pleasant temperatures, Sunday, Monday on into Tuesday. In South Jersey for tonight, clear skies overnight, lows in the upper 30s. Tomorrow, mostly cloudy skies with a chance of showers during the day highs in the lower 60s. And the extended outlook, lots of sunshine, temperatures reaching near 70 degrees by Tuesday. Sounds very nice. Finally tonight, highway speeders, you better look out. New Jersey will soon have 94 new state troopers on the roadways. The 115th state police class graduated from the training academy at Seagirt today. Governor Whitman, Attorney General Deb reports and superintendent Carl Williams were among those presenting the new troopers with their badges. The class, which began instruction back in October, endured more than 100 days of rigorous

training, which culminated in today's colorful and rewarding ceremonies. And that's our news for tonight. I'm Kent Manahan for Pat and all of us here at NJN News. Thank you for being with us. Enjoy the weekend, everyone. Good night. Thank you for being with us, almost like being in love.