New Jersey Nightly News; New Jersey Nightly News Episode from 02/01/1982

New Jersey 19 years with Don Torrance and the can't hand a hand. Good evening tensions at the Passaic County Jail of these somewhat following the transfer of 35 state inmates. In sports the Meadowlands hosted the NBA All-Star game yesterday. Bill Perry has that story and we'll take a closer look at New Jersey's nuclear energy future. The Passaic County Jail is open tonight following the removal of 35 state inmates the jail was closed on Friday by the Passaic County sheriff who warned the jail was dangerously overcrowded crowded jails have been a statewide problem since last June when Governor Byrne ordered county jails to accept state inmates Dian doctor has more. These are the first of thirty five state prisoners being moved today from the Passaic County Jail. The state agreed to move them to state facilities after the Passaic County sheriff ordered the county jail closed. There are more than 1000 state prisoners in county jails waiting for transfer to state facilities. You know that was. On Friday there were four hundred ninety three prisoners at the Passaic County Jail. Twice the

number it is equipped to handle more than a dozen inmates were housed in a temporary holding area designed to hold two people. We have one right here in the field have to be there in time because the guys are going to you know in the past two weeks four inmates have been injured in disturbances saying he feared a major uprising. The sheriff refused to take any more prisoners prisoners injured or killed. I don't want this jail taken over by prisoners such as your country has never happened here and it won't happen here. The sheriff blames the state for refusing to accept responsibility for its own problems. The Passaic County Jail is one of 18 county jails above capacity. The Essex County Jail in Newark is built to hold five hundred fifty prisoners but the population seven hundred fifteen. The warden has said he will accept no more than seven hundred twenty

prisoners there. It's uncertain whether the jail will be closed. But she says he won't hesitate to act again. I don't know whether it's I couldn't care less. The State Corrections Department plans to take 25 inmates from the Essex County jail later this week. A department spokesman says the state is also planning to take other inmates who qualify for minimum security prisons. But the first real relief won't come until the spring. That's when expansion at Trenton State Prison is supposed to be complete. And Fort Dix will be put into use. Together those two facilities could hold up to 800 state inmates into work on dying doctor. Governor Kaine meanwhile is considering releasing people jailed for minor offenses to help alleviate the overcrowding problem. Also under consideration by the governor according to his top aides is the possibility of reducing bail for people charged with minor offenses. Governor Cain's cabinet grew by six today. The state Senate in its first regular

sessions since the governor's inauguration confirmed half a dozen McCain appointments. The state assembly met today also telling reports from both houses. The senators were sensitive to criticism that they'd taken a two week break without acting on most of the governor's nomination. They made up for it today by approving six nominees within an hour of the opening gavel. The new Cabinet officers approved without any no votes were Roger Bodman as Labor Commissioner Kenneth Bitterman as state treasurer Joseph Rodriguez to be public advocate Michael Horn as banking Commissioner Gordon Putnam to be commerce commissioner Eugene McCaffrey to the Civil Service Commission where he'll become president next month. There was a short delay in the McCaffrey vote when senators discovered the Cain nominating letter called in Eugene McCaffrey Jr. the son of the actual nominee. The mistake was corrected and the right man confirmed it. Here in the state assembly today young criminals were the main order of business. The Assembly passed overwhelmingly a package of bills to revise the juvenile justice system. The bill said

tougher penalties for young lawbreakers and also establish a family court system. Three of the five bills were sponsored by Gloucester Assemblyman Martin Herman who said one aim was to make parents share responsibility for their kids actions. Parents can't be all things we have some parents who can't legitimately control their kids but in those situations where they want to and they want to participate it says you will do it otherwise you will suffer some somewhat severe consequences of your own. And Herman said the tougher penalties were directed at the hard core 10 percent of young criminals who commit most of the serious crimes by juveniles because whether you're 16 or 20 16 your rapier robbing the mug. And you commit armed robberies. We don't want you on the streets we want you off that. All five bills passed easily. Sponsors will pass the Senate soon and Governor Kaine is on record as supporting the aim of the bill at the state house in Trenton. I'm Steve Taylor. Governor Kaine being a Republican son of the legislature today had a get together with his Democratic cousins from that same legislative family. And as Jimmy Queeny reports there's some evidence

that family feud is brewing. It was just a proclamation the governor was signing this morning but he's hoping to put his name on some bills very shortly. His bills but since Democrats control the assembly in the Senate he and his Republican colleagues can't do it by themselves. So today Cain started the first of what he hopes will be regular meetings with Democratic legislative leaders telling them where he stands and what he wants. But the main priority is going to be a whole legislative program but the crime package will be very very important. I don't know if it will be the top but it will certainly be very near the top. Think Democrats. Found out that Democrats might be willing to play ball here and there with the death penalty terms.

President Reagan's new federalism program we realize we have a difficult situation we have to make together. But if the ranking Republican and their own ability to get the handful of Democrats needed to pass a key bill and I think at least. At the state house I'm Jim acquainted. In Newark today Essex County executive Peter Shapiro announced that he will seek a second term Shapiro's announcement ends speculation that he will run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Harrison Williams. In his statement today the 29 year old Shapiro did not rule out any future attempts for a statewide office. I think there is something to be said for the argument that I have plenty of other opportunities to

see Cairo office. One told me that I could sit out the next five going to Tory elections and still be younger than Brendan Byrne was when he first ran for governor. SHAPIRO became Essex county's first executive in 1978. Elizabeth firemen staged a sick out last night claiming their staffing is a dangerously low levels and everyone showed up for work today. The controversy continues as King reports. Two men were killed in a blaze here Saturday. Two firemen hospitalized. Hours later yet another fire. And last night 44 of forty nine firefighters failed to show up for work. It was an apparent protest against what they claim is serious understaffing a situation underscored by Saturday's tragedies. This fire began with an oxygen tank and no one is saying that the lives lost here could have been saved. But the union is saying that the manpower shortage has reached critical proportions it boils

down to this. Elizabeth used to put four men on a rig. Now most engines go out with just three all in the name of fiscal austerity. Ridiculous. For the ride with ROOM. This isn't true of the hills and nothing more than an apparatus to really make the change came about 18 months ago and we're being brought on and the mayor put a freeze on overtime. The union says the result was a new feeling of danger one that surfaced in yesterday's job action. I think they cut the legs of the firemen in the city. And I think the next step is going to be the death of a fireman in the city. And these men are scared they're actually scared to go to work. The fact that they're not protected there's no word that I can find in my vocabulary could adequately describe me that I have for the men that would do this. No not of like you know.

Participants in last night sick out of a suspension and a loss of pay if they do it again. Jailing as well Elizabeth. Senator McCain. The union representing plant workers of NL industry says an environmental group is intimidating workers who are dumping acid wastes off Raritan Bay. The group Greenpeace says been a scorching barge to the Raritan River in rubber rafts in protest of the ocean dumping. The union says the company spent 20 million dollars over the last 10 years to curb emissions and ocean dumping and it contends it is not a dangerous operation. An order by a U.S. district court judge prohibits the Greenpeace people from interfering with ships in the New York area. Some 200 school children teachers and parents in Lyndhurst have been tested for bacterial meningitis following the recent death of a teacher which was linked to the disease. 52 year old Teresa Henderson who taught at the Columbus elementary school died Saturday after a two day sickness with symptoms resembling those of the contagious disease. Officials

ordered that anyone who had come in contact with Mrs. Henderson be tested. Meningitis is an infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord which is spread by direct contact. Columbus School was closed today so it could be sanitized. Officials say 90 percent of the cultures sent to the laboratory so far have come back negative indicating this was an isolated case of the disease. Don headlining cities casinos have been turning to a wide range of promotional gimmicks to keep customers coming in during these cold winter months. But then Hodgson reports that when it comes to these promotional efforts there are no sure bets. One of the latest gimmicks aims to take advantage of the current popularity of the soap operas. Playboy has brought down several stars in the past few weeks. Today it was General Hospital's Scotty Baldwin thank you. Thank if you look like you know like you thought he would more thank. You. Thanks. Scotty's real name is Kim Shriner. But for soap opera fans there's no difference. When you spend every afternoon learning the intimate details of a person's life really you feel like you can ask him

anything. That proposal has this man sitting next to you I love the Hollywood Hills and I'm willing to move the big star of daytime soap says Tony Geary two weeks ago when he was here Playboy had to turn people away. But other than Tony Geary the soap opera stars haven't been bringing the people in like the casino had hoped. So Playboy will be canceling the program six weeks early and start looking for something else to get the people here. It's all part of the wild scramble going on now among the casinos all trying to come up with a magic formula for attracting the scarce winter time crowd. We've had a cascade of cash and so many giveaways and I'm not too optimistic about the results. Quite frankly sports events are one of the most successful ways to get people to the casino. Nearly all of them are expanding that market with everything from boxing to wrestling in gymnastics. The Sands Hotel Casino is current gimmick to give away $50 if you're standing on a randomly selected spot on the floor at the right time right place. Where do you think it would end up costing the casino over $70000 a

year so there's no real guarantee it'll be worth it. We were at the Tropicana. We weren't doing so sure of that so we decided to hear it for the fans. Did the fact that you might win $50 by standing right about everyone had no idea now. That you have you followed any of the casino promotional one of the things you don't know not really about some of the people here probably did come hoping to win the 50 bucks. The casinos keep saying they can't wait till crowds are strong year round in Atlantic City so they won't need the potentially profitable gimmicks. We won't have to gamble to make a living. I'm down on. More gaming news the way has been cleared for Resorts International Hotel Casino to run a craps tournament next month featuring $250000 in prizes. The appellate division of Superior Court is given a stamp of approval for the three week contest. The State Division of Gaming Enforcement had objected to a $250 entry fee from each contestant on the grounds that that constituted an illegal lottery in the state. Well the court said there was no basis for that objection. Top prize in the tournament is $75000 and a trip to

Europe some 2000 players are expected to pay the entry fee and buy into table play for $750 in chips apiece and now here's a look at the weather forecast tonight will be clear and cold with temperatures dropping down to the teens increasing cloudiness tomorrow with a chance of rain late in the day. Highs in the upper 30s and the outlook for Wednesday. Partly Cloudy With A Chance of rain. About 23000 gallons of radioactive water spilled out of the floor of an auxillary building at the

Salem one nuclear power plant in Salem County today plant owner Public Service Electric and Gas says 16 workers got wet but the water was only mildly radioactive. The utility of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission say the water poses no danger to the workers or to the public. So I'm on a shutdown right now for repairs. Engineers there have also isolated two dozen steam turban tubes that have corroded the tubes are among 14000 at the plant and will be simply plugged off. They're similar to tubes that burst at the get a nuclear power plant in upstate New York last week causing a leak of radioactive steam there. Tests will be conducted to see why these tubes corroded. Last week's accident at DNA again raises questions about the environmental unknown's of nuclear power here in New Jersey as in many states around the country. Nuclear reactors are often generating less electric power than promised at far higher cost than originally projected. Recent events have cast doubt on the role of nuclear power in New Jersey's energy future. In December public service said it plans to abandon its hope to project after spending three

hundred seventy million dollars the plant is less than 20 percent complete and won't be built. Meanwhile repairs at the state's oldest nuclear plant will take it out of service for much of the next three years. It could cost 80 million dollars to bring Jersey Central Oyster Creek reactor up to standards. The nuclear industry is hurting. Seven years ago utility companies were planning 10 nuclear plants right now the most the state will have is for Oak Creek One is the only plant under construction. And some analysts ask if this project is worth completing. Director of the public advocates rate Council division Alford is worried about escalating costs. The track record on bringing in nuclear power plants at anything remotely resembling the number that they originally estimated is the sale of something like 500 percent more than it was originally projected. Create one now which is the one last plant nuclear plant being built in New Jersey that's now estimated to cost between three and a half to four billion dollars. Originally public service was telling us we could get plants at something like 2

billion dollars. Public Service has already spent about one billion dollars on hope three quantum projects several billion more will be spent to finish the plan. But sharply higher capital costs are only one of the Unknowns affecting nuclear power. Another major question is whether the plants will run to the capacity they were designed. Public service invested about four billion dollars and it's two Salem plants on lower unit number one is operated less than half the time during its four year existence because of extensive turban problems. The plant is off line now for refueling and repairs until mid March. Despite the problems public service the best face on the performance September 20th number one unit even though it has a cumulative capacity factor of forty eight point one percent capacity factor 3.1 which meant that we were number one in the United States producing electricity. Number four in the free world nearly 77

percent of capacity during its first six months of service. This is well above the average for nuclear plants in the United States which normally run about 62 percent of capacity. But the economic viability of a nuclear plant is based on a 30 to 40 year service life even though no plan of the country is that old. Jersey Central Oyster Creek reactor had a 71 percent capacity factor in its first 10 years of service during that period company officials say the plant saves customers almost 600 million dollars in fuel costs. But it's beginning to look like Oyster Creek's life span may be shorter than originally thought. In 1980 the plant operated at only 36 percent of capacity and last year at 48 percent repairs to the emergency cooling system and modifications ordered by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will force the reactor out of service for at least 20 of the next 36 months. Jersey Central spokesman George Metzger feels with the upgrading process that a 30 to 40 year service life is still realistic. Creek as I said before the first 10 years paid for capital costs interest taxes. So every day that it operates it's saving the customers money it really

doesn't owe us a penny at this point so every day that it can operate it's making money and saving money for the customers so. You know plan and it's been one of the best plans that we have ever had on the accident at Three Mile Island left who owns 25 percent of TMI financially unable to continue construction of a nuclear plant. 450 million have been invested when the project was abandoned in the late 1970s. The company is still trying to recover losses on Fort Hood River and cleanup costs through higher rates to its customers. The undamaged unit one reactor still out of service Jersey Central needs some baseload capacity but offered a chance to take over the recently abandoned hope to project the company said no. Financially we were in a position I don't think to take on a financial burden of that size. In addition to that in the Ontario Hydro agreement which is a contract with Ontario Hydro in Canada for 10 years a firm power a

thousand megawatts of power that requires investment on your part of about three and three hundred fifty million dollars. If you consider that 2000 megawatt plant you're talking over a billion dollars maybe even close to 2 billion by the time you bring it on. 10 years ago demand for electricity used to increase at a rate of 7 percent a year. Present demand is growing at less than one and a half percent a year. With that lower demand in mind Edward Lloyd executive director of the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group thinks it's better to build smaller plants. The most difficult things today to do is to predict what the energy demand for the state's going to be in 1911 and given that to build a large plant with a nuclear or coal you have to plan eight to 12 years in advance. It makes a great deal of sense to look at two or three years in in the future and say let's build a small cogeneration plant for instance to meet that demand which we can much more certainly predict in 1985 in 1900 the cost overruns on planned outages of lower

demand and regulatory delays. These are just some of the problems facing nuclear power. Critics say it's too many unknowns and too much uncertainty that makes nuclear power not worth it. But proponents say we can't abandon any energy source and that nuclear will help meet New Jersey's energy needs for many years to come. You can't say nuclear power without talking about high economic stakes and billions of dollars spent to construct maintain and upgrade large megawatt plants in the end it's New Jersey consumers who pay for nuclear power both for the energy it brings and for the mistakes. When something goes wrong. And Bill Perry is in New York tonight with sports. Bill.

OK thank you CAN IT WAS the east and the west yesterday the annual NBA All-Star Game the East won it for the 21st time in 32 meetings 120 to 118 the final in the Meadowlands host of the All-Star Game and two rookies added a new jersey flavor the next Buck Williams played for 22 minutes. He did four points and 10 rebounds in Essex Fells native Kevin played 15 minutes six points two assists for Kelly Kelly plays for Detroit this feed coming up in screen for Boston's bowery bird 1 0 7 1 0 3 East leads it bird from to puke and bird was spectacular. He had 12 of the last 15 points to the east he had 19 for the game to earn and the honors Byrd made it 118 114 East before San Antonio George Gervin right here cut the lead to two Burdett two free throws made it one 21 16 then Eleanor Nixon closed to 1 21 18 before a Laker teammate Magic Johnson missed 1 21 18 in the final the East wins in college basketball over the weekend. St. Peters scored an impressive road victory over Fordham 59 56 peacocks are now swelled up and seven down they have won five in a row and they are now in a first place tie

with Iona in the metro Atlanta conference Ivy League play pen beat Princeton 43 40 Saturday night at the Palestra it was closed throughout the first half and then Princeton began to pull away early second half and Gordon and really hit two three point plays and made it 29 20 Princeton with 13 minutes left and really led the Tigers with 14 points but the game turned right here when Rich picked up a fourth personal foul Princeton was leading at thirty three twenty seven with 10 minutes left. This went to the bench and pens David lawyer took over he hit five straight in the floor Laudner gave the Quakers the lead at thirty nine to thirty eight and was forty one thirty eight after two penned free throws then. Princeton's Billy Ryan hit for Pete Carroll to make it 41 40 but Penn held on with two more free throws for the 43 40 when both teams are one in two in the Ivy League an Eastern 8 action Rutgers upped its record to 5 into 12 and 5 overall 78 71 win over Rhode Island Saturday Scarlet Knight center Roy Hanson was sensational only Roy had a dozen points rector's let it twenty eight twenty six with five minutes left in the first half. When

this happened Henson and Rhode Island's Chris Cummings went at it. A lot of contact from Kevin Kennedy banging with Hansen Hansen and Cummings get into it right here a little bit of Bedlam benches emptied at Rutgers Saturday both guys were thrown out of the game but without Hansen. Rutgers won it freshman Bryant Ellerby picked up the slack he had career high points freshman Chris Ramli with a follow here had a career high 12 and Chris Nirvana Jr. had a season high 15 Rutgers wins it 78 to 71. Record home tonight to meet southern Illinois. Also Saturday the Rutgers women lost to Maryland 69 66 it was Records first lost at home after forty eight straight wins at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and Indianapolis Paramus skater Elaine Zach was dethroned as the national champion it was not Elaine's shining moment as a figure skater when she fell four times during her freestyle routine Elaine usually excels in this portion of the competition but she had trouble with her triple jumps and the result was some low scores the spill's cost the line the national title as she slipped to third place of course she had won it the year

before but by virtue of the third place finish Elaine will compete in the world competition Rosalyn some there was the winner of this year's U.S. nationals and tonight on sports insight about three four minutes from now. Please join me live at 8 o'clock Seton Hall basketball coach Heidi Mohan and Danny Cowan drawn from the hall will be my guest tonight at 10:30 right here. New Jersey network it's Cosmo's close up David Burson and Eski will be my guest let's take it back to Trenton That's our Sports. OK thank you Bill. And we're getting our top story the Passaic County Jail was reopened today after 35 state prison inmates were removed. The sake of officials blame problems in their overcrowded jails on the order allowing the state to house some of its prisoners in county jails. Governor Kaine meanwhile is considering releasing people jailed for minor offenses in order to ease that overcrowding. And that's the news for tonight for Don Torrance Bill Perry and the rest of the nightly news team. I'm catamount and wishing you a good night. New Jersey this is a presentation of the New Jersey network

13. Ocean's record.