New Jersey Nightly News; New Jersey Nightly News Episode from 05/07/1981

Do. You know. From Trenton. Here is Karen Stone. Good evening a major reform program has been announced by the Division of Motor Vehicles. You'll meet baseball's most incredible rookie tonight in sports with Bill Perry. And we'll also take a closer look at the gubernatorial campaign of Newark Mayor Ken Gibson. State officials today announced major reforms in the Division of Motor Vehicles they include the appointment of several state police officers and top echelon posts. An investigation into possible corruption and streamlining services to the public. Jim Acosta has the story. We have a system that's a 1940s system that we're trying to bring into the 1980s. We're paying for mistakes not

of 3 5 7 years ago when I think of 30 and 40 and 50 years ago. And to spur that transformation attorney general James's DMV director Joan was Koski appointed three high ranking state police officers to administrative posts within the troubled agency. Their appointments come at a time the agency is being investigated for possible corruption due to thefts or lax management over the years. We're looking very very closely into the question of as to whether the failure to notify 4000 people of suspensions was inadvertent and reason was deliberate. One of the top trooper is going over to the DMV formerly head of the internal affairs unit of the state police. Zalia was Koski issued a report saying that reforms started several months ago are starting to take hold. And the latest appointments will help ensure they do not dissolve he said some of those reforms are being seen by the public in the better way they are treated at agencies and by relying less on

manual work and more on computers. Agencies will become more efficient he said. Much of the work is still being done by hand especially in the area of collecting three hundred twenty million dollars a year in fees. A fact which concerns DMV officials who acknowledge the accounting procedures have a lot to be desired. DMV officials also want to change the point system and toughen the penalties for those who drive on revoked licenses. And they want to come down harder on habitually bad drivers for instance leaving the scene of an accident involving an injury would be raised to 12 points at which a license can be suspended leaving the scene of other accidents would be raised to six points and driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics would also be raised to six points. Driving on the revoked list could mean a mandatory jail sentence at least 10 days and an automatic $1000 fine. I'm Jim a queen. State officials say a rash of birth defects in Cape May County during the late 1970s was not caused by polluted drinking water. Women are the results of testing done on 30

wells earlier this year. Show them free of any contaminants that could have caused those defects. Thirty five children were born with birth defects in Southern Cape May County between 1977 and 80 far above the normal. The water testing followed the state's investigation of pesticides including seven used to kill gypsy moths. The use of seven was suspected after the birth defects were first reported but the State Department of Environmental Protection ruled last month the pesticide may be used again. No new birth defects have been reported in Southern Cape May County. And Dr. George helping of the state health department says there is no risk now to residents of that area. He says he suspects the outbreak may have been caused by a virus hoping to speed up justice in Camden County judges and lawyers have started a mandatory arbitration program. It's an experiment designed to reduce the number of lengthy trials in civil cases by holding a single hearing loss has details. Civil court cases especially car accidents often involve a lot of time and money.

Some trials take several days and require a judge and jury. But there aren't enough judges or hours in the day to handle the 5000 backlog cases here in Camden County. So the state Supreme Court has just approved the Camden arbitration program a federally funded experiment designed to make justice more efficient and less expensive. One hundred fifty lawyers from the Camden County Bar Association have volunteered to be arbitrators in 500 cases long overdue for a trial. Today some of them attended a three hour training seminar in court watching videotapes to see how the hearings will work. A panel of three volunteer attorneys will hear three civil cases a day. All lawyers have had extensive trial experience and no case can involve more than $15000 in award money. At least two attorneys must agree on a case. But no decision is binding. Most of the time the order starting immediately following the hearing if for some reason they say they need briefs there is a complicated legal issue.

The rules provide that they have 10 days to decide. And once the award has been entered. Then the litigants have 10 more days to decide where they want to accept or reject the award if they reject the award. They just continue on their place in the calendar and reach trial while lawyers won't get paid for their arbitration services they will reap benefits in the long run. One of the reasons we do it is because the program is set up through 500 trial cases from the active trial list. That means if I have the 500 first case or any number thereafter my case will move for trial that much sooner. Philadelphia is one of very few cities in the country right now that using the arbitration system and with great success. The 500 cases being tested in this experiment should all have been heard and decided by September. Program administrators are confident the results will clearly show the need for state wide arbitration. They're hoping the legislature will agree and decide to provide

funding to pay for the now volunteer arbitrators which they say will still cost a lot less in both time and money than a trial at the Camden County Courthouse. I'm Susan the Sloss. The Reagan administration is pushing ahead with plans to dismantle Conrail today in Philadelphia. Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis presented his case to the governors of New Jersey New York and other northeastern states. The response was warm. Mark has the story. Contrails future was tossed around the table of governors state officials and Reagan administration officials. The participants including Governor Brendan Byrne generally agreed that the operation and improvement of Conn rails freight lines along the northeast corridor are essential to the nation's economy. But when commuter service was brought up discussion group heated within a year New Jersey would have to face the real prospect of closing down haul commuter rail service or. Putting on the backs of the riders or the taxpayer. Massive increases of 50 to 100 percent per annum for the next three or four

years. We think we are not only living up to our obligation but bending over backwards to try and try to accommodate your needs. So I say in terms of the comments made here you're the only one I really take issue with because I I think we have not communicated well with you or you would not be taking this position. The administration's plan is to break up Conrail transferring its freight lines to private railroads and its commuter lines to state agencies such as New Jersey's Transit Authority. But the states aren't very happy with the plan. Last Tuesday a compromise was reached between the railroad and the Reagan administration in which Conrail says it will forego over 200 million dollars of future wage increases in order to keep from being sold off. But Transportation Commissioner Louis Gamba Seanie feels New Jersey's interests were left out of the compromise plan. We were not consulted. And the settlement also ties our hands we must come to grips with that issue and we have to have a lot of to to at least try to work those things out. The Reagan administration plans to get the federal government out

of the railroad business. But New Jersey is heavily dependent upon federal operating subsidies for its commuter lines. Thus the administration's decision to eventually eliminate Conrail subsidies doesn't sit well with many state officials who fear that without federal funds. Commuter service may be seriously disrupted in Philadelphia. I'm Mark trick. While the future of Conrail remains very much in doubt one New Jersey railroad seems to be on the right track. Tom Stewart reports. The future well that's one thing that just don't worry much about it the wrong way Valley railroad a company that's operated this 15 mile stretch of track in Union County since 1897. Company officials say there's one main reason they're still going strong. Hard work hard work by few people. We've never had that many employees here. To keep things wrong. We really had to work hard. To this day just nine men run the Rahway Valley one of the few so-called short haul

railroads left in the state a throwback to the era when offshoot spur lines transported goods from main rail arteries to out-of-the-way towns. My grandfather worked as a tractor. Track. Maintenance. Back in 1927. My mother knows this route well she used to come down here and. Get coal in a little wagon. People. Back in the steam engine the. Most short haul lines are long gone abandoned or absorbed but runway Valley locomotives clipping along the tracks at a rate of five miles per hour remain part of the landscape here and last year they hauled one and a half million pounds of freight at a profit the owner chose not to disclose to us. We have about 35 customers Monsanto being our biggest customers. Plastic. Pellets. In Mountain. Plastic we ship everything

feel to booze. On an average day. Ten box cars moved down the runway Valley trucks. And company officials claim business is increasing steadily. Just one reason they expect the runway Valley Railroad to be around Union County a lot longer. Just the fact that we can haul more tonnage per mile less fuel than trucks. Says it all. And I really believe that. We're here to stay. At the railway Valley railroad yard in Union County. I'm Tom Stewart. Federal officials are expected to complete a special inspection today at the sale of two nuclear power plants before manuring deliberations on whether to give the lower alway's Creek facility an operating license. They are double checking the plant's fire safety system. Last week the plant's license was delayed when Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials decided they didn't have enough information about the system to grant the license in the meantime the delays cost the plant's owner a public service electric and gas

up to a half million dollars a day to purchase electricity from other sources. Meanwhile Public Service Electric and Gas says it will install 17 sirens throughout Salem and Cumberland counties so people living within 10 miles of Salem 2 can be alerted to an emergency. Sixteen thousand people live near the Platte and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says they must be alerted within 15 minutes of any emergency. The NRC has ordered the utility to have that warning system installed by July 1st bandits with buzz saws have been stripping trees from state forests at an alarming rate this year. The popularity of wood burning stoves and fireplaces has driven up the price of wood. And according to forest rangers driven people to take greater risks to get wood freight South Jersey correspondent Don Torrance reports on one state forest and efforts there to stop the illegal cutting. As many as 200 cords of wood may have been illegally cut out of Wharton state forest on illicit lumberjacks often damage more than just a healthy tree in southern Jersey

is a watershed area. The tree no longer holds a sow that together can wash away and we're not going to save the water systems on their stream and the ocean when caught and most aren't. The illegal cutters face a fine and have their wood confiscated there are only six rangers to cover 200 square miles of working forest so a lot of detective work is needed. If you look at this car it's a regular and this is a fresher cut than the other stuff that we look that it's cut by two different saws It's just like a fingerprint. Marty is that the state sponsors legal woodcutting from September to April for $10 a cord a tenth of the commercial price. You can cut your own wood in a specified area. Illegal wood cutting goes a year round problem for Rangers those most frequent in the fall and winter months. But when wood cutters come into the forest during the spring they pose an even larger danger. Very often the sparks from their chainsaws will set off forest fires and those fires will rob the state of resources a lot faster than even the wood cutters. In the Wharton state forest. I'm Don Torrance.

About a million North Jersey residents were taken off mandatory water rationing today. Straight state drought co-ordinator Paul R. Bussmann signed an order relaxing those restrictions in 18 communities served by the Commonwealth water company 9000 other communities which get their water from wells were also taken off rationing. But the ban on non-essential outdoor use of water still remains in effect and probably will throughout the summer. About a half a million and a half north Jersey residents served by five large water companies remain on water rationing. Now a look at the weather forecast it will be clear but cold tonight with temperatures in the mid 30s tomorrow will be sunny with highs in the mid 60s and the outlook for Saturday fair and mild. In our continuing series of gubernatorial candidate profiles we take a closer look tonight at the

mayor race of Mayor Ken Gibson of Newark. A report was prepared by producer Carl Sears and correspondent. Here is Gus in Newark. Ken Gibson is the best known Democrat in the governor's race and his reputation outside New Jersey may even be better than here. In June voters will decide if they like him enough for him to be the next state's chief executive. Ken Gibson says he is the most difficult public service job in the state. Going to be easy. Gibson is running for governor after 10 years as mayor of New Jersey's largest city. When elected in 1970 many observers say he turned Newark around. By easing racial tensions by restoring public trust in government. And by securing millions of dollars in federal and state aid for the city. Four years later he won reelection with 54 percent of the vote and more than 68 percent in 1978.

Judy my thanks to the people of the city. Who voted to re-elect me yes ma'am. One other time. The bulletproof glass seemed to symbolize the Norks problems while improved were far from over. But by then Gibson had built a national reputation as a spokesman for urban America. He served as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 1977. Washington politicians from congressmen to presidents listen to him. But political friends sometimes disagree. I certainly would not use my political power to endorse a policy. I also fear cuts cuts in spending for human resources and human care. As President Karzai has chosen to do. Former President Carter now seems a soft touch compared to President Reagan who proposes much deeper cuts in federal support to the states. It just can't be stopped. The federal money disappears and

I think some of our programs that are staffed by city workers will have to continue they have continued to raise revenue to make sure that those centers don't close if necessary through some higher taxes tax package. Sometimes this is not a new proposal on my part by the way I've been talking about this for 15 years before I became mayor. We talked about the fact that we needed to have a graduated income tax plan after the national income tax. And property tax cap restrictions. Television commercials reinforce basic message.

I'm running and I need your help. The people of New Jersey will never have another opportunity like this. Now is the time Gibson for governor campaign headquarters in New York is tapping a political basis as any Democratic front runner. Twenty five percent of the state's registered Democrats are black or Hispanic. With their votes. And those of suburban liberals could win the primary. How much chances will be affected by his marital record is a matter of opinion. Ten years no people lost what would be your response. Well you have to measure what the man has responsibilities to accomplish and what the mayor's powers are with his back to the first question. If I had the right to determine whether or not people had a job and everybody who was unemployed would have a child. But the private sector basically determines the job market. The public sector whether you're mayor or

governor can really make the final determination we can create a climate which is beneficial to the creation of jobs and I think some of the things that we DO have been successful. There are signs of life in the work. But also remind us of urban decay. While the economy itself has been unsteady the people's health has improved remarkably. Gibson considers this his biggest achievement. The Neighborhood Health Center. Concept. Which is operational now is I think the greatest thing for me. And that we have improved the quality of health care. We have improved the quality of health for many citizens. You can measure that lets you measure roads bridges or buildings. But I think it's to me more important than anything that we've done any serious strikes by firemen policemen teachers have walked the picket lines several times. Problems with.

Public disputes have been far different than real private problems. I have to because of the nature of the unions make some of these irrational charges against mayors and frankly governors in order to position themselves for barking. You have a lot of rhetoric but if the source hours from the governor can pretend to create any money critics say the city services police response time low garbage pickup. Has done better finances. When he took office our projected deficit. Today the city has a 20 million dollar projected surplus. The 40 year old former engineer is methodical by training and instinct. His moderate style has many admirers. At the same time. Detractors say

he lacks creative leadership. And a risk taking spirit. Eleven years ago Ken Gibson was elected the first black mayor of a major eastern city. Any evaluation of his chances in his current political campaign must include four major factors his race is record is higher recognition factor and voter reaction to publicity over alleged misuse of 1974 campaign contributions charges which were dropped by a federal grand jury following the lengthy investigation. Carol. Thank you Gus. And Bill Perry will have a report on exciting baseball Roky when we return. Now here's Bill Perry with tonight's sports Welcome back Bill.

Thank you Karen His name is Fernando. Valens well. If you never heard of him you have been paying attention Valens Well it's been all over the national press why. Because it's 20 year old left handed pitcher for the L.A. Dodgers a Mexican who doesn't speak English and he's been nothing short of sensational Now tomorrow night at Shea Stadium against the Mets but we went to the vet in Philadelphia where the Dodgers are currently for the Valens whale story. Balance well has made six starts thus far this season he has won them all. He's pitched for shout outs and he is only allowed to are and runs what he has done is unprecedented in baseball history. Ron parent asked the former a Stodger reliever is pitching coach Ron was born in Patterson and grew up in Fairlawn and he has seen some great ones. Sandy Koufax was a teammate parent Aski believes that as well will be around for a long time. That is you know sort of picture you know you know freshman fan so he knows exactly what he's doing out there and he has commanded five different pictures that are sort of putting the two

speeds of screwballs fastball he throws her to different locations. And so you still have that super curve ball but the screwball traditionally is a tough pitch to throw it puts an unnatural strain on the arm. Balance Well it was signed by Mike Brito who served as an interpreter for me and I wonder if Fernando worries about potential on trouble screw ballers don't last long enough to get a feel. But I don't think it's going to hurt him because he's done it. And Ron just to wrap it up. You are solely responsible for his success role not at all. I wish I could say that as a bonus and I'm sure what I mean the screwball you threw out that way you throw it out. That's very unnatural and it could hurt the elbow but balance well has that natural motion fairly

Dickinson University but he throws with his left arm has named her as its new women's head basketball coach. From one thousand nine hundred forty one thousand eighty to replace Victor Jagger now who resigned the cosmos in the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company have announced plans for a youth summer soccer tournament the Youth Cup. Open to all boys and girls teams under 14 years of age in New Jersey New York and Connecticut Giants Stadium we're going to host the finals in August before a cosmos game. Construction of the BRENDAN BYRNE Arena is in the finishing stages now that the arena floor has been poured the last few days this is the concrete basin which will all happen basketball hockey and whatever else is staged at the arena workers here are pouring in smoothing a six inch concrete base over the network of pipes that comprise a refrigeration system for making ice now although the Meadowlands has no commitment for a hockey franchise the Arena has the capability of making an ice surface in a mere eight hours the concrete surface will also be the base for the portable basketball court. And when the arena schedule dictates the hardcourt can be laid right over the ice surface of the arena due to open next month as more than 90 percent completed count.

Thank you Bill. New Jersey Lottery fans will have a new game starting next Wednesday that's when tickets go on sale for super Bingo. A $1 ticket will give the buyer a shot at winnings of up to $100000. Tickets will look like bingo cards. The winning ticket has to match the numbers in the weekly drawing. In addition their prizes are doubled if the color on the ticket matches the color in the drawing prizes will range from three to $50000 that's of course before the doubling. And that's the news for Bill Perry in Trenton New York I'm Karen Stone. Good night from all of us at a New Jersey nightly news. New Jersey making news is a joint presentation of New Jersey Public Television and w any 13 questions recorded.