NJN News; Friday, April 7, 2000

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serving customers strengthening the business community and investing in new jersey's future first union for serving the financial needs of individuals and businesses from connecticut to florida atlantic communications solutions designed for the people and businesses of new jersey the new jersey education association the people who care about your kids and a private geraldine archive foundation families of seton hall fire victims announced nelson of the university and south orange as hundreds of state troopers are promoted some minority leaders question the advancement process finger pointing and frustration over who's to blame for newark school budget problems more new jersians are seeing the welcome mat thanks to habitat for humanity itself together the trenton thunder will take you out of the ballgame today in use for friday april seventh eighth it's

brilliant public television the families of four seton hall fire victims have put the university's south orange the county and the state i notice they intend to sue lawyers representing the families of two students who died and two survivors outlined their plans at a news conference in james burke linda morgan has more attorneys for four of the seton hall fire victims claim the university's show about willful disregard for the safety of students when they continue to ignore false fire alarms raymond deal represents one of the survivors jeffrey now hush a speech at new always feel student who hung from a window ledge waiting to be rescued after approximately a half an hour or so to students who have secured all our primary residence or

civilization these alarms eighteen times constituted aid teams separate criminal violations lawyers for the victims say the university should have conducted fire drills posted emergency instructions and tried to stop the false alarms jon tester has filed on behalf of his client john went to one of the three who died in the blades frank outside below that and aaron carroll also lost their lives this goes back long before january of two thousand peter joey john's brother was a student in poland off his freshman year in nineteen ninety seven and that year there were at least as many false alarms as they were in the years nineteen ninety nine and two thousand the january nineteenth blaze and bowling hall killed three students and injured fifty eight others but now the support claim along with university also includes the town of south orange the archdiocese of

new york and numerous county and state agencies a charitable immunity status protects religious institutions like seton hall university from liability in lawsuits however victims' lawyers say they're prepared for their defense regardless of what the legal as i'm sorry my clients don't want the media or the public to lose sight of the fact that they lost their songs in this fire seton hall university officials had this to say these grieving families and their attorneys are not one and the same i am not naive about the law and the tactics used in the pursuit of justice however one attorneys question or compassion and care and support of this community i take on the show

melinda morton indian news south orange there's concern over the promotion of some three hundred state troopers blues didn't write in a first ever public ceremony the promotions some held up for as long as two years are being criticized by a top minority leader who says the racially troubled state police should have delayed them further state house correspondent jim parker has more his much pomp and circumstance in this first ever public promotion ceremony for the long embattled state police a ceremony that included families dealing with pride and joy over the advancement of loved ones moving up the ranks of an organization that many have given their best years to like david gregory promoted to lieutenant after seventeen years on the twenty seven hundred trooper force and they all deserve a big and for the family of ralph rivera posted from sergeant and lieutenant after twenty

two years in that division very proud of them and he's very committed to this organization or dorothy jesus' son thomas made a detective sergeant today but behind the splendor remains the rumbling of controversy the state police has been in the midst of for much of the past two years ever since to why troopers fired on for an armed minority men on the new jersey turnpike in april nineteen ninety eight both the new state police colonel and the attorney general alluded to the recent past and their remarks and called for the newly promoted troopers to help bring about change each of you plays your chevron barnes refers to understand that at the same time we are accepting new and more challenging but some minority leaders criticize the promotions because they were made using an automatic based largely on seniority rather than testing the leaders

also say a number of those who voted are currently named a discrimination suit against the state police they say the struggling rust that after almost a year later are we not yet begun the process of implementing the reef or ahmad do say there should be a sufficient time given implementing the dawn that our three hundred and some people should not be promoter and a real system the bottom line is that division has to do its job and because we had so many people and acting positions for so long was undermining morale and it was make it more difficult for the state police to serve the public in new jersey among the promotions today the first in about a year eighty percent were women or minorities but that figure fall sharply among twenty six majors and captains were not a single minority or woman one that rank troopers we spoke to say they see the force improving in its diversity within several years

jim harker a gm news new brunswick for the second time this week governor whitman is calling on the legislature to move swiftly on a school construction bill prompted by a state supreme court mandate speaking to the state principals and superintendents association the governor said time is of the essence to implement her ten billion dollar proposal which includes not only at the districts but all new jersey school districts whitman says in case the legislature doesn't come up with the funding measure soon she's examining how to use her executive powers to free up the dollar's so construction can begin and the high court's deadline is met but the problem here is losing an opportunity or losing an opportunity for the first time in this state to expand state aid to other districts throughout the state for capital construction and make sure that their kids have an opportunity to have the very best in the classroom the governor did not identify a funding source to begin school construction the latest news that the newark school budget

deficit has grown from fifty eight million dollars to seventy three million has the superintendent frustrated and area legislators calling for a federal investigation some observers are also questioning the whole concept of state takeovers of failing districts michael i read reports we are still continuing to find bills that had not been paid the freedom to marry in poland says she's very frustrating just three months in the top job she says she doesn't understand fully how the deficit came about really knows her job is to clean about its been tough simply because the record keeping of the past has not afforded us a way to know exactly where we stood the school district annual budget is five hundred seventy million dollars to make up the now seventy three million dollar shortfall school officials are looking to trenton since it was the state but took over operations of his failing district back in nineteen ninety five that legislative hearings state officials have promised to close the earlier deficit has grown there is talk of short term borrowing

measures cutbacks and supplies needed a teacher hiring freeze your area legislators saying we're still should not be penalized for other people's incompetence and they doubt that the state department of education will ever be able to get to the bottom of mistakes it bears some responsibility for we're calling for a federal investigation into the mismanagement and misappropriation of funds in the work and a state takeover bolin says there's no teacher hiring freeze and no cuts yet in student activities or classroom resources young trees she says is at the district's central office former state senator gordon mcginnis who now runs an educational think tank in new york when the schools were still under local control financial reports were filed properly fifteen years in a row and he's turned over a budget with a sixty million dollars surplus to the state of the states are with its under the state's management that this is all happened it's not the responsibility of marion

bolden bolden says individuals responsible and that the department of education and training the department was also responsible i feel it the part was responsible i'm a state operated superintendents army it's very dangerous for me to say that but that's the dance to trial the superintendent says the sad part of all this is that it perpetuates a negative image of newark and at schools at the very moment the schools are starting to get better masood says is for students to teachers in the city the union representing workers at the troubled greystone psychiatric hospital is calling for the ceo's resignation and advisory group last week reported problems at greystone from overcrowding in unsanitary conditions to poor patients supervision employees blame for supervisors whom they say have harassed hospital eight seed of uae has been urging that more staff be hired and calling for ceo michael greenstein to be replaced

on monday human services commissioner michel ghoul offered support for greenstein and proposed to re mediation plan for greece still the gun tonight and nj and using business the latest on what you can expect on prices at the pubs and how habitat for humanity is making a difference here in new jersey thank you for one hundred years in one of our email news fb the city of trenton is closer to buying out a group of homes that are faced with consistent flooding problems the city council has

okayed more than three hundred seventy five thousand dollars to purchase ten homes the buyout plan was initiated after tropical storm floyd cause the s and p creek to flood the neighborhood last september it was the fourth major flood along the street in twenty five years the homes are all correct will properties the proposal had been opposed by homeowners who say the city hasn't offered them enough money to sell habitat for humanity continues to make great strides in helping the homeless become homeowners former us secretary of housing and urban development jack kemp recently visited atlantic city where he appeared with some of those who benefit from the program can st john reports undersecretary was invited to speak at the new jersey builders association convention on behalf of habitat international which he now heads the association has been a strong supporter of habitat for humanity whether dollars building supplies or labor camps as its commitments like those they keep the program strong homebuilders all over the country particularly new jersey is a very committed themselves in terms of time capital

talent new jersey home builders association outgoing president says its organization realizes they have to be part of helping people obtain affordable housing in the state we have to recognize that not for profit can go into the urban areas and they're doing it very well they're doing with our expertise to the land of our expertise with habitat introduced to families who once called sweat equity earn their own homes heating water right now this morning with an interview for me is no i had no idea that i would ever get this dream for dianne reeves ariel and her three children

began a year ago she worked for three hundred and fifty hours and three other habitat properties before helping to build her own home yes and new york and says the tutelage break for habitat international five million dollars or rare years and no one thousand homes five hundred thousand jon najarian news atlantic city not proud homeowners which what you have coming up tonight in business and eighty and he is warning internet users to use caution around searching websites are details and the government changes its forecast for gasoline prices all tell you whether you can expect to pay more or less coming up next in business it's been

fb is be as we told you earlier this week gasoline prices are beginning to stabilize and intercede now the federal government rejects your paper last summer prices should take and then sort of climbing to an average of a dollar forty six a gallon when prices skyrocketed this where there were predictions you could pay as much as two dollars a gallon by the summer the government believes prices could be as low as a dollar

thirty nine by labor day even so that's about twenty five percent more than last summer the nation's unemployment rate remained steady in march even as more than four hundred thousand new jobs were created the labor department says the rate held firm and four point one percent the same as february the same as new jersey's rate many analysts were expecting a strong economy to bring the rate down to four percent the average hourly work wages now thirteen dollars and sixty cents up four tenths of a percent that increase generally in line with analysts' expectations if you're thinking about building their ideology or business or home get ready to pay more nearly a third of construction industry executives expect to raise prices between now and june despite signs of moderate growth in the industry a daughter writes that survey found even though housing prices and interest rates are high they expect building to continue at a good pace construction companies say they're having to pay more for manpower and materials and those prices are being passed on to consumers and awarding tonight for some who browse on the world wide

web at it is warning consumers to serve free online porn sites make that they could get charged for making international phone calls some other sites disconnect your motel and reconnect using long distance calls to places including africa at and he says customers are surprised when they get their bills but the communications giant says it is not responsible stocks were mixed with a blue chip spending down from their eyes the day buyers regain confidence the tech stocks hoping the index comeback after losses are aware that with this week at the close contest rules give back nearly three points and the recession at eleven thousand one eleven level among a broad markets than excited about climate as sex soared one hundred seventy eight points the s at five hundred gained seventeen and among the treasury security along was up one in seven thirty seconds it sealed a five point seven zero percent that's the week and this is like a wretch still it's a night we'll check the forecast for you coming up and jerry's that waterfront park in trenton where opening day for the thunder is about to get underway by gerry wright depicts were just an unruly crowds

states fb well football hall of famer lawrence taylor will be going to jail a federal judge has sentenced taylor to five years probation and three months house arrest for tax evasion taylor who resides in a percent over for bergen county must also perform five hundred hours of community service and pay a ten thousand dollar fine he had pleaded guilty to failing to report forty eight thousand dollars in income from his now closed east rutherford sports bar taylor

is currently serving eighteen months probation for buying crack cocaine in florida as you said a little while ago it's baseball fever underway at tribune's waterfront park and that's where our jerry henry is standing by jerry look at that about three o'clock this afternoon early about a hundred tickets left out for tonight's game the season opener against new haven the founder is in his seventh season the oldest my league franchise in the state with a few new changes the organization is in its seventh year that his management is brand new book on and off the field cause you're married to rick brenner is your classic success story he started using interest seven years ago now he's running the organization and we all do a little of everything and that's another thing that's been great even that even as an intern in it for such a stuffing out wolves cherry stuff some omelets but at the same time given responsibility every way through on the field of billy carter isn't the skipper he moves up from the red sox italy franchise in augusta georgia after winning the lead championship last year about the situation in iran on a

first class mail or they've had they fed successful teams for us since we came here in the us pretty much enamored a native of the situation are looking for the coming years by one of that shot of it will be a trend a lot of us that shaped a pretty good job and i'm trying to get a nice mix of some veteran players which you need to provide editor leadership award some very young pelton players and how we expect when boston next two years what can fans expect from the thunder organization which are they can expect the same affordable family entertainer with a few new twists new sparkles with a brand new avenue for that year fifteen foot by eighteen foot versed in the art video board to display their promotions of sound effects would get at a kid's arcade going into libya by gilliam a fastball while all other new things but ticket prices insanely than three years and everything's does color and those fans maybe the white jackets and i winston out the river they're otherwise a great night for baseball as the thunder take on new haven camp but do you want do you jerry enjoy an

evening we'll see you later a mix of sun shining clouds across new jersey today with temperatures quite seasonable in the mid sixties wendy along the delaware river those challenging some kayakers the self sufficiency just read a post exercise in the semifinal on the delaware river here in health has been conditioned watch goes for tomorrow moderate levels in the north east and south western portions of the state are expected elsewhere good conditions and here's the forecast in the northern part of new jersey tonight cloudy with a low of forty five tomorrow cloudy with some afternoon showers likely a high of seventy degrees in south jersey tonight cloudy with a chance of a show or lows in the mid forties and tomorrow clouds early than rain likely in the afternoon a high of seventy what finally a new adaptation of an old favorite is on stage at the mccarter theater in princeton and he said maybe reports and chekhov's the cherry orchard with an unconventional

and prestigious cast including jane alexander and avery brooks she saw a matinee earlier this week let's just cut to the chase when anton chekhov wrote the cherry orchard at the turn of the twentieth century he did picture a black man and i'm a little pumpkin director emily mann says it's how you let it always wrote about slavery freedom because he was the son of a seventh he wanted the park and played by men with dignity intelligence and an educated man with a great mind and i think he would have been particularly pleased with a book and graduations the cherry orchard premiered in nineteen oh four shortly before the death of their favourite anton chekhov it's a classic in every sense of the word with things that resonate today themes of love and loss disillusioned possessions these things were not lost on the young people in today's audience best audience we had i wanna

perform every time in front of the high school kids unattended in the morning when we're all for a simple energy heal people their responses they say that other papers conte wrote this play while he was staring in the face through the shows people how to live a nice and they had the injury news princeton and the cherry orchard runs through april sixteenth at the mccarter theater in princeton and that's our news for tonight i'm tess monaghan for rich and jerry and all of us here at injury and used a great weekend everyone to see you again on twenty sixteen national team

thanks bill it's b fb