New Jersey Nightly News; New Jersey Nightly News Episode from 03/12/1979

New Jersey unlikely. Imo. I was with Rebecca suable in Trenton and Clayton Vaughn in Newark. Good evening. In the news tonight there was a fatal construction accident at the nuclear power station in fork of river. Twenty percent of the public school students in Newark stayed home today as labor problems continue and we'll have a report on efforts in the Hamilton Township to ban head shop takes for drug users. Good evening Rebecca. In sports Paul bloodline has highlights of that Nets game with that unbelievable finish. And on a closer look we'll see what one town is doing to stop the flow of business to the Sunbelt. The first of a two part report on New Jersey's business climate. We're back. A construction worker was killed today and three other workers injured at the fork at River Nuclear Power Plant in Ocean County. The accident happened around 8 o'clock this morning. The workers were building a new part of the plant when winds apparently toppled over 63 foot high bundles of steel rods. A spokesman say one of the workers general sad away of North

Brunswick was crushed to death. They also say it was a construction accident and no nuclear material was involved. The Coast Guard is trying again for the fourth time tonight to refloat an oil barge sticking in the sand in the Barnegat Inlet. The barge ran aground last Thursday night in order to get it free Coast Guard crews have to drain off some of the 100000 gallons of fuel oil on the barge. So far they've had trouble draining it because of the leak and because the tow lines keep snapping. The Coast Guard is hoping tonight high tide will give it the needed push. A new government report says pollution in the lower Delaware River is contaminating drinking water in three South Jersey counties. Reporter Steve Taylor says the problem is getting worse because those counties are taking too much water from the ground. Most of the river towns in Burlington Camden and Gloucester counties draw drinking water from wells. It was always assumed that the layers of earth stop river pollution from poisoning wells. But a report from the Delaware River Basin Commission says that isn't so anymore.

This cross section shows the Delaware River dividing Pennsylvania and New Jersey. And this is the aquifer or underground water supply where all these towns are getting their drinking water. What's happened is that so many wells into the aquifer have been drilled that they have created a scoping effect like this. And as a result water polluted water is flowing from the river into the aquifer. David Long maid who wrote the report says the underground water would be safe if the three counties were drawing more than 16 million gallons of water per day. But they're actually drawing on the average annual rate of one hundred thirty six million gallons a day of course during the maximum months to be drawing more than that from the aquifer. The report says the counties must draw less well water. It may be that the commission will ban any more well drilling. Another possibility draws relatively clean water from the river north of Trenton and pipe it south. Burlington City is in the area where the commission says well Drawings should be cut in half. The superintendent of the local water works says that would be disastrous.

We cannot maintain pressure we cannot supply in a horror. We will not be able to fire industry which is often important which is the power station. And I don't know how we could do it. Burlington is building a new five million dollar waterworks and Hiser says the building would be useless if the city had to use piped water from the north. So far only small amounts of river pollution have been found in the aquifer. The commission will hold hearings this spring before deciding exactly what to do to stop the problem from getting worse. In Burlington City I'm Steve Taylor. Newark schools operated as usual today after several days of indecision about closing the system down for a week to allow for cooling off period after secret meetings week before last school board president Carl Sharif and Teachers Union president Carol graves announced that schools will be closed this week for negotiations but that agreement was evidently made without the approval of the rest of the board. The result today was that schools were open. Read Wells reports. There are 70000 students in the Newark school system and 13000 of them were absent today.

Way above normal. There were reports of confusion in some schools as a result of the recent layoffs in the system. There were no art classes no music and a limited number of security guards. But the buildings were open. It's hard to tell what negotiations are taking place behind the scenes. All of a sudden Carol Graves has made herself unavailable for comment and many of her rank and file teachers union members have accused her of a sellout. Mayor Gibson and the school board of also declined comment. Aides in Gibson's office say the mayor has to stay out of the negotiations by law. But not everybody accepts that. It's been our contention throughout the whole crisis as you well know that the all board members are controlled or in fact influence rather I should say control but influence very heavily by the decisions of the employees of the office of the mayor of North Ward councilman Anthony Corrino blames the confusion surrounding this week's school closing on. Costa Rica is trying to usurp the power of the executive so potentially at this point while the school board in the union continue to deal with their differences the students say they really want to be in school this week. What are you doing outside and outside of school.

Well. You know so early thoe you know Mother's Day are you with a guy I have been following in the body next thing you got to go to school. He's got a good alarm clock next to my bed and go to school. I just came in now. In Newark. I'm read Wells. State Higher Education Chancellor Edward Hollander today told faculty members at state colleges that a strike they have authorized for next week could be fatal to their own schools. Such a strike would affect 65000 students. State College teachers voted last week for the strike unless their contract demands are met. Potter wrote them an open letter today saying a strike could drive large numbers of students away. And he said the state can't afford to lose current or new students because of what he called unnecessary and unlawful disruptions in the academic enterprise. Last summer the state started an investigation in parts of Union County to try to find out what was causing nearly 300 freshly painted houses to peel. The investigation is over now but the state's report on it as residents shaking their heads in disbelief.

Jeffrey Hall reports. Last August Elizabeth Mayor Thomas Dunn showed us how his own house started to peel. It happened just a year after he paid for an expensive paint job. We toured Dunn's immediate neighborhood in Elizabeth and found the same thing that happened to at least a dozen of his neighbors homes. No sooner had their houses been painted than they started to peel. Dylan went public with the problem and received 300 letters from nearby residents with similar stories. The people were both angry and scared. Scared there was something rotten in the air something that was hurting their health as well as the paint on their homes. People reasoned it must have been pollution blowing in from one of the refineries off the turnpike. The State Department of Environmental Protection took paint samples and recently concluded that nor'easter was causing the problem rain seeping into the paint and preventing it from sticking. But Dunn and his neighbors don't completely believe that. I completely I think there's more to it than just moisture. I think that perhaps some of it is

coming from the oil refineries in the area and other chemical manufacturing plants. I doubt of the potman of Environmental Protection made as comprehensive and a study of the problem as I would like. So people in this neighborhood are still asking questions. They don't believe the state's report entirely. They reason that if moisture is causing the paint to peel on so many houses in their neighborhood why isn't the same thing happening all over New Jersey. You know Elizabeth I'm Jeffree whole. New Jersey freshman senator Bill Bradley today chaired his first congressional hearing focusing on the economic problems faced by urban areas. Reporter reporter Marcy Reitman was there. So many will come to order. Freshman Senator Bill Bradley has made a lot of debuts in his time but it's been a while since he's been the rookie. Today was his first experience chairing a Senate subcommittee.

The purpose of the hearings is to consider legislation to help economically distressed cities. And the senator received testimony from some rather experienced officials. Senator Bradley says he's pleased to be chairman of a subcommittee that is targeted at helping his constituents and admits it's exciting to be an active member of the Senate. So early in his career. Well I was part of the team in the sense that Chairman long is very generous and offers. Freshman senators all Democrats a chance to chair hearings which I am doing today for the first time and I hope that the record of the hearings will be looked at carefully in full committee where the final decisions will be made. Senator Bradley's hearings will continue Tuesday when new ex-mayor Gibson is scheduled to testify. Marcy Reitman for New Jersey nightly news on Capitol Hill. Arson is being investigated as the cause of a fire last night at Toms River High School south. Police said there were signs of a break in. The fire began in a cabinet and a drafting classroom.

The damage was confined to that one room and some surrounding areas. Classes were held as usual today at the school or Garfield travel agent pleaded guilty today to federal charges involving providing phony documents for nearly a thousand illegal aliens from Poland. She will be sentenced next month. Her husband the co-owner of the agency and his sister face trial next week in the same case. And a former Social Security Administration employee from Clifton and her sister earlier pleaded guilty to taking part in that scheme. Rebecca. Head Shops. Those are the drugs. Those are the stores that sell drug paraphernalia like cigarette papers and water pipes. The people of Hamilton Township want to get rid of their head shops. The town council has already drafted a law that would ban the shops. And so far no one's challenged it. My power has a report. Like most suburbs of Hamilton Township knows it has a drug problem. The police say a lot of burglaries are committed by kids after money to buy drugs. But many of Hamilton's high school pupils say that banning head shops won't reduce the crime or the drug

problem. If they close in the same way that a lot of people are out of work and everything but it ain't going to stop nobody from getting high you know because everybody's already got papers. That would be pretty useless. Hamilton's mayor says he knows that outlawing drug equipment won't control drug use and he says high school kids might laugh at him but he says the law might help younger children. When you put a spoon along with the syringe along with an eyedropper along with other obvious drug related paraphernalia I think that taking in toto could have an effect as I said on the younger kids it and her ages then that is saying yes it definitely I feel. I would encourage them. Mayor Rafferty says the head band will pass the Town Council next week and go into effect April 11. The only drug paraphernalia store in Hamilton is in a shopping center and its owner isn't talking. The Sterling head shop displays the usual head shops song and warning customers not to use its products illegally.

Town officials say not many of the items could be used for anything except drugs. The head shop owner says he doesn't know about that but he'll talk to his lawyer about whether the town can legally put him out of business. In Hamilton. The calendar says spring is coming but today's weather had winter written all over it in the northern part of the state it will be clear and cold tonight with low temperatures in the teens inland to the upper 20s along the shore in the south they'll be clear skies with lows in the 20s tomorrow. Partly cloudy and milder in the north with highs in the low to mid 40s. Sunny and breezy in the south with temperatures in the 50s. And Wednesday's outlook calls for cloudy skies with a chance of showers but still milder temperatures. Public Television festivals 79 kids were staying home for

American bombs with Tony Bennett General von Reiter Billy X done or George Noory Johnny Ray this is a very good job with Lena and Ellen and Peggy Lee with Nat King Cole and Frankie and being American pop. The great singers are here and they're here to stay. Don't miss it. Tuesday at a New Jersey public television because like it was a big basketball weekend and Paul has the highlights. Thanks for back and what a finish to a basketball game there was yesterday. It was the nets at home against the Philadelphia seventy six there's an important game for both teams. Philadelphia polled away in the second half they held a nine point lead one to 192 with only 219 to play the nets at a couple of foul shots and then Bernard King came up with a bucket cutting the Sixers laid to 5 1 0 1 to 96. Moments later it was the nets John Williamson hitting from the right side 1 0 1 to 90 8 at the other end of the floor believe it or not that Dr. Julius Erving missed the dunk

198. Twenty seven seconds to play. Williamson had a couple of foul shots the Philadelphia lead was down to 1 1 0 1 to 100. Philadelphia's ball Bernard King made a sensational play to tie up Henry Bibby and it would be a jump ball the nets controlled that tap and then John Williamson could put the nets on top as time was running out at the short jumper the nets finally led 1 0 2 2 1 0 1. But then with four seconds left. Phillies Bobby Jones answered from the foul line the Sixers up 1 0 3 2 1 0 2. The Nets have four seconds to score. Ed Jordan. You look for Bernard King under the basket. Found him. Kang hit it and that's 1 of 1 0 4 to 1 0 3 an unbelievable finish. And college ball only 16 teams still in the running for the national championship. And yes Rutgers is one of them. On Saturday the Scarlet Knights upset 11th ranked Georgetown 64 to 58 in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Rutgers has obviously peaked at the right time to win over Georgetown made it nine in a row.

Yesterday afternoon I got some reactions from some of the Rutgers players from joining the players and we can choose being the underdog. And I don't believe in things and especially this time this year because I think autonomy is really up for grabs you and me. The best take you on a given night. Why no women. This is a very very severely to do as well as we you know you know people didn't expect us to do this well but you know we show a lot of people who were aboard the pressure that we had in the early being re you know kind of harried as you know going in not going as really mad and I think we are pretty confident in what we can do and we have a plan it seems fairly evident that everything came together at the right time this year. Yes it did you know. Oh grateful that he did it just to do time. And next up St. John's on Friday night in Greensboro North Carolina. Meanwhile the Rutgers women have moved up to third in the national rankings. That comes after weekend wins over Penn State and Maryland. Like the man the lady knights are among only 16 teams still hoping for a

national title. Really quite a distinction for Rutgers and high school play three parochial state championships were decided this weekend in this game for the Procul C title same Anthonys of Jersey City forced an over time with this sensational shot at the buzzer. But in that overtime Sacred Heart of Vineland all the way to win it by seven 75 to 68 the final Sacred Heart finishes at 19 and for the first state championship for Coach Jim Mogen. The parochial began was a run away our Lady of the valley of orange in the darker uniforms used 18 points by number 34 Marvin Wiggins to defeat St. Joseph of Toms River 78 to 56. Terrific season for Our Lady of the valley twenty six and three in the Procul the title team coached by Ted Fiore in the Procul a game it was defending champion Bergen Catholic against Christian Brothers Academy coached by Benny Cox with Mike O'Shaughnessy scoring 25 points he was number 32. Christian Brothers all the way to win it by 13 69 to 56. Christian

Brothers wins its fifth parochial a championship. Our congratulations to all the teams involved in that tournament and fairly Dickinson University has a new athletic director today Stan Wright was named to that job. Stan Wright was twice assistant coach of the United States Olympic track team. He takes over July 1st the stand right athletic director at at do you. And that's sports for tonight. Platon. Thank you Paul. The state's economic development authority was created several years ago just emulate new construction and business development in New Jersey. At that time civil rights groups urged the authority to require all the loan recipients to have an affirmative action plan to assure opportunities for minority contractors. The EPA declined to adopt such a policy. But now as Gus Henning Berg our new commentator on Minority Affairs explains the issue of opportunities for minority contractors has been reintroduced into the discussion over policy and from an unexpected quarter. The EPA originally refused to implement an affirmative action program on the grounds that it would

be an economic disincentive and therefore inconsistent with the authority's goals. A month ago however this same EPA adopted a policy advocated by organized labor requiring prevailing wages be paid to workers on all projects it helps to underwrite. This will obviously increase costs and like the affirmative action program would appear to be an economic disincentive. It seems then that while the EPA cannot tolerate an economic policy to benefit minorities it will respond to one advocated by organized labor. Predictably contractors builders and bankers of fighting the new prevailing wage policy unpredictably. One of their major arguments is that it will hurt minority contractors who may wish to bid on EPA financed work. The prevailing wage issue is essentially a labor management dispute. Minority contractors have been injected into the fight by the very interest groups whose past practices have denied them opportunities in the construction industry for years.

Regardless of the outcome of the wage issue. The minority contractor will continue to be excluded from edu work until the authority itself develops a viable affirmative action plan. Until then minority contractors where of strangers bearing gifts. I'm guessing Burton. Last week we told you about a very honest man 30 year old Donald Louka disabled veteran found more than $400000 on a street in New Brunswick. The money had fallen out of an armored truck. Call the police. HE TURNED IN THE MONEY. He got a reward. One thousand dollars. His wife said he was a dummy. They've been struggling on his 130 a dollar a week disability check and he too would meet at the $1000 see more of a token than a reward. Well apparently some students at Newark High School thought so too about 250 of them. They chipped in and they handed some money. A total of five dollars and two cents. You

are way out west. What they've been told to get out of from there the fun never stops. We all wish there's everything including the deed to the goldmine arrestee bar maid Carolyn and guardian and best of all the antics of Laurel and Hardy. It's part of the difference on public TV. Don't miss it tonight at 8:00. New Jersey Public Television. How's a New Jersey doing at attracting business. Well gauging the state's business climate is a lot like gauging its weather tough even for the experts. But the bottom line is are there more companies and are there more jobs. And both areas the state's looking. Good there are now about a quarter million more jobs in New Jersey than at the bottom of the nineteen seventy five or sessions and 350000 more jobs than in 1970. The unemployment rate is now seven point two percent better than the ten point two percent in the 1975 or session. But still behind. One hundred seventy four point six

percent. And the number of companies in the state. There are now about 10000 more than in 1975 and 25000 more than in 1970. All that means economic recovery but it's a different story in the states big cities they're still losing jobs and companies many of them have turned to the State of the federal government to get bailed out. And it's the smaller towns and cities that are showing their bigger brothers the best ways to help themselves. In this first of a two part closer look we visit Lakewood New Jersey one town that's on the verge of its own economic boom. The Sunbelt wide open spaces endless sunshine smiling prosperity. But for many New Jerseyans the Sunbelt means something else. Over the past 20 years the southern states have. A way hundreds of New Jersey firms with offers of cheap labor and land. And they left behind empty plants and cities decaying around them. But at least

one town in New Jersey is bucking the trend. It's called Lakewood and its statistics are called impressive. In the last 15 years 70 companies have moved into the township and they've brought with them 5000 jobs awoke would offer the best opportunities. As far as a commitment to industry. They had the land at a reasonable price. They had to ship Courtney Industrial Commission. They could guarantee that we have a smooth transition. Thomas industries moved its clock division to Lakewood two years ago. They picked it over a score of other towns many of them below the Mason-Dixon line. It's just one of many success stories. But success in attracting business did not come easily to make when desperation came first. It was a survival situation knowing that the great hotel industry that provided all of the income I should say most of the income for the economy was slowly quietly dying out.

The decision was made to shift the concentration of the attention from the resort industry to development that would bring us a 12 month economy. The resort industry was about a half your economy and it was decided that like clean industry would do that. The situation calls for bold action and like all it took. The township went into the development business. In 1064 town fathers floated a half million dollar bond issue bought up some old hotel property and turned it into an industrial park. It took daring and a willingness to cut red tape. The project is now a success and town officials believe you don't tamper with a good thing. They're still taking chances and detouring red tape. Well I think of some of the planning board. Gives a lot of clients a bad time when they go in for site plan approval if they need an

adjustment through the zoning board. They get the lawyer to do the way which industry can afford. And we don't allow that to happen. We guarantee you. Within three months they could start the building. Mark industries make the machines that put date codes on different products. It was one of the first firms to move into the liquid industrial park. Now the company's president is selling the advantages of the town to other firms. The. Everyday problems that occur. Are handled quickly which only go to one person in the city is just counterproductive you have to contact so many people and still nothing is accomplished. That's why so many of the big cities in Jersey are having trouble getting businesses like this. I feel that as a primary cause of. That there isn't sufficient communication with small business and that's not the only thing other cities in the state can learn from like what.

I think a lot of other towns don't really treat their clients properly. We've had experience in the past where some citizens. In a given town just are not ready to accept industry. They think all industry is dirty that it has to be have the youngster that it has to pollute. That's not so. If Lakewood citizens have not complained it's because they've had very little to complain about the new business brought jobs and a million dollars a year in new taxes. But it's not all good news. The unemployment situation what it what was it what's happened. Well previously it was about 14 15 Reserve. What is the state right now as the top resort which is to kill the one who would profit even with the problems the people of Lakewood believe the new works in Camden's of the state can learn a lot from them. They say if other northeastern towns followed like once example it just might loosen the economic stranglehold of the Sunbelt.

Once again our top story is one construction worker was killed three others hurt in an accident today at the side of the Fork River Nuclear Generating Station. Authorities say no nuclear materials were involved. And Newark schools were open today but with 20 percent of the students absent. That's much higher than normal. Meanwhile whatever negotiations are taking place are taking place in secret. And that's the news tonight Rebecca. Goodnight Clayton. Good night for the New Jersey nightly news. New Jersey Nightly News is a joint presentation of New Jersey Public Television and 13 and is broadcast weeknights at 6:30 on Channel 13 and at 7:30 on New Jersey Public Television an updated edition is broadcast at 10:00 p.m. on New Jersey public television and at 7:00 the following morning on Channel 13.