New Jersey Nightly News; 11/26/1981

New Jersey likely with downturns and can't man a hand anything cannot has the night off. New Jersey's Thanksgiving is both bitter and sweet. The prospect of no paycheck for some but charity in the spirit of sharing for others. In sports Pat's Gallant has a Rutgers basketball preview and tonight we rebroadcast our closer look at the Ironbound Thanksgiving where the original spirit of the holiday lives on in a Newark neighborhood Thanksgiving 1981 will be remembered by a New Jerseyans for good weather good friends taking care of the less fortunate but also as the first day without a job for some but the uplifting news first about 70 people from a Plainfield senior citizen center celebrated this Thanksgiving with employees of the prudential life insurance company. Rolonda Watts explains it was all in the spirit of the holiday. Songs of this holiday and those to come will be here today at the Plainfield senior citizens center. These elderly people wouldn't get alone. Thanksgiving Day had it not been for the celebration. Most of them have no family with whom to share the holiday. In fact that was the criteria for being invited to today's

Thanksgiving dinner. Employees of the prudential life insurance company sponsored their fifth annual Thanksgiving dinner here over 50 to provincial employees contributed money food gifts homemade games and perhaps most importantly their time to the senior citizens. Elaine really is the coordinator of the event. She came up with the idea five years ago. I do a lot of work in nursing homes and I see how people are when there are relatives coming to visit them you know holidays are especially difficult. This is one of the reasons why the idea was proposed to my boy's apprehension that here he was alone. I don't the legs thing is you see. When she said you don't see often do it here. I'm enjoying every moment and I'm always easy to talk to these people many times and they tell me how

lonely they are somewhere what do they say they go to the senior citizens and they are welcome to do so and you wouldn't want to know them that inclined Phil. I'm Rolonda Watts. Well a taste of this Thanksgiving will remain a bitter one for 1000 General Motors workers at that company's Linden plan approved one. This is their first day without a job. One thousand of them have been laid off indefinitely because GM can't sell enough of the big luxury cars they are building in London. Guy I'm a senior the plant chairman for the United Auto Workers says there were tears in the eyes of many of the workers as he explained their benefits to them. Most will get only one hundred thirty three dollars a week in unemployment benefits because they haven't been with GM long enough to qualify for the company's much richer benefits. One worker said she was just recovering from a 10 month layoff last winter when word came she would be out of work again. Teri threefold expects her second dismal Christmas in a row now. Most of us are lucky enough though to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving in a traditional manner in South Jersey Dan

Hodge and spent the day with an ocean county family celebrating an old fashioned Pinelands Thanksgiving. But for most of us Thanksgiving is cranberry sauce comes in a camera. Arlene Ridgeway prefers to make her own along with most of the rest of Thanksgiving dinner. Her sauce recipe calls for fresh cranberries boiled slowly with half an orange and half a cup of sugar or honey. But science is not the only thing graduations Bander is for know why but by a long shot. My family life for free I'm very bread. In fact I made I think one. Is almost kind of ready. For their love and. Their fruit juice and I'm for salads and for sandwiches that you can put on pancakes. My jelly it's delicious. The cranberry recipes are actually just a small part of a cookbook our leaders put together on pilings dishes she was right about the bread. Well Arlene stuffed the turkey with your special chopped clam stuffing has been immersed provides musical accompaniment from the living.

Vs. your consumption of cranberries increase since you married early. Yeah definitely without a doubt. No doubt about it. What are your favorite recipes. Like your grammar in that bread you know there's no doubt about that I think that's the best. He says you also like cranberry sauce sandwiches. Yeah I don't know where I got that from. Probably from my people I suppose but it does seem to make the place of jelly an excellent sandwich I personally would also say cranberries are an excellent aid to digestion and all around health. Finally everything is ready completely. Jersey Thanksgiving homemade whole berry cranberry sauce roast turkey sandwiches Jimmy Russell sprouts turn up sweet potatoes the chopped clams stuffing apple and pumpkin pie are falling at this point with.

Our daily lives to give thanks. Here's. A. Thanksgiving style one where town. Looks good. He may be a candidate losing a recount but James Florio still took time off to count his blessings this Thanksgiving Day. Tomorrow he'll be back at the task of making decisions with the help of his attorneys. They will have to decide whether to push ahead with their recount strategy or concede the state gubernatorial election to Republican Tom Kane. Cain still has that slim lead over Florio is 95 percent of the recount has been completed. Cain has requested that the slow process of hand counting the computer card ballots in Salem Sussex and Warren County be stopped because the count is producing few changes and the election is supposed to be certified by Tuesday. Florio says though he's inclined right now to keep that recount going. Police in Fairlawn say arrests are near in connection with the recent vandalism at local

synagogues. Robert Van Houghton suspects teenagers are responsible for the Nazi emblems and anti-Semitic slogans that are been painted on temples in that Bergen County Community Fairlawn residents who held a rally earlier this week to protest the religious intimidation believe an organized group is to blame for those acts of vandalism. New Jersey state prisons are crowded with repeat offenders inmates who are released from jail only to find their way back in somehow. But some experts say there is a way to break the cycle of criminal behavior by helping the ex-cons to re-enter society in the state the halfway house concept has not been well received. It is however getting a test run in Newark where North Jersey is first privately run halfway house has just been launched. Sandra King has more. Just days ago these men were behind bars and technically they remain prisoners. But instead of completing their jail terms in Rahway or Leesburg they're doing it here in Center City Newark. They are the first residents of pyramid house to. But they join a larger community known simply as integrity

incorporated. For years integrity has been helping drug addicts get back on their feet and leaders here insist the same can be done for ex-con. There always is a risk. With some. People. Former records. And. Then you have these people in order to. Someone's got to do something to help them break out of this cycle. And if it works up to 60 inmates each year will find this a stop on their way back outside. Halfway houses for criminals tend to be scorned and feared by the Street community. But here the pillars of that community the Rotary Clubs have gotten involved. They've promised to help with raising funds and more important finding jobs and jobs are the key. If they can get steady work these men say they can change their lives. Clifford Graves has served two years for armed robbery. Soon he'll start work as a painter. Right now there's just really I'm not locked up I'm not confined.

I want to street. I have chance now to put my life back together to work. I have a chance to. Make up for lost time being behind was a very you lose his freedom. And he has the opportunity to get itself together mentally physically. And if he don't use dead to his advantage even come to his HAVE WE House isn't going to help him. The discipline is here and it is strict scrutiny intense. But for those with the Will this could be a way back to Newark. I'm Sandra came the citizens task force on emergency water management is due to meet early next month to evaluate the state's water supply reservoirs in northern New Jersey are at forty eight point four percent of capacity but normal for this time of year is over 73 percent. So a new set of water use restrictions will be one thing the task force will be looking into. The state's northern watershed area has had only one point two inches of rain this month and that's

far below normal. The most recent storm to hit the New Jersey coastline took its toll along one of the state's most popular beaches. Sandy Hook in Monmouth County could soon lose its attraction to sunbathers because as Susan East Los reports the beach is losing a battle with Mother Nature. This used to be a four lane highway leading through Sandy Hook beaches and the Gateway National Recreation Area. Two million tourists and sunbathers flock here every year. But that could change next summer. Continual beach erosion has eaten away much of the roads blacktop. What's happened is wave action during storms has carried sand away from the shoreline without replacing it. And this 100 yard wide strip between the ocean and Bay is all that keeps Sandy Hook from becoming an island unto itself. Mother Nature has already caused a breach here back in the mid seventeen hundreds. But through the years the tides have moved the sand back to rebuild the peninsula. Park officials have tried to protect the shoreline three years ago they put up a six foot sand. That

too has been eroded but there's little else they can do since the land is federally relies on federal money. And right now Sandy Hook is still relying on funding from last year's budget. Quite a few solutions have been proposed and they indicate that we could be. In other words. Anywhere from two to six million cubic yards of sand we could build a razor Ruud that the water would wash under. As a causeway we could build a bridge and another half a dozen things in between all of them are expensive and the prices that have been quoted run anywhere from 6 million dollars to well over 30 40 million dollars. The dollars are not there. Park officials are of course hopeful the federal government will do something to prevent Sandy Hook from becoming an island once again. But they say help may come too late because all it would take is one more major storm in Sandy Hook. I'm Susan nice loss.

And here's our holiday weekend weather forecast tonight cold with a chance of rain temperatures in the upper 30s. Partly cloudy and warmer tomorrow the temperature in the high 40s sending out for Saturday partly cloudy and. Around. The the. Earlier this week we took a closer look at the iron bound section of Newark the heart of New Jersey's Portugese American community. But because of serious technical problems of WME 2013 many viewers never

had a chance to see all of that story. So tonight in response to a number of your requests we are rebroadcasting a report that Matt and meringues. This is a scene which is being repeated thousands of times this week as families throughout New Jersey get ready for Thanksgiving. But for Ed and Val more right Thanksgiving has a special meaning. That's because they live in Newark so Ironbound section the heart of New Jersey is growing Portuguese community. More than 60000 Portuguese Americans live in Newark the majority so named because of the railroad tracks and bridges which surround it. The Portuguese influence is obvious. In fact that influence stretches back more than 50 years. Elise remembers.

Now I came here 26 at that time. There were only about 50 married couples and about 500 men living in boarding houses. And that was the population of Portuguese people in the section. Now of course as you know now there's quite a difference. In some ways the Ironbound is an anachronism and style ethnic neighborhood in an era when many of those neighborhoods have disappeared. It's a place where the classic American immigrant experience continues. Fernando is a successful businessman insurance and is an accountant. Twenty years ago when he first came to America his life was very different. My wife. Was 15.

Start believing you soon. You probably did come to know but you start believing people I know. That's always good. Of course the money was not enough to cover all the expenses. Portuguese families tend to be very closely knit. Many parents are anxious that their children all of whom attend American schools also learn to appreciate their ethnic heritage and mores is a detective with the Essex County Sheriff's Department. His wife now works in a doctor's office. We're very proud of our heritage and we try to keep it alive in our homes we. We have first of all I mean the children are young younger. I taught them how to read Portuguese. I have kept my books from school. When I was a child and I have. The books with me and I taught them how to read Portuguese and speak Portuguese at home most of the time. We try to do that because

we want them to. We don't want them to forget the Portuguese we want them to continue using it so that they can speak to the grandparents and it's easier for them to commune with communicate with their grandparents who speak only Portuguese. Annual celebrations like the feast of St. Anthony play an important role in the social life of the Ironbound. They also point up the strong role of the Catholic Church in the Portuguese community. Property values have soared in the Ironbound over the past 10 years. One of the chief reasons is the Portuguese who have taken old rundown buildings and painstakingly rehabilitated them since bank loans are often hard to come by in urban areas like New York. Most of this work has been paid for out of family savings. It was

affordable housing and the promise of work from men in the construction industry or factory jobs and work as domestics for women which first brought the Portuguese to Newark. It is their strong sense of community which induces many to stay. If there is any wants I think it's right. I really mean that. It's a pleasure to go out and people go and talk to you. You can see in their expression that they're happy to see you again. We help each other to do it when the occasion arises. As proud as the Portuguese. That's why Thanksgiving has a special meaning to them. Thanksgiving is I should say almost my favorite holiday. We've been very thankful for what we have and. We do have much. I came I came from a very

poor family my father being a fisherman and just barely making a living. So I'm very thankful first of all that he came to the United States and then later on sent for my mother and I and that we were. Able to live in the United States. And a closer look was shot by cameraman Altschul Leno and edited by David Reisman. And when we return Pat Scanlon will have sports. A.

And here's a holiday sports with pats Gatland sitting in for Bill Perry. Don what would Thanksgiving be without football. First let's set the stage for you in the race for the playoffs in the NFC. Dallas and Philadelphia are tied for first at 9 and 3 in the east and the Central Division Minnesota is atop the heap at 7 5 and the San Francisco 49ers lead the west at 9 and 3. We're entering today the Giants Tampa Bay Atlanta were at six and six battling for one wildcard spot as the other will go to either Dallas or the Eagles. The eastern runner up. But this afternoon Detroit got a leg up on the competition with a win over Kansas City. Billy Simms race any comeback hopes for the Chiefs with his touchdown surge to make it a twenty seven to 10 Final score Detroit over Kansas City. The Lions are now seven and six and their wildcard playoff hopes

are very much alive. And so with the Detroit win the Giants game against San Francisco on Sunday becomes even more important in the wildcard playoff picture. Giants coach Ray Perkins says Jeff Weston will star instead of Brad Benson at left tackle as Benson had a tough day against the Eagles last Sunday. Late in the third quarter watch Benson number 60 as Ike 40 takes the handoff Benson's grabbing the Eagles call Harrison. Now it wasn't a big gainer But here's the call that coaches and linemen hate to hear. Was. That. It didn't get any better on the next play watch number 60 Benson to the left of your screen. He's beat by Harrison again. Scott Brewer fumbles and Benson just misses the recovery as the Eagle office takes over on the Giants next possession number 73 Jeff lesson replaces Benson at left tackle and watch a job less than a number 67 Billy ought to do. Opening a big hole for Rob Carpenter. It was because a play like that it says number 73 was in a number 67 rookie

Billy art will start on Sunday against the San Francisco forty niners turning out of college basketball Rutgers men's and women's teams are getting ready to open the season. The lady knights opened first at home Saturday against LaSalle followed by Tom Young Scarlet Knights hosting fairly Dickinson. Meanwhile both teams are suffering from identity problems. As for the men's situation Tom Young isn't ready to throw up his hands and surrender just yet. The problem stems from Pittsburgh pulling out of the Eastern 8 conference and opting for the Big East. Thus young finds himself in a league that may fold next year. Rutgers has a promising lineup with five junior starters and four freshman who can come off the bench for added office. It's easier to get to the NCAA tournament via a conference bed but so far young isn't worried about next year next year the possibilities are we can go independent. We can stay where we are we can look to other leagues. Me and I believe in the next two weeks two months or so we have to make a decision. I think Rutgers basketball will survive no matter what avenue we take.

Meanwhile Theresa grants of the lady knights twenty seven and six and rank Knights last year also have identity problems. They'll play under the guidelines of the Association of intercollegiate athletics for women IAW. Well many of the nation's top teams have fled to the NC Double Y which is sponsoring its first women's championship this year. We don't practice or any harder or any less because we are involved with another national organization and I think our job is just play as I said earlier one game at a time do what we're supposed to do and go where you know where we have been assigned by by the university. Now the man who makes the decisions is athletic director Fred. I spoke with him about the men's situation and he said upcoming NCW legislation may make it more attractive to be an independent. He says the NCW may limit the number of conference teams in post-season tournaments lower the number of automatic playoff positions. And they're also in that a very significant new formula for NCAA men's basketball participation will evolve on the scene

will take year in season record play how well they play and put them together for a formula that will determine whether or not your team is on your quality points should be a part of the NCAA and so necessarily mean if you're 21 or 22 a game winner. It's who you play and how well you play. And a Happy Thanksgiving Don that's sports. Thank you very much. Today has been a day of parades footballs and families but the central figure in most Thanksgiving Day celebrations is of course the turkey. And before we leave you tonight let's take one last look at today's bird of honor. Steve Katz has the story. These are the survivors. All the thousands like them were slaughtered in New Jersey over the past few weeks. These turkeys have been spared to start producing next year's holiday dinners. When you get done gobbling down your Thanksgiving meal you might not think about turkeys again until next November. Well we found one New Jersey man who thinks about these goods every day of the year. One Paul Brown says let's talk turkey. He means it. Brown is the vice president

and turkey expert at owner Barry Toms River firm which publishes what's generally recognized as the official price guide for several poultry products. I've talk about Turkey just about every day in my life for the past 25 years and when I see a turkey or think about Turkey I'm always thinking about the wholesale price. How many turkeys there are going to be slaughtered this year or this month or this week. I think a lot more about it than just has one taste. Brown doesn't actually set turkey prices. His daily and weekly newsletters report what wholesalers are charging and the wholesalers and John based their prices on what he reports. But there's more to it than knowing the difference between this and this. A turkey is a complicated beast. Well the whole parks themselves are like drumsticks weans next. Those are the hard numbers. Size brass. And then the different meat

that comes from each of these parts. But most of us are interested in the whole turkey and Brown says this Thanksgiving the consumer got a good price. Most of the turkeys are being sold in this area at 57 cents a pound. Now those turkeys were brought by the some of the chain stores as high as 77 cents a pan so they're selling them at a loss. You know we all have a lot to be thankful for but maybe these turkeys have a little more after all. You know they're going to be around at least one more year and they say you guys Happy Thanksgiving. Wow I'm Steve Katz. If only they were chickens and I could say those surviving turkeys docked a pullet pretty bad I know. That was bad. Sorry. That's the news over Pat's gallons sitting in for Bill Perry andan Tarrance gonna be back tomorrow night Happy Thanksgiving from all of us of New Jersey I believe. New Jersey Nightly News is a joint presentation of the New Jersey network and nobody

there to push the news report.