New Jersey Nightly News; New Jersey Nightly News Episode from 01/12/1982

New Jersey nightly news. With Don Torrance and can't get ahead. Good evening Governor Bern pulls a congressional redistricting plan out of a hat and addresses the legislature for the last time. But that's losing Rutgers women's Bill Perry has the highlights tonight and sports center not our closer look at the Bernier's focuses on the governor in the cities what he promised and what he delivered. Governor Vern today signed a bill which sets new boundaries for the state's congressional districts the redistricting plan the governor wanted was defeated in the assembly this morning. The plan the governor signed it was one that most lawmakers didn't know he had. Steve Taylor is here to explain. Steve. Whether it was an accident or a very sharp bit of political trickery will be argued for years but here's what happened. Last week the assembly gave final approval to a democratic redistricting measure called the congressional plan. Now some Democrats didn't like some district boundaries in that plan. One of them was a lame duck Senator Charles Yates of Burlington County. He had introduced minor amendments to the congressional plan and they passed both houses without gathering much attention. Meanwhile

other Democrats who didn't like the original congressional plan convinced the governor to conditionally veto it late last night and challenge lawmakers to revise the plan and pass the revisions before the legislative session ended at noon today. They tried but they couldn't get the vote. So it looked like redistricting was dead in the outgoing legislature. Then the governor's men had a surprise it seems they ignored the bill also contained the rest of the congressional plan. And since it was all passed the governor could sign it. He did. We tried everything to us. Trying to develop a plan that everyone can live with. The administration wasn't being sneaky he says they just got around to reading the bill late last week. But it is true that many lawmakers thought the amendments were just amendments. And it seems certain that the plan signed today will be challenged in the courts. Fascinating. Thank you. In his final State of the state message Governor Byrne today

called on his successor Tom Kaine to focus on tax reform. Jim McQueen has that story. In his eighth and final State of the state message Governor. He has become healthier under his care since 1974 but not as healthy as it could be. He said taxation his administration source will also become a sore spot to his Republican successor Tom Kaine. The tax structure of this state is better today than it was eight years ago but worse than it should be. We have an income tax that is progressive. Tax system even with reform. It is not really welfare of course. Another service but that is Burns prognosis about the state of the state. Republicans had their own message about taxes. The message is that there is not going to be a new tax there is not going to be an increase of the

graduated tax and they can bank on that for four years. But Burns said and Republicans and Democrats agree that while his administration sounded the alarm about toxic dumping in New Jersey the Cain administration must respond more fully to that problem. And with seven days left of his term after eight years in office the moment as he said good bye whatever history's verdict my family and I shall always be grateful for an opportunity. That state. On June the queen. Governor elect Tom Cane today got the resignation he wanted from state education commissioner Fred Burke Berk agreed to resign effective March 30 first following a meeting with Cain in New Brunswick. Throughout the campaign Cain said he wanted his own education commissioner. But it was believed at the time Burke's term ran until 1984 However it was recently discovered that Burke's time

actually was to expire June 30th. Cain said he and Burke held incompatible views on how the state's educational program should be administered. Former Assemblywoman Jane Burgio of North Caldwell has been nominated as secretary of state by Governor like Cain. This is Virgil would be the first woman secretary of state in New Jersey history where she appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee late today along with Essex County attorney when Kimelman choice for attorney general. A committee will meet next Tuesday after Cain takes office to rule on the nominations. In other news today a federal judge in Newark has approved American Telephone and Telegraph's agreement to spin off its 22 local phone companies. The move by U.S. District Judge Vincent Buno came as a surprise to the Justice Department officials who had want to judge me you know to transfer the case to the federal court in Washington for review and approval. Last week the government in Ma Bell agreed to drop a seven year old anti-trust case aimed at breaking up the telephone giant. The agreement was actually a decision to modify a 956 consent decree under the jurisdiction of New Jersey's federal court. The House subcommittee

chairman said the breakup of AT&T may boost local telephone rates unless Congress takes some action. Icy temperatures continue to chill the state today the lowest recorded temperature was at a high point in Sussex County where the mercury dipped to 23 below zero overnight. No cold related deaths were reported but there were cases of hypothermia and frostbite across the state. The Automobile Association of America reported over 700 calls for assistance by one o'clock this afternoon. And in New Jersey City's housing officials were inundated with calls from tenants complaining of no heat. And in Essex County it was a busy day for workers at the welfare department Rolanda Watts reports that the county as a relief program to help low income homeowners with heating problems. When Dylan Campbell is just one of the many people living in Essex County who cannot afford to heat her home how long have you not had. I haven't had. One since last April when it went off.

And I had a home in the US we just don't use in the open. You know how many people live here. It's myself and my seven children two three and fortunately there's relief for people like Mrs Campbell the Essex County Welfare Agency has set up an emergency energy assistance program the program funded by the state provides low income families with money to buy heating fuel. It also offers heating repair services for the low income homeowner program director Leonard Williams says although the emergency program has been running since last month. Recently the phones have been ringing off the hook. His office had been open only an hour and a half before over 85 people called in for assistance. Mrs. Campbell told me her children were looking forward to going to school just to keep warm. There's a happy ending to Mrs. Campbell story. The emergency energy program today awarded her enough money to buy fuel. Now her children can look forward to coming home to a house that's warm for more

information on this program called 7 3 3 5 0 2 8 7 3 3 4 5 5 8 in New York. I'm Rolonda Watts fight the freezing temperatures more than 500 public housing tenants today marched on the New York office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. They were there to protest President Reagan's proposed budget which would slash public housing subsidies by 25 percent. SANDRA KING reports. Even New York officials can see the city's projects are substandard and that's before the new cuts. So tenant protests are usually aimed at officials. But today city leaders march side by side with tenants for the first time in more than a decade. In the past 12 years. This is.

And the threat of cuts is not restricted to one third of the state's 360000 public housing tenants are today. They spoke out. And there was a response. But a new spokesman pointed out that the housing equal the cost of just the one who are. Members of the Guardian Angels completed their five day march to Washington today.

A cold shoulder from the Justice Department. Federal officials said the FBI civil rights inquiry will continue into the death of New York a special federal prosecutor will not be appointed. Carolyn Gorman reports from Washington. The group is smaller now having braved some of the worst weather in recent memory only 18 of the original 125 made it to the Justice Department rally where the group called for a federal investigation into the December 30th shooting death of one of their members by a Newark policeman. And yet in every case of physical intimidation and now finally a fatality at the hands of police officers of various municipalities after the rally the angels met with Assistant Attorney General William Reynolds to press their case. After the meeting officials of the Justice Department told reporters there would be no federal investigation into the December shooting. The guardian angels were clearly disappointed but said there are 250 mile walk was not in vain and that their movement has strong public support. In

Washington I'm Carolyn Gorman for the New Jersey nightly news. Resorts International Hotel Casino is on its way toward becoming one of the world's largest casinos the state Casino Control Commission ruling has cleared the first hurdle in resorts bid to expand in Atlantic City. The firm wants to add about 40000 square feet to its present 60000 square foot gambling hall. Results also wants a 38 story hotel tower on its boardwalk so I included plans for renovation of the famed Steel Pier which has been closed since 1979 when it was purchased by resorts. The ruling will allow consideration of all this as one project. Several other casino hotel operators in Atlantic City have also requested major additions to existing facilities. Three masked men got away with sixty eight thousand dollars early this morning after robbing Atlantic City's Tropicana Hotel. The facility's casino was not affected. City police say two of the men drew handguns and forced a security guard into a hotel office. There they ordered the guard and two other employees to lie on the floor while they broke into a safe. The three grab the cash and escape down the back staircase. No one was hurt and no one

could provide much of a description of the robbers because they wore ski masks. The State Division of Gaming Enforcement is joining City police in the investigation of the holdup. What I ask is you know hotel robbery by the way was over two years ago at Resorts International this past Sunday Atlantic City's volunteer ambulance service was shut down the state First Aid Council had inspected the only city ambulance in working condition and said it violated safety regulations. Today the city commission met and decided to buy some new ambulances. Then Hudson was there. A major problem in administering Atlantic City's volunteer ambulance service became apparent very quickly at today's meeting. It took several minutes for commissioners to decide just how many ambulances the city has. And what do we have no one knows. We have highly they established that he has three. But all are in varying states of extreme disrepair. Several city officials and city mechanics say the problem is with volunteer drivers abusing the equipment. We're going to go ride last weekend when three men in the back of. Their sleep would be running with the ignition switch turned off. There's no good system at all. Have you

been before. Oh no this one this is the third time. City mechanic showed us on this two year old ambulance where brake rotors had been worn down to almost nothing in a month's time. It's broken completely off and missing door handles are just a few of the problems. There is a private ambulance service in Atlantic City but saying that a public service is also necessary. City commissioners voted today to spend forty two thousand dollars to buy two new ambulances. The city also decided this morning to spend the several thousand dollars necessary to completely overhaul the three ambulances now out of service. But the mechanics here agree that unless there is significant supervision of the drivers man driver training it won't be long before these ambulances manned the new ones are all back here again. There's been no such oversight in the past. But the city's coordinator of Emergency Services was given that responsibility today. He says eventually he wants to use paid ambulance crews that may be a long ways off. So meanwhile he uses whatever qualified volunteers are available. Good volunteers these days he says are a

dying breed in Atlantic City came down hard. Here's a look at our weather forecast tonight will be cloudy and cold again temperature in the teens mostly cloudy skies tomorrow with snow developing by afternoon continuing into the evening the high in the upper 20s and the outlook for Thursday fair and again cold. In the second segment of our weeklong retrospective look at the burning years we examine the one

area singled out for special attention by Governor Byrne and his administration. The cities and perhaps that is the one area above all others where the governor failed to meet his goals. Your jersey is often referred to as the most urbanized state in the nation but much of that so-called urbanization is in fact suburban sprawl. Older cities which once played a key role in the lives of most New Jersey residents have lost both population and significance. Still these cities are home to many people and its 978 inaugural Brendan Byrne pledged his second ministration to the task of rebuilding New Jersey's once great city's. Run rate front to remain the front to your man city. If our shoes are not made as healthy and attractive as the rest of New Jersey I fear that all of the other achievements are threatened. How has Brendan Byrne kept that pledge.

Are things any better for people living in New Jersey cities as the band administration's urban commitment made any real difference. Burns intentions to save the cities may have been sincere his failure to follow through meant that the good intentions were at times. All the cities got to make some choices. Things I'm most interested in pushing for. Prospect but I was wrong to suggest it. From a dollars and cents standpoint the Burne administration's contributions to New Jersey's urban

areas have been sizable since 1974 the state has provided cities with more than four hundred fifteen million dollars in direct urban aid and through the safe and clean streets program. Almost all of the eight hundred forty five million in mortgage aid provided by the State Housing Finance Agency since 1974 has been used to help construct 20000 new urban housing units. Although the agency was rocked by scandal in 1980 when investigations revealed the funds had been misused the construction of housing units came in a time when senior citizens and low income families needed decent housing more than ever. The massive private development of Atlantic City's boardwalk is an example of how changes in state laws in this case the legalization of casino gambling can foster urban revitalization. But critics claim that little of the new money has trickle down past the boardwalk and into the city's poor neighborhoods. Many of the new jobs created by casino gambling have been taken by people from outside Atlantic City and the city's housing stock continues to deteriorate.

Other critics say Governor Burns commitment to New Jersey cities has at times wavered. The Hackensack meadow lands under state zoning jurisdiction is slated to become the site of a massive retail shopping mall. Opponents claim it will invariably harm perhaps kill the shopping districts and surrounding older communities leading in turn to deterioration and blight staff members at the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission and the governor's office reject those notions. Another sensitive issue is the amount of foreign trade zone a project that will bring 2000 new jobs to New Jersey. The trade zone is being built in a rural area of Morris County not in an area of high unemployment like Newark. The problem some say is that while the brown administration said it wanted to help it didn't know what to do. The problems with cities are fundamental to a very deep very hard the sad. And the kind of approach that the brunt of ministration took which was to try to at least cut half of the

ballots out of the cities and into the suburbs. Many enemies every time you took a step to implement that kind of move to actually do it with a practical application of a development. There are many incentives to the administration not to go ahead and do that. And in fact much of the progress seen on the urban front since 1974 has come not because of action by the Byrne administration but because of the actions of private interests in Newark the initiation for construction of new office towers like the company headquarters for public service electric and gas came from private businesses. New Brunswick has been luckier than most other New Jersey cities. Johnson and Johnson calls it home and has decided to spend 50 million dollars to stay there. A decision that is transforming the city's downtown area. But if New Brunswick is more fortunate than other cities Camden must be the state's hard luck town split by the construction of an interstate highway decimated by urban blight

urban flight a shrinking tax base and unsound financial practices by former administrations. Camden had to be rescued by the state which imposed strict fiscal restraints. In return Camden excepted the new state prison plan that no other city would take. They're not as visible as new buildings and clean streets. Some initiatives by the Byrne administration have helped other cities survive. I mean the governor can do however with having made some positive have a positive impact on the go to for a while income tax. And I made a big difference with the second film used to qualify bond program. Construction.

The current administration also tried to install a sense of fiscal integrity in municipal budgets since 1977 the spending of all municipalities counties and the state itself has been capped by controversy a law restricting budget growth the capital holds down increases in municipal spending to 5 percent a year and has forced cities to rethink the way they do business. Most people don't judge cities by the kinds of appealable standards government planners use instead of statistics or changes in overall patterns of development. It's the quality of life that's important to the average person. It's the way a city looks and how it feels to travel at it. Using this much more subjective index it's easy to see why there is a general feeling that New Jersey cities after eight years of Brendan Byrne are still in deep trouble. Crime still is perceived as a major problem compounded by cutbacks in police protection and other city services due in part to the Reagan administration's budget slashing urban schools are seen as expensive failures despite an upswing in test scores on state and

ministered minimum basic skills tests. The problems facing New Jersey cities are so big and so complex that perhaps it's unrealistic to think that any one governor can turn the situation around. Changes can take if you focus on those kinds of resources and suffer the political consequences. But that's not totally popular 100 percent popular. You have to make difficult decisions. Still the people who live work and shop in urban centers which accounts for nearly all of New Jersey seven million residents expect more than rhetoric from the next governor. They're looking to him for solutions that will breathe new life into New Jersey cities. And in tomorrow's installment on the burn years we'll examine governor Burns personal approach to the job he's held for eight years. And now with the sports report here's Bill Perry.

Well OK thank you can't the Nets had won two in a row including a win over Philadelphia on Saturday night but last night it was Boston so much for the winning streak that it's jumped out with six quick points Brooke Williams coming up here he had 24 New Jersey so did Ray Williams But Robert Parish got six straight points to tie the game. He finished with 24. That's Robert and Chris Ford from deep three pointer coming up for the Atlantic City native. Now it's. Olivia newton john time physical it's Ray Williams squaring off against parish the seven footer nets playing tough and they were up twenty nine twenty seven after one now second quarter after Rick Robey hit tied at 35. Oh Livia again Roby and James Bailey technical on J.B. Larry Bird hit Boston never trailed again. Byrd scoreless in the first quarter warmed up 11 in the second quarter and finished with 25 to lead all score 60 53 Boston at the half. And despite this jam by Bally it was Boston by thirteen eighty nine seventy six after 3 because at the other end parish was eating up James. Boston stretched its way to 18 at the end with the 112 94 final. Rutgers Meanwhile beat St. Bonaventure 51

41 in an Eastern 8 league game last night Rutgers was up 16 to six after seven minutes of play the Knights looking good early. Clarence Tillman had his first three shots and Kevin Brock had 11 quick points the good defense coming up here leading to Black's solo for the Jam Records on its way to its ninth win against three defeats to 1 0 in the Eastern 8 to Bonnie's Mark Jones where the shot blocked leading to the black slam then got hot outside here is Jones and then watch number 11 going to the boards for the tip in game high 17 for Jones Bonnie's with a 14 to 2 spot in the final eight minutes of the first half to lead a 28 23 now second half. Oh. But the first 10 points of the second half toman put Rutgers up to stay and Roy Hansen who had two first half points then took charge Roy finished with 14 as did so many black records held St. Bonaventure to seven points over the first 18 minutes and 50 seconds of the second half. Defense like that doing it in all records with a 28 to 13 second half advantage and Rutgers won by 10 51 41 the final indoor soccer tonight at the Meadowlands Arena it's the cosmos against Montreal.

That's our Sports. OK thank you Bill. Once again our top story is New Jersey's congressional delegation will be different the governor Burnet has sought a redistricting plan today based on amendments to an earlier bill which many legislators did not even know existed. And Governor burned in his final State of the state's message today calling on Tom Cain to focus on tax reform. And that's the news for tonight for Don Torrance Bill Perry and the rest of the nightly news. I'm cannot hand wishing you a good night. New Jersey 19 and this is a joint presentation of the New Jersey number

13 record. With. Solid. Chance to get. A few of the reasons why people see ground. For the night when I get. It.