The Nightly News with Karen Stone correspondent just me. And Bill Barry would spoil. What evening. The legislature gathered in Trenton today for the frenzied final days of its current session with a list of major legislation to consider there was no formal action on a massive reform of the state's no fault insurance law. But some bills did clear the House and Senate chambers Steve Taylor has this report from the State House. As early as last night there were indications that the no fault auto insurance bills would not be voted on and after caucuses have Democrats in both houses this afternoon assembly speaker Chris Jackman announced that no fault was out for today. This does not mean no full reform is dead for this legislature. There could be a vote Saturday or Monday if supporters decide they have the votes for passage. Also today the Senate gave final legislative approval to a bill which extends the state's spill control fund to cover chemical companies as well as the oil industry. That measure now goes to the government.
The assembly is still in session at this hour the Senate adjourned at about 4:30. Earlier the assembly voted to require a local referendum before a municipality could set up a so-called combat zone a place where various kinds of sex shops could be concentrated. The Senate didn't vote on that bill today. Most of the other bills considered today in both houses were small measures items which have been on the legislative calendar for some time and which the senators and assembly members were clearing up before this legislature goes out of existence on Tuesday. One big item was governor Byrnes new tax package. It hasn't been introduced in either house at this hour. It could come up here in the assembly later tonight or Saturday whenever it comes out it will face tough opposition. Reporting live from the state house in Trenton I'm Steve. And Mary Amor also is with us tonight for a look at some of the hallway politics going on with the tax bills.
There were a lot of strain and short tempers in the legislature that Governor Brown is trying to ram through his 300 million dollar program with new taxes before Tuesday that's the start of the new law and most legislators feel Burns got them back against a wall twisting there on the first thing the governor did yesterday to cancel a vote. Burn wants that no false reform badly. But he and top legislative aide Harold TOTUS seen here on the right reportedly wanted to concentrate their pressure on the tax package which is aimed at balancing next year's budget. That package with a hike in the corporate income tax a sales tax on non-medical professionals and a tax on oil refineries should be introduced tonight. The governor is looking for its passage in the assembly Saturday and in the Senate Monday right under the wire before the new assembly swearing in Tuesday that new assembly has 10 more Republicans and the governor knows they won't be sympathetic but the Republicans and
many Democrats are hopping mad about this last minute power play by the governor. And they're also feeling the pressure from lobbyists like Lou Applegate of the state Chamber of Commerce who stood outside the cordoned off Senate today and buttonhole legislators. That Iraq is Asian is that these taxes all come to this community even 90 percent of the sales tax on services comes from the little community we think it will be spread around more fairly. Legislators have been bombarded with phone calls and mail Grahams opposing the taxes messages that sound like this jersey architects are going to lose business to the jury. To New York architects of Pennsylvania architects the money is going to go out of the state it's never going to come back. We're ultimately going to be the big loser. There may be a mutiny. Some legislators say they won't come in for the special Saturday session but the governor ultimately holds the trump card. He's got 150 Bill dear to the hearts of various legislators and he's waiting till the last minute to sign them. Thank you.
And New Jersey public television stations will have live coverage of the tax fight from the state house Saturday beginning at noon. At Lenox city's white collar employees stayed off the job again today thus defying a city order and risking their jobs. The walkout continued today after the employees all members of the Teamsters union rejected the city's latest contract offer. The employees want salary hikes of $3000 across the board. But city officials say they can't afford that kind of increase. Meanwhile the city's negotiations with Atlantic City police have also made little progress but talks with blue collar workers there did end in agreement yesterday. Those workers have accepted a $3000 salary hikes over a two year period. Almost all police officers in Elizabeth reported for work this morning. Their 24 hour blue flu apparently over yesterday a stiff court order ended the police sickout and Elizabeth Mayor Thomas Dunn who had also issued an order threatening the officers with suspension removal or loss
of pay. Today accuse the city's PBA of staging the job action in order to embarrass him just prior to his re-election campaign. A PBS spokesman dismissed Dunn's charge as untrue. Talks aimed at producing a new police contract in Elizabeth are scheduled for tomorrow morning. In Camden there is a glimmer of hope tonight that a Houston company will build a 400 million dollar oil refinery along the Delaware River. And although the plans still have a long way to go before they become reality test Manahan says they could provide just a financial punch. Camden has been looking for the old 130 acre New York shipping yard in South Camden is the proposed construction site for the new refinery. If all the air and water pollution requirements can be met and the state and federal government give their blessings construction of the project may begin within two years. And the people of Camden will be the beneficiaries. Camden is classified by the federal government as one of the 10 most distressed cities in the nation suffering severe problems in the areas of unemployment
welfare schools and housing. If the refinery project is completed the end result according to Mayor Angelo ever Kitty. All good for the city. It means the rate of bills for the city which is you know in desperate need of taxation that means jobs for people there means a psychological attitude of revising itself from becoming respectable and having jobs for people in the place to bring other industries to so it's a chain reaction because it could affect the city's future and I'm sure it'll be a good one. According to a spokesman for the Intercontinental Consolidated Companies of Houston officials will begin filing applications this month to get the necessary permits to approve construction of the site in Camden. I'm can't man a hand and hold on to your pocketbooks. State Energy Commissioner Joel Jacobson predicts will be paying at least a dollar 75 for a gallon of gasoline by the end of this year. Gerry Ferraro the head of the New Jersey gasoline retailers association doesn't think gas will go quite that high. What he predicts will be
shelling out at least a dollar fifty by this time next year. Both officials say decontrol of domestic oil price hikes bio packs will contribute to the price jump. 13 national liquor distillers have been fined almost $400000 by the state's Division of alcohol beverage control. The 13 companies pleaded no contest to charges they made more than $900000 in illegal kickbacks to New Jersey wholesalers. Charges filed by the state attorney general accuse the company of offering illegal sales illegal gifts sales promotions discounts or rebates to the wholesalers. A state investigation grew out of a federal probe of state senator Matthew Feldman's business dealings. Feldman pleaded guilty in 1976 to charges he paid sixty four hundred dollars in bribes to a restaurant change for $240000 liquor contract. And the number of workers exposed to cancer causing substances at the state narcotics lab is probably closer to 76 rather than 57 as previously reported.
That was the word today from the state health department which has been checking into the problem. The two chemicals benzene and chloroform are used in the analysis of drugs. Those who may have been exposed are being urged to get a check up with a state picking up up to $100 of the bill all present workers at the lab are now using masks until a new $82000 ventilation system can be installed. And the people who live near the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant are going to court tomorrow. They want a judge to order the nuclear regulatory agency to provide round the clock supervision during the plant's refueling process. The Ocean County residents had asked the NRC for that monitor before but they were turned down. And Bert Parks the man who's been coming to Atlantic City every September for the last 25 years to host the Miss America pageant has been fired. Pageant officials say they want to start the decade off with a new look and that parks at 65 is just too old this successor will be announced later this month. Possible replacements include singer John
Davidson and Matt Davis. Now here's the weather forecast for the state. Tonight will have clear skies in North Jersey but not so clear in South Jersey. Temperatures will dip into the upper teens to low 20s throughout the state. Tomorrow it will be cloudy with a chance of snow later today and tomorrow night. Temperatures will be in the low to mid 30s in the northern part of the state. A bit cooler in the south and the outlook for Saturday partly cloudy and cold. It's time for sports and Bill Perry has some news concerning New Jersey's former World Light
Heavyweight Champion. Thank you Karen it has just been announced that Mike Rosman will return to the ring on February 14th Rossman who lost his last time out in September to Raymone qual I will meet Rockwell in Atlantic City. Maybe Donna Summer but I come out with an album and call it bad boys. She can dedicate it to nets and former nets first former nets Bernard King has been suspended by the Utah Jazz King was arrested yesterday on an alleged forcible sexual abuse charge now. John Williamson still on that but sidelined recently because of his overweight condition Williamson will appear in court next Tuesday on a third degree charge for allegedly attacking his wife. The Nets will review the Williamson situation after the court appearance. Speaking of court appearances San Diego made one last night. The Nets were there too but not back on defense the Clippers raced to a 63 52 lead at the half by getting easy fast break baskets 31 29 in San Diego after one but in the second the nets just didn't get back. New Jersey rallied in the third to lead 80 79 but in
the fourth quarter Ward 3 LED San Diego back in had a key drive plus the foul late to ice of San Diego wins 1 0 3 97. I want to talk about a player that got away from Kevin locker in the nets Bryant towers a clipper now after sitting out most of last year after contract hassle with Denver Talor from Perth Amboy in France the never played as a New Jersey Nets. Thought. You know I played for years with the New York Mets played on two championship teams and I thought it was time for me to get the type of contract that was due me and I thought I had it when I left for New York but I didn't. Unfortunately because of some holes in the contract now it's a contract that I can live with and very happy in sunny Southern California playing with San Diego. What if you had to do TV or game to play alongside a guy like Lloyd for. Long periods without UK with. Him. You. Didn't you.
Just played with a player and that's you know plenty of the fans and trying to hit open so that when I get in this plane all around very savvy the fans listen to the basketball which I'm known for. Wrestling comes to the South Mountain arena in West Orange tomorrow night Bruno Sammartino Big Bad Bob Duncombe The Incredible Hulk and others will be there among the others but please don't tell him I called him just one of the others is Gorilla Monsoon gorilla lives unwilling borrow and wrestling has been very good to him. We'll get more on Gorilla Monsoon on our sports tomorrow night by the way right. That is Muhammad Ali with gorilla in this footage. Taken. Let's not. Get out. Despite the lack of snow here it is the weekend ski outlook as provided to us by the New Jersey Ski Association all hours we give you all for Saturday and Sunday Vernon Valley Great Gorge 8:30 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. 12 to 15 inch bass manmade powder surface hidden valley not a.m. to
10:30 p.m. 10 to 20 inch bass man made Greg near 8:30 a.m. til 10:30 p.m. 15 to 20 inch bass manmade powder surface and it's ski mountain 10:00 a.m. to 11 p.m. 12 to 20 inch base and again the manmade powder surface that's because it hasn't been snowing. That's our ski outlook and that's sports. Democratic assemblyman Charles Mays of Hudson County has been arrested on a warrant issued nearly a year ago for failing to pay $500 to $500 worth of parking tickets in Jersey City. Mays was arrested over the weekend spent a few hours in custody. And this morning he was arraigned in municipal court. The judge told him he has until next Wednesday to pay for his tickets or face a contempt citation. The parking ticket started piling up well over a year ago. Mays made a partial payment and then quit. He's serving his second term in the assembly. An expert in urban affairs is speaking in Newark this afternoon painted a grim economic picture for the 1980s saying the economic downturn will be fueled by
increasing world tensions. The remarks were made at a reception honoring Dr. Martin Luther King in Newark north ward. Reggie Wells has the story. Every year since 1974 the north ward Educational and Cultural Center was honored Dr. Martin Luther King. Ironically the north ward was the last section in the city to accept blacks as homeowners in the north wards Mayor Anthony and Yuri outruns his security force. But this center has become known as the voice of moderation in the neighborhood and awards were presented today in honor of Dr. King. One of the recipients was Carl Holeman a member of President Carter's task force on urban strategy. Bowman said he was afraid of what rising tensions around the world would do to the rebuilding efforts in the nation's inner cities. With the world in the chaotic condition it's and that there is very likely to be much heavy emphasis on spending for defense rather than spending on domestic defenses which will be our neighborhoods and our board. And I'm an artist I know very well just as
well that. No matter what kind of energy below is an actual cost of filo and the problems of not being able to get energy enough to take you where your jobs ought to be you look almost heavily upon minorities and look for. Martin Luther King's birthday is not until January 15th. The director of the North works Center said they held their ceremonies today because they didn't want to offend black groups that will be honoring Dr. King later this month in Newark. I'm red welts. Many people only think about the port authority when paying their dollar fifty told to get in the New York
City or when their path train is late. Few people know the authorities program to take to make the surroundings in those tunnels and train stations more pleasant and I guess hummingbird takes a closer look. The buses and train terminals the bridges the tunnels the sea ports all concerns of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey commissioning and exhibiting are well the Port Authority is concerned with that too since it was created by the two states in 1921. The authority has spent $2000000 adorning its offices and public facilities. But the big push for an organized art acquisition program didn't begin until the 1950s. Most of the 2 million was spent beginning with planning and construction of the World Trade Center. Foot authority our consultant saw when a group says New Jerseyans and New Yorkers and hundreds of thousands of tourists are entertained and exposed to fine arts thanks to the Port Authority.
The first facility the Port Authority had was the Holland Tunnel. And. If you look closely at the Holland Tunnel you'll see a bust of Mr Holland. And that probably was our first acquisition of art. Art has always been part of good design and good architecture. It's a humanizing element. People do not identify with the buildings. In many cases there are by the building in many cases buildings give people an institutional feeling their they're imposed upon by the building by placing art and art objects in buildings. We in a sense bring the buildings and the architecture back to the people. This is Graham it's a 23 foot high stainless steel creation of American artist James Rosati. It's placed along with four other huge works of art in and around the World Trade Center. It was commissioned by the Port Authority during the construction of the Twin Towers.
These are the most expensive pieces of Port Authority are you daily by the hundred ten thousand visitors and workers of the World Trade Center's twin towers that work so those of both American and foreign artists signifying that the tri state area is an international hub in the art world. And if the purpose of the Port Authority here is to stimulate the interchange of art as well as all other kinds of world trade the Port Authority collection extends well beyond the much publicized towers however in Jersey City for example this exhibit is for the simple pleasure of train commuters. Much of the international. Community. Galleries in this area moves through Newark Airport. Now there is a proposal to create a permanent home for sculptures and paintings in the airport's new terminals A and B. At this meeting members of the Port Authority's Art Advisory Committee are selecting pieces to be displayed there. This committee comprised of independent art experts from New York and New Jersey recommends which artworks should be purchased by the Port Authority.
Several years ago three murals painted in the 1930s on a wall in the old Newark Airport were discovered and salvaged by the Port Authority with assistance from the National Endowment for the Arts. They are still gawking murals were buried under 14 layers of paint $30000 and six months of work were invested in recovering and restoring the pieces collectively considered a modern masterpiece by experts. Now the depiction of nationwide air routes converging over New Jersey's largest city is considered to be worth 1 million dollars. A film made about the restoration is currently on a tour an exhibit of cities which have air service into New York after the tour the murals will be placed on permanent display in The New York museum. In selecting the works to be placed on public display the Port Authority must consider the safety of valuable art. Would you anticipate a security problem. That was always a question that was considered Will we select of the type of war that we selected. We always knew there were some things that.
There was an interest in. But then when we had allies did and spoke to our advisors and to our engineers certain things had to be rejected for the very reason that US we had to be concerned about security. We tried to anticipate these problems by putting work out of the reach of people or. Where we have. Worked where people can interact with. Their made of materials that if they do get damaged we can easily take care of them. The Ninth Street PATH station and Manhattan office another example of the need to protect art in public places. The paintings here are part of a display that's been in this station for three months using advertising space that was not sold. They are not the original objects in this display however. The first items were stolen by travelers. The display called Rock Paper Scissors has since been secured under glass and guarded by TV
cameras. Rock Paper Scissors was produced by artists paid by the Federal Employment and Training Program Sita with material supplied by the Port Authority out-of-work artists submitted their ideas for brightening up with commuters complain was an eye sore of a train station. It seems everyone comes out a winner on the one Street Station project the Port Authority acquired the art the next to nothing. The artist got short term jobs and those who use the one street station say they enjoy the brightening up of what had been a dull urban scene. C defines it just one way of funding artwork for public places. The Port Authority has found it inexpensive or free art is easy to obtain here in the cultural capital of the country. The Port Authority operates under limitations imposed by the two states which stipulate that no more than 1 percent of construction cost can be spent on R in the construction of the World Trade Center about one third
of 1 percent of the nine hundred and thirty one million dollar cost was spent on art objects more. One half of 1 percent of the construction cost will be spent on decorating the Forty second Street bus terminal in Mid Manhattan. Now under renovation inflation takes its toll on our costs like everything else. Artists charge more and the materials become more expensive every year. And then there are the inflation theft and vandalism problems. The Port Authority's program deals with regularly but the consensus at the Port Authority is that despite all the problems the public does appreciate their efforts. I matter that I see people walking through our facilities particularly here in the World Trade Center. Most of the summer time when. The plaza outside this building is crowded with people all the lunch time I just enjoy the good weather. I'm certain they have a sense of it all. They're enjoying without them. You will still picture that's out there.
The Port Authority is creative marriage of art and architecture has certainly added a new dimension to the normally drab walls of public buildings bus and train terminals. There may be some question though as to whether the Russian community is even consciously aware that the art is there. So the next time you pass through a Port Authority terminal slow down look around. You might even enjoy Karen. And our final story tonight is about 13 cents in these days of galloping inflation 13 cents just isn't worth very much anymore. Yet a New York attorney found out just how much 13 cents means to the tax man and for what it's up whatever it's worth we think you'd be interested. Jack Conway reports. This is John surveillance and his story really begins at this little desk in the living room of his home in Newark. You see John's attorney has been for almost 50 years. He semi retired now and most of what he does he does here the telephone and the desk are taxed by the state under the
business personal property taxes. Last year John paid $1 30 cents for that tax. But the problem is the tax bill was a dollar forty three thirteen cents more than John paid for his miscalculation. The state demanded even pay a $10 late filing charges. And that's when John said enough is enough. I felt a combination of frustration and anger and my first impulse was to not pay the tax and rebel against it. And then after sobering thought I decided that if I didn't pay the tax I'd be charged $2 a day for every day the tax remained unpaid. And a 13 cent item could have blown into several hundred dollars. The whole experience gave John a new appreciation of the problems of those who buck the power structure. And I've seen protesters in the streets and. I didn't take them seriously I felt that they were probably overdoing their protests but not of the
Tappan to me. I almost feel like doing the same thing but I've restrained myself when I decided to do it. In through legal channels. But it is a bureaucratic nightmare believe me. Both attacks people and John himself call it a matter of principle and they'll fight it out in court. John believes the state is carrying the law to unreasonable extremes but the state says Just imagine if everyone withheld a few pennies from their tax. Yes just imagine in Newark. I'm Jack Connelly and that's the news tonight good night for the New Jersey nightly news.
