Herald & Untern 3 March '82

Thousands Here Are Hooked on Alcohol

More than 11,000 Jersey Cape residents are alcoholics. Some of them are

youngsters.

Some i3.5 per cent of the county’s 82,000 people — many as young as 12 years of age , — can be classified as alcoholics, according to Dr. Jame& Manlandro, founder of the Cape May County Advisory Council for •

Alcoholism.

'Speaking before the I^ower Cape May Regional PTA Monday night. Manlandro said that it’s “alarming to see the number of 14- t(f 16-year-olds coihing into Burdette

Hospital with acute alcohol poisoning.’’ He added that nationwide studies indicate that by the time students are in high school 97 per cent have tried alcohol or drugs, and some 90 per cent are actively using alcohol

"as the drug of their choic^''-

•TIIAVS WHY WE TRY to get into the schools (to educate about alcohol! while they're still in the abuse stage." the doctor sag. emphasising that oh<re the student is addictedipaIcohol there is a physical compulsion just^&s great as with any other '

drug. , ‘ ' '

Y

There are more than 10 million alcoholics in the country today. While it is • uncertain that any individual can become ' bn alcoholic, there hs definite evidence ttiat

the iltnesk is heredilnry.

"Alcoholism is not s behavioral disease, ft s actually a metabolic disease," ■Manlandro saidy^f^on’t completely

understand it "/

THE DOCTOR WENT ON to say that if there is any (chance of preventing alcoholism it is ituhe schools He explained that while it may,take an adult between*

CAPE MAY

COUNTY

Vol. 17 No. 9 I ft I Wo wow* Co»p All right. >•(•.«•<)

March 3, 1982

Motorists Incautious

School Bus Drivers Apprehensive

by Bob Shiles It's becoming frightening. Each day — whethe* 1 by accident or intentionally — the number of motorists disregarding the yellow caution and red stop lights on school buses, is increasing. And while there haven’t been reports of a child in the county being injured by a vehicle running school bus lights in a number of years, as one driver said recently, "The law of averages is going to creep up on us.” A countywide problem, the increasing danger to children is why some bus drivers are now beginning to speak out publicly about the need for motorists to obey school bus laws. And according to Sue Roop and Genevieve Day — Lower Township drivers for St. Raymond's School, Villas — if it means taking violators to Court, they’re going to do it. AT A RECENT MEETING to discuss plaas to discourage repeated violations, Roop pointed out that the N.J. Drivers Manual states it is illegal to pass a school bus when it.is loading and unloading. "It doesn’t necessarily stipulate only when the lights are on,'’ she said While some motorists accidently run the lights, according to the school bus drivers, in most instances, it's usually the same offenders. "It’s habitual." Day said, adding that 'These are the one’s we’re after.” Both Roop and Day have already taken several motorists to court — a mqye many drivers shun because of what they maintain is the difficulty of getting a conviction.

inside

weekday as buses pick up or discharge their usually exhuberant cargo. Too martv motorists are risking life and limb by disobeying the law and not stopping for school buses.

“UNFORTUNATELY THE LAW seems to be more in tune with protecting the driver than the children," Roop explained. She said that unless the bus driver has the license plate number, the exact date, time and location of the violation, an accurate description of the vehicle, and an exact description of the driver — It’s impossible to get a conviction The burden of proof is on the bus driver and without a witness it’s the judges discretion whether to convict the motorist A conviction for running a

The Balancing; Act

Growth/Preservation

SIGN LANGUAGE, provided by clown-dressed Gina Scanella helped hearing impaired to, enjoy children's musical; others weren't so fortunate....P. 27 TRADING is fun. easy free — and a new service provided readers beginning this weeh....P. 25 HUNTING FISHING Licenses will be going up next year....P. 21

by Ed Harnett TUCKAHOE — With 40,896 acres spread across the northern end of Cape May County and no local purpose tax, it isn’t surprising that Upper Township is the fastest growing municipality in the county. The question facing officials in township hall here — one that is shared by municipalities throughout the county — is how to balance growth with preservation •of the open spaces and easy ambiance which attracted all those new people. Mayor Frank Kruk and his colleagues offer some answers which may be unique to Upper Township They can be summed up as a matter of haves and have nots AMONG THE HAVES, as the township points out in its publicity releases, is a pleasant mixture of rural, suburban and seashore living. Also among the haves is its mix of small and medium sized J? 001 - munities—including StrathmereT ac-

curately described as a rural seashore town, with lots of sandy beach, and the only commercial activity coming from two restaurants, a deli, a bar, and boat rental docks. A big have is the gold mine, disguised as Atlantic Electric's generating plant at Beesley's Point, which spews out the money in gross receipt taxes to pay the costs of township government and help defray the costs of the school system—$2.5 million worth last year SOMEWHAT TO THE DISMAY of township officials, Upper also has much of its acreage within the building restrictipns of the Pinelands Act They are hoping that with a new administration in Trenton those restrictibns may be diluted* if not repealed. MayorKruk feels that the township zoning regulations—with a 20,000 sq ft minimum for building lots, ranging up(Page 14 Please)

10 to 15 years to reach a point where he or she becomes incapacitated by alcoholism. . the same process takes place in a teenager in about six months. Continuing.' Manlandro pointed out that keg parties are orfe key factor encouraging the involvement of 12- to 14-year-olds in the use of alcohol "Thf- problem is that kids know drugs (including alcohol) are reliable." he said. r (Page ]4 Please) News— . Week's DlgeSt Top Stories OK County Budget COURT HOUSE - The County ‘ freeholders unanimously adopted a $28 8 ' million budget last Tuesday which while up $1,8 million over last year, will require a tax rate that is down almost 2 cents. The tax decrease from 42.09 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 40 12 cents is due to a 21 per cent increase in county ratables - which are now.ustimated at $4.t7 billion. Electric Softner BEESLEY’S POINT - Atlantic Electric plans to implement programs to soften the effect of the company’s propos ed $172.4 million rate increase, according to company president John Keehan Speaking before the County league of Municipalities last Tuesday. Feehan indicated that ip addition to working closely with local human service agencies for aid tp those in need, the utility plans to provide rebates to customers purchasing energy-efficient air conditioners, lobby the state to ban the sale of energyinefficient air conditioners, and provide customers paying 115 for a home energy audit with a free hot water heater insulation kit t Mr, Feehan defended the proposed rate increase as necessary to keep the utDity financially sound. The hike — which if approved under can’t go into effect before Sept 1 — is expected to up monthly electric bills between 30 and 40 per

cent

Electric Hit MIDDLE TWP The Township Com mitfee is expected to adopt a resolution this week opposing Atlantic Electric’s proposed $172 4 million base rate'hike Murder Sentences

school bus red light is $20 and 5 points on the driver’s license It’s often difficult to get all of the information needed for a conviction. Roop continued "Sometimes when a car is approaching. we can tell it’s not going to stop We have to decide in a split second whether we want that license plate or make sure the kids are safe The most important thing is those kids," she said , ROOK - who transports 97 students (Page 14 Please)

COURT HOUSE The last of the thn-e defendants in the Josephine Trombetla . murder case were sentenced in Superior Court here last week, and Ix-roy Camp was denied a reduction in his life sentence Curt Sibith. 21. of Swainton, was sentenced to life in prison with a man datory 25 years before being eligible for parole Jack Gaskill. 31. of Swam ton. and Alberta Wescott. 32. of South Seaville. were sentenced to 27 and 21 years respec lively Leroy Camp. 32.'of Rio Grande, was denied r'eqoest for sentence reduction and willihave to serve 52 years before he can be Considered for parole The 29-year-old Trombetla of South Dennis was tabbed to ddalh in Dec. 1900 after being beaten’and sexually abused at a party attended by the defendants Cop Car Bombed SEA ISLE CITY - A police car on the municipal lot outsjtie the police depart mijnt here; was destroyed early last week in a blaze apparently started with some kind of molotov cocktail ^ The fire began bq the passenger side of ’ the car about midnight, last Tuesday, and the inside of the vehicle was destroyed before firefighters could extinguish the blaze Authorities believe the act was carried out by someone wilh a grudge against the police. Both local police and the County Prosecutor’s Office investigated the incident (Page 15 Please)