Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 4

PAGE A4 ASBURY PARK PRESS MONDAY, SEPT. 8, 1997 gTT i i mi HTM VII' -lit I A HISTORICAL VIGNETTE Toweremissions i-yiFy i i i i i a point of When a board member asked how close the nearest residential property was to the site, Carnacchia estimated it was 221 feet However, Lucy Mannino, whose property is nearest to the site, said the distance, was 59 feet Also, land survey data provided at the meeting showed the nearest property was 60 feet away. Mannino came to the meeting with Federal Communications Commission documents, which she said found the effects of the emissions on people living close to a transmitter were inconclusive. "This is a very scary book. I don't low and fall well below permitted exposure levels and are deemed not a threat," he said.

The permitted levels are determined by the state's Radiation Protection Act The low emission levels from the tower are comparable to the wattage from a FM radio or television antennae, Carnacchia said. Jim Barbarello, a township resident, asked Carnacchia whether those comparisons were useful. "The expert was brought here to show people this is not a problem but his comparisons tended to confuse more than to clarify," he said. Churches kf 7 i. mm build on racial harmony There she was Miss Long Branch By KAREN SCHNITZSPAHN GUEST WRITER At the 1997 Miss America Pageant this Saturday, two-piece swimsuits are being permitted after a long absence.

The contestants will be allowed to wear bathing costumes of their own choosing reflecting this year's Miss America Organization's emphasis on individuality. By LEO CARNEY CORRESPONDENT NEPTUNE An amplified mix of contemporary rock and southern gospel rhythms reverberated through Living Word Christian Fellowship last night during a racial unity service with Long Branch Covenant Church. A combined worship group of about 35 musicians and singers led the excitement for almost 90 minutes before the sermon began for the crowd of about 400 attendees. Interracial, worship services are nothing new in New Jersey or elsewhere. Such services, according to church historians, have long been held in this country.

They are becoming more regular now in bur- -geoning Christian communities across the nation. The session between the two churches continues a bond the two pastors, their families and their congregations having been developing '-m I A MARY lUVONEStaff Photographer Reverends Tony Moss (left) and Cedric A. Miller lead their congregations in song during an interracial church service. By MARCELLA DC SIMONE FREEHOLD BUREAU MANALAPAN TOWNSHIP Lev-, els of electromagnetic emissions from if proposed tower for cellular tele-, phones were a top concern at the Zoning Board meeting last week. Sprint Spectrum representatives appeared before the board to request a use variance because the tower is taller than the allowable height.

Lou Camacchia, an electronics who testified on behalf of Sprint, told the board he did a study on the levels of emissions the tower would transmit "Overall emissions are extremely Town digest Agency to draft teens for anti-drug campaign SUBSTANCE ABUSE RE- SOURCES, a drug and alcohol pre- vention group based in Ocean Township, has set its sights on re-1 versing the growing trend of drug ''use among schoolchildren and teen-agers. Through Students Speak Out, a drug and alcohol awareness and prevention campaign, the group aims to make high school students the role models for their younger peers. "When armed with positive messages, high school students have the ability to make a power-n ful difference in younger students' lives," said Mary Pat Angelini, ecutive director of the agency. 1 The organization is asking older students to devise plans to encour age elementary and middle-school pupils not to become involved with drugs and alcohol. It is also looking for community support to pro-.

vide incentives and prizes for par- ticipants. To request a student informa- tion packet or to become a sponsor, call (732) 663-1800. Church plans fall festival OCEAN TOWNSHIP: The First United Methodist Church is gearing up for its first Harvest Festival and 'Craft Fair. Apple bobbing, pumpkin painting (' and scarecrow are among the activities scheduled during the festival. Crafters will also sell their wares in the church parking lot at Monmouth Road and South Lincoln Avenue during the event from 9 a.m.

to 3 p.m. Sept. 20. The festival, which replaces the church's annual November Holiday Bazaar, will feature a scarecrow Entrants will put their scarecrows together and display them along Monmouth Road starting Saturday. Passersby can vote for their favorite by dropping quarters In the can near each entry.

-3 The United Methodist Women, "Junior and Senior High Youth and the Wesley Nursery School are the sponsors. For more information about the scarecrow contest or vending space, -call (732) 531-1150. for about eight months. Living Word is headed by the Rev. Cedric A.

Miller while the predominantly white Long Branch Covenant's pastor is Tony Moss. Both non-denominational Protestant churches maintain outreaches to their communities. Covenant's Charles and Alexis Harris run Project Hope Mission, which provides technical training and other pro- concern think anybody in this room would be comfortable living under this 24 hours a day," she said. "1 can't possibly live with this fear. There is danger," Mannino said.

"There is nothing here that says this is safe," she said, referring to the FCC documents. Sprint Spectrum representatives said the documents Mannino referred to should have been made available prior to its discussion. The board asked that copies of the documents be made available to its members and the applicant The public hearing of the matter will continue on Oct 16. a worship service, holding hands and singing a song," said Moss. "The thing that I think makes my relationship with Tony work is that we have no agenda.

We just get together, let it fly, and what happens, happens. It's a true fellowship," Miller said. "I like that he makes it real comfortable for us to be different and we sure are different," he said. "We want to see the racial barriers broken down and our churches become an example to the community that people can bridge the racial gap," Moss noted. have schools asking to be put on the waiting list in case of cancelations," said Brunner, who coordinates the program almost single-handedly.

Brunner visits schools on Mondays and Fridays with an anti-drug video produced by the Sheriffs Office and TV34. The presentation shows actual arrests and interviews with inmates. His list of activities doesn't end there. It includes visits to grade schools to talk with children about traffic safety and not to accept rides or gifts from strangers. He also speaks to senior citizens' groups about the scams that are aimed at people in their age group.

As for the volume of work, Brunner said simply: "The program just got bigger and bigger and I put my heart and soul into it." schedule week on gutting his program for voluntary grade-school testing in math and reading. He was scheduled to speak at a Maryland elementary school today. Aides gave the speech advance billing as his most forceful yet, and they suggested he would threaten to veto the massive spending bill for the Laoor, Health and Human Services, and Education departments if Republicans succeed on an amendment blocking funds for the testing. Education Secretary Richard Riley and senior White House advisers have been waving the veto threat for weeks. In a similar school appearance on Martha's Vineyard last week, an official pause in his vacation, Clinton admitted to being "a little bit peeved," that his push to set high national education standards and test learning has not caught fire.

Just six states and 15 schixJ districts have embraced the plan and committed to testing in 1999. Beauty pageant: Elene Hicks, "Miss Long Branch 1923" on the boardwalk in Atlantic City during the Miss America Pageant that year. Courtesy of Elene Dwyer ever to compete in the Miss America Pageant. The adventure began for Hicks when the Star of the Sea graduate entered a local beauty contest in Long Branch in August 1923. The occasion was a carnival that celebrated the opening of the newly paved Ocean Avenue.

The 1923 carnival included a parade on Ocean Avenue, band concerts, a baby parade, celebrity guest speakers, athletic competitions and the beauty contest, a preliminary for the Atlantic City pageant. Despite her good looks and poise, Hicks did not win the title of Miss America. The winner was Mary Campbell of Columbus, Ohio, who took the title in both 1922 and 1923, the only Miss America ever to hold the title twice. If the talent contest that was established in 1935 had existed in 1923, Hicks would have scored additional points. She was an accomplished pianist who often played dramatic music to accompany silent films at the old Paramount Theater in Long Branch.

In 1928, Elene Hicks married Charles F. Eager. They had one child, a daughter who was named after her mother. Elene (Mrs. Donald) Dwyer of Oceanport, who is a current trustee of the Long Branch Historical Association, describes her mother as being a "down-to-earth person who did not put on any airs." Sadly, Elene Hicks, the beauty queen who almost became a Miss America, died of breast cancer in 1940 at the age of 38.

In her obituary, the courageous Elene was quoted as writing from her room at St. Luke's Hospital in New York, "If I am called to face big things, may I do so gallantly." Elene Hicks' name may not be well-known today but her real legacy lies with her daughter, her four grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren who take great interest in keeping her beautiful spirit alive for even more generations to come. Karen Schnitzspahn of Little Silver is a writer, historian and entertainer. She is the author of the recently published books "An Album of Animal Companions" and "Little Silver." That visit was the focus of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee's investigation into campaign funding irregularities last week, when nuns acknowledged they were reimbursed for checks they wrote to the Democrats. The Democratic National Committee collected $100,000 in donations linked to the luncheon.

As a tax-exempt institution, the temple is not supposed to be involved in partisan politics. Specter said there were no immediate plans to call Gore to testify, but said Gore may come to the conclusion that "appearing sooner, voluntarily, rather than later, would be in his political interest." Asked if Gore intended to appear before the panel, his spokeswoman, Ginny Terzano, said, "No, and no request has been made." But contestants in the early years were spunky and reflected individuality too, including a local beauty named Elene Hicks, Miss Long Branch of 1923. Hicks competed in the Miss America Pageant of 1923 that was held in Atlantic City Sept. 5 through 7. Bathing suits revealing bare midriffs were not fashionable in the 1920s, but young women who entered the Atlantic City pageant strutted in one-piece suits that were daring for their day.

The official instructions for the 1923 contest advised "against a costume with silk or taffeta ruffles as such a costume hides the lines of your figure The usual knit or silk one-piece bathing costume is to be preferred and will give you a fairer chance with the judges." This would seem to indicate that the contestants had some choice about what they could wear, although recent publicity calls 1997 the first year in the history of the pageant that the contestants can wear their own bathing suits. The bathing suit competition was not the only thing that made the Miss America pageant a very different contest in the early days from what it is today. From 1921 to 1927, the pageant was known as an "inter-city" event with young women representing various municipalities. Seventy-three women from various cities were divided into groups from general geographic regions and competed for the title of Miss America in 1923. The 1997 contest includes entries from each of the 50 states plus a Miss District of Columbia, somewhat reminiscent of the first pageant.

The 1923 Miss Inner-City pageant showed the contestants off in several genres, including sporting clothes and evening gowns. The Rolling Chair Parade on the boardwalk, in which rolling chairs were decorated as floats for each contestant, was popular but the swimsuit competition proved to be the feature attraction of the festivities. Elene Hicks, the striking blond, 19-year-old native of Long Branch who represented her city in 1923 was the first and only Miss Long Branch His jail tours offer a little tough-love to teens grams to Asbury Park youngsters. Living Word has several ministries, including Living Word Christian Academy. That's about where the outward similarities end.

Moss and Miller began having lunch together following a Promise Keepers rally in Wall Township earlier this year. Since then, their congregations and leaders have met for a barbecue, worship and other activities. "We knew that if we wanted to work toward racial reconciliation that it had to go way beyond having The former corrections officer and graduate of the Monmouth County Police Academy began running the programs in 1991, when former Sheriff William M. Lanzaro was in office. The jail tour and other programs have become popular with schools throughout the county.

The Sheriffs Prison Awareness program has the students going to the jail as part of a half-day visit to the county seat. Their destinations include the police academy and the courthouse. Brunner said he has a large file of letters from students, parents and schools praising the program, which is booked solid from September to June for three days of each week that sessions are held. "The phone rings off the hook. I Prepared for a fight from liberals in his own Democratic Party, Clinton plans to announce proposed legislation in an East Room ceremony on Wednesday.

While the White House has revealed little of what it plans to present to Congress, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, warned last week that the measure would be doomed by add-on provisions sought by environmentalists and labor unions. Clinton is also under pressure to act quickly, or forfeit, the landmark deal to settle 40 state lawsuits against cigarette makers. Lockhart expected a recommendation from the president "sometime over the next couple of weeks." But the stakes are highest for Clinton on education. "The president has made it clear that education is at the top of his list," Lockhart said. Clinton was wasting little time in trying to beat back congressional opponents who hoped for a vote this By DOUG FRANK CORRESPONDENT OFFICER ALLAN BRUNNER provides a dose of tough-love for teenagers who go through his programs, sponsored by the Monmouth County Sheriffs Office.

His tours of the Monmouth County Jail in Freehold Township are not designed to be fun for the young people involved. In fact, if too many are smiling at the end, he feels he hasn't done his job well enough. The tours are designed to expose high school students to the realities of life behind bars and the risks of engaging in unlawful behavior, he said. "We show them everything in the jail. Nothing is phony.

They find out what it's really like in a maximum security jail," Brunner said. "It's an eye-opener for them. Some kids have cried and have had to be escorted out," he said. work," spokesman Joe Lockhart said before the president and his family departed their Massachusetts island haven Sunday. "We expect progress on a number of issues." Still, looming over the work ahead was the expectation among many White House officials that Clinton would be distracted by the departure of daughter Chelsea for Stanford University later this month.

One official cited a fall planning memo sent in August from the White House to the heads of all federal agencies, encouraging them to keep an eye out for official opportunities for the president to travel to northern California, near Stanford. Clinton, who wants wide latitude in negotiating a hemisphere-wide free trade zone at next spring's Summit of the Americas, instructed aides to consult while he was away with more than 100 members Congress on the prospects of winning so-called fast track trade authority. Rested Clinton facing busy fall Senator wants Gore to clear air on Buddhist temple fond-raiser An initiative to set high national education standards and test learning Jops the political agenda. i i THE ASSOCIATED PRESS T. WASHINGTON After three i nearly uninterrupted weeks at play on Martha's Vineyard, President Clinton returned to the White House yester-I day with a long to-do list.

At the very top: Salvage his centerpiece plan for i education standards and testing. The president also hoped, through an ambitious fall game plan, to control the political agenda on the big issues of tobacco, free trade and global warming. But with opposition building on those issues, time was already running out. Clinton has "really had a chance to rdax and spend some time thinking and recharging his batteries, so I think he's looking forward to getting back to THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON Vice President Al Gore should voluntarily appear before a Senate panel investigating campaign finance irregularities to state clearly that he had no knowledge that his 1996 visit to a Buddhist temple was a fund-raising event, a member of the panel said yesterday. "I think there's no question as the picture has unfolded that the vice president has to speak out on that," Sen.

Arlen Specter, said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "I think that Vice President Gore may be able to save his political standing if he docs that." Gore has repeatedly stated that he did not believe the April 1996 event at the Buddhist temple in Los Angeles was a fund-raiser..