The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 1

St. John's ousts One role not union county Temple from NCAA always enough ffie5K2. First-round basketball upsets continue as jC Versatile actress Meg Ryan plays North Plainfield Missouri falls to upstart Northern Iowa in -7J three characters in the movie Borough agrees to pay resident who men's Southeast RegionalC-1 'Joe Versus the Volcano'D-T charged harassment. Page Thunderstorms, high 64; tonight, rain, low 41; high, tomorrow, 54 Weather details Pag A-2 Union, Middlesex edition Bridgewater, Saturday, March 17, 1990 722-8800 25 Cents A Gannett newspaper serving Central New Jersey 78, IN POSTSEASON OPENER Le)(aDS RUTGERS WHIPS 1 Courir-Nw pho by Kathy Johnson at the Rutgers Athletic Center, finds his nurse ed that he was in the telecenter after last week's show when an operator signaled him to say a woman was on the line, saying she was the one they were looking for in their next program. See SOLVED on back page 1 Rutgers basketball coach Bob Wenzel is congratulated last night after the Scarlet Knights defeated Holy Cross in the first roundof Thanks to television show, Vietnam veteran 'X, ii 'fat- the National Invitation Tournament Story on Page C-1.

for the show, confirmed that the North Plainfield woman is the former Army nurse the show will be seeking in a segment to be aired this week. "This is the first time (we've) solved something before the actual show has aired," Rajter said. He add moned 405 prospective jurors for the List case, and 230 are scheduled to appear on Tuesday. In comparison, only 200 jurors will be reporting on Monday to serve the two dozen courtrooms operating here. Superior Court Judge William L'E.

Wertheimer said the first group will receive the routine indoctrination given to all jurors, including a film which depicts jurors' duties. The remaining 175 prospective jurors will be on call in the event that a jury cannot be chosen from the first group. A jury will be chosen through a process called "voir dire." Candidates names are drawn from the pool at random and are individually examined by the judge, who uses a ques- See LIST on back page By SUZAN TATLE Courier-News Writer Every Wednesday night, along with millions of other viewers, Linda Caldwell curls up on the couch to watch "Unsolved Mysteries" on NBC. HOLY CROSS, 87 5T i1 1 r'' But she knows that when the show airs Wednesday, one of the night's mysteries will already have been solved because Linda Sharp Caldwell is the person they'll be looking for. David Rajter, administrator of the telecenter NBC uses to accept calls ''JJJT in a Richmond, suburb, living under the alias Robert P.

Clark. He was found on June 2 11 days after Fox Television spotlighted the 18-year-old case on "America's Most Wanted." A tip from a former neighbor in Denver led to the arrest and List's subsequent return to Union County last June 25. Union County's jury manager, Walter Garthwaite, said he has sum cause temperatures to dip again. The weekend forecast is for rain and a high tomorrow only in the upper 40s or low 50s. The past week's summer-like weather has spoiled many Central Jersey residents, who rediscovered air conditioning and leaving home motions to limit Tentatively purposes of stipulating certain witnesses Jersey for the trial.

He said this closed. "This is very recent testimony Poindexter," said tape when it is If that schedule would be Presumably, the Judgment Day is approaching Jury to be picked starting Tuesday in List case FARMERS FLEA MARKET JERSEY CITY (AP) The bodies of five people were discovered yesterday in a west side apartment, apparently the victims of carbon monoxide poisoning, Jersey City police said. The five, a couple and their three children, were found in a bedroom of a basement apartment on Clinton Avenue, said Police Director Gerard McCarthy. Lt. Glenn Cunningham of the Jersey City Police Department identified the dead as: Milagros Rivera, 27; Michael Alvarez, Francisco Alvarez, and Eddie Alvarez, 2.

The fifth victim, whose first name was unclear, was identified as either Conta-dino or Constantino Alvarez, 35. The county medical examiner and investigators from the Hudson County prosecutor's office searched for evidence of what might have killed the family, McCarthy said, adding that the family may have been dead for as long as one week. McCarthy said an initial investigation found no evidence of foul play. He said the deaths appeared to be caused by "a problem with a faulty pilot light on the stove and or a space heater." He said the probable cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning. Public Service Electric Gas spokesman Gene Murphy said the most recent account for the address indicated the owner's name as A.

Papathanasios. Employees answering the telephone at Wierck Realtors, whose "For Sale" sign hung outside the building, would neither confirm nor deny the owner's identity. See BODIES on back page broken Tuesday with a high of 85 and Thursday with a high of 80. "According to the calendar this is still winter, but there's nothing real cold in sight," Scherer said. Although Scherer could find no record of three heat records being broken in March in Plainfield, meteorol i am UMOAf I Chemical spilled into Arthur Kill ELIZABETH (AP) A tanker truck that overturned yesterday on a New Jersey Turnpike ramp spilled up to 2,500 gallons of an oil additive onto the road, with nearly 500 gallons expected to go into the Arthur Kill officials said.

Paul DeFalco, president of Linden Bulk, said the truck was loaded in Bayonne at the Pal Duf ryn Terminal which stores petroleum products. The truck was on its way to Exxon Chemical Americas in Linden, a division of Exxon, when it overturned, he said. DeFalco estimated that between 2,000 to 2,500 gallons of the additive may have spilled off the truck. Almost 3,150 gallons were pumped off the tanker and into another one, he said. The truck was on the Exit 13 ramp to Elizabeth when it overturned about 4:50 p.m., said Trooper Allan Griffin.

The ramp was temporarily closed while cleanup crews tried to contain the spill and right the truck, said Trooper Hector Ramos. State police initially estimated that 8,700 gallons had spilled, but later lowered their estimate to conform with DeFalco's. See SPILL on back page Inlail and Packard's Market, a Hillsboro landmark, is going out of business By LAURENCE ARNOLD Courier-News Staff Writer HILLSBOROUGH Packard's Market, a timeworn shopping outlet offering everything from fresh eggs to rusty antiques, will shut down May 1 after 41 years of business, officials said yesterday. Business at the 650-foot-long market on Route 206 has been dwindling for several years, said Robert Cronheim, president of the management company that oversees the operation. He said the growing upscale population of Somerset County has not been kind to the small discount vendors who work at the market "It's too bad," Cronheim said.

"I'm mindful that it had been in business for some time." Cronheim said the owner of the property, West Essex Industrial Park of Chatham, has not -decided what to do with the land. An existing gas station and aluminum-siding business on the property will remain in operation, he said. Packard's is the second food See PACKARD on back page ogist Keith Arnesen of the Rutgers University Meteorology Department said similarly warm March days have indeed occurred in New Jersey. The last time was three years ago, when temperatures on March 8-9, 1987, reached 70 and 75, respectively. i Mom rs Ik 'i ii -i ii ii.

i iinniiiin.il. 3 By TEK TALMONT Courier-News staff writer ELIZABETH The effect of the media blitz after last summer's capture of accused family-killer John List will he reduced to measurable terms Tuesday when jury selection begins, List attorney, Deputy Public Defender Elijah Miller, is among those who contend that it will not be possible to find 16 people who will be able to serve as impartial jurors in the trial of the Westfield man charged with the fatal shootings of his mother, wife and three children in 1971. But assistant prosecutors Eleanor Clark and Brian Gillet contend jury selection will pose no problem. List, 64, was discovered by the FBI 1 1 i Iw4 im A i t-' I 'I if III, I I 1 I'-8' -f r--4 i The first witness may not testify until April 2 ELIZABETH A tentative schedule for the trial of John List, 64, charged with the 1971 shooting deaths of his mother, wife and three children In their Westfield home, was announced yesterday. State Superior Court Judge William L'E.

Wertheimer said jury selection will begin Tuesday, as previously scheduled, and the balance of the week will be set aside for selection of the 16-member panel. Defense motions to suppress evidence will be heard on March 26. Wertheimer said the motions will involve testimony from witnesses who will be brought from out of state, and scheduling hearings for a "fairly certain" date will save money. The schedule calls for arguments on March 28 on testimony of certain witnesses. scheduled for March 29 is a review, for use of videotaped testimony of who will not be able to come to New portion of the pretrial proceeding will be much like former President Reagan's that was videotaped for the trial of John Wertheimer.

"The public will see the played for the jury during the trial" is met, Wertheimer said, opening statements given to the jury on Friday, March 30. first witness would be called on April 2. Courter-Nawi photo by Ed Piglitrtnl A vendor waits for customers at one of the outside tables at Packard's Market in Hillsborough. Like the weather? Enjoy it while you can, because it may not last Plainfield, the temperature reached 79 degrees by 11 a.m., topping the previous record of 78 set in 1935, according to Vivian Scherer, U.S. cooperative weather observer.

Yesterday's high was 82, and it was the third in a string of heat records broken this week. Records also were without a coat during the final week of winter. Temperatures for this time of year normally range from highs in the upper 40s and lows in the low 30s. Yesterday, Somerville and Newark reported record highs in the low 80s. The heat got of to an early start In By KATHY BALOQ Courier-News Staff Writer The mercury shot up yesterday for the third record-breaking day this week, but weather observers warn of an approaching cold front that will 1.