The Jersey Journal from Jersey City, New Jersey • 12

A12 The Jersey Journal Wednesday January 28 1998 Metro Key witness says he testify anymore in Brawley trial By Michael Hill Associated Press writer POUGHKEEPSIE NY After three days of answering questions one lawyer dismissed as a key witness in the defamation trial of Tawana Braw ley's advisers said yesterday through testifying ormer assistant state attorney' gen eral John Ryan was questioned all day about his supervision of a 1988 grand jury' that discredited Miss rape claim Like many days in the eight week trial testimony was peppered with objections and emotional exchanges The defendants Alton Maddox Vernon Mason and the Rev Al Sharpton sought to cast doubts on the grand jury report and its exoneration of plain tiff Steven Pagones The former assist ant district attorney in Dutchess County who is now a lawyer in the state attor ney office is suing the trio for naming him as one of attack ers Maddox spent most of the day ques tioning Ryan on minute details of his in vestigation Ryan remained unruffled often making wry comments through his testimony But he revealed some emotion when asked about his reaction to the advisers naming Pagones as an at tacker accused someone without evi dence of a very vicious and vile Ryan said calmly may not like it but how I questions to Ryan which touched on things like rain gear bought by Pagones and what newspa pers Ryan read appeared to exasper ate Edward Saslaw an assistant state at torney general in court to guard the con fidentiality of the grand jury report Saslaw said questions were and a form of harassment Ryan said he was originally supposed to testify only one day and he now saw no alternative but to resist further attempts to call him to the stand think been cooperative with the court but I think reached that he said Maddox predicted Ryan would in deed be back and brushed off comments Lawyers yesterday also dealt with pending testimony attorney William Stanton planned to call him this week but the judge pushed it back to at least Monday because of scheduling concerns The judge also still must decide whether to admit a 1989 magazine arti cle in which Sharpton is quoted saying he knew of a deputy sheriff who wit nessed Miss attack Stanton yesterday challenged Sharp ton to produce the witness Sharpton said he recall his name but promised are other law enforce ment officials that I will call on the Eleven injured as crane hits Roosevelt Island tram By Verena Dobnik Associated Press writer NEW YORK A collision be tween a crane and the Roosevelt Island tram over the East River injured 11 people yesterday and forced thousands of others to find alternate transportation The Manhattan bound tram was carrying at least 20 passen gers across the river just before 9 am when it was struck by the crane anchored on a barge near shore according to police Deputy Inspector Michael Collins Passengers were thrown about causing injuries and bruises to 11 people officials said our women and two men were treated and released for minor at New York Hospital said spokeswom an Kathy Robinson adding that most had some back discomfort and neck pains Three other in jured passengers went to Belle vue Hospital Center and two de clined medical treatment said irefighter Bruce Lyall speaking for the Emergency Medical Serv ice The crane being used for re pair work on the Queensboro Bridge was in the process of lift ing a piece of equipment and was a miscommunication between the operators of the tram and the crane who were us ing walkie Collins said The tram whose left front end was dented in the collision was brought into the tram sta tion at 60th Street and Second Avenue and the injured were re moved there heard a lot of fire engines and went out and saw people be Associated Press photo 9 A THE CRAIN that hit the Roosevelt Island tram injuring 11 people sits under the Queensboro Bridge yesterday ing carried said Anna Spanolios co owner of the Tram way Diner under the Manhattan tram station were wrap ped up on the stretchers with sheets around Tram service in both direc tions was suspended indefinitely as officials from the trans portation police and fire depart ments investigated the exact cause of the accident said Mi chael Greason spokesman for the state run Roosevelt Island Operating Corp The owner of the crane Grow Perini halted its use on the repair project pending the in vestigation the Queens based company said The tramway carries 3000 riders a day in two cars that serve stations in Manhattan and Roosevelt Island The overhead cables are strung on metal col umns parallel to the upriver side of the Queensboro Bridge Two weeks ago a freighter struck the bridge causing a 6000 pound section of repair scaffolding to collapse and clos ing the bridge for about five hours And in September a worker was killed and several others left dangling over the riv er when scaffolding on the bridge collapsed It was the second acci dent in as many days involving a crane On Monday in Times Square the 40 foot boom of a crane buck led and crashed into a building on 43rd Street when a flatbed truck delivering several tons of granite pulled away before the crane could lift off the supplies No one was injured KEARNY ANNUAL SCHOOL ELECTION TUESDAY APRIL 21 1998 To: PROSPECTIVE SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES Nominating Petitions for the Annual School election for three (3) members of the Board of Education each for a three (3) year term are available to candidates or votes by applying to: Leslie Gaulton Business AdministratorBoard Secretary Kearny Board Of Education ranklin School 100 Davis Avenue Kearny New Jersey 07032 on any weekday between the hours of 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM Petitions must be filed with the Secretary of the Board no later than March 2 1998 at 400 PM (NJA 18A14 9 14 10 14 1 1) QUALIICATION BOARD EDUCATION MEMBERS Each board member must be a citizen and a resident of Kearny for at least one (1) year preceding his or her election be able to read and write and not be interest directly or indi rectly in any contract with or claim against the Board candi date must be 18 years of age to qualify for office (NJSA 18A12 1 12 2) Drawing or Position On Ballot Drawing or Position Of Candidates on the ballot will be held on March 11 1998 at 4:00 in the meeting room of the Board of Education of Keamy Candidates and votes are in vited to attend Leslie Gaulton Business Administrator Board Secretary Keamy Board Of Education 100 Davis Avenue Keamy New Jersey 07032 DATED: JANUARY 28 1998 ELECCION ESCOLAR ANUAL DE KEARNY MARTES 21 DE ABRIL DE 1998 N0TIICACI6N Para: Los Candidates Peticldn para nombra candidates para la eleccidn del Consejo de Education para tres miembros por un termino de tres anos esUn a la disposici6n del candidate del votante aplicando con: Leslie Gaulton Secretaria del Consejo De Educacidn De Keamy ranklin School 100 Davis Avenue Keamy New Jersey 07032 durante los dia de la semana entre las boras de 9XX) AM hasta las 400 PM La petaai tone que cendetir cm la Secretary del Consejo de duration no mas tarie de el jueres 2 de Mam de 1998 hasta las 450 PM ffLLSA 18k 14 9 corn enmendado) Caiificacidn Para Ser Miembro Del Consejo De Educaci6n Cada miembro del Consejo de Educaci6n debe ser ciudadano delos Estados Unidos residents de la ciudad de Keamy por 10 meos un ano antes de ser elegido Debe de saber leer es cribir en ingles no tener ningun interes directannte indirec tamente con contrato tenor reclamation contra el Consejo de Educacidn El miembro debe de tener 18 anos de edad para calificar para esa oficine (N JSJL 18A1 2 1 12 2) Seleccidn Para La Posicidn En La Bdeta La selecci6n para la posici6n del Candidate en la poleta sera 1 1 de Marzo 1998 a las 4:00 PM en el salon de reunion de el Consejo Educacidn de Keamy Los candidates votares estAn invitados a asistir Leslie Gaulton Secretaria Keamy Board Of Education 100 Davis Avenue Keamy New Jersey DATED: JANUARY 28 1998 No bang for New celebration in Chinatown By Tim Whitmire Associated Press writer NEW YORK The lunar New Year is arriving in Man Chinatown todaywith a whimper instead of the tra ditional bang of firecrackers like Christmas with out a Christmas tree or a Christmas tree without deco complains George Hwa vice president of the United Chinese Association City Hall has banned fire works as part of Mayor Ru dolph wide ranging effort to improve New quality of life and make its streets safer Chinese commu nity groups who sought an exemption from the 2 year old ban have gotten nowhere irecrackers are just too dangerous the city said an argument that found some agreement yesterday on Chinatown streets Peter Lei who operates a flower stall in the Dragon Gate Market at orsyth and Grand streets said make a firecracker is very dangerous Very dangerous for the chil dren for everybody I agree with that" Before New York outlawed fireworks in 1996 the rat tat tat of tens of thousands of fire crackers would reverberate through narrow streets during the annual Mott Street parade and the traditional lion and dragon dances Layers of spent red fireworks would pile in mats beneath feet with said businessman Kin Lee a very nice idea for atmos phere to have them but dangerous Some of the kids are really nasty Some of the kids they used to throw (the firecrackers) at the other But Charles Wang exec utive director of the Greater Blouse Skirt and Undergar ment Association the largest employer in gar ment industry said the tiny explosives play an important role to drive the evils away from the community to really usher in the New Year with a big he said a good celebration very symbolic You just feel like celebrating the New Year without Thirteen year old Eliza beth Yang who immigrated from China as a baby also op poses the ban to us the Chinese are a she said of us play it for tradition some of us for the fun of it Even though dan gerous just doing it our Three Louima lawyers quit cite differences with Cochran NEW YORK (AP) Three lawyers have quit Abner Loui legal team because of differ ences over the way Johnnie Cochran and two other high pro file associates are handling the case The resignations first report ed in the weekly Village Voice were confirmed yesterday by Carl Thomas an early member of the team Louima a Haitian immi grant is planning a $155 million lawsuit against the city alleging that he was beaten and sodo mized with a stick rupturing his bladder and colon in a bathroom of a Brooklyn stationhouse after a disturbance at a social club in August our police officers have been charged in the alleged at tack Thomas said he Brian ige roux and Casilda Roper Simpson quit riday over what he called and ethical differ with Cochran Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld all of whom were on the so called dream team that won a murder acquittal for 0 Simpson Thomas declined to elaborate and would not say whether the differences were related to Loui retraction of his statement that police officers said Giu liani while they attacked him three of us are proud of the job we did on the said Thomas think that by having these lawyers come on board who have sort of taken the lead ership over of the case we think their leadership is in the wrong direction and we sup port office referred a call for comment to a spokes man Joe Cooney who had no immediate comment Calls to Neufeld and Scheck were not re turned immediately Another early lawyer of Loui Sanford Rubenstein said he was satisfied with the makeup of the team and was continuing to work with it Mom daughter plead innocent to murder in exorcism death RIVERHEAD NY (AP) A Long Island woman and her old est daughter pleaded innocent yesterday to murder charges stemming from the attempted ex orcism of the younger daughter Vivian Miranda 39 and Sere na Martin 20 entered the pleas during arraignments on an in dictment that charges each with second degree murder in the suf focation death of Charity Miran da 17 on Jan 18 Suffolk Criminal Court Judge Morton Weissman set bail at $1 million for Mrs Miranda and $50000 cash bail or $250000 bond for Ms Martin Mrs lawyer Eric Naiburg revoked his request for a competency hearing saying his client understood the charges against her and could assist in her defense He explained that she still might have suffered mental defect during the com mission of the alleged crime Naiburg said he has not de cided on a defense strategy but expressed confidence that his cli ent would not be convicted of second degree murder In a telephone interview from his Hauppauge office Naiburg said can we preach about demons and devils in established religions that we can be pos sessed by the devil and then: someone acts on these beliefs and we step back and say he said.