The Journal News from White Plains, New York • Page 1

IN WEDNESDAY'S JOURNAL- NEWS Time to vote Buffet ideas Believe it or not, it's election It's also time for holiday partime again. Tonight voters in 19 ties. And the bigger the crowd, fire districts go to the polls to the more likely you'll settle on a elect commissioners to fire dis- buffet. For ideas to please any BALLOTS trict boards. You'll find the re- crowd large or small see the sults here Wednesday.

Food section. The Tournal-News Serving all of Rockland County A MEMBER OF THE GANNETT GROUP ROCKLAND COUNTY, N.Y., TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1977 20 Carey won't change death penalty stand UNITED METHODIST. CHURCH Police chief's colleagues at attention outside church during service. Funeral for Ballard Family, friends and colleagues turned out Monday at a funeral service for Sloatsburg Police Chief Frank Ballard, who died Friday of heart failure at the age of 59. The service was held at the United Methodist Church of Sloatsburg.

Ballard, who served as chief for 18 years, worked his way up through the ranks after joining the force in 1949 as a part-time patrolman. Flag-draped coffin is removed, while in background, wife of police chief, center, is helped down stairs. 101 of Sloatsburg Elementary School pay respects after being let out of class. INSIDE TODAY'S -NEWS Laetrile The Food and Drug Administration is 2A seeking a stay on an order prohibiting them from restricting IB Laetrile. -2A, 13A 8A 2B 6A People 8B 10A Some of the loudest laughs in state of9A fices these days come from the Motor 7A.8A Vehicles -5A 13A 4A 4B 5A Sports 5B 6A A mother fought sadness The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 11A and guilt for 31 49ers unleash scoreboard fireworks as 12A 28 years.

-5A Dallas wins, 42-35. 58 3 Gannett News Service's Albany Bureau had an exclusive interview with Gov. Hugh L. Carey in his Capitol office Monday. This report is based on the interview.

By WOODIE FITCHETTE ALBANY "Has life become any less valuable?" Gov. Hugh L. Carey replied when asked Monday whether he had reconsidered his veto last July of a bill to restore capital punishment in the state. Backers of the death penaity have pledged to reintroduce the measure early in the 1978 legislative session. They have said support is so strong that they will have the votes to override a veto.

Asked why, in view of the broad support for the death penalty bill last July, he did not sign it, then promise to commute any and all death sentences during his administration, Carey said: "I'm neither stubborn, obstinate nor arrogant. I just stated a simple conviction based upon my conscience, which in turn is based upon a religious He added that he does not expect others to share his view that in this state the "ultimate source of violence" should be "the right to take a life." Carey said he believes that rather than concentrating on the death penalty alone, his critics should work with him on reforming the entire criminal justice system. He added that he expects his recently appointed Executive Committee on Criminal Sentencing to report sometime early next year. thing we really must look at is the different kinds of sentences that are being served in the corrections system for identical crimes," the governor said. Noting that Corrections Commissioner Benjamin Ward has called for replacing indeterminate sentences with specific prison terms and abolishing parole, he said: "The specific sentence and the Ward program is certainly the direction in which we are thinking.

Discussing Ward's view that New York prisons fail in efforts to rehabilitate inmate, Carey said he and Ward "know that the average length of stay (in prison) is 3 years and the average age (of inmates) is cutrently the early 20s," adding: do what we can (to rehabilitate), but we know we don't have the resources to make up for the failure of 20, 23 years. The emphasis has to be that you're in for a crime, and the purpose of the system is to teach you that we don't want you Carey said that "the area where we have to try to improve Division for In a change of heart from a few years ago, he said he no longer believes the state should create the post of statewide prosecutor, particularly to keep an eye on organized crime. "The duly elected district attorneys in the 62 counties who are doing the job now and are satisfactorily performing are not enthused about it having someone cross their county lines. He said creation of the post mean a whole new tier of prosecution and He said the "attorney general of our state generally demurs on criminal prosecution." and added: "I think the attorney general should be a more forceful Asked whether he had followed through on a year-old pledge for a year -round clemency program, Carey said: "To the extent we can. we review the year round.

The greatest difficulty is getting authority who must show us the person is sufficiently The governor also said the state should do more to help pregnant women who choose to have their babies rather than have abortions. At the same time, he indicated he would seek no change in the state's policy of paying for all abortions for poor women. On the topic of state mental institutions. Carey said he has no 1m- mediate plans to close any of the hospitals despite patient rolls have dropped almost 60 per cent in the last 12 years. However, he noted that with the continuing swing toward more community care.

he didn't expect the state to need all 28 existing centers forever. Dorm fire kills 7 in Providence PROVIDENCE. R.I. (AP) A fire apparently touched off by a hair-dryer flashed through the fourth floor of a women's dormitory at Providence College early today. leaving seven women dead and at least 15 injured, fire officials said.

Two of the women died when they jumped from their window onto the frozen. snow -covered ground, seconds before firefighters could have reached them with a safety ladder, authorities said. Other residents of Aquinas Hall. wearing only nightclothes, were forced outside into the cold air. where they joined hundreds of other students after the first alarm was sounded at 2:56 a.m.

The three-alarm blaze was controlled about an hour later. "We heard somebody running down the hall." said a dorm resident who asked that her name not be used. "There was smoke going through the door. They were yelling for help. We saw a girl jump.

"They were yelling. 'My God! My there's a fire in the said another coed. smoke was bad, it was very bad." Investigators said the blaze was limited to the top floor of the fourstory brick building, where it charred several rooms and about 100 feet of hallway. NYACK Teacher contract OK'd, no pay raise this year By PAUL CARLSEN Staff Writer The starting salary for Nyack teachers will increase by 11 per cent in the next three years, under a new three-year contract approved by the union and school board Monday. The board was successful in achieving no salary increase this year, while paying regular increments, salary scale adjustments, and career increments.

The 1977-78 starting pay will remain at $11,800 for a teacher with a bachelors degree, increase 5 per cent to $12,400 in 1978-79, and then 5.6 per cent to $13,100 in 1979- 80. With yearly 5 per cent increments for a teacher with a bachelors degree, a teacher starting this year at $11,800 would be making $14,410 in 1979-80. Salaries for other teachers would be adjusted according to the "steps" of the salary schedule, with the top district salary for a teacher with a doctorate and 15 years service set at $32.292 for 1979-80. "Neither party is thrilled with this contract, but each can live with it, said School Board President Stephen Goldman. Please turn to back page of this section 1 AP Photo Student awaits rescue as fire burns through dormitory About 4.100 students attend the college.

The deaths prompted officials to close the school through Jan. 9 and reschedule -semester examinations after that date. Housing project plan wins board approval By PAUL CARLSEN Staff Writer Children INDEX Ann Around Rockland Business Comics Entertainment Family News roundup Obituaries People. Viewpoints What's Weather Nyack's urban renewal housing project cleared a major hurdle Monday night as the village Planning Board unanimously approved the Robert Martin project site plan. Also by unanimous votes, the board recommended that the village board approve zoning ordinance and urban renewal plan changes associated with the housing project.

Approval of the land disposition agreement by which the village will sell the last two urban renewal parcels to the Martin Co. was delayed until next Monday, however. by Trustee Clinton Jackson late arrival at a related Village Board-Urban Renewal Agency meeting and the refusal of project opponents Al Volk and Thomas Mahoney to act after Jackson did arrive. Jackson, whose sister is ill. arrived after the other four trustees voted to adjourn the meeting.

Mayor Alex Caglione asked that the meeting be reconvened to vote on the agreement but Volk abstained and Mahoney voted no. Urban Renewal Agency Attorney Arthur Prindle advised that the reconvening would have to be by unanimous vote. "I'd like the vote to come after the Planning Board meeting, not before," Volk said. Please turn to back page of this section.