Courier-Post from Camden, New Jersey • Page 1

called milestone: 3A Pennant race SOUTH JERSEY'S NEWSPAPER Clint Eastwood Mets fall 212 games Plays legendary director behind Pirates in NL East: 3E in latest movie: 1D -irf(iftti(inin'i'i(n Cystic fibrosis discovery TTVi OUR Jewel of Trump empire, the Plaza, for sale Dateline: South 7 Jersey Aside from the shuttle loans, Trump's most pressing problem is $675 million in bonds on the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Trump pays $47 million in principal and interest on the Taj bonds every six months. His next payment is due Nov. 15. No one thinks Trump will come up with the cash.

Instead, he has begun talks with Taj bondholders and is expected to offer them a deal that would have Trump giving up a big chunk of his ownership interest in the Taj to the bondholders as stock. In exchange, bondholders would forgive part of the $675 million debt against the Taj. Of his debts, Trump said, "I'm totally current on everything. Every interest payment is made." But on Monday, three days after Trump said that, he missed a $1.1 million payment on a $245 million loan used to buy the Trump Shuttle, his ailing East Coast airline. That put Trump in technical default.

Yesterday, Trump said he wanted to talk with Citibank and the 20 other banks that bought part of the loan about renegotiating it and suspending payments to keep the shuttle in operation. Trump bought the famed hotel on Manhattan's Central Park in March 1988 for $408 million. It's currently saddled with $413 million in debt. In June, the Trump Organization valued the Plaza at $830 million, but its independent adviser valued it at between $413 million to $550 million. In an exclusive interview last week, Trump said, "You have to be tough in life.

If you're not going to be tough, then you might as well pack it in and forget it You're always going to have times like these. But the bad times, while tougher, can be more interesting than the good times." By JAMES KIM Gannett News Service NEW YORK Donald Trump finally is admitting it: He is willing to sell an unspecified stake in perhaps his most prized possession, the legendary Plaza Hotel. "If the right deal were made, I'd do something, yes. Frankly, it could solve everything," Trump said in an interview with USA TODAY. It is his first public admission of willingness to sell an interest in the trophy he said he'd never give up.

D(u Man guilty of killing daughter Of is- beptford mayor hurt as car air bag explodes pEPTFORD Mayor Bea Cerkez said she hopes to be back on her feet soon after being injured in a freak automobile accident Wednesday night. Cerkez said she was heading south on Broad Street in Woodbury about 4:45 p.m. when a car in front of her stopped suddenly. When Cerkez slammed on her brakes, she said the air bag on her 1990 Plymouth Shadow exploded. Cerkez suffered second-degree chemical burns on her face, hands and chest from the propellant used in the bags.

She was treated and released from Underwood-Memorial Hospital in Woodbury. Cerkez's daughter, Laurie, 25, who was a passenger, was not injured. Neither was the other driver. Police filed no charges. PHILLIP WAJDA Officer hurt in crash answering false alarm BORDENTOWN A patrol officer's police car was hit yesterday while he was on his way to an armed robbery that proved to be a false alarm, said Sgt.

Ronald Franks. Patrolman John Taylor, 25, of Burlington Township had been called to investigate a robbery at the Sandman Truck Stop on Route 206 and Old York Road at 1:30 p.m. He was crossing onto Route 206 from a jug handle on Route 528. He entered the crossing with his lights and sirens on and crossed two lanes of traffic that had stopped. When he got to the northbound side, his car was struck on the driver's side by a car driven by Michelle Nichols, 20, of Hightstown.

Taylor was taken to Cooper Hospital-University Medical Center trauma unit in guarded condition. LISA REOFIELO Courier-Post photos by Ron Karaf in Bart fever: Tony Cotrotsos (below left) wears terday. Senior class president Bill Williams a Bart Simpson shirt as his mom Cheryl of West- (below), wearing his Bart shirt, walks to school ville (above) discusses the Bart T-shirt ban at as principal Robert Bender orders a reporter Gateway High School in Woodbury Heights yes- and photographer to leave school grounds. WASHINGTON (AP) The Pentagon ordered 7,106 more reserve soldiers and airmen to report for active duty yesterday to add combat support and airlift strength to the buildup of U.S. military forces in the Persian Gulf area.

The call-up represented a 50 percent increase in the number of reserves activated for Operation Desert Shield to a total of about 21,000 and it appeared that Defense Secretary Dick Cheney was planning to order nearly 30,000 more reserves to active duty by the end of next week. The Pentagon also announced that it has set up a hotline number for members of the public seeking information about donating money or other items for Operation Desert Shield. The number is (703) 274-3561. Donors were cautioned not to offer items prohibited by the Saudi government such as alcoholic beverages or pork products or things such as clothing that the Pentagon says are not needed, i "We can't afford to take a load of cookies, for example, in place of essential military equipment," said Paul Trkula, who is taking calls on the hotline. Williams said the call-up of Army and Air Force reserves yesterday brought to 21,653 the total number of reserves from all services that have been activated for the gulf operation.

Activated by the Air Force were 890 reserves from units in South Carolina, California, Washington state, Delaware and New Jersey all to provide airlift support. The Army called up 6,216 members of the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve, most for combat support roles such as transportation, water supply and ammunition handling. The Army reserves are from Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. The services did not say how many of the reserves would be sent to the gulf and how many would be kept in the United States. irao invasion Day Saddam seeks equal time for message to U.S.: Page 16A U.S.

soldier killed, 2 hurt in desert jeep crash: Page 16A Bush calls up 3 more N.J. reserve units: Page 17A DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) A 61-year-old man who killed his mentally ill daughter and butchered her body was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and abuse of a corpse yesterday, but acquitted of murder. John DiGregorio, who was born in Camden and lived in South Jersey most of his life, had testified that he fatally bludgeoned his 38-year-old daughter, Carol, in self-defense on Easter Sunday after she attacked him with a knife. He was cleared of charges of first- and third-degree murder by a Bucks County jury that deliberated 6Va hours over two days.

DiGregorio sobbed when the verdict was read. He faces a sentence of five to 10 years and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. "I am not happy with the verdict," he said as he was led away. DiGregorio's lawyer, John Klamo, argued that the April 15 killing was self-defense and the dismemberment a fit of panic. Police found body parts throughout the kitchen, including in the refrigerator.

Some parts had been cooked. DiGregorio testified that he couldn't remember what happened. Klamo described his client as a "tortured man" because of his daughter's irrational behavior. She was diagnosed as schizophrenic and reportedly had attacked him on numerous occasions. "He's been tortured for the last eight years," Klamo said in closing arguments, referring to the time she had lived with him in a Bensa-lem, apartment After the verdict, Klamo said that if DiGregorio had not cut up the body, the jury would have cleared him.

District Attorney Alan M. Rubenstein had said DiGregorio showed he was conscious of his guilt by dismembering the body to hide the evidence. "We said all along we had some sympathy for Mr. DiGregorio," he said after the verdict, but adding that "clearly he had no right to take her life." DiGregorio's surviving daughter, Angela DeChurch of Atco, had testified that he had talked to her five times about killing Carol. 4inl mmmmm wmm lid 4 mmmmw MLsl n-v 's.

Weather Today: Mostly sunny, 70s Tonight: Cloudy, low 50s Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy, 70s Full report Page 2A Inside Students: Ban Bart? No way, dude! By PHILLIP J. WAJDA Courier-Post Staff Open for business Page 18A Merchants, motorists hail I temporary reopening of Kings Highway. 0 Postponement Page 1 9A Washington Township 'council delays voting on rent 'control pr6posals. Section A Nation-World Section Local-Money Section Fall Real Estate Section DTGIF Section Sports Astrology 7D Entertainment 1D Classified 7B Experts 7D Comics 9D Obituaries 6B Crossword 9D People 7D Dear Abby 7D Television 1 0D Editorials 20A Weather 2A StateDelaware Valley: 3A Nation roundup: 12A World roundup: 22A FYI-A page of news WOODBURY HEIGHTS Ban Bart Simpson? What's next, dude? Well, if you're Tony Cotrotsos, you fight back. The 13-year-old was reprimanded by school offi inside-out, claiming as school officials across the country have done that it was inappropriate for school.

Cotrotsos was just one of several students sporting Bart T-shirts who were ordered not to wear them to school. Like other schools, the facility is gripped by Bart-fever. One student, Stephen Binck, 12, even went so far as to have the "Eat My Shorts!" slogan shaved into his head. He waB ordered by school officials to banish Bart from the hallways by getting a new haircut. Please see STUDENTS, Page 2A cials at Gateway High School last week when he came to class in a T-shirt featuring America's favorite cartoon kid shouting, "Eat My Shorts!" Yesterday, Cotrotsos was one of about two dozen Gateway students who wore Bart T-shirts to protest the administration's policy.

The controversy began last week, when Gateway administrators ordered Cotrotsos to turn his T-shirt Teen cheerleader unmasked: She was 26-vear-old man fit's not fair. Why can't we HZvwa Lama mmm. njAkiwJi lamvO' live vviiio wo wain ivs iivos was arrested at the school on suspicion of third-degree forgery and criminal impersonation. Daugherty was in school only eight days. School officials said they discovered the masquerade within two or three days, but waited while police built a case.

Jay Englen, assistant principal at the school, said there was no evidence any student was taken advantage of sexually. Police detective Bob Driscoll said Daugherty has a record going back to 1983 of theft, shoplifting, motor vehicle theft, burglary and criminal COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) A 26-year-old female impersonator posed as an 11th-grade student at Coronado High School and even became a cheerleader, at which students said he did a good job. Student reaction ranged from amused to angry or scared. Parents were just plain angry, school officials said yesterday "The students, they're all laughing," said a female student who asked not to be identified.

"The cheerleaders, they're just mad." Charles Janloyames Daugh-erty, a 5-foot-9 164-pound man, turally significant neighborhood have expressed shock and sadness at the incident, others say it reflects tensions that have developed over the last decade, as blacks and Hispanics have begun buying and renting in formerly all-white Fairview. "Since we moved in here, no one has stopped over and said, 'Welcome to the Sonya Johnson said yesterday, over a bowl of chili at her dining room table. "There's been no welcome wagon." The Johnsons moved to the house from an apartment on Yorkship Square in the heart of Fairview because the price was right and "it looked like a pretty nice neighborhood," Mrs. Johnson, 21, said. The windows were broken after the couple got the Please see SLURS, Page 2A By KEVIN RIORDAN Courier-Post Staff CAMDEN Someone welcomed Andrew and Sonya Johnson to an all-white section of Fairview by throwing rocks through two windows of their home.

A rock punctured a screen on a third window. And Andrew Johnson's two younger brothers, who live in the couple's neatly decorated row house near Collings Avenue, were told to "go home, nigger" by a group of white youngsters in a car. The incidents occurred earlier this month, before the cross-burning on the lawn of another black family several blocks away. The cross-burning on the 1400 block of North Chesapeake Road remains under investigation. While residents of the historically and architec- 1 CHARLES J.

DAUGHERTY charged with impersonation.