The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 69

EVERYONE'S A WINNER YANKEES SHUT OUT SPORTS: Devil Rays edge past New York, 1-0, B-l HOME GUIDE New homes ready just in time for new century, E-i YourLIFE: Volunteer coaches keep it fun for budding sports stars, d-i Si- 1 5T ri 0 UUl tfVUQ) i -r Friday May 12, HUNTERDON COUNTY Bridgewater (908) 722-8800 35 cents A Gannett newspaper serving Central Jersey FRIDAY oimerset Ballpark will sell its good name By LARRY HIGGS Staff Writer LocSdzg tor something to do today? Here ere some highlights of events across Central Jersey ing all our forecasts on sponsorships." That means the amount Somerset County needs to make the $1 .3 million payment on the $17.5 million stadium is in the bank. Somerset County gets a cut of the team revenues under its 25-year contract with the Patriots. "We'll be exceeding the budget in revenue to the county, based on pre-season sales and current trends," Kalafer said. Kalafer is negotiating a sponsorship deal for the stadium on behalf of the county. Kalafer said he's talking to three companies now and hopes for a deal by early next year.

Another Atlantic League team, the Long Island Ducks, just finished its naming process. Unlike Somerset County, Suffolk County hired a consultant to broker the sale of its stadium's name seal, for 15 percent of the payout, said Mia Knapp, an attorney in the county counsel's office. The Ducks are the first Atlantic League team to sell naming rights for their stadium, which opened April 28. Those rights were sold to European American Bank, or EAB. The deal nets Suffolk County $2.3 million in a 10-year contract, said Frank Boulton, Atlantic League president.

"All the ball teams work with the municipality or government," Boulton said. "They're all different. What's appropriate for Long Island might not be appropriate for another city." Somerset's strategy is similar to Long Island's, Kalafer said. "It is likely the naming will be a corporate sponsor who has headquarters in Somerset or Hunterdon County," Kalafer said. What he doesn't want is to select a company that would compete with current stadium advertisers and sponsors.

One such deal already was rejected, "There was a consumer-oriented institution that would have knocked out 50 percent of the incremental revenue from companies in promotions and advertising," Kalafer said. "That's a large thing for us." What's in a name? Six figures a year for Somerset County, depending on which company name graces the Somerset Ballpark. But Somerset Patriots ball-club owner Steve Kalafer can make this deal at his leisure because other revenue is more than making up the difference. Ad and sponsorship revenues are so strong, Kalafer said, that the team is making more money than a ballpark-naming deal is estimated to bring "There was a budget line for sponsorships and naming," Kalafer said. "We're exceed Somerville radon scare Do ODD IHIdDaose to foe tested '5 '1 1 I oflanrefl? Wg ALIEN INVADERS: John Travolta, above, stars as the leader of a group of ruthless aliens in "Battlefield Earth," opening today in Central Jersey theaters.

Also opening are "Held Up" and "Center Stage." Today's movie times appear on Page D-3. Police believe Westfield shooting could have been prevented. agaiDDD 1 i Vj I'm 'Stx By BERNICE PAGLIA and TONY SCLAFANI Staff Writer WESTFIELD The day after a shooting left a Union County woman fighting for her life, police said precious minutes may have been lost because a Seton Hall University security guard refused to call 911 as the woman was By CARYN SHINSKE Staff Writer SOMERVILLE Borough officials are trying to schedule a second radon test at a Grove Street house after high levels of the gas were found two months ago. A second test is needed to confirm the levels of the potentially deadly gas recently reported by the state Department of Envi- BP PAOL1ARINI A corner street sign points the way to Grove Street in Somerville. Tests of a home on the street found high levels of radon.

Officials would not disclose the address of the home. Site of radon investigation INSIDE What you can do Somerville residents who did not receive a state Department of Environmental Protection letter about a being abducted. The security guard insisted that because the kidnapping Westfield police praised. PAGE A-2 possible radon cluster irr tveryone SomenriEe should have gotten one of those notices if the radon level is significant enough to cause con- ronmental Protection, said borough Health Officer Steve Krajewski. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that is colorless, odorless and tasteless, and has been linked to lung cancer.

The Environmen 'Vv N. Bridge St Somerville I the community can buy a kit for $20 at Borough Hall, 25 West End Ave. Those who received the letter will receive free radon test kits. STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY JOHNSON Christopher Honrath shot his ex-girlfriend then killed himself in this Westfield home. throat to drag her into his car, police said.

Brunelle said two girls, both 17, saw the abduction at the main entrance of Seton Hall University about 2 p.m. Wednesday but could not convince a security guard to call 911. "Allegedly, he told them it happened off-campus, so he would not make the call," Brunelle said. Though he did not know the guard's name Thursday, Brunelle said, "I assure you, in the next couple days we will know exactly who he is." The girls walked home in a thunderstorm to call police, who took a report at 2:30 p.m. As soon as they got the license number from the girls, South Orange police notified West-field police.

"The witnesses were excellent," Brunelle said. But the damage may already have been done, he said. "The delay was not caused by the South Orange police," See SHOOT on page A-2 "I've been here for 20 years and this is the first time we've had one so high," said Krajewski. He said a radon study done 10 years ago in Somerville, Raritan Borough and Manville showed levels below 10 picocurie. "That's why this is so like an anomaly," Krajewski said.

"Why is this one so high?" The high radon level at the Grove Street house prompted reports of a possible "radon cluster" and resulted in the state Department of Environmental Protection sending letters last month to 100 random borough residents within a one-mile radius of the house. "My biggest concern is that they should have waited for confirmation," Krajewski said of the state. "That's the initial test. If it comes back really elevated, you want to confirm that you really do have a problem." Grove Street resident Michael A. Stabile said he was cem.

Michael A. Stabile, resident STAFF GRAPHIC BY GARY STEUER was happening just outside the school's entrance, he would not make the call, said Westfield Police Lt. Frank Brunelle on Thursday. A half-hour was lost, authorities estimate, as Christopher Honrath with ex-girlfriend Sohayla Massachi trapped in a headhold in his car drove to his apartment in Westfield on Wednesday afternoon. There, he shot her in the head and fatally shot himself with his handgun.

Honrath, 24, grabbed Massachi outside the main entrance of the university on Wednesday, using a necktie around her "absolutely furious" that he did not receive one of the letters, and didn't know about the radon concern until seeing a newspaper report. "Everyone in Somerville should have gotten one of those notices if the radon level is significant enough to cause concern," he said. The borough is working with the house's landlord to schedule and perform a second test, Kra- tal Protection Agency says an acceptable level of the gas is 4 picocurie per liter. The Grove Street house's level was 100 picocurie per liter, Krajewski said. Some houses in the borough have radon levels between 4 and 10 picocurie, but 25 picocurie could be cause for concern, Krajewski said.

jewski said. Results could be available within three weeks after the test is performed, he said. Grove Street resident Irmina Orlowski didn't receive a state letter, but said she is worried See RADON on page A-2 A FROM THE HEART: Patti Lupone will star in "Matters of the Heart" at 8 p.m. at the Union County Arts Center, 1601 Irving Rahway. Tickets are Call (732) 4995226.

FREE CONCERT: The Somerset Valley Orchestra will perform at 7 p.m. on the Borough Hall lawn, 25 West End Somerville. The event is part of the Free Friday Night concert series. Call (908)541-1600. COMEDY TONIGHT: Gary Valentine will appear at 8:30 and 11 p.m.

at The Stress Factory, 90 Church New Brunswick. Tickets are Call (732) 545-4242. AFTER A FASHION: A fashion show to benefit the Women's Crisis Center and Samaritan Homeless Interim Program will be presented at 7 p.m. at North Branch Reformed Church, Route 28, Bridge-water. Tickets are $5, Bring canned food items for a free auction ticket.

Call (908) 725-2313. 1 i For Central Jersey' ULTIMATE entertainment i guide, read Kick on Thursday In the Courier New. Watch for weekend Kick update every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Raging inferno Cell phone caution suggested ,4 By EMMA ROSS The Associated Press LONDON Children should be discouraged from using cellular telephones for nonessential calls, a government advisory INSIDE "We can't really say there's any risk for children, the young, the elderly, the sick or the infirm," said panel member Colin Blakemore, a brain development expert from Oxford University. But if it later emerges that cellular phones cause harm, children may be more vulnerable because their nervous systems are still developing and they would have a longer lifetime exposure to the radiation, he said.

International guidelines governing the amount of radiation cellular phones can emit already include a substantial extra margin of safety to account for the special concerns of children, the elderly and other vulnerable populations, said panel member Dr. rule out the possibility that future research could discover long-term use may be harmful. "We want to give the public the evidence and let the public make up their own minds about how to go forward with the use of cellular phones," said the panel's chairman, Sir William Stewart, a former chief scientific adviser to the government. In response to public concern over potential harm to children, the scientists advised parents to tell their children to use cell phones only for essential calls and said the industry should refrain from targeting children in marketing campaigns. It said the old and the sick may also be particularly vulnerable because their resistance is lower.

panel said Thursday, that cell phones carry labels dis More business news. PAGEB-7 ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO Students make cellular phone calls as they leave their London school. Michael Repacholi, who heads the World Health Organization's program on electromagnetic fields. ASSOCIATKO PRESS PHOTO closing the amount of radiation they generate. Although the panel concluded there is no evidence cell phones cause harm, it said it could not A firefighter sprays water Thursday on a burning house In Los Alamos, N.M.

Fueled by strong wind, wildfires tore through the evacuated town. Story, Page A-18. BBSS SB lOiiPctinriQ? Weather "7roTrn ttc nT VIOll UO JVi i FOR HOME Index Ann Landers D-2 Bridge C-18 Business B-7 Classified C-4 Comics B-6 THE WEB ff YOU HAVE A NEWS TIP CALL (908) 707-3111 TO BUY KLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENT CALL (877) 707-6500 Partly cloudy over weekend SEE A-2 HIGH: 84 LOW: 60 Chance of showers today Scoreboard Sports Stocks Television YourLIFE B-5 B-1 B-7 D-2 D-1 C-1 D-3 A-3 C-3 D-1 Community PlusC-2 Crossword C-18 Editorials A-19 Home Guide E-1 Legal ads A-16 Local Movies New Jersey Obituaries People DELIVERY BY 6 A.M. CALL (800) 675-8645 www.c-n.com "40901ll06500l.