April 19, 1995

Take it from Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of Britain: Gov. Christine Todd Whitman has "a very big future."

Nesime Dokur of Morristown took the witness stand at the murder trial of her former brother-in-law yesterday and testified that he had a fiery, domineering attitude toward her sister. And, she added, the 1986 marriage of Mohammed and Nihal Abequa soured after their first child was born because he "wanted a servant, not a wife."

Dollar Hits More New Lows, Pulling Down Stock Market Currency traders scrambled to sell dollars, as Administration officials again held out the possibility of trade sanctions against Japan if trade talks fail, pushing the dollar to record lows against the yen and the mark. In Tokyo early today, the dollar dipped below 80 yen.

Need a new driver's license? Today might not be the best day to get it. Union leaders say that workers at 26 offices of the Division of Motor Vehicles will stage a one-day sick-out so that they can protest at a legislative budget hearing in Jersey City. They are unhappy with a Whitman administration proposal to save money by turning some of their work over to private companies. LAWRENCE VAN GELDER

The Newark Board of Education will try to overturn a judge's order demanding an immediate state takeover of the city's schools. Lawyers for the board said yesterday that they would focus their appeal on the legality of skipping full public hearings before a takeover, not the broader issue of who is responsible for problems in the state's largest school system.