October 4, 1995

Plenty of fish were biting close to shore this summer, but business for New Jersey's 400 charter and party fishing boats was off by 15 to 20 percent, said a lawyer who represents the United Boatmen of New Jersey and New York. The lawyer, Raymond Bogan, said potential customers were scared off by news of rough surf, riptides and a high number of drownings. TERRY PRISTIN

The former neighbor of a 4-year-old girl who was found dead in a ditch in 1974 pleaded guilty yesterday in Gloucester County Superior Court to her murder, the A.P. reported. "I took an innocent person's life," said the ex-neighbor, Edwin C. Blood, who was taken to New Jersey from New Hampshire, where he is serving a prison sentence for sexual assault.

After months of withering attacks against the Board of Education, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani outlined his first specific proposal for City Hall to gain control over the school system yesterday. He called for the abolition of the central Board of Education and the post of schools chancellor. In its place would be a commissioner of education who would answer to him and, indirectly, to the City Council. All this would be done on a three-year trial basis.

In a strong personal attack, the chairman of the Chrysler Corporation denounced Kirk Kerkorian yesterday as an uninformed troublemaker whose pursuit of profit was harming other stockholders. The unusually strong criticism by Robert J. Eaton, the chairman and chief executive of the No. 3 auto maker, was the first time that he had formally -- and publicly -- attacked Mr. Kerkorian by name as well as the motives and impact of his long-running attempt to assert greater control over the direction of the company.

For four years, the movement to build a casino in Bridgeport has grown steadily, winning support from an unlikely coalition of city officials, state lawmakers, unions -- even the state's parimutuel operators, who as part of any deal expected to have slot machines. But on Monday, even as Gov. John G. Rowland brought the dream of a casino closer to fruition, he dealt the coalition a serious blow. News analysis, page B4.

United States Representative Robert D. Franks, Republican of Union, has decided that it makes political sense for an elected official to put his money where his mouth is. He said yesterday that he spent nine months examining how to cut the cost of government before deciding to set an example by returning 5 percent of his take-home pay -- about $3,700 -- to the United States Treasury.

Nicholas L. Bissell Jr., dismissed last week as prosecutor of Somerset County, pleaded not guilty yesterday in Federal District Court to charges including tax evasion, perjury and conspiracy. Government lawyers told the court they have 13 hours of videotape of Mr. Bissell and his wife, Barbara L. Bissell, as well as 5,000 checks and bank statements relating to the couple's business and personal finances, said Kimberly Guadagno, an assistant United States attorney. Mrs. Bissell also pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and mail fraud charges.

The state's Attorney General, Deborah T. Poritz, took aim at the State Commission of Investigation yesterday, saying the government watchdog may need a leash to protect public officials who are subjects of its inquiries. Ms. Poritz said she did not believe the S.C.I. should be dismantled but did suggest changes that could require the agency to seek approval -- perhaps from a judge -- before it released a report or identified the subjects of its investigations.

A CATHOLIC FAMILY AWAITS THE POPE To William J. Reidy, an Irish-Catholic father of nine, Pope John Paul II operates in the world in much the manner Mr. Reidy operates his large household in the affluent Riverdale section of the Bronx: offering guidelines and hoping his flock will believe. "It's like a father," said Mr. Reidy, who was educated in Catholic schools from kindergarten through college and attends Mass every Sunday. [ Page A1. ]

The Procter & Gamble Company provided more evidence to bolster its civil racketeering case against the Bankers Trust Company in court documents unsealed yesterday, asserting that its losses were part of a pattern of fraudulent activity by the bank.

There was a sense of occasion about this ceremony of renewal at the austere red-brick towers of the Bronx River Houses in late August. A smiling Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, flanked by a retinue of officials, was on hand to help plant a tree, a symbol of the city's effort to give the embattled housing project a fresh start. Officials call this crackdown on crime and graffiti Operation Commitment, and proudly proclaim it a model for the entire city. But one person not present that morning was Bronx River Houses' most famous native son, Afrika Bambaataa, an easygoing hulk of a man who is considered an originator of rap and hip-hop and who has recorded with the likes of James Brown and John Lydon, formerly of the Sex Pistols. He is still greeted with casual familiarity by his fellow residents, while fans from all over the world make this 44-year-old housing project in the West Farms section a place of pilgrimage because of him.

Giuliani's Plan for Schools