MAY 2026 FREE
COMMUNITYNEWS.org
Dr. Auntie’s pops with flavor in Ewing shop
Batter up!
By Joe Emanski
One of Ewing Township’s most colorful new businesses in recent years is Dr. Auntie’s Gourmet Popcorn — an independent snack shop that opened in 2024. Dr. Auntie’s Gourmet Popcorn specializes in freshly made popcorn with a variety of flavorful twists. Treats on offer may include fairly standard varieties such as kettle corn, caramel, butter, and cheese.
But those with more adventurous palates might opt for flavors such as cookies and cream, Buffalo wing, blue raspberry, sriracha lime or peanut butter cup. Dr. Auntie is Cynthia Fulford, 55, who made the decision to start up her own business after a career in academia. She spent 30 years working as a student development officer on college campuses, including The College Of New Jersey before embarking on life as an entrepreneur.
Fulford, who lives in Ewing, is a graduate of Trenton Central High School. She has degrees from Washington and Jefferson College, Syracuse University, and Bowling Green University. She is also a licensed minister and lay leader at Change Church in Ewing. US 1 interviewed Fulford about starting up a new business in Mercer County, the choices that she made while creating the busiSee POPCORN, Page 8
TWW reservoir testing finds low chlorine levels By Marc Leckington
Sam Simpkins has returned to the field as a key leader for Ewing baseball, contributing on the mound, at shortstop and at the plate after missing last season with a shoulder injury. For more on Simpkins and the team, go to page 17.
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If you get your water from Trenton Water Works, it likely passes through the Pennington Avenue Reservoir before it reaches your tap. That seven-acre, open-air pool of treated drinking water serves roughly 151,900 customers across Ewing, Hamilton, Hopewell, Lawrence, and portions of Trenton.
Ewingg
It has been out of compliance with federal law for more than a decade. The first water quality tests conducted under a new state monitoring order raise fresh questions about what is happening inside it. An Open-Air Reservoir in the Middle of a City. Under EPA rules enacted in 2006, openair finished water reservoirs — meaning reservoirs that hold water after it has already been
treated — must be covered or decommissioned. Trenton Water Works has missed three deadlines to fix the problem, in 2009, 2014, and 2018. The current replacement plan does not project a solution until at least 2032. The consequences of leaving the reservoir uncovered are not theoretical. During a state inspection in 2022, regulators documented waterfowl swimming in See RESERVOIR, Page 6
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