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Towns demand TWW takeover
Boys of Summer 1970 Babe Ruth national champs celebrate 50th anniversary of historic win
BY ROB ANTHES
The governments of three suburban towns served by Trenton Water Works are demanding the City of Trenton to sell the water utility, and allege that the city has improperly used suburban ratepayers’ money to balance the city budget. Those allegations—and more—appear in a motion to intervene filed by the governments of Ewing, Hamilton and Lawrence in Mercer Superior Court July 8 as part of an effort to join a state lawsuit against Trenton and its water utility. “The right to clean water is a human and constitutional right,” Hamilton Township director of law Elissa Grodd Schragger wrote in a July 8 letter to Mercer Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy. “This is nonnegotiable. It is also clear that Trenton and TWW have repeatedly and egregiously missed benchmarks in fulfilling their obligation to provide safe and clean drinking water for the customers of TWW.” Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, in a July 10 statement, refuted the claims in the motion, saying his administration has done much in the last two years to right the wayward water utility. However, Gusciora also See TWW, Page 8
BY BILL SANSERVINO
Ewing residents Deborah and Patrick Jones, two of the founders of Ewing Helping Hands, load up their vehicle with donations.
Lending a helping hand Residents band together to help feed needy families BY NICOLE VIVIANO
At the start of the COVID19 pandemic certain concerns began to arise concerning students and their classes, as well as those who relied on their schools for meals. While free and reduced lunch programs have continued for many school districts, food insecurity needs still surfaced in the community.
For Patrick Jones, a special education teacher for the Ewing Public Schools, a single text message was all it took for him to jump into action. On April 24, Patrick received a forwarded message from a fellow teacher that made him realize the needs in his community. A parent of a student in the district had reluctantly explained how her child had not been able to participate in online classes due to the family’s financial hardships that the pandemic had created. With no internet access for a period
of time and difficulty getting food, the parent shared that it was troublesome for the student to focus on schoolwork. Patrick showed the message to his mother, Deborah, who shares a residence in Ewing with him. “When I heard this that night, it literally broke me and brought me to tears to think someone was struggling that badly, and someone local, with children,” said Deborah, who is a member of the Ewing Township Board of Education. Patrick formed a connection See HANDS, Page 4
Fifty years ago this month, a group of teenage boys from Ewing Township accomplished a feat that has remained unmatched in township athletic history. Against all odds, the township’s team won the Babe Ruth League’s 1970 World Series. Only two other New Jersey teams have won the BRL championship—Trenton and Cherry Hill. The Ewing team arrived in Brawley, California, as a significant underdog—facing teams from around the country that came from much larger programs. In its first game, the Ewing team defeated Brawley earning the ire of the home team’s fans for the rest of the tournament. After that, fans showed up to the field armed with signs against Ewing and to actively root against them. The players on the team were Mark Bombara, Salvatore Cacciabaudo, Michael Cammarata, Frank Cipullo, Alfred DeBlasio, Gerald Festa, Gerard Goeke, Donald Henley, Ronald Henley, Sam HolzhamSee CHAMPS, Page 6
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