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NOVEMBER 2020 FREE
Parents question remote plan
Progress comes to shopping center
Most LTPS students to switch to hybrid learning by Nov. 30
Developer says grocery store Lidl to open in early 2021
BY ROB ANTHES
BY ROB ANTHES
The Lawrence Township Public Schools announced its plan for the rest of 2020 last month, with the goal of returning most students to school buildings by the end of November. But not everyone is happy with the details. A group of parents who have selected the all-remote learning option for their children say the new plan shortchanges the students when it comes to the amount of time they would get with a live teacher. The district disagrees, saying the parents are conflating seat time with instruction time. The two parties spent the last few weeks of October attempting to hammer out a compromise. School instruction had been entirely remote for LTPS students since the start of the school year Sept. 8. Early results of a survey conducted by the district in October showed that about 60 percent of students intend to switch to the hybrid model with some in-person instruction once offered, with 40 percent staying all-remote. Those numbers are fairly even across schools, LTPS superintendent Ross Kasun said. The first batch of students— self-contained special education students at Ben Franklin See SCHOOLS, Page 8
It’s the question seemingly on everyone’s mind in Lawrence Township: When is Lidl opening? The answer, according to the owner of Lawrence Shopping Center, is “soon.” While not committing to a specific date, JJ Operating Inc. said Lidl will open its location in the Lawrence Shopping Center in early 2021. It’s just one bit of positive news from a formerly distressed commercial property in the midst of a multi-year transformation. Island Sports Bar and Grill has started renovations in the former location of Fusion House. Aspen Dental has signed a lease to open an office in the shopping center. Heavenly Hounds and Dollar Tree have opened in recent months. AutoZone opened earlier this year in a portion of the space vacated by Acme in July 2018. Lidl, a German grocer, has the remainder of the anchor space. Construction fences surround the unit, with much of the interior gutted. A LA Fitness gym pad site remains in the works despite appearances, with construction delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Before work halted, crews completed tearing down See CENTER, Page 12
Lawrence Township resident Victoria Meisel works in the Living in Love Food Pantry Garden, located at the corner of Princeton Pike and Allen Lane.
A labor of love All-volunteer garden provides 2 tons of food this year to those in need BY ROB ANTHES
What started as a labor of love for Linda Santos has blossomed into a community effort that has yielded more than 5,000 pounds of food for local people in-need this year. In its fourth season, the Living in Love Food Pantry Garden at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church features rows of blueberries, tomatoes, collards, kale, green beans, peppers
and peas on a plot so large it takes up much of the church’s backyard at the intersection of Princeton Pike and Allen Lane. Wood chips—donated by local landscapers who have cut down trees in the area—rest in giant heaps in the church’s side parking lot, ready to be used for weed control and for portions of the garden floor. Since the garden began in 2017, Santos and other volunteers have harvested 14,434 pounds of fruits and vegetables from their garden. Together, the haul weighs more than seven tons, or the equivalent of two pickup trucks.
2020 has been its biggest season yet, both in terms of production and in the number of people volunteering to make it happen. About 50 volunteers have helped Santos harvest 5,025 pounds of crops this year. Among the yields have been 1,495 pounds of tomatoes and 1,962 pounds of blueberries. Living in Love is a food pantry garden, meaning everything harvested is donated. Santos has worked with at least a dozen organizations since 2017, including the Lawrence Community Center, HomeFront, Meals on Wheels of Mercer County and the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. See GARDEN, Page 10
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