Pine Barrens Tribune Mar 25 2017

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Bass River Medford Medford Lakes Pemberton Pemberton Borough Shamong Southampton Tabernacle Washington Woodland

Vol. 1 - No. 30

Southeastern Burlington County’s News Leader

Brought Back to Life By Heroes

LRHSD Board of Education Honors Four Cherokee Faculty Members for Heroic Acts

March 25-31, 2017 LRHSD BOE Planning to Raise Taxes in 7 of 8 Sending Towns

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

PHOTO BY TOM WALKER Cherokee’s Paraprofessional Gary Denelsbeck (left), Assistant Certified Athletic Trainer Karen Hengst, Nurse-Paraprofessional Felicia Progar, and Head Certified Athletic Trainer Jeff Wood receive a framed resolution in their honor for helping to save the life of a colleague. Board Member Bonnie Olt (far right), of Evesham, congratulates them.

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SHAMONG— Four Cherokee High School faculty members received thunderous applause and several standing ovations during an emotional Lenape Regional High School District Board of Education meeting held on March 15.

“I have a very special story to share and I am really honored to be able to share this story with everybody,” said Dr. Carol “Lynn” Birnbohm, superintendent of schools for the Lenape Regional High School District.

Cherokee’s Head Certified Athletic Trainer Jeff Wood, Assistant Certified Athletic Trainer Karen Hengst, Paraprofessional Gary Denelsbeck, and Nurse-Paraprofessional Felicia Progar were honored for their efforts to aid a colleague in

distress.

“Fortunately for my husband and six children, I had heroes right near me,” said Janet Pulverenti, who lost consciousness and suffered cardiac arrest on Feb. 17, just prior to a Cherokee faculty in-service at the Lenape Performing Arts Center in Marlton.

Denelsbeck and Progar performed CPR on Pulverenti. Wood and Hengst arrived at the scene with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) after hearing calls for assistance on twoway radios used by administrative, medical and security staff members at the high school.

“Gary provided the chest compressions and Felicia provided the breaths,” Birnbohm said.

“Jeff and Karen assembled the AED and attached it to the staff member. The AED instructed them to administer a shock. Karen administered a

shock and our staff member’s heart resumed function and she regained consciousness.”

She said that by the time EMTs arrived, Pulverenti was fully conscious, lucid, and using her sense of humor.

“It is a pretty incredible story,” Birnbohm said.

During the recognition ceremony at the board meeting, the superintendent, beaming with pride, repeatedly called the four Cherokee staff members who saved the life of Pulverenti “heroes.”

She said that the community often hears “hero” used in many different contexts and in many different ways.

“In our school community, we believe all educators who inspire kids throughout the span of their career, hundreds of kids, to be considered

HEROES>>PAGE 15

SHAMONG—Residents residing in seven of the eight Lenape Regional High School District sending towns may soon see an increase in regional school taxes.

Preliminary findings from the district’s 20172018 proposed budget were released following a Lenape Regional High School District Board of Education meeting on March 15.

“On Wednesday night, the board approved the 2017-2018 budget for submission to the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) for review and approval,” said Business Administrator and Board Secretary Jim Hager.

“The board’s final approval of the budget will be on April 26, after a public presentation of the budget.”

The board is proposing a $159,131,283 budget for the 2017-2018 school year, which represents a 1.6% increase in spending from the current year.

The current school year budget adopted by the board last April is just a little over $156,600,000.

The district’s general fund tax levy is forecast to increase by 2%. A debt service tax levy is also projected to increase by $390,514.

Residents in Evesham, Medford Lakes, Tabernacle, and Woodland would be hit the hardest by a tax increase if the board adopts the budget as is for a final time next month and the state doesn’t make any recommendations.

Here are the highlights of the tax impacts: In Evesham Township, the board is proposing a tax rate increase of 3.19 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $86.16 on a home assessed at the township average of $269,900.

In Medford Lakes Borough, the board is proposing a tax rate increase of 2.99 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $87.18 on a home assessed at the borough average of $285,900.

In Medford Township, the board is proposing a tax rate decrease of 0.21 cents, resulting in a decrease in regional school taxes of $10.49 on a home assessed at the township average of $327,100.

In Mount Laurel Township, the board is proposing a tax rate increase of .73 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $17.94 on a home assessed at the township average of $237,700.

TAXES>>PAGE 15

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LOCAL NEWS

Exterminators to Treat Termite Infestation Inside Washington Municipal Building

PHOTO SUBMITTED Washington Township Municipal Building.

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

WASHINGTON—Termites that have been feeding on wood material inside the Washington Township Municipal Building are about to be eradicated.

The township committee voted at their March 7 meeting to bring in Western Pest Services to conduct termite treatments to the building.

Mayor Dudley Lewis revealed last month that the termites took out the steps to the municipal building’s furnace room.

“They took out the steps to our furnace room, making it difficult to service our oil heater,” he said.

Western Pest Services will conduct the treatments to the building over a five-year period for $4,046. The company beat out two other competitors who submitted quotes to the committee.

“Western is the only one that provides insurance for the actual damage and not just for the product,” Lewis said. “In other words, they will pay for the repairs of any additional termite damage once they have treated the building.”

The affected staircase has since been repaired.

“We spent $2,000 just to repair the staircase that was termite damaged,” Lewis said.

The committee also discussed eliminating termite food sources in the building.

“We apparently have a great deal of wooden material under the crawl space, under this building which is nothing more than an attraction to termites,” Lewis said. “The Western man came through and crawled through the entire crawl space and has offered

to clear that out, including the disposal of all materials for $2,700.”

The pest-control company also recommended the removal of deteriorated insulation material that is hanging in the crawl space.

“It sounds like it is a decent deal to me,” said Committeeman Barry Cavileer.

The committee voted to have Western Pest Services remove and dispose of the wood and insulation material from the crawl space.

Deputy Mayor Daniel James recommended that the township document the existing termite damage to avoid any future insurance conflicts.

In other news, the committee continued a contractual relationship with Garden State Removal, the township’s trash hauler, while the township goes out to bid for a new contract.

“We are at the point where we need to renew the contract,” Lewis said. “We have to go out to bid on that.”

The committee also voted to continue a shared-service agreement with Bass River Township for the Bass River TownshipWashington Township - Woodland Township Shared Municipal Court.

“This is a relationship that we have had for many years, sharing a municipal court with Bass River Township,” Lewis said.

Additionally, the committee continued an agreement with Bass River Township for shared use of a part-time tax assessor clerk.

A final measure was passed which requested an exemption from the state, as permitted by law, for the township to not have to appoint a principal public works manager for

INDEX Automotive......................................19 Business Directory.............................8 Classifieds........................................14 Community......................................10 Fun and Games................................13 Health ..............................................12

TERMITE>>PAGE 17

Home, Garden & Farming ............. 18 Local News....................................... 2 Opinion ............................................ 6 Scanner ............................................. 7 Supplement......................................S1

The Pine Barrens Tribune is published weekly by Pine Barrens Media, LLC. The newspaper is distributed free at select locations in Bass River, Medford, Medford Lakes, Pemberton, Pemberton Borough, Shamong, Southampton, Tabernacle, Washington, Woodland and surrounding areas. This newspaper is protected under the Federal Copyright Act. Reproduction of any part is not permitted by mechanical or electronic means without the expressed written permission of the Publisher. The Publisher reserves the right to revise or reject any advertisement. No liability shall be attached to the Publisher for interruption of publication or limitation of size and/or number of pages due to shortage of material, failure of transportation, flood, fire, severe weather, winter weather, riots, strikes, acts of God, or other causes beyond his or her control. It is our policy to promptly correct errors. If you believe that you see a mistake, please call (609) 801-2392.

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Saturday, March 25, 2017

Homeschooler Family Decides Not to Sue Lenape Regional Due to Fear of Retaliation

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

TABERNACLE—A local family who is continuing to call on the Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) Board of Education to reverse a policy which prohibits homeschoolers from participating in LRHSD curricular, extra-curricular, or athletic activities, has decided not to take legal action against the district for fear of retaliation.

Marni Cunard, whose son, Adam Cunard, has been prohibited from playing football at Seneca High School due to the policy, made the announcement recently on the “Let Them Play” social media page.

The page is liked by over 300 individuals, the majority of whom support overturning the policy.

“Many people who support this cause have asked us if we will take this issue to court and have encouraged us to do so,” she said. “Even though we have had the opportunity to do so, we will not be taking this to court.”

The board voted unanimously on Nov. 16 to uphold Lenape District Board Policy #2630, despite public outcry and pleas by several public commenters for open dialogue and discussion on the homeschooler participation issue.

Marni Cunard’s announcement raised eyebrows in particular because she revealed that Michael DiCroce, a local lawyer and owner of Di Croce Law Office, PC, offered to take the case pro bono.

DiCroce is also the deputy mayor of Shamong Township. He is the first local politician to publicly speak out against the board’s decision.

“They are penalizing him strictly because he is homeschooled,” he said. “It is discrimination because the decision is saying you must leave your religious beliefs at the door. I don’t think that is fair or constitutional.”

DiCroce, who has paintings of former U.S. Presidents and homeschoolers George Washington and Abraham Lincoln hanging on the wall of his office, said he believed it was an issue that the family can and should prevail upon.

“Why would you preclude someone from playing?” he said. “The whole reason we put together athletic programs is for the benefit of our kids.”

Marni Cunard said that filing a lawsuit against her husband’s employer created a moral dilemma that they could not get past.

“After many hours of discussion, thoughts, and prayers, we have decided not to file the

Medford Lakes Residents Upset Over Increasing Number of Short-Term Lodging Rentals

By Jayne Cabrilla

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

MEDFORD LAKES—The regular meeting of the Medford Lakes Borough Council on March 9 was well attended.

Two representatives from Environmental Resolutions, Inc. presented the council with their project proposal for lining sewage pipes throughout the borough.

C. Jeremy Noll, one of the project engineers, said that lining the interiors of the pipe system will prevent major sewage failures in the future. The material used for the liner is a woven, resin fabric that is bonded to the interior of clay pipes by means of hot water.

Once cured with the hot water, the liner adheres to the inside of the pipes, strengthening them and filling in areas where there are cracks and uneven joints. This type of liner will not be used on newer PVC pipes.

Council will review the proposal to

determine whether to proceed with the project.

Borough Manager Julie Horner Keizer said that even though the project isn’t exciting, repairing and maintaining infrastructure is always a good idea.

In other news, an ordinance creating the position of police chaplain for the Medford Lakes Police Department was unanimously passed. This was the ordinance’s second reading and public hearing.

The ordinance was requested by Police Chief Robert Dugan as a resource to assist police on calls when there are deaths, addiction issues or when their presence may help with other problems. The person selected to fill the role will receive no remuneration for their services.

Three proposed ordinances were introduced and read into the record.

The first ordinance establishes a yard waste

LODGING>>PAGE 16

By Douglas D. Melegari WOODLAND—The Woodland Township School District has submitted its 2017-2018 budget to the Executive County Superintendent of Schools.

The Woodland Township Board of Education unanimously introduced the budget during a special meeting held at the Chatsworth Elementary School on March 20.

Total expenditures during the upcoming school year are estimated to be approximately $2,852,492.

Anticipated revenues, mostly from the state and federal government, are projected to be $970,437.

The district plans to raise the difference, $1,882,055, through taxes.

It will continue to conduct all of its operations through a general fund. No special revenues are anticipated. There is also no debt service to pay off.

The general fund will decrease by $3,575 if

the budget is approved by the state and adopted by the board for a final time in April.

“The general fund has actually decreased from last year by $3,575 because of various cost efficiencies and full-time people going to part-time,” said George Gahles, interim business administrator.

The budget also calls for a tax levy increase of $36,903.

“That is the 2 percent cap allowable by statute,” Gahles said.

The board is proposing a tax rate increase of 4.41 cents, resulting in an annual increase in local school taxes of $114.52 ($28.63 per quarter) on a home assessed at the township average of $259,700.

Gahles said the primary reason the district needs to increase taxes is because the cost of out-of-district placement student tuitions has increased by $64,676.

“If a special needs child moves into the

WOODLAND>>PAGE 16

Birnbohm said the board operates a public school district and is responsible for the education and well-being of approximately 6,800 students in grades 9-12 at four high schools.

“In order to efficiently operate a district of that size, the board establishes, and adheres to policies that balance individual rights and responsibilities of students, their families and its approximately 1,100 employees, with the collective needs of the entire LRHSD school community,” she said. “Those principles guide every board policy, without exception, including Policy #2630 “Homeschooling,” which among other areas, addresses the participation of homeschooled students in curricular and extracurricular activities.”

Birnbohm said the policy “levels the playing field” for LRHSD students by ensuring that all participants within the LRHSD’s curricular, extracurricular and athletics programs meet the same rigorous requirements and preconditions for eligibility.

She took issue with the claim that the policy is discriminatory.

“Time and again, the words ‘discrimination’ and ‘discriminatory’ are thrown about without any explanation or description of the nature of

HOMESCHOOLER>>PAGE 16

Pemberton Superintendent of Schools Describes New Building to Township Council, Public

By Adam Tait III

Local School Taxes May Rise in Woodland Township Staff Writer

lawsuit,” she said. “The main reason is that my husband works as a teacher in the school district. He loves his job, his students, teaching, and the teachers he works with.”

She said her husband fears retaliation.

“Since the beginning of this campaign, we have been under a tremendous amount of stress that has taken its toll on our family,” Marni Cunard said. “We have experienced great disappointment, anxiety, rejection, abandonment, being treated differently, manipulation, intimidation, the cold shoulder, and worst of all, betrayal.”

DiCroce said he does not blame the family for throttling back after all that they have been put through over the last several months.

Dr. Carol “Lynn” Birnbohm, superintendent of schools for the LRHSD, said in a letter to the Pine Barrens Tribune that there is still quite a bit of misinformation being disseminated about the board, its administration, and policy #2630.

“The statement about the district retaliating against those in the community who file a lawsuit to have a board decision overturned is, quite frankly, repugnant,” she said. “The board does not ‘retaliate’ against any resident in the LRHSD community who exercises their legal right to file a lawsuit, regardless of the issue and whether or not they have a child attending one of the board’s schools.”

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

PEMBERTON—The eagerly anticipated new elementary school was the opening item at last week’s Pemberton Township Council meeting.

Tony Trongone, superintendent of the Pemberton Township school system, opened the meeting with a progress report on the new school planned for construction soon.

The school will replace the existing Alexander Denbo and Aletta Crichton schools, which will be demolished.

Crichton will be demolished later this year.

Denbo will be demolished once the new building is complete.

Pupils at the existing schools will be transferred during the construction process.

Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, preschool students from Aletta Crichton School will be relocated to the Pemberton Early Childhood Education Center on Arney’s Mount Road.

Kindergarten through second-grade students will be relocated to the Isaiah Haines School building on Trenton Road, which is currently unoccupied.

Demolition of both schools is expected to be complete at the end of the 2017-2018 school year, according to Trongone.

The construction of the new school, with students moving into it, has a completion target date of September 2020. It will be a two-story building with an elevator.

It will house pupils from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade.

Denbo was built in 1965 and currently houses 359 students in grades three to five. Crichton was built in 1969 and houses 349 students in grades PreK to two.

Among the new school’s highlights are: 30 grade 1-5 classrooms, six kindergarten classrooms, six pre-school classrooms, special-education classrooms, small-group instruction rooms, a cafeteria, gymnasium,

music room, media center, multi-purpose room, a computer lab and a science demo lab.

The state’s School Development Authority (SDA) is responsible for all costs of the school and manages the former Abbott school districts. Former Abbott districts are those in lower socio-economic areas that receive additional state funding to ensure students receive the same education as those in wealthier districts.

Pemberton has been on that list since its inception. However, being placed on the list does not in any way mean that the district is experiencing financial problems.

“Our school district is extremely financially prudent and continually receives the highest rating possible from an independent auditing company, year after year,” said Jeannie Mignella, district spokeswoman, in a follow-up interview.

The estimated $62 million school will be completely designed, built and funded by the SDA. A number of solutions are being readied to address the temporary classroom shortages.

Two former locker rooms at Haines will be turned into small group instruction and Child Study Team rooms.

“The Haines building is currently being renovated and painted and the SDA is providing two additional Temporary Classroom Units (TCUs) on site as well,” Mignella said.

Two TCUs will be set up between Haines and Harker Wylie, while existing TCUs and in-house renovations will also be used.

Since 2000, the Schools Development Authority has invested $20 million for renovations to Pemberton Township Schools’ existing buildings, as well as $25 million to construct the Pemberton Early Childhood Education Building on Arney’s Mount Road.

The new elementary school project will mark the SDA’s largest project in Pemberton Township to date.

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Pemberton Council Approves Budget and Approves Purchases for DPW

By Adam Tait III

Lenape Regional High School District Hosts STEM Career Night

By Jayne Cabrilla

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

PEMBERTON—In a jam-packed, 60-minute meeting here that drew only three residents, the Pemberton Township Council adopted the 2017 municipal budget, heard a presentation of plans for a new elementary school and approved seven-consent agenda resolutions, two other resolutions and two ordinances. Another four ordinances, all involving quitclaim deeds, were introduced.

The adoption of the budget will result in a $14 annual tax increase (or $3.80 each quarter) on the average township home assessed at $164,300. The budget passed without comment or debate.

Details on a presentation of plans for a new elementary school in the township are located in a separate story in this week’s newspaper.

Here are the seven consent-agenda resolutions. The majority are fairly routine.

The first approves an agreement with Comcast for governmental phone services through the end of 2019. The cost for this year is $28,707.15, but then drops to $26,864.40 for each of the next two years.

Another OKs a side-letter agreement with the Police Benevolent Association Local 260 (union) regarding the current use of personal cell phones in the course of official duties.

Two others cancel unspent improvement funds from 2012 and 2014 ordinances involving several dams in the township. One is for approximately $1.8 million; another is for approximately $131,000 which was set aside for reconstruction of the Bayberry Street dam.

A fifth approved the discharge of a mortgage for a property in the 2500 block of Range Road to release a lien.

The sixth closed a municipal park development grant for Mirror Lake Beach from Burlington County, while the last canceled Pemberton Municipal Court escrow trust balances of $11,400.

Two ordinances were up for a second and final approval. They passed without comment or debate.

The first allows the township to vacate a small part of Lakeshore Drive, between Bee and Wasp Streets, and transfer parts of that land to two adjacent property owners.

Charles and Alyce Goff, of Bee St., will take title to land located there, while Timothy Marshall will get adjacent land on Wasp Street.

Both owners will pay a $500 fee in the transactions.

The second establishes a new fee schedule for the municipal land use and development code. The increases take the better part of five

PAGE 5

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

pages and are far too numerous to mention completely.

Here are some of the major changes: For an informal review by the Pemberton Township Planning Board, the cost increases from $200 to $500, but only if the applicant requests a review by board professionals.

For a minor subdivision application, the cost increases from $150 to $300 for an escrow deposit. For a major subdivision application, the fee rises from $500 to $1,050.

Four ordinances, approved on first reading, will likely be on the agenda at council’s next meeting for second and final approval. The four ordinances introduced involved quitclaim deeds.

Under new business, four purchases of over $2,000 were approved.

Three involved the Pemberton Township Public Works Department: $8,273 for fencing for the DPW yard from Herdt Fencing of Crosswicks; $4,341 for repairing a salt barn door from Overhead Door of Burlington County; and $8,550 for rental of a Rubblemaster RM70 from Groff Tractor of Vineland.

The fourth was for $10,600 for the Community Development Department for study and planning services from CME Associates of Howell.

Jay’s Studio Jewelers was approved for a license for a dealer of second-hand jewelry.

All of these resolutions, purchases, and ordinances were approved by votes of 5-0.

The only vote of the evening that was not unanimous was the approval of two new members of the Pemberton Twp. Volunteer Fire Co., Nicole Kreig and Anastasia Harmon. That vote was 4-0, with Council President Kenneth Cartier abstaining.

Cartier, a member of the fire company, always abstains on any vote involving the fire company.

Mayor David A. Patriarca brought the meeting to a close by citing three groups or people for what he called fine performances.

He first mentioned his personal assistant Michelle Brown for “her consistently fine work and constant cheerfulness.”

Utility Jersey Central Power and Light was praised for a quick response in making emergency repairs to their equipment.

Finally, the fire department was lauded for constant good performances, in particular, in a recent house blaze.

Council will meet next on Wednesday, April 5.

MEDFORD—The Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) invited all interested students to attend and to participate in its annual STEM Career Night on Thursday, March 16.

Over 115 students attended and had the chance to hear from professionals in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“This is a great opportunity for students to explore careers in the STEM fields, which are in high demand and important for our economic future,” said David C. Maier, assistant principal and supervisor of Math and Science at Seneca High School. “Students had the chance to learn what careers match their educational interests and can begin charting their path toward professional happiness and success.”

What started as the Science Career Night seven years ago at Shawnee High School, transitioned about five years ago into the district-wide STEM Career Night.

Maier said that the LRHSD uses a national, hands-on program, known as Project: Lead the Way, to inspire and engage students in the STEM fields.

The career night was organized into three, 20-minute sessions. Students could attend any three sessions that sparked their interests. A wide range of fields were represented, from medicine to engineering and systems design.

The professionals each outlined their specialty; including the education requirements, starting salaries and typical working hours.

Many parents attended with their children and had the chance to sit in on the sessions and ask questions about the professions.

Edward Cohen, an independent software and licensing consultant, talked about the importance of being a self-starter, having plenty of discipline and working 60-hour weeks.

Marianne Devine, a nurse at Seneca High School, advised the crowd in her session about the ways that nursing has become more reliant on technology and how diverse the field has become. Some of the exciting jobs in nursing are working with Doctors Without Borders, on cruise ships, and performing research, to name a few.

Clinical Cardiologist Maria Duca, MD, spoke about the broad areas available in medicine which allows women to balance family with career.

Mechanical Engineer Brian Gutherman said that the engineering field is in need of diversity and different backgrounds bring different points of view to help solve problems. In addition to having an aptitude for Math and Science, an engineer must be fascinated by how stuff works.

Also there to share their professional experience were: Walter Burke, Geotechnical Engineer; Mike Gollotto, Doctor of Anesthesiology; Julia Gupta, Software Engineer; Ken Guzzardo, Doctor of Physical Therapy; Kevin Halfpenny, Actuary; Richard Halpin, US Naval Engineer; James E. Judd, Chief Engineer for Naval Radar and Future Systems; David Land, Environmental Engineer; Diane Morel, Professor of Pharmacology/Toxicology; Deborah Sadowski, Director of Pharmacy Services; and Courtney Walsh, MD Cardiologist.

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OPINION

Letters submitted to the Pine Barrens Tribune must include the name, address and phone number of the writer. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and taste. Because of space limitations, letters should be 150 words of less.

How to Send Items to the Editor: letters@pinebarrenstribune.com, put “Letter” in the subject line.

Editorial Budget Season is Upon Us

Over the next 90 days, municipalities and school districts will be adopting their operating budgets.

Some municipalities and school districts are planning to implement cuts, while others plan to increase their spending over last year.

From what we have seen so far, the tax levy is forecast to rise in several communities that we cover.

Public hearings will be held before the budgets are adopted. Decision makers will

likely explain how, in their view, threatened program reductions and cuts will impact the community.

It’s a good idea to listen to what they’ll have to say so that you can determine whether the anticipated tax rate is necessary.

We encourage residents to attend the public hearings in their community and voice their opinion after listening to the presentations.

No budget should be rubberstamped through or go unchecked by the taxpayer.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? E-mail us: letters@pinebarrenstribune.com

Social Media Sound Off (Re: Medford Woman Sentenced After Inflicting Unnecessary Cruelty on Ailing Beagle) People make me sick. If you are not going to take care of an animal, don’t get one.

Debbie Penton (Re: Pilot Project Launched to Protect Intermittent Ponds From Off-Road Vehicle Damage) Intermittent ponds = mud puddles. Wharton State Park is now the private playground for the Pinelands Preservation Alliance. If you would like access, pay to see it at Pinelands Adventures.

Jack McGinnis (Re: Lenape Regional to Conduct Lead Water Testing Later This Month) Why an eight-month lapse for testing to begin on such an important issue? I would think testing would have started on August 1, 2016.

Richard Murray

Please comment on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Twitter: @PineBarrensNews with the hashtag #SoundOff or Facebook: www.facebook.com/pinebarrenstribune.

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Saturday, March 25, 2017

Guest Commentary submitted to the Pine Barrens Tribune can be submitted by an appointed or elected official, political candidate, organization leader, or community leader. Guest commentary submitted to the Pine Barrens Tribune must include the name, photo, address, affiliation, title, and phone number of the writer. Commentary may be edited for length, clarity and taste. Because of space limitations, commentary should be about 450 words or less.

Guest Commentary

LRHSD Superintendent Responds to Homeschooler Policy Concerns

Apparently, there is still quite a bit of misinformation being disseminated about the Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) Board of Education, its Administration, and Policy #2630.

As has been explained many times in the past, the board operates a public school district, and is responsible for the education and well-being of approximately 6,800 students in grades 9-12 at four high schools.

In order to efficiently operate a district of that size, the board establishes and adheres Carol L. Birnbohm, Ed.D. to policies that balance individual rights and responsibilities of students, their families and its approximately 1,100 employees, with the collective needs of the entire LRHSD school community.

Those principles guide every board policy, without exception, including Policy #2630 “Homeschooling,” which among other areas, addresses the participation of homeschooled students in curricular and extracurricular activities.

Board Policy #2630 states, in part: “Students who are educated elsewhere than at school are not eligible to participate in LRHSD curricular (e.g., field trips), extracurricular (e.g., clubs, band) or athletic programs or activities.”

This policy is not intended to be, nor is it discriminatory, as it is not limited to just homeschooled students; it applies to students who attend private schools, parochial schools, etc., as well. This policy “levels the playing field” for LRHSD students by ensuring that all participants within the LRHSD’s curricular, extracurricular and athletics programs meet the same rigorous requirements and preconditions for eligibility.

Finally, time and again, the words “discrimination” and “discriminatory” are thrown about without any explanation or description of the nature of the alleged discrimination resulting from Policy #2630.

The policy is applied district wide, in all of the board’s schools, to any student who is educated elsewhere than in one of the board’s schools.

How this discriminates against any individual student or how it is perceived as being discriminatory against a protected class, is something the board and administration simply cannot answer.

Mr. DiCroce did write to the board, and as is the board’s practice when it receives correspondence from an attorney, it refers that correspondence to the board’s solicitor. The board’s solicitor responded in writing to Mr. DiCroce each time he contacted them.

The statement about the district retaliating against those in the community who file a lawsuit to have a board decision overturned is, quite frankly, repugnant. The board does not “retaliate” against any residents in the LRHSD community who exercises their legal right to

file a lawsuit, regardless of the issue and whether or not they have a child attending one of the board’s schools.

In this particular case, the board cannot stop the Cunards from experiencing the emotions and feelings they state they are experiencing.

The Cunards had full knowledge of Policy #2630 since at least 2011, when they inquired as to whether homeschooled students could participate in athletics, and it was explained that such participation is not permitted under the board policy.

The next time the Cunard’s contacted the board’s administration about A.C. playing football was in January 2016, inquiring whether they could obtain some type of “exemption” for A.C. to play football, and again, it was explained that no such exemption was permitted under board policy. Through multiple meetings, the administration attempted to work with the Cunards, and offered them several alternatives that would have allowed A.C. to participate in the Seneca High School football program. The Cunards turned these alternatives down.

As has been explained many times in the past, Policy #2630 is compliant with the law.

The board and its administration do not find this policy to be controversial, especially since the majority of school districts across the State of New Jersey, including the majority of districts in Burlington County and all of the districts in the Olympic Athletic Conference, in which the LRHSD’s students compete, do not have a policy allowing homeschooled students to participate in curricular and extracurricular activities, including athletics. This is due, in part, because in New Jersey, local boards of education are not authorized to review and approve the curriculum or program of a child educated elsewhere than at school.

Although the departments of education in some states monitor the rigor of homeschool programs (i.e., require homeschool students to be assessed annually in their state’s standardized assessment, and work towards the same graduation requirements as public school students to earn a high school diploma), the New Jersey Department of Education does not. Policy #2630, which was originally enacted in 2002, and unanimously upheld by the board on November 16, after Mrs. Cunard’s request to seek each individual board member’s opinion of Policy #2630, is fully compliant with applicable New Jersey law, and consistent with the authority issued by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Each individual board, as did the LRHSD Board here, carefully considers the impact of attempting to monitor the programs of students educated elsewhere (homeschool, private school, parochial school, etc.) on their school district and determines what is best for them, as the law provides. It is a local decision.

As to mending relationships, even though the board and its administration is aware the Cunards are attempting or have attempted to have A.C. participate in other area high school

SUPERINTENDENT>>PAGE 17

Saturday, March 25, 2017

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

PAGE 7

SCANNER House Fire on Cornell Avenue Turns Fatal

PHOTO SUBMITTED A dwelling in the 400 block of Cornell Avenue is boarded up after a portion of the structure was engulfed in flames.

PEMBERTON—A dwelling fire in Pemberton Township has left a woman dead and a neighborhood distraught.

On March 17 at about 5:35 a.m., emergency responders from Pemberton Township and surrounding communities were dispatched to a house fire at 428 Cornell Ave., which is in the Lake Valley section of Pemberton Township.

Upon arrival, first responders found a bedroom in the rear of the home fully engulfed in flames.

Officers from the Pemberton Township Police Department knocked on the dwelling’s door. The door was answered by Estaban Rivera, 71, who is the dwelling’s homeowner.

He was taken to a safe location outside of the home while firefighters battled the blaze.

The fire was eventually extinguished.

Authorities discovered a deceased female

PHOTO SUBMITTED The 157th class of recruits continued to practice arrest procedures and handcuffing techniques.

in the affected bedroom during their inspection of the fire scene.

The fire victim has been positively identified through the Burlington County Medical Examiner’s Office as Joyce E. Lanigan, 47, of Pemberton. Police say she was a resident of the home.

“The cause of the fire has been ruled undetermined,” said Lt. Brian Wechkus, a spokesperson for the Pemberton Township Police Department.

The fire does not appear to be suspicious.

The incident remains under investigation.

Anyone with any information about this incident or any other suspicious or criminal activity is asked to contact the Pemberton Township Detective Division at (609) 894-3310 or Police Confidential Tip Line at (609) 894-3352.

Man Fatally Shot in Sunbury Village MOUNT HOLLY—Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi and Pemberton Township Police Chief David H. Jantas said that a man was shot and killed on March 21 in the Sunbury Village section of Pemberton Township.

Officers from the Pemberton Township Police Department were called to the 100 block of Kinsley Road just before 9 p.m. for a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, officers discovered Shaquille Williams, 24, inside of a vehicle with several gunshot wounds.

Williams, who lived in the Browns Mills

New Jersey State Police Recruits Complete Week 10

Trooper recruits were introduced to the range for firearms training.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

section of Pemberton Township, was pronounced dead at the scene.

No charges have been filed. An autopsy was expected to be performed on Wednesday by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood. Details were not available as of press time.

The case is being investigated by detectives from the Pemberton Township Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Unit.

ATV Rider Airlifted After Accident TABERNACLE—On March 19 at 12:09 p.m., the New Jersey State Police responded to a report of an ATV accident at the intersection of Medford Lakes Road and Prickets Mill Road in Tabernacle Township.

“The driver of the ATV suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported

via air to the hospital,” said Trooper Alejandro Goez, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police.

Police did not release the driver’s identity.

There were no other vehicles or persons involved.

The accident is under investigation.

PHOTO SUBMITTTED New Jersey State Police recruits completed water safety training last week.

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Saturday, March 25, 2017

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PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

COMMUNITY Events

March 30

April 17

Location: Medford Event: AARP Fraud Watch Network Details: On Thursday, March 30, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., the Medford Senior Center will offer a timely presentation provided

by AARP Fraud Watch Network. This program will touch on a number of vital subjects aimed at protecting yourself.

Lillie Hudson, Chairperson of the NJ AARP Speakers Bureau will present the program, which includes topics such as: the many ways con artists can steal your money, protecting yourself from identity theft, investment fraud and scams and the risks of using public WiFi networks. The program is free. The Medford Senior Center is located in Cranberry Hall (behind the Medford Municipal Building) at 17 N. Main St. Sign up at Cranberry Hall (for planning purposes). For questions, email June Ramondetta jramonde@verizon.net.

Location: Whiting Event: Thyroid Support Group Details: The next meeting of the Thyroid Support Group will be held on Monday, April 17, at 10 a.m. Monthly meetings are held at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 180 Route 530, Whiting. The purpose of the meetings is to educate, support and answer questions about thyroids. Contact facilitator, Stephanie, for more information, 732-350-2904.

March 31 Location: Southampton Event: Southampton Girl Scout Book Swap Details: The Book Swap will be held on Friday, at Southampton School #2’s cafeteria, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Come take some books to enjoy or bring some books in to donate. Gently used books of all genres are being collected through March 29. Collection boxes will be at all three Southampton schools, the United Methodist Church and the Vincentown Library.

Through April 20 Location: Westampton Event: Senior Citizen’s Police Academy Details: Burlington County Undersheriff Bryan Norcross, announced that the Sheriff’s Department will be conducting its Senior Citizen’s Police Academy on seven consecutive Thursdays beginning March 9 and running through April 20. The program, which focuses on safety issues important to seniors, is free. Some of the topics that will be covered: K-9 Demonstration, Traffic Safety, Personal Protection, Home Security, Photo ID cards, Fire Prevention, and much more. Those interested in attending should call the Sheriff’s Community Services Unit, 609-265-3788.

The classes will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Emergency Services Training Center, 53 Academy Drive, Westhampton. All participants will be provided with a Senior ID Card. Graduation held on the last day of the academy.

Refreshments will be provided.

Pemberton Seniors Prepare for the Annual Spring Prom

By Ebba Liguori

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

PEMBERTON—The annual Senior Prom, sponsored by the Pemberton Township Education Association, will be held on April 5.

This event is hosted by students from the Pemberton High School. The Culinary Arts students from Pemberton Township High School (PTHS) will prepare some wonderful desserts, including a few new surprises.

Horticultural students from PTHS will make corsages and boutonnieres for everyone to wear. Colonial Village Caterers, providers of the daily senior lunches, will be providing dinners with a choice of sirloin of beef, stuffed chicken breast or vegetable medley. PTHS students in the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) and WHY (We Help You) clubs will be helping to serve the food.

This annual event is the highlight of the year when students and seniors have a wonderful evening together. The students select a Senior Prom King and a Senior Prom Queen to be crowned.

It is an event no senior wants to miss.

Tickets are on sale for $10 each and all seating is reserved. The Prom begins at 3 p.m. and is held in the St. Ann Church’s Social Hall. There is an elevator and the building is handicapped accessible. There will be a DJ playing a wide selection of music, something for everyone.

The theme is “Stars and Stripes.”

A professional photographer will be available to make portraits to remember the day. All seniors should plan to make their reservations as soon as possible because seating is limited.

Tickets are on sale daily at the senior center between 9 a.m. and noon. Do not miss this fun evening, open to all seniors.

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Where did Spring 2017 go to? Seniors were ready to celebrate on Tuesday, March 14 with the Interact Club from the PTHS. Mother Nature had other ideas and decided to send a blast from the arctic. The party was postponed to March 21. Surely, the second day of spring will be a better time to celebrate.

The center canceled the lunches on that Tuesday because of the storm, but it was open for business. No seniors managed to make it to the center because they all wisely listened to the state of emergency declaration. The center was prepared to host any seniors who needed a warm place to spend the day and was open during the usual hours.

There is good news for the future trips.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Bridge that connects New Jersey and Pennsylvania has been repaired and is back in service. The March 29 trip to Dutch Apple Theatre will leave the Acme parking lot at 9 a.m. and head to the Lancaster area to see a performance of “My Fair Lady.” A buffet is included along with a wide variety of desserts, including an ice cream sundae bar. The theater seats about 300 patrons and every seat has an excellent view.

There is a small gift shop with souvenirs and other memorabilia available. Tickets are sold out, but a wait list is maintained for cancellations.

Pemberton Township maintains an active senior program open to all seniors with nourishing lunches provided daily.

Stop in and check out the many opportunities available. There is no charge to join. Enjoy the many benefits and meet new friends. Coffee and tea are available daily beginning before 8 a.m. Snacks are also provided. So stop in and have a “Continental Breakfast” to begin your day. The staff is caring, cordial and ready to assist you. All seniors are invited to experience this hospitality.

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April 29 Location: Westampton Event: Paw Prints 5K Run/Walk Details: The Friends of the Burlington County Animal Shelter (BCAS) is pleased to announce their first Paw Prints 5K Run – 1 Mile Fun Walk, in conjunction with our biggest event of the year – Raining Cats & Dogs, Saturday, April 29. The Run begins at 9:30 a.m. and the Fun Walk begins at 9:45 a.m. The first 150 to register will get a t-shirt and swag bag. www.friendsofbcas. org/5k_2017. All are welcome to the post-race festival, our 5th annual Barb Feldstein Memorial Raining Cats & Dogs Fest!

The BCAS complex is located at 20 Pioneer Blvd, Westampton.

Through April 29 Location: Browns Mills Event: Art Exhibit of Township Artist Melanie Stackhouse Details: The Pemberton Community Library is proud to exhibit the art work of Township artist, Melanie Stackhouse.

The exhibit is open now through April 29. Mrs. Stackhouse is a painter and sculptor with a Certificate in Fine Arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. The Community Library is located at 16 Broadway, Browns Mills. For more information, call 609-893-8262.

Events should be submitted at least four weeks in advance.

PINE KNOTS COLUMN Pemberton Superintendent to Speak Sunday

By Ebba Liguori

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

PEMBERTON—The next BMIA meeting will be held Sunday, March 26 at 2 p.m. at the BMIA Building on Arbutus Street in Browns Mills, near the Mirror Lake Recreational Complex.

Tony Trongone, superintendent of the Pemberton Township School District, will be the guest speaker. He will address the annual report on the State of the Schools.

The winner of the Landscape Design for the “Triangle” will also be announced.

Refreshments will be served. All residents are encouraged to attend.

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

HOME, LAWN & GARDEN SUPPLEMENT

2017

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Saturday, March 25, 2017

Pepper Seeds Need Pampering to Grow Properly For the Pine Barrens Tribune

Pepper seeds are actually easy to germinate.

However, they require pampering and attention.

The same is true of the actual plants.

If you are planting pepper seeds this year, here are some helpful stories to keep in mind this growing season.

Story: Mary bought a package of bell pepper seeds at a neighborhood home improvement store on March 1. Mary planted the seeds later that day in a small container outside of her home.

She anticipated germination within 7 to 21 days. By April 15, she was still waiting for the seeds to germinate and believed she had bought bad seed.

Explanation: Pepper seeds will only germinate in warm soil. Pepper seeds need to be kept in an environment with a constant temperature of 70 to 80 degrees to germinate properly.

Story: Joe planted his pepper seeds in a small pot inside his greenhouse on March 1.

The average temperature in the greenhouse is normally between 70 and 80 degrees.

However, there were record high temperatures for a two-day stretch between March 3 and 6. Temperatures outdoors approached 75 degrees. Joe left his pots inside the greenhouse during the warm stretch of weather. Temperatures inside the greenhouse exceeded 100 degrees at times during the peak of daytime heating.

He anticipated germination within 7 to 21 days. By April 15, he was still waiting for the seeds to germinate and believed he had bought bad seed.

Explanation: While pepper seeds love to germinate in warm soil, the seeds will actually go into dormancy if they are subjected to temperatures that exceed 95 degrees. It is an embryonic plant’s way of keeping itself safe from possible bursts of bad weather or herbivores who might eat them.

Story: Alex had successful germination of his pepper seeds. In fact, over 200 seeds germinated. His plants grew vigorously.

He planted them into the ground after the conditions no longer favored frost. The pepper plants developed flowers and fruits appeared within a few weeks. The fruits reached their full size within 45 days. However, Alex wanted the peppers to mature and turn red in color so that they would have the sweetest flavor.

On August 1, a thunderstorm passed through his neighborhood with heavy rain and high winds. He received two inches of rain, which for a summertime thunderstorm, was typical in his area. However, wind gusts approached 50 mph.

While the plants were not uprooted by the wind, they were leaning. Alex assumed the plants would be okay as the roots were still intact and in the ground.

However, the next day, it was sunny and hot. He went out to check out his garden in the evening. He was in shock. The peppers had developed soft spots and looked rotten. He figured the plants received too much water or there was root damage that he could not see without removing the soil away from the base of the plant.

Explanation: Pepper sunscald occurs when peppers are exposed to the direct rays of the sun during hot weather. Sunscald leaves a pepper

PHOTO SUBMITTED Pepper Sunscald. with papery, bleached or tan colored spots.

Pepper leaves grow in a way to protect the fruits. When the strong winds shifted the plants

and caused them to lean, the leaves shifted their position and were no longer protecting the fruits.

Saturday, March 25, 2017

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Saturday, March 25, 2017

Saturday, March 25, 2017

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Feeding Lawn of Upmost Importance

PHOTO SUBMITTED A well fertilized lawn.

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

The most important thing you can do for your lawn is fertilize it.

A well-fed lawn is healthier, which means it has a better root system to combat extreme weather conditions and other stresses.

While fertilizing your lawn once a year will improve its condition, fertilizing it several times a year will make it even healthier.

Lawns wake up hungry in the spring. Fertilizing your lawn prior to April strengthens roots and gets it off to a good start before the heart of the growing season.

April to June is lunchtime for lawns. Grasses are busy, using up stored energy. Watering this time of the year is critical.

Summer is tough on grass. Heat, drought, foot traffic and insects stress it out. Watering and feeding your lawn in the summer protects and strengthens it against these problems. A drought-striken lawn will likely turn green within 15 days of a few rounds of thorough watering but avoiding dried out grasses is important.

Remember to pull the dandelions out of the ground before they turn to seed.

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Saturday, March 25, 2017

Saturday, March 25, 2017

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PAGE 11

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PAGE 12

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Saturday, March 25, 2017

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

HEALTH

Dear Pharmacist

By Suzy Cohen, R.Ph.

Suzy Cohen is the author of “The 24-Hour Pharmacist” and “Real Solutions.” For more information, visit www.SuzyCohen.com.

7 Common but Strange Reasons for Insomnia I’m cranky if I don’t sleep, are you? There’s more violence associated with people who have insomnia, which doesn’t come as any surprise to me. The start of Daylight Savings Time (DST) in March is always associated with a small spike in heart attacks, according to two different studies from the American Journal of Cardiology (2013) and the New England Journal of Medicine (2008).

Research published in New England Journal of Medicine shows an increase in car accidents in those first few days after the time change.

Interestingly, a 2015 study published in The Review of Economics and Statistics estimates a 7 percent decrease in robberies after DST goes into effect, saving $59 million in social costs.

Fascinating that the burglars are too tired to rob people if they lose sleep.

This research is just so cool and it got me thinking about the reasons people don’t sleep.

Here are some other reasons you don’t get normal shut-eye. These are seven common or unexpected causes for insomnia: 1. Taking thyroid medication at night. It should be taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach because that’s when you usually produce it. When you pump out thyroid hormones (or take a pill) you naturally feel more energized and refreshed so take the medicine first thing in the morning to mimic your own body’s rhythm.

2. Methylation. This is a chemical pathway in your body that produces and breaks down neurotransmitters such as epinephrine (which is stimulating) and melatonin (which causes sleep). If your methylation pathway is cramped, it could trigger insomnia as well as seizures, agitation, combativeness, panic attacks and other ‘stimulating’ issues.

3. Quinolinic acid. This is a neurotoxin that is made in our brains and we can produce too much of it for a variety of reasons. Ironically, you can do it to yourself by taking certain sleep supplements like tryptophan. Too much quinolinic acid contributes to insomnia, depression and suicidal thoughts and attempts.

4. Fluoride. Drinking tap water or taking certain fluoride-containing antidepressants, medications or vitamins can harm your pineal gland. That’s bad because your pineal gland makes melatonin, your main sleep hormone. If you think fluoride is impacting your melatonin levels, which wane as you age, think about a supplement.

5. Prescription Medications. Stimulating pharmaceuticals could keep you tossing all night. Among the worst offenders are albuterol, steroid, modafinil, metoclopramide, antidepressants, pseudoephedrine, ciprofloxacin and others.

6. Chronic Pain. Only 36 percent of chronic pain sufferers get regular good sleep, compared to 65 percent of people without pain, according to a 2015 Sleep in America poll conducted by The National Sleep Foundation.

7. Allergies. Your environment matters.

Itchy eyes, sinus congestion and frequent sneezing from dust or pollen allergies can keep you awake. To improve sleep, keep your bedding and pillows as allergen-free as possible.

Get a clean new bed and buy a zippered bed-bug mattress cover immediately. Consider changing from a down comforter to an organic cotton blanket. Close the windows if pollen count is high. Shower before bed. Remember to change daytime clothes before hopping into bed and regularly change sheets and pillowcases. Clean your fan blades of accumulated dust.

This information is not intended to treat, cure, or diagnose your condition.

For more information, please visit www.SuzyCohen.com. © 2017 SUZY COHEN, RPH. DISTRIBUTED BY DEAR PHARMACIST, INC.

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Fewer Doses Of HPV Vaccine Effective

By Sue Hubbard, M.D.

I am a huge proponent of vaccinating children (and ourselves); and I remind patients that there are ongoing studies regarding vaccine safety, as well as efficacy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (CDC and ACIP) recently announced that the HPV vaccine, which prevents many different types of cancer caused by human papillomavirus, may be protective and effective after just two doses of vaccine rather than the previous recommendation of a series of three vaccines.

That is good news for teens, especially those who are “needle phobic!”

The ACIP recommended a two-dose HPV vaccine series for young adolescents, those that begin the vaccine series between 11 and 14 years. For adolescents who begin the HPV vaccine series at the age 15 or older, the three-dose series is still recommended.

This recommendation was based upon data presented to the ACIP and CDC from clinical trials that showed two doses of HPV vaccine in younger adolescents (11 to 14 years old) produced an immune response similar or higher than the response in older adolescents (15 years or older).

The HPV vaccine has been routinely recommended beginning at age 11 years

(approved to use as young as 9 years), but unfortunately only about 42 percent of girls and 28 percent of teenage boys have completed the three-dose series.

By showing that a two-dose series (when started at younger ages) is effective and protective, the hope is that more and more young adolescents will complete the series.

The two doses now must be spaced at least six months apart and may even be given at the 11-year and then 12-year checkup, which would not require as many visits to the pediatrician.

According to the CDC, more HPV-related cancers have been diagnosed in recent years, and more than 31,000 new cases of cancer each year (from 2008-2012) were attributable to HPV. That routine vaccination could potentially prevent about 29,000 cases of those cancers from occurring. But, in order to see these numbers shrink, more and more adolescents need to be immunized before they are ever exposed to the virus. Remember, the HPV vaccine is protective against certain strains of HPV, but does not treat HPV disease.

Once again, this is a good example of using science-based evidence to provide the best protection against a serious disease - with fewer shots too! Win-win!

Saturday, March 25, 2017

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

PAGE 13

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

FUN AND GAMES Are We There Yet?

By Lori Clinch

Lori Clinch was born and raised in North Platte, Nebraska, a hotbed of material for writers whose passion it is to make people laugh. Lori Clinch is the mother of four sons and the author of the book “Are We There Yet?”

Make A Note, Then Remember The Note Back in the day, I truly relished my memory.

I easily shopped without a list, lived without a calendar on my phone and blindly reached into cupboards, knowing exactly what would be there.

What I enjoyed at the time, and yet truly did not appreciate, was parking the car, with full confidence that I would remember exactly where it would be upon my return.

In my youth, I would pull into a random stall, push down the locks and stroll away without a care. I didn’t have to drop breadcrumbs, take a picture on my cell phone or repeat things like, “C1, C1, C1” over and over as I shopped with frenzy.

These days it just isn’t so.

Worse yet, was the day that I found myself in the middle of the mall parking lot on Black Friday. I was holding three over-stuffed sacks of my own, along with a dozen smaller bags that belonged to my relatives.

Perhaps I would have fared better if Micki, one of my dear sisters-in-law, hadn’t dropped me off at the door so that I could leap over the shoulders of other shoppers and snatch up a coupon for the 6 a.m. door buster.

Had that coupon not existed, I might have stayed on for the ride and not only advised upon a parking space, but perhaps remembered it.

Alas, it wasn’t so. And since another clever sister-in-law had called “dibs” on NOT carrying the plethora of shopping bags to the car, the task had fallen squarely on my shoulders.

It’s one thing to look for one’s own car.

You know the dings, the scratches and fully recognize that the vehicle could use a wash. It’s quite another thing to look for others’ vehicles.

As I stood in the vast parking lot, I pondered Micki’s sedan. I was confident that it was white and was pretty darned certain that it had four doors. Other than that I had nothing.

“It’s in row D6,” Micki had advised. “If you can’t find it, just hit the ‘honk’ button on the fob. It will sound for you.”

There I stood on that fateful day, loaded

down with bags in a lot packed with a 1,000 SUVs reminiscent of Micki’s, and hadn’t a clue as to what row and space number she had referenced. Worse yet, nary a one of those cars were honking as I hit the red horn button on that danged fob.

I’m not one for being dramatic, but if one pondered the weather and the length of time with exposure, one would have to agree to this—I could have died out there!

Then there was the time that I pushed my cart alongside a good friend and chatted up a storm.

As I bid her adieu, I realized that not only did I NOT know where I parked, I had no recollection of ever pulling into the lot.

That was 20 minutes of my life that I’ll never get back.

These days, I take mental notes, cell phone pictures and I tell Siri to remind me that I parked in row four, about a quarter of the way down before I leave my vehicle.

After shopping, I depart from the mall with confidence that I not only know where I parked, I know what I’m driving.

But last Friday, I pulled into the supercenter and as I prepared to depart from my vehicle, I noticed three women, my age, wandering around with fully-stocked carts and in an apparent state of bewilderment.

“Where could we have parked it?” I heard one of them ask as they passed.

“I could have sworn that it was Row 2,” another said.

“Is that it over there?” yet another pondered.

Having experienced the situation, I wouldn’t say that I laughed at them, but I did chuckle to myself.

Ladies, I thought, you have got to take mental notes.

I then went in and used my list, did my shopping and as I prepared to depart the grocer’s freezer, you’ll never guess who walked out of the store with a cart full and nary a clue as to where she parked?

I have got to remember to write these things down.

© 2017 LORI CLINCH

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C R O S S W O R D

Across 1 Protests by not taking any courses?

6 Floorboard hardware item 10 Cloaks 15 Top dog 16 Western city with an annual balloon race 17 She slugged a sheriff in “Selma” 18 Pick up 19 Big story 20 With 13-Down, “Unfaithful” Oscar nominee 21 Waits on hand and foot 23 “Pity” 25 Proof letters 26 Not much power 27 “Never Cry Wolf” author Farley __ 29 “__ tree falls ... “ 30 Significant period 31 __ moment 34 Capital near Las Vegas 41 Popular software for gamers 42 Variety show on which “The Honeymooners” began as a skit 43 Buddy 44 Former court gp.

45 Big name in outdoor gear 46 Pope John Paul II’s given name 48 “Ready for business” sign

P U Z Z L E

52 Toon that debuted in the 1954 cartoon “Devil May Hare” 55 “Hyde Park on Hudson” subj.

56 Peak 57 Hardly warm 59 Comet competitor 61 Secretary of war under Teddy 62 Language that gives us “mako” 63 Accept 64 Tears down, in 65-Across 65 North Sea county 66 Inspected 67 Decorative pitchers Down 1 Gandolfini’s TV wife 2 “Yond Cassius has __ and hungry look” 3 Sudden rush 4 Obeyed a fishing regulation 5 Marin County seat 6 Football’s Favre 7 Tow job, for short 8 Singer DiFranco 9 BBC hero since 1963 10 Screwdriver part 11 Commercial prefix with Pen 12 Big oil exporter 13 See 20-Across

14 Lose 22 It may be swiped at work 24 Lowland amphibian 27 1980s attorney general 28 Attorney’s specialty 32 Simple greeting 33 Big name in PCs 34 Ink __ 35 Actor Driver of “Girls” 36 Salmon choice 37 Involved 38 Athlete known as “The King of Clay” 39 Absent 40 Logical operators 47 Pin, say 48 Rejected 49 Self-confidence 50 Wild blue yonder 51 City across the Rhine from Düsseldorf 52 Hardly boundary-pushing 53 “Poor me!”

54 Places with exhibits 56 Cod relative 58 Mt. Hood setting 60 Colorful flier

S U D O K U

facebook.com/pinebarrenstribune @PineBarrensNews ANSWERS ON PAGE 18

PAGE 14

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Saturday, March 25, 2017

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

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Help Wanted

BIN REPAIR – Immediate positions available at Ocean Spray Cranberries in If interested, please stop by Auto Parts and Svcs. Chatsworth.

3917 Main Street, Route 563, Chatsworth or Auto body repair technicians, experienced call 609-726-1600 between the hours of 7 professional, collision technician, busy a.m. and 2 p.m. shop, with insurance DRPs. Valid driver’s license a must. Top salary offered. Call SERVER FOR BUSY DINER. Experience 609-893-8285. preferred but will train right individual.

Apply in person. Ask for Cynthia. NO Automotive technician Class. A tech busy PHONE CALLS. Red Lion Diner at the automotive repair center. All makes and Red Lion Circle, Southampton. models. All computer diagnostics done on site. Top pay offered. 609-893-8285.

HOSTESS/CASHIER. Job requires ability to stand/walk up to eight hours and good Maintenance person able to do all types communication skills. Apply in person. of housing repair, painting, spackling, etc. Ask for Cynthia. NO PHONE CALLS. Call 609-893-8285.

Red Lion Diner at Red Lion Circle, Southampton.

Pine Barrens Media, LLC–Searching for a sales representative. The right candidate will be highly organized, collaborative, and creative closer who thrives in a deadline-driven sales environment and demonstrates a passion for both print and digital advertising sales.

The job includes prospecting leads, making calls, daily territory travel, setting up appointments, and the use of technology.

Previous newspaper and/or sales experience is a plus, but not necessary. Strong face-to-face written, and verbal communication skills with an eye for detail are a must. Candidates must possess a valid drivers license and a reliable vehicle.

Please include your resume, cover letter, and professional references and send to resumes@pinebarrenstribune.com.

Competitive salary plus commission with opportunity for advancement.

EXPERIENCED SHORT ORDER Maple crib with a mattress, chest of COOK. Apply in person. Ask for Jimmy. drawers, and a changing table. Changing NO PHONE CALLS. Red Lion Diner at table with drawers also. $125 for set. Call the Red Lion Circle, Southampton.

609-268-1557.

Property Inspectors for Insurance Claims.

Queen sleep sofa and love seat. Floral No experience needed, free training, print, very good condition, negotiable. requires car, camera, flexible hours. P/T 856-384-1983.

Call for info 609-294-8323.

Pine Barrens Media, LLC– Searching for a freelance journalist/reporter with strong reporting skills and great storytelling abilities to join the Pine Barrens Tribune news team! The ideal candidate will have excellent news judgment and be able to develop sources to allow them to break major stories both in print and online. We are seeking a motivated, energetic, creative

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and aggressive reporter who can think and perform outside the box. The candidate should be able to develop story ideas and gather information for the newspaper and website, have sound writing skills, a great work ethic, strong interpersonal skills, and a can-do attitude. The best person for this job will have excellent writing skills and thrive on breaking stories. Video editing, photographic editing and graphic artwork experience is a huge plus, but not required. A college degree in Journalism / Mass Communications or related field of study is required. The average work schedule will include evenings and weekends. Please include your resume, cover letter, three writing samples, and professional references and send to resumes@pinebarrenstribune.com Pine Barrens Media, LLC–Accepting applications for a newspaper delivery driver to work in the Burlington County area. This is a great part-time income opportunity for a motivated individual. A personal vehicle is necessary and a large van, cargo van, SUV, or extended cab pickup truck is preferred.

Working hours may vary depending upon delivery arrival time. The ideal candidate should be available on Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Responsibilities include lifting

up to 25 pounds and delivering newspapers to racks and local businesses. Excellent reading, comprehension, organizational, and written and verbal skills are required.

A valid drivers license, insurance card, and reliable transportation is a must! Please call 609-801-2392 and ask for George. The pay rate is competitive for new hires.

Home Improvement Redefine spaces. Your one-stop shop home improvement contractor. Kitchen and baths, doors, windows, and siding. Tile, hardwood, drywall and painting. Call John for free estimate. 609-458-5371.

Miscellaneous Brotherton Indian Tribal Offices Brotherton Indian Reservation, Tribal Lands Office of the Chief Brotherton Indian Reservation Indian Mills, New Jersey 08088 Attention Dr. Sam Beeler, Chief 973-222-1920 973-432-8894 PIANO LESSONS WITH LYDIA. Certified teacher. 25 years experience. All ages/levels. Medford. Call for information/ registration. 609-654-1087.

Extra

Saturday, March 25, 2017

HEROES PAGE 1

heroes,” Birnbohm said. “We consider students who stand up for a worthy cause or step up for one of their fellow classmates who are being bullied as heroes. But, it is pretty rare in the school community that we can recognize someone for the heroic deed of saving someone’s life.”

Birnbohm, who graduated from Cherokee High School and then came back to the district to teach mathematics in 1992, said she would be remiss if she didn’t recognize the other faculty members who took swift, efficient and necessary action.

“A teacher sitting next to Pulverenti promptly called for help,” she said. “Many, many people called 9-1-1. Staff members carried her to the aisle. Administrators used radios to communicate the crisis that was occurring and they evacuated the faculty so that personnel could attend to the emergency.”

She also acknowledged the district’s CPR certified trainers and Security and Emergency Management Coordinator Jim Kehoe.

“There was a quote used by the Navy Seals: ‘Under pressure, you don’t rise to the occasion.

You sink to the level of your training’,” Birnbohm said.

She said Kehoe and the district’s CPR certified trainers work together to ensure that each school has groups of staff trained in AED and CPR rescue. She also said they work together to maintain just the right number of AEDs in working order, in the right locations, throughout the school district.

“Each month just before our board meeting, down the hall from my office, I hear a reassuring, long beep,” Birnbohm said. “It comes from the AED in our building and I know that it is Mr. Jim Kehoe, our coordinator of security and emergency management, testing the AED’s battery.”

Business Administrator and Board Secretary Jim Hager read aloud a board resolution honoring all of the staff members who played a role in saving Pulverenti’s life.

The resolution acknowledged the excellent communication and calmness under pressure that the Cherokee faculty members displayed during the medical emergency. The board also urged all citizens to learn CPR and recognize AED locations in their community.

“I really hope that by bringing attention to what happened and by honoring our four heroes this evening, it will make people notice where AEDs are located when they are out at a restaurant, out at the movies, in the mall, or

TAXES PAGE 1

In Shamong Township, the board is proposing a tax rate increase of 1.19 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $38.12 on a home assessed at the township average of $308,169.

In Southampton Township, including LeisureTowne, the board is proposing a tax rate increase of 0.02 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $1.17 on a home assessed at the township average of $192,129.

In Tabernacle Township, the board is proposing a tax rate increase of 3.76 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $97.59 on a home assessed at the township average of $263,533.

In Woodland Township, the board is proposing a tax rate increase of 2.98 cents, resulting in an increase in regional school taxes of $68.64 on a home assessed at the township average of $259,700.

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM at other community events,” Birnbohm said.

“Just maybe, by people hearing their story, these four heroes will be responsible for saving even more lives.”

Pulverenti expressed sincere gratitude at the board meeting for her colleagues as they received a framed copy of the resolution which Hager read aloud.

“I’ve said it and I want to say it again, if it wasn’t for you, I would not be here,” she said.

“So, I cannot express my gratitude enough.

Thank you for my life.”

Birnbohm said that what happened on Feb. 17 isn’t a miracle.

“It is proof positive that anyone, no matter the role, big or small, can help in a crisis,” she said. “As I think back at what the four of you did, I am still filled with emotion and a deep sense of gratitude. That was a very special event that occurred on Feb. 17 and one that I am sure we will remember forever in Cherokee High School history.”

Pulverenti was transported to Virtua Marlton Hospital after suffering cardiac arrest.

“The four of us were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time,” Denelsbeck said. “Together, with teamwork, the Cherokee family was able to help save one of our own.”

Progar agreed with her colleague.

“Many of us rapidly came together as a team, working like a well-oiled machine,” she said. “Each individual, knowing their small part in the bigger plan, provided the greatest chance for the best outcome.”

A proclamation from State Senator Diane Allen, R-7th of Edgewater Park, honoring Denelsbeck, Hengst, Progar and Wood for displaying “uncommon heroism during a life-threatening situation” was read earlier in the day at a Cherokee faculty meeting.

“We always say the Cherokee family is a community of people who know of only one way of giving, with two hands, all their hearts, without a second thought. Never has this been more evident than during that event and we are forever grateful,” said Donna Charlesworth, principal of Cherokee High School North.

Pulverenti, who started teaching in 1977 and has been at Cherokee for 14 years of her career, said that her doctors made very clear that she would not be alive without the assistance of Denelsbeck, Hengst, Progar and Wood. She also said the hospital staff was in awe of the actions that were taken so quickly and efficiently.

She added that she looks forward to returning to her classroom to teach Honors and Accelerated English to sophomores and seniors.

For the current school year; Evesham Township saw a tax rate increase of 1.50 cents, Medford Lakes Borough saw a tax rate decrease of .37 cents, Medford Township saw a tax rate increase of 1.89 cents, Mount Laurel Township saw a tax rate increase of .15 cents, Shamong Township saw a tax rate increase of 2.07 cents, Southampton saw a tax rate increase of 3.59 cents, Tabernacle Township saw a tax rate decrease of 2.49 cents, and Woodland Township saw a tax rate increase of 4.70 cents.

The board, which unanimously approved sending the budget to the NJDOE for review, did not discuss it during their March 15 regular meeting.

The board also did not hold public work sessions as the budget was put together. The budget was crafted by the district’s finance committee, which is comprised of board members.

The district does not release to the public the dates and times that the committees of the board convene nor who sits on each committee.

PAGE 15

PHOTO BY TOM WALKER Cherokee’s Paraprofessional Gary Denelsbeck (left), Nurse-Paraprofessional Felicia Progar, Assistant Certified Athletic Trainer Karen Hengst, and Head Certified Athletic Trainer Jeff Wood hold an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

PHOTO BY TOM WALKER Dr. Carol “Lynn” Birnbohm, superintendent of schools for the Lenape Regional High School District, listens as Janet Pulverenti, who lost consciousness and suffered cardiac arrest on Feb. 17, expresses gratitude to four Cherokee High School faculty members who helped save her life.

She said she is doing well with her recovery.

“I have the best students in the world,” she said. “Cherokee is like my second family. I can

now say my other family saved me. I’m really lucky.”

District officials have not said what is specifically driving the need for an increase in the general fund tax levy or debt service tax levy.

However, they’ve promised to hold a more in-depth discussion of the budget and tax impact during a scheduled public hearing at the K. Kiki Konstantinos Administration Building, 93 Willow Grove Road, Shamong, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26.

In other district news, the board approved the first reading of nine measures pertaining to special education. The board also unanimously approved the deletion of two special education policies.

“We don’t normally have nine policies up for first reading,” said Director of Programs and Planning Matt Webb. “The Office of Special Education and Programs for the NJDOE recently revised their special education policies and regulations. They notified all NJ districts in February that they must also adopt policies or revise their special education policies and regulations to ensure compliance

with state and federal law.”

He said a lot of the policies the board was introducing are simply being renamed or expanded.

The board approved February’s payroll of $7,829,612.87. The board also approved the writing of checks totaling $4,173,268.78 for bills incurred from Feb. 16 to March 15. A $122,045.46 cafeteria payment and $230,571.70 improvement authorization disbursement were also approved by the board.

The board also decided to close an inactive TD Bank District Officials checking account.

Eight faculty members received approval to take leaves of absence.

An interim Special Education teacher for Cherokee High School was hired at a starting salary of $55,869.

A security assistant for Shawnee High School was hired at a starting salary of $26,500. A Science teacher was also hired for Shawnee High School at a starting salary of $61,169.

The board approved the retirements of five

TAXES>>PAGE 17

PAGE 16

HOMESCHOOLER PAGE 4

the alleged discrimination resulting from Policy #2630,” Birnbohm said. “The policy is applied district wide, in all of the board’s schools, to any student who is educated elsewhere than in one of the board’s schools.

How this discriminates against any individual student, or how it is perceived as being discriminatory against a protected class is something the board and administration simply cannot answer.”

She said that the Cunard family had full knowledge of Policy #2630 since at least 2011, when they inquired as to whether homeschooled students could participate in athletics, and it was explained that such participation is not permitted under the board policy.

She added that the next time the Cunard’s contacted the board’s administration about Adam Cunard playing football was in January 2016. She said the family inquired about whether they could obtain some type of an “exemption” for him to play football. She said it was explained again that no such exemption was permitted under the board policy.

“Through multiple meetings, the administration attempted to work with the Cunards and offered them several alternatives that would have allowed A.C. to participate in the Seneca High School football program,” she said. “The Cunards turned these alternatives down.”

DiCroce said he is unaware of any alternatives that were offered to the family.

Marni Cunard said that the family just doesn’t feel that filing a lawsuit, no matter what the outcome, will alleviate things and that it would probably make them worse.

“In this particular case, the board cannot stop the Cunards from experiencing the emotions and feelings they state they are experiencing,” Birnbohm said.

LODGING PAGE 4

collection and disposal program. The second governs private storm drain inlet retrofitting.

The third requires lids on dumpsters and refuse containers.

All three issues are already being observed by the borough, but the ordinances are required by the State Department of Environmental Protection.

A number of resolutions were passed.

Included was the authorization of the purchase of a 2017 police utility vehicle. Another resolution awarded a bid for the repair of Mishemokwa Dam. There was also one that authorized an agreement between the State Division of Fire Safety and Medford Lakes to use the second floor of the borough’s firehouse for storage.

Keizer indicated that the 2017 budget will be ready for introduction at a council meeting scheduled for March 23. Details will appear in an upcoming edition of the Pine Barrens Tribune.

The public comment portion of the agenda brought several residents forward to speak out against the increasing number of Airbnbs or bed and breakfast guest houses cropping up in their neighborhoods.

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

Marni Cunard said that their plan moving forward is to continue to make people in the state aware of the issue and to fight for legislation that will enable all homeschoolers in NJ to take advantage of activities and sports that are offered at their local public schools.

“We will also continue to try to change the minds of our local board of education, in the hope that they will see the error and revise their policy to keep up with the times and put students first,” she said. “We’re not out of it and the final whistle has not been blown.

Homeschoolers in our communities should have access to these opportunities and we will continue to fight that fight for all these students.”

DiCroce said he asked to meet with the board and administration to discuss the matter.

Board Solicitor R. Taylor Ruilova denied his request in a letter obtained by the Pine Barrens Tribune.

“With regard to your offer to meet, the district is not inclined to pursue that option,” Ruilova said. “The board’s position, which is fully supported by applicable law, has been clearly communicated to your clients on multiple occasions. The administration also previously offered several alternative options to your clients, but those were rejected out of hand.”

He also asked DiCroce to refrain from any further contact with LRHSD administrators, other personnel and/or board members regarding the matter.

“I was really hoping to work something out,” DiCroce said. “The great majority of people we talked to are against the decision.

Most people believe it’s bad. Most people are in favor of Adam playing. It’s unfortunate.”

Birnbohm said the board and its administration do not find the policy to be controversial.

Editor’s Note: You can read the full letter from Dr. Birnbohm, regarding this matter, on the opinion page.

Incited in their complaints was noise, lack of fire safety, lack of “hotel guest” insurance, property damage and decreasing property values in neighborhoods where these shortterm lodging rentals are allowed to exist.

Borough Solicitor Douglas Heinold said that the goal is to dissuade these types of home businesses.

He added that the council must be smart and level-headed before passing any ordinance(s) banning Airbnbs because litigation could be prohibitively costly to the borough.

Heinold said that cities like New York and San Francisco are tied up in litigation with the Airbnb Corporation.

He said if New York and San Francisco, which have vast resources, are not able to come up with ways to regulate Airbnbs, small towns like Medford Lakes will not have a chance should a ban imposed by the municipality be contested in court.

“We’re not necessarily in favor of them (Airbnbs), but we are still looking into ways to regulate them,” said Mayor Thomas J. Cranston.

The Medford Lakes Borough Planning Board is currently reviewing the Airbnbs issue and will present their recommendations to the council at a later date.

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Saturday, March 25, 2017

WOODLAND PAGE 4

Chatsworth Elementary School. district and we don’t have the teacher certifications or the facilities to handle that, we need to send that child out to a special school that can handle their needs,” he said. “We have to still pay that tuition for that student.”

He said the district is looking into the idea of creating a self-contained classroom at the Chatsworth Elementary School in order to keep more special-needs students in the district as well as potentially attract special-needs tuition students to come to the district.

Gahles added that district officials and the board will continue to review the budget and may make additional changes prior to a public

PHOTO BY TOM WALKER hearing planned for April.

The budget was introduced by a vote of 4-0.

Dennis Cronin, president of the board, was absent.

Three teachers and members of the press were in the audience.

After the meeting adjourned, one of the teachers told the Pine Barrens Tribune that there will be an Art Show held at the Chatsworth Elementary School on April 3 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The event will include painting activities along with a bake sale.

She encouraged the community to attend.

Saturday, March 25, 2017

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

TERMITE

TAXES

board an overview of the school’s academic, athletic and extracurricular activities for the current year.

Highlighted events included the 17th Annual Senior Citizens Valentine’s Day Ball, Little Chiefs Safe Trick or Treat, Scare Up Some Food and the Harvest Festival.

Lenape High School seniors Evan Mufalli and Jenna Goldstein also presented an overview of Lenape student-and staff-run events to the board.

Discussed activities included Camp Lenape, Challenge Day, College Hall, March for Martin, and a Give Kids the World trip.

All four students touted how many of these experiences help foster a positive learning environment.

“This came out years ago from our long-range plan where one of the objectives was to bring students to board meetings and share their perspective of what is going on in their school,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carol “Lynn” Birnbohm. “We give them the parameters; academics, extracurricular activities and community service; but it is really the life that they bring to it that makes it very special for us.”

She said the four students who presented to the board did an outstanding job.

The meeting concluded with the board going behind closed doors to discuss a possible case of Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB). The board did not return to open session.

President Linda Eckenhoff (Southampton), Board Member Dr. William Bisignano, Jr. (Medford), Board Member Barry Fitzgerald (Evesham) and Board Member Ted Shinske (Shamong) were absent from the meeting.

a five-year period.

“It is simply a matter that we are too small to have that title,” Lewis said.

The township has 687 residents according to the United States Census Bureau.

All of the action items were passed by votes of 3-0.

The committee also discussed six paradepermit requests.

The township requires that any organizer of a motorcycle race, rally, tour, or similar function on any street, park or other public place which falls under township jurisdiction obtain a parade permit from the committee.

The committee has scrutinized parade-permit requests since learning of a medical response issue during an event held in November.

Pine Barons Enduro Riders, South Jersey Enduro Riders, Pine Barrens Adventure Camp, Meteor Motorcycle Club and Jeep Jamboree USA were granted parade permits for their March, April and May events.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society was denied a parade permit for an event to be held in May due to missing paperwork.

During public comment, Lisa Downs, a township resident, expressed frustration with the slow progress of the township’s website overhaul.

“I am really looking forward to seeing it,” she said. “It is amazing that people actually use township websites. It would be great as far as disseminating information.”

Deputy Township Clerk Karen Bacon said that she doesn’t know what is going on with the website’s overhaul status. She said Township Clerk Kathleen D. Hoffman was not there to provide an update.

Lewis said Hoffman was absent due to a family illness.

The website has not been overhauled as of press time.

In a follow-up interview on March 21, Hoffman said the webmaster has completed the website’s design.

She said that the Clerk’s Office employees are scheduled to be trained next week.

“After training, the Clerk’s Office will begin the input of the content,” Hoffman said.

She expected the new design to launch shortly after the training is completed.

Downs also inquired about a plan to remodel the municipal building’s bathrooms. She wanted to know what the plan called for.

“We are going to update them to make them handicapped accessible,” Lewis said. “They are vintage 1929. They are historic, but also horribly unfriendly - ecologically. Those (toilets) are all five-gallon flush. If you have ever used one, it is amazing how hard they flush. The other problem is the parts are very difficult to get for them. The men’s room is in a rather bad situation. Some of the fixtures are leaking quite substantially.”

Lewis said the township received a grant to undertake the bathroom remodeling project. He

said most of the project’s cost will be covered by the grant.

“It is not going to cost the taxpayers very much,” he said.

Downs also inquired about why trees in the front yard of the municipal building were chain sawed. She said a certified arborist was brought out in Jan. 2013 to inspect the trees and determined that the trees were healthy and safe.

“He did an expensive and really beautiful job of pruning those trees to make sure they remain healthy and safe,” Downs said. “I guess, when the front was cleaned out in the fall, somebody took a chainsaw to those trees that we already paid a certified arborist to meticulously prune and now they look like ice cream cones and they are actually less safe now because the growth pattern of those trees has an imbalance to it.”

Lewis said that one tree was removed that was supposed to have been left.

Paul Diulio, a resident of Godfrey Bridge Road, pleaded for the committee to do everything possible to bring high-speed internet service to his road.

“What is going on with the high-speed internet service down Route 563, because I am still in the Stone Age?” he said.

Lewis said most of us (township residents) are in the Stone Age. He said the committee is continuing to work with Comcast and Verizon FiOS to bring high-speed Internet service to the parts of the township without it.

He said 35 residences would need to sign paperwork, pay $100, and enter a two-year agreement for one of the service providers to bring internet service to the northern section of the township which is currently without the service.

Lewis said he is concerned that there are not 35 residences in that part of the township.

Diulio asked if the township could negotiate with Comcast when their contract is up for renewal.

Bacon said the township signed a 10-year agreement with the company.

Lewis said he believed the contract remains valid for another three or four years.

“They weren’t even willing to give us a high-definition line into this building,” he said.

“It was basically where they said ‘Take what we have or leave it.’ Our hands are really tied and you are dealing with a massive company that could care less. They don’t even maintain their copper lines here.”

Lewis said one option is to deny Comcast the right to be the township’s cable company.

“If we do that, we would have to find another cable company that would be willing to take over that service,” he said.

Lewis said the committee will attempt to do something about the situation when Comcast’s renewal comes up.

“I am not going to be encouraging because the attitude of Comcast at the last negotiation was ‘Take it or leave it.’,” Lewis said. “There is not enough customer base out there to make it worth their while.”

safety and well-being of its students, and provide them with the best education possible, and it will do so, regardless of whether a lawsuit is filed to have a board decision overturned.

The board understands and values the individual rights of parents to choose the education that they believe is best for their children and family, including parochial,

private or public school, as well as homeschooling. The board is also sensitive to the issue of homeschooled students’ participation in public-school activities.

However, the board’s policies help ensure that the privilege of participating in extracurricular activities and athletics is consistent, fair and open to enrolled students who meet the LRHSD’s eligibility

requirements and preconditions.

Dr. Birnbohm is the Superintendent of Schools for the Lenape Regional High School District. The Lenape Regional High School District’s four high schools – Lenape, Shawnee, Cherokee and Seneca – as well as the Sequoia Alternative Program, educate about 6,800 students from eight communities in Burlington County.

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PHOTO SUBMITTED Lenape High School seniors Jenna Goldstein (left) and Evan Mufalli presented an overview of Lenape student and staff run events to Lenape Regional High School District Board of Education. teachers in the district.

Two teachers were given the additional responsibility of serving as mentors for the district’s teaching staff for the remainder of the school year. Three individuals were designated to serve as job coaches for the remainder of the school year.

Mechanic Francisco Torres was promoted and will now serve as the district’s head mechanic.

The board accepted donations totaling $55,285.88. $50,000 was donated by the Mount Laurel Baseball and Lenape High School Baseball Booster Club for baseball field improvements at Lenape High School.

Current plans call for a new outfield and perimeter fence, a warning track, safety fence capping, an outfield wind screen with the Lenape logo, new 30’ foul poles and a 20’ x 10’ scoreboard.

“The ultimate goal of this project is to convert the Lenape varsity field into one of the premier baseball venues in South Jersey,” said John Doulong, vice president of the Lenape Booster Club. “In terms of timing, we intend to complete this project by early April.”

The Shawnee High School Women’s Club and Cherokee High School Astronomy Club received approval to launch.

Lenape High School’s Marching Band received approval to perform in the 6 ABC Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 22.

Numerous other requests for approval of student activities and education items were approved by the board.

All of the decisions were unanimous, except for an occasional abstention by a board member due to a previous absence.

Cherokee High School seniors Patrick Rudroff and Daniel Schwartz presented to the

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football programs, outside of Seneca High School, if in fact they would like to enroll A.C. at Seneca, the board and its administration would enroll A.C. and would treat him, and his family, like any other student enrolled in Seneca.

As an integral part of the communities it serves, the board’s mission is to ensure the

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Saturday, March 25, 2017

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

HOME, GARDEN, AND FARMING Farm and Food File

By Alan Guebert

Alan Guebert is an award-winning ag journalist and expert who was raised on a 720-acre, 100-cow southern Illinois dairy farm.

Big Salaries, Big Loans, Big Questions If you want to get the attention of the $240-billion Farm Credit System (FCS), just mention the $725-million loan CoBank, a System lender, made to Verizon in 2013 to help finance Verizon’s $130-billion buyout of Vodafone, a European telecommunications giant.

The far-from-the-farm loan incensed commercial bankers, the system’s largest competitors, who howled to Congress about CoBank’s outrageous “mission creep.” It was, said one, a “clear breach of FCS lending authority and misuse of the taxpayer-backed GSE’s” - government sponsored enterprise “implicit subsidies.”

Congress, caught napping, held a few scolding hearings and then went back to sleep. The FCS’s watchdog, the Farm Credit Administration, who approved the loan, promised to reexamine it. Right.

Bosses at the System’s 80-or-so lending associations around the U.S., however, saw the inaction as a green light to grow more, merge more, and make even more questionable loans.

One of those mergers—that of AgStar Financial Services, a FCS lender in Minnesota and Wisconsin, with two other FCS lenders, Badgerland Financial and 1st Farm Credit Services—was reviewed here two weeks ago.

In that review, it was noted that the merged lender, to be called Compeer Financial, would be an $18.5-billion loan juggernaut from east of St. Louis to north of St. Paul. Also noted was that there was no compelling reason for the merger; bigness and the ability for “CEOs to pay themselves much bigger salaries” seemed to be the two fuels propelling the deal.

Last week, the associations sent financial documents to their borrower-clients explaining the pending deal. The detailed documents confirm that assessment: bigness and big salaries are indeed driving the deal.

(In a hasty vote, signed mail-in ballots are due April 6. To pass, the deal must be approved by a majority of voters in each association.)

For example, the total cost of the merger, estimated between $10.5 and $18 million, is nearly equal to its largest one-time savings, an estimated $12.1 to $18.6 million based on the elimination of just 55 of Compeer’s collective 1,200 jobs.

More interestingly, the analysis shows

AgStar’s balance sheet getting a small boost from the better-capitalized Badgerland and 1st Farm Credit. It also suggests AgStar’s borrowers pay higher interest rates than borrowers of the other two lenders.

Do these differences mean Badgerland and 1St Farm Credit borrowers are in for an interest rate surprise after the merger? The disclosure documents don’t say.

They do show AgStar, the biggest lender of the three, as the force behind the deal: Six of Compeer’s 10 senior managers will be AgStar alums and former AgStar members will occupy at least six, possibly seven, seats on Compeer’s 17-member board.

That also means AgStar’s lending subsidiaries—two of which are called AgriAccess and Capital Markets—will likely continue to write loans both inside and outside their System designated areas.

For example, explains AgStar’s website, Agri-Access “focuses primarily on purchasing participations in agricultural real estate loans, rural home loans and leases on a wholesale basis” from offices in Iowa, California and Idaho.

That nationwide push infuriates commercial ag lenders who see System subsidiaries like Agri-Access as unregulated competitors that undercut local and regional banks because System lenders can access credit markets more cheaply through their quasi-government, or GSE, status.

That GSE advantage, combined with creative rule-bending and ballooning size, allowed AgStar to report that 46 percent of its 2015 “loan volume” originated outside its Systemdefined Minnesota-Wisconsin area.

Commercial banks point to numbers like that to confirm the System has pushed its presence far beyond anything envisioned by Congress.

They say Congress should either update the System’s charter to allow such moves or enforce current rules to better regulate the System.

No one at any legislative level seems willing to do either. As such, System lenders continue to grow, merge, and make whale-sized loans like the Verizon one.

Unless, of course, the farm, ranch, and rural owners of the Farm Credit System begin to question their hired hands about all the rule-stretching loans and million-dollar salaries.

© 2017 AG COMM.

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Saturday, March 25, 2017

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PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

AUTOMOTIVE New Vehicle Buying Guide Compiled by Motor Matters

E-mail Questions To: info@motormatters.com Mail Questions To: PO Box 3305, Wilmington, DE 19804

2017 GMC Sierra HD All Terrain GMC introduces the 2017 Sierra HD All Terrain X, the most off-road-capable model in the Sierra HD lineup, and one that matches its enhanced capability with trail-ready style and the brand’s signature refinement.

It joins Canyon and Sierra 1500 as the third model in GMC’s distinctive, limited-edition All Terrain X series, offered on the Sierra 2500HD crew cab 4WD with a 6.0L gas V-8 engine or the all-new, next-generation Duramax 6.6L V-8 turbo-diesel. More powerful than ever, the new Duramax delivers a segment-topping 445 horsepower and 910 lb.-ft. of torque.

The All Terrain X’s customized appearance blends a premium package of monochromatic exterior trim and special equipment, complemented with GMC’s latest technologies. Among some of the features: 18-inch black-painted aluminum wheels; Goodyear Duratrac MT-rated tires that feature an aggressive tread pattern for outstanding offroad performance; A unique body-color grille

surround with All Terrain insert; power-adjustable heated and power-folding trailering mirrors with integrated turn signals, LED rear guidance lamps and LED amber clearance lamps; Black belt moldings, front bumper skidplate and B-pillars.

All Terrain equipment includes a spray-on bedliner, Front and Rear Park Assist, the Z71 off-road suspension package, underbody shield, heated steering wheel and all-weather floor liners. The Eaton automatic locking rear differential is also standard.

The 2017 Sierra 2500HD All Terrain X also features GMC IntelliLink with an 8-inchdiagonal color touchscreen, Teen Driver, remote-locking tailgate, remote starting system, Rear Vision Camera, adjustable pedals, leather-appointed seats, heated front seats and wireless charging.

Base model estimated mpg: NA Estimated starting price: $40,000

Compiled by Motor Matters.

2017 GMC Sierra HD All Terrain.

PHOTO SUBMITTED

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Saturday, March 25, 2017