November 19 2016 Newspaper

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE www.pinebarrenstribune.com Bass River

Medford

Medford Lakes

Pemberton

Pemberton Borough

facebook.com/pinebarrenstribune

@PineBarrensNews Shamong

Southampton

Tabernacle

Woodland

November 19-25, 2016

Southeastern Burlington County's News Leader

Vol. 1- No. 12

Washington

Southampton Holds Meeting To Discuss Future of Hampton Lakes Emergency Squad

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON–The Southampton Township Committee met on Wednesday (Nov. 9th) to hear from Kit Applegate, an attorney who represents the Hampton Lakes Emergency Squad. Applegate provided a comprehensive update on the squad’s finances and organizational structure.

He said that the squad revised their bylaws and organized a board of trustees. Applegate formally introduced Trish Winters, JoAnn Schwartz, and Richie Shaw as the three members on the newly constituted board.

Applegate also introduced the new president, treasurer, and certified public accountant of the organization.

He then discussed the bid which the township awarded to the squad. He explained at length how the bid says that there was not going to be any support from the township to the squad while also indicating that the organization would not be able to bill patients. Applegate said that it can’t be both ways under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.

“When we were here last I had indicated that under the bid that was put out by the township, it indicated that there was not going to be any support to the emergency squad and it also indicated that the winning bid would not be able to bill patients for any copays or deductibles,” Applegate said. “As I indicated in my June meeting, that would run afoul of the Anti-Kickback Statute in the Medicare regulations. I pointed out to the members of the committee that there was an OAG (Office of Attorney General) advisory opinion that actually indicated that a township could not direct an emergency squad not to bill copays and deductibles to Medicare recipients unless they offset that amount by some sort of financial or in-kind contribution.”

Applegate said that the emergency squad was waiting for instructions from the township committee as to what path they would like them to take. He would like to draft a contract for 2017 between the squad and the township once the committee provides feedback.

Committeeman Bill Rafferty asked Applegate whether the township has a contract now with the Hampton Lakes Emergency Squad.

Applegate indicated that the township did have a contract through the end of the year but that there is uncertainty after Jan. 1.

“Yes, I believe we do have a contract,” Applegate said. “What are the precise terms of that contract? I don’t know. Before the bid, we had a contract with the township and that contract expires come Dec.

PHOTO FOR THE PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE Existing Hampton Lakes Emergency Squad ambulance.

31. I’ve always assumed we’ve been operating under that contract because nobody told me that it was voided or terminated. My understanding is that we were operating under that contract until we negotiate the terms of a new contract. I had talked to Ms. Hoffman (township administrator) and she indicated that the bid is the new contract which my response was if that is the case I need some direction from the township as to what route are we going to take.

Are they going to provide financial support or are they going to say no, no financial support, go ahead and bill patients because it is one or the other which in turn caused this evening’s meeting?”

Applegate said that he was treating the bid as the model for the new contract effective Jan. 1st. However, the conflict with the AntiKickback Statute caused Applegate to seek the committee’s guidance.

Committeeman Michael Mikulski asked Applegate to list the in-kind support the township currently provides. Mikulski noted that the squad’s finances and expenses this year are under control and being well managed.

Applegate said that the township paid for

the organization’s workers’ compensation for one year and that also fuel is being provided. He also said that the squad is covered under the township’s Joint Insurance Fund for automobile liability, professional liability and workers’ compensation for volunteers.

Applegate was unable to provide a figure for the support without performing some research. However, he said that under the initial contract, the township was supposed to forward a $15,000 financial contribution which hasn’t happened yet.

Applegate said he was concerned with the significant expenses that the squad was incurring. He said that what the squad is not collecting from the patients exceeds $100,000. This includes the squad’s financial hardship policy, not billing for copays and deductibles, and non-ride calls or where the squad arrives for a call but doesn’t transport the subject to the hospital.

Mikulski inquired about what the squad would do with the money, should they start collecting payments from township patients.

He pointed out that the squad has operated in

the black since the year began.

“Every entity could use more money,” Mikulski said. “Is there something in particular, pieces of equipment, etc. that would be utilized or expended with this money being recovered?”

“The organization is in a desperate need of a new rig,” Applegate said. “The rigs that are currently being used are either at or near the end of their useful life.”

Applegate said that the cost of a new rig would be approximately $200,000. He said it is an expenditure that is going to need to be undertaken in the near future. He said that while it looks like the squad has a small profit, there would be no way for them to finance the acquisition of a new rig. He also said that the board of trustees was exploring grant opportunities.

Committeeman Ronald Heston said that he was concerned because of the budgetary constraints the township is under.

“I have a real concern,” Heston said. “I am looking at $103,000 ten months into the

MEETING>>>PAGE 13

Now Direct Mailed to Over 2,250 Homes in LeisureTowne

****ECRWSS**** LOCAL POSTAL CUSTOMER

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 2

Send Us Story Ideas and News Tips: news@pinebarrenstribune.com

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

LOCAL NEWS

Bass River Officials Increase Trailer Fees and Discuss Temporary Sign Removal

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

BASS RIVER—The monthly trailer fee based on permanent residents has been increased for the first time in twenty years in Bass River.

The Bass River Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Monday (Nov. 7) to raise the monthly trailer fee from $18 to $21 per unit. The township is subject to a state law which places a yearly cap on trailer fee increases. The approved increase is near the maximum allowed under state law.

“The operator of such campground, nonconforming mobile home park, or combination thereof shall pay to the Township a monthly fee in the amount of twenty-one dollars for each such nonconforming mobile home occupying a site in such campground, nonconforming mobile home park, or combination thereof for each month or part thereof as said space is occupied,” the approved ordinance reads. “In addition, the operator shall file a statement under oath on the first of each month with the Township Clerk stating the number of such sites occupied during the previous month.”

The Buttonwood, Chips Folly, and Timberline campgrounds are expected to be impacted by the increased fee. Meeting attendees surmised that between 42 to 65 trailers were involved.

Park owners will also continue to pay a property tax on their land.

Township resident Carol Bitzberger questioned if officials were planning to raise the fee again next year.

“Are you planning to raise it 10 percent each year?” Bitzberger asked.

“It’s something that the board will discuss,” said Bass River Mayor Deborah Buzby-Cope. “But right now we will take it to $21.”

Bitzberger also asked about what the money is supposed to be for. Officials explained that it goes into the general fund to offset taxes.

Following a public hearing on the fee increase, officials authorized a budgetary transfer which is permitted by the State of New Jersey during the month of November.

Officials transferred $14,750 from Planning, Code Enforcement, Unemployment

Compensation, Convenience Center, Mosquito and Pest Control, and Public Health Services appropriations to support Streets and Roads, Gas and Propane, Zoning, Emergency Management, and Fire.

The commissioners also authorized the submission of the 2016 Municipal Park Development Grant for Oak Avenue, which includes all the matching funds, estimated to be around $250,000. The township is hoping to get more funds for their parks.

The board also adopted a new manual with policies and procedures for municipal employees. The previous manual was outdated and the municipality was susceptible to an increase in their insurance rates and deductibles if they didn’t perform the necessary updates. Township Clerk Amanda Somes was praised for her efforts in updating the manual.

Officials also discussed the possibility of regulating the time period for temporary signs and amending the existing sign ordinance.

Township Attorney Joanne O'Conner provided her recommendations to the commissioners.

“I think the only thing that maybe we would need to include in the already existing sign ordinance is a time period,” O'Conner said. “It already covers residential sale signs, your realtor signs, and the size that they have to be.

We just need to really update the ordinance to include removal. The problem is everyone goes out and puts out all the signs and then when it comes time to clean-up, that is where it kind of falls off.”

O’Conner recommended setting a time period for home for sale, home for rent, political, yard, and social gathering signs.

O’Conner thinks the commissioners should provide five to seven days, post-event, for the signs to be removed. For real estate signs, O’Conner would include language that gives a realtor five to seven days retrieval time after settlement on a property.

“They get blown all over the place,” O'Conner said. “They are all over town.

Everyone is very gung-ho to put them out, but then when it comes time to round them up, we don’t get as many volunteers. So we’ll have something in place to take care of that.”

Some residents thought the time period should be shorter, especially for yard sale signs.

TRAILER>>>PAGE 3

INDEX Local News . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Fun and Games. . . . . . . . . . 16

Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . .

Community. . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Business Directory . . . . . . . . 12

Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

For Pine Barrens Tribune

. 17

Home, Garden, & Farming . . . . 18

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, and Woodland Townships. 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 a 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.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

TRAILER FROM PAGE 2 “It doesn’t have to be five to seven days across the board,” O'Conner said. “We can make the event signs, the pig roasts, and yard sales 24 to 48 hours after the event. Each sign is designated separately in the ordinance.”

Officials will also review the language in the proposed sign ordinance amendments to make sure it doesn’t conflict with existing state statutes, particularly with the political signs.

The general fine is expected to be set at $1,000. However, officials said they will issue a warning before fining the owner of the sign.

During the “reports” portions of the meeting, O'Conner announced that the township now owns several properties that were in foreclosure. The deeds were recorded with the county, effective Oct. 25th.

O’Conner then discussed an animal problem at an abandoned property.

Commissioner Louis Bourguignon stated that between 2010 and 2015; $2,163,000 was transferred from Bass River Municipal Court to the State of New Jersey. Bourguignon continues to be concerned with the state’s extremely limited financial assistance provided to Bass River.

Most of the residents who spoke during the public portion of the meeting were concerned with the 53-million-dollar Pinelands Regional High School District bond referendum and the impact it will have on the taxes. Residents decried the amount of money the District wants to spend on repairs and questioned whether the District could build a new school

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 3 for that amount of money.

The referendum failed to pass on Election Day. However, District officials may hold a special election next year.

“Stockton just built a three-story, 63,000 square foot science building for $39 million,” said Kevin Foder, a resident of the township.

“The place is huge and gorgeous. I think we should vote it down and force them to start cutting their budgets and come up with the money somewhere else.”

Foder asked the commissioners to comment on whether they supported the measure.

Buzby-Cope said that she asked the question of how much it would cost to put a new building versus making repairs. She was advised of logistics issues and that it would cost more.

Commissioner Bourguignon expressed his frustration with the state only financing 40% of the project if the bond referendum was approved. He pointed to the fact that the state paid 100% several years ago for the building of a school in Green Bank. The school is now closed due to declining enrollment.

Foder called on the board to take action.

“Something has got to be done,” Foder said.

“I mean this is starting to get out of hand now.

When 79% of my tax goes to Little Egg Harbor Township, I mean I love this township, but we don’t have nothing. Look at everything Little Egg has. We don’t have nothing here.

We don’t have ratables. We don’t have nothing.”

Bitzberger asked the commissioners how they planned to vote on the referendum.

Buzby-Cope and Bass River Deputy Mayor Nicholas Capriglione declined to

comment on how they planned to vote.

However, Bourguignon said he planned to vote ‘no’ on the referendum questions.

Capriglione explained that the voices that will make the difference are the voices of the township residents.

“We can’t step forward,” Capriglione said.

“The people whose voices are going to make a difference are you guys. We’ve been through this a thousand times. You can sit there and say how upset and everything, but nobody goes to the meetings and nothing gets changed because each individual has a right to make a decision, not the three people up here. If you are displeased with what is going on in Pinelands, you as a group, go to Pinelands. Yeah, you only have three board members and six coming from Little Egg. However, you got three small towns.

If any of the three small towns caused that budget to fail, the budget is failed, and then all four towns have get together and then they will have a meeting. They will either have to come up with a decision on what the new budget is going to be or it goes to the state. Nobody in their right mind on a board of education wants any budget to go to the state. We have gone through this. You want change, get people together and make the change. As far as what is the cost per child; the cost per child is the same operating cost here as it is in Little Egg and everywhere else. Why it costs us so much is because we have no tax base to match Little Egg’s tax base. So if it costs a $1,000 for a Little Egg child, and I am making this up, and it costs a $1,000 for us for the education, they may have 3,000 people. So you figure out of 3,000 people, how much it takes to come up with a $1,000 whereas we may only have 100. So the

costs of us educating our children are a lot more expensive. Not the cost per child, but the cost for us to pay for it.”

Some in the meeting room asked the township to take a serious look into sending the high school students to another district in the area.

Capriglione, also a former school board member, said that it would be a poor choice.

“No you don’t want to go to another district,” Capriglione said. “When I was on the board of education, that opened up a whole another can of worms because the availability that we have as what you call a sending/receiving district. We go over to Pinelands which moves us into Ocean County where all of our students are eligible to go to Ocean County Vocational School and they have a phenomenal system. When at first they said that we were ineligible to send our students to Pinelands, there was some confusion. Our students actually got barred from signing up to Ocean County Vocational and we were told they had to go to Burlington County. Burlington County is not a shared service. That means if any of the Pinelands students wanted to take any kind of vocational education, they’d have to go full-time to a Burlington County school. That was a disaster.

So there are some pros and cons. One of the big pros of going to Pinelands, and there aren’t many, but one of them is the cost of the vocational education from the marine trades from the cosmetology, the food, and everything. It’s all free and it’s all at Ocean County Vocational as long as we are

TRAILER>>>PAGE 15

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 4

Letters Offer New Revelations About ‘Let Them Play’ Football Controversy

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

TABERNACLE–As a local family’s fight to allow their homeschooled child to participate in Seneca High School extracurricular activities continues, details are beginning to emerge about the Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) Superintendent’s correspondence on the matter with the LRHSD Board of Education prior to an April Board meeting.

The correspondence reveals an attempt by the superintendent to pre-determine the board members’ reaction to the controversial homeschooler policy and Cunard family appeal. The attempt was discovered after the district partially fulfilled an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request from our newspaper by providing non-electronic correspondence.

Dr. Carol Birnbohm, Superintendent of Schools for the LRHSD, provided talking points for members of the board of education to use in anticipation of Adam and Marni Cunard addressing the Board on April 27.

The family had sought an impartial opportunity that night to request the board repeal LRHSD Policy 2630 which prohibits homeschoolers from participating in extracurricular activities, including athletic programs.

Additionally, Birnbohm presented board members with a list of possible questions from the family and their supporters.

Birnbohm also provided answers to the questions for the board members to use at the public session.

Despite these items being provided, the board choose not to respond to the Cunard family and their supporters during the April meeting.

“The parent informed me that he and his wife wish to address the board at its next public session,” Birnbohm wrote in a letter addressed to members of the board of education on April 25. “I am attaching correspondences between the family and Seneca administration for your reference and review, as well as Policy 2630Homeschooling and Talking Points (revised referencing the Olympic Conference, LRHSD’s Conference) and Possible Questions and Answers. I am also attaching some letters from friends of the family wishing the Board allow this student to play football.”

Five talking points were provided to the board.

The first talking point described how Policy 2630 prohibits homeschooler participation in extra-curricular or athletic programs or activities.

The second talking point discussed how homeschool students have no means of complying with the district’s eligibility requirements and pre-conditions and can’t be monitored.

The third talking point described the practical implications for the district if it were to allow non-enrolled students to participate in its extra-curricular programs or activities. The mentioned implications included insurance issues, including the risk of injury, and disciplinary measures and

consequences in the event that a homeschool student violates a district rule or regulation.

The fourth talking point noted that the district is a member of the Olympic Conference and that no other schools in the Olympic Conference allow homeschool students to participate in athletics.

The last talking point emphasized the drawbacks of homeschooling.

Three possible questions from the family and their supporters were also provided to the board.

The first question dealt with reaping the benefit of taxpayer dollars.

“I am a taxpayer. Why is my child not allowed to reap the benefit of my taxpayer dollars? Paying taxes does not necessarily give your child the right to participate in privileged activities. There are eligibility requirements and preconditions that all students enrolled in the district must meet in order to have the privilege of participating in District extracurricular activities.”

Birnbohm also gave the board a response to use if the public decried that the policy was unfair and discriminatory.

"This result is unfair. Are you discriminating against my child? No. This policy is applied across the board. In fact, the district is trying to “level the playing field” and ensure that all participants in its extra-curricular activities meet the same requirements and preconditions for eligibility. The district does not have means of ensuring that its eligibility requirements and preconditions are met by homeschooled students. For example, the district has no way of ensuring that grade point average requirements are met, when the students take different tests and do different projects than its own.”

Additionally, Birnbohm prepared the board for a possible question about the implementation of the policy.

“Why do you have this policy? The district has this policy to ensure that all participants in its extra-curricular activities meet the same requirements and preconditions for eligibility.

By having this policy, the District can make certain that the privilege of participating in its extra-curricular activities and programs is granted to those who have met the District’s eligibility requirements and preconditions.”

Scott A. Woodruff, Senior Counsel to the Homeschool Legal Defense League Association, believes that while a school superintendent should consult with their respective school board and provide ideas, the board should exercise independent judgement on how the school system is run.

“The line of authority goes from the voters down to the school board down to the superintendent,” Woodruff said. “They need to be independently responsive to the voters and ultimately the school board can decide to fire the superintendent.”

In the same letter, Birnbohm also communicated to the board that the central administration did not support a change in policy and that this was expressed in a meeting with one of the parents.

LETTERS>>>PAGE 15

PHOTO FOR THE PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE Superintendent Carol Birnbohm wrote a letter to members of the LRHSD Board of Education prior to April's public gathering which provided talking points and responses.

PHOTO FOR THE PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE Talking points provided by LRHSD Superintendent of Schools Carol Birnbohm.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 5

Election Results Burlington County U.S. House of Representatives: District 2 X Frank A. LoBIONDO (R) David H. COLE (D)

166,245 103,487

61% 39%

Burlington County U.S. House of Representatives: District 3 X Tom MacARTHUR (R) Fredrick John LaVERGNE (D)

187,872 115,402

61% 38%

Burlington County Sheriff 102,897 52.5% X Jean STANFIELD (R) 92,802 47.4% James KOSTOPLIS (D) Burlington County Surrogate X Mary Ann O'BRIEN (R) Sander FRIEDMAN (D)

99,543 51.6% 92,976 48.2%

2,186 2,186 958 911

34.9% 34.9% 15.3% 14.5%

Local BOE-Tabernacle Twp. 1 Yr Unexpired SAILER (NP) Julia 2,268 99.6% X

Washington Twp. Committee X Dudley H. LEWIS (R)

252 97.3%

Local BOE-Washington Twp. X Bill SCAMOFFA (NP)

190 87.1%

Woodland Twp. Committee X Matthew HENRICH (R)

402 73.4%

Shamong Twp. Committee X Timothy L GIMBEL (R) X Michael DiCROCE (R) Jeanette AMODEO (D) Robert RINALDI (D)

X Jeffrey S. WARNER (NP) X Jeffrey SIEDLECKI (NP)

1,819 50.2% 1,772 48.9%

X Elizabeth H. ROSSELL (R) X Michael S. MIKULSKI, II (R)

Lenape Regional BOE-Woodland Twp. 3,945 50.1% 3,891 49.4%

Local BOE-Southampton Twp.

Local BOE-Bass River Twp. 399 94.5% 6 2.6%

Local BOE-Medford Twp. X David BERMINGHAM (NP) X Michael W. ETTER (NP) X Katherine BUSCA (NP)

23.7% 16.2% 24.2% 16.5% 19.1%

Southampton Twp. Committee

Burlington County Freeholder

X Cindy RUFFO (NP) X Bonnie ADAMS (Write-in)

3,514 2,403 3,592 2,451 2,836

Local BOE-Shamong Twp.

100,749 51.9% 93,150 48.0%

X Latham "Robert" TIVER (R) Reva FOSTER (D)

Local BOE-Pemberton Twp. X Wanda KNOX (NP) Christopher E. OTIS (NP) X Tom MAIER (NP) John ULRICH (NP) X Sandra GLAWSON (D)

X Jeffrey E. HICKS (NP) X Suzanne PHILLIPS (NP) X Joseph CAPUTO (NP)

2,773 34.7% 2,590 32.4% 2,571 32.2%

Tabernacle Twp. Committee 7,782 34.0% 7,428 32.4% 7,560 33.0%

Local BOE-Medford Twp. 2 Yr Unexpired X Jeffery WAGNER (Write-in)

42 65.5%

X Stephen LEE, IV (R) X Joseph YATES, IV (R)

2,737 49.9% 2,707 49.3%

Lenape Regional BOE-Tabernacle Twp. X Robert H. BENDE, JR (NP)

2,218

99%

X Margaret M. ESTLOW (NP)

431 98.6%

Local BOE-Woodland Twp. X Colleen JAGGARD (NP)

420 96.7%

Pemberton Borough Council X Bonnie HAINES (R) X Robert BROCK (R)

376 49.0% 378 49.2%

Yes X No

Pinelands Regional Question NO. 1 5,805 49% 5,898 50%

Yes X No

Pinelands Regional Question NO. 2 5,202 48% 5,617 52%

Yes X No

Pinelands Regional Question NO. 3 5,118 44% 5,895 51%

Pemberton Twp. Council Jack TOMPKINS (R) Anne QUINN (R) Loretta BADER (R) X Kenneth CARTIER (D) X Norma TRUEBLOOD (D) X Donovan GARDNER (D)

3,855 16.0% 3,579 14.8% 3,531 14.6% 4,305 17.8% 4,464 18.5% 4,323 17.9%

Lenape Regional BOE-Medford Twp. X William J. BISIGNANO, JR. (NP)

9,158 99.2%

Local BOE-Tabernacle Twp. X Megan CHAMBERLAIN (NP) X Victoria SHOEMAKER (NP) X Gail COREY (NP) Geneva MOORE (NP) John BULINA (NP)

1,512 1,607 1,134 812 1,040

24.7% 26.2% 18.5% 13.2% 16.9%

Local BOE-Medford Lakes Boro X Kristen CAPUTO

(NP)

1,449 99.1%

Public Again Invited To Submit Names of Community Service Activists For the Pine Barrens Tribune

The Volunteer Center of Burlington County today announced it is once again seeking nominees for its prestigious Lloyd Ritter Community Service Award. The public is encouraged to submit the names of individuals who deserve to be honored because of their outstanding records of community service and volunteerism.

Volunteer Center President Kimberly Mattson said this is the only the second time that the public has been actively asked to participate in the nomination process. Once again, the Center is prepared to honor as many as three deserving individuals at its annual awards dinner in the spring of 2017.

“Public participation in the nomination process resulted in a wonderful success story last year,” said Mattson. “We honored a high school guidance counselor who taught students the value of community service by doing, a banker whose support of active military personnel raised the high bar for patriotism, and an insurance risk manager whose record of community service included activities at the local and state level.

“Once again, we are asking for the public’s

help in identifying those volunteers whose deeds deserve recognition. And we know there are many unsung, low-profile community activists who fall into this category,” Mattson added.

“That said, we are asking county residents to bring to our attention their neighbors, coworkers, and acquaintances they deem worthy of the Community Service Award, and take the time to provide us with some background information,” she added.

The nomination form can be easily accessed at the Volunteer Center’s website at www.volunteercenterburlingtoncounty.org. The form can be filled out and submitted electronically, or printed out and mailed to the Volunteer Center at Burlington County College, Parker Center 122, County Route 530, Pemberton, NJ 08068.

Those seeking additional information can call (856) 894-9311, Ext. 1492 or via email – volcenter@hotmail.com. The deadline for nominations is Nov. 30.

Last year’s honorees included Edward J. O’Malley of Evesham, Donna Aromando of Lumberton, and David Silver of Evesham.

Other past honorees include Dr. Robert Messina, President of Burlington County

College; Mary Wells, Director of Family Services of Burlington County; Millie Gama, Executive Director of the Burlington County Chamber of Commerce; Burlington County Freeholder Vincent R. Farias; former Burlington County Superintendent of Schools Walter Keiss; Dick and Doris Alaimo of Mount Holly; Robert V. Santare, President of Champion Fasteners; former Burlington County Clerk Edward A. Kelly, Jr.; Joseph Laufer, former Associate Dean at Burlington County College and County Historian;

Burlington County Consumer Affairs Director Renee Borstad; Funeral Director Wilson Bradley of Marlton; Architect and Mount Holly activist Regan Young, Burlington County Sheriff Jean Stanfield, and Robert and Ellen Healey of Lumberton.

Now approaching its 21st year, the Volunteer Center serves as a clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities by connecting volunteers of all ages with community organizations and projects that need their services.

Historic Store Will Open Nov. 19th

By Adam Tait III For the Pine Barrens Tribune

CHATSWORTH —Bargain hunters and history lovers alike, heads up!

Buzby’s, the iconic general store here, is going to be open on Saturday, Nov. 19. The opening, which will be for three hours only, is from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. It will be the last time in 2016 Buzby’s will open.

The gift shop will be loaded with lots of merchandise and the café, with nine tables, will offer some lite food until gone.

All of owner R. Marilyn Schmidt’s books about the Pines will be on sale, along with some of her own paintings. Also, available will be chairs and other furniture. Among the original candies stocked will be several featuring cranberries and blueberries.

R. Marilyn Schmidt also has authored another book titled "The Rebirth of Buzby's"...and it will be for sale.

Remember, Saturday, Nov. 19. The last day of 2016 for Buzby’s in Chatsworth. From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. See you there.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 6

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

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 or less.

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

Letter To The Editor:

Lack of Access and Locking a Child Out Unacceptable I read with astonishment the article titled “Let Them Play” in the Oct. 29th edition of the Pine Barren’s Tribune. The position of not allowing home-schooled kids, from tax-paying families, to participate in whatever extra-curricular school activities they can, seems very wrong, but certainly worthy of debate. However, I was completely shocked by the lack of access, failure to address issues, and general stonewalling of the Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) officials and elected school board.

In response to the first issue of whether to allow home schooled kids to participate in extra-curricular activities, I offer the following questions; what is different about the home schooled kid as compared to any other kid from the community?

What makes their participation inherently “unfair”? The State of NJ addressed the issue in 1999, and wisely passed a law allowing home schooled children to participate in New Jersey interscholastic sports. The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), slowly, but eventually, then offered guidelines for member schools to effectively integrate the homeschooled students into the activities. The NJSIAA listed the seven categories of approval, which seem appropriate and not too burdensome, which would qualify any home schooled child to participate. The burden is on the home-schooled family to prove their child is eligible, and that seems fair.

So why then is the LRHSD so adamantly against participation by home-schooled kids?

The article listed no specific reasons, and I

cannot think of one good reason why that eligible home-schooled kid should not have every opportunity to participate in school activities with their friends and peers. If there is valid reason for denying the home-schooled child the opportunity to participate, the LRHSD should state those reasons immediately and emphatically. It was not the decision of the child to be home schooled, nor should the child be punished for that decision. That kid, maybe more than any other kid in the community, needs to be integrated and mixed with his peers, and the LRHSD should recognize that fact. Simply because they cannot have 100% of that child’s educational responsibility, doesn’t mean they should lock the child out. Supporting that taxpaying, and eligible child from the community, should be as much a priority for each member of the LRHSD board, as it is for supporting all of the students who show up to school every day.

On the second issue of school-board accountability, I find the lack of access to the board members, the efforts to mislead the public with confusing email addresses, and the clear decision to simply ignore the request from a community member, simply unacceptable. The school board is elected to serve the community. Not every issue will be easy, or on the board’s priority list, or in line with the Board’s vision. However, every taxpaying member of the public should have the right to have her issue addressed, and receive a response detailing the board’s fair and impartial reasons for such a decision. In

Social Media Sound Off (Re: Editorial: Actions Of LRHSD Leadership Deeply Troubling) The District absolutely gets money from non-enrolled students and it is those taxes that are paying for the public programs that the family wishes to participate in. 80% of my property taxes goes to the schools. As a home-schooler, they are not an expense to that district, yet paying thousands to participate in one or two sports. And I know where the money is going per student; my district gets approx. $9K per student but 80+% goes towards salaries and benefits. 80%! That is why there is no money for anything else. The district is making a ton of money off of homeschoolers, seniors, etc., none of which are costing the district a dime. Just like today's politicians, most of the money is going to pay those in charge while those on the bottom struggle. And PS: Keep in mind that for every 504, IEP, classification, etc. the school gets even more money and those cases have quadrupled over the last 5 years. The amount of money being poured into these schools is astronomical, and the budgets prove that most of it goes to the staff. This is why districts are so closed mouth about where the money goes. To actually see the big circle graph showing all that money not going towards the kids, books, sports, etc. is something only those who attend the meetings are privy to. So, no, this is not a financial issue.

Wendy, Stillwater, New Jersey Please comment on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Twitter: @PineBarrensTribune with the hashtag #SoundOff or Facebook: www.facebook.com/pinebarrenstribune

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.

Editorial: You Couldn’t Ask For a Worse Response Uncovered through our newspaper’s reporting, Dr. Carol Birnbohm, superintendent of schools for the Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD), provided talking points for members of the board of education to use in anticipation of members of the public addressing the board on April 27.

Additionally, Birnbohm presented school board members with a list of possible questions from the Cunard family and their supporters. Birnbohm also provided answers to the questions for the board members to use at the public session.

On top of all of this, Birnbohm also provided the opinion of the central administration to the board.

Birnbohm’s attempt to pre-determine a board meeting was wrong.

The cards shouldn’t be stacked against members of the public who attend board meetings seeking an impartial opportunity to have policies or decisions implemented or reversed; especially when they have exhausted their search for answers.

The school board has a dual role. First, the board must represent the concerns of the citizens. Second, the board must represent the needs of the students and school district to the citizens of the community.

The board members should be independent thinkers who hold the superintendent responsible for implementing policies and achieving the goals. It shouldn’t be the other way around where the superintendent runs the show.

When the system is not working for the citizens, transparency is a problem. That is exactly the case here.

The district’s request for a newspaper to pay $97.00 for public records is unfathomable. It makes us believe they are trying to hide something.

You couldn’t ask for a worse response to the homeschooler controversy. We urge district taxpayers to attend upcoming board meetings and voice opposition to this poor behavior.

this case, it appears that the board elected to stonewall and obfuscate, as opposed to providing a fair and current consideration of the issue.

That is wrong and simply unacceptable!

The essence of the issue is whether to provide a fair opportunity for all community children to participate in school activities.

Whether that activity is the band, orchestra, glee club, chess team, Spanish club, mathletics, robotics, football or any other

curricular, or extra-curricular activity, let the kids participate. There is no valid reason to deny opportunity to any of our eligible local children to participate in, and be challenged by, school activities whenever and wherever they can. The sooner the LRHSD Board of Education and management team understand that principle, the better off our children will be.

James D. Radomicki Tabernacle, New Jersey

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE Established 2016 Douglas D. Melegari, Publisher, Editor, News Director George L. Blount Jr., Director of Operations Pat Carney, Graphic Artist Bob Bradley, Circulation, Sales Representative Casey Forte, Sales Representative Adam Tait III, Copy Editor, Reporter Jayne Cabrilla, Reporter Linda Jagiela, Reporter P.O. Box 2402 Vincentown, NJ 08088 Locally owned and published

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 7

Scanner Stop For Seatbelt Violation Leads To Arrest for Marijuana MEDFORD–On Nov. 1 at 9:15 a.m., Medford Township Police conducted a motorvehicle stop on Route 70 at Hartford Road on a 2002 Nissan Maxima for the passenger not wearing a seatbelt.

During the course of the stop, the odor of raw marijuana was detected emanating from within the vehicle. A subsequent investigation revealed that the driver, Roger Leonard, 27, of South Toms River was in possession of

Veterans Day Park Clean-Up

marijuana under 50 grams.

Leonard was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams, possession of CDS paraphernalia, driving with a suspended driver's license, unlicensed driver, and operating a motor vehicle while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance. Leonard was released pending an appearance in the Medford Township Municipal Court.

Home Burglarized on Ark Road MEDFORD–Medford Township Police responded to the 100 block of Ark Road for a residential burglary on October 27, 2016.

A police investigation revealed that unknown actor(s) forced entry into the home

between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.., when the residents were not at home.

Anyone with leads can speak with Detectives at 609-654-7375 or contact the anonymous citizen tip line at 609-714-0302.

Police Discover Marijuana Paraphernalia During Fight Investigation MEDFORD–On November 4, 2016 at 12:25 a.m., Medford Township Police were dispatched to the 100 block of Eaves Mill Road for a fight in progress.

Upon arrival, police located all parties in one of the units and began investigating the fight. During the investigation, Ryan Scharf, 21, of Medford who is the owner of the

PHOTO BY JAYNE CABRILLA

Julianna Bertolina, Betsy Lockett, & Emma Nolan clean up the flower bed during a Veterans Day park clean-up.

apartment, was arrested for possession of marijuana under 50 grams and possession of several glass marijuana smoking pipes.

Scahrf was charged on a summons and released pending court. At this point, all the individuals involved in the fight did not request criminal charges and no injuries were reported.

Driver Suffers Severe Head Trauma After Motorcycle Crashes Into Tree MEDFORD–On November 3, 2016 at 5:56 p.m., Medford Township Police, Fire, and EMS units responded to Jackson Road in the area of Crowfoot Road for a motorcycle crash.

Responding units located a 17-year-old male, from Lindenwold, lying on the roadway, unconscious and unresponsive. The patient was treated by EMS personnel on scene and was subsequently transported to Cooper Trauma by a Penn Star helicopter.

The on-scene investigation determined that the male was operating a Yamaha YZ250

motorcycle north on the dirt portion of Jackson Road when he lost control and struck a tree on the northbound shoulder of the roadway. The male was not wearing a helmet and sustained severe head trauma because of the crash.

Medford units were assisted at the scene

by Virtua Hospital Paramedics and Waterford Township Police and Fire Departments.

The crash is under investigation by the Medford Township Police Traffic Safety Bureau.

PHOTO BY JAYNE CABRILLA

Molly Baechler picks up debris around the Vietnam Wall Memorial.

Plastic Bag Containing Marijuana and Three Pink Pills Lead To Charges MEDFORD–On November 5, 2016 at approximately 3:28 p.m., Medford Township Police conducted a motor-vehicle stop on Taunton Boulevard and Chestnut Road for seatbelt violation.

Upon their approach of the vehicle, patrols could detect the odor of raw marijuana coming from the vehicle where the passenger, Brianna K. Damore, 20, of Marlton, was seated. An on-scene search of the vehicle was

conducted and a clear plastic bag containing suspected marijuana was located along with three pink pills that could not be identified.

Damore was subsequently taken into custody and transported to the Medford Township Police Headquarters. She was charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams and released on a summons complaint, pending her court appearance in the Medford Township Municipal Court.

PHOTO BY JAYNE CABRILLA

Kayla McDonald & Nikki Ferrer helping to plant flowers around the Vietnam Wall Memorial.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 8

Saturday, November 19, 2016

E-Mail Story Ideas and Community Events: news@pinebarrenstribune.com

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 9

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

COMMUNITY November Events

November 19 Location: Browns Mills Event: St. Ann’s Christmas Bazaar Details: St. Ann’s Church, at 22 Trenton Road, Browns Mills, is hosting their Annual Christmas Bazaar. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (To reserve a vendor space; call Dottsie 609-893-8118, before Nov. 11, $20 per table for this 2-day event.)

Location: Medford Event: Vegetarian Society of South Jersey's 30th Anniversary Details: Learn about the connection between a plant-based diet and improving health. The VSSJ will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Medford Leas in Medford. Eat a delicious lunch, listen to dynamic speakers, and enjoy cooking demonstrations. There will be live music, a silent auction, a panel discussion, plus giveaways! Keynote speaker, Victoria Moran, author of The Good Karma Diet, will speak about “The Look Great, Feel Amazing, Change the World Lifestyle.” For more information and to register for this great event, visit www.vssj.com Call Brown Paper Tickets 800-838-3006. Space is limited. Contact us at 609-848-VEG1 or vssj30th@gmail.com if interested in being a sponsor, vendor, advertising in the event program, or making a donation.

Location: Tabernacle Event: Spaghetti Supper Details: The Tabernacle United Methodist Church, 166 Carranza Road, is holding a spaghetti supper on Saturday, Nov. 19; from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are sold at the door: $10 for adults, $4 for children ages 4-12, children under 3 are free.

Dinner includes all-you-can-eat salad bar, pasta, meatballs, sausage, bread, dessert and beverage.

November 23 Location: Pemberton Borough

Event: Thanksgiving Eve Ecumenical Worship Service Details: Grace Episcopal Church and Pemberton United Methodist Church invite all to an annual service of Holy Eucharist for Thanksgiving, with the combined choirs of the two churches singing under the direction of Tara Perrien, and the Rev. Hosuk Chung preaching. At Grace Church, 43 Elizabeth Street, Pemberton, 7 p.m.

November 26 Location: Medford Event: Gingerbread Village Display Contest Details: This family fun contest is hosted by the Women’s Club of Medford. Displays must be made of non-edible materials and measure no larger than 5’x5’x5’. Winners will be announced at noon in the Gazebo. For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ MedfordNJGingerbreadVillage/. Registration will be at 9 a.m. at the Gazebo, $20.

December 2 Location: Pemberton Borough Event: Stories, Photos, Milk & Cookies with Santa Details: Grace Church welcomes children and families for a visit with Santa; from 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Children will be invited to make a Christmas craft. Photos will be ID-sized; one photo per child/family, but additional photos may be taken by participants. For more information call 609-894-8001.

There is no charge but free-will donations are accepted.

Location: Vincentown Event: Annual Tree Lighting & Visit with Santa Details: Friday night, December 2, from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Vincentown will have its annual tree-lighting ceremony

on Main Street. After the tree lighting, children and families are invited to the old Town Hall on Plum Street to visit Santa.

December 3 Location: Medford Event: Dickens Festival, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Details: Downtown Main Street closes to traffic for this family fun evening as Historic Medford is transformed into a Christmas time village as Charles Dickens would have witnessed. Santa arrives in a horse-drawn carriage at 6 p.m.

Music, entertainment, food, crafts, and the lighting of the holiday tree.

Location: Pemberton Event: Pemberton Township Winter Festival Details: At the Browns Mills Firehouse #12, Trenton Road, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pictures with Santa, live entertainment, face painter, Santa’s mailbox, and more! Activities at participating businesses and churches.

December 9 Location: Tabernacle Event: 19th Annual Cookie Walk Details: The Tabernacle United Methodist Church, 166 Carranza Road, will be holding their 19th Annual Cookie Walk, Friday, Dec. 9, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

December 10 Location: Tabernacle Event: 19th Annual Cookie Walk Details: The Tabernacle United Methodist Church, 166 Carranza Road, will be holding their 19th Annual Cookie Walk, Saturday, Dec. 10, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

FOLLOW US ON: pinebarrenstribune.com

Medford Sunrise Rotary For the Pine Barrens Tribune

MEDFORD–Photographer Rich Lewis of Medford spoke to the Medford Sunrise Rotary on Nov. 2 about his photography project entitled “Neighborhood Nukes in South Jersey,” which chronicles a time when the country’s military needed to defend our major cities against a Soviet attack with nuclear warheads mounted on surface-to-air guided missiles. For the past several years, Lewis has been taking pictures of abandoned Nike Missile sites – what he calls “Cold War relics” - including one in Lumberton that was decommissioned in the mid1970s and demolished a few years ago. To learn about Lewis’ project, go to https://photoimpressionism.wordpress.com/tag/nikemissile-base/. The Medford Sunrise Rotary meets every Wednesday morning at 7:15 at the Pop Shop in Medford. New members are welcome!

Mark Hatoff, the director of development for Community Treatment Solutions (CTS) in

Moorestown, was a recent speaker at the breakfast meeting of the Medford Sunrise Rotary. Hatoff spoke about CTS, which is an organization that addresses the needs of children and youth who have been abused, neglected or abandoned in New Jersey. They serve over 450 youth and their families in a variety of clinical intensive and specialized community-based services. CTS is the only New Jersey agency to have a program for youth who are victims of human trafficking.

Recently, CTS was approved by the Guinness World Records to try and build the biggest rubber band ball in the world. This fundraising effort includes a Rubber Band Bus Tour, where people have the opportunity to add rubber bands, take photos and to be part of the endeavor. The record to beat is 9,032 pounds. Go to www.ctsnj.org for more information about CTS and the Rubber Band Ball fundraiser or contact Mark Hatoff at 856-6429090, ext. 402.

24/7 UPDATES:PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

PHOTO SUBMITTED Pictured is Jim Robinson, left, president of the Medford Sunrise Rotary and Mark Hatoff with the rubber band ball.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 10

“Farmer Jack” Donates Pumpkins to Pemberton Senior Center

By Ebba Liguori For the Pine Barrens Tribune

PEMBERTON–Each year the Senior Services Department treats the “regular” lunch patrons to a special holiday meal.

This year will be no different. The event will be by invitation only and those who regularly join in the lunch program will be on the invitation list. Invitations are required because the Fire Marshall restricts the number of seniors who may congregate in the building at any one time. If you are a regular attendee, check with the staff for your invitation. As part of this special day, there are always special decorations. This year, the decorations will be provided by “Farmer Jack”. He has donated 14 large pumpkins that will be used for the table centerpieces.

“Farmer Jack’s” is owned and operated

by Jack Richards. It is located at 150 Route 530 in Southampton, not too far from the Route 206 intersection. You probably see the produce out on tables for sale during the growing season, then there are pumpkins and other décor as Halloween and Thanksgiving approach. He has hayrides available and there is a corn maze. Once winter arrives, he stocks Christmas trees and offers pony rides. Families often stop there to treat their children to a hayride or pony ride. The farm is a community asset and the seniors hope you will patronize him and tell him thanks for all he does for the seniors. It is certainly great to have community minded businessmen active locally.

The trip to the American Music Theatre was held on November 8th with 111 seniors attending. The first stop was Shady Maple Smorgasbord for lunch. Over 200 feet of buffet line was available with unlimited quantities of delicious foods. Several soups were available, as well as a complete salad bar with several choices of dressing, including hot bacon dressing as well as the more traditional choices. Almost any meat you can think of is included along with veggies and other sides. Three choices of gravy, plus many sauces and condiments. Of course, everyone wants some of the fried chicken which is always crispy and hot.

There are several cook-to-order stations where chefs will prepare your choices to order.

Multiple choices of desserts were available including cakes, pies, cookies and ice cream with toppings. Beverage servers

included many choices of soda, juice, coffee and tea. There was a bread and roll bar with fresh apple butter and whipped butter. The buffet was replenished constantly as servers worked to keep everything neat, clean and stocked. The staff kept the dining room clean by removing all used plates quickly, providing extra napkins and even handy-wipes to freshen one's hands. Shady Maple is located off Route 23 in East Earl and is best reached by exiting the Pennsylvania Turnpike at the Morgantown exit.

While stopping at Shady Maple, one wants to visit the lower-level gift shop to peruse the wide range of gift items. They have almost anything you would want as a gift. With Christmas approaching, most seniors were shopping for the little items for those special people on their lists. After checking out the gift shop, many seniors headed across the parking lot to shop at the Farmer’s Market.

Again, they have many unusual choices available, lots of homemade bakery products and lots of bulk items. Produce is always fresh and inexpensive. Most seniors returned to the bus with their arms loaded with unusual choices. There is also a Good’s Department Store across the parking lot. There are many home furnishings and personal clothing items available. This complex is worth driving to just for shopping, and of course grabbing a delicious meal while one is there. The buses loaded up and headed to nearby Lancaster and the American Music Theatre. The featured show was “Winter Wonderland”. This was a two-act musical show with a 15-minute intermission. The time just flew by and soon it was over! It included all types of Christmas and holiday music. The cast had 14 talented singers and dancers who put on a most energetic show. They were accompanied by a 9-piece orchestra including strings, brass and woodwinds as well as the pianist director, Andy Roberts, and a keyboardist. Of course, our favorite performer, Wess Cooke was singing and playing his guitar for many of the songs. There were two troupes of talented youngsters participating as “Elves” and “Penguins.” These are all local children who take dance, singing, and drama classes and are given chances to perform with the adult cast.

These children are all talented and exude an energy which enhances the performances. The seniors look forward to this show every holiday season.

We already have our reservations in for November 2017.

The trip back to Browns Mills went smoothly and little traffic was encountered.

Lead driver, Gordon Goldberg tried a different route home and it was a swift and pleasant trip. Judy Pardun was the second driver and her passengers were delighted with her expertise.

Safety Bus Company in Pennsauken provides transport for most of the trips and seniors have found all the drivers to be safety conscious and courteous.

The 2017 trip schedule will be published in the December Senior Gazette and it will also be posted online at the township website under Senior Services Department. Tickets for January and February of 2017 will go on

sale Dec. 6. The next trip will be to Tropicana on Dec. 5 to see the “Holiday Jubilee” show and enjoy a buffet at the Fiesta Buffet. There will be a coin return for those who enjoy the slots, and time to walk on the boardwalk, weather permitting. Bus seats are filling up fast, so stop in soon and buy your tickets.

They are only $50 for senior residents and $55 for guests. For emergency purposes, every senior should complete a registration form including an emergency contact. There is no charge to sign up at the senior center.

PINE KNOTS COLUMN BMIA Meeting on Sunday, November 20

By Ebba Liguori For the Pine Barrens Tribune

PEMBERTON–Residents are reminded that the BMIA general meeting will be held this Sunday, November 20 at 2 p.m. at the BMIA Building. The guest speaker this month will be Tony Trongone, Superintendent of the Pemberton Township schools. He will present his annual “State of the Schools” report. This meeting is open to the general public as the state of our schools is of paramount importance to the community.

This meeting provides an opportunity for all to become more informed about our local schools. There are many decisions that will need to be made in the near future. There will be time for questions following his presentation. This meeting is

open to the general public and residents are encouraged to attend and learn more about these future plans.

The BMIA Board of Directors will be providing refreshments for all to enjoy following the meeting. Come and meet your neighbors and join in the efforts to improve our community.

The Browns Mills Improvement Association, known as the BMIA, is the oldest local civic organization in Pemberton Township. Meetings are held on the fourth Sunday monthly, September through June, at 2 p.m. at the BMIA Building on Arbutus Street, near Mirror Lake Beach. The building is handicapped accessible and there is ample parking. Annual dues are only $15 per family. Checks may be sent to: BMIA, PO Box 395, Browns Mills, NJ 08015.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 11

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 12

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Saturday, November 19, 2016

MEETING FROM PAGE 1 year not being able to be collected and the township would have to come up with almost that amount of money in in-kind donations. I say in-kind because the odds of us writing you a check are probably slim to none.”

Heston said that he wanted to see what the township could do to avoid having residents being billed. He said that a senior citizen could be devastated if they receive an invoice for an ambulance ride.

“I think the hardship that it is going to present to our residents is unheard of,” Heston said. “If someone falls, and can’t get up, and the ambulance comes, under the Medicare rules they have to be billed for that ambulance being dispatched.”

Applegate estimated that an ambulance bill could cost a patient upwards of $800.

Heston said the committee has to look at the possibility that residents may be forced to put their money towards paying an ambulance bill rather than their monthly medication(s).

Applegate said that the township has to bring closure at some point in time, with the contract negotiations. He said that while the squad is a non-profit, they still can earn profit because they need to pay for the services they provide. He said the township needs to sit down and discuss what financial and in-kind support they can provide so that the squad doesn’t have to bill patients.

Mikulski pointed out that under the OAG advisory opinion, a township may pay out of pocket, uncollected copays on behalf of its residents.

Applegate said on average it would cost the

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 13 town about $3,000 a month because, thus far the figure from Jan. 1st to Oct. 31st was $30,849.

Both Applegate and Mikulski agreed that in order for the township to be compliant with the Anti-Kickback Statute, they would have to provide approximately $36,000 yearly in actual or in-kind financial support.

Mikulski said that he believed that township wasn’t afoul of the Anti-Kickback Statute.

“I would disagree with the opinion that we are running afoul with the Anti-Kickback Statute currently because if the number in the first 10 months is $30,000 and you’ve factored in workers’ compensation insurance, the JIF insurance, etc., we are going to be well in excess of $30,000 for the first 10 months,” Mikulski said. “I understand that is only one part of what you are discussing. You are now going to discuss going forward, in a public forum. Let me say that I am very confident that we are not afoul of the Anti-Kickback Statute.”

Applegate continued to emphasize the importance of working together on a new contract.

“I want to agree with you wholeheartedly,” Applegate said. “But the point is that the current contract has financial support built into it from the township. For the new contract, what are we talking about?”

Heston asked how the squad would feel about a lease purchase for a new rig.

Applegate said that it was something the squad would certainly consider.

Heston recommended that the township look into entering into a lease purchase and finance a new rig over the 10 year life expectancy which would give the squad about an $18,000 per year payment. He believed that the contribution would be more than enough to meet the

Medicare requirements when considering the fuel and other insurances the township provides.

The meeting closed with the committee congratulating Applegate and the Board of Trustees for turning the squad’s overall situation around. The township previously provided the squad with a $20,000 bailout. In June, Applegate described that that squad was

working on making the organization more professional and less like a social club.

Mayor James F. Young Sr. assigned Mikulski and Rafferty to sit down with representatives from the Hampton Lakes Emergency Squad to work out the details of a new contract before adjourning the special meeting.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 14

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 .

Mouth-Watering Pesto Spaghetti Squash Thanksgiving is coming up so today I’m sharing my favorite recipe for a healthy pestoinspired spaghetti dish. This colorful, fabulous dish is loaded with healthy nutrients and includes the supplement ‘aloe-vera-juice’ which you can’t even taste.

As for health benefits, spaghetti squash has a fair amount of beta carotenoids as well as soluble fiber. It only has 40 calories compared to 200 from traditional pasta. Please try spaghetti squash, it’s worth the effort. Because I write for a living, I always ask the produce department to saw it in half in the back (I am not real good with sharp knives!)

My pesto sauce has a dash of aloe vera juice, (whole leaf, USDA organic). Aloe is an ancient medicinal plant that has activity against H. pylori which can cause bad breath and gastric ulcers. About 87% of people with halitosis have H. pylori. Interestingly, a specific aloe protein (named 14 kDa) can block growth and spreading of Candida fungal infections.

I use organic grape seed oil in my pesto sauce. Grape seed oil does a good job at strengthening and repairing broken or torn capillaries and blood vessels (think spider veins and varicose). Indirectly, this improves your circulation, another plus for people with diabetes who have impaired circulation and are prone to foot ulcers and amputations.

Obviously, basil is the star of the pesto sauce, and basil is very rich in blood-clotting vitamin K and manganese. Manganese spurs production of biologically active thyroid hormone (which burns fat) and it also makes Superoxide Dismutase, a potent detoxifying enzyme.

Manganese forms your enzyme called “prolidase,” which makes collagen in

your skin.

Basil is a lot like a natural antibiotic especially against certain staph and pseudomanas infections.

Enough about nutrition, right now, I’m providing my recipe which may be served as the main dish with warm bread and butter, or beside your roasted turkey.

Ingredients Pesto Sauce: – 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves – 2 garlic cloves – 1/2 cup pine nuts (or walnuts) – 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (or Asiago) – 1/4 cup grape seed oil – 1 1/2 teaspoons aloe vera juice – 1 teaspoon lemon juice – Salt & Pepper to taste Squash: – 1 medium spaghetti squash – 1/2 cup water Directions: Blend the Pesto Sauce ingredients together in a food processor. If it’s too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water to alter consistency. Pesto may be made a few days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. One serving has only 19 calories and 1.8 grams of total fat!

To make the spaghetti squash, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Halve spaghetti squash and place face-down in a lightly oiled glass baking pan.

Pour water in pan around squash. Cook for one hour or until you can push a fork through the skin easily. Remove from oven, and carefully scoop seeds out and discard. Scrape the “spaghetti” out of the squash using a fork. Top with Pesto sauce and additional grated cheese.

This will make you drool!

This information is not intended to treat, cure, or diagnose your condition. For more information, please visit www.SuzyCohen.com. © 2016 SUZY COHEN, RPH. DISTRIBUTED BY DEAR PHARMACIST, INC.

Tackle Norovirus With Fluids, Healthy Food and Cleanliness

By Sue Hubbard, M.D. What a week in the office! There has been an outbreak of presumed norovirus in our community, and we are seeing tons of sick kids.

Norovirus is extremely contagious, and you may already be spreading the virus (exposing others) before you even get sick. At the same time, you may also be contagious for two to three days after you are better. Norovirus is the most common cause of the "stomach flu" or "food poisoning."

Knowing this, it is difficult to know when you have been exposed to this virus. But, a day or two after exposure, your child (or you) may suddenly develop abdominal cramping, vomiting (more common in children) and diarrhea (more common in adults). Some children and their parents are "lucky" enough to get both.

The mainstay of treatment is to stay hydrated.

This illness is typically fast and furious, but you have to make sure that you are replacing the fluids that you are losing (from both ends).

After your child has vomited you want to wait for at least 30 minutes before offering sips of clear fluids; some sort of liquid with electrolytes (it's very important to replenish what you are losing). And I mean SIPS. If you give the fluid too quickly and in too large a

volume, you may see it come right back up.

As your child tolerates sips, you may advance to a larger volume each time. If your child is doing well for several hours but then vomits again, start back over with smaller volumes.

Continue to make sure your child has tears when he or she cries, wet diapers (they may not be soaked), can urinate when asked to go try and "potty," and drool or a moist mouth.

These are signs of hydration.

Once the vomiting has subsided, you can let your child begin to eat. But I would avoid all dairy. It is important to offer foods with some protein as well. I start with crackers, noodles and rice; then I add in chicken or beef. Veggies and fruit are OK as well. As your child feels better his or her appetite will return; don't push. You probably don't want a big meal either if you have been sick. Fluids are more important than food. Adding probiotics is also helpful to put "good bacteria" back into a damaged gut.

Prevention is key but difficult, as there are millions of viral particles in your child's stool and vomit; and these particles can be spread via the air as well. Clean surfaces with a dilute bleach solution and wash your hands.

© 2016, KIDSDR.COM

Saturday, November 19, 2016

TRAILER FROM PAGE 3

considered Ocean County. You cross over into Pinelands, over Little Egg, these students are all eligible for that school system.”

Foder asked the commissioners if they’ve considered separating from Burlington County since the municipality has close connections with Ocean County.

“Since we do everything with Ocean County, why don’t we come out of Burlington County and become part of Ocean County?” asked Foder.

O’Conner said that it is very difficult to

LETTERS FROM PAGE 4

“I explained there was no support from the administration to recommend the board change the existing policy,” Birnbohm wrote.

Woodruff questioned whether the school board and the superintendent have reversed roles.

“The voters are on top and it is the board's job to listen to them and tell the superintendent what to do,” Woodruff said. “They are there to represent the public, just like your elected representatives in Congress are there to represent you.”

Marni Cunard said Birnbohm never expressed that the administration didn’t support the policy change.

“I didn't know that we had to have support from them to recommend the board change the existing policy,” Cunard said. “Nobody has told us of any procedure. So no, we were not told specifically that there was no support.”

Birnbohm’s letter to the board members also said that Seneca’s Athletic Director Brad Bauer and Principal Jeffrey Spector provided a “myriad of reasons” why their son is not eligible to participate. Cunard doesn’t recall many reasons being provided in their meetings with the Seneca administrators.

“I checked back in my notes from our meeting with them, and what stands out most is that the A.D. didn't say much, and the principal said they are concerned about equity, and that there are attendance, academic and behavior expectations that have to be met,” Cunard said. “Both the principal and the A.D. stated in letters to us that the reason Adam is not allowed to participate is because of the board policy. But I don't recall either of them giving me a 'myriad of reasons' why our son is not eligible.”

In addition to the Superintendent’s letter, the Pine Barrens Tribune has learned of a discussion that took place between a high-ranking Seneca football coach and Principal Jeffrey Spector after the April 27 board meeting. The Pine Barrens Tribune has decided to withhold the coach’s identity and redact information that could potentially identify him.

The discussion involved comments that were attributed to the coach at the board meeting. The contents of the discussion prompted the coach to write a letter to Birnbohm.

“I am writing this letter after a few things Mr. Spector shared with me about things that were said at Wednesday Night’s board meeting on April 27th,” the coach wrote. “For the record, I was asked to both write a letter and show up to the board meeting – I declined both. Also, for the record I gave no one permission to quote me or speak on my behalf. I am a loyal employee of what I consider to be the best school district in

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 15 secede from Burlington County.

Foder pointed out that Little Egg used to be part of Burlington County before moving to Ocean County.

O’Conner and Buzby-Cope said that they checked into separating from Burlington County several years ago.

“We had brought this up years ago and the solicitor looked into it and that is why she has to go back several years again to get the most updated information, but when it came down to it and we started talking at a meeting, there is a lot of people that like their peace and quiet and

they didn’t mind paying the extra money to have what we have here,” Buzby-Cope said.

“Even though we don’t have the services like the other towns, that did come up.”

Buzby-Cope and O'Conner said that they would take another look as some residents urged them to reconsider.

“It’s not just the school, we are a forgotten town in Burlington County,” Foder said. “We are a forgotten town.”

Some residents in the meeting room did express that they were happy to be forgotten and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

“I am happy to be forgotten,” said Bill Curtain, a resident of the township.

The meeting closed with praise for the New Gretna Volunteer Fire Company. The fire company battled a house fire on Oct. 30.

Nobody was injured despite initial reports of victims possibly trapped inside. The fire originated on the exterior of the home and crews were able to quickly knock the fire down with minimal damage to the inside of the home.

The next regular meeting of the governing body in Bass River will be on

our state. I believe and have on many occasions backed the values and policies of the LRHSD. I believe in these policies…Again, I just wanted to make sure that everyone understands where I stand and that I back the policies of the LRHSD.” The Pine Barrens Tribune asked the district to provide audio recordings of the board of education meetings from April to October of 2016. The district responded that they don’t maintain recordings of their meetings and there is no requirement to audio or video record meetings, thus, there is no need to incur this cost.

“Please be advised that there are no records in response to this request, as the board does not record its meetings," wrote Paige MacGregor, director of personnel and custodian of records.

However, district employees were seen using video equipment and microphones at the board meeting on Oct. 19. The equipment and associated storage bags had markings which identified the equipment as district property. The employees also wore attire which identified themselves as employees of the district. When pressed about these observations, officials maintained that they were not recording the meeting.

“The Board anticipated a large crowd for the Oct. 19, meeting and set up an additional seating area down the hall should the main meeting room become overcrowded,” MacGregor said.

“The employees you witnessed using video equipment were merely simulcasting the proceedings to the additional seating area down the hall, but were not recording.”

Nonetheless, the meeting room was not overcrowded and there was plenty of available seating for the public.

District Spokeswoman Elaine Kurtz contradicted MacGregor when pressed about why employees were simulcasting the meeting to an empty room. Kurtz said the simulcast equipment was turned off.

“We prepared a large conference room down the hall from the board room in order to simulcast the meeting to people who may not have had space in the main room, as we have done many times in the past,” Kurtz said. “That room remained unneeded the entire evening.

The microphones and video equipment at the October 2016 meeting were set up as temporary measures only to simulcast the board meeting to another room. As you know, the attendance at the meeting did not require the use of the overflow room. Therefore, it was not necessary to turn the simulcast equipment on.”

Despite Kurtz’s remarks, the equipment was turned on. Audience members observed video displayed on the camera monitors and LDTV employees were altering their positions to

change their filming angle. A red light also appeared to the side of the camera monitor which is commonly associated with an active recording.

The Pine Barrens Tribune has requested that the district provide to the newspaper, free of charge, copies of the electronic correspondences or public records between the central administration and members of the board related to the homeschooler controversy.

District officials have assessed the newspaper $97.00 for researching relevant electronic correspondences. The assessment is unprecedented.

The district maintains that it must assign the work of retrieving e-mails and text messages to their technology personnel.

Clerical staff can retrieve electronic correspondence without effort in most circumstances.

PHOTO FOR THE PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE Questions and answers provided by LRHSD Superintendent of Schools Carol Birnbohm.

PHOTO FOR THE PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE A high-ranking Seneca football coach wrote a letter to LRHSD Superintendent of Schools Carol Birnbohm.

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 16

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

FUN AND GAMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE

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?"

Parting Is Such Sweet... Oh, Forget It! Although I’m not one to brag, I believe that there isn’t much about me that makes my husband crazy.

Surely it isn’t because he’s NOT one to voice his opinion on such matters and he tends to let the little things go.

I’m quite certain that my Pat doesn’t love my “catch-all” drawer, isn’t crazy about the paper trails on my desk and isn’t fond of the way I keep my bathroom sink littered with cosmetics. But if these things bother him, Pat doesn’t mention it and it makes for a good relationship between us.

(If you’re a man who is about to tie the knot, you might want to write that down and put it under the subtitle “Happy wife, happy life.”

Just a word to the wise.)

Yet, what does make Pat a little agitated, miffed and somewhat perturbed is my goodbyes. Not when I’m parting ways with him, mind you. Those usually consist of a quick peck combined with a mildly sarcastic, “Have a fun day,” as he walks out the door and into the elements.

It’s when I’m leaving any sort of social gathering that tends to get Pat’s goat, and when he has any of our four sons to back him up, I get a real roasting as I climb into the car.

“What on earth were you talking about for so long?” our Charlie asked after mass just last Sunday.

“Yeah,” chimed in our Lawrence to take things up a notch. “You held those people up for 10 full minutes.”

“They were asking me questions,” I said in my defense. “It was not the other way around.”

“Whatever,” Pat added in an uncharacteristic manner. “You were talking the whole time.”

“How would you know?” I asked. “Their backs were to you the whole time!”

“We could tell by their body language,” added Charlie.

“Yeah!” said Lawrence. “That and the way that every time they started to walk off, you grabbed them by the sleeve and pulled them back.”

Not being one to let such matters slide, I retaliated with this, “When I die, I want people to say at my funeral, She always took the time to say hello. After all, who wants to be remembered as that gal who was the first one to get to the car after church?”

I suppose I’m just fortunate that Pat doesn’t pull up to the door and lay on the horn.

It gives me great comfort to know that I’m not the only one who enjoys a good visit and participates in a good-bye tour as she parts company. Take the other evening, as an example. We were walking into a restaurant when Ron, an old classmate of my husband, offered up a “hello,” as he was leaving.

Being a man, his visit with Pat was brief.

There was the “How are ya? How are the kids?” And a heartfelt, “Nice weather we’ve been having!”

Also being of the male gender, Pat responded with quick answers, “Good, great,” and a hearty, “Boy, I’ll say!”

That would have been the end of the conversation if only it weren’t for one thing —the classmate’s missus was working the crowd like she was running for Congress.

“How can she talk so much?” Ron asked as he took the situation in. Just then his precious wife walked away from one table of friends only to stop at another. “It’s not like we have nothing else to do!”

Not having his boys to back him up, my Pat said nothing. As his wife stopped at two or three more tables to chew the fat, Ron made a couple more comments that consisted of, “She just saw those people yesterday!” and “That’s our neighbors! She can’t talk to them over the fence?!"

“I’m going to get the car,” Ron said as he walked out the door in frustration. “That’s a great idea,” I called out to him sarcastically, “pull up to the door and lay on the horn.”

Ron’s wife walked by shortly thereafter and offered us up a kind and heartfelt adieu. Ron might have had steam coming out of his ears by then, but I tell you this, when the day comes for her to part this life, she’ll be remembered ever so kindly.

© 2016 LORI CLINCH

Across 1 Franchise spawned in the '60s 9 Away for the summer, maybe 15 White Sox nickname, with "the" 16 Longtime Ottoman Empire territory 17 Donkey in "Shrek" et al.

19 Dedicate 20 Lug 21 Worked (up) 22 They're just looking 23 Cries for attention 24 NFLer Ronnie for whom a defensive award is named 25 Remote power source 27 Land overseas 28 Univ. staff 31 Prevent from going to seed 32 Organization level 34 Sam Samudio's spoken opening in "Wooly Bully" 36 Sea-dwelling Greek god 37 Most populous OPEC nation 39 Ask to be excused, with "off" 40 It merged with Sprint in 1983 41 Command before a click

42 Treated for traction, in a way 45 Cocktail party fare 46 Securely 47 Overseas denials 51 Taxonomic suffix 52 "The Secret of __": 1982 animated movie 53 "Working Class Hero" songwriter 54 "Been there, done that" 57 "Brighton Rock" author 58 Doing a lawn job 59 Lamb treats 60 Hoodwinks Down 1 Garden aid 2 Second-longest-serving Chief Justice 3 Not out of the game 4 Suckerfish 5 Song featured in "Moonstruck" 6 Break for a certain wannabe 7 Mariner cap insignia 8 "Reservoir Dogs" actor 9 Disables the alarm, say 10 Tip in Vegas 11 TV franchise since 2000

12 Relay part 13 2014 A.L. MVP 14 Acceptable form of back talk?

18 His epitaph includes "knight" and "man of letters" 23 Fell 24 Creepy look 26 Mozart title starter 27 1927 Buster Keaton film 28 Wet blanket, in modern lingo 29 Some film artists 30 Ponders 33 "For a life gone digital" news source 35 Editor's mark 38 "Same here" 39 Deli order 43 Hindu community 44 Represent 46 High winds 48 Bhopal locale 49 Continuously 50 Makes out, across the Pond 52 Part of a Fifth Ave. address 53 A and P, e.g.: Abbr.

55 Apology opener 56 Dante's half-dozen

©2016 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, INC.

S U D O K U

24/7 UPDATES:PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM ANSWERS ON PAGE 18

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 17

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE

CLASSIFIEDS Submit a Classified! E-mail sales@pinebarrenstribune.com to receive a form and pricing.

Announcements New store in town! Curiosity Consignments, 567A Lakehurst Rd, Browns Mills NJ. We carry gently used clothing, furniture, and housewares.

Stop in and ask about consigning, check out our Amazing Bargains, and bring home Your New Treasures Today!

Automobiles/Trucks 1995 Ford F-250 automatic maintained 4 wheel. Very low, 29K miles. 8 foot Meyers plow. Price $6,977. 609-7604220.

license a must. Top salary offered. Call 609-893-8285

Caregiver Christian Preschool looking for Part-time caregiver. If interested apply in person at Little Lambs Preschool. 2 Pemberton Browns Mills Rd, Browns Mills.

General Merchandise Alpaca Farm Store open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through December, great prices, unique products, Springfield Township, near Columbus Market, 609-694-3410, www.stormwindalpacas.com

Help Wanted

Auto Parts and Svcs Maintenance person able to do all types of housing repair, painting, spackling, etc. Call 609-893-7721 Automotive technician class. A tech busy automotive repair center. All makes and models. All computer diagnostics done on site. Top pay offered. 609-893-8285 Autobody repair technician, experienced professional, collision technician, busy shop, with insurance DRPS valid drivers

Phillips Heat Inc. – Part-time/ fill-time/ seasonal home oil delivery, CDL/ tanker/ air breaks/ hazmat, good driving record, Call (609) 859-8654, ask for Bill.

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, large SUV, or extended cab pickup truck is preferred. Working hours may vary depending upon delivery

arrival time. The ideal candidate should be available Thursday through Saturday.

Responsibilities include lifting up to 25 pounds and delivering newspapers to racks and local businesses. Excellent reading, comprehension, organizational, and written and verbal communication skills are required. A valid driver’s license, insurance card, and clear/impeccable driving record is a must! Please include your resume, cover letter, and professional references and send to letters@pinebarrenstribune.com.

The pay rate is $20 per hour for new

Pine Barrens Media LLC -– Searching for an advertising sales representative. The right candidate will be a 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.

This 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 driver’s license and a reliable vehicle. Please include your resume, cover letter, and professional references and send to

letters@pinebarrenstribune.com. The pay rate is $12 per hour for new hires along with a sales commission.

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, 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, photograph 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 letters@pinebarrenstribune.com

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

FOLLOW US ON: pinebarrenstribune.com facebook.com/pinebarrenstribune @PineBarrensNews

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 18

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 an 720-acre, 100cow southern Illinois dairy farm.

Elections Come and Go; We Stay The cold, gray drizzle of November finally found central Illinois on Election Day. No one complained, however, because the warm, dry harvest season had ended weeks before.

Fifty or more years ago, that was never the case on the southern Illinois dairy farm of my youth. In fact, if we were half-done with harvest on Election Day, we were very lucky.

Done by Election Day? No one we knew was ever that lucky.

Back then, in the 1960s, Election Day was like a Sunday. My mother, a poll judge, would put on a church dress to earn, maybe, $10 over the 13- or 14-hour day. (The polling place, in fact, was a church.) And like Sunday, work stopped long enough for you to do your sacred duty. Moreover, in Illinois then, when the polls were open the taverns were closed.

That was a minor distraction to a local deputy who was the Democratic precinct boss as well as the owner of a well-known local watering hole. Officially, it was always closed on Election Day; unofficially, its back door was always open to anyone “who voted right.”

Not surprisingly, most everyone, either out of blind loyalty or blind thirst, did vote right and the precinct never went Republican while that deputy (later sheriff) wore a badge, a gun, and a knowing smile.

It took little convincing; most southern Illinois farm folks had been Democrats since the election of Franklin Roosevelt in 1932.

It was Roosevelt, after all, whose hopeful words carried them through the Depression; Roosevelt who brought electricity to their dark corner of nowhere; and, praise heaven, Roosevelt who delivered a monthly pension check so a lifetime of hard work left no one broken and broke.

That loyalty, like America itself, began to crack in 1968, the worst election year ever.

The Tet offensive came that February, then Martin Luther King’s murder in April, and Bobby’s in June. (My mother woke my siblings and me that awful morning with the shocked cry, “They shot another Kennedy!

They shot another Kennedy!”) Summer ended in clouds of teargas and pools of blood at the

Democratic convention in Chicago.

The ugly emptiness of the 2016 election might have been a bad dream but, by comparison, 1968 was a bloody nightmare.

My father, a thoughtful, informed voter for almost 70 years, backed Richard Nixon in 1968 because Nixon had promised to raise milk price supports, a key ingredient in our farm’s main enterprise. “You have to vote for a man who understands farming,” offered my father.

Nixon kept his word; he increased milk price supports before announcing his reelection bid in 1972. Shortly thereafter, Watergate investigators discovered he had done so only after pocketing at least $1 million in unreported campaign cash from the dairy lobby.

My father never commented on Nixon’s criminal deeds or the dairy lobby’s dirty schemes. I suspect, however, that their corruption deeply offended him because he was a rules person. Rules, like fences, mattered. To him, breaking the rules to win wasn’t winning. It was, in fact, losing because it meant you had first lost your dignity, then your honor.

Republicans didn’t have the corner on the corruption market in the southern Illinois of my youth. Two years before Watergate, a wellknown Illinois Democrat, Secretary of State Paul Powell, died after a brief illness. Within weeks, his executor discovered several shoeboxes filled with $800,000 in cash in Powell’s Springfield hotel room, as well as 49 cases of whiskey, 14 transistor radios, and two cases of canned corn.

That was quite a haul for a southern Illinois boy who never made more than $30,000 a year as an elected official.

Powell, like Nixon and the “vote right” sheriff, weren’t—aren’t—the only scoundrels to hold public office. In fact, it’s quite likely we elected more than a few crooks, cheaters, and knuckleheads this Election Day. We usually do. These folks, however, come and go.

We, the people, however, always persevere.

© 2016 AG COMM.

FOllow US ON:

pinebarrenstribune.com

CROSSWORD

SOLUTIONS

SUDOKU

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 19

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 Canyon Denali GMC announces a broader 2017 GMC Canyon lineup led by the new, range-topping Canyon Denali and new, off-road-inspired All Terrain X. Like all GMC Denali models, the new Canyon Denali is distinguished by chrome exterior details and unique wheels, along with exclusive interior trim and content. It also features a new 3.6L V-6 engine that's paired with a segment-first eight-speed automatic transmission.

This new propulsion system is offered across the 2017 Canyon lineup, including the new All Terrain X package, which takes the popular All Terrain model farther down the trail, with Goodyear DuraTrac all-terrain tires, and all-weather floor liners.

In addition to its Denali-signature chrome grille, the 2017 Canyon Denali features specific wheels: 20-inch ultra-bright machined aluminum with painted accents - along with tubular chrome assist steps, polished exhaust tip (V-6 only) and spray-on

bedliner.

Inside, a Jet Black interior features unique leather-appointed, heated and ventilated front seats -- exclusive content in the Canyon lineup - along with unique instrument panel and console trim and Denali-logo sill plates and floor mats.

The new 3.6L/eight-speed propulsion system offers stronger, more confident acceleration and smoother shift performance than the Canyon's previous V-6/six-speed combination. This new combination focuses on refining everyday driving performance, including accelerating from a stop, passing on the highway and cruising at a constant speed.

The new powertrain supports a 7,000-pound max trailering rating that is second in the segment only to the Canyon's available 2.8L Duramax diesel, which is rated at 7,700 pounds.

Base model estimated mpg: 22/31 Estimated starting price: $39,055 Compiled by Motor Matters

PHOTO SPECIAL TO PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE 2017 GMC Canyon Denali.

2017 Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback Developed with all the technologies and dynamic driving attributes of the Cruze sedan, the new 2017 Cruze hatch adds a functional and sporty choice for customers.

The Cruze Hatch has the same, classleading wheelbase as sedan models, but features a unique roof and rear-end structure - including wraparound tail lamps and an integrated spoiler at the top of the liftgate. It opens to offer 22.7 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat. With the rear seat folded, cargo space expands to 47.2 cubic feet.

Powering the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze hatchback is a 153-horsepower, 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 117 lb.-ft. of torque mated to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. A diesel engine with an all-new nine-speed automatic transmission and six-speed manual will be offered in the spring of 2017.

Standard equipment includes Chevrolet MyLink with a 7-inch diagonal color

touchscreen; a rear-vision camera; standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility via the MyLink radio systems; and available 4G LTE with Wi-Fi hotspot, plus Chevrolet's exclusive Teen Driver safety system that allows parents to set controls, review driving habits and encourage safe driving habits even when they are not in the vehicle.

Available features include a heated steering wheel, heated front and rear seats, Athens leather-appointed seating surfaces with true French seams, and halogen projector-beam headlamps with LED signature lighting.

The 2017 Cruze hatchback has a host of available advanced safety technologies: front collision alert, rear cross traffic alert, rear park assist, lane-keeping assistance, and side blind zone alerts.

Base model estimated mpg: 29/38 Estimated starting price: $21,240 Compiled by Motor Matters PHOTO SPECIAL TO PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE, WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM PAGE 20