October 27, 2018 Pine Barrens Tribune

Now Direct Mailed to OVER 2,250 HOMES in LeisureTowne and 195 HOMES in Hampton Lakes

Bad Teddy Bear Tidings

Education Commissioner Refuses to Rescind Order to Close Evesham Preschool PG 5

Sad Irony

Deputy Fire Chief's Family One of Two Displaced by Blaze

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Vol. 3 – No. 9 ♦

Mold Money PG 2

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The News Leader of the Pines

Contamination Causes District to Tap Emergency Fund of 200k PG 5

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October 27, 2018 – November 2, 2018

Candid Candidates

Rep. MacArthur and Challenger Kim Vent Views on Healthcare, Taxes, Term Limits and Electoral College in Forum That Defines Their Differences in Projected Toss-Up Race

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON—Differences of opinion over healthcare and taxes led to candid conversation last week between Congressman Tom MacArthur and his Democratic opponent, Andy Kim, at a Candidates Forum sponsored by LeisureTowne’s Civic League ahead of the Nov. 6 General Election.

The nearly two-hour forum, which also featured candidates for local, county and state offices, is one of the few events held annually in the Pines that allows voters to meet and hear directly from candidates on the ballot, all at one time.

This year’s forum had an especially high turnout, with over 250 people attending, as recent polling suggests an unusually tight race in New Jersey’s traditionally red Third Congressional District, which includes all of LeisureTowne.

A recently released Stockton University poll shows that MacArthur leads Kim 47 percent to 45 percent among likely voters in the district, which includes parts of Burlington and Ocean counties.

MacArthur’s advantage is within the survey’s See CANDIDATES/ Page 20

More Election Coverage on Page 4 INDEX Automotive................... 27 Health........................... 10 Marketplace.................. 22 Business Directory....... 18 Hobbyist....................... 17 Opinion........................... 6 Community..................... 9 Local News..................... 2 Worship Directory........... 9

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Deputy Fire Chief's Family One of Two Displaced

by Southampton Duplex Blaze

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON—A three-story duplex, home to two families with young children, burned last Friday in a blaze that broke out less than 1,500 feet away from the Vincent Fire Company's firehouse.

The conflagration hit home with the fire brigade not only because of its proximity to the firehouse, but also because one half of the burned duplex belonged to Scott Mitchell, the organization’s deputy fire chief.

Firefighters were called to 128 and 130 Main St., in the Vincentown section of Southampton Township, just before 3 p.m. on Oct. 19 after a passerby saw smoke coming from the roof of the duplex.

“I knew it was the Mitchells’ house right away,” said Vincent Fire Co. Chief Barry Pratt of the call that came over first responders’ pagers with the location of the smoke sighting. “I have been to his house before, and we had an accident where a car went into the house next door just two weeks prior to this fire.”

Mitchell said that when the call was transmitted over the pager, it was “pretty undeniable” that it was his home.

“I found out when the pager went off,” he said, noting that he did not fight the fire himself.

Pratt, the first firefighter to arrive at the scene of the blaze, found flames on the roof of the duplex upon his arrival.

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“It was very stressful (to look at) knowing it was the home of our deputy chief and it was pretty much up to us to stop it,” Pratt said.

“There was an increased sense of urgency to make a harder push.”

However, that harder push was said to be somewhat challenging to make because of the blaze’s timing, which occurred when most of the organization’s volunteer firefighters were still at work, and the age of the structure.

“It was the middle of the afternoon, with limited staffing, as most volunteers work,” Pratt said.” We had two to three people for every six seats.”

Pratt said a subsequent second and third alarm were eventually transmitted due to the limited manpower and “physically demanding work” of opening up the duplex’s 150-year-old plaster and lath boards to “chase down fire” running behind walls across a shared common attic.

Each alarm, or category of fire, allowed the company to bring in five additional engines and ladders with crews on it from surrounding communities.

“Pulling the lath boards was very strenuous work,” Pratt said. “We had to break through a half to three-quarters of an inch of plaster, then a quarter inch of lath boards to get to the fire running behind walls.”

See FIRE/ Page 12

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PINE BARRENS

POLITICAL HATS IN THE RING GENERAL ELECTION TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6

Burlington County Clerk

Joanne scHwartz (Democrat)

Political advertising paid for by EFO Youngkin For Freeholder

Burlington County Freeholder

Felicia Hopson (Democrat)

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To enter the ring call 609-801-2392 or email sales@pinebarrenstribune.com.

Don’t see your favorite candidate? Ring your favorite candidate & encourage them to ENTER THE RING.

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Pine Barrens Tribune

Candidates for County Clerk Disagree Over Efficiency and Scope of Services Offered to Residents

Safety-Related Incidents Up by 30 at Lenape District High Schools During 2017-18 School Year

By Mark Hatoff

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

Burlington County Clerk contenders Joanne Schwartz and Tim Tyler.

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON—Differences of opinion regarding the efficiency and scope of services provided by the Burlington County Clerk’s Office, aired last week at a LeisureTowne Civic League Candidates Forum, set apart the two candidates vying for Burlington County Clerk ahead of the General Election.

Democrat Joan ne Schwar tz, who is challenging Republican incumbent Timothy Tyler, believes a number of enhancements to the office, to improve efficiencies, are in order. Tyler, however, touted his record of accomplishments while in office and painted a picture that the agency is running smoothly.

“I look forward to extending the hours, and the availability, of the clerk’s office,” Schwartz said. “I also want to create more satellite offices so that the people from Bass River Township don't have to trek all the way into Moorestown or Mount Holly.”

The clerk’s office main location is on the third floor of a building at 50 Rancocas Road in Mount Holly. A satellite office, for certain services, was established at the Moorestown Mall in 2005.

The average commuting time from the Bass River Township Municipal Building to the main location of the clerk’s office is about 50 minutes, with Moorestown even further away.

Tyler did not say whether he would open more satellite offices, but touted that the county will

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Photo By Joe Giuliani

continue to lease space in Moorestown Mall through June 2020.

“We recently renegotiated a lease at one of our most popular locations, the Moorestown Mall satellite office, which will save taxpayers $50,000,” he said.

Schwartz, if elected, believes that she will have to take steps to protect county voting systems from hacking and bring fiscal accountability to the clerk’s office. “ My job wou ld b e t o br i ng fisca l accountability to the Office of Clerk,” she said. “More importantly, my job would be to protect our right as voters by making sure that the systems aren't hacked, they are modern, and that everything is done to not only protect the voting, but to make it easier to vote.”

Tyler, on the other hand, believes the clerk’s office has been fiscally responsible.

“Since I was elected to the county clerk’s office, I turned over to the Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders approximately $34 million in direct property tax relief,” he said.

“We have reduced our overtime expense by 77 percent since 2013.”

Tyler added that the clerk's office has made it a top priority to ensure that elections are fair and secure and continually invests, year-round, in safeguards.

“The county election system—including the booths and tally system—are not connected to the internet at all,” Tyler said. “Therefore, even by their design, they cannot be hacked.”

See DISAGREE/ Page 11

SHAMONG—The four high schools of the Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) experienced an increase of 30 incidents of violence, vandalism, weapons, substance abuse and HIB (Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying) for the 201718 school year compared to the previous one, according to a safety report presented during an Oct. 17 LRHSD Board of Education Meeting.

Dist r ict Secu r it y and Emergency Management Coordinator James Kehoe said that there were 107 safety-related incidents in all during the last school year. He added that total figure represented a rise in incidents of violence, vandalism and substance abuse, but a decrease in weapons offenses.

The total figure included 75 incidents from January to June of 2018 alone.

“Keep in mind that 107 incidents for approximately 6,840 students (attending Cherokee, Lenape, Seneca and Shawnee high schools combined) is not a big percentage,” Kehoe said.

Kehoe also pointed out that it was believed reports of violence, which can originate with either security personnel, students or faculty, may have increased in the second half of the last school year due to fear and added awareness created by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla. that killed 17 students and staff members on Feb. 14, 2018.

There were 43 incidents of violence reported for the entire school year, with 32 occurring from January to June. Additionally, eight of the nine incidents of vandalism reported for the year took place during that same period. Four of those incidents involved

theft of property, for which two students were charged, and four others involved damage to computers and cut wires.

Kehoe said only one weapons incident was reported for the year, which involved an expandable baton that was found in a student’s backpack.

He said it was neither displayed nor used, however.

Forty-nine incidents of substance abuse were reported for the year, 30 of which occurred from January through June. There were also five HIB incidents reported during the entire school year—the same number as in the previous year—with four taking place from January through June.

Photo Contributed

Lenape Regional High School District Vice President Barry Fitzgerald (left) and BOE President Margaret M. Estlow (right) hold up a check presented by Lenape Regional Foundation President Edward O'Malley.

Another presentation at the meeting was that of a $30,000 check for the district’s College Accelerated Program (CAP) by Edward O’Malley, president of the Lenape Regional Foundation.

See INCIDENTS/ Page 21

Voters Hear From Candidates For Freeholder Posts as Control of Board Hangs in the Balance

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

SOU T H A M P TON — C o nt r ol of t he Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders hangs in the balance as candidates vying for two open seats on the board made their final arguments to Pine Barrens voters at a Candidates

Forum, sponsored by LeisureTowne’s Civic League, last week.

Republicans currently maintain slim control of the five-member freeholder board after Democrats Tom Pullion and Balvir Singh pulled off an upset win in last year’s General Election.

The board has been GOP-controlled for over See VOTERS/ Page 14

Deborah Appoints New Marketing VP For the Pine Barrens Tribune

BROWNS MILLS—Deborah Heart and Lung Center has announced the appointment of Lewis Clark, Jr. as its new vice president of marketing, media, and public relations, effective immediately.

Clark, who relocated with his family from Vero Beach, Fla., was previously vice president of marketing, corporate communications and digital media at Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach.

Prior to that, he served at Florida Hospital as a digital enterprise regional manager.

He holds a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida, and a Master in Public Administration from Georgia Southern University.

Lewis Clark, Jr.

Photo Submitted

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Mold Causes LRHSD to Tap Emergency Fund for $200,000

By Mark Hatoff

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

SH A MONG —T he L e nap e Reg ion al High School District (LRHSD) Board of Education has quietly withdrawn $200,000 from the district’s emergency reserve account to address a surface mold issue that closed Seneca High School for three days in late September.

The disclosure came from Superintendent Dr. Carol Birnbohm at an Oct. 17 board meeting in response to a question from the Pine Barrens Tribune regarding an agenda item that was approved by the board, but was neither mentioned by name nor discussed when up for a board vote.

Bi r nboh m re plied t hat $20 0,0 0 0 i n funds were withdrawn from the district’s Emergency Reserve Account for air testing and a remediation process for the mold found in a number of classrooms at Seneca. She said that half of the amount would be used to pay an insurance deductible, while the other half would be set aside for any action taken not covered by insurance.

Both the surface mold problem, and a lack of air conditioning at the district’s high schools, which led to a controversy during a September heat wave over a lack of early dismissals and is blamed for the surface mold, have caused considerable concern among

district parents.

Some of this concern was voiced at the meeting.

Seneca was closed from Sept. 26-28 to allow for the removal of surface mold in affected classrooms by Servpro, with Coastal Environmental of Hammonton serving as an environmental consultant, according to a letter posted on the district’s website.

LRHSD officials also have not answered how Servpro and Coastal Environmental were selected to perform their services without first being reviewed at a board of education meeting. October’s meeting of the board was the first held since the presence of mold was revealed to the public.

Under New Jersey law, a school business administrator is permitted to award a contract during an emergency without advertising for bids. Still, most effectively operating school boards in the state, when an emergency presents itself, schedule an emergency meeting to make decisions and ensure fairness and input on the bidding process.

The bid threshold for most school districts, when an emergency does not present itself, is $40,000 according to New Jersey Public School Contracts Law. Birnbohm was asked a few weeks prior to and during the meeting by this newspaper See MOLD/ Page 15

Probe of Fatal House Fire Results in Arrest of Elderly Victim’s Son

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

PEMBERTON—The son of a 92-year-old woman who perished in an Oct. 16 house fire in the Browns Mils section of Pemberton Township, along with her companion of the same age, has been charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and one count of third-degree arson.

The charges were filed after witnesses told

police that the son, Kurt Smith, who lived at the residence in the 500 block of Willow Boulevard, started the conflagration in an attached garage.

Smith was being held by Philadelphia authorities Tuesday pending extradition proceedings after being discharged from Temple University Hospital, where he was reportedly treated for smoke inhalation.

See ARREST/ Page 25

Medford Insurance Agency Helps Lumberton Deliver Aid to Stricken N.C. Sister City

By Jayne Cabrilla Staff Writer

MEDFORD—What’s in a namesake?

It may be a lot, as was shown in the way Lumberton Township residents have responded to those of a sister community in distress, with the help of an insurance agency and residents in neighboring Medford.

W h e n Hu r r ic a n e F lo r e n c e h it t h e Carolinas in mid-September, Lumberton,

N.C. was among the many communities that experienced record-breaking flooding after the storm made landfall.

Even today, some of those flooded regions are still battling overflowing waterways that have yet to recede.

But 14 years ago, it was Lumber ton Township that found itself in the midst of a similar disaster.

Pine Barrens Tribune

Education Commissioner Refuses to Keep Teddy Bear Academy Open, But Gives It Reprieve Until June

Photo By Bill Bonvie

Residents gather in front of the Evesham School District's Teddy Bear Academy in Augast to protest a judge's order that it be shut down.

By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer

MARLTON—Parents of young children currently enrolled in Teddy Bear Academy, a preschool and day-care facility run by the Evesham Township School District, got some unwelcome news Tuesday when the office of State Education Commissioner Lamont O. Repollet announced it would not veto a judge’s order that the popular program be shut down.

Repollet refused to disallow Administrative Law Judge Solomon A. Metzger’s ruling that the facility constituted an “unauthorized

activity” by the district. Under the Sun Learning Center of Marlton, a private preschool, alleged in a lawsuit that the district, a government entity, was engaging in unfair competition.

However, Repollet gave the Teddy Bear Academy a reprieve until June of next year to cease operations. The facility would have had to close its doors within 30 days had the commissioner not done so.

The judge’s decision prompted a hastily organized protest rally in f ront of the See REFUSES/ Page 21

Stacks & Stacks of Gift Ideas Are you set up to maximize holiday sales? Talk to an ad consultant today about the best way to market your business in print and online with targeted special section advertising in our upcoming Holiday Gift Guide.

More than 10,000 copies of this popular section are distributed throughout the Pine Barrens, giving your products and services valuable local exposure in time for the busiest buying season of the year.

See HELPS/ Page 27

Business Administrator Brennan Resigns from Pinelands Regional

By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer

LITTLE EGG HARBOR—Stephen J. Brennan, Pinelands Regional School District’s business administrator and school board secretary, is leaving his post soon.

Brennan submitted a letter of resignation to Dr. Melissa McCooley, shared superintendent of both the Little Egg Harbor School District and Pinelands Regional School District, on Oct. 16.

“He was hired in the Barnegat School District last Tuesday,” McCooley said. “He told me last Wednesday when I received a letter of resignation letter from him.”

Brennan had just been awarded a brandnew $144,000 contract to stay on as Pinelands Regional’s business administrator and school board secretary.

His contract with Pinelands Regional was due See RESIGNS/ Page 16

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A Special Section From

PINE BARRENS TRIBUNE To learn more or reserve your spot in our Holiday Gift Guide, call 609-801-2392 or email sales@pinebarrenstribune.com before the November 12 advertising deadline. This special section will publish in print and online on November 17.

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GUEST COMMENTARY The Truth About Pemberton Township

Redevelopment of Browns Mills Shopping Center Has Most Residents Excited; Businesses Are Encouraged Generally, I wouldn’t comment on a guest commentary that was published in the newspaper or address a social media post where someone, certainly within their right, voices their opinion.

But in this case, where I know the residents of our community are being intentionally misled, I feel it is my responsibility as mayor of Pemberton Township to inform you of the truth.

Alan Cantrell, a candidate for Pemberton Township Council, made several grossly inaccurate comments last week in his guest commentary (Pemberton’s Democratic Council Discouraging Businesses, Piling Up Debt— Pine Barrens Tribune: Oct. 20, 2018) regarding my actions and the actions of council.

Cantrell correctly stated that council adopted a Vacant Property Registration Ordinance, approved by me, to encourage improvements to vacant structures that have been neglected and are dangerous.

He has also stated in a recent public forum that the township should use registration fees to fix up and rehabilitate vacant houses.

The fact is that the State of New Jersey has recognized a growing problem throughout the state where commercial and residential property owners have either abandoned their properties or failed to maintain them.

Many municipalities, including Pemberton Township, have been left with abandoned houses and underutilized structures in substantial disrepair.

State law permits townships to require

DAVID A. PATRIARCA

MAYOR OF PEMBERTON TWP. that vacant properties be registered with them.

This registration identifies the responsible party, allowing them to be contacted by the township if the property needs attention. It also allows the township to take enforcement actions for failure to register and for property maintenance violations.

The registration fee schedule in Pemberton Township’s ordinance is intended as an incentive for the property owner to make improvements and to put the property on the market for sale or rent rather than allow it to remain vacant.

The banks and mortgage companies that have registered vacant structures under the program (and there are many) do so not because they are the property owners, but rather because they have a financial interest in the property and do not want a municipal lien placed against it.

Cantrell, as a real-estate agent, surely knows that a lending company, whether a bank or mortgage lender, is not the owner on the deed to a property until it is foreclosed.

Most lenders register their vacant properties, but even where they do not, the registration and fee requirements remain.

When an investor seeks to purchase a property,

Saturday, October 27, 2018

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. Due to space limitations, letters should be 150 words or less.

Due to the volume of letters received, we cannot guarantee every one will be printed.

including Cantrell’s clients, the investor is responsible to inquire about all existing liens and fees that may be owed, and should negotiate with the seller accordingly.

Cantrell stated that Pemberton Township improperly allocates the vacant property registration fees to the township’s General Fund.

This is absolutely false.

The township is governed by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Division of Local Government Services (DLGS), which dictates how collected fees and revenues during a fiscal year must be accounted for and deposited.

Pemberton Township clearly utilizes the proper accounting method, or if it did not, it would be reflected in the township's annual audit reviewed and approved by DLGS. Cantrell also refers to the township’s growing debt as being $35 million. I have heard this from both Jack Tompkins, who is running against me for mayor, at a public forum and now Cantrell, his running mate, in the piece that was published last week.

As I stated to Tompkins, and now state to Cantrell in this rebuttal, Pemberton’s municipal debt currently stands at $23,605,930.27.

Pemberton Township is also responsible for the debt of the water division which is $1,612,824.41, and the sewer debt which is $801,887.65. The water and sewer debts are self-liquidating or paid by the user through water and sewer fees, and are not paid from the municipal tax levy.

This information can easily be found on the township’s webpage under “Township Financials,” and the information is listed on page one of the “Annual Debt Statement” report.

Cantrell might also want to take notice of the township’s debt ratio of 1.657 percent, which is the lowest it has been in decades.

Pemberton Township’s debt is less than onehalf of what is permitted by the State of New Jersey.

Cantrell is also not pleased that the township did not continue to allow the former owner of

the Browns Mills Shopping Center to continue to own his property, or in other words—do nothing to improve it or promote it for decades.

Well, I am confident that most of our residents are excited that the township finally took this issue to the courts, and that redevelopment of the property to meet the needs of our residents, is on its way.

Cantrell also stated that I turned away business that tried to build here. This is not only false, but grossly misleading.

Any developer who has come to the township wanting to develop a property, or open a business that is a permitted use under the current zoning ordinance or redevelopment plan, has not only been welcomed, but provided with all the incentives available to help make it a successful investment.

To say that I didn’t want or allow a business to come into town is not only grossly inaccurate, but leans more to an intentional lie.

I write this not to play a political back and forth, but to instead bring light to the misleading tactics that are being used to try and discredit all of the hard work that my administration, my employees, and your current elected officials have done, and continue to do daily to improve the quality of life in our community.

We will not always agree on how government functions and the decisions our government leaders make, but we should agree that misleading Pemberton Township residents should never occur.

I believe that being truthful and transparent are basic standards that all those who hold public office should be guided by, and that my administration practices daily.

David A. Patriarca has been the mayor of Pemberton Township since January 2007. As a 40-year township resident, he is responsible for the day-to dayoperation of the municipality involving managing more than 150 employees, along with preparing and managing a budget of more than $24 million. Prior to being elected mayor, he served for 26 years as a law-enforcement officer, retiring from the Pemberton Township Police Department in 2005.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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. Due to space limitations, commentary should be about 450 words or less.

Show Your Resistance

By Voting for Democrats

How About Considering Independent Candidates?

An area newspaper has chosen to endorse Republican Congressman Tom MacArthur, current representative of New Jersey’s Third Congressional District, for reelection.

MacArthur is a man who has had protesters lined up in front of his office for two years because of his stances on healthcare.

He is also a man fiercely loyal to a party that threatens our Social Security and Medicare; disregards our need for sensible gun laws; supports the receipt of dark money from corporations to drown out the voices of constituents; demonizes immigrants; threatens the autonomy of women; sees no need for rights to be extended to LGBTQ individuals and regards brutal, murderous dictators with awe and esteem.

This endorsement is outrageous and infuriating. However, it won’t stop me, or my thousands of Resister Brothers and Sisters from doing the work that is needed to support and elect our candidates for change.

On Nov. 6, vote for MacA r thu r’s Democratic challenger, Andy Kim. Vote for Democrats down the entire line! In every town throughout the county, vote blue or for the candidates who listen to you, represent you and understand you.

Democrats are the change we need.

Democrats are the change we want. We will not be silent.

Barbara S. Blonsky Mount Laurel, New Jersey

I recently read a letter to the editor where someone took each character of Third Congressional District Congressman Tom MacArthur's name (MacArthur’s Name Can Be Used to Spell Out Why He Isn’t the Best Representative—Pine Barrens Tribune: Oct. 13, 2018) and provided a reason as to why he is not a good person to represent New Jersey.

Then the author took the name of MacArthur’s Democratic opponent, Andy Kim, and made him out to be a good guy.

Anyone with a lot of time on their hands can do that.

When Democratic Governor Phil Murphy was sworn into office, he announced that he was going to raise our taxes, provide free college tuition for illegal immigrants and turn New Jersey into a sanctuary state.

New gun laws were passed by Democrats that make it hard for a law-abiding citizen to buy a gun, but the criminal is still unaffected.

Even a police officer, once he or she is offduty, will be a criminal if their magazine capacity is over 10 rounds.

You don't have to like guns; however over 90 percent of the people in the state will call a cop, with a gun, when there is a problem.

But, going back to Kim: If he is elected to office, he will back Murphy and your taxes will increase again. The people have to realize that as long as we have Democrats running New Jersey, the taxes will continue to rise and there will be no substantial tax relief.

I’m not saying to vote for MacArthur, but voting for Kim will be a mistake. If anything, look at the Independent candidates on the ballot.

John Jordan Vincentown, New Jersey

We Can't Afford to Give MacArthur a Third Term In these divisive times, there is not much that we agree on. Except, perhaps, that the political landscape has changed.

That is why it is more important than ever to make an informed vote on Nov. 6.

Choices that may have seemed “sound” in past elections may no longer serve the best interests of you or our country.

T he r a ce i n New Je r sey’s T h i rd Congressional District is a shining example.

T he cont r a st bet wee n i ncu mbe nt Congressman Tom MacArthur, and his challenger, Andy Kim, is stark.

Remember this: MacArthur has voted with President Donald Trump 94 percent of the time.

MacA r thu r authored a healthca re amendment that would have taken away protections for those with pre-existing conditions, making insurance five times more costly for older Americans.

MacArthur was the only New Jersey congressman to vote in favor of the “Trump Tax Plan,” providing benefits for corporations and the richest Americans, while dispropor tionately hur ting his constituents (or New Jerseyans)!

If these facts sit well with you, then

MacArthur is your man.

If, however, you want a return to the norms of checks-and-balances, support affordable healthcare for all Americans and want fair tax treatment for all New Jersey residents, then I encourage you to vote for Kim. I have been an unaffiliated voter most of my life. I’ve voted all across the political spectrum for a variety of reasons. I voted twice for MacArthur, but I will not be voting for him again on Nov. 6.

The political landscape has changed and we cannot afford a third term for MacArthur.

Susan Pansius Riverton, New Jersey

Hate Speech Subverts and Poisons Society Alone, gazing into the mirror and staring back at you is “truth.”

Away from the screaming crowds lay bare your perceptions and realities.

Ask yourself if you like what you are hearing.

Deep down, inside, do you really like what you have heard? Do you like the way in which it was said, or have the words of hate, the mocking bellows, or the carefully selected divisive words reminiscent of a time we thought long gone made you weep?

Is this the type of free speech that does the nation proud? Would you encourage your children and grandchildren to act out, through words and deeds, the way some of our public figures suggest?

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Saturday, October 27, 2018

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

​T he First Amendment guarantees our right to free speech with very few exceptions.

In 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a landmark decision, overturned the conviction of a white supremacist in Ohio, Charles Brandenburg, who in 1964 gave a hate speech that proclaimed, “if our President, Congress, or Supreme Court continues to suppress the white, Caucasian race, it is possible that there might have to be some vengeance taken.”

Brandenburg was found guilty of violating Ohio state law, which prohibited what was believed to be a speech intended to incite sp ecific acts of violence. The Supreme Court’s ruling permitted hateful speech so long as it was unlikely to cause imminent harm.

The freedom to “say” comes with certain responsibilities and consequences. When used to incite, cajole, demean our fellow countryman, and to cast opposing points of view in a nefarious light, it subverts and poisons our entire society.

A political demagogue, Huey Long, Governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932, comes to mind as a representative of the cavalier use of this brand of free speech.

Ar e you immune from these wagging tongues, their accusations and their untruths?

Look long and hard in your mirror. Your vote comes with certain responsibilities and very real consequences that you accept when on Nov. 6, you’ll exercise your right to cast your ‘say’.

Michael Kuhlman Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey

Build on Progress

by Voting for MacArthur Third Congressional District voters will choose either Republican Congressman Tom Ma cArthur or his Democratic opponent, Andy Kim, for Congress on Nov. 6.

MacArthur is widely acknowledged for his bipartisan leadership, while Kim is a Progressive Democrat.

When Democrats want to talk healthcare, it is always important to remember the lies they told to get Obamacare passed.

Former President Barack Obama and all his fellow Democrats knew that you would not be able to keep your plan, or your doctors, and instead of “bending the cost curve down,” it would go up to pay for other things.

Instead of every family getting a “$2,500 a year reduction,” they have faced higher compounding annual premiums each year.

After changes made by Republicans, this is the first time that healthcare premiums went down—granted it is a small decrease.

However, after seven years of double-digit increases, it is welcomed.

Speaking of false Democratic claims, the Republican healthcare reform legislation did not deny coverage for pre-existing conditions.

How can I say that? It was explicitly written into the law.

Democrats, as a party, have also announced their position to reverse the Republican tax cuts. No Democrats have voted to cut your taxes.

Democrats often decry the limits on State and Local Tax (SALT) deductions.

First off, MacArthur fought to include the current SALT deductions. Further, 60 percent of New Jersey residents now pay lower net taxes, while 30 percent face about the same tax bill and only 10 percent pay more.

So, 90 percent of New Jersey residents benefited from the tax cuts that Democrats

now want to take away from you. Without this tax cut, how would you pay your higher state taxes?

Between Republican tax reductions and regulatory relief, we now have improved economic growth by three to four percent, far from the subpar two percent growth of the previous eight years.

This economic growth has led to the lowest unemployment rate in 60 years, 3.7 percent.

The booming economy has also resulted in record low unemployment for Blacks, Latinos and women.

More importantly, all of this economic gr owth is leading to higher Blue-collar wages.

Instead of stopping that kind of progress, wouldn’t you want to build upon it? Vote for MacArthur and the Republicans.

Bruno DiStefano Medford Lakes, New Jersey

MacArthur's Proposal for 'Age Tax' Infuriating Stop trying to con us, Congressman Tom MacArthur (R-NJ-3)!

This election is too important, to those of us with pre-existing conditions, to risk falling for another con from MacArthur.

Th is guy already showed us who he is by trying to gut our healthcare options. He almost succeeded!

What would have happened if MacArthur did succeed with his bill?

Ac cording to AARP, if MacArthur’s bill had been passed, premiums for older Americans would have skyrocketed to six times the amount insurers charge younger consumers.

That, my friends, is an age tax delivered by your GOP Congressman, who receives more money from the insurance industry than from any other. If you don’t believe me, look it up on the Open Secrets website, which tracks campaign contributions.

Do we really want to vote for someone who is so willing to significantly increase the financial burden on millions of seniors?

It’s infuriating!

AARP’s analysis plainly states that MacArthur's bill, “would have meant less choice and reduced access to needed services for people with preexisting conditions and health needs.”

When someone shows you who they are, believe them! We cannot allow MacArthur to try to con us that he is on our side, because he is not.

I can’t tolerate the lying from MacArthur an ymore. I’m done! I’m voting for his Democratic challenger, Andy Kim—and I can’t wait to get to the voting booth.

Sharon K. Roth Medford, New Jersey

It’s Our Responsibility to Educate Ourselves About Each Candidate Ne w Jersey’s Third Congressional District has long been considered safe for Republicans, for as long as I can remember, with the exception of the election of the late Democrat John Adler in 2008.

I can only hope that we all understand what is at stake in this November’s election, because a vote for the incumbent is a vote against our best interests.

Established 2016

Douglas D. Melegari - Publisher, CEO Bill Bonvie - Copy Editor Jayne Cabrilla - Copy Editor Keith Tarnow - Art Director Colleen Jordan - Copy Editor, Graphic Artist

Congressman Tom MacArthur won’t run on his record. Instead it is clear that he is hiding from it, and no wonder.

After four years of doing no significant work for his constituents, in 2017, he authored the “MacArthur Amendment,” which would ha ve been disastrous for all Americans, including the many seniors of the district.

His amendment would have raised the cost of health insurance for those over age 50. But, you can’t get him to admit that. In fact, he has repeatedly lied about the consequences of his amendment. He has claimed that his amendment never had an “age tax.”

Nothing could be further from the truth.

His amendment would have removed the protections against gouging those of us with preexisting conditions, while our premiums would have increased disproportionately to those of younger customers.

This would have all been while MacArthur received contributions from the companies that would benefit most.

He has lied about his own legislation, about the negative effects of legislation he supports, about being bipartisan, and most of all, blatantly lies about his opponent, Andy Kim. I’ve been to several of Kim’s events and have talked with him. He shares my values.

Hi s entire career has been about public service. He has refused to take corporate PAC donations or use the revolving door from Congress to lobbyist.

He has promised to meet with his co nstituents in a monthly town hall, something his opponent has refused to do since May 2017.

We cannot continue to elect people to represent us, just because they have an “R” or “D” after their name.

It is our responsibility to be an educated electorate, to learn about each candidate, and understand that what we see in political ads, may or may not be true. Please take a long look at the candidates and find out who is fighting for you and me.

This is an important election and I have done my homework. I am happily supporting Kim to represent New Jersey’s third district.

Rosemary L’Erario Eastampton, New Jersey

Medford Lakes Republican Still Lives In New Jersey Despite Higher Taxation Reading the Pine Barrens Tribune, I found that Bruno DiStefano has not fled New Jersey yet because of taxes imposed by “Trenton Democrats,” as he warned would happen with our rich residents.

But, Bruno is still getting his misinformation from the same place: Fox News, it appears.

Frequent letter to the editor writer Kathleen Strykowsky wrote an accurate rebuttal to some of the most egregious misrepresentations that Republican Representative Tom MacArthur has promulgated.

I'd like to focus on a few of the inaccuracies in DiStefano’s recent letters.

First: denying coverage for pre-existing c onditions. T he K aiser Fou nd at ion, a recog n ized i mpar tial and neut ral o rganization, has studied MacArthur’s legislation, and they, along with numerous other health care groups, have predicted that the legislation would make it difficult, if not impossible, for an individual with such a condition to obtain affordable insurance.

Know something going on in your community?

SHARE IT WITH US! news@pinebarrenstribune.com

Pine Barrens Tribune

♦ Page 7

Significantly, at the time MacArthur was introducing his bill, he mentioned how sorry he felt for the insurance companies that were so burdened by providing care for the poor and the sick.

It is common knowledge that he became a millionaire by his involvement with that i ndustry. When he retired with his new wealth, he ran for office where he lived in North Jersey. He lost!

Having sufficient financial assets, MacArthur did what anyone who is wealthy might do.

He moved to a “safe” Congressional district for Republicans, District Three.

There is so much more, but I'll conclude with a rebuttal to Bruno’s recent attack on “Pelosi Democrats.”

The “crumbs” the Minority Leader was referring to are the unequal deductions that go to the middle class, in comparison to the huge amounts that large corporations and the top one percent are receiving. What is worse is that the middle class’s higher rates will return in a few short years, while the others retain their gift.

Marlene Liebero Medford, New Jersey

Support Women’s Rights Because We Are All Our Sisters' Keepers President Donald Trump doesn't speak for me or the majority of people in this country.

So, when he says that he is apologizing to Brett Kavanaugh “on behalf of the nation,”he is very much mistaken.

As far as the “terrible pain and suffering” that Kavanaugh and his family were “forced to endure,” that is nothing compared to what Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and millions of women go through every day in this country and around the world.

One out of six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.

T his was not a Democratic scheme to r ailroad the hearings. This was a smart, credible woman coming forward to say, hey this happened to me many years ago and I think it’s important for people to know, a s it reflects on this man’s character and temperament and that he may not be fit to be a judge on the Supreme Court.

The fact that Trump got up and mocked Ford at one of his rallies, speaks volumes about how he and the Republican party view women in this country: keep them barefoot and pregnant and take away their rights. This view should be our rallying cry.

Kavanaugh was not found innocent of these charges as Trump stated because the hearings were not a trial, but an effort to ram him through to make this the most politically biased Supreme Court in history.

Millions of supporting documents were kept from the public eye and the scope of the limited investigation was indeed a major coverup to hide facts and details.

M errick Garland wasn't even given a chance to be heard and he has an impeccable r esume and is moderate in his rulings compared to Kavanaugh.

T hese are dangerous times for women and we need to stand up for each other as we are all our sister's keeper. Please vote for women's rights on Nov. 6. This might be the most important election of our lives!

Pam Gray Mount Laurel, New Jersey How to Send Items to the Editor: letters@pinebarrenstribune.com, put “Letter” in the subject line.

Letters submitted to the Pine Barrens Tribune must include the name, address and phone number of the writer. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and taste. Because of space limitations, letters should be 150 words of less. Due to the volume of letters received, we cannot guarantee every one will be printed.

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Saturday, October 27, 2018

35th Cranberry Festival Turns Tiny Town in the Pines into a 2-Day Metropolis

Staff Report

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

CHATSWORTH—Thousands of attendees at the 35th Annual Cranberry Festival filled the center of the bucolic village of Chatsworth, located in Woodland Township, last weekend.

T he cranber r y-flavored cou nt r y fair featured a broad spectrum of vendors offering h and-crafted merchandise and souvenirs, b ooths catering to pets with some up for adoption, and edibles of every description, some pervading the crisp autumn air with the summerlike smells of barbecue and roasting kettle corn.

Cranberries, of course, were still given star billing in the cuisine category, taking center stage at the “Cranberry Country Store.” The store, which offered a wide array of items from cranberry jams and jellies to cranberry muffins, dumplings, cookies and fritters, was set up in front of the restored White Horse Inn. The festival committee’s juried craft and food court vendors’ space rental fees benefit t he Inn, Woodland’s oldest and largest

landmark architecturally dated circa 1860 according to a large, blue history sign outside.

C ranber r ies were also occasionally included in other, more conventional culinary concoctions. A health-conscious booth even featured cranberry balsamic vinegar.

Jamie Worrell, who sold whole fresh-fromthe bog cranberries at the festival, said that this year has been “a very good year” for the cranberry crop.

O ther wise, the festival consisted of a diverse medley of booths, tents and f ood vendors, some down-home musical entertainment provided by the Bullzeye Band and Chatsworth’s own singer, songwriter and g uitarist Tom Baz, a Classic Car Show on Sunday, and a tent where a couple dollars could buy you a chance to get up close and personal with some warm and fuzzy wolves.

All told, it was enough to draw throngs of visitors who crowded every nook, cranny and thoroughfare of the festival grounds, though attendance was down a bit due to the weather having been less than ideal this year—from rain on Saturday morning to chilly winds on Sunday, according to Chairperson Melissa

Camiscioni.

But suffice it to say that Chatsworth, whose population is ordinarily around 1,200, became something of a metropolis for the two days of the festival, with many visitors walking a mile or more down the forested country roads leading into this community to get to where they had parked their cars.

Although Camiscioni was unable to provide the Pine Barrens Tribune with an estimate of just how many people attended this year’s festival, historically, there have been crowds numbering about 80,000 people on both days of the event, she noted.

Although the crowds may not have reached that level, she said, “it was a good weekend” for which she said she wanted to thank all t he participating vendors, volunteers and committee members for “putting on a good show.”

O ne perennially popular attraction, the tame “wolf dogs” brought in by the Howling Woods Farm, was a particular favorite of Camiscioni’s predecessor, Lynn Giamalis, who died nearly a year ago after serving as chairperson for two decades.

T hree of the animals, which Howling W oods founder Michael Hodanish said a re very similar to huskies and Alaskan malamutes, were brought in from the group’s facility in Jackson Township, to meet and greet adults and children in the crowd.

Hodanish said the mission of his enterprise, w hich was founded in 2005, is to adopt t hem out to people who have the ability t o accommodate their needs—that is, to house them outdoors with at least one other companion animal.

The Cranberry Festival is just one of many venues in New Jersey where the group makes appearances, supporting its efforts through donations.

Camiscioni noted that the festival makes a point of renting space at a reduced rate to Howling Woods and other nonprofits.

That policy, she added, is part of Giamalis’ legacy, which she is now attempting to carry on.

“I was her co-chair for 15 years,” she said.

“I had an excellent teacher.”

Photos By Bill Bonvie and Joe Giuliani

LOOKING FOR OFFICE SPACE? Several First Class Offices & Suites Available at the Heritage Building Complex, 703 Stokes Rd,. (Rt. 541), Medford across the street from Benifical Bank

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609-220-0795

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Pine Barrens Tribune

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♦ Page 9

WORSHIP DIRECTORY

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Our Sunday Schedule:

Communion Service: 8:15 a.m.

Contemporary Service: 9:30 a.m.

Traditional Worship: 11 a.m.

2 Hartford Road Medford, N.J. 609.654.8111

—Romans 8:18 NIV

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Events can be submitted to news@pinebarrenstribune.com. Submission of an event does not guarantee publication in print, due to the volume received. To ensure promotion of your event for only $10, please call 609-801-2392. All sponsored events will be highlighted and bolded in print.

Events should be submitted at least four weeks in advance.

Painting Get-Togethers

OCTOBER

27

Night of Terror

Location: Pemberton Details: The Pemberton Recreation Department is hosting “A Night of Terror,” from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Pemberton Sports Complex, 559 Pemberton-Browns Mills Road. This free event is open to the public, and features two haunted houses (scary and not-so-scary), trick or treating, a halloween movie, free popcorn. For more information, call 609-893-5034.

30 Trick or Trunk

Location: Medford Details: Pinot’s Palette will hold two painting sessions at Cedar Run, 4 Sawmill Road, Medford. Saturday, Nov. 3, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. is an 18+ paint n’ sip event; Sunday, Nov. 4, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. is an all ages/family fun event. All supplies are provided.

More information, 856-983-3329x102.

For tickets, visit: www.Pinotspalette. com/cherryhill/events.

10

Roast Beef Supper

12

Miracle of Christmas

Location: Southampton Details: The Evergreen Dairy Bar is hosting its Annual Trick or Trunk event, Oct. 30, from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Come join us for dinner and see the antique cars on display!

NOVEMBER Brewed 03 “Fresh Roots Music”

at Log Cabin Café

Location: Medford Lakes Details: The Log Cabin Café is pleased to introduce two talented acts from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., at historic Memorial Hall, 108 Stokes Road, Medford Lakes. “Anderson’s Six Mile Cross,” a father-daughter act ,will perform rollicking folk music, Irish ballads and fiddle tunes, and maybe a wee bit of Irish dancing; “Homespun Trio” with ukulele and brass behind lilting and jazzy vocals, a family group puts a different take on some old favorites. Admission is $10 ($5 for children under 16 when accompanied by adult) at the door, or at Protestant Community Church office, 100 Stokes Rd., Medford Lakes. Click on facebook.com/logcabinmusic or www. protestantcommunitychurch.org.

Westampton. $10. For tickets, visit: www.bcls.lib.nj.us.

17 Christmas Bazaar

20th Annual Train, Toy & Collectable Show

Location: Pemberton Details: The Pemberton Township Historic Trust is sponsoring its 20th annual Train, Toy and Collectable Show at Pemberton Township High School, 148 Arney’s Mount Road, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. General admission, $4, children under 10, free.

Six-foot Vendor’s tables, $20. For more information, call 609-367-2913.

Location: Vincentown Details: The Vincentown Grange is holding an all-you-can-eat familystyle roast beef supper at 5:30 p.m.

The dinner includes roast beef, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, homemade coleslaw, rolls and dessert.

Please RSVP to Shirley at 609-8948510.

Sport Shot Singles Bowling Tournament

Location: Whiting Details: St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church is planning a trip to see “The Miracle of Christmas.” The cost is $135 per person. Call Stefanie for details 732-350-2904.

Floral Designs for the Holidays

Location: Medford Details: The Pinelands Garden Club of Medford will meet at Medford Leas auditorium (Route 70) at 10 a.m. for a demonstration on floral design – how to use fun and different elements to create designs for the holidays. Visitors and new members welcome.

– 16 Britishmania Beatles Tribute Band

Location: Westampton Details: Experience the 1960s sounds and stage persona of the Beatles!

7 p.m. at the Burlington County Library auditorium, 5 Pioneer Blvd.,

Location: Browns Mills Details: St. Ann’s Christmas Bazaar, 22 Trenton Road, Browns Mills, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free children’s craft corner while you shop from noon to 2 p.m.

Location: Toms River Details: The Bowling Ministry of St. Stephan’s Episcopal Church is hosting its Sport Shot Singles Spectacular Tournament at 10 a.m., at Playdrome Lanes in Toms River. Entry fee is $45.

Open to all bowlers. Registration at 9 a.m. For more information, call 732814-6683, or 732-349-5345.

19 Thyroid Support Group

Location: Whiting Details: The Thyroid Support Group will meet at 10 a.m. at St. Stephan’s Episcopal Church, 180 Route 539, Whiting. The group meets the third Monday of each month to educate and support people with thyroid issues.

For more information, call facilitator Stefanie at 732-350-2904.

See More Events On Our Website: pinebarrenstribune.com

5 . .

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PEMBERTON TWP. SENIOR CITIZEN COLUMN

Food Offerings at Festival Reflect Ethnic Diversity of Pemberton

By Ebba Liguori

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

PEMBERTON—The multi-ethnic aura that distinguishes Pemberton Township—a result of its location adjacent to Fort Dix—was reflected in a potpourri of dishes prepared by local residents for the Pemberton Township Senior Center’s 12th Annual International Festival on Oct. 19.

A capacity crowd of 100 seniors took part in the event. Many of the seniors prepared dishes that represented their cultural heritage. Since m any of those present hailed from foreign countries, the cuisine was particularly authentic.

Since so many military men married women from foreign countries while serving overseas, there is an abundance of people from different cultures in the Pemberton Township area.

See PEMBERTON/ Page 27

PINE KNOTS COLUMN

BMIA Forum to Introduce Candidates for School Board

By Ebba Liguori

For the Pine Barrens Tribune

P EM BERTON —T he five candid ates currently running for the Pemberton Township Board of Education are expected to take part in an informational forum scheduled at 2 p.m. on Oct. 28.

The forum will take place at the Browns M ills Improvement Association (BMIA) building.

See BMIA/ Page 25

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Pine Barrens Tribune

Saturday, October 27, 2018

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Seven Surprising Benefits of Dandelion Weeds, Unless You Suffer From a Ragweed Allergy

A SMILE CAN...

REDUCE STRESS INCREASE CONFIDENCE MAKE YOU LOOK YOUNGER AND MUCH MORE.

William H. Stiles, DMD 25 N. Main Street Medford, N.J. 08055 609-654-0033

Dandelion greens might be considered a weed, but this potent plant contains an impressive arsenal of nutritious compounds that you may want to add to your diet.

I am referring to dandelions as in “Taraxacum officinale.”

This notoriously bitter weed is packed with protein, minerals, and more vitamin C than spinach. The entire plant is actually edible, though I have never eaten the whole thing, just the leaves.

Some people literally harvest the yellow flowers before they open and fry them up in a pan with garlic, butter and other seasonings.

Dandelion is very easy to harvest.

Remember, it’s kind of like a weed as it grows everywhere!

Interestingly, this inexpensive plant is also sold at health food stores, especially in the produce section where it is usually near the collard greens and kale. While dandelions are considered a safe plant for most people, there are a few reported incidences of adverse reactions. People with ragweed allergies are sensitive to dandelions, so please avoid if that is the case.

Here are 7 reasons to take dandelion if you are not allergic to it: 1. Aids the Digestive System: The plant is a mild diuretic, making you urinate more than normal. It can improve the functioning of the pancreas, stomach, kidneys, and spleen without depleting your body’s potassium stores. Diuretics are known to reduce blood pressure. With dandelions, the two compounds that work in this capacity are chicoric and chlorogenic acid.

2. Good Source of Antioxidants: You can thank the dandelion’s bitter taste for its antioxidant properties which clean your blood. If you can get used to more bitter foods (and less sugary ones), then your detox pathways that operate in your liver will thank you with better health.

3. Can Aid Weight Loss: Though the facts are still forthcoming, there is evidence today that consuming dandelions can support weight loss

Suzy Cohen AMERICA’S PHARMACIST

4.

5.

6.

7.

by improving your fat-burning rate and metabolism, and simultaneously reducing fat absorption. It’s due to the presence of chlorogenic acid-A compound also found in coffee.

Helps Fight Inflammation: Could eating flowers help you with arthritis? Probably not, but it’s fun to think that way. I like herbal remedies that reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and TNF alpha.

Dandelion does this very thing, helping you reduce risk for heart attack, cancer and diabetes.

Can Help Control Blood Sugar: Two biologically active phytochemicals in dandelions (specifically, the chicoric and chlorogenic acid) show evidence of controlling blood sugar by regulating your pancreas’s insulin production.

Useful As A Skin Treatment: Applying a leaf and flower extract immediately before or after intense sun exposure seems to reduce overall skin damage. Dandelion-containing creams or poultices reduce skin irritation and may help with acne.

Can Increase Flavor in Food and Drink Fresh dandelion greens can be used in fresh salads, sandwiches, smoothies and teas. If they’re too bitter, make a fiftyfifty mix of dandelions with a subtler green like spinach or Swiss chard.

You could make a tea, or buy a commercially prepared teabag. You could also sauté the dandelion greens with some sweet fruits like pineapple.

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

For more information, please visit www.SuzyCohen.com. © 2018 SUZY COHEN, RPH. DISTRIBUTED BY DEAR PHARMACIST, INC.

w w w. m e d f o r d s m i l e s . c o m

Saturday, October 27, 2018

DISAGREE (Continued from Page 4) Tyler added that all voting machines used i n county elections are stored in a secured warehouse and are “tested and programmed rigorously” before elections. He also said that a server for a computer used to tally results is stored in a secure room, in a secure cabinet, to which only he and the county’s deputy clerk, Wade Hale, have a key.

S chwartz told the forum audience that she would bring the benefit of her extensive healthcare experience as an executive director, to the clerk’s office.

“I have overseen budgets worth millions and millions of dollars,” said Schwartz, who also has served as a volunteer and board member of the New Lisbon Developmental Center for 30 years and has been a lifetime member of the Hampton

Pine Barrens Tribune

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM Lakes and Mount Laurel emergency squads.

Tyler recounted both of his grandfathers service in World War II and talked about his son who is a U.S. Army National Guardsman.

“Honoring and respecting our veterans was something instilled in me at a young age,” he said. “I want to do my part to make sure Burlington County is the most veteran-friendly county in New Jersey.”

Tyler said he has already hosted a Veterans E xpo, done a media campaign reminding veterans that they are eligible for a $3,000 tax credit in the state, offered special Gold Star Parent ID Cards to parents who lost a child serving the nation, completed an initiative to hand out Killed-In-Action (KIA) flags to all 40 county municipalities and helped veterans record their discharge paperwork.

“The county clerk’s office is pushing the envelope every day to do a better job for you guys,” Tyler said.

♦ Page 11

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Pine Barrens Tribune

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM said Mitchell of the attention given to his family’s losses due to the fact he is the deputy fire chief. “I don’t want people to forget that another family was displaced.”

Mitchell added that both families are asking for gift cards and monetary donations to purchase everyday necessities.

“We don’t have a lot of room yet (for items),” he said.

The Sally Stretch Keen Memorial Library, at 94 Main St., is serving as a drop-off location for gift card or monetary donations for either family.

“Please mark whether you wish for your donation to be for the Mitchell or Worrell family and we will get it to them,” the library posted online.

“I love Vincentown, this is our home,” Mitchell said. “I want to thank the Vincent Fire Co., community and mutual aid companies for helping us pick up the pieces at a very difficult

FIRE (Continued from Page 2)

time.”

Gift cards for the Mitchell family can also be sent to the Vincent Fire Co., 16 Race Street, Vincentown, NJ, 08088 or placed in their locked mailbox in front of the station.

The fire was brought under control in 45 minutes and is currently under investigation by the Burlington County and State Fire Marshals.

Pratt said he cannot comment on the cause of the fire, but it has been deemed non-suspicious in nature.

“It made me very proud to see the firefighters do what we train them to do,” said Mitchell, whose son is now a junior firefighter for the Vincent Fire Co. Pratt said the Vincent Fire Co. can use more volunteer firefighters and hopes the incident, which caused no injuries, will help recruit new members.

“Daytime staffing is rough,” he said. “We are always looking for more volunteers.”

Photo Submitted

The three-story duplex in Vincentown that burned last Friday.

Pratt elaborated that homes built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, such as the duplex, have lath boards nailed to wall studs with plaster put over the top of it, all while there is wide open space between walls.

“The lath boards inside the wall were very old wood, and this allowed the fire to spread quickly, unlike a regular sheetrock wall” he said. “The entire third floor of the duplex was completely destroyed by fire, while the first and second floor sustained heavy water damage.”

Pratt added that asbestos on the house has also become exposed.

Mitchell, a 16-year firefighter and 35-year resident of Southampton, said that he and his family could be displaced for one to two years,

Saturday, October 27, 2018

but he plans to move back to the same spot. “ It is important for me to be near the firehouse,” Mitchell said. “The firehouse and fire company is part of my extended family.

It is super important to me to be part of that organization.”

Mitchell, a teacher at Pemberton Township’s middle school, lived in the duplex with his wife, 16-year-old son, four-year-old daughter and oneyear-old daughter for two years. They are all now staying in Mitchell’s parents’ home.

Mitchell and his wife are expecting another boy before the end of the year.

The Worrell family, longtime residents of Vincentown with young children, are said to be the other fire victims.

“I want people to remember both families,”

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Pine Barrens Tribune

VOTERS (Continued from Page 4) four decades.

Last year’s Democratic victory unseated Republicans Linda Hughes and Bruce Garganio.

Hughes, however, was sworn back in as a freeholder in January after the Burlington County Republican Committee selected her to replace Republican Ryan Peters, who was chosen by voters to serve as one of two state assemblymen for the 8th Legislative District.

Shortly after being named to replace Peters, Hughes was named the freeholder board’s deputy director. Kate Gibbs, who won a seat on the freeholder board in 2015, was named its director.

“I look forward to continuing the freeholders’ proud tradition of making Burlington County a great place for our residents,” said Hughes at the forum. “Just this year, we rolled out a first of its kind—only of its kind—$20 million grant program that is helping schools increase their school's security. We have also launched an immediate $12.5 million road plan and helped secure millions in benefits for local veterans.”

Hughes was particularly proud that the freeholder board “cut property taxes” by “reducing government spending” this year and in past years, while taxes and spending “increased” in every other county.

“Right now, we have the lowest per capita spending of any New Jersey county at $346,000 per person,” she said. “Moody’s (a financial services company) has actually upgraded our credit rating to the highest credit rating in Burlington County’s history. When they did that, they cited our shared services as one of the reasons why they were able to give that rating.”

Gibbs, who also touted the county’s credit rating, said that no other county in the state has a “prouder or stronger” record of fiscal responsibility.

“Not only do we spend the lowest amount per resident, but we have cut spending by $29,000,000 in the past eight years,” Gibbs said. “That has led to us having a tax levy that is $10,000,000 less today than it was eight years ago, and we have done this without massive layoffs and without cutting services. We have done all of this with innovation, hard work, and fiscal responsibility.”

Hughes added that in addition to reducing taxes and spending, there are a lot of other things that make Burlington County different than any other county in the state.

“Burlington County is actually the only county in New Jersey that has two women serving in both (of its freeholder board’s) leadership positions of director and deputy director,” she said. “That is something that the director and I take incredibly seriously.”

Hughes, who said it was her purpose in life to help other people and support other people in what they are doing, explained that she and Gibbs see their leadership positions as an opportunity to serve as role models and support other women in the county.

“That is why we are really excited this year to launch relaunch the Burlington County Womens Advisory Committee,” Hughes said. “One of the first initiatives that we tasked that group with was to create a mentoring program to help women who are looking for guidance, support from other women and their neighbors. Just this week, we held a mentoring event and the energy in the room was palpable.”

Hughes added that young girls attending the mentoring event were able to look at all of the women and say, "If she can do it, so can I.” “We know that when young girls can see it, they can be it,” said Hughes, who donated a kidney to a 19-year-old woman who was doing dialysis.

Gibbs also highlighted that Burlington County is the only county in the state to provide 911 dispatch to all of its towns with no chargeback and offer curbside single stream recycling at no cost back to towns.

“I am running again because I want to make Burlington County a more affordable, more prosperous and more welcoming place, while preserving the quality of life that we have here,” she said.

Felicia Hopson, a four-year member of the Willingboro Township Board of Education and Democrat who is challenging both Gibbs and Hughes, said that she is looking forward

Saturday, October 27, 2018

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM to improving the quality of life for county residents. She pledged to “bring transparency and accountability” to Burlington County.

“My term is up in December, so I knew that I wanted to continue with my community service,” Hopson said. “When I had the opportunity to become a candidate for Burlington County freeholder, I thought this was the perfect transition because my experience on the school board has prepared me.”

Hopson added that she knows how to improve the quality of life for county residents because she is a breast cancer survivor, single mother, and overcame financial struggles.

“I am willing to work hard for you,” she said.

“I have been in the community for more years than I can count and (my willingness to serve) is not just because I am on the school board, but also because I have spent time at the local food bank, speaking with veterans and at the YMCA. I am a community service advocate and implore myself to be that.”

Hopson, as the only school board member up on a stage, was asked if she is aware of reports that the major cause of an increase to property taxes is excessive spending by township schools.

“That definitely is an issue,” she said. “But, it happens when we have towns like my town of Willingboro that doesn’t have a lot of businesses to offset the taxes.”

Hopson said property taxes increased by $12 per year for every homeowner in Willingboro because of a loss of businesses that were offsetting property taxes.

“We equate that and say that we have not had any cuts up until this year and last year we had no school cuts,” she said. “We did not have to close a school and we did not have to let go of any of our personnel. So, based off of that, we were happy with the fact that we were able to maintain a workable budget, only increasing property taxes by $12 per homeowner.”

The vast majority of the forum’s audience me mb e r s we r e se n ior cit i z e n s si nc e LeisureTowne is an age 55-plus retirement community.

As was the case last year, a questioner during the forum sought to know the status of the Centerton Road Bridge.

The bridge, which connects Mount Laurel to Willingboro and Westampton, was closed more than three years ago after engineers deemed it structurally unsafe. An estimated 14,000 vehicles per day crossed the bridge when it was open to traffic.

Many seniors, when they have errands to run in Willingboro and Westampton, prefer to take Centerton Road to avoid truck traffic on Interstate 295.

However, the bridge closure has forced most seniors to travel Interstate 295 when going to Willingboro and Westampton since there is no convenient alternative route available.

The freeholder board voted on Dec. 9, 2015 to demolish the bridge. A short time later, a feasibility study was ordered to look into a possible replacement.

County officials, at the time, said that they could not consider moving forward with any improvements until the state’s Transportation Trust Fund was replenished.

Garganio stood in front of the Centerton Road Bridge in 2014 with state Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, a Democrat from Gloucester County.

Sweeney appeared with Garganio to tout his fund replenishment proposal, the 23-cent gas tax.

The gas tax was signed into law on Oct. 14, 2016 by then-Governor Chris Christie, a Republican. It has since been raised further by Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat.

Since the 23-cent gas tax was imposed on Nov. 1, 2016, the county has not taken any action to rebuild the Centerton Road Bridge, but has only decided to demolish it.

Hughes, in response to this year’s forum question relating to the bridge, provided a thorough update on the span’s status and explained the outcome of the feasibility study.

“There was a couple of different things that came back from that feasibility study,” Hughes said. “One option is to tear it (the bridge) down and do nothing. Another option would be to replace it with a pedestrian bridge. Option three and four recommended building vehicle bridges.”

The Centerton Road Bridge carries Centerton Road over a portion of the Rancocas Creek.

“Since this is considered a navigable

Photos By Joe Giuliani

Pictured from left to right: Felicia Hopson, Kate Gibbs, and Linda Hughes. waterway, we have rules from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that basically say the portage has to be able to open, or you have to be able to get a boat under it,” Hughes said.

“That means that to build a new vehicle bridge, we would have to enter into eminent domain situations to buy up more land to expand the road—basically, it (would be) a $30 to 40-million-dollar price tag.”

Hughes pointed to the county’s ongoing $40 million investment in a new 911 system.

“For comparison, (a vehicle) bridge is going to be about that same amount of money,” she said.

“What we’re doing now is that our Resource Conservation Department is looking into grant funding to see what kind of funding they may be able to get to have a pedestrian bridge. What we would be doing in that situation is combining two different pieces of county park property.

“Right now, we have our trail system and we're hoping to build it all around the county and have all of our different county parks connect. One of the challenges we face is how to get across the Rancocas…if this grant funding comes through, then there would not be the additional cost to taxpayers to build the pedestrian bridge.”

Missing from the forum was the other Democratic challenger for freeholder, George Youngkin. Youngkin suspended his campaign on Sept. 28 after it was revealed by another media outlet that he was arrested and charged with assault in November 2006.

The arrest occurred after an off-duty officer witnessed a dispute between Youngkin and his ex-wife, who also accused him of having tried to choke her six months earlier while they were still married.

That charge was dropped when she obtained a court order barring him from contacting her.

The media outlet also reported that an Evesham woman had complained on several occasions in 2004 and 2006 that Youngkin, whom she identified as a friend, persisted in calling and texting her after she asked him not to and showed up outside her children’s school and church.

However, no charges were ever filed in the matter.

While Youngkin suspended his campaign, he remains on the ballot as Democrats are unable to replace him, given that mail-in-ballots are already on the street.

Joanne Schwartz, a Democrat running for Burlington County Clerk, told this newspaper after the forum that a process has been put in place should Youngkin still win the election.

“The expectation is, if George wins, that he will be sworn in, then resign and be replaced,” she said. “The person who replaces him would then have to run again in one year.”

When asked how it can be guaranteed that Youngkin will resign should he be sworn in, Schwartz said Burlington County Democratic Committee Chairman Joe Andl has “committed that Youngkin will not be seated.”

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MOLD (Continued from Page 5) whether the district has been conducting routine air quality testing at Seneca, but she did not offer a response.

A letter from Coastal Environmental, posted on the district’s website last month, said that all rooms in the school passed clearance with the exception of classrooms D106, C202-F, C211-1 and C116.

A follow-up letter released on Oct. 2 stated that classrooms C116, C202-F and D106 had passed clearance, but Room C211-1 would remain closed for additional clearance testing.

Room C211-1 was cleared per another letter released on Oct. 8.

But over a month after the presence of the mold was first discovered, district officials have still not identified all of the rooms inside Seneca that were discovered to have surface mold, and none of the documents posted on a webpage dedicated to the issue contain this information as of press time.

Sources have told this newspaper that as many as 17 of Seneca’s 98 rooms had surface mold.

Add it ionally, t he remed iat ion steps and what chemicals have been used to remediate the surface mold have not been shared publicly, despite repeated attempts by this newspaper to obtain this information through media inquiries sent to the district superintendent.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Robert Parry, a father of two students at the school, also asked about the cleaning process used.

“We haven’t received a whole lot of information about the school being closed,” Parry said. “The school hasn’t been very forthcoming in letting us know what is happening. Many parents are concerned.

Pine Barrens Tribune

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM Nobody has told us what chemicals are being used to clean the place.”

In response, Birnbohm asked Parry if he had received text messages and emails from the district and if he attended a Back-toSchool Night held at Seneca on Oct. 6.

“Mr. (Jeffrey) Spector (Seneca Principal) and I, and all of the administrator teams at Seneca, answered many questions, and parent after parent came up to us thanking us for the great communication job that Seneca did,” she said. “Have you tried calling and asking anybody at the school specific questions?”

Parry said that he had gotten a return call from Seneca Assistant Principal and Supervisor of Instruction Sean Cassel, but that he only received vague information.

Birnbohm replied that she could talk to him more after the meeting, which she did in an adjoining hallway for about five minutes.

The text messages and emails sent to parents about the surface mold, obtained by this newspaper, were in fact vague.

Af ter his discussion with Bir nboh m followingthe meeting, Par r y said in an interview that he understood the steps that the district was taking, but still felt that communication was not what it should have been. “(Birnbohm) said it was a Class II-type cleaner (used for the mold cleanup), which would only bother you if it was sprayed in your face,” he said. “We went back and forth a little bit.

“I came here tonight hoping the board would bring (the mold topic) up. I didn’t want to bring it up to them at the Back-toSchool Night, since I thought it would be confrontational. I originally thought tonight was a meeting about relaying to parents what happened and obviously, that wasn’t the case.

It was a typical board meeting.”

Parry said that his oldest daughter had a medical issue at the same time that Seneca had been closed.

“She was having some minor medical stuff going on and she went to the doctor in that time frame,” he said. “The doctor said it could

“We haven’t received a whole lot of information about the school being closed. The school hasn’t been very forthcoming in letting us know what is happening. Many parents are concerned. Nobody has told us what chemicals are being used to clean the place.” ~Seneca Parent Robert Parry be related (to the mold), but she couldn’t pin it down for sure.

“I know they had emails put out to parents, but I think that people were hoping for a little more information. I’ve read three different articles about what happened. I just wanted answers.”

Bir nbohm has refused to answer this newspaper’s question about whether any students or staff fell ill, attributed to the mold, prior to the school’s closure. As this newspaper reported a few weeks ago, the school’s closure and surface mold issue were not reported to county and state health officials prior to the district reopening Seneca.

The only other bit of information about Seneca that may have been related to the mold on the board agenda, but wasn’t discussed, was an affirmation of a revision to the school’s calendar that converted the in-service days of Oct. 8, Feb. 15, 2019 and March 8, 2019

♦ Page 15

to staff in-service/student instruction days at Seneca.

In regard to the lack of air conditioning and a question of whether the board would propose having it installed, Birnbohm said that the public had voted against it in 2005 and a recent study found the expense to be too high.

“In 2005, there was a bond referendum in our district and Question 2 asked the taxpayers about air conditioning,” she said. “At the time, it would only have cost our taxpayers a total of $12 million to fully install air conditioning, about $9 per household. It was voted down by about 1,000 votes.

“We also looked into a grant offered by the state two years ago. We researched a ballpark figure of what it would cost to air condition all of our facilities and it was $90 million. The cost has gone up greatly since then.”

Birnbohm added that all of the high school buildings are about 40 percent air conditioned, which includes the media centers, cafeterias and computer labs.

“We’ve been trying to add AC units where we can to alleviate heat in the upper levels, especially for students who come to us with medical conditions,” she said.

Birnbohm was also asked if Seneca already had central air conditioning that was not being used because the other three high schools didn’t have it.

“I’d like to set aside any myth for anybody who still believes that there’s a big, magic, red button at Seneca High School that can turn on air conditioning,” she said. “There is no AC centralized at Seneca. I don’t know why there is that rumor out there. Every time it gets hot, it circulates that nobody else can have air conditioning, so Seneca can’t have it.”

Open Public Record Act (OPRA) requests for documents that show how the district’s air conditioning cost jumped from $12 million to $90 million over a decade have not been responded to as of press time.

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♦

Pine Barrens Tribune

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

RESIGNS (Continued from Page 5) to expire on June 30, 2019.

“His resignation effective date is Dec. 14,” McCooley said. “But, he has asked to be released early from his contract, as soon as possible.”

McCooley, when asked if she or the Pinelands Regional Board of Education was blindsided by Brennan’s decision, said that there were rumors that Brennan might be thinking about departing the district.

“We are a small community,” McCooley said.

“We heard these rumblings a couple of weeks prior and so I am not surprised by this to tell you the truth.”

McCooley said there is a clause in Brennan’s contract that he must remain employed with the district for 60 days, if the board does not grant his request to be allowed to depart early.

Brennan became a controversial figure in the district last year after improper asbestos roofing removal took place at Pinelands Regional High School last fall, closing the building for months and sickening its occupants.

As the Pine Barrens Tribune previously reported, calls for Brennan’s removal grew much louder last year after a Sept. 10, 2017 letter addressed to Brennan, from Epic Environmental, was discovered by parents.

In the letter, Epic Environmental president James Eberts confirmed that required cleaning of the high school’s metal roof deck was discovered to be incomplete prior to the installation of a new roof on the high school.

The discovery came after debris falling in high-school classrooms was investigated on Sept. 8, 2017.

Eberts informed Brennan that some of the debris found on the uncleaned areas of the roof tested positive for asbestos.

While none of the debris that fell in the classrooms tested positive for asbestos, Eberts said there was the potential for roofing debris to continue to enter the school and recommended the district cease all rooftop activities due to the asbestos-containing debris on the exterior.

Eberts’ recommendation was not followed and work continued.

Additionally, students and staff were in the high school while roof work took place last September and October.

The work caused dust and ceiling tiles to fall in classrooms and unfamiliar odors. This coincided with unexplained respiratory issues and rashes experienced by students and faculty.

According to a signed contract and bid specs for the project, roof work was not permitted to occur while students or faculty were in the high school.

Brennan and then-Interim Superintendent Dr. Maryann Banks disagreed over who was made aware of the warnings and when those individuals became aware of the correspondence.

Event ually, the Pinelands Education Association (PEA) and parents called for Brennan’s firing. Brennan was quietly removed from his position less than 24 hours after the PEA called for his firing.

However, the school board narrowly voted to reinstate Brennan on Nov. 16, 2017 by a 6-4 vote, without explanation.

Sources told the Pine Barrens Tribune at the time that a majority of board members began not believing Bank’s side of the story after conducting a follow-up executive session with Brennan and his attorney.

Banks resigned from the district in December 2017 due to health reasons.

“I am happy,” said McCooley of Brennan’s resignation. “This is something that is best for him and it gives me a fresh start where I can bring someone in to the district, aligned with my norms and expectations.”

McCooley added that Brennan must also resign as the business administrator and board secretary of the Bass River Township School District, where he receives $19,000 annually. She said Brennan has to leave that position because it is through a shared service agreement with Pinelands Regional.

Brian Latwis, superintendent of the Barnegat Township School District, said Brennan will replace Lourdes La Guardia, Barnegat’s business administrator and board secretary.

See RESIGNS/ Page 20

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Who The Heck is Rosemary, Anyway?

Y

ou could search the world over and I doubt you’d find a family as hard to cook for as mine.

Some members of the Clinch household aren’t bad. They will eat peppers, onions and spices with names that can’t be pronounced.

Others restrict my culinary creativity to salt and pepper and think most vegetables are just plain, and I quote, “icky.”

And to think I could have rivaled Martha Stewart when it came to a savvy quiche.

In order to please them when they are all home at the same time, I’m forced to stick to a few select entrees. I get to choose from grilled hamburgers, pizza and my award-winning, one-ingredient calzones.

While the limited menu simply bores the braver eaters, anything other than those three options displeases the picky ones and they have been known to throw themselves on the floor and writhe in agony when I think outside of the box.

Yet every so often, I just can’t help myself and the desire to break out of my three-choice menu overcomes me. I hit the recipe books, search the websites and seek advice of family-pleasing friends.

“What’s for supper?” they asked upon their entrance on a recent night. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise, so I stood back, let out a heartfelt “Ta da!” and awaited their colorful remarks and commentary.

As if it were a wild animal, they approached with great trepidation.

“What is it?” they asked as they took in the sight of the delightful dish.

“Smells kinda gross,” one of them sneered.

“What’s that disgusting stuff on top of it?” asked another.

Their inquiries were colorful and they ended it with, “Ah no! Surely she hasn’t gotten into the paprika!” They then circled the kitchen island, sniffing and bending in for a closer look and at times poking at the dish with a wooden spoon to see if it would move.

While some members of the clan were willing to try it, the others flat-out refused to give it a try and were heading to the cupboards in search of a box of mac-n-cheese.

“Not so fast!” I finally declared. “We will sit as a family and you will try this dish and gag it down if you have to. We’re going to expand our horizons, try new things and doggone it, I’m going to figure out how to integrate rosemary into my cooking if it kills us all!”

They did it! You have to give them credit.

Although the pickiest among them darn near had

Lori Clinch COLUMNIST

to be force fed, they actually ate my new culinary dish.

When I asked them how they liked it, the review was unanimous, “Well, it wasn’t terrible.”

It was a moment to remember and to contemplate.

Speaking of bad things, there is nothing more dreaded and feared world-wide than a wisdom tooth extraction.

The mere mention of the procedure makes hearts race, hands tremble and folks bounce out of a dentist chair faster than you can say exodontia.

We Clinches have been through it many a time.

I, for one, did not enjoy it and although Vernon, our eldest and wise-cracking son, proclaimed he could drive immediately following the procedure, it was no walk in the park for him, either.

Huey and Lawrence came through with flying colors but would rather eat one of my creative casseroles than to go through it again.

All familial wisdom tooth extractions were complete except for our little Charlie, who isn’t so little anymore. Oh how he suffered. I doctored him up, iced him down and gave him as many juices and popsicles as he wanted, all to no avail.

Oh, the pain that he endured. It was no picnic; I’ll give you that. Thank heavens for the wisdom of our oral surgeon who performed yet another procedure on Charlie to expedite healing and get to the root of the problem.

Feeling much better, we took Charlie back in for one more minor procedure. “How bad will this hurt?” he asked with big eyes as he sat in the dental chair.

“It isn’t terrible,” the nurse said.

“Ah no!” Charlie exclaimed.

“What?” the nurse asked as she turned around.

“That’s how we describe my mom’s cooking.”

Pine Barrens Tribune

C R O S S W O R D Across 1 "Anaconda" rapper Nicki 6 Sizable chunk 10 "Yuck!"

13 Carne follower, in Mexican fare 14 Roll at the airport 15 Former Vietnamese emperor Bao __ 16 Reason kept to oneself 19 Barack Obama, astrologically 20 Old Venetian magistrate 21 Boy in the first family 22 Wig out 25 Country singer Clark 28 Cold weather word 29 Thorny thicket 34 1953 automobile innovation 35 Catch something 38 Put away 39 Some caviar 42 Johnny Olson catchphrase 43 West Indian sorcery 47 Young partner 48 Bum rap 53 Low-cost home loan org.

54 Lug 55 Letters left of center?

58 Leisurely lakeside activity, and

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P U Z Z L E

a clue for the circled letters 62 "If __ again I meet him beard to beard ... ": Shak.

63 "Yuck!"

64 Whiz 65 Carefree syllable 66 Fun 67 Sarcophagus holder Down 1 Stake-driving hammer 2 Part of a chain 3 Defense acronym 4 Thirst quencher 5 Rattle 6 Bend 7 Slow passage 8 Guitar players, slangily 9 Dust jacket info 10 Safe to put away 11 Encourage to score, as a base runner 12 Brandishes 17 First name in despotism 18 Zap 22 Set up 23 NYC commuter line 24 Ordinal ending 25 TV sched. uncertainty 26 Aunt with a "Cope Book"

27 Divide 30 El __ 31 Maroon 5 singer Levine 32 Counter square 33 Lake of Lombardy 35 Auto company founder Citro'n 36 Golf bag item 37 Not the best of times 40 Universal donor's type, briefly 41 Uvula doc 42 "Evita" role 43 Counterbalance 44 Loan officer, e.g.

45 Twain's New York resting place 46 "Make it snappy!"

49 Country about 12 times longer than its widest point 50 Underwear brand 51 Zero 52 Literary monogram 55 Green attitude?

56 Sound often not allowed?

57 "It __ Right": 1956 Platters' hit 59 Lunchbox staple, familiarly 60 Cinephile's TV choice 61 Tool sometimes used for steering

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

© 2018 LORI CLINCH

S U D O K U

S U D O K U

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CANDIDATES (Continued from Page 1) 4.2-percentage-point margin of error. More importantly, the poll shows that 8 percent of voters are undecided or will vote for someone else.

During the past few months, MacArthur and Kim, the two candidate’s vying for the Third Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, have sparred over MacArthur’s vote for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. MacAr thur was the only Republican Congressman from the state to vote in favor of the act, and also was the only member of New Jersey’s Congressional Delegation to vote in support of the measure.

While the measure implemented tax cuts for 61.5 percent of New Jersey households, it placed a $10,000 cap on a federal deduction for state income, local income, property and sales taxes.

The cap was added to reduce the law’s overall expense, which is forecast to add up to $1.5 trillion to the federal deficit.

Over 40 percent of New Jersey’s households have traditionally claimed the deduction, and with the new deduction limit in a high-tax state, many households are actually now facing a tax increase.

MacArthur last Wednesday told locals gathered at the forum that a previous version of the act called for “zero local and state tax deductibility” and that the $10,000 cap was achieved only through him negotiating with President Donald J. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.

“State and local tax was a thorny issue for me,” he said. “I wanted it (the deduction) to be higher, but I got zero help from anyone else in this state. Everyone declared if it was touched at all, they would vote ‘no,’ which took them out of negotiating altogether…By getting that back to $10,000, that deduction is worth thousands of dollars to every family that itemizes, and it doesn't affect those who do not itemize at all because they take the standard deduction.”

MacArthur added that if a member of Congress voted against his or her own compromise, that person will never be able to negotiate another thing in Congress. “(That is) because you would not be a person of your word,” MacArthur said.

The vast majority of the forum’s audience member s were sen ior cit i zens, si nce LeisureTowne is an age 55-plus retirement community. MacArthur highlighted benefits in the bill for senior citizens.

“Most seniors take the standard deduction and we doubled that,” he said. “We have a $1,300 additional credit (in there) if you are age 65 or older. We doubled the child tax credit and we added a new credit if a family is caring for an elderly adult, or an adult dependent, or anyone like that.”

MacArthur added that seniors are now benefiting from a “booming economy” with a growth rate of 4 percent, unemployment at a 50-year low, consumer confidence at a multidecade high and small business confidence at the highest levels ever recorded.

“Investments are being made, jobs are being created and families are prospering,” said MacArthur, who also claimed the Republicancontrolled Congress has reduced taxes for small businesses to the lowest rate since World War Two. “Businesses and families don't put money under a mattress, they put it to work,” he said.

Concern in the room centered around remarks made just a day earlier by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, who told a Bloomberg News reporter that Congress needs to reform entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security in order to get the federal deficit of $779 billion under control.

“When this tax law got pushed through, it reduced the solvency of the Medicare trust fund by three years,” Kim said. “We see that this is under attack every single day and the words of Mitch McConnell certainly echo that.”

Kim, who said he has “serious disagreements” with his opponent over healthcare and taxes, added that he wants to be a champion who works to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

“One of the first actions I want to take in Congress is to make sure we can lower prescription drug costs, allowing Medicare to be able to negotiate drug prices right off the bat,” he said. “I think of a gentleman in Waretown who told me that he pays a thousand dollars out of pocket for his prescription drugs.”

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM Questions from the audience were only heard if they were written on an index card. All of the questions were read aloud by the forum moderator. Based on McConnell’s remarks, one of the questioners asked MacArthur if he would “go on record to vote ‘no’ on stripping seniors of the programs they have paid into all of their working lives and depend on to fund their retirement.”

The questioner prefaced his question by saying that McConnell’s proposal was expected after the GOP-controlled House and Senate instituted a $1.5 trillion-dollar tax cut and agreed to a $675 million budget for the Department of Defense, contributing to a record high deficit.

“I will (go on the record to vote ‘no’) and I have for five years since I have been running and since I have been in office,” MacArthur said.

“I did not hear Mitch McConnell’s remarks yesterday—so I don't know exactly what he said—but I will say the tax cuts were all about growing the economy.

“We will never get ahead of our budget, and our deficits, unless we grow more than the 1.8 percent that we grew throughout the last administration. We're now growing at 4 percent a year and that’s how we’ll get ahead of our deficit spending.”

MacArthur added that he was “absolutely committed” to Social Security and Medicare.

“These are sacred pacts from one generation to another,” MacArthur said. “But, I'm telling you that the only way that we can pay for them is with a growing and healthy economy. The way that we pay for Social Security is by having millions more people in the workforce. That is always the way that Social Security has worked.

Today’s generation of workers pay in and today's generation of retirees take out.”

Kim, twice during the forum, recounted how his mother is worried about her healthcare, Medicare and Social Security.

“My mother retired this year and we live in a time right now where instead of it being a joyous occasion, she is worried to death because she doesn’t have enough money,” Kim said.

“She is worried that Social Security (will be cut) because that is where she gets most of her income. Medicare is what keeps her alive. She has got multiple pre-existing conditions.”

Kim added that many people, like his mother, are not asking for the moon, but to be given a fair shot.

“They are asking to be treated with decency and dignity, and to be able to retire with peace of mind,” Kim said. “I want to make sure that we always stand up for Social Security and that we protect Medicare and Medicaid. These are not political issues, they are personal issues to so many of us.”

Kim promised to stand and work together with “the 40 percent of Americans who can’t handle a $400 emergency-room visit” and “worry their voice is being drowned out in Washington, D.C.” “We need to move past this partisanship and gridlock in Washington, D.C.,” he said.

MacArthur and Kim, in response to an indexcard question that asked if the Electoral College should be kept as is, began to take jabs at each other, though the event was not considered a debate.

“I think the Electoral College has served our country well since the Constitution (was ratified),” said MacArthur, resulting in the only audience gasps of the entire forum. “I don't think that needs to be changed.”

Kim didn’t provide as straightforward of an answer, but did say that election issues need to be dealt with “systematically and methodically.”

“What I will say is that, all across the board, this can't just be about policies,” Kim said. “It has got to be about better politics. I truly believe that the core unit of our democracy can, and always has to be, the citizen.

“So, these issues that we are dealing with about elections—whether it is about the Electoral College, campaign finance reform or gerrymandering—are problems that are causing a tremendous amount of inability for the citizen to not have the kind of voice that they need in Washington.”

MacArthur, in response, accused Kim of breaking his pledge to not accept corporate PAC donations by spending “coordinated e x p e n d it u r e s” w it h t h e D e m o c r a t ic Congressional Campaign Committee, “which is flush with corporate PAC cash.”

“My opponent has made pledges about not taking corporate PAC money,” MacArthur said. “He has spoken an awful lot about the bad influence of money in politics, and yet is spending twice as much money against me than I am spending—enormous amounts of outside money, much of it from corporations that have entered this race on his behalf.”

MacArthur also accused Kim of taking PAC money from New Jersey’s Democratic senators,

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Cory Booker and Bob Menendez, that is flush with corporate cash.

“They (the senators) have accepted millions of dollars each from drug companies and pharmaceutical companies, while at the same time they are attacking me over corporate PAC money,” MacArthur said.

Kim, in response, said he stood by his pledge to “not take a dime from corporate PAC money.”

“I have never, nor will I ever, go to a corporation and ask them for money,” Kim said.

“Nor will I ever go up to a PAC and ask them for money or support. That is the difference between me and my opponent.”

When the Congressional candidates were asked about whether they believe in term limits, Kim said that government has to be “for the people” and “focused on them first and foremost.”

“No single issue is going to solve the problem (of government not working for the people),” he said. “If you have term limits on members of Congress, but you don’t address the issues of big money in politics and gerrymandering, you are going to continue to have problems

where the representatives are not people who are necessarily looking out for the best interests of the people.”

Kim added that when he thinks about term limits, gerrymandering and campaign finance reform, he looks for “what can be done as a package.”

“It is clearly a problem when we now have a system where voters are not choosing the politicians, but instead politicians are choosing the voters,” Kim said.

MacArthur, however, believed that voters are choosing the politicians.

“Half of today’s U.S. Congress has been in office since 2010 or after,” he said. “In this election, about a quarter of the House of Representatives will turn over.”

MacArthur added that he believes the American people “very effectively” limit the terms of politicians according to their own will.

“I am a big believer in local people and local citizens choosing who they want to represent them,” he said. “Now, that doesn't mean I haven't met some representatives who leave me scratching my head every now and then.”

RESIGNS

about his history with Pinelands (Regional),” Latwis said. “Stephen is knowledgeable and has a tremendous background.”

Brennan did not return multiple phone calls and emails seeking comment on his resignation from Pinelands Regional.

In the letter sent to McCooley, Brennan “respectfully requested” the ability to retain a district issued MacBook that is seven years old and a district issued iPad that is two years old.

“If so agreed, I would donate $500 to the fundraising efforts for the (Pinelands Regional) Athletic Complex Scoreboard,” Brennan wrote to McCooley.

When Brennan was removed last year from Pinelands Regional, sources told this newspaper that the 11-year district employee was escorted out of the district’s administration building and computers in his office were confiscated at the time.

However, at the time, the Little Egg Harbor Police Department, New Jersey State Police and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said they had no record of an active investigation into Brennan.

(Continued from Page 16) “Lourdes is leaving to take a position in Stafford,” he said. “She will be leaving the district on Dec. 7.”

Latwis said Brennan “stood out” among the potential candidates for Barnegat’s business administrator and board secretary position.

“He checked off all the boxes,” Latwis said.

“He is extremely knowledgeable and very creative. He also provided a lot of ‘outside the box’ answers to a lot of questions. His dynamic and charismatic personality will be an excellent fit with our administration team.”

Latwis said a 12-person panel, which included himself, conducted a “multi-round interview process” before hiring Brennan. He added that the panel primarily asked Brennan questions pertaining to the challenges that the Barnegat district is facing.

“We did not ask him for a lot of specifics

Saturday, October 27, 2018

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM

INCIDENTS (Continued from Page 4) The CAP program was formed through a partnership between the district schools, Rowan College of Burlington County and Rowan University. It enables students in the district to earn college credits while still in high school.

“We hope to be able to reach those children who cannot afford these opportunities to be in the CAP program,” O’Malley said. “My children had the opportunity to do this and one of my daughters had almost an entire year of college credit before she started college.

The fact that children can’t afford it should not stop them from being able to participate in this program.”

In other news, District Superintendent Dr. Carol Birnbohm said that the district registered 1,037 students as potential voters on Sept. 17 (Constitution Day). Of that number, she said 225 will be of age to vote in November.

Birnbohm also said that Shawnee had its first-ever Staff Day of Service in September.

Faculty volunteered after school in Medford, Medford Lakes and around Burlington County as part of the event.

“This is a great way for our staff to model what we want our young students to do and make those positive community relationships,” she said.

Additionally, Birnbohm talked about a presentation at Seneca in the previous month that featured former professional soccer player Jill Loyden, who lost her sister to

REFUSES (Continued from Page 5) academy back in August, at which dozens of parents voiced their support for keeping the academy open.

One of the organizers of that rally, Susanne Krivanek, expressed her profound disappointment to the Pine Barrens Tribune on Tuesday after hearing the news.

“It is a sad day for all of us,” she said.

Teddy Bear Academy Coordinator Leah Perlmutter said she was “just completely shocked and saddened” by this decision.

“This is such a loss for our families, staff and most importantly, our children,” she said. “I am, however, thankful that the commissioner gave us an opportunity to finish out the school year.”

Perlmutter added that the academy will be able to graduate the preschoolers who have been with them since they opened in 2014.

“Parents will also have more time to explore other options and a transition over the summer makes more sense than in the middle of the school year,” she said.

The coordinator added that the parents and staff at TBA have been “amazing and passionate” during this difficult time.

“Everyone could have left back in July when we found out about this lawsuit,” Perlmutter said. “But they didn’t. The parents and staff have stayed because they love Teddy Bear Academy and all it has to offer.”

She also noted that “moving forward, the law can still be changed, and we will continue to push for that in the days to come!”

One possible avenue, she indicated, might be for the Evesham Township Board of Education to appeal the decision.

In his for mal decision on the matter, Repollet said state statute permits use of school proper ty for child care ser vices only before or after school, for school aged children who attend the district’s schools.

“If the Legislature intended for school districts to provide child care services to

Pine Barrens Tribune

♦ Page 21

domestic violence in 2012.

Loyden spoke to 200 female district athletes du r ing the presentation about domestic violence.

The former athlete founded the Jillian Loyden Foundation in 2012. The foundation’s mission is to create and support signature programs and activities that motivate youth by empowering them, and help them find value in themselves.

“It was inspiring for our students to see how determined Jill was to gain strength through a tragedy and to spread the message of empowerment,” Birnbohm said.

The board swept through its business after the presentations and Birnbohm’s positive highlights of district activities.

The Lenape and Seneca high school bands were given the green light to participate in the 6-ABC Dunkin’ Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade, held in Philadelphia, on Nov. 22.

Six science teachers received approval to attend a Making the Best Use of Google Classroom to Strengthen Science Instruction Workshop, scheduled to be held at the Institute for Educational Development in Cherry Hill, in December.

T he boa rd also approved a tot al of $8,945,947 in check payments for September along with a September payroll of $7,937,206.

The resignations of Cherokee Assistant Principal Steven Ciancitto and two instructors at the school were also approved. It was not revealed why three staff members from the same school were departing Cherokee two months into the school year.

Joh n La mplug h, a busi ness teacher at Cherokee, has been named to replace Ciancitto.

children below the school age – e.g., infants and toddlers from six weeks old through pre-Kindergarten—which are open to nonresidents of the district and operated during regular school hours, the Legislature would not have drafted such limiting language,” Re pollet said. “I, t herefore, fi nd t hat N.J.S.A. 18A:20-34(f ) precludes operation of programs such as Teddy Bear Academy because it serves children who are not school aged, operates during regular school hours, and is open to non-residents.”

But in regard to the “reasonableness” of ordering the facility to cease operations within 30 days, the commissioner, after having “carefully considered the parties’ a rg u me nt s,” fou nd t h at not t o be a n “appropriate timeline as it does not—among other considerations—provide affected parents and students with sufficient time to identify alternative child care options.

“Therefore, I direct the Board to cease operation of Teddy Bear Academy by June 30, 2019,” Repollet said.

Supporters of the academy, who attended the August rally, had been hopeful that Repollet’s office would intervene on their behalf. Many of those supporters now feel disappointed.

“We have a governor and a Commissioner of Education who say they support innovation and education, but I find that hard to believe with a decision like this,” Krivanek said.

Governor Phil Murphy’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget includes $50 million for Preschool Education Expansion Aid (PEEA) and an additional $33 million in Preschool Education Aid, which it claims is the largest increase in pre-K funding in over a decade.

Krivanek noted that the decision isn’t just one that will affect Evesham Township, but other communities. She also said local taxpayers could be hit with tax increases since the Teddy Bear Academy generates revenues for the school system.

The academy has a current enrollment of 55, down by about 30 since the judge’s order, according to figures provided by the academy.

Its capacity is 90.

Page 22

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Pine Barrens Tribune

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ARREST (Continued from Page 5) A st atement issued Mond ay by t he Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit quoted a couple of unidentified individuals who claimed to have been present when the fire started.

These individuals, in videotaped statements, said that they saw Smith toss a lighter onto a part of the floor where gasoline from his motorcycle had apparently leaked.

An earlier statement from the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office described him as having “acted in a reckless manner and ignited flammable material with a Kurt cigarette lighter.”

After apparently being unable to extinguish the blaze that resulted, Smith is then reported to have opened the garage door, causing it to quickly spread to the attached house.

The fire killed his mother, Lore Smith, and her companion, George Pikunis.

Another resident of the house, a caretaker for the couple identified in television news reports as Tina Muccie, escaped the blaze after attempting to rescue Lore Smith. She

Pine Barrens Tribune

WWW.PINEBARRENSTRIBUNE.COM added that she was overcome with smoke when trying to rescue the couple.

One witness is reported to have told police that upon opening the door of the garage, he had noticed an odor of gasoline and commented that it could cause a fire, which prompted Kurt Smith to say, “You want a fire?” and throw the lighter to the floor.

A female witness, who was present at the scene, provided police with a similar account.

When asked by investigators how Kurt Smith was acting prior to the start of the fire, the first witness described him as being “charged up” and that “he was just being Kurt, wild and crazy.”

A third witness interviewed, who claimed he had arrived at the house to help Kur t Smith Smith move his motorcycle, was asked if there were drugs being used in the house, and replied that there was “always drug use” there and had observed a “crack pipe” in the garage.

The female witness who was present in the garage also alleged that another member of the group was “smoking crack” at the time.

Autopsies performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood concluded the two victims died from smoke and soot inhalation, along with thermal burns.

BMIA (Continued from Page 9) The candidates will have an opportunity to introduce themselves and explain their reasons for wanting to serve on the board.

Vying for three slots on the board are two incumbents, Vice President Jeffrey Wilson and Terry Maldanado, both of whom have served since 2013, Christopher Otis, a former board member, Joseph Huber, and Shawn Wentworth.

Following the forum, there will be ample time for residents to speak with each candidate and learn more about their concerns for the township’s students. The BMIA encourages all residents to come and learn more about candidates wishing to represent you.

Families are invited to attend and even bring their children if they wish. A table will be set up with activities to keep children

busy during the forum, so parents can attend without having to hire a babysitter.

While the forum is taking place, an annual “Berry Bakeoff ” will also be taking place.

Rudolph Zotter, culinary arts instructor at Pemberton Township High School, will be the judge. For the past several years, members have been submitting tasty cranberry and blueberry creations to the organization, which Zotter has had the pleasure of judging.

Following the forum, bake-off winners will be announced and residents will be able to sample the contestants’ creations.

Previously, on Oct. 13, the BMIA held its Installation Pot Luck Dinner.

Nadirah Shakir was installed as the newly elected president of the BMIA, Ruth Adrian as recording secretary, and Barbara Roberts as treasurer, while Ruth Adrian, Tony Miehle and Sherry Scull were installed as directors.

Board Member John Shaw administered the oath of office.

♦ Page 25

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HELPS (Continued from Page 5) With that in mind, Lumberton Township officials made a public request at a Sept.

25 Township Committee meeting for local residents to help support those in Lumberton, N.C. in their time of need.

“We know all too well here in Lumberton, New Jersey about the effects of flooding along the Rancocas Creek, and we especially remember the 2004 flood,” said Mayor Michael Mansdor fer. “W hen we were affected, Lumberton, N.C. graciously sent our residents supplies and monetary donations through the Red Cross. We as a township committee, are now asking our residents to come together so that we can return the favor.

“Our fellow Lumbertonians have been devastated by this storm and we want them to know that we are here to support them as they recover.”

Thomas Witt man, owner of Far mers Insurance Agency in Medford, first heard on WPVI-TV, 6 ABC, the story of the two Lumberton municipalities helping each one other in a time of need.

The story of the Lumberton, North Carolina flooding hit a chord with Wittman who is an insurance agent and was in the business of commercial construction.

Wittman said he has witnessed firsthand the havoc that storms can cause.

Wittman, who has always been “community driven,” immediately jumped into action by contacting Lumberton Township Business Administrator Brandon Umba, to offer his services.

It was decided that the Farmers Insurance Agency, located at 128 Route 70, in Medford, would become a second drop-off location for donated items.

The only other such location was the Lumberton Township Municipal Building.

The agency collected supplies that could

PEMBERTON (Continued from Page 9) Many families who settled here during their years of service have remained after retirement.

The center reflects this diversity, as did the wide variety of food choices at the festival.

The food choices included such favorites as German potato salad, kielbasa, sauerkraut and German chocolate cakes. Other choices included an Italian style soup, traditional Korean dumplings and noodles, a platter of pancit representing the Philippines and a spicy marinated beef from Thailand, and a Japanese fresh salad.

Of course, there were many traditional

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The donation drop-off at Insurance Agency in Medford.

Farmers

really be helpful to people whose homes had been flooded, such as anti-mold/mildew cleaners, rubber gloves, buckets, mops, and bleach. They also collected items for infants such as diapers, bottles, baby formula and baby food.

“The mission was a total success,” Wittman said. “Our agency collected about 25 percent of the donations to be sent from Lumberton, New Jersey to Lumberton, North Carolina.”

The items collected at Farmers Insurance Agency in Medford were taken to the Lumberton Township Municipal Building on Oct. 19.

According to Umba, local officials will be sending a truckload of supplies to the Office of Emergency Management in Lumberton, N.C. as soon as the donated supplies have been packed.

In addition, monetary donations to residents of Lumberton, N.C. may still be made through the American Red Cross, 807 Carol Street, Fayetteville, N.C. 28303. Donations should specify that they are for Hurricane Florence Relief for Lumberton, N.C. “American” dishes as well, including several kinds of chicken, some vegetarian specialties, potato salad, coleslaw and macaroni salad.

In all, the event featured about 70 choices of entrees.

The Pember ton Township Education Association (PTEA) sponsors this event, providing the beverages and some giveaways, as well as servers to assist the seniors.

The organization’s president, Kathy Vogel, arranged for members of the Pemberton Township School District to assist.

Pamela Kelly, director of human resources; Dan Smith, business administrator; Sandy Glawson, school board member; and Kathy Mullen, teacher aide, assisted.

Mayor David Patriarca brought along his famous homemade lasagna and was also one of the servers.

J

ust like the Fiesta, Focus and Escape that came before it, the 2018 Ford EcoSport will soon be available worldwide. This newcomer joins the ranks of the Edge, Escape, Expedition, Explorer and Flex to raise Ford’s SUV and crossover count to six.

Billed as an “urban SUV,” the compact EcoSport is part of a growing segment that includes competitors like the Nissan Juke, the Honda HR-V and the Mazda CX-3.

The entry-level model (featuring a 1.0L 3-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine) is only available with two-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive capabilities are available with the 2.0L 4-cylinder model. Regardless of engine choice, all versions of the EcoBoost come with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Among the note­worthy features of this compact SUV are a hinged rear hatch, an 8-inch touchscreen and lots of storage space.

Page 28

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Saturday, October 27, 2018

ON THE LINE FOR YOU. At Jersey Central Power & Light, it’s our privilege to deliver the energy that helps make our state a great place to live, work and play.

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