Volume LXIX, Number 16
Spring Home Improvement Pages 20-25 Steven Pinker Discusses “The Better Angels of Our Nature” . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Hamilton Murray Theater Hosting Theatre Intime Production of La Cage Aux Folles. . . . . . . . . 27 Australian Chamber Orchestra Celebrates 40th Anniversary at Richardson . . . . . . . . 31 Music Underscores the Loss of a Special Neighbor . . . . . . . . . . 33 PU Women’s Lax Tops Columbia, To Host Ivy Tourney . . . . . . . . . . . 37 PDS Baseball Battles to Promising 5-4 Start . . 42
Princeton’s New Arborist Lorraine Konopka Concerned About Emerald Ash Borers . . . . . . . . 20 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 26 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Classified Ads. . . . . . . 48 Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Music/Theater . . . . . . 27 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 46 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 48 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Topics of the Town . . . . 7 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Weddings . . . . . . . . . . 13
www.towntopics.com
District Negotiations To Continue With Help of State Mediator Members of the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education (BOE) and representatives of the teacher union, Princeton Regional Education Association (PREA) met face-to-face for the third time in recent weeks last Wednesday. In spite of positive expectations on both sides following their earlier meeting on April 9, no agreement has yet been announced. Instead, yet another session with the state-appointed mediator Kathleen Vogt has been scheduled for May 4. “The parties remain in mediation as a legal matter, so the Board continues to adhere to the mediator’s confidentiality recommendation regarding the details of the discussions,” said School Board President Andrea Spalla. “In addition to that agreed-upon mediation session, the Board team offered the PREA two other possible face-to-face meeting dates. We’re waiting for their response to those dates,” she said. After the April 15 talks, union negotiator John Baxter sent the following statement to Town Topics: “Our meeting with the Board ended late Wednesday night. We thought progress had been made. The Board agreed that progress had been made, but then they insisted on bringing back the mediator on May 4. The Board could not explain why face-to-face negotiations are unsatisfactory and their decision certainly came as a shock to us given the praise they have publicly heaped upon these sessions. This is a bitter disappointment given that we made essentially no progress in our four sessions with the mediator. The Board further stated they are not available to meet prior to May 4 as we had hoped. We asked the Board to reconsider its decision.” But according to Ms. Spalla, PREA agreed to a May 4 mediation session and it was not the sole decision of the Board to include Ms. Vogt. Princeton’s teachers have been working under the terms of an expired contract since July 2014. The long drawn out negotiations have repeatedly foundered on the issues of health insurance contributions and salary increases. Parents have called on both sides to compromise and have appeared before BOE monthly meetings to support the teachers. In a Letter to the Editor in this Continued on Page 12
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Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Communiversity Town-Gown Celebration Sunday
The Princeton University Marching Band and those madcap Stone Soup Circus people are set to entertain the 40,000 visitors expected to attend this year’s Communiversity on Sunday, April 26. Between 1 and 6 p.m. the Arts Council of Princeton, in collaboration with Princeton University and the municipality, will turn the town into a giant outdoor music festival and market for the 45th Annual Communiversity ArtsFest along Nassau and Witherspoon Streets, on the Palmer Square Green and on the University campus in front of Nassau Hall. The festival draws local and student performers, artists and crafters, chefs, merchants, community groups, and volunteers in celebration of Town and Gown with over 200 booths showcasing original art, contemporary crafts, unique merchandise, and food. Non-stop live entertainment for all ages will take place on six stages.
There will be music from returning artists Big Wake, Princeton School of Rock, Canto Del Sur, and The Shaxe. Up-andcoming newcomers are regional artists Lauren Marsh and Underwater Sounds. Other performers include Sarah Donner, The Blue Meanies, Sheltered Turtle, Yang Yi Guzheng Academy Ensemble, and the Princeton Girlchoir. If you’ve been curious about how your name would look in Arabic script, the Arts Council’s newest Artist in Residence, Faraz Kahn, will enlighten you. Stop by his spot on Palmer Square Green to learn the rudiments of Arabic calligraphy and contribute your name to a pennant that will be featured in an outdoor display. If you’ve longed to see the inside of the Chestnut Street Fire House, now is your chance. Members of the artists group Art+10 will be painting portraits of firefighters, their fire trucks and equip-
ment between 1 and 5:30 p.m. at an open house for Princeton Engine Company No. 1, which dates to 1794. The station houses a rich collection of memorabilia and the paintings will be for sale with a portion of the proceeds going to the Fire Company. Come hungry as there will be plenty to eat from local chefs. Vendors include D’Angelo Italian Market, Elements, Mistral, House of Cupcakes, Mamoun’s Falafel, Mediterra, Nomad Pizza, The Taco Truck, Triumph Brewing, Winberies, the Witherspoon Grill, and Blue Point Grill, to name but a small selection of what will be offered. As usual there will be a large contingent of non-profit organizations presenting their causes and over 40 artists will showcase their individual and group talents. Dance performances will feature American Repertory Ballet/Princeton Continued on Page 2
Bus Service Between Princeton and Hospital Could Be Eliminated
IN THE SPRING OF A YOUNG WRITER’S FANCY: Writing of Nassau Hall, Scott Fitzgerald, Class of 1917, found it “not like a mother who has borne sons and wears the scars of her travail but like a patient old nurse, skeptical and affectionate with these foster children who, as Americans, can belong to no place under the sun.” (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
NJ Transit wants to eliminate bus service between Princeton and the University Medical Center on Route 1 as part of cost-saving measures. The move would also include a hike of approximately nine percent in fares for trains and buses. A public hearing on the proposal is set for Thursday, May 21 at the Trenton Transit Center, 72 South Clinton Avenue in Trenton, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The agency claims that ridership has been low on the bus between the town and the hospital, and if the measure is approved it would stop service on September 1. The bus route was introduced when the hospital moved from Witherspoon Street to Plainsboro. According to Mayor Liz Lempert, the town is committed to continuing transportation in some form between Princeton and the hospital. “Whatever the outcome, the municipality will be working closely with officials from NJ Transit, Plainsboro, and Mercer County as well as the hospital and Princeton University to make sure that a transit link is preserved between Princeton and the new hospital, and that residents who need medical care are able to get to the hospital clinic for treatment,” she said in a written statement on Monday. Continued on Page 13
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2pm - Princeton Fitness & Wellness - Route 206 & 4pm - Princeton Fitness & Wellness @ Plainsboro (Arrive early to register and get a ticket. Class size is limited) For more info. e-mail deemelts@gmail.com or visit meltmethod.com