Volume LXXIV, Number 42
Fall Home & Design Pages 32-41 Pandemic is a Test of Survival for Garden, Montgomery Theaters . . .5 Council Puts Down Framework for New Human Services Hire . . . . . . . . 10 Family, Friends Pay Tribute to Dr . Stephanie Chorney . . . . . . . . . . . 12 PSO Presents Second Concert of Garden Chamber Music Series . . . . . . . . 20 NJ Theatre Alliance Presents Theatre and Civic Engagement . . . . . . . . 21 PU Men’s Hoops Alum Morales Heading to Spanish Pro League . . . . . . . . . .25 PHS Football Edges Bishop Eustace 18-17, Snaps 12Game Losing Streak . . .27
Reading Albert Camus: "Absurd Freedom" and The Plague . . . . . . . . 19 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .16, 17 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 24 Classified Ads . . . . . . 42 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 31 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 32 Performing Arts . . . . . 22 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 13 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 42 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Heated BOE Race Highlights Local Ballot For Election 2020 Eight candidates are vying for three positions on the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education (BOE) on the election 2020 ballot that, in addition to races for president, House of Representatives, and U.S. Senate, includes several local contests. Mark Freda, a Democrat, is running unopposed for mayor of Princeton, while incumbents David Cohen and Leticia Fraga, also Democrats, are running for two uncontested positions on Princeton Council. In Mercer County elections, Democrats Lucylle R.S. Walter and John A. Cimino are running unopposed for two spots on the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders, while incumbent Democrat Paula Sollami Covello is the sole candidate on the ballot for Mercer County Clerk. In a contested Mercer County race, Republican Bryan “Bucky” Boccanfuso is challenging incumbent Democratic Sheriff John A. “Jack” Kemler. With three weeks to go until Election Day in this predominantly vote-by-mail election, many have already voted. Voters have the option of mailing in their ballots, returning their completed ballots to their polling place on Election Day, or placing their ballots in one of 15 secure drop boxes throughout Mercer County. Princeton’s is located at the municipal building at 400 Witherspoon Street. There will be five polling places in Princeton. Registered voters can also vote by provisional ballot in person on Election Day, but only disabled voters will be allowed to use a voting machine. The Princeton League of Women Voters is offering, at lwvprinceton.org/voter-information, a video showing how to correctly fill out, enclose, and seal a mail-in ballot. “To avoid problems, vote promptly and sign carefully and clearly; your ballot is accepted only if signatures match,” said Chrystal Schivell of the League of Women Voters. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by November 3 and received within seven days. Dropped-off ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on November 3. In the Princeton BOE election, incumbents Beth Behrend, current Board president, and Michele Tuck-Ponder, current vice president, face challenges from Adam Bierman, Hendricks Davis, Jean Continued on Page 8
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Wednesday, October 14, 2020
COVID Cases Interrupt Back-to-School Plans Phase-in plans for bringing students from remote learning back into the classrooms met with some obstacles last weekend, necessitating a delayed re-entry for a number of students, as three students at Princeton Day School reported positive COVID-19 tests and students at Princeton High School and Johnson Park were exposed to the virus. A Johnson Park (JP) student and a Princeton High School (PHS) student, who live in a household where an individual has tested positive for COVID-19, will quarantine at home, and school officials are working with the Princeton Health Department in following up with contact tracing, quarantine measures, and disinfecting procedures as called for by state and local health departments. Students in the one potentially affected class at JP and their siblings will remain on remote learning for the entire week, allowing time for the classroom to be deep cleaned again and to ensure students are symptom-free. The PHS phase-in to on-site learning is scheduled for next Monday October 19, but the PHS student exposed to COVID-19 is a soccer player, and the district has suspended soccer practices and games for a week, according to Interim Superintendent Barry Galasso, who said he anticipated that the boys on the team would be able to return to school with
other PHS students on October 19. Galasso expressed optimism that the planned phased-in hybrid reopening can remain on track. “Despite the rain today, we had a very positive experience as we brought back cohorts in grades two through five for the first time since March,” he wrote in an email to Princeton Public School (PPS) parents and staff on Monday. “I would like to thank the staff for their dedication and continued professionalism, and I would like to commend par-
ents and students for their attentiveness to health protocols.” He continued, “Mask-wearing is crucial. So far we have had a successful reopening and while our medical experts tell us nothing is certain our prospects for continued hybrid learning appear to be good.” Princeton Day School (PDS) has also found the phasing-in process challenging this week with three students in grades nine-12 (Upper School) testing Continued on Page 7
Bike Boulevards Bring Opportunities For Bikers of All Ages and Abilities In promoting cycling as the best way to get around town, Democratic mayoral candidate Mark Freda hosted Princeton Bicycle Advisory Committee (PBAC) Chair Lisa Serieyssol on October 8 on Facebook Live. The discussion focused on the Princeton Bike Boulevards, a network of roads and paths that connects the community and creates a greenway with a variety of cycling loops around town. Freda noted that he had taken part in a tour on the bike boulevards a few weeks ago. “It was a ten-mile ride,” he said. “I was a little worried whether I’d do OK, but I did and it was a very pleasant experience.” Emphasizing the increased need for
bike and pedestrian infrastructure in town, particularly in the seven months since the start of the pandemic, Serieyssol noted that the boulevards were designed to go around the whole town, connecting different neighborhoods without the necessity of traveling on main streets. “These are low stress, low speed, low volume roads for the most part,” she said, “mostly going through residential areas with trails or side paths in some places.” There are many different loops ranging from a 16-mile fitness loop around the perimeter of town to the 4.5-mile town and gown loop in the center of town. Maps are available at Kopp’s and Jay’s bike shops Continued on Page 13
ELECTRIC EVENING: The Princeton Shopping Center, Sustainable Princeton, and NRG Energy hosted an electric vehicle and e-bike ride and drive event at the shopping center on Friday evening . Attendees share if they would consider getting an electric vehicle in this week’s Town Talk on page 6 . (Photo by Weronkia A. Plohn)