Volume LXXVII, Number 47
Historical Society of Princeton Presents Virtual House Tour . . . . . . . . . 5 PU Senior Sam Harshbarger Wins Rhodes Scholarship . . . 8 Free Expression Welcome At Relaxed Theater Performances . . . . . . . 9 PU Men’s Water Polo Wins NWPC Title, Now Shooting for NCAA Championship . . . . . . 25 Saving its Best for Last In Difficult Fall, PDS Boys’ Soccer Made Non-Public B Semis . . 30
Sixty Years Ago Today: JFK, Bob Dylan, and the Oswald Connection . . 16 Art . . . . . . . . . . . .21, 22 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 23 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 33 Home for the Holidays . . .19 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 14 New to Us . . . . . . . . . . 24 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 32 Performing Arts . . .17, 20 Real Estate. . . . . . . . . 33 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tree Directory. . . . . . . 18
www.towntopics.com
HIP Eviction Prevention Team Faces Challenges In Providing Assistance During the pandemic, a federal moratorium on evictions for nonpayment of rent was put into effect. Since the moratorium ended on January 1, 2022, figures on evictions — and subsequently, homelessness — have been climbing. This is especially troubling to the Eviction Prevention Emergency Rental Assistance Team of Housing Initiatives of Princeton (HIP), the locally based nonprofit that assists individuals and families confronting housing insecurity. “We have seen a real uptick in our rental assistance applications,” said Kathy Taylor, who is part of the team. “I was just looking at some research that DCA [the Department of Community Affairs] put out saying that evictions were up five percent from 2021 to 2022, and I’m sure it’s much higher since the moratorium stopped.” HIP tries to keep renters from being evicted by assisting them with back rent. So far this year, the organization has helped 75 households, up from 40 in 2022. “It’s going to end up being more than double that, and we still only assist 15 percent of everyone who applies,” said HIP volunteer Jill Wolk. Potential recipients of help from HIP must be able to pay rent after the onetime assistance they receive. HIP works with partners — including Princeton Human Services, local churches, HomeFront, and Arm in Arm — to get people back on track. The organization serves all of Mercer County. About 66 percent of the assistance goes to clients in Trenton; people in Ewing, Hamilton, and Princeton make up the rest. “A large majority are single moms with one or more children, and no child support,” said Taylor. “Most are one emergency car payment or hospitalization away from being homeless. If they can’t pay their rent one month, then it can be impossible to get caught up.” According to the website for the Princeton University Eviction Lab, a team of researchers, students, and website architects who provide nationwide eviction data, “the majority of poor renting families in America spend over half of their income on housing costs, and eviction is transforming their lives. Yet little is known about the prevalence, causes, and consequences of housing insecurity.” Matthew Desmond, the principal investigator and a sociology professor at the Continued on Page 12
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Wednesday, November 22, 2023
Flu, COVID, and RSV Season Has Arrived As the holiday season gears up, along with colder temperatures and an increase in indoor activities, local health authorities are warning that this is the time of year when case numbers of COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) will probably rise. “Respiratory virus season is here,” said Kathryn J. Robison, Department of Medicine vice chair at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center and president of Penn Medicine Princeton Medicine Physicians. Fortunately, however, there have so far been relatively few predictions, like the ones heard in recent years, of an incipient tripledemic. “Penn Medicine Princeton Health has seen a slight increase in patients with COVID-19,” Robison added. “Overall in the community there have been no significant cases of influenza or RSV, however there is influenza currently in various regions throughout the United States, so we
expect to see more cases of influenza in our community during the holiday season.” In its most recent report of about 10 days ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported moderate overall respiratory illness activity in New Jersey, with flu and RSV increasing and COVID-19 levels stable, based on visits to emergency departments. Hospitalization levels for respiratory illness in Mercer County have been low. Robison went on to emphasize the importance of vaccinations as “the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones against the serious complications of COVID-19 and influenza.” She noted that for the RSV vaccination, the CDC recommends that each person talk to their doctor before getting it. “By getting vaccinated, you can enable our health care teams to care for more patients with infectious diseases as well as other acute and chronic problems,” said Robison.
Internist and Princeton Board of Health Chair George DiFerdinando agreed, noting that flu season continues through February and in some years into March. “There’s still time to get the flu vaccine and for it to have impact,” he said. He recommended the vaccines.gov website for finding a pharmacy or other health care provider locally to administer the shots. DiFerdinando said that the vaccinations do not guarantee you won’t get the virus, but they are likely to protect you from severe cases leading to hospitalization or death, and he strongly urged the vaccinations. He cited low uptake on the national level of the most recent COVID-19 shot, and he emphasized, “It’s available. It’s a good shot. It saves lives,” especially for those who are over 65 or immunocompromised. The Princeton Health Department, in partnership with Wegmans Pharmacy and Princeton Senior Resource Center, Continued on Page 10
University Announces New Frist Health Center: “Healing in Character”
HOLIDAY STYLE: Hamilton Jewelers on Nassau Street is just one of the many local businesses that are festively decorated and ready for the holiday season. (Photo by Weronika A. Plohn)
Princeton University will be replacing its McCosh Health Center with a new facility more than twice as large. The new Frist Health Center, funded by a major gift from Dr. Thomas Frist Jr. and scheduled to open in 2025, will incorporate a renovated Eno Hall with a significant new addition to the south, according to a November 8 University announcement. “This extraordinary gift from Tommy Frist has enabled us to reimagine the University health facility as a place of welcome that offers a comprehensive approach to student health and well-being,” said Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber, as quoted in a University press release. He continued, “I am delighted that the Frist family’s legacy in health care innovation will now be reflected in the spectacular Frist Health Center. The University is deeply grateful to Tommy and the Frist family for their visionary partnership on this project and, when considered along with the Frist Campus Center, for their incalculable and enduring impact on our campus community.” Thomas Frist Jr. received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University, not Princeton, but several family members have attended Princeton, including his brother Bill Frist, former Continued on Page 11