Volume LXXVI, Number 13
Strength & Endurance Pages 20-21 April ARTS Festival Has Lots of Community Participation . . . . . . . . 5 Author Celebrates Bookstores That Encourage Customers To Browse . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 A Back Alley View of Acting And the Oscars . . . . . . 15 PU Concerts Brings International Pianist, Orchestra To Richardson . . . . . . . . . 16 Overcoming Rocky Start, PU Softball Surges into 1st Place in Ivy Standings . .26 Featuring Core of BattleTested Seniors, PHS Baseball Primed for Big Spring . . 29
HomeFront Founder and CEO Connie Mercer Moving On After 31 Years . . . . . .9 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 24 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 35 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 14 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 25 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 34 Parent Page . . . . . . . . . 2 Performing Arts . . . . . 17 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 35 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
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U.S. Education Leader Visits PHS, Johnson Park; New Asst. Supt. Chosen Princeton High School and Johnson Park Elementary School hosted U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten yesterday, March 29, as she visited New Jersey schools in Princeton and Newark to highlight their use of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to support students’ recovery from the pandemic. President Biden signed the ARP, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package, into law a year ago, including $130 billion to support recovery efforts at K-12 schools. More than $3 million of that came to the Princeton Public Schools (PPS), which have been using the funds to address student learning recovery and the ongoing impact of the pandemic through teacher support, expanded learning opportunities, mental health supports, and COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategies. At PHS, Marten, on what she called her ARPStars Tour, met with administrators and teachers and visited a science classroom, as well as focusing on counseling and music programs. “There are real concrete examples here of students actively engaged in their learning and teachers thoughtfully implementing the use of funds,” said Marten. “We heard the teachers talking about how they’re implementing the learner-infused technology-centered program here. The classroom is very active, expanding their efforts and showing evidence of the dollars invested, not just in recovery but long-term in adjusting inequities.” She went on to praise the teachers’ attention to individual students. “There’s a focus on equity for each and every student, what they need, when they need it, and the way that they need it,” she said. She also noted examples of emotional support for kids and of teachers’ understanding of students’ mental health needs. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach,” she added. “It’s very learner-centered.” She commented on the large tents on the PHS front lawn as evidence of physical structures funded by the ARP dollars that are serving the goals of the music program and others. Later in the morning Marten traveled to Johnson Park, where she visited a preschool classroom, participated in a discussion with district leadership and Continued on Page 10
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Wednesday, March 30, 2022
No Decision on Witherspoon Phase Two At a work session to finalize the second phase of the Witherspoon Street redesign plan on Monday night, Princeton Council heard descriptions of two concepts for the section of the roadway stretching from Green Street to Franklin Avenue. One does not involve substantial changes, and is mostly focused on safety improvements. The other would necessitate a loss of 45 percent of parking spaces, the removal of existing parking meters, loss of some mature trees, and other changes, to make room for a protected bike lane that some feel could compromise safety. Hearing both concepts, and listening to some comments from the public, Council opted to take time for further study before giving the engineering department the green light to move into the design phase. To avoid losing a $625,000 grant in state funding, a construction contract must be awarded by November 19 of this year. Princeton Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton and Senior Planner Justin Lesko took Council through the details of both concepts, ultimately recommending approval of the first one, which Stockton said the Historic Preservation Commission also supports. The alternative
option, which would involve moving utility poles and hopefully putting utilities underground, was considered not completely viable by PSE&G. “We met with them and they were very hesitant to believe that this electrical system could go underground,” Stockton said. “It would not be the same type of system as in the central business district. We would need to place transformers above ground within the right of way with specific requirements.”
PSE&G estimated that it would cost $3 million to go underground, Stockton added. “Where do other utilities like gas, water, and telecommunications go? We’re not saying it can’t be done, but we’re hearing that it’s highly unlikely.” Since there is no money left in the municipal budget to support further assistance from the consultants T&M Associates on this phase, Council is referring questions to staff before making a decision on the design phase at a coming meeting. Continued on Page 8
Local Experts Discuss Ukraine, Refugee Crisis, Nuclear Danger
As the war in Ukraine continued into its second month, three Princeton experts weighed in on two of the most distressing and complex issues emerging from the ongoing conflict: the danger of nuclear war and the humanitarian crisis for nearly four million refugees. Zia Mian, physicist and co-director of Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security, and Stewart Prager, Princeton University professor of astrophysical sciences and faculty member with the Program on Science and Global Security, discussed nuclear arms and the nuclear threat in a March
27 Zoom webinar sponsored by the Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA). In a March 25 phone conversation, Princeton University Sociology and Public Affairs Professor Filiz Garip offered insights on the growing refugee crisis. Prager, who described himself as “a physicist focusing on the problem of nuclear weapons,” pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “broken a nuclear taboo” in threatening to use nuclear force, though President Trump in 2017 had used similar language in warning North Korea. Continued on Page 12
SATURDAY AT THE FARM: A plow horse prepared for a demonstration on Saturday at Howell Living History Farm in Hopewell Township. The day’s activities also included lessons on lambing, honeybees, animal care, sawing logs, and more. Participants share their favorite things at the farm, and what they learned, in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)