Media Release, April 4 By Fred W. Baker III American Forces Press Service EN ROUTE TO MUSCAT, Oman, April 4, 2008 – The United States may send more troops to Afghanistan in 2009, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates confirmed today. President Bush said during the NATO summit conference that ended today that he expects the United States would make a significant additional contribution to the Afghanistan mission next year, Gates said. But Gates backed off any specific commitment, saying the United States first wants to see how much support comes from other allies and how security efforts progress in 2008. \”I don\’t want to make significant long-term commitments of additional U.S. forces before giving the allies the opportunity to see what they\’re going to do,\” Gates said. The French announced a battalion\’s worth of troops — about 700 — would take on part of the mission. Gates also said other nations made commitments for troops and special teams. A U.S. official at the summit said about a dozen or so countries have made commitments, but it would be a few weeks before final numbers could be tallied. Gates said the 3,500 U.S. Marines deploying to Afghanistan this month through November will be able handle the 2008 fighting season, and that there is no reason to push sending more U.S. troops. \”Given explicit recognition by the alliance that this is a long-term project, I think waiting a while before committing additional forces of any consequence from the United States makes sense in a number of different areas,\” Gates said. Also, because the mission there is an alliance undertaking, one of the considerations is how large a role the United States should play, as opposed to other allies being involved up front as well, he said. The secretary did not say how many troops would be sent, but it likely will not be the 3,500 additional combat troops commanders on the ground have requested. He also did not say where the troops would be deployed, saying that decision likely would be made by the new International Security Assistance Force commander scheduled to be selected this summer. Gates said progress in 2007 showed the Taliban they cannot win a conventional fight against NATO troops. The Taliban also now control no territory in the country, leading them to resort to terrorist tactics. Successes in the country in 2008 will determine how many, if any, and what types of troops would be deployed, Gates said. Still, because of the importance of the mission there, Gates said, the United States is prepared to commit \”substantial\” troops. But he added that no specific plans to send additional troops are in the works. Even with the war in Iraq extending troop deployments there and dwindling \”dwell time\” at home for troops between deployments, there is strong political and public support for sending additional troops to Afghanistan, Gates said. The secretary said a \”big piece\” of any decision on troop levels in Afghanistan depends on whether deployments to Iraq can be shortened. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, is slated to report to Bush and Congress next week on progress and the way ahead in Iraq.

Biographies: Robert M. Gates

 

The winner of the Gloucester City Police Department vs. the Gloucester City Fire Department Wing Eating Challenge was the Police.

The final count Guns consumed 480 wings compared to The Hoses who ate 477 wings.

HUEBER, THOMAS G. SR.
Age 45, suddenly on April 1, of Blackwood, Gloucester Twp.
Dearly beloved husband of Wendy (nee Donahue) and loving father of Thomas Jr., son of the late Joseph and Jetty (nee Smith), nine brothers and sisters Joseph, Michael, Marie, Emory, Patrick, Daniel, Geraldine, Raphael, Theresa, Jane Christensen and the late Edward, 19 nieces and nephews and 24 great nieces and nephews. He is also survived by in-laws Charles and Dorothy McCloskey, Peter and the late Irene Polakow, and the late Gerald Donahue.
Tom was a member of HOA Division 39 of Philadelphia and the Teamsters Local 107.
Relatives and friends are invited to celebrate a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30am, Saturday, April 5, at St. Agnes RC Church, 701 Little Gloucester Rd., Gloucester Twp. The viewing will be after 8:00am on Saturday morning at THE FUNERAL MANOR, 1585 Hider Lane, Gloucester Twp. The family request donations be given in Tom\’s name to Thomas G. Hueber, Jr. Scholarship Fund, c/o Commerce Bank, 601 College Drive, Blackwood, NJ 08012. Services are under the direction of Addison G. Bradley 856-228-6900

www.courierpostonline.com

Gloucester County Freeholder-Director Stephen M. Sweeney said he hopes church leaders will present some sort of plan to local government officials about the future uses of the five church properties that will close and potentially be sold.

\”The disturbing thing is Gloucester County is the first or second fastest growing county in the state and the diocese is decreasing services here,\” Sweeney said. \”We\’ve been fighting them for years to get a Catholic high school here. Closing churches is not sending the right message.\”

In Deptford, two churches — St. John Vianney and Most Holy Redeemer — are scheduled to merge with out-of-town parishes.

continue

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame broke a 5-5 tie with two runs in the bottom of the eighth to defeat the Rutgers baseball team, 7-5, in the series opener Friday evening in front of 1,062 fans at Frank Eck Stadium.

Down, 4-2, in the fourth, the Scarlet Knights (8-16, 2-5 BIG EAST) chipped away at the Irish’s (14-9, 5-2 BIG EAST) lead with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, thanks to an RBI single from Dan Betteridge (Sewell, N.J.) and an RBI double from Vic Cegles (Phoenix, Ariz.) to tie it up.

ND’s A.J. Pollock put the Irish back on top with a two-out, solo home run to left field in the seventh.

The Scarlet Knights battled right back, however, against Notre Dame closer Kyle Weiland. SophomoreBrett Garlick (Livingston, N.J.) hit a one-out single to the hole on the left side and stole second to move into scoring position. A groundout to second off the bat of Cegles moved Garlick over to third and the Scarlet Knights tied it up when Garlick came around to score on a Donny Callahan (Sparta, N.J.) bloop single to center field.

Reliever Matt Patterson (Passaic, N.J.)ran into a jam in the eighth with runners on first and second and handed the ball over to closer Jason Downey (Ballston Lake, N.J.). Downey’s first batter, Billy Boockford hit a hard grounder through the hole on the left side just out of the reach of the diving Betteridge at shortstop to score Jeremy Barnes from second base for what proved to be the game-winning run.

Wieland (1-0) then retired the Scarlet Knights in order in the ninth to earn the victory with one run allowed on two hits and a pair of strikeouts in two innings of relief work for the Irish. Patterson (2-1) was tagged with the loss with three runs let up on one hit in 1.1 innings of relief. Junior Matt Giannini (Millington, N.J.) didn’t factor in the decision, despite six solid innings of work on the mound for the Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers scored its first two runs with in the third and fourth thanks to RBI singles from Betteridge and Garlick.

RU left a total of 10 runners on base in the contest, stranding Betteridge at third in the fifth inning.

The Scarlet Knights registered 13 hits on the day, including seven combined hits from the bottom third of its order, consisting of Luis Feliz (New Brunswick, N.J.), Garlick and Cegles. Betteridge and Garlick each had three hits to lead the way.

Rutgers and Notre Dame will continue its series tomorrow with a 1:00 p.m. game at Frank Eck Stadium. Sophomore righty Kyle Bradley (Howell, N.J.) will be on the mound for the Scarlet Knights against senior lefty Wade Korpi for the Irish.

 Funeral services were held at Etherington-Creran Funeral Home, 700 Powell Street, Gloucester City for Ronnie Letzgus, 67, of Gloucester City who died on March 26, 2008.

He was the beloved husband for 47 years of Ida M. (nee Hagan) and loving father of Barbara J. Letzgus. He is also survived by his dear mother Marie V. (nee Birney), brothers Don (Emma jean) and Lannie (Carol) Letzgus and many dear nieces and nephews.

Ronnie loved spending time with his family and was an avid Eagles fan. He was also a member of Ironworker Local #401 in Philadelphia.

Interment in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Gloucester City. 

 

The official site of the Borough of Mount Ephraim, the \”Village at the Crossroads.\” has a new look and design. The new site will allow you to access up-to-date information about the Borough and also allow you to navigate special events and services provided by the Borough.

The redesign was completed with the help of volunteers and resulted in no costs to the Borough.

\”We like to specially thank Jeff Vilardo and Bernice Alibrando for the countless hours they volunteered in putting together this state of the art website.

Thank you,

Mayor Wolk, Commissioner Gilmore and Commissioner Greenwald

 /http://www.mountephraim-nj.com/

A link to ClearysNoteBook appears on the site under the heading NEWS
 

Ewing, NJ…The College of New Jersey’s women’s tennis team hosted the Violets of New York University on Friday in TCNJ’s Student Recreation Center. Ranked No. 18 in Division III, TCNJ tallied a 6-3 win over New York University to improve to 9-5 on the year, while NYU drops to 7-4.

Doubles competition
1. Christina Contrafatto/Jackie Shtemberg (TCNJ) def. Holly Smith/Meggie Smith (NYUW), 8-5
2. Stephanie Tu/Jaclyn Manning (NYUW) def. Sarah Roser/Amanda Berg (TCNJ), 8-0
3. Stefanie Haar/Haley Kutner (TCNJ) def. Amanda Freedman/Lisa Mijovic (NYUW), 8-0

Singles competition
1. Jackie Shtemberg (TCNJ) def. Holly Smith (NYUW), 6-3, 6-2
2. Stephanie Tu (NYUW) def. Christina Contrafatto (TCNJ), 6-4, 6-4
3. Meggie Smith (NYUW) def. Amanda Berg (TCNJ), 6-1, 2-6, 10-4
4. Stefanie Haar (TCNJ) def. Jaclyn Manning (NYUW), 6-2, 6-2
5. Haley Kutner (TCNJ) def. Amanda Freedman (NYUW), 6-2, 6-0
6. Sarah Roser (TCNJ) def. Lisa Mijovic (NYUW), 6-0, 6-2

#18 The College of New Jersey 6, New York University 3

Match Notes: New York University 7-4, The College of New Jersey 9-5; National ranking #18
Official: Marvin Hill

The Lions snapped NYU’s six match win streak as they posted the victory over the visiting Violets to post their third straight victory.
TCNJ swept through the doubles to take a 2-1 lead into the singles competition as the Lions’ top tandem of senior Christina Contrafatto (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) and sophomore Jackie Shtemberg (Franklin Lakes, NJ/Ramapo) collected an 8-5 win over NYU’s seniors Holly Smith (Troy, MI) and Meggie Smith (Knoxville, TN). TCNJ’s top pair is now 19-8 on the year and ranked third in the most recent regional poll. Smith and Smith had their five match win streak come to an end on Friday and now stand at 13-5 with an 8-3 dual record with one another.
With her win at first singles over Holly Smith, Shtemberg improves to 20-8 in singles action and with her overall combined career mark standing at 90-26. NYU’s junior Stephanie Tu (Greenvale, NY) posted a win over TCNJ’s Contrafatto at second singles to remain perfect at second singles (6-0). Contrafatto, who is ranked 14th regional in singles play is now 134-51 on her career in both doubles and singles action.
TCNJ returns to action on Saturday, April 5 hosting Salisbury University in a match scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. NYU returns to action next on April 6 hosting Fordham University.

-30-

DONNA SUE McCONNELL

Memorial Services were held for onna Sue McConnell, 49, of Sewell, formerly of Gloucester City, who died March 31.

Donna Sue was kind hearted and loved helping people in need. She loved her family, cooking for others, the shore, camping, and her animals. She was a member of Gloucester High School Class of 1977 and had also been involved with the Trinity Chapel in Knoxville, TN.

She was the beloved daughter of the late Robert W. and Mildred \”Susie\” McConnell and loving mother of Bobbiesue McConnell (Kris Ruffenach). Her dear granddaughter Addison Rae Ruffenach, sisters Dawn Meehan (Joseph), Christine Hagan (Robert), loving companion Chad Leadbeater, his mother Patricia Leadbeater (late Wayne) and many nieces and nephews also survive her.

Friends met at the Etherington-Creran Funeral Home, 700 Powell Street, Gloucester City. Interment was held privately at the request of her family.

Center fielder Garrett Mull

Box Score

MAHWAH, NJ – Rowan University scored two runs in the eighth inning to defeat Ramapo College, 4-3 in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) game on Thursday.

Ramapo had a 3-2 lead heading into the eighth. Rowan left fielder Frank Hasenauer (sr. Iselin, NJ/John F. Kennedy) was hit by a pitch and stole second base. Center fielder Garrett Mull (jr. Chatsworth, NJ/Lenape) singled to left field plating Hasenauer. Mull stole second and went to third on a passed ball. Second baseman Roland Rodriguez (so. Miami, FL/Miami Killian) brought Mull in with a single to right field.

Rowan improves to 15-6 overall and 2-3 in the conference. Ramapo has an 11-10 record and a 0-4 NJAC mark. Right hander Anthony Cavalier (fr. Sewell, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) got the win on the mound. Cavalier (2-0) pitched seven innings, allowing three runs. Right hander Kevin O’Hara (jr. Clayton, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) threw the final two scoreless innings, giving up just one hit for his second save of the season. Righty Dan Mulligan (jr. Wilmington, DE/Concord) took the loss for the Roadrunners. Mulligan (2-1) allowed two earned runs in 1.1 innings.

Mull led the Profs with two hits (four at bats), two runs scored and one RBI. Rodriguez went one for three with one RBI. Third baseman Paul Urbanovich (sr. Rutherford, NJ/St. Peter’s Prep) and catcher Robert Fox (sr. Ocean Twp., NJ/Ocean Twp.) each added one hit (three at bats) and one RBI. First baseman Tom Ready (jr. Blenheim, NJ/Triton Reg.) contributed with one hit in four trips to the plate, a double and one run scored.

For the Roadrunners, shortstop Joey Cacchiola (so. Union, NJ/Union) went three for five with a double. Second baseman David Deredita (jr. Clark, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson) chipped in with one hit (three at bats), two RBIs and one run scored. Designated hitter Ryan Paxton (sr. Long Valley, NJ/West Morris Central) and catcher John Callandrello (jr. Montville, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) scored one run apiece, while left fielder Mike Manges (jr. Glen Rock, NJ/Paramus Catholic) had one RBI.

Ramapo jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Deredita hit a two run single to left field, scoring Callandrello and Paxton. Rowan cut the deficit to one (2-1) in the fourth. Ready reached base with a double and advanced to third on a fly out. Fox hit a sacrifice fly to center field and Ready came home.

The Profs tied the game at two in the top of the fifth. Mull led off with a single and went to second on an error. He moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Urbanovich. The Roadrunner had a 3-2 advantage with one run in the bottom of the seventh. Manges singled in Deredita, who reached base on a walk.