By Army Capt. Benjamin Roark Special to American Forces Press Service BAGHDAD, June 2, 2008 – The line extended out the gate and around the corner, and it disappeared up the narrow street as residents of Dehna, a village west of Baghdad, lined up waiting for aid May 29. Children eagerly wait in line for toys and candy in Dehna, a village west of Baghdad, May 29, 2008. Iraqi and U.S. soldiers worked together to distribute aid in the village. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dustin Weidman (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The mood was the same at every point in the line: excitement, relief and gratitude. Whether it was a woman there for her family or one of the scores of children waiting for a free toy and maybe some candy, all were grateful to the soldiers who brought them help and hope. Commando soldiers of the 6th Company, 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, distributed food with U.S. soldiers from their partnered unit, the 25th Infantry Division\’s 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment \”Gimlets,\” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, part of Multinational Division Baghdad. Since taking control of the area in January, the U.S. and Iraqi soldiers have made great strides in conducting combined operations to secure the population of Baghdad\’s Abu Ghraib district. This humanitarian aid mission is an example of how well the units have learned to work together. \”I was surprised how quickly the resources came together, and at the capabilities of the commando company,\” said Army Capt. David Uthlaut, a native of Charleston, S.C., and commander of Company C, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, attached to the Gimlets. The combined effort was a result of the village sheik expressing his village\’s need for food. Uthlaut said he immediately turned to the Iraqi 24th Brigade for help. \”They were eager to get the mission under way as soon as possible,\” he said. The Iraqi commandos have proven themselves in several past operations with Gimlet soldiers, but this was the first mission of this kind the two units conducted together. It proved to be a big success. \”They already have a reputation for being tactically proficient,\” said Army Spc. Aaron Miller, a native of San Antonio, and infantryman with Company C. \”Now the people also see a different side — one that cares and protects.\” (Army Capt. Benjamin Roark serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 25th Infantry Division\’s 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.)

Related Sites: Multinational Corps Iraq

Iraqi soldiers set out boxes and bags of food during a mission in Dehna, a village west of Baghdad, May 29, 2008. Iraqi and U.S. soldiers worked together to collect and distribute aid. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dustin Weidman Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution A girl waits with her family as Iraqi and U.S. soldiers distribute food and toys during a humanitarian assistance operation in Dehna, a village west of Baghdad, May 29, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dustin Weidman Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution

Monday, May 5, 2008 7:00 P.M.

313 Monmouth Street

AGENDA

1. Call to Order:  
2. Pledge of Allegiance:

3. Roll Call:

4. Sunshine Law: This meeting is being held in conformance with the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act, otherwise known as the \”Sunshine Law\”. It has been legally noticed in accordance with the law and copies have been given to those requesting the same.

5. Public Comment Period: The Governing Body, in accordance with P.L. 2002, c. 80, have adopted the following guidelines relative to the Public Comment Period (PCP) at Caucus, Worksession, Special and Emergency Meetings of the Mayor and Common Council of Gloucester City: The PCP shall occur at the beginning of each meeting; it shall be no longer than one half-hour in length; every person wishing to speak may do so once during the period for no longer than five minutes. No changes have been made for the PCP of the regular monthly meetings.

6. Minutes of the Previous Meeting(s): April 7, April 17, May 5, May 15, and May 22 (pending)

7. Reports: I. Engineer\’s Report:

II. Committees of Council:

1. Celebrations

b) Finance & Administration

c) Fire

1. Housing
2. Licensing
3. Police

g) Public Works

8. Licenses:

a) Petition to Extend Licensed Premises: Doc & Joe\’s Tavern, Sept. 20 2-10 p.m.

9. Resolutions: None

10. Ordinances:  

for adoption at June 19^th meeting:

O01 Vacating a Portion of Cumberland Street, Located within the City of Gloucester City, County of Camden and State of New Jersey

for second reading and public hearing to be held on June 26^th:

O11 Amending the Code of the City of Gloucester City, Chapter 61B, Entitled \”Nuisances\”

11. Old Business:

a) Cool Cities Initiative

12. New Business:

a)

13. Communications:

a) Welsbach Progress Report

b) From Sevenson Environmental – Demolition of 222 Morris Street

c) Chief Hagan – Request to place Robert W. Pulvano on rolls of Gloucester City Fire Department – Battalion 51

 

14. Round Table:

15. Closed Session: Resolution #R -2008 to enter into closed session for discussion of:

16. Adjournment

\”I had much more fun criticizing than praising\”,

William Frank Buckley, Jr., (1925-2008) author and conservative commentator. 

Gloucester City’s recent purchase of a 75-foot-long steel hull schooner has some members of the public in an uproar. Take a moment to read a few of the comments I picked at random posted on ClearysNoteBook about the new venture.

Looks like the Olympic Boondoggles have opened in Gloucester City. \”LET THE GAMES BEGIN\”. Isn\’t it the administrator\’s job to see that the stupid ideas of stupid politicians get reduced to facts and figures so that the intelligent taxpayers can decide what is good for us? Hey Paul, let\’s see your analysis of this venture. Looks like it is time to bring Jean Kaye and Bobby Gorman back to get this situation under control. But, then they might hire Bob Bevan as Captain and Scott as first mate. That would leave James, Marchese and Brophy as deck hands. When do we reach the financial breakeven point with this crazy idea?

Posted | May 31, 2008 at 08:11 AM

Ship Shape
Add the following to your list of questions.
How and when will the UDAG money be returned to the fund?

Posted | May 31, 2008 at 12:39 AM

What will it cost to insure it and the liability to keep it? And with the other charter boat…who\’s going to be able to afford to go on that when the gas prices are high and the cost of running it will be so expensive?

Posted | May 31, 2008 at 12:12 AM

Personally I like to praise the James Administration for making another innovative move towards putting our City back on the map.

Two years ago Bill James and his running mates, Nick Marchese and Jay Brophy were elected by the majority of the populace. Their mandate was to stop the downward spiral of Gloucester City that had been going on for decades.

They started with the community’s biggest asset, its location on the Delaware River.

Old timers will remember there was always another study needed on developing our riverfront before the previous administrations could make a move. Millions of dollars were wasted on these ventures and thousands of pages of print were produced. Each election the architect drawings and props would be dragged out of storage and paraded before the public. Promise the voter anything to get elected and once in office forget about it.

Today we are seeing changes. Some we might not agree with; and I would be the first to say I haven’t agreed with every move made by The James Gang. But I applaud them for being daring, innovative and willing to try instead of sitting on their hands and remaining complacent.

And if you are still not happy with the outcome; there is an election in November.

Congratulations to Walt Burrows, Courier Post Sports writer who is retiring after 58 years of reporting on local sports. Walt grew up in Gloucester City and graduated from Gloucester City High School. While in school he worked as a stringer for the Gloucester City News, and continued to do so after he graduated. Later he got a job with the Courier Post and as they say the rest is history.

For many years, up until he had a health problem, Walt continued to write for the City News. Each week he would hand deliver two articles one on the Rams and the other on the Lions. He lived in Marlton and Sunday night he would drive over to Gloucester City and leave the stories in the NEWS mailbox. Walt never forgot his home town. And this was his way of saying \”Thank You\” to my Dad for helping him out when he was just beginning his illustrious career as a sports reporter.

CHEERS TO YOU WALT! May you enjoy many happy years in your new life. You certainly deserve it.

 

Gloucester Catholic High School conferred diplomas on 200 graduates at commencement ceremonies on Thursday, May 29.

Michael Barron of Washington Township and Alyse Scaffidi of Glassboro are the co-valedictorians for the GCHS Class of 2008.

Bishop Joseph Galante of the Camden Diocese was the main celebrant of the Baccalaureate Mass at the Church of Saint Agnes in Blackwood at 3:30 pm.

Msgr. James Curran, pastor of Saint Mary\’s Parish in Gloucester City, and Father James Durkin, a Gloucester City native and a member of the GCHS Golden Jubilarian Class of 1958, concelebrate. Commencement ceremonies followed the Mass.

Co-valedictorian Michael Barron is an Edward J. Bloustein New Jersey Distinguished Scholar. He has received scholarships to Villanova, Drexel and Rutgers Universities and will attend Lehigh University on scholarship to study engineering.

A member of Gloucester Catholic\’s Marian Chapter of the National Honor Society, he has also been active with the stage crew, Interact and Habitat for Humanity.

Michael is an instructor for altar servers and has taught Vacation Bible School in his parish.

Co-valedictorian Alyse Scaffidi is an Edward J. Bloustein New Jersey Distinguished Scholar.

Accepted to Northeastern, Saint John\’s and Temple Universities, as well as the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, she will attend Rutgers, School of Pharmacy on an academic scholarship.

Alyse is the president of the Marian Chapter of the National Honor Society and has represented Gloucester Catholic at the National Catholic Forensics Tournament.

She also represented GCHS at the KYW News Studies Program.

 

By Anne Forline

Special to the NEWS

The journey was well over 40 miles and took five months, but NJA3\’s (by EIRC) First Grade Walking Club proved themselves worthy of the challenge.

The children clipped on their pedometers and \”walked\” their way to Story Book Land.

Because of their dedication and commitment, the walkers were the recipients of a \”Building Healthy Communities Grant\” and were awarded a trip to Story Book Land May 10.

The trip to Story Book Land was the culmination of the Walking Club\’s demonstrating a healthy lifestyle and promoting community service.

They walked two miles each week on a paved path around Cold Springs School, kept track of the distance on pedometers, learned about healthy living and helped the community by collecting canned goods for the Food Pantry in Gloucester City.

Director Meghan O\’Connor was proud of the students for their perseverance in reaching their goal.

She said, \”The goal of the Walking Club was to bring health and safety awareness to our children while tying in the importance of family, school and community connections. They searched for a creative way to build a healthier body and have fun at the same time.\”

And fun they had. Karlee Fleckenstein and Colton Farlow, both 7, were happy to spend the day with their friends at Story Book Land and had the most fun riding the roller coaster.

\”It went really fast,\” Karlee said.

Colton agreed, adding, \”I like to ride up front.\”

Both Karlee and Colton were glad to be part of the Walking Club.

Karlee said she was proud to walk all of those miles, and Colton said it was not hard work at all.

The threatening rainstorm that was predicted even held off for the better part of the day.