Officials said the cause of the five alarm fire is suspicious in origin.

\”The fire is being investigated,\” the mayor said.

Council approved a resolution in connection with the City’s Southport Redevelopment Project, Phase 1.

Surrounded by his family, Lewis was sworn in by Public Safety Director John Bollinger, with Chief William Walsh watching.

All Council members and Mayor Frank Filipek Sr., congratulated Mr. Lewis.

Borough Clerk Chuck Sauter read \”Thank You\” notes from recent food basket recipients, along with a note from Bellmawr School Superintendent Annette Castiglione thanking the Borough for their assistance with snow removal, following the December 19, 2009, 23-inch blizzard.

Under committee reports, Bollinger thanked the Borough workers involved in the massive snow removal.

Council President Peter Di Giambattista stated the 2010 budget being worked on is austere, but fair.

Councilman Jim D’Angelo said all eight recent water main breaks have been repaired.

Councilman Steve Sauter said the Building and Lands Department is doing well.

Councilman Lou Di Angelo congratulated the Bellmawr Board of Educ-ation, on their award during School Board Recognition Month in New Jersey.

Also, he discussed the ongoing shared services with the Highway Depart-ment, and said there will be meeting soon to discuss the ball field assignments for the 2010 seasons.

Councilwoman Regina Pi-ontkowski congratulated John Lewis’ family.

Filipek told Lewis he would be an asset to the Police Department and the Borough.

As for this year’s budget, he said it would not be as bad as other towns. He also discussed the continuing redevelopment project.

During the public forum, School Board President Jody Mangus said the Board appreciated the assistance the Borough has rendered, adding they are thrilled with the help.

Pastor Vincent Kovlak of Bellmawr Baptist Church thanked the Borough for all of its services to residents.

All business on the evening’s agenda was unanimously approved, with the following of note:

Piontkowski read a proclamation declaring January 2010 as School Board Recognition Month, and presented the proclamation to Mangus and Board members Jeff Brickner, Carla Salas and Mike Williams.

You fall in love with a dog. Oh, he’s just the most perfect dog ever and you’re absolutely sure your husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend will feel the same. What happens when you’re wrong?

Many dogs are returned to shelters or hit Craig’s List because they can’t please everyone in the household. Possibly, the dog you love has been abused by a male and shows guarding behavior whenever a male is in the room. Or, perhaps Fido shows no respect toward the female in the house and tries to assert dominance over her. The reasons for your partner’s distaste can be varied but the bottom line is you need a cure quickly!

If your partner is willing to work with the dog you’re half-way there. Have your partner feed the dog, walk the dog, and take the dog to a park. Plan ahead so that you’re both on the same page with rewards and praise. Give Fido enough time to adapt to the household and set limits on the amount of unacceptable behavior you will tolerate. (For example: if he lunges at you be ready with a, \”NO!\” but if he bites you seek professional training).

Next week’s topic will be entitled: Don’t Rule Out the Special Needs Dog. As always, Cleary’s notebook encourages dialogue so your comments are welcome!

Wado, udohiyu, (thank you very much, in the Cherokee language)

Dawn Watson

Brother of the Wolf, LLC

700 Market St, Gloucester City NJ 08030

Another feature is the Friendship/\”Lunch Bunch\” Groups for students having difficulty in social settings.

Other elements include \”Caught Doing Good,\” which rewards schoolchildren for acts of kindness, as well as the \”Purple Hands Pledge,\” which takes steps toward violence prevention, and the \”Character Club,\” which recognizes students for demonstrating a featured character trait.

Several program students took to the front of the Bell Oaks Media Center, making their own written remarks on how these programs have helped them.

In other business, President Jody Mangus presented the monthly Board Award to both Bellmawr School District Custodian Glenn Cook and the Borough of Bellmawr Public Works Department for their exemplary work on snow removal, following a 23-inch blizzard on December 19, 2009.

Several members of the Public Works Department were on hand for the presentation, which reflected their combined ability to allow the District to open two hours late on December 21, a feat not matched in other area districts. Many were closed entirely.

Superintendent Annette Castiglione then presented the

Photo Caption: CHM 1: L-R: Council President Jeffery Jones, Councilman Aslon Goow, Supporter Reverend James Salmon, Publisher and CHM Resolution author Keith Sirrano Baldeo of Paterson Pulse newspaper, Councilman Mc Koy, and Councilwoman Vera Ames all voted yes.

What\’s good for Nike isn’t good for this country and is barely good for the low wage workers it employs in China.

Jack Heath

By Bill Cleary

Thank God the snow stopped falling. Enough already.

Phillyweather.net reported that 16 inches of snow fell in the immediate area in a 24 hours period between Tuesday and Wednesday, the second major snowstorm in less than a week in the Delaware Valley. Would you believe the weather forecast is calling for the possibility of more next week.

Shoveling the snow from your sidewalk is back breaking work. But it has to be done.

Gloucester City and other communities have ordinances that mandate property owners to clear snow from their sidewalks or face fines. In Gloucester City the law states within 12 hours from the time it stops falling. Rightfully so; after all it is a safety issue.

But not everyone complies. Take for example the sidewalks that surround the Lane and Thompson Avenues playground in Gloucester City which remained covered with snow 72 hours after the Feb. 6 storm. As a result children walking to and from the bus stop were forced into the street.

Why isn\’t this location a priority? Those in charge of clearing the snow from public sidewalks are aware that this corner is used for a school bus stop.

One employee with a snow blower could clear the sidewalks at Lane and Thompson in 30 minutes or less. It is hard to comprehend why the Public Works department would clear the walks around Martins Lake, which they were doing again on Thursday, but leave this condition to exist.

I would also suggest the snow should be removed from the Market Street sidewalk that begins at the High School across Route 130 to Walnut Avenue. Another site is the Nicholson Road sidewalk that runs parallel with the Little League Field on one side and the Basketball Courts on the other side extending over and down the Hump Bridge. In both locations kids/pedestrians are being forced to walk in the street because the sidewalks are covered with snow and ice. And that is the way they remain until the sun melts the snow.

Because of these conditions the City is jeopardizing the lives of pedestrians. These situations are accidents just waiting to happen.

It also makes you wonder how can the City justify citing property owners for violation of the snow ordinance when they are just as guilty.

With that thought in mind I believe local governments need to come up with new ideas to save our tax dollars. One area to consider is hiring an outside contractor (s) to remove snow from the City streets and School grounds. Consider the savings in equipment alone. Less wear on city trucks, no need to maintain or buy snow plows, no need to have a fleet of pickups, and no employee overtime. The School Board could do away with its 4-wheel trucks and snow plows too. The state and some counties use outside contractors for snow removal, why can’t the city and local school board.

With an outside contractor doing the streets municipal/school employees using snow blowers could concentrate on removing snow from the sidewalks around playgrounds, municipal buildings and city/school parking lots.

I feel the suggestion is worth further study. What is your opinion?

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Clinton County, Pa. –A fire police member was fatally hit at the scene of a crash earlier today, according to WNEP-TV. The crash happened at approximately 12:45 p.m. on Lusk Run Road in Mill Hall.