Month: August 2010

Letters: American Legion Post 135 Says Thank You!

Many thanks to the nice, friendly people that gave their generous donations to us.
Also, we are grateful to Tony Eller and the Little league, Fred, at the water works and the Gloucester City Fire Dept., for their help with the various supplies we needed for the coin toss.

For God and Country,

John Hindsley, Cmdr.


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ESTEY/NASH ASK BOARD TO CONTINUE DISCOUNT PROGRAMS

 
Delaware River Port Authority Chairman, John H. Estey and Vice Chair, \"Hermann Jeff Nash, have announced that they will ask the Board to act on several toll discount programs that were scheduled to either end or increase on September 1st to remain as currently constituted.

That means the Senior Citizen E-ZPass discount toll will stay at $1.75 and seniors who still have discount coupons may continue to use two of the coupons to cross the Bridge past the original September 1st, 2010, deadline. The Commuter credit of 18 crossings a month on the same transponder will remain at $6.00. The Green Pass discount of $1 for E-ZPass customers driving low emission vehicles will also remain in effect. Both the commuter discount and green discount were scheduled to end on September 1st.

Chairman Estey says \”the Commissioners are aware that current economic conditions have resulted in hardships for our

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Letters: School Equipment Needs Maintenance

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 Bill

I too have a photo I like to share with your readers taken several days ago. It is a picture of a broken picnic table behind the Cold Spring School in Gloucester City. Not only is the wood in this table dry rotten, which caused it to break, but also is the wood in the two other picnic tables that are located on school grounds. I don’t know if anyone got hurt when the table in the photo broke. I do think it should have been removed by today, which it wasn’t at 1 PM, as it is hazardous and unsightly.

\"P1060098\" Photo: One of the other tables nearby, the wood is dry rotten

I question why the maintenance department had allowed this table and continues to allow the other tables to be used by staff and school children. It is obvious to anyone looking at the other two tables that they too are in danger of breaking. The condition of these tables didn’t happen overnight. How much time would it take to throw a coat of stain or paint on the tables each year. Appearance is everything, and I agree with you that Community Pride starts with the outward appearance of your home and or your school.

Lastly I would suggest if those who run the school district are not capable of maintaining something as simple as picnic tables should we be building a $65 million Middle School. One further point take a walk behind the high school football field and look at the brand new bleachers, not so new now, that have been dumped in the brush near the baseball field for over a year. Do we have that much money to waste that we can throw aluminum bleachers away?

I commend Mr. Lipsett for addressing the problem on Sylvan Avenue caused by the men of the Public Works Dept. Hopefully School Supt. Spaventa is also a reader of ClearysNoteBook and will take action to clean up this mess behind the Cold Springs Pre-School. And recover the bleachers near the HS baseball field now that it has been brought to his attention.

Thank you for providing this forum as a means to reach out to those who run our City and School District. It is much appreciated.

signed A Faithful Reader of CNB

PS: Please don’t disclose my Email address

Read more: http://www.gloucestercitynews.net/#ixzz0wrzIjG83

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Higher Troop Casualties Likely in Afghanistan

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By Lisa DanielAmerican Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2010 – Increased troop casualties in Afghanistan are to be expected this summer, and likely will continue through the fall as U.S. forces ramp up counterinsurgency efforts in anticipation of a drawdown to begin next year, a military official said yesterday.

photo: Soldiers from an Airborne Division inspect an Afghanistan village

\”It will be a tough fall. But what we\’re gaining is, we\’re clearing these areas that never have been cleared,\” a senior U.S. military officer who serves in Afghanistan said during a background interview with Pentagon reporters.

The uptick in violence was expected as more troops flow into the country and increase operations to quash Taliban control, he said. The last of 30,000 additional troops President Barack Obama authorized should be in place by the end of this month.

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Bill’s Point of View: Your Toll Money…The DRPA\’s Private Slush Fund

By Bill Cleary

The Delaware River Port Authority Board of Commissioners will meet this Wednesday \"Outraged\" to discuss among other things some ideas on how to improve its image in light of the recent scandals involving employees at the agency.

It is obvious to all that the Board wouldn’t be talking about reform if the employees hadn’t got caught.

And if past practice is any example, the Commissioners will go back to governing the Authority as though it was a private slush fund. Spending your money on whatever project that will benefit their political party, their friends or family members.

For those on vacation we found out recently that Michael Joyce, DRPA safety director gave his daughter a DRPA E-Z pass transponder that allowed her to cross the Delaware River for free. Besides this abuse it is alleged that Joyce improperly received pension credits for a part-time, $67,356 solicitor\’s job in Pennsauken. Records show he also received pension credits to which he was not entitled in 2008 for a second, $18,200 solicitor position with the Pennsauken Sewerage Authority. After the story was published Joyce resigned from his $189,000 DRPA job.

A few days after the Joyce story was published Fox 29 News broadcast a report about John Havers a Delaware River Port Authority employee. He was suspended for a month after borrowing toll money to cover party costs and was later moved to a job running a cruise terminal that\’s not currently receiving ships.

Havers left an IOU note with the safe, so he avoided being arrested for embezzlement. Even so DRPA officials suspended him for a month. Fox 29 News revealed that, while suspended, Havers had someone take his SUV from the DRPA to the authority\’s depot to get gasoline. After the suspension, he was transferred to a role running the DRPA\’s cruise terminal despite the shortage of business there these days.

Havers is from Gloucester County, as is DRPA CEO John Matheussen and New Jersey State Senate President Steven Sweeney. Fox 29 sources said Sweeney protected Havers when others at the DRPA wanted him fired, but Sweeney denied that in an interview last week.

And if you happen to be one of the 900 DRPA employees who doesn’t use your two weeks sick leave each year well come Christmas the Commissioners award you with a nice bonus. Fox 29 says that practice cost the public millions each year.

Today the Courier Post released an article about even more wasteful spending practices of the DRPA. The commissioners approved a $700,000 cash grant to Pennsauken Township to be used to convert a neglected five-acre site on Garfield Avenue into a football field. The grant was originally intended to be a loan to spawn private investment in the township.

Pennsauken Mayor Ricardo Taylor Jr., who is a commissioner on the bi-state board, said he opposes DRPA spending toll money on non-transit projects, but he said he wasn\’t going to turn down $700,000 in cash.

The money comes from the balance of a revolving loan fund created in 1993 with a $700,000 gift from DRPA. Pennsauken, Gloucester City, Camden and Philadelphia each had revolving loan funds to compensate the municipalities in some way for local, tax-exempt land surrounding the authority-owned bridges.

Gloucester City spent its $700,000 loan fund renovating a derelict waterfront building now occupied by the Holt Group. DRPA closed out the fund with a zero balance six years ago.

Records indicate Camden City has received $6.9 million from the DRPA for unspecified economic development usage since 1993. Neither the city nor DRPA could produce an accounting of that money the Courier Post reported.

And if all the above isn’t enough to get you mad as \”Hell\” consider this, the DRPA says it is in desperate need of money to maintain the bridges. In July 2011 the tolls on the four bridges will be increased by $1 up to $5 a crossing.

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Theodore Roosevelt\’s ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.

The year is 1907, one hundred and 3+ years ago.

\"Teddy-roosevelt-thumb-342x4131\" \’In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin.

But this is predicated upon the person\’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn\’t an American at all.

We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language.. And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.\’

Theodore Roosevelt 1907 

(submitted by Wil Levins)

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The Bevan Family Says THANK YOU

GLOUCESTER CITY NJ-The Bevan Family would like to thank everyone who attended Scott’s \"6a00d8341bf7d953ef011571289c33970c-120wi\" memorial service on July 24th. We were overwhelmed by the huge gathering of family and friends who came to honor Scott. The tremendous love and support shown to us via cards, flowers, calls, and donations to the Support for Scott fund is sincerely appreciated and will never be forgotten.


We also want to thank some special friends who assisted with the preparation of Proprietors Park.


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Bobby Chez Philly Store Closes Due to Economy & City\’s Business Environment

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August 15

Well known crab cake King Bobby Chez announced today the closing of his Philadelphia takeout store via an Email to his customers. Chez writes,

To All of our Valued Bobby Chez Clients:

While all good things must end, it is with a great deal of sadness that we announce the closing of our Philadelphia Bobby Chez location.

For the past three years we have welcomed you to our Philadelphia store. From police to fire, first responders, city workers to the average person who have been coming thru our South Street doors, it has been a pleasure serving you all….

While the reasons for our closure are complicated, suffice it to say the continued decline in the economy in conjunction with the business environment in the City of Philadelphia have made it very difficult if not impossible for us to survive in our current location.

While the Philadelphia location will be closed effective today, we have six other Bobby Chez locations across south Jersey to serve you. For any of our gift certificate customers, you are still able to shop in the other locations using your gift certificates.

In closing may we say, for some cooking and serving the public is a job. For us it is a passion and a pleasure. We take great pride in the food we prepare and the quality of ingredients we use. That will never change.
We hope you will stop-by our other locations and say hello…we welcome you and hope to continue serving you…

Regards,

Bobby Chez

www.bobbychezcc.com

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Hunting and Fishing: Wildlife Digest Available, Outrage of the Week, Notes from Anthony Mauro

The 2010-2011 Hunting Issue of the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Digest is \"Angeln2\" now available online at
http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/dighnt10.htm . Printed copies of the Digest were shipped to license agent locations this week and many agents already have or will soon have copies for distribution.

Outrage of the Week: San Francisco Bans Guns … for Movie Poster Cops?!

Friday, August 13, 2010

San Francisco is well known for its fog. But while the sunshine sometimes cuts through fog in the atmosphere, one fog that rarely seems to lift is the fog of anti-gun thinking. Twice, the city has tried to ban handguns, and been turned back by court challenges. The city\’s public housing authority also had to be sued to end its ban on gun possession by public housing residents. And the NRA is currently backing a challenge to the city\’s gun storage law, which requires city residents to store their handguns in locked containers or disabled with trigger locks.

But as if all that weren\’t enough, SF Weekly blogs reported this week that the city of San Francisco\’s

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Emma R. Nicholls (Polson) of Sewell; GHS Alumni Class of 1938, Accomplished Athlete Community Activitist

Emma R. Nicholls (nee Cairns) peacefully departed on August 12th, 2010 surrounded by family and friends. She was deeply \"rosary\" loved and will be missed by her son John L. Polson Sr., his wife Kathleen, daughter Bernadette Polson Kloc, her husband Walter, grandsons James T. Polson, John L. Polson Jr., his wife Theresa, brother Harry E. Cairns and all of her nieces, nephews and their children.

She was predeceased by her husbands John G. Polson Jr. & Charles (Art) Nicholls and her sister Rhoda E. Saul.

Emma was born in Camden, N.J. June 6th, 1920. She graduated Gloucester City High School in 1938 where she was an accomplished athlete as a member of the 37’& 38’ championship basketball teams. She also excelled in hockey, swimming and diving. She raised her family in Sewell, N.J. where she was very active in the community, Sewell Boys Club, PTA, and many other civic organizations. She was employed at both New York Ship Building and The Mailing Service.

She remained active throughout her life playing semi-professional basketball, was an award winning bowler with the Women’s Professional Bowling Association. An avid fan of many sports, she loved her home town teams, but baseball and the Phillies were her favorite. She was a fixture on the soccer field encouraging and cheering on both grandsons, from their very first game, through high school and college.

She was a talented seamstress, loved to dance, Play Bridge, play board games and travel. With all her interests, her most pleasurable moments in life were the times she spent with her family and friends.

Friends may join the family in celebrating her life, Wednesday evening, August 18th , 7- 9 PM at Smith Funeral Home, 47 Main St. Mantua, N.J. and again on Thursday morning, 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM. Mass will be celebrated 10 AM Thursday at the Church of the Incarnation, 240 Main St. Mantua, N.J. Interment will be in Woodbury Memorial Park. Memories and condolences may by shared at www. smithfhmantua.com.

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