Official portrait of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The \”Ready for Hillary\” political action committee, founded late last month in support of Secretary Hillary Clinton\’s possible bid for the presidency in 2016, has made its first major hire and is gearing up to expand further, a source familiar with the group tells BuzzFeed.

Seth Bringman, who served as communications director of the Ohio Democratic Party from 2009 to 2012, has joined \”Ready for Hillary\” in the same capacity.

Before working for the state party, he was a communications staffer on Clinton\’s first presidential campaign in 2008. Bringman, now doing work for a public relations consulting firm, will continue to work from Columbus, Ohio, for the PAC, said the source.

The PAC, filed Jan. 25 with the Federal Election Committee, is the first major effort by an outside group to get in front of a presidential race that hasn\’t started and a candidate who hasn\’t declared.

But Bringman\’s hire suggests that the PAC\’s founders — Allida Black and Adam Parkhomenko, both based in northern Virginia — are serious about fundraising and organizing support for Hillary Clinton. The \”Ready for Hillary\” site is already up and running, and the group\’s Twitter account boasts more than 51,000 followers.

Read via www.buzzfeed.com

FEBRUARY 25, 2013

Good Morning.

We received some news a few weeks ago that we can share with you today. As announced by the Vatican early this morning, Philadelphia has been confirmed by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, as the host city for the Eighth World Meeting of Families. The official dates set for this gathering are September 22 – September 27, 2015. This marks the first time an American city has hosted the World Meeting of Families and we\’re deeply grateful that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has been selected for this honor.

ATTENTION VETERANS OF CAMDEN COUNTY--The Camden County Freeholder Board reminds veterans it is tax time and they should seek professional tax assistance to help them prepare their taxes.

 
Freeholder Ian K. Leonard, himself a member of the Air National Guard, who currently serves in the 177th Fighter wing, was there to greet Frank and present him with a citation from the County. Also on hand was a large crowd including family, friends, neighbors and fellow veterans, including the Reverend Floyd White, Director of Camden County’s Division of Veterans Affairs, The Warriors Watch, Operation Yellow Ribbon of South Jersey. Click here to read the full story and view photos from the event
 
 
Alternate Route Info Session for Police Academy at Camden County College March 2 
The Camden County College Police Academy has scheduled an information session about the Alternate Route Program for those interested in becoming police officers. The session will be conducted starting at 10 a.m. March 2nd at the Camden County College Regional Emergency Training Center.
 
The Alternate Route Program was designed to give individuals interested in becoming police officers the opportunity to attend a certified police training academy prior to being hired by a police, sheriff\’s or campus department. For more detailed information about the alternate route programs click here.
 
The Camden County College Regional Emergency Training Center is located at the Lakeland Complex, 420 N. Woodbury-Turnersville Road in Blackwood, Gloucester Township.
 
For additional information about the information session, interested applicants may contact the Camden County College Police Academy by telephone at 856-374-4950
 

Camden County Veterans Round Table Wednesday, Feb. 27th
The Camden County Freeholder Board and Camden County Veterans Advisory Committee will hold a round table discussion on benefits and services available to Veterans. The panel will feature experts on a wide range of Veterans issues including housing, counseling, education, employment and medals. The event will be held from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Blackwood Armed Forces Reserve Center, 390 Woodbury-Turnersville Road, Blackwood, NJ 08012.
 
Those interested in attending can register online  or by calling the Office of Veterans Affairs at856-374-4950. A complimentary lunch will be served to all participants.
 
 
Master Gardeners Shrub and Perennial Sale Starts Now
The Master Gardeners of Camden County are excited to announce their 2013 Shrub and Perennial Plant Sale. This year’s offerings include worthy selections for every season and garden. As always, each plant has been carefully researched for ornamental quality, hardiness, disease and insect resistance as well as for ecological value, and each is chosen because it is not readily available in garden centers.

With luck, some of our selections may be in flower at the time of delivery, while later-blooming plants will be just breaking dormancy. For more information you can view theonline brochure.  The brochure includes details and prices on all the offerings and you can order online or print out order form. Orders must be received by March 14th and Pick-up day is Friday, May 10th from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at the Camden County Parks Department, Rutgers Extension Office, 1301 Park Boulevard, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002. Phone: 856-216-7130.
 
 
CCC Presents Lecture Series on Russia and China 
Camden County College’s Center for Civic Leadership and Responsibility will address the transformation of Russia and China, both politically and economically, in the free lecture series \”Russia and China After Stalin and Mao: Divergent Paths of Development\” in five installments this semester.
 
The series will focus on the evolution of the two nations since the deaths of leaders Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong. A highlight will be David Eisenhower’s presentation, which will discuss the opening of China in the 1970s, a 1975 trip to China during which he met with Mao Zedong and his 2002 trip back.
 
The series is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Teachers are also welcome to attend and can gain valuable insight for their classroom lessons as well as New Jersey professional development credit.
 
Each lecture in the series will begin at 7 p.m. in Civic Hall, which is located in the Connector Building on the Blackwood Campus in Gloucester Township. To view the full schedule of the series and for registration information click here  
 
 
Save the Date – Library to Offer County One-Stop Career Workshops
The Voorhees branch of the Camden County Library System is offering three free workshops for job seekers featuring help and guidance from a professional employment representative of the County One-Stop Career Center. Each of the monthly workshops will focus on how job seekers can use the state’s Jobs4Jersey.com website to set up job search agents and to learn job matching strategies.
 
Participants are encouraged to bring copies of their resumes and cover letters to the hour-long workshop scheduled at the M. Allan Vogelson Regional Branch Library in Voorhees on the following Thursday evenings: March 14, April 18 or May 16, 6 – 7 p.m. To read the full story click here.

Help with Tax Returns for County Residents 
Now that income tax season is upon us, the Freeholder Board is offering tax return assistance to senior citizens and income eligible residents of Camden County. In partnership with AARP and the Rutgers Camden School of Law, free tax preparation will be hosted throughout the Camden County Library System. 
 
The M. Alan Vogelson Regional Branch Library in Voorhees will offer Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) for those whose gross incomes do not exceed $51,000 per year. VITA volunteers are available on a walk-in basis Thursday evenings from 5 to 9 p.m., through April 4.
 
The Nilsa I. Cruz-Perez Downtown Camden Branch also offers VITA programs Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. through April 10. The service is provided by students from the Rutgers School of Law. 
 
In addition, seniors can take advantage of the AARP Tax-Aide program that is being held at several branches of the Camden County Library now through April. This program helps older low and moderate income taxpayers prepare their personal income taxes. For a full schedule please click here. 
 
All volunteer counselors are specially trained, in cooperation with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), to understand those provisions of the tax code that affect older Americans. Tax-Aide volunteers can provide personal, one-on-one assistance to help complete federal, state, or local tax returns. People with complex tax returns will be advised to seek professional tax assistance.
 

SHORT TAKES ON NEWS & EVENTS

By Mary Agnes Carey

FEBRUARY 25TH, 2013, 5:46 AM

Posted 02/22/2013 | Health & Fitness

TRAKIMAS

Alexander F.

Quietly passed away at home in Somerdale on February 18, 2013 at the age of 70. 

Alex was rarely without a book in hand, the Barron’s newspaper and the Wall Street Journal. His beloved grandparents, Frank and Marie Sherrer, encouraged his love of reading and education when he was a child. 

Condolences and memories may be shared at www.mccannhealey.com under the obituary of Alexander F. Trakimas. Funeral Arrangements and Inquiries through:

PHILADELPHIA – Four student-athletes—Rachel Hartman (Oley, Pa. / Oley Valley), Abbey Lawrence (Edgewater, Md. / South River), Gina Smith (Hammonton, N.J. / St. Joseph’s), Devin Muracco (Washington Twp., N.J. / Washington Twp.) —have signed National Letters of Intent to play field hockey at La Salle University, head coach Michelle Marks announced today.

\”As a coaching staff, we are very excited about this incoming class and feel they will be a great compliment to our team,\” Marks said. \”Each one of them possesses a unique quality that we believe will have a tremendous impact on our program. We would like to welcome Rachel, Abbey, Gina, Devin and their families to the La Salle Field Hockey family.\”

HOBOKEN, N.J. (February 25, 2013) – The Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team will be hosting its inaugural Birthplace of Baseball Classic on Saturday, March 2 at Dobbelaar Field beginning at 11 a.m. There will be two, nine-inning collegiate baseball games played during the day and a two-inning exhibition contest between Hoboken’s Historic H9 Baseball Team throughout the event.

Festivities will kick-off with a game between nationally ranked No. 24 Eastern Connecticut State University and New Jersey City University at 11 a.m. Saturday’s opening contest will be the first of the season for Eastern Connecticut, while NJCU will bring a 3-3 overall record into the matchup.

Stevens and Eastern Connecticut wrap up the event with a nine-inning affair scheduled to begin at approximately 3 p.m. The last time these two teams met, Stevens took down the then No. 3 Warriors, 10-8, in Hoboken during the 2010 season.

Those interested in attending the Classic can RSVP to Stevens Head Coach Kristaps Aldins at[email protected].

For more information about Hoboken Nine and Stevens Baseball, please visit the following websites: http://hobokennine.jimdo.com/ (Hoboken Nine) and www.stevensducks.com/baseball(Stevens Baseball).