By Lyle Fulton

Clermont, FL… The College of New Jersey softball team extended its winning streak to five straight on Wednesday as the Lions took a doubleheader from Ripon College. TCNJ claimed the opener by the score of 3-1 and then pulled out a 3-2 victory in eight innings to complete the sweep.

The pair of wins puts the Lions above the .500 mark for the first time this season as they are 5-3.

After an off day, the Lions return to the diamond on Friday taking on Penn State Behrend at 9:30 a.m. and then Westfield State College at 11:30 a.m.

TCNJ 3, Ripon College 1 (Game 1)
Backed by a strong outing from sophomore pitcher Ashley Minervini (Cliffside Park, NJ/Cliffside Park), the Lions used a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning to break a 1-1 tie and win their fourth straight game. Minervini fired a two-hitter with five strikeouts to even her personal record at 2-2 on the season.

TCNJ opened the scoring in the first as Christina Lizzi (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) reached on an error and later scored on a single by sophomore Danielle Hagel (Egg Harbor City, NJ/Oakcrest).

After the Red Hawks scored an unearned run the second, the Lions plated the winning run in the bottom of the third. Sophomore Ellen Seavers (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood) started the rally with a double and scored on a ground out by Colleen Cawley (Riverton, NJ/Holy Cross) knotting the score at two runs apiece. Lizzi kept the inning going with a double and again scored on a base hit by Hagel.

Hagel went 2-for-3 for the Lions with two RBI, while Lizzi scored twice.

TCNJ 3, Ripon College 2 – 8 innings (Game 2)
The Lions struck early in the second game as junior Alaine Boccafola (Wading River, NY/Shoreman Wading River) singled home sophomore Rachel Greeby (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury) and freshman Kathy Sikora (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) made it 2-0 later in the inning as she scored on an error.

Ripon pulled even with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings, but the Lions were able to pull out the win in the eighth. With each team starting with a runner on second base in extra innings, TCNJ quickly took advantage as Cawley raced home on a sacrifice fly by Hagel.

Minervini pitched 2-1/3 innings in relief to get her second win of the day. Freshman Jamie Moir (Mount Laurel, NJ/Lenape) gave the Lions a quality start getting into the sixth inning and finishing with a career-high 12 strikeouts.

Seavers continued her hot streak at the plate going 2-for-4 and extended her hitting streak to five games and she has also hit safely in six of the seven games she has played this season.

-30-

 

Brooklawn School District offers free services to find out if a child is eligible for a preschool handicapped program.

 

The programs serve 3 to 4 year old children who are functioning at a level below what could be expected for their chronological age in the areas of: Speech and Language, Coordination, Social and Emotional Adjustment, Physical Health or General Learning.

To be eligible, a child must be between the ages of 3 and 5 years and qualify for services based on screening and assessment results.

Early Intervention Program provides services for infants and toddlers from birth to three years of age who have special needs.

\”We believe the sooner a child\’s special needs can be determined, the better that child\’s chances are to receive an appropriate education and develop his or her potential,\” school officials said.

Screening for handicapped, preschool children, ages 3 to 5 will be conducted by the Brooklawn Child Study Team on Thursday, March 31, 2008 between the hours of 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.

For residents of Brooklawn who have a child who is between the ages of 3 and 5 with significant delays in the areas of speech/language, vision/he-aring, social/emotional, and/or gross/fine motor skills, free testing is available.

Call the Child Study Team office at 856-456-4039×6 to register for this free screening or for more information.

 

By Hank F. Miller Jr.

 

The whole world is going to hell in a hand basket, and Japan is leading the way.

That is if, like me, you equate hell with the use of cell phones.

Now I think I am a progressive-minded guy.

In most cases I cannot resist new gadgetry and my home is a miniature showcase of other high-tech innovations such as a battery charged nose-hair clipper, a Homer Simpson talking bottle opener and a rubber fish that can sing.

Most of this junk here my kids brought home but I claim responsibility for a few of these junky items that are too numerous to mention.

I have not popped for those quite robot dogs, but only because space in my house is at a premium and I am waiting for Sony to develop a more petite animal that will better match my living quarters. Like perhaps a robot worm or a clam that can play country music.

And neither have I purchased the leash that is a cellular phone. Nor I hereby vow on a gnawed \”yakitory\” Meat on sticks which we eat here-Will I ever.

 

Yet to be honest, I do not live in an entirely cell-phone free environment. My wife has one of the wicked devices snoozing by her bedside each night.

I can borrow it whenever I want which to my way of thinking would be like borrowing a live grenade. Why would I ever do that?

 

For I deem such contraptions to be an affront to my senses. And while I know the entire world is now engrossed and dependent on mobile phones, I am betting that nowhere is that addiction as rabid as in gizmo-manic Japan.

Step out any Japanese door and one will see what dots each and every street in this nation, People.

Yet now these flowing minions are highlighted by genuine walkie-talkies, fast-moving individuals who yackety-yak while they stride blindly forward.\”What was that crash?\”Screams a squeaky cellular friend.\”Oh, that I walked into a bus. But no matter. I can still hear you. Keep talking!\”

 

Or glance in any train car and one finds many passengers no longer absorbed in books and newspapers. Rather they sit transfixed as they flick their cell phones open and closed, as if their focus were drawn by some ghostly inner voice the hauntingly commands, \”If you watch it, they will call.\”

 

Or stake out any university classroom. When the bell rings and the students come pouring out, each will in turn flip open, not unlike Roman foot soldiers unsheathing their blades for combat.\”We came, \”goes the motto, \”we saw, we telephoned.\”

 

Of course the sounds are as bad as the sights. It\’s jarring enough when the stranger besides you suddenly begins to blob and babble into thin air-\”Hey, Taro! How\’s life? Me, Well, I\’m walking next to some runty foreigner and we just passed some gal lying under a bus\”-but at times the content too can be riveting.

 

A la\”: \”Listen! I don\’t care what your brother called you; you let him out of the closet now!\” From nowhere comes a loud tune.

Everyone plays tag with their eyes and then all recognize the song at the very same instant. It\’s the enchanting theme to \”Popeye.\”

No less than three people tear into their bags after their phones, only one of which is piping out the music.

 

While that person answers, the other two ponder some other cool song to use as a ring program. Odds are they will again pick the very same thing, this time perhaps the classic notes of \”Camp town Races.\”A more recent feature has been added and built into many phones.

Now when I nap on the train, I worry over how many Japanese have just taken my picture and have just e-mailed a secret shot of the snoring \”gaijin\”=foreigner with his mouth wide open.

 

Embarrassing, I admit but I\’ve done the same thing with my nose hair clippers. That\’s one reason I prefer my rubber fish; it\’s far more user friendly. As for the talking bottle opener, I fear Homer Simpson may be affecting my brain worse than phone radiation.\”You know,\” my wife says, \”this phone technology will not disappear. You\’ll just have to get used to it someday.\”She says I should have a cellular phone; they\’re very useful in an emergency.

\”I said to her I don\’t expect any emergencies at this time and besides, you have one if needed, No thank you.\”

So? I have to die someday too. And I prefer to meet that day with dignity. Which-to my way of thinking-means living my life without a cellular phone and free of all the interruptions in my daily routine?

 

Warm Regards from Kitakyushu City, Japan

Hank F. Miller Jr

Related: When East meets West

By Albert Countryman Jr.

 The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) presented five different alternatives for PATCO grade or light rail passenger trains coming through town at last week\’s Gloucester City Business Association (GCBA) meeting.

DRPA Chief Executive Officer John J Matheussen personally spoke to the group at Cap\’s Restaurant, and stressed the importance of the project, especially considering the rush hour traffic tie-ups on Route 676, Route 42 and Route 55.

Options include a PATCO grade railroad line, which would either go above or below ground, or light rail, which would run at ground level.

The new rail line would run from Philadelphia to Camden to either Williamstown or Glassboro.

There would be a hub station at Morgan Boulevard, said Matheussen, the former Republican state senator from Washington Township, who was a driving force in bringing the USS New Jersey to the Camden waterfront instead of it going to Bayonne.

Several of the options would use the Conrail right-of-way through Gloucester City and Brooklawn, and if it was light rail several existing railroad crossings would be closed.

If it was a PATCO grade line (high speed), then it would be built underground or overhead along the right-of-way.

Other PATCO grade options include going along Route 676, 42 and along Route 55.

Mayor William James asked how long the project would take, and the answer was at best seven to eight years, but \”probably closer to 10 years.\”

Mayor James expressed concern about the frequent trains causing ties ups for people trying to get from one side of Gloucester City to the other, and was upset by the way Conrail has done a \”poor job\” maintaining the right-of-way.

Matheussen assured him the PATCO and the DRPA would take much better care of the right-of-way.

Anyone with questions can call the DRPA at 968-2444.

 

 

Row

By Lyle Fulton 

Ewing, NJ… The College of New Jersey women’s basketball program received a pair of honors as junior Hillary Klimowicz (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) was named as a finalist for All-America honors, while head coach Dawn Henderson was tabbed as the regional coach of the year.

Klimowicz was one of five players from Region 3 named to the ballot for the 2008 State Farm Coaches’ All-America Basketball Team for the Women’s Coaches Basketball Coaches Association for Division III. There are eight different regions and the 40 finalists, who are voted upon by WBCA member coaches in each of the eight WBCA award regions, are now in the running for selection to the 10-member State Farm Coaches\’ All-America Team.

The State Farm Coaches\’ All-America Basketball Team will be announced at the NCAA Division III Women\’s Basketball Banquet on Thursday, March 20, at Hope College in Holland, Mich.

Henderson was tabbed as 2008 Russell Athletic/WBCA Region 3 Coach of the Year after guiding the Lions to a 22-7 season. TCNJ won the New Jersey Athletic Conference South Division with an 11-2 conference mark and advanced to the conference championship game. The team then earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championship and moved into the second round of the tournament.

The veteran coach was previously tabbed as the 2008 NJAC Coach of the Year and boasts a career record of 334-164.

Klimowicz has reeled in numerous conference honors as she was selected as the 2008 NJAC Player of the Year and a First Team All-NJAC honoree.

The center had a banner season leading the team in a host of categories. She was the team’s top scorer and rebounder averaging 16.9 points and 11.0 boards. Those numbers rank her second and third, respectively, in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. She also leads the conference in field goal percentage hitting on 64.4 percent of her shots (206-for-320) and blocked shots per game at 4.10 per contest. Those numbers rank second and fourth nationally.

Klimowicz has received a host of other honors this season, including being named the NJAC Player of the Week seven times and ECAC Metro Player of the Week twice. She was named the most valuable player of the Gwynedd-Mercy College Classic and earned a spot on the Marymount University Tip-Off Classic All-Tournament Team. She recorded 20 double-doubles this season and scored in double figures in 27 of 29 games.

Klimowicz was previously recognized for her effort in the classroom as she earned CoSIDA’s ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II College Division honors. She was named All-District II Third Team as a psychology major and boasts a grade-point-average of 3.318.

Klimowicz was a 2006-07 All-NJAC First Team selection after joining the Lions from NCAA Division I St. Joseph’s University where she was selected the 2005-06 Atlantic 10 and Big Five Rookie of the Year.

-30-

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 98

WHEREAS, United States Army Corporal Steven R. Koch, of Milltown, New Jersey, enlisted in the Army in March 2006; and

WHEREAS, Corporal Koch was a highly dedicated paratrooper; and

WHEREAS, Corporal Koch was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, Corporal Koch was a dedicated soldier as well as a loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend, whose memory lives in the hearts of his family and fellow soldiers; and

WHEREAS, Corporal Koch died in Afghanistan from wounds suffered in combat operations while serving as a member of the United States Army; and

WHEREAS, Corporal Koch has received some of our nation’s highest military honors, including the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Parachutist’s Badge; and

WHEREAS, Corporal Koch’s love for his family and friends, his patriotism and dedicated service to his country and his fellow soldiers make it appropriate and fitting for the State of New Jersey to mourn and remember him, to mark his passing, and to honor his memory;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JON S. CORZINE, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

The flag of the United States of America and the flag of New Jersey shall be flown at half-staff at all State departments, offices, agencies, and instrumentalities during appropriate hours on Thursday, March 13, 2008, in recognition and mourning for a son of New Jersey and a brave and loyal American, United States Army Corporal Steven R. Koch.

This Order shall take effect immediately.

Source: New Jersey Governor

STOCKTON OSPREYS UPDATE

(March 7) The Stockton men’s basketball team outlasted Immaculata 84-75 in overtime before a raucous Sports Center crowd of 907 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. For the third consecutive game, the Ospreys won despite trailing in the final minute of regulation. Jon Greene (Wildwood/Wildwood) led Stockton with a career-high 29 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Mario Lancioni (Runnemede/ Triton) scored 18 points and Omar Smith (Newark/Central) tossed in 11 points.
The Ospreys trailed 68-64 with 2:34 remaining in the second half before a three-point play by Smith pulled Stockton within one. After two Immaculata free throws, Santini Lancioni (Runnemede/Paul VI) swished a three-pointer to tie the game at 70 with 54 seconds on the clock and both teams missed their final shots in regulation.
Greene opened the scoring in overtime with a layup and Smith followed with two free throws for a 74-70 lead. Immaculata closed the gap to two points twice in the next 1:23, but layups first by Jerome Hubbard (Neptune/Neptune) and then by Greene increased Stockton’s lead each time and the Ospreys went 5-8 at the line in the final minute to seal the 84-75 win.
Greene scored 17 first-half points to propel Stockton to a 31-30 lead at halftime despite 0-7 three-point shooting by the Ospreys. Stockton opened up a 59-50 lead after a basket by Kevin Brown (Neptune/Neptune) with 7:06 on the second-half clock, but Immaculata rallied with an 18-5 run to pull ahead 68-64 before Stockton’s late-game heroics forced overtime and led to its sixth consecutive victory.
(March 8) Jerome Hubbard scored a game-high 24 points to propel Stockton to a 78-70 victory over Rhode Island College in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. With the victory, Stockton advanced to the NCAA Tournament sectionals (round of 16) at Plattsburgh State (NY) on March 14-15. Kevin Brown tallied a career-high 16 points and Mario Lancioni netted 11 points for Stockton.
After eight lead changes in the first 11 minutes, Stockton began to take control of the game. Hubbard scored five points and Lancioni added four during a 16-4 run that gave the Ospreys a 30-20 lead. Hubbard later tallied the final four points of the first half on a layup and two free throws to give Stockton a 36-23 lead at intermission. Rhode Island College shot just 29.6 percent from the field in the period.
In the second half, the Ospreys led by double digits until the final 18 seconds of the game. After Rhode Island pulled within 39-29, Hubbard sank a three-pointer that ignited a 7-0 spurt for a 46-29 advantage. Stockton’s lead peaked at 24 points, 60-36, on a three-pointer by Fran Kelly (Wildwood/Wildwood Catholic) with 9:54 remaining, and Stockton rolled to its seventh consecutive win. The Ospreys advanced to the NCAA sectionals for the first time since their last NCAA berth in 1999.
(March 10) Jon Greene was named the NJAC Player of the Week for the second time this season and third time in his career. Greene averaged 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 52.4 percent from the field in Stockton’s two NCAA Tournament wins last week.

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
BASEBALL: Matt Allen (Salem/Woodstown) went 4-6 for the week including a team-high three hits and three RBI in Stockton’s 12-9 win over Centenary.
MEN’S BASKETBALL: Jon Greene (Wildwood/Wildwood) averaged 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in Stockton’s two NCAA Division III tournament wins and was named the NJAC Player of the Week.
LACROSSE: Kyle Hausmann (Folsom/St. Joseph) tallied a team-high three goals and scooped two ground balls in Stockton’s 19-10 loss to York.
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD: Tony DeFeo (Mays Landing/Oakcrest) placed fifth in the pole vault at the ECAC Championships where he cleared 4.55 meters. DeFeo cleared the same height as second, third, and fourth place finishers but ended up fifth out of 22 competitors due to a tiebreaker.
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD: Lisa Shepherd (Mays Landing/Oakcrest) competed in the high jump at the ECAC Championships where she cleared 1.61 meters which tied for sixth out of 20 competitors.

LATEST RESULTS

Men’s Basketball (22-6, 10-3 NJAC)
NCAA Tournament:
Stockton 84, Immaculata 75 (OT)
Stockton 78, Rhode Island College 70

Baseball (3-1, 0-0 NJAC)
Stockton 12, Centenary 9
Haverford 2, Stockton 1

Lacrosse (0-2, 0-0 Skyline)
York 19, Stockton 10

Track & Field
Women tied-43rd, Men tied-48th at
ECAC Championships

UPCOMING EVENTS (Home opponents in CAPS)

Tuesday, March 11
Baseball vs. DELAWARE VALLEY 3:30 pm

Wednesday, March 12
Lacrosse vs. CATHOLIC 3:30 pm

Thursday, March 13
Baseball @ Philadelphia Biblical 3 pm

Friday, March 14
Men’s Basketball vs. Amherst 5:30 pm
(NCAA Tournament @ Plattsburgh State)
Track & Field @ NCAA Championships (Ohio Northern)

Saturday, March 15
Track & Field @ NCAA Championships (Ohio Northern)
Women’s Tennis @ Villa Julie 12 pm
Baseball vs. Old Westbury (DH) 12:30 pm
(at Cocoa Beach)
Lacrosse @ Alvernia 1 pm
Men’s Basketball – NCAA Tournament 7 pm
(@ Plattsburgh State – if necessary)

Sunday, March 16
Baseball vs. Norwich (DH) 9 am
(at Cocoa Beach)
Softball vs. St.Lawrence/Albright 9/11 am
(at Fort Myers)

Stockton Athletics Home

source http://www.nbc10.com

They\’ve had to make emergency repairs, including a new roof and new wiring, and have had to add indoor and outdoor kennels, to meet new state guidelines.All of the repairs added up to $100,000 and the shelter is now out of money.Three employees have been laid off and the center\’s hours have been cut.The Animal Adoption Center is the only no-kill shelter in South Jersey.
read more