Ewing, NJ…The College of New Jersey\’s men\’s and women\’s swimming and diving teams hosted Ramapo College in the final dual meet of the season. Both TCNJ squads came away with impressive wins as TCNJ\’s women\’s squad won 117-73 and the Lions men posted a 103-69 victory. TCNJ\’s women\’s team is now 4-7 overall, while the Ramapo women drop to 2-7. TCNJ\’s men\’s team improves to 7-3 overall, while the Ramapo men fall to 2-5.

Women\’s Highlights
The Lions posted a sweep of the 200 medley relay as they took first through fourth place in the event. Winning the race for the Lions were the foursome of senior Christine Marino (Scotch Plains, NJ/Mt. St. Mary\’s Academy), senior Lauren Pfeifer (Freehold, NJ/Red Bank Catholic), senior Ava Kiss (North Brunswick, NJ/Stuart Country Day) and Kristin Udicious (Cherry Hill, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) in 1:55.17. The Lions also won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:47.71 as Kiss, freshman Jennifer Rashti (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West), senior Meghan Moore (Randolph, NJ/Randolph), and Marino teamed up.
Freshman Jennifer Rashti (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) took first in the 1000 freestyle in 11:22.33, while TCNJ\’s rookie Margaret Molloy (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) won the 200 freestyle in 1:57.43, while Kiss finished in second place in 1:59.00. Molloy won the 200 backstroke in 2:19.54. Marino added a second in the 200 breaststroke in 2:40.73 for the Lions.
TCNJ\’s junior Emily Reichard (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) won 100 backstroke in 1:05.35, while Pfeifer added a second place showing in 1:06.79.
Junior Brittany Collyer (Forked River, NJ/Lacey Township) won the 100 breaststroke in 1:13.01. The Lions added another first place finish as freshman Kristen Prentice (Skillman, NJ/Montgomery) posted a time of 2:21.41, while junior Sara Casciano (Hewitt, NJ/Immaculate Heart Academy) took second in 2:28.39.
Udicious won the 50 freestyle in 26.13, while sophomore Stephanie Seto (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) picked up second in 26.19. Seto also won the 200 individual medley in 2:17.39, while
Freshman Katie Zavoda (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) was the winner of the 100 freestyle race with her time of 56.02, while senior Caitlin Elmendorf (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) won the 100 butterfly in 1:04.85.

Men\’s Highlights
Junior Mike Molloy (Toms River, N/Toms River East) added three first place finishes as the meet. He took first in the 200 backstroke in 2:00.61, the 200 freestyle in 1:49.01, and the 100 freestyle in 48.83.
TCNJ added a first in the 200 medley relay in 1:40.15 and the 200 freestyle relay in 1:28.54. Swimming on the winning medley relay for the Lions was freshman Joe Tseng (East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park), junior Ted Yoa (Ocean City, NJ/St. Augustine), sophomore Herman Chu (Long Valley, NJ/West Morris Central), and senior Jonaid Lone (Leonia, NJ/Don Bosco Prep). Combining on the freestyle relay were senior Josh Forsman (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial), senior Liam Gallagher (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan), Lone, and senior Kevin Oliver (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North).
Junior Thomas Nawrot (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) won the 1000 freestyle in 10:56.89 and the 50 freestyle in 21.84. Junior Mike Molloy (Toms River, N/Toms River East) added a first in the 200 freestyle in 1:45.20. Senior John Altobelli (Northfield, NJ/Mainland Regional) won the 100 backstroke in 58.55, while sophomore Eric Rohrs (Congers, NY/Clarkstown High North) won the 100 breaststroke in 10:00.78 and the 200 breaststroke in 2:14.85.
Freshman Tim Rauch (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) added an impressive time in the 200 butterfly in 2:00.89, while freshman Andrew Hessler (Palmyra, NJ/Palmyra) was next in 2:04.57 and senior R.T. Greeby (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley) was third in 2:04.77 to help the Lions sweep the event.
Lone added a first for the Lions in the 500 freestyle in 4:56.68, while Gallagher added a first in the 100 butterfly in 54.31. Forsman added a first in the 200 individual medley in 2:03.52 to help the Lions dominate the meet.

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Ewing, NJ… The College of New Jersey women’s basketball player Hillary Klimowicz (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) was honored for her efforts both on the hardwood and in the classroom as she earned CoSIDA’s ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II College Division honors.

Klimowicz, who was named All-District II Third Team, is a psychology major and boasts a grade-point-average of 3.318.

On the court, the junior center is having a banner season as she leads the team in a host of categories. She is the team’s top scorer and rebounder averaging 16.1 points and 11.3 boards. Those numbers ranks her second and third, respectively, in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. She also leads the conference in field goal percentage hitting on 63.6 percent of her shots (136-of-214) and blocked shots per game at 4.15 and both of those numbers rank fourth nationally.

So far this season, Klimowicz has received various honors including being named the NJAC Player of the Week five 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 has recorded 16 double-doubles in 20 games this season and has scored in double figures in each game but one.

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.

The Lions are currently 15-5 on the season and are 6-2 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference placing them second in the South Division. TCNJ’s next game is slated for Saturday, February 9 at Ramapo College.

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Ewing, NJ…On Wednesday, February 13

The College of New Jersey women’s basketball team will sponsor a \”Think Pink Night\” in conjunction with the Lions’ home basketball game with nationally ranked Kean University. \”Think Pink\” is a unified effort created by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) to raise breast cancer awareness across campuses and communities worldwide. This year, over 670 organizations nationwide are participating in the program.

Pink t-shirts will be on sale for $10 during the women’s home game on February 13. All fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game and make donations in lieu of an admission charge.

The fan wearing the most pink gear will win a prize.

There will be raffles and pledges at \”Think Pink Day\” during the game. In lieu of an admission charge, TCNJ is asking for a $2 donation to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Fund. Pink t-shirts will be sold with all proceeds supporting Susan B. Komen Race For the Cure.

Boston, MA… The College of New Jersey women\’s indoor track and field team earned a pair of NCAA qualifying times and host of ECAC standards as the Lions competed at the Valentine Invitational hosted by Boston University on Friday.

TCNJ is currently ranked in USTFCCA Division III Coaches Power Rankings poll as the Lions are slotted in the 19th position.

Junior Stephanie Herrick (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) finished second in the 800 meters as the returning All-American boasted a NCAA automatic time of 2:11.78. Classmate Martine McGrath (West Long Branch, NJ/Shore Regional) earned a NCAA Provisional mark in the 5,000 meters as the junior finished fourth with a clocking of 17:28.77.

Junior Kristen Tricocci (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) advanced to the finals in the long jump and placed in the top 10 as she had an ECAC worthy leap of 5.34 meters.

In the 500 meters, the Lions had a pair of runner earn ECAC time as Jianna Spadaccini (Butler, NJ/Butler) had a time of 1:19.65 and Meghan Miller (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) finished in 1:21.78.

Senior Jessica Bonelli (Sewell, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) finished the 400 meters in 59.31 seconds, while freshman Meryl Wimberly (Farmingdale, NJ/Colts Neck) had a time of 2:19.59 in the 800 meters as both runners met ECAC standards.

In the weight throw, sophomore Ashley Krauss (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) had an ECAC toss of 13.07 meters.

The final ECAC standard for TCNJ came in the 4×400 relay as Tricocci, Bonelli, Spadaccini, and Miller combined for a time of 4:00.96.

Men\’s distance medley relay hits provisional mark…
TCNJ\’s men\’s distance medley relay team was also in action at the Valentine Invitational and the Lion squad made the most of their chance picking up a NCAA provisional time. The team of freshman Dennie Waite (Little Silver, NJ/Red Bank Regional), sophomore DeShard Stevens (Jersey City, NJ/James T. Ferris), senior Josh Krowicki (Hilltop, NJ/Triton) and senior Galen Johnson (South Plainfield, JN/South Plainfield) finished with a time of 10:06.52.

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Thursday afternoon demolition crews were securing the properties at 414 Haakon Road and 412 Haakon Road, Brooklawn. No serious injuries were reported. The home at 414 Haakon Road is gutted ; the second home has extensive damage.

The family living at 414 Haakon, a husband and wife and their 4-year-old, was evacuated because of the fire, said Camy Trinidad, executive director of the American Red Cross of Camden County. The Red Cross put the family in a hotel and gave them vouchers, she said.

The family who lived in the other home was out of the country, Trinidad said, and the Red Cross is trying to find a way to contact them.  

PhillyFireNews.com gave the following report: FM-51 arrived to find a two story dwelling with heavy fire 1st floor and extending to the second Floor.

3440 advised all hands were in service and the fire had extended to the D delta exposure and was now threw the roof of the original fire building. Requested the 2nd alarm struck and went to defensive operations.

Command reported they had numerous lines in service as well as Ladder 33 and Ladder 73\’s main along with Squirt 32 with the bulk of the fire knocked down in the original fire building and they had heavy smoke from the attic of the D exposure.

Requested an additional Engine (Chews Landing 821) and ladder (Gloucester City Quint 51) above the 2nd alarm. Used all hands.

see photos of Fire 

source http://www.app.com

Results in the Abbott districts aren\’t improving, according to David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center.

\”We were making progress up until 2004, and for the last two years they\’ve either gone down and this year they\’re pretty much flat,\” said Sciarra, adding it is troubling in that the new school funding formula limits the aid increases the state\’s poorest districts have received in the past.

Willa Spicer, a deputy education commissioner, said the new funding formula won\’t hinder the progress of past years in the Abbott districts.

read more

Related: Test results release

Ewing, NJ…The College of New Jersey men’s basketball team hosted the Ducks of Stevens Institute of Technology on Wednesday night in non-conference play. Ranked No. 22 in Division III, Stevens posted a 63-52 win to improve to 18-3 overall, while the Lions drops to 6-14 overall.

TCNJ’s junior guard Jeff Molinelli (Pennington, NJ/Hopewell Valley) poured in a career-high 24 points, including 16 in the second half, but it was not enough as his team was unable to get past the visiting Ducks. The 24 points surpassed his previous best of 20 points in a win over Huntingdon College (11/26/06).

Stevens got 12 points from senior forward Ted Williams (Selden, NY/Newfield) as he added a double-double off the bench with a game-high 10 rebounds. Junior guard Virgil Gray (Elmwood Park, NJ/Bergen Catholic) chipped in 11 points with six rebounds.

Stevens held a 25-20 lead at the break as both teams struggled shooting less than 30.0% from the floor. Stevens hit 28.0% of its shots (7-25), while TCNJ was held to a 25.0% effort on 8-of-32 shooting. Senior guard Waleed Farid (Woodside, NY/Stuyvesant) led the Ducks with his seven points and hit 3-of-4 from the line while junior guard Anthony Passalacqua (Staten Island, NY/Susan E. Wagner) added six points and was 2-for-2 from three-point range. Farid and Passalacqua both finished with nine points, while sophomore guard George Greco (Rockville Centre, NY/Oceanside) also netted nine points with five assists. Farid added six assists with two steals as Stevens finished with a 49-33 edge on the boards and held TCNJ to a 30.6% effort from the floor (19-62).

TCNJ’s Molinelli had eight first half points and finished the night making 10-of-16 shots from the floor. Senior forward Mark Aziz (Hackettstown, NJ/West Morris Central) added 11 points on the night with seven in the first half and added a team-high eight rebounds, Senior Jeff Warner (Jackson, NJ/Jackson) added six defensive boards for TCNJ in the half and finished with seven caroms on the game with seven points.

TCNJ returns to action on Saturday, February 9at Ramapo College in a 3:00 p.m. NJAC match-up, while Stevens travels to Hartwick College for an Empire 8 contest on February 10 at 4:00 p.m.

Age 53. Passed Away on February 3, 2008 at Gloucester Manor Nursing Home in Sewell after battling a series of illnesses. Born in Camden, he resided for a long time in the Gloucester County area where he was in the food delivery business and worked for the former Penn Pizza in Woodbury. He was a United States Marine who served during Vietnam, who loved animals and riding motorcycles. Walter is survived by his longtime and loving companion, Kathy Hatfield of Sewell, his sister Elaine (Chris) Antzakas of Deptford and three nieces; Tina Storms, Michelle McGuire and Brenda Reeves and other children that he helped raise during his lifetime. At the request of his family, cremation is private. Methodist Service, U.S. Marine Corps Military Honors and Inurnment will be Saturday at 11 am at the Gloucester County Veterans Cemetery: 240 South Tuckahoe Road, Monroe Township, NJ 08094. Please meet at the Information Center.

Family request memorial donations in Walter\’s memory to the Voorhees Animal Orphanage: P.O. Box 1363, Voorhees, NJ 08043. Please write in the memo: Walter Lee Pope. Expressions of sympathy can be e-mailed to the family through our funeral home website www.mccannhealey.com under online obituaries of Walter Lee Pope. Funeral Arrangements and Inquiries may be made through: McCANN-HEALEY FUNERAL HOME: 851 Monmouth Street, (at Brown Street) Gloucester City, NJ. Phone: 856-456-1142.

Victoria D. Koenig, (nee Forsman) of Gloucester Manor Nursing Center, Sewell, formerly of West Deptford and Gloucester City went home to be with the Lord on February 2, 2008 while peacefully in her sleep at the age of 96.

Devoted wife of the late Matthew C. Koenig. Beloved mother of June Headley (Andy) and Victoria Campisi (Fred). Survived by dear sister Madeline Wassman. She was also predeceased by her sister Francis Holdcraft and brothers Charles, Swanee, Reinard and John Forsman.

Loving grandmother of Debbie Thompson (Jim), Cindy Ellison (Alan), Teri Sykes (Jon), Frederick Campisi (Jennifer), Matthew Campisi and Victoria Burbage (Kevin). Great Grandmother of Matthew, Jaimie, Josh, Mark, Corinne, Madeline Shea, Ethan, Ryan, Gianna, Nathan and Liam. Great Grandmother of Owen. Also survived by numerous loving nephews and nieces.

Friends may call Thursday 10 to 11:15 a.m. in the BUDD FUNERAL HOME, 171 Delaware St., Woodbury, NJ 08096.

Funeral Mass Noon in St. Mary¹s Church, Monmouth St., Gloucester City, NJ.

Interment New St. Mary¹s Cemetery, Bellmawr. Memorials shared

www.buddfuneralhome.com.

Commentary By Hank F. Miller Jr.

Setsubum literly means the \”division of seasons\” and refers to the first day of spring according to the lunar calender. Setsubum falls on February 2rd or 4th. On the evening of this day, people throw roasted beans or nuts outside their homes shouting \”Oniwa-soto, Fukuwa-uchi,\” which means\” Out with demons! In with good luck!\”

It is also customary for people to eat the same number of beans as their age and to offer a prayer for good fortune at home. This practice is said to have originated in the 24th or 15th century.

The bean- throwing ceremony also takes place in the shrine. Well-known personalities, such as politicians, sumo wrestlers and actors, are invited to the ceremony as special guests to throw good luck beans for all of those present.

The special guests are chosen from among those born under the Chinese and Japanese zodiac sign for that year.

Warm Regards from Kitakyushu City, Japan.

Hank F. Miller Jr