This Penn heart patient is a 9-year-old boxer dog named Sophie

Cardiology resident Alexandra Crooks and cardiologist Anna Gelzer of Penn Vet headed up care for 9-year-old Sophie, the beloved pet of Karen Cortellino, pictured here with her son Alex Peña. Not long after the ablation procedure, Cortellino says the boxer was “back to her perky self.”

For Karen Cortellino, her 9-year-old dog Sophie is more than just a companion.

“There’s this bumper sticker that says, ‘Rescue dogs: Who rescued who?’” says Cortellino, a physician from New Jersey. “That’s exactly how I feel.” Eight years ago, she adopted Sophie, a boxer, two weeks after the death of the family’s first boxer, and “she’s been Mommy’s baby ever since.”

A few months ago, however, Sophie’s star rose even higher: She became the first dog with a particular type of heart disease—arrhythmogenic right ventricle cardiomyopathy (ARVC)—to be treated with cardiac ablation.

Anna Gelzer

, a cardiologist in Penn’s

School of Veterinary Medicine

, led Sophie through the procedure, together with cardiology resident Alexandra Crooks. But the equipment and expertise to perform an ablation, in which a high energy catheter tip burns tiny portions of damaged heart tissue to restore normal rhythms, wouldn’t have been possible without collaborators from just down the street. At the

Perelman School of Medicine

’s

Translational Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratory

, Director

Cory Tschabrunn

and members of his team worked hand-in-hand with their veterinary colleagues to plan out and provide Sophie a procedure that mirrors the best that human medicine has to offer.

“This collaboration and this close distance between our hospitals allows us to be able to utilize the tremendous access to all this knowledge,” says Gelzer. “And from our experience with Sophie and other dogs to come, we may able to glean information that will be valuable to human medicine. It’s the best of both worlds.”

For Gelzer and Crooks, Sophie is a pilot case for a study now backed by two grants that will support cardiac mapping and ablation procedures for six additional dogs. Currently, cardiac ablation is only available for pet dogs in two other sites in the world, one in Italy and one in Ohio. Sophie’s case puts Penn Vet on the map. While the equipment necessary to perform ablations is costly, access to Penn Medicine’s translational electrophysiology lab has opened the possibility that Penn Vet may one day be able to provide committed dog owners a more durable alternative to medication for treating their pets’ arrhythmias.

A scary spell

ARVC is not an uncommon diagnosis in boxers. Some studies estimate as much as a quarter of the breed may have the inherited disease, which is also prevalent in American bulldogs. But Sophie’s heart was not top of mind in early July, when she had surgery to repair a torn ligament in her left knee. Two weeks later, Cortellino took her for a follow-up visit at their local veterinary hospital to have her stitches removed.

Sophie’s diagnosis of ARVC meant she could suffer a life-threatening arrhythmia, despite starting medications to reduce that risk.

“Everything was great and literally we were just about walking out the door when Sophie collapsed,” Cortellino says.

Sophie received emergency care, was transferred to another veterinary facility with a cardiac department, and was soon diagnosed with ARVC. A strikingly similar condition affects roughly 1 in 1,000 humans. In both dogs and humans, the disease, which doesn’t manifest until adulthood, causes a deterioration of the tissues in the heart muscle, leading to occasional episodes when the heart beats very fast.

The condition increases the risk of sudden death. While drugs like beta blockers and sodium channel blockers can mitigate this risk, arrhythmias can sometimes break through these medications.

“It was kind of a somber picture when she was diagnosed,” Cortellino says. “She could have a fatal arrhythmia at any time: today, next month, next year, three years from now.”

Cortellino, capitalizing on her medical training, began researching alternative treatment options. In humans with a diagnosis similar to Sophie’s, the treatment of choice is an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD). But, as Gelzer explained to Cortellino when she reached out about this possibility, that option is not yet tenable for dogs.

“ICDs are designed to recognize human arrhythmias,” Gelzer says. “But they’re not able to distinguish the normal variation in heart rate that a dog is capable of from a life-threatening arrhythmia.”

An affectionate dog awaiting its owners’ return home for work, for example, might get so excited upon hearing a key turn in the door that its heart rate could jump from 40 to 200 beats per minute within the space of a few heartbeats. If that dog was outfitted with an ICD, the device might interpret the rate change as an arrhythmia and misfire, triggering a painful and possibly traumatic shock.

But Gelzer did have an alternative proposal for Cortellino, one that could address the underlying cause of Sophie’s heart condition. The only catch was that it had never been done in a dog with ARVC before.

Ideal expertise

When Cortellino emailed Gelzer, the timing was good. Gelzer had been thinking about options for curing cases like Sophie’s for many years. And she had the right kind of expertise to be considering that possibility.

In 2000, when Gelzer was a junior faculty member at Penn Vet, she worked with

David Callans

, an expert on cardiac electrophysiology at the School of Medicine. At the time, they collaborated on basic cardiac research, using pig models. Gelzer remembers wishing they could apply the technique of ablations to dogs, which develop heart conditions similar to humans.

Fast forward 15 years, after time away from Penn Vet in positions at Cornell and University of Liverpool, Gelzer returned and reconnected with Callans. His old basic research lab was no longer operating, but Gelzer continued to reach out to him for consultations from time to time, or attended rounds for human patients in his group.

Roughly a year ago, when discussing one of Gelzer’s cases, Callans connected her with Tschabrunn, who had recently set up his lab in Penn Medicine’s

Smilow Center for Translational Research

as part of the recently established Electrophysiology Translational Center of Excellence (EP-TCE) initiative, led by

Francis Marchlinski

, director of cardiac electrophysiology for Penn Medicine. Marchlinski and the Penn EP team have been pioneers in the evaluation and treatment of patients with inherited arrhythmia disorders like ARVC.

Tschabrunn’s primary research interests focus on the development of clinically relevant translational research models to elucidate the underlying pathophysiology and mechanisms of complex arrhythmias and the creation of new diagnostic and therapeutic technologies for treating cardiovascular diseases. He also performs, in close collaboration with Marchlinski and with support from the Winkelman Family Fund in Cardiovascular Innovation, clinical research in human patients with ARVC.

As such, Tschabrunn responded with enthusiasm upon hearing of Gelzer’s interest in pursuing ablations in dogs, particularly those with ARVC. The two struck up a collaboration that brought together the latest in technique and technology in cardiac electrophysiology with deep knowledge in veterinary cardiology.

“This was an exciting opportunity not only in terms of a research collaboration,” says Tschabrunn, “but we also had the chance to help a patient by combining our expertise and resources that are really only available at just a few institutions in the world.”

Not a bandage

Ablations are “routine care” for many cases of arrhythmias in people. “You approach the heart through the blood vessel, get in the right spot, and—with all the expertise and knowledge of the practitioner—you can find the damaged area and burn it,” says Gelzer. “And then maybe the patient doesn’t need to be on medications that can have side effects and are in some cases not that effective.”

Gelzer saw Sophie, a healthy dog aside from her heart condition, as an excellent candidate for an ablation. Cortellino, while a bit nervous about putting her beloved dog into uncharted medical territory, was comforted by Gelzer’s and Crooks’s clear expertise, their warm manner with Sophie, and their openness and honesty about the procedure’s upsides—and possible risks.

“I was a little nervous—a lot nervous—but we thought to ourselves, really, what’s our alternative?” Cortellino says. “As my son said, ‘Look Mom, at the very least, Sophie is contributing to the possible welfare of other dogs.’ So there was a small element of altruism in putting Sophie through this, in addition to hoping for a more definitive treatment for her condition.”

Before the surgery, the veterinarians gathered data on the patterns of Sophie’s arrhythmias using a device called a Reveal LINQ, implanted just beneath her skin. The LINQ—which is also used in humans—records a continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) as a loop recorder, storing abnormal rhythm strips for up to three years, giving clinicians a more complete picture of abnormal heart activity than a quick office visit ECG. That information was used during the procedure to zero in on the correct area of the heart to target with the ablation.

Performing the mapping of Sophie’s heart and the ablation procedure was a team effort, involving experts from both Penn Vet and the Perelman School of Medicine. “I think the openness and enthusiasm for this type of multidisciplinary collaboration is a major strength of this University,” says Cory Tschabrunn (to right of Sophie, with black glasses around neck), who directs the translational electrophysiology lab where it happened.

The morning of the procedure, Gelzer used her own car to drive Sophie the short distance from Penn Vet’s

Ryan Hospital

to the Smilow Center. When she brought the dog up to the lab, a full complement of experts awaited her: not only Crooks, Tschabrunn and his team, and

Giacomo Gianotti

, head of anesthesia at Ryan, but also two anesthesia residents, Penn Vet’s two other cardiology faculty, Marc Kraus and Mark Oyama, two other cardiology residents, a cardiology research intern, experts on the machines that were used in the procedure, veterinary nurses, and interested observers.

“The number of people we had in one room for one patient, it blows my mind,” says Gianotti. “Everyone had a specific role, and it took a lot of training and cooperation to get there.”

The procedure was long and complex, taking place in different stages. First, to locate the areas of unhealthy heart tissue that had been indicated by the ECG, the clinicians used an advanced mapping system based on GPS technology called CARTO.

“You put a patch on the bottom and top of the dog,” Gelzer says. “You then use those as your points of orientation as you advance the catheter and create a map of the inside of the heart. It’s great because you don’t have to use fluoroscopy, so nobody is exposed to X-rays.”

The technology Tschabrunn and Gelzer and colleagues used during the procedure mirrors that employed during a human intervention. At right, a map of Sophie’s heart guided the clinicians in making tiny burns to eliminate damaged heart tissue.

The CARTO system maps the voltage of the heart tissue, a technique pioneered by Marchlinski and Callans nearly two decades ago and a continued area of Tschabrunn\’s research focus today in both the translational and clinical PE laboratories. Decreased voltage corresponds with diseased tissue. They confirmed these areas by artificially introducing extra heart beats into Sophie’s normal rhythm. But Sophie’s heart resisted these challenges, a sign that her disease was being kept in check by her medications.

The heart mapping and challenges did, however, allow the clinicians to reproduce the abnormal beats that they had seen on the ECG, giving them more evidence that they were targeting the right areas for ablation. Guided by that information, Tschabrunn used precisely directed radiofrequency to burn millimeter-sized portions of the tissue inside Sophie’s right ventricle, one of the lower chambers of the heart.

Throughout the several-hours-long procedure, Gelzer and Crooks sent texts with updates to Cortellino. “While it was nerve-wracking, I really felt that Sophie was in good hands,” she says.

And all went smoothly. “Sophie did amazing,” Gelzer says. “After we were done, we pulled the catheter out, she rested, and then went home the next day.”

Paving the way

Gelzer and Tschabrunn recently performed another ablation on a canine patient, and they are hopeful that the outcomes from the study will lay the groundwork for ablation to become a more routine option for dogs and their owners.

“My long-term hope for Penn Vet is that any arrhythmia that is potentially ablatable, we will be able to offer ablation therapy,” she says. “It’s not going to be the right option for every owner or dog, but with the right case, the right circumstance, it’s a very promising and rewarding treatment to be able to provide.”

Members of the team on both the veterinary and medical sides share enthusiasm about the information that canine patients will be able to lend to human medicine as well. “There is a lot we can learn about cardiac disease pathology from veterinary patients like Sophie,” says Tschabrunn. “It is extremely difficult or nearly impossible to model human-like inherited cardiac diseases and complex arrhythmias in the laboratory, but similar diseases can occur naturally in dogs. This provides us a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of these diseases and develop new treatments for human and veterinarian patients alike.”

From Sophie’s case and others that follow, researchers hope to glean information that could benefit both human and veterinary patients in the future.

This type of mutually beneficial exchange highlights the value of a One Health approach to medicine, one that takes advantage of the remarkable similarities between humans and our companion animals, says

Oliver Garden

, who heads the

Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine

at Penn Vet.

“If ever there was a thrilling example of One Health in action, this is it,” says Garden. “Sophie’s case brings new heights to our department’s ethos of advanced medicine. And the work of such a transdisciplinary team, in this case involving members of our own esteemed faculty collaborating with experts at the Perelman School of Medicine, is nothing short of breathtaking.”

Tschabrunn concurs. “I think the openness and enthusiasm for this type of multi-disciplinary collaboration is a major strength of this University,” he says. “It is only possible in places like Penn, which brings together the expertise from faculty across so many diverse schools coupled with extraordinary facilities and resources all on a single campus. There’s always something incredible going on that you can be a part of.”

And Cortellino and her family are reaping the benefits: “Sophie is back to her perky self.”

Anna Gelzer is professor of cardiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

Alexandra Crooks is a resident in cardiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

Giacomo Gianotti is associate professor of clinical anesthesiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

Oliver Garden is the Henry and Corinne R. Bower Professor of Medicine and chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

Cory Tschabrunn is an instructor of medicine and director of the Translational Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

David Callans is professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Francis Marchlinksi is the Richard T. and Angela Clark President’s Distinguished Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

source https://www.vet.upenn.edu/

Reaching youth where they’re at

Written by Peter G. Sánchez/

The Diocese of Camden

As Camden Catholic’s Christian Leadership students gathered in class last month, all eyes were on Father Edward Kennedy.

The part-time Director of Catholic Identity, critiquing students’ recent promotions of their upcoming school retreats (Kairos, a Women’s Retreat, Catholic Performers, and a Catholic Athletes for Christ), explained how one retreat group could have done even better.

“Promise them donuts,” and students will come out, he said half-jokingly, as students laughed and nodded their heads.

“Come for the donuts, stay for the faith” doesn’t sound like too bad a marketing plan for attracting busy high-schoolers to events. And with the endgame being that students are drawn more closely to Jesus and further develop their spiritual life, it’s an idea suited to the work of Directors of Catholic Identity.

Established six years ago by Bishop Dennis Sullivan, the position of Director of Catholic Identity brings “pastors” into the classrooms and sporting arenas of the Diocese of Camden’s Catholic high schools. They teach the faith, lead school liturgies, encourage vocations and serve as a spiritual resource for students, faculty and staff.

Father Ramos, Director of Catholic Identity at Gloucester Catholic takes a selfie.

This school year, Camden’s priests are serving in five high schools: Father Kennedy at Camden Catholic; Father Dexter J. Nebrida at Paul VI, Haddonfield; Father Josh Nevitt at Holy Spirit, Absecon; Father Steven Pinzon at Wildwood Catholic; and Father J. Philip Ramos at Gloucester Catholic.

“Father Kennedy’s presence here helps us,” said Father Joseph P. Capella, he himself a former Director of Catholic Identity at Camden Catholic, and now serving as the school’s rector. He is also the teacher of the Christian Leadership class which Father Kennedy assisted with.

“His youth, his personality — the students relate to him. He’s a presence in the community, celebrating sacraments with the school and promoting the school’s values,” Father Capella continued.

Their ‘parishioners’ are in the classrooms, hallways and cafeteria

As a part-time Director, Father Kennedy juggles his time between Camden Catholic and his parish assignment at Saint Rose of Lima in nearby Haddon Heights. On Wednesdays and Fridays, he can be found in the school’s green and white hallways, celebrating morning Mass in the chapel for students and faculty, mentoring students in Father Capella’s class, or chatting with students in the Campus Ministry office he shares with Jennifer LaRosa, the school campus minister.

“Father Kennedy is joyful,” LaRosa said. “He’s great with the students, making sure they know he is there for them” in any conflicts they have, be it school-related or personal struggles.

Father Kennedy with Jennifer LaRosa, campus minister at Camden Catholic High School, Cherry Hill. Photo by Peter G. Sánchez

Father Kennedy, in his first year as Director, acknowledges that the students have played a huge part in making him feel welcome and part of the community.

“I’m blown away by their maturity and hunger for the faith,” he says. “These students want to know and find the truth.”

At Wildwood Catholic, Father Pinzon, Director of Catholic Identity for the past two years, sees the importance of “planting the seeds” of spirituality in his students’ lives.

“I’m a visible presence, offering them confession, attending their sports contests, plays and socials,” he says. “Presence is so important, just to be with them, and meet them where they are at.”

He also has a parish assignment at Notre Dame de la Mer, Wildwood, as parochial vicar.

“We have good kids and a good staff” at Wildwood Catholic High School, he says.

Before coming to the Diocese of Camden from the Philippines two years ago, Father J. Philip Ramos, A.M., spent every week teaching the Catholic faith in public schools. Now, the Disciple of Mary is almost finished with his first semester at Gloucester Catholic.

“I’m happy here, being present at the school three days a week,” he says of the time he is not fulfilling his responsibilities as parochial vicar at Saint Simon Stock Parish in Berlin.

During October, the month of the rosary, he invited students to pray with him in the school chapel, and he taught them about the rosary’s origins and connections to the Blessed Mother.

He makes it a point “to involve myself in the school community as much as possible,” be it attending a Friday night football game or visiting a student’s loved one in the hospital.

Over these past three months, he has come to know and love the school community.

“It’s a family,” he emphasizes.

He believes that as much as he brings himself and his work to any interaction with students — be it on the field, classroom or lunchroom — he is learning just as much as they are.

“I learn something new from them every day, and hope they can learn something from me,” he says.

Making connections with pen, paper and stamps

Written by Mary Beth Peabody/

The Diocese of Camden

Daniel Jarsen is ready to give the Thanksgiving placemat he made to his new pen pal, Mr. Cole. The placemat has a cornucopia that shows all Daniel is thankful for: his school, family, talents and two cats. Daniel and Mr. Cole met for the first time in mid-November, one of many pairs in a new friendship between the third grade class at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School and seniors at Saint Simon Stock Parish, both in Berlin.

Third grader at Our Lady of Mt Carmel, Berlin and her pen pal pose for a photo.

While the pen pal program is new for students at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (OLMC) and seniors at Saint Simon Stock, letter-writing has bridged generations in the Diocese of Camden for 20 years. OLMC principal Alice Malloy was quick to give credit to Sister Bianca Camilleri.

Since her 2002 retirement from teaching, Sister Bianca has served as school librarian at Saint Michael the Archangel Regional School in Clayton. She said retirement has given her more time to develop the pen pal program, which she introduced at every school where she taught. At Saint Michael’s, 50 students exchange letters with 70 seniors in four parishes. And with some seniors inviting their out-of-area friends to participate, Sister Bianca said there are a few others “floating here and there.”

Students and pen pals in the Saint Michael’s community meet every year in May at a special Mass and party.

Sister Bianca is passionate about the letter-writing program as a way to forge friendships between youth and older members of a community. She said she sees it as an ideal way to practice Corporal Works of Mercy.

Sister Biana Camilleri

“It teaches students about respecting others, forming a bond between community and school,” she said, at the same time acknowledging that not all seniors write back.

“We write every month. The kids understand if they don’t get a letter back. We do it not just for writing, but for caring.”

In addition to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Sister Bianca has helped Holy Angels Catholic School in Woodbury connect with its senior parishioners. Principal Patti Paulsen is thrilled with the new program.

“Our fourth graders have written to our elderly parishioners and received such wonderful letters. We cannot wait to meet our pen pals. Thank you to Sister Bianca for all that she does for our Catholic Schools. We love her!” said Paulsen.

NJ Standing Up for the Rights of Transgender Individuals

Amicus Brief

TRENTON –

Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal has joined with 22 other Attorneys General in fighting to support transgender individuals’ civil rights by filing an amicus brief in federal court arguing that schools cannot lawfully deny students access to the restrooms that are consistent with their gender identity.

The multi-state brief supports Gavin Grimm, a transgender male who filed a lawsuit in 2015 – as a high school sophomore — because his Gloucester County, Virginia, school district refused to let him use the boys’ restroom consistent with his gender identity. The district also refused to revise Grimm’s school transcripts to identify him as male despite the fact that he had obtained an amended birth certificate stating he is male. The lawsuit drew national attention when the U.S. Supreme Court granted review of Grimm’s case back in 2016, although it ultimately did not resolve the claims.

Grimm has since graduated high school. But his lawsuit, which challenges the school district’s policies, continues before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

“In New Jersey and across this country, individuals deserve the right to be treated in line with their gender identity and to live free of transphobia,” said Attorney General Grewal. “So in addition to issuing new policies last week that protect the safety and dignity of our transgender residents, I’m also standing up for their civil rights in court. Schools, bars and any other places of public accommodation may not discriminate against transgender individuals, and we’ll take action whenever they do.”

Among other things, Grimm is seeking damages and a declaration that the Gloucester County school district violated his rights under Title IX, as well as the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Grimm also seeks a permanent injunction against the school district that will allow him to use restrooms consistent with his gender identity when he returns to his school for alumni activities.

“Discrimination against transgender people has no legitimate basis, and serves only to injure a group that is feared for being different,” asserts the multi-state brief filed in support of Grimm. “Such discrimination harms transgender people at school, at work and in other settings, causing tangible economic, educational, emotional, and health consequences.”

The brief cites statistics and studies demonstrating the harmful effects of discrimination against transgender persons, ranging from specific health problems linked to avoiding restroom use to suicide. The brief notes that 20 states — including New Jersey, the District of Columbia and 225 local governments — have enacted protections against discrimination based on transgender status. It also cites research demonstrating that these anti-discrimination provisions have achieved significant benefits – for example, increased success rates for students – without compromising privacy or safety, or imposing significant extra costs. The brief also explains that the states which already permit students to use restrooms consistent with their gender identify have not experienced increased reports of harassment or other safety issues.

Today’s announcement comes in the wake of an announcement last week by Attorney General Grewal of three initiatives aimed at protecting New Jersey residents from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

On Nov. 20, Attorney General Grewal issued a directive to all state, county and local law enforcement agencies governing their interactions with transgender persons. Known as the “LGBTQ Equality Directive,” the directive is designed to ensure that all individuals are guaranteed safety and dignity when encountering law enforcement, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

At the same time, Attorney General Grewal announced a new public awareness campaign by DCR to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals under the LAD. As part of the awareness campaign, DCR has issued new fact sheets describing “5 Things You Should Know” about the LAD. The fact sheets are being distributed in public and on social media, and are posted on the DCR website.

Under a third initiative announced by Attorney General Grewal, the Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC) has updated its policy to ensure that, among other things, LGBTQ+ youth in the commission’s care are not harassed or discriminated against, and that JJC staff engage in “proper behavior and respectful communication” with LGBTQ+ youth.

NJ Resolution Urges Congress to Prevent IRS from Taxing Forgiven Student Loans

Tucker and Pinkin Measure to Help Ease Financial Burden for Families of Deceased Vets Passes Assembly

(TRENTON) –

In an effort to ease the financial burdens faced by the families and friends of deceased veterans, Assemblywomen Cleopatra Tucker and Nancy Pinkin have sponsored a resolution to encourage the federal government to change its policy regarding taxation of federally-forgiven student loans. The legislation passed the full Assembly Monday, 71-0-0.

The resolution (

AR-97

) urges Washington officials to enact the “

Andrew P. Carpenter Tax Act”

to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from collecting taxes on educational loans forgiven on behalf of a deceased veteran.

Under the federal “Higher Education Act,” certain student loans are discharged when a military member dies as a result of an injury or illness they sustained on active duty. The IRS currently considers the amount forgiven to be taxable gross income and holds any loan cosigner responsible for it.

Since cosigners are often the friends or family members of that deceased veteran, Tucker and Pinkin want to change this by requesting that Congress and the President amend current law to prevent the IRS from collecting these taxes.

“The friends and family of a soldier who lost their life in the line of duty are dealt an enormous loss,” said Assemblywoman Tucker (D-Essex). “Asking them to sort out and pay extra taxes during their time of grief unnecessarily adds to their suffering, which is why federally-forgiven student loans should be exempt from taxation.”

“Anyone willing to cosign a loan to help a veteran go to college shouldn’t be penalized for supporting their efforts to obtain an education,” said Assemblywoman Pinkin (D-Middlesex). “This resolution encourages the government to do the right thing and honor that veteran’s sacrifice by preventing their loved ones from having to shoulder the financial burden of student loan taxation.”

The resolution will be filed with the Secretary of State and passed along to members of the federal government.

Migratory Game Bird Stamp Design Contest Winner Announced

Indiana Artist’s Blue-Winged Teal to Adorn Hunting Stamps

The

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

is pleased to announce that Jeffrey Klinefelter of Etna Green, Ind. won the 46th Annual Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp Design Contest. Judges selected his stunning depiction of a hen and a drake blue-winged teal, complete with leg band and mirror-like reflection in the water, aptly named “Quiet Waters.”

The artwork will be featured on the

stamps that hunters purchase to hunt all migratory game birds in the state

, with the proceeds funding migratory game bird research and habitat enhancement on public lands.

The winner was chosen by a panel of judges on Nov. 10 at the 49th Annual Waterfowl Festival in Easton in front of art enthusiasts, as well as some of the entrants and their families.

“I am happy to win and am grateful to be a part of the event,” said a surprised Klinefelter.

“Congratulations to our winner and all participants. It was a great experience for our judges and staff to witness such a remarkable collection of entries,”

Wildlife and Heritage Service

Director Paul Peditto said. “We appreciate and thank all of the artists who participated this year.”

Commercial Vehicle Travel Restrictions Lifted on all Interstate highways

Use caution as roads may be slippery and stay clear of plows, spreaders and emergency responders

(Trenton) –

New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials announced

the Commercial Vehicle Travel Restriction that was in place on portions of I-78, I-80 and I-287 has been lifted effective at 8 p.m. tonight, Monday, December 2

All vehicles previously listed in the restriction are able to resume normal travel. State Highways are wet, but in good condition. Precipitation is expected to continue overnight and end tomorrow morning.

Motorists should continue to use caution and drive carefully as there could be slippery roadways. Our crews will continue to work through the night to make sure roads are in good condition for the Tuesday morning commute. Stay clear of plows, spreaders and emergency responders so they are able to do their jobs safely.

If you are driving tonight or tomorrow morning, remember to clear snow and ice before you drive, plan extra travel time, and maintain a safe following distance from other vehicles. NJDOT will be using Variable Message Signs throughout the storm to provide updates.

For winter weather and preparedness updates, motorists are encouraged to check the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management’s website,

www.Ready.NJ.gov

and NJDOT\’s traffic information website

www.511nj.org

for real-time travel information. For NJDOT news and updates follow us on the

NJDOT Facebook page

or on Twitter

@NJDOT_info

NJ LL Team Wants Undocumented Immigrants to Have Drivers\’s Licenses

Elmora Troopers Little League Team Joins the Call to Expand Access to Drivers’ Licenses in NJ

“We will be safer, our students will be safer, if immigrants can drive in New Jersey” says Coach

ELMORA, NJ– Coach Jairo Labrador and members of the Elmora Troopers Little League team showed their support for expand access to drivers licenses in New Jersey. A team of immigrants and children of immigrants, they showed their support for the Let’s Drive NJ campaign in a photo. Driving is critical for immigrant families to be able to take their kids to school and to afterschool activities. Coach Jairo Labrador gave a speech at a rally on Sunday of supporters of expanding access to licenses. “We will be safer, our students will be safer… if immigrants can drive in New Jersey,” said Coach Labrador to a crowd of supporters.

See

video

and

photos.

Otherwise qualified drivers face barriers to obtaining a license in New Jersey: vulnerable populations like undocumented immigrants, survivors of violence, transgender individuals and veterans are impacted in particular. Fourteen states and Washington, D.C. have expanded access to drivers licenses to qualified drivers, regardless of immigration status. In New Jersey, approximately 719,000 potential drivers could benefit, bringing in $90 million in economic gain to the state. Legislation to expand access to drivers licenses is currently pending in the state Senate and Assembly. Committee votes are scheduled for December 9th in the Assembly and December 12th in the Senate Transportation Committee.

NJ LL Team Wants Undocumented Immigrants to Have Drivers\’s Licenses

Elmora Troopers Little League Team Joins the Call to Expand Access to Drivers’ Licenses in NJ

“We will be safer, our students will be safer, if immigrants can drive in New Jersey” says Coach

See

video

and

photos.

Diggs, Brown earn recognition on USC All-South Atlantic teams

CAMDEN, N.J. (Dec. 2, 2019) – Junior forward

Skyler Diggs (Delran, NJ/Delran)

and senior back

Darnell Brown (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson)

continued to pile up honors a month after the Rutgers University-Camden men’s soccer team ended its season.

Darnell Brown

Diggs and Brown, who sparked the Scarlet Raptors to a 13-5-3 season and the third seed in the New Jersey Athletic Conference playoffs, have been named to the United Soccer Coaches Men’s Division III All-South Atlantic Region Teams, released today. Diggs captured South Atlantic Region Second Team honors, while Brown was honored on the South Atlantic Region Third Team.

Skylar Diggs

The honors were the latest in a successful season for both players. Brown was named to the NJAC First Team and was recognized as the NJAC Co-Defender of the Year. Diggs, meanwhile, earned NJAC Second Team honors.

Diggs led the Scarlet Raptors in scoring with 12 goals and one assist for 25 points this season. His six game-winning goals tied for third place for the most single-season game winners in program history, while his 12 goals tied for 12th place on the season charts.

Diggs has been the Raptors’ most dangerous forward throughout his three-year career. As a freshman, he tied for the team lead in goals (7) and finished second in points (15). He led the Raptors in scoring as a sophomore with nine goals and three assists for 21 points.

Diggs has earned NJAC Second Team honors in each of the last two seasons. As a freshman, he earned the NJAC Rookie of the Week on Sept. 4, and captured his first career hat trick, while adding an assist, at Lancaster Bible College on Oct. 19.

Diggs added his second career hat trick this season, scoring all of the Scarlet Raptors’ goals in a 3-2 victory over Penn State-Abington on Oct. 23. He also had both goals in a 2-0 win over Staten Island (Sept. 7), helping him earn honors as the Offensive MVP of the Cialella Soccer Classic (Sept. 7-8). His other game-winning goals this season came in a 1-0 victory over Alvernia University (Sept. 4), a 2-0 win over Immaculata University (Sept. 18), a 2-0 win over No. 19 Montclair State University (Sept. 21) and a 2-0 win over New Jersey City University (Oct. 5). He earned Rutgers-Camden Raptor of the Week honors twice this fall, on Sept. 9 and Oct. 28.

Diggs has appeared in 63 games at Rutgers-Camden, starting 42 and producing 61 points to rank 10th on the program’s career scoring list. He is eighth in career goals (28) and fourth in game-winning goals (11), while adding five career assists.

An All-South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association Third Team member as a senior at Delran High School, Diggs earned five scholastic varsity letters for the Bears, playing both soccer and basketball.

Brown was a defensive standout at Rutgers-Camden throughout his four-year collegiate career. A NJAC First Team performer and the Raptors’ Most Valuable Player as a junior in 2017, he missed the entire 2018 season before returning to NJAC First Team honors as a senior this year. He helped lead a Scarlet Raptor defense that posted a 1.05 goals-against average and nine shutouts, despite numerous injuries and lineup changes in the back. He also added three goals and one assist for seven points, including a pair of goals (one the game winner) in a 3-2 victory over 21st-ranked Haverford College on Sept. 25. He added a goal in a 3-2 win at Rutgers-Newark (Sept. 28) and assisted on Diggs’ winning goal against Staten Island (Sept. 7).

As a freshman, Brown helped the team win its fourth NJAC title in five seasons. He captured NJAC Honorable Mention during his sophomore season in 2016.

During his Rutgers-Camden career, Brown played in 73 games, starting 53. He collected 11 goals and three assists for 25 points, with a pair of game-winning goals. He also contributed to 19 Raptor shutouts.

During his stellar scholastic career at Cinnaminson High School, Brown captured All-State Second Team and Soccer Coaches Association of New Jersey First Team South Sectional All-State recognition for the Pirates. As a senior, he earned All-South Jersey First Team honors from both the

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