Category: NORTH JERSEY

Moody\’s Investor Service Upgrades DRPA Bonds

DRPA’s solid metrics in recent fiscal years and management’s tight control over costs boost credit rating

“DRPA has focused over the last few years on improving governance and management practices,

focusing on core operations and successfully eliminating outstanding variable debt and swaps from its debt profile at the end of 2018. Some of the more recent management initiatives include the upgrade of SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System to SAP HANA, the development of an asset management system and improved focus on maintenance, and the creation of a new department focused on strategic initiatives.”

-Moody\’s Investor Service

On February 4, Moody’s Investor Service (Moody’s) upgraded all of the DRPA revenue and port district project (PDP) bonds from A2 to A1. The Authority is extremely proud and excited about this recognition, as this is another important external validation of all the hard work performed by our

Board

, our staff, and our

Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC)

who have worked with the community and other stakeholders over the past decade to improve our finances. We’ve contained costs, restructured our debt and eliminated our swap exposure, invested in maintenance and capital projects, and more recently, in technology to support our strategic vision and mission. As a result, the Authority is at its strongest level in over 20 years.

Our financial fundamentals and results are very strong – and they have been for several years. What’s different this time is Moody’s view of DRPA/PATCO management, including the Board and staff. Under the heading Management and Governance, the Moody’s credit report states:

In addition, Moody’s cited the following strengths supporting the rationale for the upgrade, including:

Very strong liquidity; good cost control;

Solid historical financial metrics;

A manageable

5-year capital program ($810 million)

;

No plan for toll increases or any new bond debt in the immediate future; and

Positive changes in our debt structure, especially the elimination of variable rate debt and the interest rate swaps (December 2018).

While Moody’s did cite some specific “credit challenges,” we are confident our strategic focus will help us to maintain these new ratings. We believe that including the “Days Cash Outstanding” metric in the financial summary reported monthly to the Board (as suggested by the Board) will be important in our approach to monitoring and responding to the credit challenges.

The collaboration among our Board, staff and the CAC has been instrumental in our achieving this important milestone in our journey toward financial and operational excellence.

The essential guide on how to understand and excel an engineering course

Gloucestercitynews.net(February 20, 2020)–Engineering is among the careers that are most respected in the world. It provides for a fulfilling journey that involves creativity, innovation and most often, attractive salary packages. There are several branches of engineering that one can choose to follow, for example, electrical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, and many others. Regardless of the field of engineering one picks, the course is filled with complex math and scientific principles all through the learning journey. Therefore, it is important for one to work out a

foolproof plan to guide him or her through the course of study

. Although the uphill task of complex projects and assignments has been solved by websites that provide

engineering homework help

, the following are simple useful tips to guide engineering students in understanding engineering courses and to succeed in their academic careers.

1. Find people who inspire you, learn their ways and routines

If you are interested in a specific engineering discipline, find people who have been successful in the industry and make them your idols. You can easily find out information on them from the internet, not just about them but for just about any other prominent person in that specific field. Use the internet to look into what\’s helped these people and their organizations become so successful. Then emulate their good traits in your personal, academic and professional life. You will be surprised how much inspiration you can get by just studying these people.

2. Involve yourself in as many projects as possible

Try to participate in every experiential learning opportunity that your schedule allows. This way, you\’ll get to learn something unique with every experience. You will also have more to show your examiners during your final year projects, not to mention the portfolio you will already have to present to your potential employers when you graduate, unlike other students who will only be able to list their coursework. In addition, you\’ll be far more likely to master the knowledge you\’ve been getting in classes because you\’ll be applying it and, in the process, boosting your communication and interpersonal skills.

3. Learn the value of networking

When it comes to excelling on campus, whom you know and interact with is almost as important as what you gain in class. Attend several other lectures on your campus and introduce yourself to the lecturers. Familiarize yourself with your school\’s alumni association to get a list of alumni from your field of study to find those who may wish to connect with you. You can make use of E-mail, use LinkedIn or other social media tools to connect online. However, remember there’s no substitute for a traditional, face-to-face meeting, it is always the best.

4. Work in teams

Whether it\’s a class project of creating a solar-powered car, participating in a sport, or writing essays for the school paper, get involved with your peers because most things require a team effort to produce great results. Throughout your career after graduation, you\’ll work in teams, so the skills you develop in school will help prepare you to lead teams when you graduate.

5. Seek informal leadership roles within your class

You\’re always a leader, whether you\’re officially in charge of the members of your group school project or not. It sounds counterintuitive, but you can lead from any position in a team by influencing how people work together and how they make decisions. You will learn how to recognize and deal with various situations from any position in a team, you\’ll be seen as a leader even when you take on your first job or internship. The obvious advantage of taking leadership positions is that you will always be the first to receive any information from the institution or your lecturers. You will be better suited to enjoy more resources from the class.

6. Identify your flaws and correct them

As with any course majors, engineering students need improvement. If you are part of a group, try to create a way to get feedback from your peers, group leaders, and professors. When you have concrete feedback on how you are faring, you can work to improve your academic grades and even other skills including communication and leadership. Furthermore, you\’ll learn how to receive and give constructive criticism. That\’s absolutely necessary for your future career.

7. Take a business class

As a student engineer, it\’s not enough for you to be technically proficient. You need to learn to be business savvy. A business class will also help you read and understand organization charts, you will know how to negotiate contracts, and be familiar with other functions that every engineer needs to know. This will also help you in the future to understand what to do when an accountant, lawyer, or manager gets in the way of your work. A business course will definitely take you a long way.

8. Take a design class

The world of engineering goes way beyond problem sets, laboratories, and complex theory. You may need to take a visual design course to learn to represent ideas graphically. You can supplement the design topics in your coursework by taking a cognitive science course to learn how to interpret the engineering problems in the world and understand them better. While you are at it, you can take a literature course to develop your knowledge and which will help you write and communicate more effectively.

9. Make your holidays productive

Lecturers place tremendous value on practical experience when making student assessment s to grade them. Ensure you seek out internship opportunities actively and early in your academic career. Try to demonstrate through your internships a series of evolving learning experiences; also use the internships to build your portfolio of actual projects you are involved in. Students who can show a commitment to using their summer to continue to learn are always viewed more seriously by lecturers and future employers

10. Pick the right company

As an undergraduate student, you might feel alone when confronted with hard decisions about the courses to take, or even balancing school work and your personal life. You won\’t feel alone if you develop a healthy circle of friends. Just as a company has a board that guides the organization, you can stock your friends\’ list with peers from your engineering class or other academic fields to act as a support structure for you. You can as well as have former teachers and knowledgeable family friends to also be there for you during your academic career.

image courtesy of unsplash.com

Harrison on Wednesday\’s Cumberland County Democratic Caucus Vote

“I want to sincerely thank each of the members of the Cumberland Democratic County Steering Committee for all the time they invested in their endorsement process, the full

Caucus for their support, and would also like to congratulate all the others who won their endorsements tonight including Carol Musso and George Castellini, and Bruce Cooper.

“I am grateful that the Committee took the time to thoroughly evaluate and interview each of the candidates and honored that they recognized that I am the best qualified candidate to beat Jeff Van Drew and represent the needs of the working families of Cumberland County.  To all the members of the Caucus, whether they supported me tonight or not, I remain committed to earning your support, will work as hard as possible to ensure everyone in Cumberland County is represented and that our full Party has the strongest possible voice.

“Beating Jeff Van Drew is going to come down to doing the work, asking for support, taking nothing for granted, bringing people together, and having a true track record of supporting our community.  It is clear that in the last two years, Jeff Van Drew have forgotten these key principles and NJ-02 is now demanding a change.

“Finally, I want to continue to thank my army of volunteers across the district, from teenagers to retirees, who have all been instrumental in helping me earn every vote.

“It is my determination as the Democratic candidate for the 2nd congressional district to provide leadership that will always put the needs and demands of people first.  I am proud to stand with the Cumberland County Democratic Party as their chosen candidate to beat Jeff Van Drew and I am grateful for everyone’s support tonight.”

Alyssa Donato of Cedarville, NJ Named to 2020 Kutztown University Softball Team

KUTZTOWN, PA (02/20/2020)– Kutztown University will have 21 student-athletes representing its softball program for the 2020 season, including Alyssa Donato of Cedarville, NJ (08311).

The Golden Bears opened their season with a 4-5 record across their first two tournaments. Head coach Judy Lawes is in her 33rd season at KU, 19 wins shy of 1,000 for her career.

KU will next hit the diamond for their spring break trip beginning Saturday, March 7, against Winston-Salem State in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Golden Bears will then play six days in Florida.

Softball website

About Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Founded in 1866, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is a proud member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education located on 289 acres nestled in the beautiful East Penn Valley in Berks County, between Reading and Allentown, Pennsylvania. KU is just two hours from New York City; 90 minutes from Philadelphia.

As the region\’s center for excellence in academics, culture and public engagement, KU\’s programs and reputation for quality offer students the opportunity to discover lifelong avenues of learning and discovery. KU students select from more than 100 areas of study within four colleges in a diverse liberal arts academic environment. To complement their studies, KU\’s NCAA Division II athletics program with 21 varsity sports joins the more than 160 student clubs and organizations providing students with a variety of activities for learning and discovery.

Moody\’s Investor Service Upgrades DRPA Bonds

DRPA’s solid metrics in recent fiscal years and management’s tight control over costs boost credit rating

“DRPA has focused over the last few years on improving governance and management practices,

focusing on core operations and successfully eliminating outstanding variable debt and swaps from its debt profile at the end of 2018. Some of the more recent management initiatives include the upgrade of SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System to SAP HANA, the development of an asset management system and improved focus on maintenance, and the creation of a new department focused on strategic initiatives.”

-Moody\’s Investor Service

On February 4, Moody’s Investor Service (Moody’s) upgraded all of the DRPA revenue and port district project (PDP) bonds from A2 to A1. The Authority is extremely proud and excited about this recognition, as this is another important external validation of all the hard work performed by our

Board

, our staff, and our

Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC)

who have worked with the community and other stakeholders over the past decade to improve our finances. We’ve contained costs, restructured our debt and eliminated our swap exposure, invested in maintenance and capital projects, and more recently, in technology to support our strategic vision and mission. As a result, the Authority is at its strongest level in over 20 years.

Our financial fundamentals and results are very strong – and they have been for several years. What’s different this time is Moody’s view of DRPA/PATCO management, including the Board and staff. Under the heading Management and Governance, the Moody’s credit report states:

In addition, Moody’s cited the following strengths supporting the rationale for the upgrade, including:

Very strong liquidity; good cost control;

Solid historical financial metrics;

A manageable

5-year capital program ($810 million)

;

No plan for toll increases or any new bond debt in the immediate future; and

Positive changes in our debt structure, especially the elimination of variable rate debt and the interest rate swaps (December 2018).

While Moody’s did cite some specific “credit challenges,” we are confident our strategic focus will help us to maintain these new ratings. We believe that including the “Days Cash Outstanding” metric in the financial summary reported monthly to the Board (as suggested by the Board) will be important in our approach to monitoring and responding to the credit challenges.

The collaboration among our Board, staff and the CAC has been instrumental in our achieving this important milestone in our journey toward financial and operational excellence.

New Jersey Man Charged With Coercing And Enticing Commercial Sex Workers

NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey man who allegedly lured commercial sex workers to travel from out of state to engage in prostitution and other sexual acts by use of force, violence and threats in and around Middlesex County, New Jersey,  appeared in court February 19,  U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Jose Torres, 42, is charged by complaint with two counts of coercion and enticement. The defendant is scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelly in Boston federal court. Torres was arrested on Feb. 14, 2020, in Boston.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From May 2015 to October 2019, Torres persuaded, induced and enticed commercial sex workers to travel from various out of state locations, including Canada and New York, in order to engage in prostitution. Torres lured commercial sex workers to New Jersey with promises of large payments. When the commercial sex workers asked for payment, Torres became aggressive, often assaulting and raping them. Torres never paid the sex workers.

The coercion and enticement charges each carries a maximum term of 20 years’ imprisonment and a potential $250,000 fine.

The charges and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emma Spiro of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crimes Unit in Newark.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael; the Middlesex County, New Jersey, Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Christopher L. C. Kuberiet; and the Peabody, Massachusetts, Police Department, under the direction of Chief Thomas Griffin, with the investigation leading to the charges.

The charges and allegation in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Attention Anglers! Forum at Batsto Saturday

BATSTO, NJ–Anglers have two great opportunities to learn, comment and ask questions about the Division\’s freshwater programs at the

South Jersey Fisheries Forum this Saturday

and the

Trout Meeting next Saturday

at

Pequest.

Saturday\’s forum at the Batsto Village Visitor\’s Center in

Wharton State Forest

will include presentations on

Harmful Algal Blooms

,

Largemouth Bass Virus Sampling

, and

Warmwater Fish Production

. Discussion topics will include the

Warmwater Fisheries Management Plan

(what do YOU want to see covered) and

Potential Regulation Changes for 2023

.The forum will begin at 10:00 a.m.

The annual

Trout Meeting at

Pequest

will be Saturday, February 29 at 10:00 a.m.

This year\’s meeting will cover:

2020 Hatchery Production

,

2020 Spring Trout Allocations

and a presentation on

Temperature Impacts on NJ\’s Wild Trout Populations

.

Batsto Forum Information and Directions

Trout Meeting Information

Pequest Directions

Research Shows Rifles and Shotguns Used More Often in Youth and Rural Suicides

Newswise — The researchers say their findings, published Feb. 3 in

Injury Epidemiology

,

suggest that adopting safety measures for rifles or shotguns may prevent suicides, particularly among young people and rural-area residents.

“Our goal as clinicians at Johns Hopkins Medicine is to save lives, and it’s concerning to see that it’s not just handguns, but long guns that are used commonly in youth suicide,” says

Paul Nestadt, M.D.,

assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Many of the safety protections that we have in place around the country typically don’t apply to long guns, and the data suggest that our strategy needs to be modified.”

In many states, there is no minimum age for owning long guns, and federal background checks are only required if buying from a licensed gun dealer. Requirements for permits and safety courses for rifles vary from state to state.

The public has long thought that handguns are more responsible for human deaths, including suicides, than long guns such as rifles and shotguns, which have been believed to be more commonly used for hunting or protection from wild animals. But now, in an analysis of data from 16 years of gun suicides in Maryland, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers found that long guns were used more often in suicides by kids and teens than by adults, and were more commonly used in suicide by people in rural counties.

The data analysis reviewed 3,931 gun suicides in Maryland from 2003 to 2018. About 45% of children and teens used long guns to die by suicide, compared to 20% of adults over age 65 who used long guns. The researchers found that 52% of rural firearm suicides were by long gun, compared to 17% in urban counties. Using rifles for suicide increased by 60% during hunting season, when researchers say rifles may be out and more available.

“In the midst of a suicidal impulse, a person will use what they have. Firearms are particularly lethal. If one is easily available, that will be the method of choice,” says Nestadt. “Holidays and hunting season are times when many young people receive hunting rifles as gifts, and I would advise family members to also provide gun locks or gun storage cabinets with their present. Just adding an extra protective step could be enough of a barrier to protect their family member from making an impulsive decision.”

Additional authors on the study are Kevin MacKrell, Alexander McCourt and Cassandra Crifasi of Johns Hopkins, and David Fowler, formerly Maryland’s chief medical examiner.

Support for the study came from the James Wah Fund for Mood Disorders.

The authors don’t declare any conflicts.

SEE ORIGINAL STUDY

Big first half sparks MSU women past Raptors in season finale

CAMDEN CITY, N.J. (Feb. 19, 2020) – Freshman guard Nickie Carter scored 22 of her 32 points in the opening half as the Montclair State University women’s basketball team opened up a 20-point halftime lead and the Red Hawks went on to defeat Rutgers

University-Camden, 74-59, in the final regular-season game for both New Jersey Athletic Conference teams here Wednesday night.

Montclair State earned a first-round bye in the NJAC playoffs, which start Saturday, and will take a 20-5 overall record into the conference semifinals next week. The Red Hawks finished their regular season with a 15-3 NJAC record, earning the second seed in the six-team NJAC playoffs.

Rutgers-Camden closed its season at 12-13 overall and 5-13 in the NJAC.

MSU, which heads into the post-season having won 15 of its last 16 games, is 46-17 in its all-time series against the Scarlet Raptors. The Red Hawks have won 26 of their last 28 games against Rutgers-Camden.

Carter was on fire in the first half, shooting 8-for-11 from the floor, including 4-for-5 from three-point range, as her 22 points helped Montclair State take a 49-29 lead at the break. Junior guard Taylor Brown added 11 first-half points for MSU. Freshman guard/forward

Jalissa Pitts

notched 11 points in the first half for Rutgers-Camden, while senior guard

Fatimah Williams

added 10.

Rutgers-Camden opened up an early 13-7 lead, sparked by six points from Williams and five from junior guard

Shane Holmes,

but Montclair State answered with 15 straight points to take the lead for good. That run included 11 points from Brown, including three consecutive three-pointers, the first of which gave the Red Hawks the lead at 14-13. It was their first lead since opening the game with the first five points, and it was the last lead change of the night.

Montclair State led by as many as 26 points (55-29) in the second half.

Carter finished with 12-for-20 shooting from the floor, including 6-for-9 from three-point range, on her way to 32 points. Junior forward Kayla Bush added 15 points and nine rebounds for MSU, while Brown finished with 11 points. Senior guard Cerys MacLelland had game highs of 11 rebounds and four assists, while Bush notched a game-high four steals.

Williams caught fire in the second half to finish with 34 points as she finished her stellar career with 1,240 points, tying Ta-Wanda Preston (1989-92) for sixth place on the program’s career scoring list. She finished the season with 508 points, becoming only the 10th player in program history to score over 500 points in one season. Her 20.3 scoring average for the season was the 10th-highest single-season mark in program history.

Williams also had team-high totals of nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three steals.

Pitts finished with 11 points for the Scarlet Raptors, capping her stellar rookie season with an even 11.0 scoring average, second on the team to Williams. Pitts also led the Scarlet Raptors in rebounding during the season with an average of 7.5 per game.

How can you fax from a wireless printer without a phone line?

Gloucestercitynews.net (February 20, 2020)–

Do you know you can use your wireless printer to send and receive faxes? Online fax services allow you to manage your fax communications with different types of printers. Nowadays, special printers are available with faxing capabilities.

These printers come with fax hardware and a fax button to send faxes. For this reason, it can be easy for you to fax the essential documents. If your printer doesn’t have faxing capabilities, you can use an online fax service.

CocoFax for Wireless Faxing

CocoFax allows you to manage

wireless faxing without a telephone line

and a fax machine. You can use your wireless printer without a phone line. If you have a printer with faxing capabilities, things can be easy for you.

In this situation, you will need a telephone line (a landline) to plug into your printer. These printers come with a socket for a phone line. To receive faxes on the same printer, you have to turn it on 24/7. You can miss your faxes with a turned-off printer.

With the use of CocoFax, you can use the power of an ordinary printer. You can manage your fax communications without a fax machine and a phone line. CocoFax is famous among millions of people around the world.

CocoFax successfully features on the top platform, such as Forbes, Top 10 Reviews, TechRadar, PCMag, CNET, etc. With this online fax service, you can protect your important documents. For its HIPAA compliant faxing, it is famous among insurance companies and several other businesses.

Power of Wireless Faxing

CocoFax is a reliable service to send and receive faxes without a phone and fax machine. If you want to use your wireless printer without a phone line, create your account with CocoFax. You will need a fax number, and CocoFax can provide you with a number.

Visit the

CocoFax website

to register your email ID and create a CocoFax account. It enables you to access your 30-day free trial, CocoFax dashboard and a free fax number. Make sure to use an internet connection on your device and a web browser.

Why do you need a CocoFax account?

CocoFax is necessary to translate information from your cell phone or computer to a fax machine. You will get a fax number to send and receive faxes. There is no need to purchase hardware because CocoFax can handle everything.

Send Faxes

Step 01:

Get your CocoFax account and a free 30-day trial to check the features of CocoFax before buying it. You are allowed to select your fax number.

Step 02:

Prepare the documents that you want to fax. If you have hard copies, put them in a document feeder of the printer to scan each document. Save all scanned copies on your smartphone or computer. Skip this step if you have soft copies of your document.

Step 03:

Open a web browser on your device and login to a CocoFax account. You will be able to access a dashboard. Tap on the “Send Fax” button on the corner and prepare new fax in a popup window.

You have to type in the receiver’s fax number and subject line. Remember, the subject line will become a note on the initial page of fax documents. Feel free to create a cover page for your faxes. Upload all scanned documents that you want to fax.

Step 04:

Tap on the “Send” button and you are done. CocoFax will dial the fax number of the receiver to deliver this fax to his/her fax machine. You will get confirmation of the successful delivery of faxes. A fax transmission can be unsuccessful if the fax machine is off or busy.

Receive a Fax

Process of

receiving free faxes online

can be easy than sending. You will get all faxes on your registered account with CocoFax. Check dashboard of CocoFax to find received faxes in an inbox. Make sure to use the same ID (registered with CocoFax) to send and receive faxes.

Conclusion

Wireless faxing becomes secure and easy with the help of CocoFax. You can send faxes without a phone line and a multipurpose printer. Create your CocoFax account to get access to its dashboard. You will get a free fax number to receive your faxes.

Scan hard copies of your documents with your printer because you will need soft copies to send via fax. The dashboard of CocoFax enables you to send faxes with the help of wireless technology.