Related:
ARTIST Dave Wolfe
Vol. 6 No. 28 (Jan. 5, 2019)
Editor\’s Note: Each Sunday morning we post a weekly comic strip provided by cartoonist Dave Wolfe. Dave has been drawing since he was 5 years old, he knew he wanted to be a cartoonist at the age of 8. He’s been distributing his comics in school since 3rd grade. (click image to enlarge)
(January 4, 2020)–US Democratic Primary Congressional Candidate John Flora (NJ-10) has a clear message for leadership in Essex County.
“We are a sanctuary state, not a detention state,” said Flora. This comment comes in response to the Essex County Freeholders’ recent decision to approve the creation of a civilian task force to oversee the Essex County Correctional Facility. “We need to stop housing ICE detainees in Newark. It has succeeded more in tearing families apart than in finding criminals or making our neighborhoods safer.”
Flora is well aware that Essex County has received over $2 million dollars from ICE for their facilities to hold ICE captives. ICE has the power to hold people without proper justification simply due to immigration status or allegations.
“This issue shouldn’t be decided by revenue,” said Flora. “Our country touts the idea of family values on one hand, and then destroys them with the other. As a new father and teacher of immigrant children, I find this practice abhorrent.”
The Jersey City teacher has experienced the result of broken families in his daily work. Flora believes this panel is a waste of time and resources. He directly challenges the County Executive Joey DiVincenzo’s recent comments: “Creating the Civilian Task Force is an example of what we can accomplish when people with different perspectives work together.” But Flora believes that “Families aren’t separated when different perspectives work together.” DiVincenzo’s statement that “My goal…is to operate a safe and professionally run jail” was also challenged. Flora had the following to say: “I can’t see anything ‘safe’ and ‘professional’ about keeping children from their parents?”
Local protestors have responded that creating a citizen board is really just a distraction. “The real issue at hand is whether or not we even want an ICE center in our district,” said Flora.
Flora is set to run in the Democratic Primary as a replacement for long time incumbent Donald Payne Jr in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District. Before being elected to Congress, while serving as an Essex County Freeholder, Donald Payne voted in favor of a new contract with ICE that constituted a massive expansion of immigration detention in Essex County and in NJ. The new contract meant that 1250 immigrants would be held in the Essex County Jail and the neighboring privately run Delaney Hall as a favor for ICE.
“We need to protect families,” said Flora, “regardless of where they came from.”
SICKLERVILLE, NJ –On Thursday January 2, 2020 the Gloucester Township Police Department responded to a home on the 30 block of Santalina Drive in Sicklerville, NJ 08081 to attempt a warrant service on a Mehal Rockefeller. Mr. Rockefeller was observed in the back yard of the property when officers
began to approach he fled into the home.
At this time a command post was established and phone contact was attempted with Mr. Rockefeller by members of our Investigations Bureau and Crisis Negotiation Team. There were numerous phone conversations with Mr. Rockefeller by phone who refused to come outside. In between the phone conversations Mr. Rockefeller had contacted a local police department and threatened to kill officers if they came into the house. Mr. Rockefeller told officers he was armed with a knife and would exit the home. Mr. Rockefeller then repeatedly exited and entered the home holding a knife in his hand while ignoring officers. He was given commands to drop the knife but Mr. Rockefeller refused to comply. An officer with a less lethal Pepperball Launching System was able to deploy several pepperball projectiles causing Mr. Rockefeller to immediately drop the knife allowing officers to approach and safely take him into custody.
There were no injuries to the suspect or any police officer.
Mehal Rockefeller was charged with Hindering Apprehension (DP Offense), Resisting Arrest (4th Degree), Possession of a Weapon (4th Degree), Possession of a Weapon For Unlawful Purpose (3rd Degree), Terroristic Threats (3rd Degree). He was remanded to the Camden County Corrections Facility pending a Central First Appearance in accordance with the New Jersey Criminal Justice Reform Act.
Arrested: Mehal Rockefeller 37 year old male. 30 Block Santalina Drive Sicklerville, NJ 08081
Rev. James Dabrowsk
Rev. James Dabrowski, died on January 1, 2020. He was 63. Rev. Dabrowski was born on November 14, 1956 in Philadelphia, PA and prepared for the Priesthood at the University of Scranton and St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore, MD. He was ordained for the Priesthood on May 26, 1984 at St. Cecilia’s RC Church in Pennsauken. He served as Parochial Vicar at Saint John of God, North Cape May; St, Joseph, Somers Point; Sacred Heart, Mount Ephraim; and St. Thomas, Brigantine. He then went on to serve as Pastor at Annunciation BVM, Bellmawr, St. Simon Stock, Berlin, and St. Thomas More, Cherry Hill.
Beloved son of the late Benjamin L. and Kathleen M. (nee McCrossan) Dabrowski. Devoted brother of Lawrence J. Dabrowski and late Kathleen (nee Dabrowski) Yanzuk. He is also survived by 8 nieces and nephews and great nieces and great nephews.
Reception of the Body will take place at 4:00 PM on Thursday, January 9, 2020 at Saint Simon Stock Parish, 178 West White Horse Pike, Berlin. The viewing will follow until 8:00 PM. The viewing will continue on Friday, January 10 at 9:00 AM until 9:45 AM. Reverend Robert E. Hughes will celebrate the Mass of the Christian Burial immediately following the viewing at 10:00 AM. Burial will take place at Calvary Cemetery, Cherry Hill. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to Food for the Poor, 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, Florida 33073 (
www.foodforthepoor.org
) or to the Missionaries of the Poor, P.O Box 8525, Kingston, Jamaica, WI (
www.missionariesofthepoor.org
).
STAX
This handsome hunk is about 3 years old and is ready to find his forever home. He has wrinkles for days and has the best smile around! He enjoys rolling in the grass and hanging out with his volunteer buddies. Adopt Stax today at the
Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center
.
By Dave Lemery |
The Center Square
Pity the commuter or trucker who must steer his or her vehicle onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike to get to work each day – the toll rates that critics say are already exorbitant are about to get even worse.
Reeling under massive debt payments that were supposed to be covered by tolls on Interstate 80, the ailing Turnpike administration is set to roll out even higher toll rates starting Sunday, Jan. 5.
For a passenger vehicle traveling from the westernmost toll plaza in Warrendale, just outside Pittsburgh, all the way across the state to the easternmost ticketing plaza in North Wales, just outside Philadelphia, a motorist today can expect to pay $36.20. But by next week, that price will rise to $38.40.
In 2016, the same trip cost $30.32 in tolls.
The source of the Turnpike’s financial distress is
a 2007 law
that diverted $450 million annually from Turnpike coffers to PennDOT to fund other efforts. When the federal government refused to allow the state to put tolls on I-80, the annual payments became unsustainable and have led to annual toll hikes; in the preceding 64 years, the Turnpike averaged less than one toll hike per decade.
Lawmakers later approved a smaller payment from the Turnpike to PennDOT – starting in 2022, the obligation will drop from $450 million a year to $50 million through 2057. But in the meantime, the Turnpike has accumulated about $13 billion in debt, and climbing.
In November, Rep. Lori Mizgorski, R-Allison Park,
said more action needs to be taken
beyond the scheduled drop in PennDOT payments in two years.
“The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) has been forced by law to raise tolls for 11 straight years, while causing the turnpike to reduce its rebuilding program by 13 [percent], forcing their debt levels to more than $13 billion,” Mizgorski said. “The turnpike commission needs to make critical investments to power economic growth across the Commonwealth and provide relief to its customers from excessive toll increases.”
In a news conference last year to call attention to the Turnpike’s financial issues, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale noted that the effects of the rising tolls radiate throughout the state’s economy, raising prices even for those who never drive a single mile on the highway.
“For those that think, ‘Well, I don\’t drive the Turnpike, why should I care about this? I don\’t pay that?’ News flash. Those truckers that are driving on that, they\’re hauling fruit, they\’re hauling food,” DePasquale said. “They\’re hauling goods and services that you\’re buying in Pennsylvania. Yes, you are paying that, because that is being passed along to the consumers.”
Turnpike Commission CEO Mark Compton said last year that about half of the turnpikes $1.2 billion in revenue each year is going toward paying $600 million in debt, preventing the commission from taking on needed large-scale improvement projects.
DOVER (Jan. 2, 2020) – DNREC staff were dispatched today to the Lewes wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) after Tidewater Utilities notified the Department that the facility was once again forced to bypass stages of its treatment and discharge partially-treated effluent into the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal late Wednesday evening. The bypass lasted two hours while Tidewater operators worked to find a solution for problems with new treatment membranes. By 11:45 p.m.
Wednesday Tidewater was able to end the bypass and resume normal treatment of effluent at the wastewater treatment plant.
DNREC today monitored the WWTP’s operations and Tidewater Utilities’ continued efforts to mitigate recent system malfunctions at the plant. The Lewes WWTP discharged partially-treated effluent from Dec. 18-28, 2019 after a system malfunction caused contamination of the plant’s treatment membranes that filter flow. New membranes were installed Dec. 28, enabling full treatment to resume at that time, but Tidewater reported today that pressure build-up behind the new membranes required a bypass to avoid compromising their use. Tidewater, in consult with the membrane manufacturer, has instituted new operational protocols to minimize pressure build-up moving forward, with no further bypass events expected by plant operators. Tidewater also informed DNREC earlier today that an additional set of refurbished membranes are ready to be put back into service later today to help alleviate strain on the new treatment unit.
DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin confirmed Monday that an environmental violation had occurred when the Lewes WWTP bypassed normal treatment operations between Dec. 18-28 because of the plant’s system malfunction, and that DNREC is currently gathering pertinent information before determining appropriate action. Department staff will continue to monitor the situation at the plant daily as Tidewater Utilities works toward maintaining consistent treatment of effluent without further system malfunctions.
Although the plant is currently back online and has resumed normal treatment of effluent, DNREC also encourages the public who depend on the Lewes WWTP plant to handle their wastewater to continue practicing water conservation while corrective measures continue at the plant.
TRENTON (Jan. 3, 2020) – The Pick-6 drawing on January 2 produced seven winners of $3,776 for matching five out of six white balls drawn. One of those tickets was purchased with XTRA, multiplying the prize to $15,104. The $5.7 million drawing will be held Monday, January 6, 2020.
The winning numbers for the Thursday, January 2, drawing were: 08, 14, 16, 22, 38 and 44. The XTRA Multiplier was: 04. By adding XTRA for an additional $1.00 per play, winners are able to multiply their non-jackpot prizes by the XTRA number drawn.
Acting Executive Director James Carey announced that there were 528,697 tickets purchased for the drawing and of those sold, thousands were prizewinners! For correctly matching four numbers, 438 ticketholders won $59 each and 52 others won $236 each with the addition of XTRA. Moreover, for correctly matching three numbers 7,820 ticketholders won $3.00 each and 1,252 others won $12 each with the addition of XTRA. 9,074 ticketholders each won $2.00 for correctly matching two numbers with the addition of XTRA on their purchase.
Atlantic City, N.J. (
January 2, 2020)
– Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City is kicking off 2020 by extending their “Pro Football Pick ‘Em Challenge,” launching a new menu in Hard Rock Cafe, offering Dim Sum for the Chinese New Year and introducing
NuFace
and
NuBody
products in Rock Spa
®
& Salon. Entertainment continues to hit a high note with the return of boxing and Latin-music icon Marc Anthony taking center stage among many others performing at the resort destination.
Hotel
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City will offer a chart-topping
“Winter Escape Package”
starting at $79, which includes an overnight stay (Monday through Thursday), a $60 dining credit to be used at Fresh Harvest Buffet and two tickets to Howie Mandel’s Comedy Club® Monday through Thursday. Book your stay today at
hardrockhotelatlanticcity.com
.
Casino
“Pro Football Pick ‘Em Challenge”
– The $500,000 Pro Football Pick ‘Em Challenge continues through the playoffs ending on January 21 with $25,000 in weekly prizes. Wild Card Members can select their picks every day, each week for up to seven entries per week (1 entry per day) for the Sunday and Monday games at the Pro Football Pick\’em Kiosks. The winning teams can be viewed on Tuesdays at Wild Card Services or online at
HardRockHotelAtlanticCity.com
. Weekly winners can receive up to $10,000 cash for the most correct picks and 600 random winners will receive $25 in Free Play.
2X Tier Points
– Play your favorite slots or table games on January 4 and January 20 from noon until 8 p.m. and earn 2x Tier Points. You must be a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City Wild Card Reward Member to qualify, and you must be 21-years and older with valid proof of age to participate.
Food & Beverage
Hard Rock Cafe
–
The legendary Hard Rock Cafe will be launching their new menu on January 29. Some of the new items on the menu include One Night In Bangkok Spicy Shrimp™, Buffalo Style Sliders, the Hot Fudge Mini Milkshake and the 24-Karat Gold Leaf Steak Burger™. Through the Hard Rock Heals Foundation, a portion of all proceeds from the 24-Karat Gold Leaf Steak Burger™ will benefit Action Against Hunger to assist in the fight against world hunger.
Chinese New Year’s Dim Sum at Song
– To celebrate Chinese New Year’s, Hard Rock Atlantic City will be re-opening SONG for a traditional Dim Sum menu on Sunday afternoon, January 26. Chinese Dim Sum is prepared as small bite-sized portions of food served in small steamer baskets or on a small plate and usually served with tea.
Rock Spa® & Salon Specials
A “Nu” Day has come to Rock Spa® & Salon as they introduce
NuFace
and
NuBody
for a “Nu” you in 2020.
“Forever Young” Facial – 50 minutes – $95
Introducing the i-Genesis ritual with Derm Young products and NuFace microcurrent technology. Designed to help promote optimal cell to cell communication to bring out the radiance from within. These natural proprietary Derm Young ingredients will activate your inner repair system to correct existing damage and prevent future problems as well as microcurrent to lift and tone leaving a rejuvenated more youthful appearance.
“The Shape of You” Body Contour Treatment – 50 minutes – $95 or a Series of three – $255 ($85 value)
Remodel your silhouette with firmer contours. The plant-based shaping complex, with notes of orange and mimosa helps to improve skin tone and elasticity. This service now features the added benefits of NuBody microcurrent technology which is clinically shown to improve the appearance of body skin while smoothing away the look of dimples. Tone, smooth and firm the “Shape of You.”
Renewal Massage – 50 minutes – $90, 80 minutes – $150
Classic light to medium pressure massage offering the perfect escape from daily stress. Long gliding strokes relax the body and ease the mind. The perfect way to start the new year.
Celebrate your feet with Bubbly – 50 minutes – $55
Pop the cork and celebrate your feet with our Champagne pedicure. Champagne oil is high in
antioxidants and helps make the skin glow.
Book your treatment today by calling (609) 449-5380.
Entertainment
1/6 – 1/9 – Chris Franjola & Richie Holliday – Howie Mandel’s Comedy Club
1/11 – Top Rank Boxing: Hart Vs Smith – Hard Rock Live @ Etess Arena
1/13 – 1/14 & 1/16 – Tom Cotter & Kerri Louise – Howie Mandel’s Comedy Club
1/18 – Sounds of Philadelphia featuring Russell Thompkins Jr. and The New Stylistics, Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes and The Manhattans – Sound Waves
1/20 – 1/23 – Keifer Thompson & Dale Jones – Howie Mandel’s Comedy Club
1/25 – Marc Anthony Opus Tour – Hard Rock Live @ Etess Arena
1/29 & 1/30 – JF Harris & Greg Warren – Howie Mandel’s Comedy Club
1/31 – Classic Albums Live Performs: Tom Petty Damn The Torpedoes – Sound Waves
Nightlife
DAER Nightclub
1/3 – Nico Oso
1/4 – DJ FIVE
1/10 – BEAT BREAKER
1/11- DJ Clue with Tory Lanez
1/17 – IKON
1/18 – NGHTMRE
1/24 – Nicky Rizz
1/25 – Chase B
1/31 – DJ Dainjazone
HADDON TOWNSHIP NJ (January 4, 2020Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer and Haddon Township Police Chief Mark Cavallo reported a homicide in Haddon Township on Friday, January 3, 2020.
Oaklyn, Audubon and Haddon Township Police responded to the Shamrock Delicatessen, located on South Davis Avenue in Audubon, at approximately 4:50 p.m., after receiving multiple reports of a male who had been stabbed. When officers arrived, they located the victim, Jerome Pastore, 52, of West Berlin, across the street from the Shamrock Delicatessen on the 100 block of Cuthbert Boulevard, suffering from apparent stab wounds.
Mr. Pastore, the owner of the Shamrock Delicatessen, was taken to Cooper University Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at 5:07 p.m.
No arrests have yet been made. However, the investigation into the stabbing is ongoing. Detectives are requesting information from anyone who recognizes the individual in the attached photo.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Jeremy Jankowski at (856) 580-5950 or Haddon Township Police Detective Jessica Camacho at (856) 833-6210.
Information may also be emailed to
ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org
.