OUR 121st YEAR – ISSUE NO.47-2011 SEVENTY FIVE CENTS (908) 232-4407press@goleader.comThursday, November 24, 2011USPS 680020

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Paul Lachenauer for The Westfield LeaderFURRY FRIENDS…Pat Burke browses the holiday boutique with “Gunner” and “Seamus” at the Greyhound Friends ofNew Jersey’s 15th Annual Craft Fair and Pet Expo held at the Westfield Armory on Saturday. The event raises funds tohelp provide health care and a safe, loving home for retired racing Greyhounds.

Christina Hinke for The Westfield LeaderWHY IT FLOODS...Andre Chauncey, Jr. from the Army Corps demonstrateshis findings on a map Monday night at the special Cranford Township meetingto discuss the Army Corps’ results of a study of the levee system.

Gene Jannotti for The Westfield LeaderHAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM BRAZIL...Happy Thanksgiving to all in NewJersey from the Jannotti family. See story on page 5.

TREE PARTY...Members of the Westfield Y’s Men’s Club unload the trailersand set up the tree lot for this year’s annual sale at the Elm Street field inWestfield. All proceeds benefit the Westfield Area Y and other communityorganizations. The lot opens Saturday, November 26. Hours are weekends from9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekdays from 4 to 9 p.m. until Thursday, December 22. Formore information, call Leonardo Gonzalez at (908) 233-2700, extension 271.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Forum on Gangs Seeks toCurb Street Violence

By BETSEY BURGDORFSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

SCOTCH PLAINS — The UnionCounty Human Relations Commis-sion held a special presentation No-vember 17 on gang awareness to in-crease understanding in order to pre-vent and reduce street violence in thecommunity. The forum, aimed at so-cial service and community organi-zations along with interested mem-bers of the public, was held at theJohn H. Stamler Police Academy inScotch Plains.

Detective Brendan Sullivan of theUnion County Prosecutor’s Office ledthe presentation and discussed promi-nent gangs that exist in the commu-nity, as well as the attraction of gangsto local youth, how gangs recruit andinitiate new members, how they op-erate and how to recognize the signsof gang membership or gang activity.

Det. Sullivan describes a gang as agroup of individuals who are unitedby a common ideology and identifywith each other through geographi-cal location, style of dress, hand signsand language. They commit crimesincluding murder, robbery, assault,weapon trafficking, witness intimi-dation, money laundering and docu-ment fraud and create an atmosphereof fear and intimidation in the com-munity. Distribution of drugs, suchas cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and pre-scription pills, are the gangs’ mostreliable source of income. Drugs aretheir “bread and butter,” Det. Sullivansaid.

Although there are dozens of gangsin New Jersey, the major gangs inUnion County are the Bloods, Crips,Latin Kings, Mara Salvatrucha, bet-ter known as the MS-13, and thePagan Outlaws, which is a motor-cycle gang. Each gang is identifiedby a specific color and tattoos, hand-shake and language and graffiti, which

is used to mark boundaries within atown.

The Bloods, who reside mainly inElizabeth and are identified by thecolor red, are the largest gang in NewJersey. A common tattoo is the ini-tials M.O.B., which stands for “moneyover bitches.” A well-known and idol-ized Blood member is rapper Lil’Wayne, who was pictured on the coverof Rolling Stone visibly showing theletters M.O.B. tattooed across hischest.

The Crips presently are outnum-bered by the Bloods, but according toDet. Sullivan, their numbers are grow-ing in Elizabeth and Roselle. Theyare identified by the color blue andare known to rob stores when theyneed money. The Crips and the Bloodsare known rivals and incidents ofunprovoked street violence occur.

The Latin Kings identify with thecolors black and gold and have thelargest population in New Jersey inElizabeth, Plainfield and NewBrunswick. They use a crown as theirsymbol, which can be seen added tomainstream merchandise such as aYankee hat. They often portray them-selves as a religious or communityorganization. “This couldn’t be far-ther from the truth,” Det. Sullivansaid.

The Mara Salvatrucha gang hasthe largest concentration in Plainfield,but can also be found in Elizabeth.The gang, which originated in ElSalvador, has many members whohave former military experience andare “exceptionally violent.” Mem-bers are heavily tattooed, and ac-cording to Det. Sullivan, love toshoot people.

The Pagan Outlaws are dominantthroughout Union County and re-cently merged with a chapter basedout of Bergen County. A common

Army Corps Updates TownsOn Rahway River Flooding

By CHRISTINA M. HINKESpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

CRANFORD – The U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers said a study startednine years on the levees along theRahway River is only 30 percent com-plete and is $4 million under funded.Towns along the river have dealt withsevere flooding in recent years includ-ing Hurricane Irene this past August asthe river has overflowed its banks nu-merous times.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineersbegan its feasibility study of the RahwayRiver Watershed in 2002. Ms.McDonald said they expect to com-plete the feasibility study in 2015, andfollowing completion the Corps wouldmove for authorization and appropria-tion from the federal government.

The Corps needs $4 million to com-plete the study and did not receive anyappropriations this year, Project Man-ager Rifat Salim said. “After nineyears…we did not receive the fundingwe anticipated,” Ms. Salim said.

U.S. Army Corps of EngineersGeotechnical Team Leader Stan

Sedwick said the Corps has studied 10areas along the levee system in theRahway River in Cranford. “There ispotential for seepage below the levees,”he said, noting the said the areas weremonitored before Hurricane Irene hitin August.

The levee is designed for two pur-poses – to control seepage and stabilityof side slopes, he said. “The side slopesare generally stable,” Mr. Sedwick said.

“In this case, because of levee reli-ability analysis, there is a probability offailure,” added Jodi McDonald, chiefof flood risk management for the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers.

“There weren’t any signs of erosionthat we saw,” Mr. Sedwick said.

Considering the uncertainty of theoutcome of the study and the longtimeframe the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers put forth to the townshipcommittee, Mayor Dan Aschenbachtold The Westfield Leader that the town-ship committee would pursue“armoring and strengthening” thelevees themselves by reaching out to

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Christmas Tree LightingsBegin This Weekend

AREA — The holiday season willkick off this weekend with Christ-mas tree lighting ceremonies inCranford and Westfield.

Friday, November 25Cranford will hold its Christmas

tree lighting on Friday, November25, at 6 p.m. at the Gazebo. Theevent, being sponsored by theCranford Chamber of Commerce,will include Christmas carols andthe arrival of Santa.

Sunday, November 27The Downtown Westfield Corpo-

ration (DWC) will kick off its Wel-come Home to Westfield holidaypromotion this Sunday, November

27, from 1 to 7 p.m. Hot chocolate,entertainment and refreshments willbe included along with Santa andMrs. Claus. The highlight will bethe lighting of the Christmas tree at 5p.m.

Saturday, December 3Garwood will light its Christmas tree

at 6 p.m. at the municipal buildingparking lot on North Avenue. The eventis sponsored by the Garwood Celebra-tions Committee.

Mountainside will light its Christ-mas tree at 4:30 p.m. at Borough Halllocated at the intersection of Route 22and New Providence Road.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Heavy Limb Load Slows ProgressIn Westfield Storm Cleanup

By LAUREN S. BARRSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

WESTFIELD – At Tuesdaynight’s Westfield Town Councilmeeting, Town Administrator JimGildea gave the governing body anupdate on storm debris and leaf col-lection progress.

Mr. Gildea explained that in thefirst week following the October 29snowstorm, Department of PublicWorks (DPW) crews worked withPSE&G to clear streets and powerlines for safety. He said that duringthe week of November 7, the DPWbegan storm debris collection withtwo large crews, one on each side of

town, with all of the town’s equip-ment. Leaf collection was thenstarted on November 14 and zonesone and seven are already complete.

However, Mr. Gildea explainedthat the storm debris collection isnot yet complete due to the volumeof debris. He said that, “volume is soheavy it’s just slow going” becausethe large and heavy items being col-lected prompt more trips to the Con-servation Center. He added that somestreets have such a large amount ofdebris it is taking crews an entireday to clear them. Mr. Gildea addedthat the leaves and brush must bepicked up separately because of dis-

posal requirements.“The storm debris collection is a

one-time pickup and we are cur-rently in areas nine on the south sideand almost finished with area threeon the north side,” Mr. Gildea toldThe Westfield Leader. “Leaf pickupis going on simultaneously and weare currently in areas eight on thesouth side and area two on the northside.”

According to Mr. Gildea, zonesone, two, seven and eight have beencompleted and storm crews currentlyare midway through zones three andnine, with the leaf crews to follow.“The time it is taking to pick up thedebris is evidence of the magnitudeof the task at hand,” Mr. Gildea said.“There is a massive volume of de-bris.”

According to Mr. Gildea, untilNovember 4, the Department of Pub-lic Works was engaged in emergencyoperations as PSE&G removedpower lines entangled in trees, manyof which were blocking roadways.Only until PSE&G completed itswork could the DPW clear the town’sdebris from the affected roadways.The DPW also was engaged in re-moving numerous dangerous “dan-glers” from trees overhangingstreets and sidewalks. Because ofthe organic storm debris, collectioncould not commence until Novem-ber 7. By November 14 the town putits leased equipment into service.Referring to the map and the size ofthe areas that have been completed,the Department of Public Works ismaking significant progress, Mr.Gildea said.

Mr. Gildea also stated that re-garding leaf collection, in additionto curbside pickup, residents maybag leaves and call (908) 789-4120for pickup, or they may bring themto the conservation center. No per-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Walker Ends BOE Tenure;Seat to Be Filled In December

By KIMBERLY A. BROADWELLSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

WESTFIELD – Westfield Boardof Education (BOE) President JuliaWalker ended her eight-and-half yeartenure on the board, the last 19 monthsas BOE president, on Tuesday night.

Mrs. Walker first announced herresignation at the conclusion of theNovember 1 BOE meeting. AlthoughMrs. Walker’s term on the board,which began in 2003, is not up for re-

election until 2013, Interim BoardSecretary Vincent Yaniro noted thatMrs. Walker’s one-year unexpiredterm would be up for re-election inApril 2012 during school board elec-tions along with three other three-year term seats.

Mr. Yaniro said applications arecurrently being collected untilWednesday, November 30, to fill herboard seat. An announcement on whowill fill the vacant seat will comefrom a decision by all board mem-

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tattoo is G.F.P.D. (God Forgives,Pagans Don’t), which Det. Sullivansaid is an indication of “no mercy.”The Pagans’ biggest rival is Hell’sAngels. An unprovoked violent in-cident that recently occurred at abar in Elizabeth where an individualwore a Hell’s Angels T-shirt intothe well-known Pagan hangout ledto the arrest of a Pagan living inBerkeley Heights.

Gangs have become mainstreamand “cool,” Det. Sullivan told TheWestfield Leader. Movies and musictalk about gangs and glorify thatlifestyle. “It doesn’t matter who youare. You see that glorification of acriminal lifestyle, of violence, andit is pervasive and it crosses allcultural lines and boundaries. Ev-eryone has been desensitized to it,”he said.

“We always encourage people, likewith the terrorists, if you see some-thing, say something. If you live in atown and you see something that youbelieve is gang activity, you don’tnecessarily have to call 9-1-1, butyou would want to report it to yourlocal police department,” Det.Sullivan said.

He stated that although gangs aremore prevalent in towns likePlainfield, Elizabeth, Linden andRoselle, members have no bound-aries. “We don’t generally seeWestfield and Scotch Plains as anepicenter of gang activity, but wehave guys that move out of thetown that they grew up in and aredating someone who lives in oneof these towns and perhaps movein with them,” Det. Sullivan toldThe Leader.

“People are so quick to get downon Elizabeth and Plainfield andNewark and say this isn’t my prob-lem. But every town has some docu-mented gang activity,” Det. Sullivansaid.

Det. Sullivan stressed that par-ents should educate themselves andbe aware of gangs, but should alsoknow the difference between a“gang of kids” and an organizedstreet gang. “I can never recall an

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Gang Forum

the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency (FEMA) for funding.

The Army Corps has also been study-ing the Lenape Park Basin and how itmay be an area to improve to helpmitigate flooding. U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers Hydraulic Engineer AndreChauncey, Jr. said he has no concreteanswers, but communicated an arrayof possibilities he is studying, includ-ing raising the elevation of the leveeoverbanks by approximately six feet toalleviate flooding during a 25-yearstorm.

Mayor Aschenbach told The Leader,“If the community can’t wait for theArmy Corps,” than the committeewould seek funding from state, countyand the township to move forward ondeepening the basin and elevating thelevees there. He said that would protectthe township from a 25-year storm.

The Army Corps’ study of theRahway River has been modeling forsolutions to mitigate a 100-year storm,which Hurricane Floyd in 1999 wascategorized. Irene was categorized as a500-year storm.

Township Committeeman DaveRobinson commented, “If you are look-ing to stop a Floyd, it’s not good enough.Say this (Irene) is the new standard, thisis what we need to model.”

Homes that are outside of the floodzone — which encompass 100-yearstorms — in Cranford, and even thoseoutside a 500-year flood zone, were

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

River Flooding

incident where kids came in [toElizabeth] for a football game orsomething and were overrun by agang,” he said. “There is a big dif-ference between a bunch of kidswho get together, and act stupidand get into a fight with anothergroup of kids. There is a big differ-ence between that and organizedstreet gangs.”

“Knowledge is key. Ignorance tofact and reality is our enemy,” Det.Sullivan said. “Just because they donot lay their head down in yourtown does not mean you won’t be atarget.” For more information ongangs, visit ucnj.org.

flooded as a result of Irene.Sima Murphy of Locust Avenue on

the northside of Cranford said she livesoutside the flood zone but was im-pacted by Irene. She asked if the ArmyCorps would be taking into accountthose homes. Project Manager AlekPetersen said the Army Corps looked atall structures within the 500-year floodplain.

“I had four feet of water running pastmy home and I am outside the 500-yearflood plain,” said Catherine Alexanderof Crane Parkway, located on the South-east quadrant of Cranford. She saidmunicipalities, up and downstream in-cluding Cranford, are not adhering totheir stormwater management regula-tions with redevelopment and new de-velopment.

“We [Cranford] are allowing for moreand more 100-percent impervious sur-face,” she said. The mayor dissentedher statement.

The township committee has saidthey want to build a retention basin onBirchwood Avenue where a 360-unitbuilding is proposed. The townshipcommittee has said they will continueto fight a builder’s remedy lawsuit anda subsequent ruling in the courts to stopthe development.

However, Mr. Chauncey said theproposed basin on Birchwood Avenuewould not alleviate floodwaters back-ing up from the Rahway River, but, “Itwill help localized (flooding),” he said.

Sunday, December 4The Scotch Plains Business and

Professional Association (SPBA) willhold its 16th annual Old FashionedHoliday Celebration on Sunday, De-cember 4, from 2 to 5 p.m. on theVillage Green on Park Avenue.

The annual event includes icesculpting, a petting zoo, Rainbow theClown and a horse-drawn wagon ride.

Fanwood’s holiday season officiallybegins when Santa Claus arrives intown on Sunday, December 4, at 3p.m. under the big tent on the lawn infront of the North Avenue Train Sta-tion in Fanwood. Seasonal music,free holiday crafts and refreshmentswill be featured. Free children’s pic-tures with Santa will also be included.

Mayor Colleen Mahr will light theborough’s Christmas tree at 5 p.m.The Fanwood Recreation Commis-sion is sponsoring the event.

Union County will hold its NatureCraft Show featuring the lighting ofthe county Christmas tree andMenorah on Sunday, December 4,from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at TrailsideNature and Science Center inMountainside.

Also featured will be a visit fromSanta and Mrs. Claus and freechildren’s coloring and face paintingand holiday singers.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Tree Lighting

mit required. “If you are going toplace leaves at the curb, please placethem in narrow rows, leaving a spacealong the gutter for drainage,” Mr.Gildea said.

“The town appreciates that theextraordinary autumn storm and itsaftermath has called for its residentsto exercise due caution and extremepatience,” Mr. Gildea concluded.“Rest assured, the town is commit-ted to providing disposal assistanceto its residents and conclude its an-nual leaf-collection operations asthoroughly and as quickly as pos-sible.”

A map of zones and additionalinformation can be found atwestfieldnj.org.

DPW crews will work this Satur-day to continue leaf and debrispickup, a move that prompted Coun-cilman Dave Haas to questionwhether the overtime expense wouldaffect the town should there be asnowstorm before the end of theyear.

Mr. Gildea said that the town isable to spend for a single day ofovertime and is preparing for theexpense of a potential snowstorm.He added that the town did not wantto go four days without any pickup

over the holiday weekend.Councilman Jim Foerst asked if

school areas would be done on Sat-urday given the easier pickup whenschools are closed. Mr. Gildea saidthat all efforts are made to pick upnear schools when they are not insession, such as during the annualteachers’ convention in November.

In reviewing its agenda for nextweek’s public meeting, the councilreviewed three resolutions grantingdemolitions of homes at 563 TrinityPlace, 215 Sunset Avenue and 836Grant Avenue. Town Engineer ChrisMcAloon said that all of the applica-tions were conforming and that noneof the properties were subject tosubdivision.

Also on the agenda for next weekis a resolution to appoint AGA as thetown’s risk management consultantfor 2012. The contract was put out tobid and AGA was the low bidder,with a 2.5-percent commission ver-sus G.R. Murray’s 6-percent com-mission.

At the end of the meeting, thecouncil went into closed session withformer town attorney and specialcounsel Robert Cockren to discussthe potential purchase of land withpublic funds.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Westfield Storm Cleanup GW Council Votes to FreezeWorker Longevity Benefits

Greg Ryan for The Westfield LeaderOOPS...A woman lost control of her car in Westfield Friday afternoon, hittingthe house at 818 East Broad. She narrowly missed a utility pole as well as a parkedcar at the house next door. The driver was the sole occupant of the car andappeared to have sustained no injuries.

By CHRISTINA M. HINKESpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

GARWOOD – The borough councilvoted 4-1 Tuesday night on a motion tointroduce a ordinance to freeze longevitybenefits. Councilman Victor DeFilippo wasthe dissenting vote and Council PresidentTimothy Hak was not in attendance. Thecouncil will vote to adopt the ordinancewith a public hearing on Tuesday, Decem-ber 13.

Non-union borough employees have theopportunity to receive longevity benefitsafter the borough has employed them for acertain amount of time. The ordinance wouldfreeze payments at the level they are at nowand not rise. The benefit would not beavailable to new hires or those employeesin line to receive longevity benefits.

During the workshop session, the coun-cil discussed at length how the ordinancewas left with the council on July 12. In July,the council was to make a motion on theordinance to amend longevity benefits.

Borough Attorney Joseph Triarsi andBorough Clerk Christina Ariemma arguedover the minutes of the July meeting. Ms.Ariemma said at that meeting an ordinanceto repeal all longevity benefits was adoptedand then tabled, and at the time CouncilmanKeith Sluka questioned the legalities ofthat, asking Mr. Triarsi if it should be tabledbefore being adopted.

Mr. Triarsi said Tuesday he did notapprove tabling the ordinance after beingadopted as it is not the correct legal proce-dure, and the minutes were wrong in sayinghe did allow it to be tabled after adoption.Mr. Triarsi called Ms. Ariemma’s wordingin the minutes “convoluted.”

Ms. Ariemma held firm that her minuteswere stated accurately, and stated that thetaped recording of the meeting would provethat.

The Westfield Leader on Wednesdayreviewed the taped recording of the July 12meeting. The transcription is as follows:

“Mayor (Patricia Quattrocchi): May Ihave a motion to adopt ordinance 11-12.

“Mr. Sluka: I would like to make amotion to table ordinance 11-12.

“Mr. Triarsi: Councilman, we need tointroduce and second it. Then a motion totable is in order. We need a motion to adoptand second and then a motion to table is inorder.

“Mr. (James) Matthieu: Wasn’t it intro-duced previously?

“Mr. Triarsi: No. We need a motion toadopt it and second the adoption and then amotion to table is in order. So we have to gothrough that formality.

“Mayor Quattrocchi: May I have a mo-tion to adopt 11-12.

“Mr. Sluka: Isn’t a motion to adopt thenbecome the privileged motion and then youhave to vote on it?

“Mr. Triarsi: No. The motion to adopthas to yield to the motion to table. Themotion to table is the privileged motion.You have three options here. You can moveto adopt and adopt it. You can move toadopt, second it and table it. Or you can takeno action, and if you take no action at all itsimply expires and it fails for adoption.Those are your three options at this point intime. I need to have something before thebody to move to table.”

Then the governing body voted, 4-0, toadopt the ordinance, and then a motion byCouncilwoman Sara Todisco was made totable the ordinance.

After the meeting, Ms. Ariemma toldThe Leader, “I was completely disre-spected.” She called the council’s and bor-ough attorney’s actions Tuesday “appall-ing.”

“If they felt it was a problem, theyshouldn’t have said anything like that, andjust said we need to listen to the tape,” Ms.Ariemma told The Leader.

Ms. Ariemma said after the governingbody and attorney listen to the minutes, andsee that the minutes were correct in report-ing what happened at the meeting, then, “Iwant a public apology from the attorneyand the governing body.”

Earlier, during the public comment por-tion of the meeting, Joe Wilds ofFlemington, who grew up in the boroughand worked for 26 years as a police officerin the borough and currently commutes tothe borough for his job as a full-time dis-patcher, spoke about his position againstamending the longevity benefits ordinance.He called the action to freeze benefits, the“eventual demise of the borough.”

“You took away raises and now youwant to take away perks such as longevity,”he said.

“Is it worth destroying the hearts of ouremployees?” he asked.

Currently, the payment of longevity ben-efits, he said, is about $14,680 and wouldmean taxpayers paying about $7 on aver-age. The total amount the council and mayorreceive in salary and benefits, he said, totalsabout $31,900. Councilman LouisPetruzzelli has grandfathered benefits ofabout $20,400 a year. “Give back all of youbenefits,” he said to the council and mayor.

“I have worked here for 13 years as well.I agree with what Joe said,” KathleenZabinski said.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Westfield BOEbers sometime in December.

He also stated that picking a newboard president is part of the agendafor the next BOE meeting on Tues-day, December 6, at 8 p.m.

According to Mrs. Walker, aftertaking a leave of absence from thework force for years, she had re-emerged with a part-time position sixmonths ago. She noted that as of onemonth ago, she had begun workingon a full-time basis. This, she noted,along with family obligations, wouldtake away free time that she used tohave for board business.

“It has been nothing but a privi-lege to sit on this board and Westfield

has the finest administrators, teach-ers and board members,” Mrs. Walkersaid. “The staff and teachers here aretruly dedicated and smart people.When it comes to board membersy’all are it.”

Board Vice-President RichardMattessich said Mrs. Walker alwaysshowed “leadership, grace and intel-ligence” on the BOE. Other boardmembers also thanked Mrs. Walkerfor her years of service.

Mrs. Walker urged Westfield resi-dents to put in applications to serveon the board and fill her vacatedposition. “It is hard work, but it is soworth it,” She stated.

Serving the community since 1959

SEVENTY FIVE CENTS(908) 232-4407press@goleader.comOUR 52nd YEAR – ISSUE NO. 47-2011 Published Every Thursday Since 1959

www.timesnj.comUSPS 485200

Periodical – Postage Paid at Rahway, N.J.Thursday, November 24, 2011

PPPPPAAAAAGE INDEXGE INDEXGE INDEXGE INDEXGE INDEXRegional ........ 2-3Editorial ........ 4-5Police ............ 6Community ... 6-7,12-14Obituary ........ 14

Education ...... 13-14Sports ............ 9-11Real Estate .... 9-13Classifieds ..... 12A&E .............. 15-16

George KrausBranch Vice President

Snap this QR code with your Smartphone to visit our Web site Whether Your Real Estate Needs are Local, National, or International

Your Move is Our Move and We’re Ready to Assist You Every Step of the Way.

Westfi eld - West | 600 North Avenue West, Westfi eld | 908-233-0065 | www.coldwellbankermoves.com/westfi eldwest

©2011 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC

EXTRAORDINARY PROFESSIONALS

Paul Lachenauer for The Westfield LeaderFURRY FRIENDS…Pat Burkebrowses the holiday boutique with“Gunner” and “Seamus” at the Grey-hound Friends of New Jersey’s 15thAnnual Craft Fair and Pet Expo heldat the Westfield Armory on Saturday.The event raises funds to help providehealth care and a safe, loving home forretired racing Greyhounds.

Paul Lachenauer for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesFURRY FRIENDS…Pat Burke browses the holiday boutique with “Gunner” and “Seamus” at the Greyhound Friends ofNew Jersey’s 15th Annual Craft Fair and Pet Expo held at the Westfield Armory on Saturday. The event raises funds tohelp provide health care and a safe, loving home for retired racing greyhounds.

Christina Hinke for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesWHY IT FLOODS...Andre Chauncey, Jr. from the Army Corps demonstrateshis findings on a map Monday night at the special Cranford Township meetingto discuss the Army Corps’ results of a study of the levee system.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Army Corps Updates TownsOn Rahway River Flooding

Gene Jannotti for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesHAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM BRAZIL...Happy Thanksgiving to all in NewJersey from the Jannotti family. See story on page 5.

Betsey Burgdorf for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesART FOR EDUCATION...A silent art auction and wine reception was heldNovember 17 at The Chelsea at Fanwood to benefit the Scotch Plains-FanwoodEducation Enrichment Foundation. Pictured, from left to right, are: EventCoordinators Phyllis Mirabella, Jane Costello, Amy Carow, Steve Ciarrocca, AlMirabella, Leland McGee, Rob O’Connor and Randi Edelman. All artwork wasdonated by Park West Gallery.

SP-F BOE: ‘Bullying InitiativeAn Unfunded Mandate’

SPMC Cancels Holiday PartyIn Lieu of ‘Taste of Town’ in Jan.

By DELL SIMEONESpecially Written for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

SCOTCH PLAINS — A lively dis-cussion ensued at the Scotch PlainsManagement Corporation (SPMC)meeting last Wednesday night whenboard member Dominick Verdic sug-gested the group cancel its plan for aholiday party for volunteers and mem-bers of the SPMC in favor of a “Taste ofthe Town” event to be held in January.

Board members said the cost tobook a reservation for a holiday partyat three restaurants under consider-

ation would have been too expensivefor the SPMC. Instead, the SPMCdiscussed the “Taste of the Town”event. Mr. Verdic suggested holdingthe event at the Italian-American Clubon a Wednesday night the third orfourth week of January. The groupvoted unanimously to approve themeasure.

Nicholas DelNegro was appointedto negotiate the time and day of theevent with the club and Greg Bissonagreed to act as a liaison to the foodpurveyors in town to see if they would

be willing to donate some food. Mr.Verdic also suggested that the pur-veyors would place their cards andmenus on the tables to serve as anadvertisement for their business.

The SPMC also decided that a cashbar would be a good idea. The com-munity would be invited, and theevent would be free.

SPMC members also discussed theNew and Exotic Car Show held Octo-ber 9. The show spanned five hoursand occupied six blocks. It drew a

By KIMBERLY A. BROADWELLSpecially Written for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

SCOTCH PLAINS – Reporting onthe new anti-harassment, intimida-tion and bullying (H.I.B.) law, CailinTaggart, district HIB Coordinator,addressed the Scotch Plains-FanwoodBoard of Education during their openagenda meeting held Thursdayevening. Ms. Taggart reminded theaudience that the new state requiredpolicy is a revision of the law firstintroduced in 2002.

In her report, Ms. Taggart notedthat the new policy expands the re-quirements of the earlier law in many

ways; one being that reports “nowinclude occurrences that happen onand off school grounds and electroni-cally.” She also noted that the reportscould include a single act or a seriesof acts. She also noted that any adultworking with any student must haveH.I.B. training.

Board President Trip Whitehouseasked if school bus personnel, substi-tutes, or cafeteria workers were in-cluded to which Ms. Taggart said“yes.”

Superintendent of Schools Marga-ret Hayes, as well as Ms. Taggartreported that all personnel, if not

trained by the bus company, wouldreceive training from the district. Ms.Taggart told the audience that if a busdriver receives training from theiremployer, then that bus company mustprovide the district a copy of docu-mentation that the HIB requirementhas been filled.

Ms. Taggart also noted that new tothe law was the fact that all staff mustreport a witnessed incident on theday the alleged incident took placeand submit a written report withintwo days.

In her report, Ms. Taggart remindedthe audience that each school is as-signed an anti-bullying representa-tive. She said social workers fill therole in elementary schools, whileguidance counselors are overseeingthe middle schools. Ms. Taggart isthe anti-bullying representative atScotch Plains-Fanwood High School.

Ms. Taggart also stated that thereare school safety teams being formedthroughout the district, which consistof principals, parents, communitymembers and teachers. She saidSPFHS 13 members on its safetyteam. The district also has been hold-ing Parent Anti-Bullying Informa-tion Sessions throughout the districtthis month. The last session is sched-uled for Tuesday, November 29, from6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Coles Elemen-tary School.

Ms. Hayes described the bullyinginitiative as an “unfunded mandate”out of Trenton.

In other business, Mr. Whitehouseintroduced new Board Secretary/Business Administrator James Davisto the audience. “I want to welcomeMr. Davis to our district,” Mr.Whitehouse said. He then turned toMr. Davis and said, “I look forwardto working with you.” Mr. Davis of-ficially began his new position onNovember 1.

Mr. Davis replaces Anthony DelSordi who retired after 12 years ofservice to the district.

The next board of education meet-CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Forum on Gangs Seeks toCurb Street Violence

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

By BETSEY BURGDORFSpecially Written for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

SCOTCH PLAINS — The UnionCounty Human Relations Commis-sion held a special presentation No-vember 17 on gang awareness to in-crease understanding in order to pre-vent and reduce street violence in thecommunity. The forum, aimed at so-cial service and community organi-zations along with interested mem-bers of the public, was held at theJohn H. Stamler Police Academy inScotch Plains.

Detective Brendan Sullivan of theUnion County Prosecutor’s Officeled the presentation and discussedprominent gangs that exist in the com-munity, as well as the attraction ofgangs to local youth, how gangs re-cruit and initiate new members, howthey operate and how to recognizethe signs of gang membership or gangactivity.

Det. Sullivan describes a gang as agroup of individuals who are unitedby a common ideology and identifywith each other through geographi-cal location, style of dress, hand signsand language. They commit crimesincluding murder, robbery, assault,weapon trafficking, witness intimi-dation, money laundering and docu-ment fraud and create an atmosphereof fear and intimidation in the com-munity. Distribution of drugs, suchas cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and pre-scription pills, are the gangs’ mostreliable source of income. Drugs aretheir “bread and butter,” Det. Sullivansaid.

Although there are dozens of gangsin New Jersey, the major gangs inUnion County are the Bloods, Crips,Latin Kings, Mara Salvatrucha, bet-

ter known as the MS-13, and thePagan Outlaws, which is a motor-cycle gang. Each gang is identifiedby a specific color and tattoos, hand-shake and language and graffiti,which is used to mark boundarieswithin a town.

The Bloods, who reside mainly inElizabeth and are identified by thecolor red, are the largest gang in NewJersey. A common tattoo is the ini-tials M.O.B., which stands for “moneyover bitches.” A well-known and idol-ized Blood member is rapper Lil’Wayne, who was pictured on the coverof Rolling Stone visibly showing theletters M.O.B. tattooed across hischest.

The Crips presently are outnum-bered by the Bloods, but according toDet. Sullivan, their numbers are grow-ing in Elizabeth and Roselle. Theyare identified by the color blue andare known to rob stores when theyneed money. The Crips and the Bloodsare known rivals and incidents ofunprovoked street violence occur.

The Latin Kings identify with thecolors black and gold and have thelargest population in New Jersey inElizabeth, Plainfield and NewBrunswick. They use a crown as theirsymbol, which can be seen added tomainstream merchandise such as aYankee hat. They often portray them-selves as a religious or communityorganization. “This couldn’t be far-ther from the truth,” Det. Sullivansaid.

The Mara Salvatrucha gang hasthe largest concentration in Plainfield,but can also be found in Elizabeth.The gang, which originated in ElSalvador, has many members who

By CHRISTINA M. HINKESpecially Written for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

CRANFORD – The U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers said a study startednine years on the levees along theRahway River is only 30 percent com-plete and is $4 million under funded.Towns along the river have dealt withsevere flooding in recent years includ-ing Hurricane Irene this past August asthe river has overflowed its banks nu-merous times.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineersbegan its feasibility study of the RahwayRiver Watershed in 2002. Ms.McDonald said they expect to com-plete the feasibility study in 2015, andfollowing completion the Corps wouldmove for authorization and appropria-tion from the federal government.

The Corps needs $4 million to com-plete the study and did not receive anyappropriations this year, Project Man-ager Rifat Salim said. “After nineyears…we did not receive the fundingwe anticipated,” Ms. Salim said.

U.S. Army Corps of EngineersGeotechnical Team Leader Stan

Sedwick said the Corps has studied 10areas along the levee system in theRahway River in Cranford. “There ispotential for seepage below the levees,”he said, noting the said the areas weremonitored before Hurricane Irene hitin August.

The levee is designed for two pur-poses – to control seepage and stabilityof side slopes, he said. “The side slopesare generally stable,” Mr. Sedwick said.

“In this case, because of levee reli-ability analysis, there is a probability offailure,” added Jodi McDonald, chiefof flood risk management for the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers.

“There weren’t any signs of erosionthat we saw,” Mr. Sedwick said.

Considering the uncertainty of theoutcome of the study and the longtimeframe the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers put forth to the townshipcommittee, Mayor Dan Aschenbachtold The Scotch Plains-FanwoodTimes that the township committeewould pursue “armoring and strength-ening” the levees themselves by reach-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Christmas Tree LightingsBegin This Weekend

AREA — The holiday season willkick off this weekend with Christ-mas tree lighting ceremonies inCranford and Westfield.

Friday, November 25Cranford will hold its Christmas

tree lighting on Friday, November25, at 6 p.m. at the Gazebo. Theevent, being sponsored by theCranford Chamber of Commerce,will include Christmas carols and

the arrival of Santa.Sunday, November 27

The Downtown Westfield Corpo-ration (DWC) will kick off its Wel-come Home to Westfield holidaypromotion this Sunday, November27, from 1 to 7 p.m. Hot chocolate,entertainment and refreshments willbe included along with Santa andMrs. Claus. The highlight will be

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Page 8 Thursday, November 24, 2011 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A Watchung Communications, Inc. Publication

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LITTLE HELPERS...Children of Scotch Plains-Fanwood Newcomers’ Club mem-bers help to assemble a newcomers’ basket. Pictured, clockwise, from bottom right,are: Aidan Wright, Cameron Glynn, Julianne Ruccio, Keira St. John, CarolineLowder, Joelle Ruccio, Kevin Wright, Isabel Lowder, Liam St. John and TylerGlynn.The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Newcomers’ Club is a non-profit social organi-zation that offers daytime and evening activities for women and their families. Formore information, visit scotchplains.com/newcomers/.

HOLIDAY CELEBRATION...The Osborn Cannonball House Museum, locatedat 1840 Front Street in Scotch Plains, will be open Sunday, December 4, from 2to 4 p.m. for its Christmas celebration. Hot mulled cider and party snacks will beserved.Also featured will be formal ball clothes from colonial fashion through the1950s and costumed guides will conduct tours.

have former military experience andare “exceptionally violent.” Mem-bers are heavily tattooed, and ac-cording to Det. Sullivan, love toshoot people.

The Pagan Outlaws are dominantthroughout Union County and re-cently merged with a chapter basedout of Bergen County. A commontattoo is G.F.P.D. (God Forgives,Pagans Don’t), which Det. Sullivansaid is an indication of “no mercy.”The Pagans’ biggest rival is Hell’sAngels. An unprovoked violent in-cident that recently occurred at abar in Elizabeth where an individualwore a Hell’s Angels T-shirt intothe well-known Pagan hangout ledto the arrest of a Pagan living inBerkeley Heights.

Gangs have become mainstreamand “cool,” Det. Sullivan told TheScotch Plains-Fanwood Times. Mov-ies and music talk about gangs andglorify that lifestyle. “It doesn’tmatter who you are. You see thatglorification of a criminal lifestyle,of violence, and it is pervasive andit crosses all cultural lines andboundaries. Everyone has been de-sensitized to it,” he said.

“We always encourage people, likewith the terrorists, if you see some-thing, say something. If you live in atown and you see something that youbelieve is gang activity, you don’tnecessarily have to call 9-1-1, butyou would want to report it to yourlocal police department,” Det.Sullivan said.

He stated that although gangs are

more prevalent in towns likePlainfield, Elizabeth, Linden andRoselle, members have no bound-aries. “We don’t generally seeWestfield and Scotch Plains as anepicenter of gang activity, but wehave guys that move out of thetown that they grew up in and aredating someone who lives in oneof these towns and perhaps movein with them,” Det. Sullivan toldThe Times.

“People are so quick to get downon Elizabeth and Plainfield andNewark and say this isn’t my prob-lem. But every town has some docu-mented gang activity,” Det. Sullivansaid.

Det. Sullivan stressed that par-ents should educate themselves andbe aware of gangs, but should alsoknow the difference between a“gang of kids” and an organizedstreet gang. “I can never recall anincident where kids came in [toElizabeth] for a football game orsomething and were overrun by agang,” he said. “There is a big dif-ference between a bunch of kidswho get together, and act stupidand get into a fight with anothergroup of kids. There is a big differ-ence between that and organizedstreet gangs.”

“Knowledge is key. Ignorance tofact and reality is our enemy,” Det.Sullivan said. “Just because they donot lay their head down in yourtown does not mean you won’t be atarget.” For more information ongangs, visit ucnj.org.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Gang Forum

ing is scheduled for Tuesday, No-vember 29, at 7:30 p.m. in the ad-ministrative offices at Evergreen El-ementary School at Evergreen Av-enue and Cedar Street in ScotchPlains. SPFHS Varsity Boys’ Soc-cer Coach Tom Breznitsky will behonored for his 600th career win.The BOE also will introduce apolicy regarding dating violence atschool.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

SP-F BOE

ing out to the Federal Emergency Man-agement Agency (FEMA) for fund-ing.

The Army Corps has also beenstudying the Lenape Park Basin andhow it may be an area to improve tohelp mitigate flooding. U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers Hydraulic Engi-neer Andre Chauncey, Jr. said he hasno concrete answers, but communi-cated an array of possibilities he isstudying, including raising the eleva-tion of the levee overbanks by ap-proximately six feet to alleviate flood-ing during a 25-year storm.

Mayor Aschenbach told The Times,“If the community can’t wait for theArmy Corps,” than the committeewould seek funding from state, countyand the township to move forward ondeepening the basin and elevating thelevees there. He said that would pro-tect the township from a 25-year storm.

The Army Corps’ study of theRahway River has been modeling forsolutions to mitigate a 100-year storm,which Hurricane Floyd in 1999 wascategorized. Irene was categorized asa 500-year storm.

Township Committeeman DaveRobinson commented, “If you arelooking to stop a Floyd, it’s not goodenough. Say this (Irene) is the newstandard, this is what we need tomodel.”

Homes that are outside of the floodzone – which encompass 100-yearstorms – in Cranford, and even those

outside a 500-year flood zone, wereflooded as a result of Irene.

Sima Murphy of Locust Avenue onthe northside of Cranford said she livesoutside the flood zone but was impactedby Irene. She asked if the Army Corpswould be taking into account thosehomes. Project Manager Alek Petersensaid the Army Corps looked at all struc-tures within the 500-year flood plain.

“I had four feet of water running pastmy home and I am outside the 500-yearflood plain,” said Catherine Alexanderof Crane Parkway, located on the South-east quadrant of Cranford. She saidmunicipalities, up and downstream in-cluding Cranford, are not adhering totheir stormwater management regula-tions with redevelopment and new de-velopment.

“We [Cranford] are allowing for moreand more 100-percent impervious sur-face,” she said. The mayor dissentedher statement.

The township committee has saidthey want to build a retention basin onBirchwood Avenue where a 360-unitbuilding is proposed. The townshipcommittee has said they will con-tinue to fight a builder’s remedy law-suit and a subsequent ruling in thecourts to stop the development.

However, Mr. Chauncey said theproposed basin on Birchwood Av-enue would not alleviate floodwatersbacking up from the Rahway River,but, “It will help localized (flood-ing),” he said.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Rahway River Flooding

couple of thousand people, claimedDavid Biagini of FirsTEAM Man-agement, SPMC’s manager. Theboard consensus was, that as a newventure, there were things that couldhave been done differently to makethe show a success. The main dis-appointment was that half of thecars did not show up, and that theScotch Plains Business and Profes-sional Association (SPBA) was notsupportive of the event.

Mr. Biagini said 12,000 copies ofits magazine, Simply Scotch Plains,would be mailed on Friday, De-cember 9, to Scotch Plains andFanwood residents. He said adver-tising revenue for the holiday issuestands at $6,000.

SPMC members also discussed aproposed ordinance change, whichwould change Sunset Place to aone-way street because of heavytraffic on the street. Board mem-bers said their only concern is if itwere to be a one-way dead endstreet, would a fire truck be able

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

SP Management Corp.turn around.

They board then discussed a sur-vey which showed that propertyowners on East Second Streetwanted holiday decorations put upto attract shoppers this holiday sea-son. SPMC members said theywould be willing to use their budgetto put up holiday decorations.

The next regular meeting for theSPMC will be held in January.

the lighting of the Christmas tree at 5p.m.

Saturday, December 3Garwood will light its Christmas tree

at 6 p.m. at the municipal buildingparking lot on North Avenue. The eventis sponsored by the Garwood Celebra-tions Committee.

Mountainside will light its Christ-mas tree at 4:30 p.m. at Borough Halllocated at the intersection of Route 22and New Providence Road.

Sunday, December 4The Scotch Plains Business and Pro-

fessional Association (SPBA) will holdits 16th annual Old Fashioned Holi-day Celebration on Sunday, Decem-ber 4, from 2 to 5 p.m. on the VillageGreen on Park Avenue.

The annual event includes ice sculpt-ing, a petting zoo, Rainbow the Clownand a horse-drawn wagon ride.

Fanwood’s holiday season officially

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Christmas Tree Lightingsbegins when Santa Claus arrives intown on Sunday, December 4, at 3p.m. under the big tent on the lawn infront of the North Avenue Train Sta-tion in Fanwood. Seasonal music,free holiday crafts and refreshmentswill be featured. Free children’s pic-tures with Santa will also be included.

Mayor Colleen Mahr will light theborough’s Christmas tree at 5 p.m.The Fanwood Recreation Commis-sion is sponsoring the event.

Union County will hold its NatureCraft Show featuring the lighting ofthe county Christmas tree andMenorah on Sunday, December 4,from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at TrailsideNature and Science Center inMountainside.

Also featured will be a visit fromSanta and Mrs. Claus and freechildren’s coloring and face paintingand holiday singers.

Greg Ryan for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesOOPS...A woman lost control of her car in Westfield Friday afternoon, hitting thehouse at 818 East Broad Street.

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Page 2 Thursday, November 24, 2011 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

SP Mayor’s Gala CommitteeTells of Festivities for EventSCOTCH PLAINS –The Scotch

Plains Mayor’s Gala Committee hasannounced the honorees and festivi-ties for the 21st Annual Mayor’s Galaon Saturday, December 3.

This year the Gala will honor thoseindividuals and businesses who vol-unteered both their time and effortsto the Scotch Plains September 11thMemorial on the Village Green.

Scotch Plains resident ErnestoHernandez designed the 9/11 Memo-rial itself. From that design, ChecchioPaving as well as D. Romeo Land-scaping donated their time and man-power to build the memorial. EasternMarble & Granite provided all thegranite work that took place withinthe memorial. Additionally, BartellFarm & Garden Supply donated thepavers that make up the memorial.

To help complete the Memorial,materials and services were providedby local businesses including GardenHomes, John Mandel Web Design,

Parker Gardens, Patrick Bartels Elec-trical, Plainfield Granite Works, ScotchPlains Business and Professional As-sociation, Weldon Concrete, and W. J.Casey Trucking & Rigging Company.

Throughout the project many of thelocal businesses stepped up to provideboth additional goods and assistance.Those businesses include: Alfonso’sPizzeria, Apple Blossom Flower Shop,Arcade Marble, Inc., Cornerstone Ar-chitectural, EKA Associates, Espo’sTree & Crane Service, Ferrara Land-scape, MJS Welding Service, NatelliBros. Painting Contractors, Nature’sBeauty Marble, Ponzio Florist, andRutko Engraving Systems.

In honor of the first responders, thenight’s proceeds will be dividedequally amongst the Scotch PlainsPolice Department, Scotch Plains FireDepartment, Scotch Plains First AidSquad as well as the Municipal Alli-ance Committee.

This year’s Gala will take place atthe Italian American Hall in ScotchPlains from 7 p.m. to midnight andwill feature a raffle for two round tripairline tickets to anywhere in theContinental U.S. The night will alsoinclude a silent auction and trickytray auction featuring a wide varietyof prizes donated.

Tickets to the Mayor’s Charity Galaare $65 and can be purchased byeither visiting scotchplainsnj.com andclicking the “Recreation Registra-tion” Community Pass link or bycalling the Scotch Plains RecreationDepartment at (908) 322-6700, ex-tension no. 223.

The Gala is a non-partisan event,which serves to gather all segments ofthe community for an evening full ofdining, dancing and a silent auction.

For information about sponsoringor donating an item for the Mayor’sGala, contact the Scotch Plains Rec-reation Department.

Memorial Bricks DedicatedOn Hetfield House Walkway

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Legislative Office toCollect Coats for Drive

WESTFIELD — The LegislativeOffice of Assemblyman JonBramnick (R-21, Westfield) will serveas one of the collection sites for the16th Annual Jersey Cares Coat Drive.The objective of this year’s coat driveis to collect and distribute 50,000“gently used” winter coats to at-riskmen, women and children.

“We can all do our small part inachieving this goal by simply look-ing through a closet for a coat that isno longer worn,” Asm. Bramnick said.

Over the past 15 years Jersey Careshas distributed hundreds of thousandsof coats to New Jersey residents inneed. Gently used coats for men,women and children will be acceptedthrough Monday, December 12 at theDistrict 21 Legislative Office locatedat 251 North Ave., West, 2nd Floor inWestfield. The office hours are 9 a.m.to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.For more information, call (908) 232-2073 or e-mailasmbramnick@njleg.org. To learnmore about the Jersey Cares coatdrive, visit jerseycares.org.

Purple Heart MemorialGARWOOD – The borough offi-

cially accepted a Purple Heart Monu-ment on November 12 from the Mili-tary Order of the Purple Heart. Themonument honoring those woundedin action has been installed at theGeorgiana Memorial gazebo at thecorner of Walnut and Fourth Avenuesin the borough.

MOUNTAINSIDE — A total of 19bricks were added to the walkway upto the historic Hetfield House during aveteran brick dedication ceremony atHetfield on Veterans Day. Prior to theveterans’ bricks, five private brickswere also dedicated, one in memoryof a local young man.

Non-veteran bricks were dedicatedfor Louis and Fontaine Gatti, theGraziano Family (1970), NicholsonFamily, Richie and Ro Ernst (Sep-tember 17, 1961), and one in Memoryof William “BJ” Giannone.

Veterans bricks included: William J.Simonson, 1st, Lt. U.S. Air Corp.; Tho-mas M. Root, Capt., U.S. Army; SSGTFrank A. Kelly, Sr. World War II, Ko-rean War; Herman Zinberg, father ofLyn Sichel; The Szeles Family; ClaireButler, Army Lt., World War II; inmemory of Basil and Joan Naporano;The Schrul Family — Bill, Teri, Steven,Allison; Sgt. Samuel Mills, Army AirCorps, World War II; Michael and EdithSgarro; Nick Jeka, BEF, 1914, DonJeka, USMC, 1946; James J. Debbie,Sr., World War II, USS San Marcos;Maurice L. Liddy, Jr., LCPL, U.S.Marines, Sept. 8, 1938 to April 21,2011; and Linda and Don Sharkey. Allproceeds from the sale of bricks goes tosupport the Hetfield House. TheMountainside Historic RestorationCommittee said it plans on making theveterans’ brick ceremony an annualevent on Veterans Day.

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ANNUAL TREK TO A.C.…Westfield Town Councilmen Keith Loughlin, left, andJames Foerst, second from left, Councilwoman Vicki Kimmins, Town AdministratorJim Gildea, fourth from left, and Town Attorney Russ Finestein attended the 96thannual League of Municipalities Convention in Atlantic City last week.

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Area Officials Make Trek toLeague of Mun. Convention

By PAUL J. PEYTONSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

AREA – Elected and non-electedmunicipal officials throughout the areamade the annual trek last week to theAtlantic City Convention Center forthe 96th annual New Jersey League ofMunicipalities Convention.

Scotch Plains Township ManagerChris Marion said Scotch Plains hada full contingent in Atlantic City,including Mayor Nancy Malool aswell as three council members anddepartment heads.

Mr. Marion attended a number ofseminars, ranging from a discussionof the state’s cap law on municipalspending to “The Changing Down-town,” a discussion co-sponsored byDowntown New Jersey, Inc., whichincluded representatives from theLivingston business district. Thepanel discussed everything from howto fill vacancies and retail trends toparking techniques to support newuses.

“They definitely had some goodpanel discussions this year,” Mr.Marion said.

Mr. Marion said he and the govern-ing body had the chance to look atequipment that was on display at theAtlantic City Convention Center, in-cluding a sewer jet truck used for sewerbackups and to clear catch basins. Hesaid the township is looking to replaceits own 12-year-old truck by acquiringone through a national purchasing co-operative available to towns.

Mr. Marion said the township paysfor employees to attend the conven-tion, from the $55 registration fee toovernight accommodations up to$250 per night. He said the hotelwhere he stayed cost $150 per night.

Garwood Administrator and Bor-ough Clerk Christina Ariemma saidshe was the only Garwood represen-tative to attend the convention, not-ing that she took vacation time andpaid her way, as the borough no longerpays for employees to attend the con-vention.

She said she was particularly im-pressed with the line of equipmentthis year that was on display by ven-dors, noting that equipment was avail-able for all aspects of municipal gov-ernment operations. As an example,Ms. Ariemma said she saw equip-ment for recreational fields rangingfrom lighting and turf to playgroundequipment. Ms. Ariemma said al-though the array of equipment wasimpressive, she knows most townsdo not have the money to make ex-pensive purchases this year.

Ms. Ariemma said she was “disap-pointed” that none of Garwood’selected officials attended the conven-tion. “It’s sad because they really canbe educated there (by attending paneldiscussions),” she said.

Mountainside Councilman GlennMortimer added that, “If you (attend-ees) do it the right way…it’s a lotwork,” noting that the conventionfloor features 25 rows of vendors. Inaddition, seminars are scheduled allday long throughout the convention.Mr. Mortimer attended a panel dis-cussion on the State Strategic Plan-ning Process, which has been changedto one that “supports sustainablegrowth,” according to the League’s

program.Mr. Mortimer said members of

Governor Chris Christie’s cabinetattended, including the commission-ers from the Department of Environ-mental Protection (DEP), Departmentof Community Affairs (DCA) andDepartment of Transportation (DOT).He said in the past, departments oper-ated on their own on land-use plan-ning but are now “on the same page.”Fanwood Mayor Colleen Mahr ledthe discussion.

Also attending from Mountainsidewere Mayor Paul Mirabelli, Council-man Robert Messler and Council-woman Deanna Andre, as well asBorough Administrator/Police ChiefJames Debbie and Borough ClerkMartha Lopez.

Mr. Mortimer said he also was ableto meet with vendors selling fireequipment, as the borough is in themarket to replace one of its fleet ofthree fire trucks, which is now 30years old. He additionally looked atenergy-efficient lighting products forthe municipal complex.

Westfield Councilman KeithLoughlin made the trip to AtlanticCity for the third consecutive year. Hesaid his focus is not the many vendorslooking to sell products and servicesto towns, but instead to meet withofficials from surrounding towns tobuild relationships. Town Adminis-trator Jim Gildea, Town Attorney RussFinestein and fellow council mem-bers James Foerst and Vicki Kimminsalso attended the convention.

“The overwhelming theme at [thelast few conventions] is the tremen-dous pressure towns are under tocontrol costs and to get some type ofcontrol over property taxes,” Mr.Loughlin said.

Millburn to HostRahway River Meeting

MILLBURN — The Mayors Coun-cil on Rahway River Watershed Con-trol will hold its first meeting onMonday, November 28 at 7:30 p.m.at the Millburn Municipal Building.Millburn Mayor Sandra Haimoff ishosting the meeting, which will ad-journ by 9 p.m.

The main objective of the organi-zation is the mitigation of floodingthat was heightened by the damageswrought by Hurricane Irene.

The agenda for the November 28meeting will include: a statement ofobjectives, organization structure, anHurricane Irene damage assessmentin the communities that the RahwayRiver runs through, storage and floodcontrol structure proposals, and statelegislation including state reimburse-ment for what Federal EmergencyManagement Agency (FEMA)doesn’t cover.

A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES Thursday, November 24, 2011 Page 3

News From the Capitol

Rep. Leonard Lance 908-518-7733

Editor’s Note: Rep. Leonard Lance readthe following statement on the floor of theHouse of Representatives on November16 before the vote on the Balanced Bud-get Amendment. The legislation received261 “yes” votes and 165 “no” votes,falling short of the 284 votes needed topass with the necessary two-thirds of Housemembers.

Mr. Speaker, As of November 14, 2011,the United States national debt was$14.973 trillion, according to the Depart-ment of Treasury. With pending securityauctions this month, it is inevitable thatthe national debt will reach the unprec-edented level of $15 trillion in the comingweeks. When the national debt reaches$15 trillion it means the U.S. debt-to-GDPratio will reach 99.7 percent of our debt.This is $47,900 for every living American.Since President Obama took office in 2009,the debt has gone up by $4.3 trillion.

In the last 50 years, the federal govern-ment has only managed to balance itsbudget five times, most recently with Presi-dent Clinton, a Democrat, and Republicancontrol of the House of Representativesand the Senate. Washington now borrowsapproximately 40 percent of every dollarit spends. Foreign investors hold half ofour nation’s public debt and one-third ofoverall debt — not only from China, butfrom Japan, Great Britain, Saudi Arabia,and other places as well.

Admiral Mullen, the recently retiredchairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hasrightly called the national debt “the singlebiggest threat to our national security.”

While we have made significantstrides in reducing the cost of govern-ment over the past few months, muchmore is needed to be done. The primaryfocus of this Congress and our newleadership has been to restore fiscal san-ity and fiscal restraint to the federalgovernment.

We must remember that the money inthe Treasury is not our money, but it isthe people’s money, and we are chargedwith being good stewards of that money.There is only one way to ensure that futureCongresses and Presidents, regardless ofparty, are unable to return to the reckless,out of control spending of the past. That isto pass a balanced budget amendment tothe United States Constitution.

This week, Congress will vote on abalanced budget amendment to the Con-stitution for the first time in 16 years.

In 1995, following passage by theHouse of Representatives, the UnitedStates Senate came within one vote ofsending a version of a balanced budgetamendment to the states for ratification.Since then, our total national debt hasalmost tripled.

Today’s proposal is nearly identicalto the one that passed the House with 72Democratic votes in 1995.

Amending our Constitution should

not be taken lightly. I will support thebalanced budget amendment because Ibelieve it is the right thing to do to helpget our nation’s fiscal house in order.

I would have preferred that the bal-anced budget amendment include a spend-ing cap, but we need Democratic mem-bers to achieve the necessary two-thirdsmajority required for a constitutionalamendment to be sent to the states forratification. That is why the amendmentwe will be considering almost mirrors the1995 text.

Before coming to Congress I servedin the New Jersey State Legislature whereI successfully sought reforms to ensurethat our state government was respon-sible with the people’s money. In 2008,the people of New Jersey passed my stateconstitutional amendment to require voterapproval for issuance of state borrowing.I’m proud to be able to do my part here inWashington as well.

Most states, including New Jersey, arerequired to balance their states’ budgets.If the federal government continues tospend what it does not have, the balancedbudget amendment would provide amuch-needed safeguard to restrict futurespending.

As someone who tries to be a student ofAmerican history, I know that a balancedbudget amendment is not a new idea.Thomas Jefferson was a strong proponentof the idea. He said: “I wish it were pos-sible to obtain a single amendment to ourConstitution. I would be willing to dependon that alone for the reduction of theadministration of our government.”

He was referring to a balanced budgetamendment. Those were wise wordswhen spoken and they are wise wordstoday. Passing a balanced budget amend-ment would also help move us closer tothe much needed economic certaintyour nation desperately needs to boostthe economy and help create jobs.

When I was a boy and a young man,the fundamental issue confronting thenation was the threat of the Soviet Unionand international communism, the fo-cus of evil in the modern world as Presi-dent Reagan said.

The fundamental issue confrontingthe nation in the Twenty-first Century isfiscal responsibility. Will our childrenlive in a diminished America? Will thepromise of America that each genera-tion does better than the generation be-fore it continue to exist? Will we con-tinue to lead the world or will leadershippass to China or India or to some otherplace?

This is the great issue confronting thepeople of the United States, and it is thegreat issue confronting us here in Con-gress. Let’s get our fiscal house in order.Let’s pass a balanced budget amend-ment to the Constitution of the UnitedStates.

Fed. Deficit Is GreatIssue of Our Time

TURKEY TIME…Newly re-elected State Senator Tom Kean, Jr. (R-21, Westfield)hands over a turkey to Westfield Fitness Owner Vincent Chen. The turkey wasdonated as part of Westfield Fitness’ second annual Thanksgiving food drive,which benefited the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. Donations during thesuccessful event were triple that of the prior year.

Congress OKs $15 Mil. InFunding for Gateway Tunnel

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Con-gress has approved $15 million infunding for the Gateway Tunnel, anAmtrak project that would linkSecaucus to the south side of NewYork Penn Station in MidtownManhattan for commuters. Thefunding will be used by Amtrak tobegin design and engineering workon the tunnel.

“Transportation is the lifeblood ofNew Jersey’s economy, and the Gate-way Tunnel will be a critical im-provement for commuters in our stateand across the region,” Senator FrankLautenberg (D-N.J.) said. “I’mpleased this bill includes funding tomove forward with a new trans-Hudson tunnel that will benefit ourcommuters and bring real high-speedrail to New Jersey and the NortheastCorridor.”

“New Jersey’s economic opportu-nities are being dampened by cloggedHudson River crossings,” Sen.Menendez (D-N.J.) said. “This fund-

ing allows the Gateway Project tomove forward and without a newtunnel we risk continued economicstagnation for the state.”

Increased traffic and congestioninto midtown Manhattan threatensthe economy of northern New Jerseyand the entire region. The existing100-year-old rail tunnels into mid-town Manhattan are already operat-ing at capacity during rush hour, andridership is expected to double in thenext two decades.

To address these immediate con-cerns following the cancellation ofthe Access to Region’s Core (ARC)Tunnel project by Governor ChrisChristie over millions of dollars inprojected cost overruns, Amtrak ex-pedited plans to build the new trans-Hudson rail tunnels. In addition toincreasing the number of NJ Transitand Amtrak trains into and out ofNew York, the project will also ex-pand intercity and high-speed railservice on the Northeast Corridor,the Senators said.

The Gateway Tunnel project isexpected to increase NJ Transit com-muter rail capacity into New Yorkby 65 percent (an increase from 20to 33 trains per hour during peakhours), in addition to adding eightadditional Amtrak trains during peakhours.

The legislation has been be sent toPresident Barack Obama for his sig-nature.

RVSA Co-Generation CostRecapture Scheme Revealed

By WAYNE BAKERSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

RAHWAY – The Rahway ValleySewerage Authority’s (RVSA) Boardof Commissioners last Thursday re-viewed details of how the Authorityintends to recapture the costs for con-struction of the co-generation andsludge drying facilities. The project toconstruct a pipeline to add the abilityto burn digester gas in the Authority’sboilers continues to be stalled by de-lays by RVSA’s contractor.

Solicitation letters of interest torun the co-generation and sludge dry-ing facilities via public/private part-nerships were mentioned at the meet-ing. When questioned about theseletters following the meeting, RVSAExecutive Director James Meehansaid although these two projectswould need to be privately operated,the RVSA does not plan to privatizethe facility to generate revenue.

“We’re going to make use of thisequipment one way or another,” Mr.Meehan said. He said the co-genera-tion facility would not be run as de-signed but instead is used as a peakpower facility, defined as a powerplant that is brought on line to gener-ate power when high levels of electri-cal demand is required. The sludgedrying facility has roughly doublethe necessary capacity, so it could beused to dry sludge coming from otherfacilities, Mr. Meehan said. In thiscase, the operator would bring mar-keting capabilities but would needto fund some modifications to the

facility to allow outside sludge to bedried.

Mr. Meehan said that the RVSA is“doing everything we can to mitigatedamages.” Another aspect of how thiswill be attempted was revealed througha fairly cryptic mention of a court filingto bring other parties into the authori-ties arbitration proceedings about theco-generation and sludge drying facili-ties. The notice to proceed on the di-gester gas-piping contract was issuedon August 2, 2011. The duration was200 days and the contractor is stillsubmitting shop drawings for review.Mr. Meehan said this would result inthe RVSA needing to flare off roughly$60,000 of digester gas monthly.

John Buonocore, an engineer on theRVSA staff, reported on the status ofthis project. He said that the projectitself would not take very long, prob-ably about 60 days, but that the delayshave prevented the blower from beingconstructed. The manufacturer requires16 weeks to produce the blower, so it’simportant that it be ordered as soon aspossible. The authority has indicated tothe contractor that that the RVSA in-tends to pursue damages of $1,000 perday for delays beyond the scheduledcompletion date of February 18, 2012.

In other business, Mr. Meehan’s sal-ary was raised $10,000 to a new an-nual salary of $140,000. CranfordCommissioner James Murphy said theincrease represents a 7.7 per cent in-crease. Mr. Meehan pointed out thateven after the raise his salary was$45,000 less than his predecessor.

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COMMUNITY OUTREACH…Representatives of Trinitas Reginal Medical Cen-ter of Elizabeth met the Westfield community on November 16 to discuss serviceopportunities. Pictured, from left to right, are: Jill Sawers of Westfield, who hostedthe event; Assemblyman Jon Bramnick (R-21, Westfield); Trinitas President andChief Executive Officer Gary Horan, and Trinitas Chief Development OfficerNadine Brechner. During the event Westfield High School Principal Peter Renwickbrainstormed with Mr. Horan on how best to utilize health (medical/mental)services to meet student interests and expand student participation.

Super Comm. FailsWESTFIELD – Rep. Leonard

Lance (R-7th) has expressed “deepdisappointment” over the failure ofthe 12-member Super Committee,which announced late Monday that itcannot agree on cutting $1.2 trillionfrom the nation’s deficit over the next10 years.

“Today’s announcement coupledwith last week’s defeat of a BalancedBudget Amendment in the U.S. Houseleaves many Americans doubting ifWashington is truly serious aboutgetting the nation’s fiscal house inorder.”

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Letters to the EditorABCDICTIONOPQRSTDECEPTIONUVWXYZ

TM

DDDDDiction Deception

Letters tothe Editor

Your State Legislators---LD-21---

Sen. Thomas Kean, Jr. (R)425 North Ave. E.Westfield, N.J. 07090(908) 232-3673

Asm. Jon Bramnick (R)251 North Ave. WestWestfield, N.J. 07090(908) 232-2073

Asm. Nancy Munoz (R)57 Union Place, Suite 310Summit, N.J. 07901(908) 918-0414

---LD-22---Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D)

1514 E. Saint Georges Ave.Linden, N.J. 07036(908) 587-0404

Asw. Linda Stender (D)1801 East Second St.Scotch Plains, N.J. 07076(908) 668-1900

Asm. Jerry Green (D)17 Watchung Ave.Plainfield, N.J. 07060(908) 561-5757

LD-21 includes Westfield, Mountainside,Garwood, Summit and Cranford.

LD-22 includes Scotch Plains, Fanwood,Plainfield, Clark and Linden.

E-mailsenkean@njleg.orgsenscutari@njleg.orgasmbramnick@njleg.orgaswmunoz@njleg.orgaswstender@njleg.orgasmgreen@njleg.org

7th Congressional DistrictRepresentative Leonard Lance, 425 North Avenue E., Westfield, NJ 07090 (908) 518-7733

Union County FreeholdersElizabeth, New Jersey

(908) 527-4200Al Faella, Mgr. afaella@ucnj.org

Deborah Scanlon, chairdscanlon@ucnj.org

Sebastian D’Elia, Public Info.(908) 527-4419sdelia@ucnj.org

Reform Needed In How N.J. RedrawsCongressional, Legislative Districts

The 2011 elections are now behind usand the all but completely predictableresults are in. All 120 seats of the NewJersey State Legislature were at stakefollowing the once per decade redistrict-ing process completed earlier this year.One hundred and ten out of 120 incum-bent legislators were seeking reelectionto either the seats they already held, aseat in a newly formed district, or in acouple of cases, sitting members of theGeneral Assembly seeking a Senate seat.Out of the 110 seeking reelection, 108 or98.2 percent were reelected. Most elec-tions were double-digit landslides withthe closest race coming in with a 6 per-cent margin of victory. These are prettystaggering figures and one wonderswhether the numbers are so high becauseof the electorate’s overwhelming approvalof the job our Legislature has been doingor whether there is another reason atplay. I believe it is more of the latter andcan be directly attributed to the above-mentioned legislative redistricting pro-cess.

Following the once per decade na-tional census, the 50 states are empow-ered with the duty to redraw their Con-gressional district lines as well as theirstate legislative district lines. In NewJersey, both the Democratic and Repub-lican parties select members (usuallysitting legislators) to a redistricting com-mission where each side proposes newlegislative maps, ostensibly using guide-lines set forth in the New Jersey Consti-tution. In reality, they do so more in amanner that would gain them an elec-toral advantage in the next 10 years’worth of elections, while at the sametime placing their incumbents in “safe”districts. If you remember your highschool government class you might re-call that this shady practice is known asgerrymandering.

Invariably, the two sides never agree ona map and a tiebreaking vote is appointedby the Chief Justice of the New JerseySupreme Court. This year’s tiebreakerwas the scholarly Rutgers professor AlanRosenthal, a life-long Democrat who (sur-prise, surprise) chose the Democrat pro-posed map over the Republican map. Per-haps the most outrageous component ofProfessor Rosenthal’s rationale was hisdesire to ensure a “continuity in represen-tation” in our legislature. That’s right. Thelearned professor somehow interpreted

the guidelines of our state Constitution toread that the new legislative districts bedrawn in a manner that would all butguarantee that incumbents get reelected.And ladies and gentlemen, that is exactlywhat happened on November 8.

One should think that there has got tobe a more equitable way to go throughthis redistricting process; a process thatmost citizens do not realize is even hap-pening and a process that has heretoforehad more impact on the makeup of ourelected officials than any given election.In this age of advancing technology, I askwhy we allow this redistricting processto be driven by partisans who essentiallyplace their own political survival aheadof the guidelines set forth by the Consti-tution. It would seem reasonable to methat a relatively simple computer pro-gram be written (and yes, even agreedupon by both Republicans and Demo-crats) that would accomplish both thestate legislative and Congressional re-districting based solely on constitutionalguidelines and do so in a matter of sec-onds once the new census data is entered.This would no doubt lead to more com-petitive districts where incumbents couldno longer assume automatic reelection.The number of life-long politicians wouldbe dramatically reduced and those thatwere ultimately selected through morecompetitive elections would be a moreresponsive group who could no longertake their constituents for granted.

As you read this, a commission com-posed of partisan Republicans and Demo-crats are plotting New Jersey’s next con-gressional district map in time for the2012 elections. New Jersey will lose oneseat because of a loss of relative popula-tion and bring our congressional delega-tion from 13 to 12. There is no questionin my mind that the new map will bedrawn in such a way as to ensure thatcome November 2012 (and subsequentNovembers through 2020), all 12 incum-bents will find themselves easily reelectedbecause of their respective gerryman-dered districts.

While there are cases to be made forreform in many facets of government,none would have more of an impact onour political landscape than a change tothe way our legislative and Congres-sional districts are drawn every 10 years.

Martin Marks, MayorScotch Plains (2000-2008)

Red Cross Chapter Making Good UseOf $5,000 Donation From United Fund

Take a look at the American RedCross Mission: to provide relief tovictims of disasters and help peopleprevent, prepare for, and respond toemergencies. In a sense, this viewdivides the population into two fluidgroups — people who need help andpeople who want to help. The RedCross is privileged to serve as a linkbetween the two.

The Raritan Valley Chapter of theAmerican Red Cross was recentlyprivileged to receive a gift of $5,000from the Westfield United Fund tosupport our disaster operations in thewake of Hurricane Irene. TheWestfield United Fund has been re-sponding to our community’s needssince 1937 and the Red Cross trulyappreciated their support in restock-ing our supplies after the devastationthat Irene left behind. The funds sup-plied by the Westfield United Fundallowed us to purchase 250 cleanupkits to be used during disasters for theresidents of Westfield. Each kit comes

with a sectional handle with mop,broom, squeegee and push broomheads, pail, scrub brush, sponge, dis-infectant, detergent/degreaser,bleach, trash bags, gloves and dustmask. These necessary items make ahuge impact on the lives of peoplewho are trying to get their homes inorder.

It is through support like that of theWestfield United Fund and its donorsthat the Raritan Valley Chapter of theAmerican Red Cross is able to effec-tively fulfill its mission in helpingpeople prevent, prepare for and re-spond to emergencies. If you wouldlike to make an additional donationto the local chapter please call (908)232-7090 for information or mail agift to 321 Elm Street, Westfield, N.J.07090.

Thank you for your continued sup-port during this holiday season andbeyond.

Suzanne LutzAmerican Red Cross, Westfield

Happy Thanksgiving From TheUnited Fund of Westfield

Thanksgiving is the time of yearwhen we say thanks for the blessingsof home and health, friends and fam-ily. In that spirit, we at the WestfieldUnited Fund wish to express our grati-tude for the caring neighbors at our19 member agencies who help makelife better for so many of us throughtheir programs and services. To namejust a few, we are thankful for...

The volunteers at Mobile Mealswho prepare and deliver hot meals tothe homebound; the staff at theWestfield Day Care Center who pro-vide scholarships to single parentsand families experiencing job loss;the after school tutors at the WestfieldElementary Schools who help stu-dents achieve their academic poten-tial; the compassionate listeners atCONTACT We Care who staff theirhotlines around the clock so no callfor help goes unanswered; the pro-fessionals at Youth and Family Coun-seling Services who provide coun-seling to help resolve addiction, de-pression, anxiety, and family issues;

the counselors at the YWCA of East-ern Union County who shelter andsupport women and children suffer-ing from domestic abuse, and thehandymen and bus drivers of theAmerican Red Cross who make itpossible for our elderly neighbors toremain in their homes.

We are especially thankful to themore than 1,000 Westfield residentswho make all these programs pos-sible through their generous contri-butions to our annual campaign. As asign of personal “thanks-giving,” weencourage all who have not yet madea pledge this year to either send in apledge card or contribute online(www.westfieldunitedfund.org).

By sharing our blessings, we canextend the holiday spirit throughoutthe coming year. On behalf of all ofus at the Westfield United Fund, bestwishes for a happy and healthyThanksgiving.

Kim Benou2011 Campaign Chairman

Westfield United Fund

Benedict Vows to Remain AttentiveAnd Involved In Goings On In FW

I would like to offer my sincerecongratulations to Mayor Mahr aswell as Councilman Heugel andCouncilman-Elect Boris on a victori-ous campaign. Public life is neitherglamorous nor elegant and it takes acertain kind of individual to pursueit; my hat is off to each of them.

While my running mates NicoleCole, Joe Britt and I did not win theelection, we are pleased that we havehad the opportunity to shed light onissues that are important to Fanwood’scitizens and offer them a viable choicefor its leadership. Hopefully, theseissues will remain in the forefront ofeveryone’s mind and continue to fos-ter critical thinking about the futureof Fanwood.

I am personally grateful to havemet many of my neighbors through-out the campaign season and learnedwhat is truly important to them. Hav-ing spent so many weeks listening toFanwoodians, I can comfortably saythat those who came out and votedgot the government they deserve.

Finally, I owe a great debt of grati-tude to my wife and son who sacri-ficed our family time for the greatergood. I know that they are happy tohave me home, and I am happy to bethere. In future years, I know I willremain attentive, involved and inter-ested in the goings on in and aroundtown in some way or another.

Jason Benedict GOP CandidateFanwood Borough Council

Why Were Memorial Fields Fertilized?

During the last two weeks as we,along with many other Westfielders,trotted across Memorial Park soccerfields, we were rather alarmed anddisturbed to see clumps of fertilizer/pesticides strewn about the fields.Given that the season ended this week,we were wondering why the PublicWorks Department could not wait inthe application of these chemicals.There really is no benefit for anyoneto be exposed to such toxins. Thechildren run around in it and theiryounger siblings roll around in it.

A call to the Public Works depart-ment has not (yet) yielded any an-swers. At best, this is another case ofpoor communication between theRecreational Department and PublicWorks. At worst, it’s gross negligence.If we can protect our children fromharmful substances, why not do it?

Kirti Malik and Lisa KarterWestfield

Are Solar Panels OnTele. Poles Real Deal orCon of The Century?As a fan of solar energy, the sight

of hundreds and hundreds of solarunits hung on our telephone poles isvery impressive. The concept ofpumping extra energy into the gridnear where it is being used makes alot of sense.

What troubles me is how the publiccan know with 100 percent certaintythat these units are the real deal andpump out 220 watts on a clear day orare only putting out partial power orno power at all. I’m sure that theseunits were not cheap and I don’tknow when there will be a pay back.But I’d feel a lot better if the state andfederal government would randomlycheck these beautiful panels to see ifthis is the real deal or the con of thecentury. Stranger things have hap-pened.

Joseph DupontWarren Township

Be Thankful for Our Community,Friends and Sharing with Family

This week, we celebrate Thanksgiving with ourfamily, neighbors and friends. Many travel to join usfrom afar.

True, it is a significant national holiday, immortal-izing the journey, trials and triumphs of our country’sfirst settlers and celebrating the beginning of amelting pot, the American culture. Most of us feelthe holiday as a profoundly personal one, one thatbrings together the significant people in our indi-vidual lives.

Some families separated by distance will reunite;some will, unfortunately, feel the weight of familialstrife a little more. For many in our community,Thanksgiving means an epic feast not to be rivaledby any other meal during the year; for some, it is aday to feel the weight of poverty a little more.

As with many holidays, Thanksgiving can bringstress instead of comfort and joy. Not all of the chaosis necessarily bad – some of it can be downrightentertaining – but hopefully everyone can look pasta burnt turkey or a petty squabble and remember thateveryone has something to be thankful for.

And, thinking beyond our individual lives, wemust remember that there are those who cannotcelebrate the holiday with loved ones or partake ofbig meals.

It has been an eventful year with floods andhurricanes causing suffering for thousands – thatwhich we experienced is mostly in the past and werecovered. As we give thanks for our good fortune,provide a moment of thought for others.

This year, please be extra thankful; pray for thereturn of our many soldiers from long deployments;seek peace in the world. We have many reminders ofhow precious the gifts of family, friends and com-munity truly are.

The start of the holiday season is upon us. Manystores and advertisements are already reminding usthat Christmas is fast approaching. Enjoy Thanks-giving and embrace the spirit of the upcoming Christ-mas season.

Let’s remember the gifts we already have – thank-ful for the community of people with whom we sharethose gifts.

Below are four arcane words, eachwith four definitions – only one is cor-rect. The others are made up. Are yousharp enough to discern this deception ofdiction?

If you can guess one correctly – goodguess. If you get two – well-read indi-vidual. If you get three – word expert. Ifyou get all four – You must have a lot offree time!

All words and correct definitionscome from the board game DictionDeception.

Answers to last week’s arcane words.1. Souter – A shoemaker2. Iatrology – The science of medicine3. Oeuvres – Literary works4. Terpsichorean – A dancer

GRIFFIER1. A jewler’s gouging tool for working

in a depression, as in engraving metal2. A recorder or registrar3. A shelf behind an altar for candle-

sticks4. Coarse iron ore

UNGULATE1. Having hoofs2. To saturate; soak3. Showing patience; calmness4. To give a wavy form, margin, or

surfaceVENATIC

1. Acting by poisoning2. Fond of or living by hunting3. Easily bribed or corrupted4. Nomadic; roving

DEPASCENT1. Impoverished; poor2. Feeding3. Lacking adequate mental power4. Apathetic; disinterested

TREE LIMBS? MAYBEBEST NEIGHBORS GETTOGETHER A CLEAN UP

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The Amazing Generosity of Many People And CompaniesOn Sunday, September 25, 2011, I

organized my sixth and final charitybaseball game here in Westfield, tobenefit Furniture Assist, a Kenilworth-based organization that collects furni-ture from donors and distributes it tothose in need. The money raised will beput towards the cost of their storageunits, as well as the cost of the trucksand truck drivers to collect and deliverthe donations.

This year was absolutely the mostsuccessful of them all (and I mean it thistime!), thanks once again to the amaz-ing generosity of many people and com-panies. Food and drinks were donatedby Bagel Chateau, Manhattan Bagels,Mario’s Deli, ShopRite, Starbucks, Stopn’ Shop and The Office Beer Bar &Grill. Gift certificates, raffle items andmonetary donations were generouslymade by 16 Prospect, Baron’s DrugStore, Bath Junkie, Casa di Pizza,Chili’s, Cherrybrook Premium Pet Sup-plies, Fancy Nails, Farmhouse Store,FroYo, Galeria Art and Framing,Garwood Lanes, Gennaro’s,Headturners Salon, Hershey’s Subs,Inspire, J. Winthrop, Jay’s Cycle, JillBrown, Joanne Gordon (PamperedChef), Limani Seafood Grill, Mani PediNails and Spa, Nagoya, On the SideSpa, Rookies and Stars Sports Col-

lectibles, Tinga, Turning Point, TuttiBaci Cafe, Westfield Diner, andWestfield Running Company.

Special thanks to Jana Deneroff (CBS),Nat Butler and Jen Pottheiser, Ken Seitel(NBA), and Dan Lynch (N.Y. Giants) forthe wonderful silent auction items. Also,I’d like to thank Jersey Tees in Kenilworthfor the awesome shirts this year, pro-vided at a discounted price.

I want to thank our friends and fellowWestfield residents for their participa-tion and support. Thanks to all the 12thgraders who played in the game, and allthe parents, who, although rusty, provedto be too much for the kids, pulling offa 7-3 win! Thanks to all my friends andfamily who helped set up, stayed towatch the game and purchased lots ofraffle tickets and bid on silent auctionitems.

In total, we raised over $4,250 forFurniture Assist, and would never havebeen so successful without everyone’sgenerosity!

I would also like to thank the follow-ing friends who helped the day of theevent: The Harris Family, The LutzFamily, The Friedman Family, AlexJeffrey, and many, many more! Withoutthem, I would have been so busy that Iwouldn’t have been able to play in thegame. I have to once again single out

Theresa Harris, who for all six years,has helped enormously with variousorganizational aspects on game day,including setting up the raffle and silentauction tables. She even rescheduled atrip so that she could make it to thegame, and I can’t thank her enough! Imust also thank John and Nancy Jakub,who donated the use of their canopytent for the game, given the ominousforecast, and came out bright and earlyto assemble it. They, along with myDad, Nat Butler (who came at 6 a.m.!),Tom and TJ Lutz, Jeff Harris, and WillHogge, all chipped in to the effort to setup the tent. Of course, none of thiswould have happened had it not beenfor the effort and support of my parents(who donated a gift certificate, in addi-tion to covering the costs of certaingame day items, including the t-shirts).

I couldn’t be more thankful to every-one who has contributed to my effortsover the past six years. As cliché as it maysound, my game would truly not havebeen successful without the help andsupport of the community. As I head off tocollege, I will never cease to appreciateall the great things that this experiencehas taught me, nor will I forget all thosewho made this game possible.

Daniel Berke (age 17)Westfield

A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES Thursday, November 24, 2011 Page 5

Running Unopposed Made Me VeryAware of Support of Ward 2 Residents

I would like to take this opportu-nity to thank so many of you whohave elected me for the third time asyour representative. First and fore-most, I want to thank you, the resi-dents of the Second Ward, for yourcontinued trust and confidence. I amhumbled by your support and I prom-ise to continue to represent you to thebest of my ability for the next fouryears. I stand firm in my commitmentto be fiscally prudent and responsiveto all of you.

I would also like to thank my col-leagues on Council who are a greatteam of dedicated individuals. I amproud to be working with all of you,especially our Mayor, AndySkitbitsky, whose leadership anddedication I admire so much.

I would also like to thank our stateleaders, Senator Tom Kean, Assem-blyman Jon Bramnick, and Assem-blywoman Nancy Munoz, for theirtireless work on behalf of the resi-

dents of Westfield.This was an unusual campaign in

that I ran without an opponent. How-ever, I did not treat this campaignwith any less commitment and grati-tude. Running unopposed made mevery aware of the faith and support ofthe second ward residents. This onlyreconfirms my pledge to work dili-gently on your behalf.

My campaign manager, DeirdreMalacrea, and my treasurer, DonaPanagos, did a wonderful job on mycampaign and I cannot thank themenough for their hard work and sup-port.

Lastly, I must thank my family.Without their love and support I couldnot do any of this. So I thank myhusband Kevin, and children KevinJr., Christopher and Elisabeth fromthe bottom of my heart.

Councilwoman Jo Ann NeylanWestfield

Crossroads Draws Schoeman’s IreFor Comedian’s Remarks

Editor’s Note: The following is acopy of a letter sent to the manager ofThe Crossroads.

I was shocked to read on page 18 oftoday’s (November 17) The WestfieldLeader - a comedian at your estab-lishment [The Crossroads] sharinghis (her) experience ignoring cou-pons as a “recovering Jew!” Thisremark is anti-Semitic, pure and

simple, and requires an apology byyou and on behalf of The Crossroads.

Jewish people should not frequentyour establishment until you apolo-gize publicly and make clear to thepublic that your policy, which youmust state to all your performers, isthat they must not make anti-Semiticremarks or anti-other people re-marks!

It seems nowadays that “comedi-ans” and “comediennes” believe thatanything goes in order to get a laugh.And a cheap laugh, at that!

Stephen SchoemanWestfield

Jannotti Family in Brazil;5,000 Miles, Sight Unseen

By GINO JANNOTTISpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

After picking up my luggage twoweeks ago at the Belo Horizonte Bra-zil airport, I walked out into the ter-minal looking for relatives who Ihave never met who would be hold-ing up a sign with my name. But noone was there, and I began to thinkthat maybe this trip was going to be abust.

A couple of weeks ago, I receivedan e-mail from Murilo Osorio fromBrazil telling me that he traced hisheritage back to Antonio Iannotti,born in 1712 in San LorenzoMaggiore, Italy. That is the samesmall village where my great-great-grandfather was born in 1841. Murilotold me that Domenico and FrancescoJannotti immigrated to Brazil in 1870from Celle di Bulgheria, a town nearSalerno, Italy, and that they weredescendents of Antonio, who movedto Celle di Bulgheria from SanLorenzo Maggiore.

He invited me to an annual Jannottifamily reunion in Brazil, saying thatat least 200 Jannottis would be inattendance. I made arrangements tofly from Newark to Washington, D.C.(Dulles) to San Paolo to BeloHorizonte, Brazil. Some of my friendsthought it strange that I would agreeto go to Brazil to meet people that Idid not know, and not speaking Por-tuguese, based on a series of e-mailsreceived from Murilo. So, when noone was there to greet me, I won-dered if they were correct. I went tothe airport information center. Theagent called a cell phone number thatI had been given for one of the mem-bers of the “reception” committeethat I was expecting.

To my relief, the agent said that Ishould wait and the family memberswere on the way. Sure enough, a fewminutes later, people came up to meholding a large sign with my name.Three more members of the Jannottifamily joined them.

When I met Joseph Jannotti, 81years old, I immediately saw the fam-ily resemblance and was amazed thatthree centuries did not diminish thefamily facial features. I was taken toJoseph’s home where he has lived for40 years and met his family of fourdaughters and two sons and variousgrandchildren. Joseph is still a prac-ticing cardiologist and so are two ofhis sons. One son-in-law also is apracticing cardiologist and two grand-children currently are in medicalschool. His live-in cook, Maria, hasworked there for 30 years.

The welcome was a great experi-ence but only the start of my trip. Adrive of three hours through the moun-tains where the Portuguese discov-ered gold and semi-precious stonestook me to Vicosa, Brazil, where thefamily reunion was to take place. Onthe way, we stopped at Ouro Preto,which translates to Black Gold, aWorld Heritage site (UNESCO). Wevisited the churches and the stonemarket. At Viçosa, we met Muriloand members of the family who werestaying at the hotel. We went to din-ner at a local restaurant where about50 relatives were beginning the week-end celebration.

The family spirit was truly thriv-ing. The next day, we attended achurch service where the priest wasalso a Jannotti. I was invited up to thealtar and was introduced to over 200members of the family, a very emo-tional time for me. Then we all gath-ered on the front steps of the churchfor a family photograph and followedwith a short drive to the reunion.

The food was the classic Brazilianchurrasco (BBQ) and the drinks wereserved for over six hours. I had pho-tos taken at each table, danced thesamba, laughed, joked and madefriends with family I never knew Ihad. I was invited to have a Braziliandrink, Cachaca, which was served ina shot glass. So, I thought the properthing to do was to chug it, which I did.But when the fire broke out in myinsides, and the crowd began chant-ing “Gino, Gino, Gino,” I thoughtthat perhaps I should have sipped it.

Being invited back for next year’sreunion, I hope to bring other U.S.and Canada-based Jannotti familymembers to meet their Brazilian cous-ins. I know it will be an experiencethey will never forget.

There is no “J” in the Italian alpha-bet, so the script “I” of Iannotti hasbeen mistakenly changed during im-migration many decades ago both inBrazil and in the U.S. But there wasno mistake for me in taking the chanceto visit relatives I never knew 5,000miles away from my home inGarwood.

BRAZIL FAMILY REUNION...Two hundred Jannotti family members heldtheir annual reunion two weeks ago in Vicosa, Brazil. See story on this page.

Letters to the Editor

Lions: ‘The Knights of the Blind InThe Crusade Against Darkness’

On behalf of the Westfield LionsClub, I want to thank the generouscitizens of Westfield who supportedour Fall White Cane Fundraiser heldon November 19th. Your generositywill allow us to continue the chal-lenge Helen Keller gave to the Lionsin 1925 to be “the Knights of theBlind in the crusade against dark-ness.” Every penny raised will go to

support Lions Charities.Special thanks to Bagel Chateau,

Exxon/Dunkin Donuts and Manhat-tan Bagel that allowed us to canvassin front of their businesses. TheWestfield Lions Club would like towish everyone a Happy Thanksgiv-ing and a Happy Holiday Season.

Douglas Schembs, Jr.Club Secretary, Westfield

School Lunch Fraud is Massive WithEnormous Property Tax ImplicationsI disagree with The Star-Ledger’s

analysis of the amount of fraud inNew Jersey’s school lunch program.I stand by my statement that 37 per-cent of all school lunch recipients areineligible. This figure is underscoredby the ongoing investigation intofraud in the school lunch program inthe Elizabeth School District.

Regardless of the figure used, theamount of fraud in the free and re-duced school lunch program is mas-sive and the cost to the taxpayers isenormous, it runs in the hundreds ofmillions of dollars.

No one is suggesting that a hungrychild be denied breakfast or lunch, allI am asking is that the school lunchprogram be removed as one of theprimary metrics for determiningschool aid. I believe we should fol-low the advice of the State Auditorwho states that: “due to the nature ofthe self-reporting application process

and the error rate, eligibility for theschool lunch program should not beused as a determination factor forother state funding and policy deci-sions.”

Under New Jersey’s system forfunding schools, enrolling a studentin the free and reduced price lunchprogram triggers an “At Risk” desig-nation for the student, which resultsin an about an additional $5,000 ofstate school aid under New Jersey’sschool funding formula. If you con-sider that 428,000 students are en-rolled in the free and reduced pricelunch program, a 37 percent errorrate may result in a fraud totalingnearly $1 billion per year; or if youaccept The Star-Ledger’s analysis,“only” $300 million. Either way it’sa lot of money that could be used toreduce property taxes statewide.

Senator Michael DohertySenate Appropriations Committee‘Use It or Lose It’ Reform Gains

Momentum in State SenateTRENTON — Following Senate

President Stephen Sweeney’s recentannouncement of support for Repub-lican efforts to reform sick leave rulesfor public employees to a ‘use it orlose it’ system, Senate RepublicanLeader Tom Kean, Jr. encouragedSenator Sweeney to post the measurein the next Senate voting session:

“Senate Republicans have repeat-edly attempted to force votes on a‘use it or lose it’ system that wouldeliminate the outrageous jackpotpayouts to public employees for sickleave,” he said. “I am pleased that theSenate President now sees the folly inallowing a system to continue thathas forced municipalities to borrowmoney to pay retiring employees,

sometimes to the tune of six-figurechecks for one person. The version ofthis reform passed previously by theLegislature and, rightly, vetoed bythe Governor did not go far enoughbecause it only capped payments forunused time rather than eliminatingthem outright. I encourage the Sen-ate President to post this reform for avote at the next scheduled Senatevoting session, and offer any assis-tance my caucus can provide to thatend.”

According to the release, SenateRepublicans have sought three voteson sick leave reform that requiresemployees to “use it or lose it.” Eachattempt was defeated by the Demo-cratic Party majority.

Trenton ‘Tit for Tat’

ALL DAY LONGAND NIGHT TOO...GOLEADER.COM

Page 6 Thursday, November 24, 2011 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

Introduction to Furniture Assist, Inc.:Helping Needy to Create a HomeC. DAWSON YEOMANS

PresidentPAUL STIERHOFF and PEGGY A.

ROTHBAUM, Ph.D.Trustees

Furniture Assist (FA) was foundedin 2004 by Dawson Yeomans as anoutreach program of several UnionCounty-based religious organiza-tions, which continue to provide fi-nancial support and volunteers. InJanuary 2006, Furniture Assist wasincorporated. In October 2006 wereceived our IRS determination letterrecognizing our organization’s tax-exempt status. FA accepts donationsof new and gently-used furniture,appliances and household goods fromindividuals, groups, organizations,corporations and public and private

sources. Our mission is simple: “Fromthose who have, to those who need.”

FA was established to meet threecommunity needs: The first benefit isthat FA provides furniture, appliancesand other household goods, free ofcharge, directly to individuals with arecognized need. Recognized needsmay include, but are not limited to,situations such as a previously home-less individual or family trying to setup a new living arrangement, or need-ing additional goods for their home; abattered spouse establishing a newhome; a medical emergency; or a flood,fire, hurricane, tornado, earthquake orother disaster. In these times of tre-mendous financial upheaval and terri-fying unemployment rates, our ser-vices are needed more than ever tohelp clients who are trying to helpthemselves. A second benefit is thatthe organization works with qualifiedreligious organizations and other non-profit organizations, making donationsof furniture, appliances or other house-hold items available for use by theorganizations, or for further distribu-tion to individuals supported by theorganizations. A third benefit of FA is“green” in nature. Many of the do-nated items would otherwise be thrownout, ultimately ending up in landfillsor dumps. Our organization gives theseitems a new home where they areneeded and used, thus keeping themout of the landfills.

FA is a 100-percent volunteer or-ganization, which means that we need,and have, an active board of trustees.Our board is very hands-on, partici-pating in all aspects of the organiza-tion, from finances to sorting do-nated items and unloading trucks.

* * *This article is number one in a se-

ries of three articles. Please see forth-coming articles and visit our website,furnitureassist.com, for informationon donating or volunteering.

POLICE BLOTTER

FRIENDS OF FRAZEE…Fanwood-Scotch Plains Rotary Frazee House Presi-dent Andy Calamaras was invited earlier this year by Terrill Middle Schoolteacher Erin Watson to make a presentation about the Frazee House to students.At that school and others in the district, students engaged in Frazee projects andattended assemblies reflecting their excitement to live in a town with a historichouse and a famous local personage, “Aunt Betty” Frazee.

Rotary Announces EventsFor Frazee House PlanningSCOTCH PLAINS – Doughnuts,

cider and maybe slices of colonial-era-style bread will be served at theFrazee House, located at 1451Raritan Road in Scotch Plains, onSaturday, December 3, at 9:30 a.m.as the organization committed torestoration of the historic houselaunches a planning activity to iden-tify a viable role for the house in thecommunity.

Fanwood-Scotch Plains RotaryFrazee House, Inc. has secured a$38,850 grant from the New JerseyHistoric Trust, which is interested inhelping Union County identify a usefor the rare Revolutionary-era dwell-ing of people of ordinary means,according to Fanwood-Scotch PlainsRotary Frazee House President AndyCalamaras.

The open house will mark the firstphase of a professional approach toplanning a future for the FrazeeHouse backed by community con-sensus. Landscape architect AllanSummers from Rodney RobinsonLandscape Architects, along withrestoration specialists from HistoricBuilding Architects, LLC, of Tren-ton, will be on hand to walk the site,discuss it with guests and begin toassess ways of integrating a restoredhouse with concepts for using theland surrounding the Frazee House.

On Thursday, December 15, anevening public workshop will takeplace with key local stakeholders inthe Frazee House, among themneighbors, political and townshipleaders. They will discuss in a struc-tured format with historic restora-

tion specialists and a market researchconsultant options and ideas to elicitattitudes that might shape a proposalfor the Frazee property that will ben-efit the community. Focused fund-raising for Frazee House restorationwill be enhanced based on a con-crete proposal that might emerge forusing the house.

A third chance for the public toprovide input to new “branding” ofthe Frazee House will take place at aneducational forum on January 5, 2012.A special invitation will go out tostudents and educators to attend theworkshop to discuss how the FrazeeHouse and its site can enrich theeducation of students in the commu-nity. Educator and historian JanetArmstrong will lead the discussion.

Starting December 3, interestedmembers of the public will be ableto provide online input to the Frazeevision planning process. A web linkwill be available that day atfrazeehouse.org, at the Scotch Plainstownship website,scotchplainsnj.com, and others,where they can respond to a ques-tionnaire through January 10, 2012.

At the conclusion of the three pub-lic events, Historic Building Archi-tects, LLC will develop a vision planfor the Frazee House and a plan forcommunicating the house’s value,as well as historic interest.

Fanwood-Scotch Plains RotaryFrazee House, Inc. is a registered501(c)3 tax-exempt organization,and donations to it are tax-deduct-ible. Interested supporters of theFrazee House can always make con-tributions on the “donations” pageat frazeehouse.org.

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County 4-H to PresentGift-Making Night

WESTFIELD – Union County 4-H will hold its annual Holiday Gift-Making Night on Friday, Decem-ber 2, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in theCommunity Room of the WestfieldMunicipal Building, located at 425East Broad Street.

A fee of $7 includes all materialsand guidance for making holiday-themed gifts, including a candy-filled snowball, a decorated flower-pot with an aloe plant, and asnowman doorstopper.

The 4-H Teen Council will host arefreshment table as a fundraiser.Advance registration is required bycalling 4-H Secretary Ellen DiIorioat (908) 654-9854, or e-mailingediiorio@ucnj.org.

The Union County 4-H Clubs andits Youth Development programsare made possible through RutgersUniversity and the Union CountyBoard of Chosen Freeholders.

IHM Plans ProgramOn Internet Safety

SCOTCH PLAINS – The Im-maculate Heart of Mary (IHM)Roman Catholic Church, located at1571 Martine Avenue in ScotchPlains, will sponsor a special pre-sentation on Internet safety in theparish’s Nazareth Center on Thurs-day, December 1, at 7 p.m.

This free, hour-long presentationis designed for both teenagers andtheir parents, who must navigatethe threats posed in cyberspace totheir reputation, material wellbeingand personal safety.

Sergeant Mike Hoose of the HighTech/Computer Services Unit of theUnion County Prosecutor’s Officewill be the guest speaker. Topics willinclude cyber-bullying; Internet fraud(“phishing”); identity theft and stalk-ing; threats posed by “social net-works” such as Facebook, as well asreal-life examples of the dangersyoung adults face every day in aworld of Smartphones with cameras.

This presentation will be offeredunder the auspices of the ParishYouth Ministry and IHM’s HolyName Society. For more informa-tion and directions, call (908) 889-2100 or visit the parish website,ihmparish.net.

Lisa M. Black, LLC223 Elmer Street, Westfield, NJ 07090

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WestfieldTuesday, November 15, Patrick

Gallagher, III, 22, of Linden was arrestedduring a motor vehicle stop on the 500block of Dorian Road on a Cranfordwarrant. He was processed, posted $165bail and was released.

Tuesday, November 15, the theft of aniPod was reported on the 500 block ofEast Broad Street. There were no sus-pects at the time of the report.

Thursday, November 17, MalcolmLewis, 23, of Plainfield was arrested atpolice headquarters on charges of pos-session of a controlled dangerous sub-stance (CDS) with intent to distribute andpossession of a CDS with intent to dis-tribute in a school zone. He was held inlieu of bail.

Thursday, November 17, DeniseJenkins, 33, of Easton, Pa. was arrestedand charged with possession of lessthan 50 grams of suspected marijuanafollowing a motor vehicle stop on NorthAvenue in Garwood. She was releasedon her own recognizance with a sum-mons.

Thursday, November 17, someoneunknown entered an unsecured motorvehicle that was parked in front of aresidence on the 500 block of CoddingRoad. It did not appear that anything wastaken, according to police.

Friday, November 18, Sheryl Ettinger,49, of Westfield was arrested on an out-standing Keansburg warrant for $155after turning herself in at police head-quarters. She was processed and releasedafter posting bail.

Friday, November 18, Donna Kisley,62, of Edison was arrested and chargedwith driving while intoxicated (DWI)pursuant to a motor vehicle stop at amunicipal lot between Elm and ProspectStreets. According to police, Kisley be-came combative and obstructed the offic-ers’ investigation, and also was chargedwith resisting arrest. She was processedand later turned over to a responsibleindividual.

Saturday, November 19, Darris Mar-tin, 20, of Elizabeth was arrested atPiscataway police headquarters on anoutstanding Westfield warrant for $114.He was released after posting bail.

Saturday, November 19, a 2001 redFord F-350 pickup was reported stolenfrom Lawrence Avenue between 6 p.m.on November 18 and 12:38 a.m. on No-vember 19. The vehicle was locked priorto being taken.

Saturday, November 19, a shopliftingincident was reported at a business on the200 block of North Avenue, in which oneor more suspects removed $1,400 worthof merchandise from the store, accordingto police.

Saturday, November 19, a resident ofthe 200 block of Ross Place reportedbeing the victim of identity theft, result-ing in the loss of $4,419, after she wasgiven fraudulent money orders throughan online employment opportunity.

Saturday, November 19, RobertSiessel, 26, of Clark was arrested on anoutstanding Clifton warrant for $250pursuant to a motor vehicle stop on the1200 block of Rahway Avenue. He wasprocessed and posted bail.

Sunday, November 20, Roche Landolf,25, of Roselle was arrested at the HolmdelState Police Barracks on an outstandingWestfield warrant for $2,500. He washeld pending transport to the UnionCounty jail in default of bail.

Sunday, November 20, James Sykes-Griffin, 37, of Plainfield was arrestedfollowing a motor vehicle stop at Southand Windsor Avenues. Authoritiesfound the Middlesex CountyProsecutor’s Office had issued a fugi-tive warrant for him. Police also ar-rested Donna M. Laferrara, 33, of Eliza-beth on an outstanding Newark warrantfor $133. She was released on her ownrecognizance per the Newark Munici-pal Court. Sykes-Griffin was turnedover to the Middlesex County Sheriff’sOffice.

Sunday, November 20, Scott Desch,38, of Westfield was arrested and chargedwith DWI during a motor vehicle stop atthe north-side train station. He was trans-ported to police headquarters, processedand released to a responsible individual.

Monday, November 21, a Westfieldresident reported the theft of a Schwinnmountain bicycle, black and yellow incolor, from the south-side train stationbicycle rack sometime between 6:50 a.m.and 7 p.m. that day.

FanwoodThursday, November 17, Donald

Banks, 53, of Lawrenceville was arrestedon active warrants out of Fanwood, Clarkand Cranford after a motor vehicle stop atTerrill Road and LaGrande Avenue. Hewas processed and released by all threecourts.

Friday, November 18, Arthur Brown,42, of Piscataway was arrested andcharged with providing false informationto a law enforcement officer and withactive warrants out of Plainfield,Princeton and Hopewell, after officersresponded to a suspicious person call inthe area of Helen Street and Vinton Circle.According to police, when officers ar-rived they located an individual goingdoor-to-door soliciting, at which timeBrown gave authorities a false name. Hewas transported to police headquarters,processed and released.

Friday, November 18, a 16-year-oldmale juvenile from Scotch Plains wasarrested and charged with possession ofsuspected marijuana after an incidentthat occurred at Forest Road Park. Ac-cording to police, officers responded tothe park on a report of a juvenile with agun. Upon arrival, they located threejuveniles in the park and while beingquestioned by police, one of the juve-niles kept his hand in his pocket, policesaid. He was told by the officer to re-move his hand. The juvenile did notcomply, at which time the officer reachedinto the juvenile’s pocket and locatedtwo packs of cigarettes, one blunt cigarand the suspected marijuana. The juve-nile was processed and released to aparent.

Saturday, November 19, Paul Calvano,50, of Elizabeth was arrested on an activewarrant out of Union following a motorvehicle stop at South Avenue and ShadyLane. Calvano, who was a passenger inthe vehicle, was processed, posted bailand released.

Sunday, November 20, Jordan Aquino,22, of Plainfield was arrested on an activewarrant out of Edison after a motor ve-hicle stop at Terrill Road and East 2ndStreet. He was processed, posted bail andreleased.

Sunday, November 20, ZakaryyaCrawley, 37, of Georgia was arrestedfollowing a motor vehicle stop at TerrillRoad and North Avenue on an activefugitive warrant out of Cobb County, Ga.He was transported to police headquar-ters, processed and taken to the UnionCounty jail pending extradition back toGeorgia.

Sunday, November 20, RaymondForteau-Morris, 21, of Plainfield wasarrested and charged with criminal mis-chief and Matthew Dudley, 22, ofChatham was arrested and charged withproviding false information to a lawenforcement officer and with a Madi-son warrant. They were arrested afterpolice responded to the north-side trainstation on a report of someone whobroke out a window. According to po-lice, upon arrival, officers checked thesurrounding area and located the sus-pects walking west of the train station,with Forteau-Morris visibly bleedingfrom the right hand. Forteau-Morriswas processed and released pending hiscourt date. Dudley was processed,posted bail and released.

Monday, November 21, Alvin Madi-son, 56, of Union was arrested on anactive warrant out of North Plainfieldafter a motor vehicle stop at SouthAvenue and Terrill Road. He was pro-cessed, posted bail and released.

Scotch PlainsSaturday, November 12, a resident of

Wood Road reported that sometime dur-ing the day someone damaged her grillthat was on her back deck.

Monday, November 14, a resident ofDogwood Drive reported that while hewas walking he was struck with a pelletfrom an air rifle that was shot from apassing motor vehicle.

Tuesday, November 15, a resident ofPrinceton Avenue reported that some-time overnight someone dumped con-struction debris in his dumpster.

Tuesday, November 15, a resident ofWhite Oak Avenue reported that a friendhas been posting negative commentsabout her in an Internet chat room.

Tuesday, November 15, a resident ofCooper Road reported that sometimeovernight someone damaged the door tohis garage.

Wednesday, November 16, KwamaneBryant, 23, of Plainfield was arrested onan outstanding $658 warrant issued bythe Scotch Plains Court after a motorvehicle stop on East Second Street. Hewas transported to police headquarters,processed and released.

Thursday, November 17, Corey Leigh,36, of Plainfield was arrested and chargedwith DWI after a motor vehicle stop onWest Broad Street, at which time theofficer smelled an odor of alcohol. Ac-cording to police, after failing multiplefield sobriety tests at the scene Leigh wastransported to police headquarters, pro-cessed and released.

Thursday, November 17, Justin Batista,20, of Bloomsbury was arrested on anoutstanding $1,500 warrant issued by theMiddletown Court after a motor vehiclestop on Route 22. He was transported topolice headquarters, processed and re-leased.

Sunday, November 20, Nathaniel Guy,21, of South Plainfield was arrested on anoutstanding $289 warrant issued by theCranford Court after a motor vehicle stopon South Avenue. He was transported topolice headquarters, processed and re-leased.

MountainsideTuesday, November 15, John W.

Bensulock, 42, of Scotch Plains was ar-rested after a motor vehicle stop on Moun-tain Avenue for allegedly driving with asuspended license. He was processed andreleased at the scene.

Tuesday, November 15, SimonMartinez, 21, of Raleigh, N.C. was ar-rested after a motor vehicle stop on NewProvidence Road for allegedly drivingwith a suspended license.

Tuesday, November 15, a resident ofPuddingstone Road came into policeheadquarters to report that he had paid apool service company to close his swim-ming pool for the season and the com-pany has yet to close the pool.

Friday, November 18, an individualcame into police headquarters to reportthat she had attempted to enter the road-way at the intersection of Route 22 andSummit Avenue when another motoriststruck her motor vehicle from behind.According to police, the victim yelledto the suspect to pull into the nextparking lot so they could call police tomake a report. The victim said the sus-pect, described as a young, white maledriving an older-model gold sedan,yelled back “there is no damage” andfled the scene.

Friday, November 18, an employee ofan eldercare facility on Route 22 reportedthat while she was at work someoneattempted to steal her motor vehicle, dam-aging the door lock and handle in theprocess.

Saturday, November 19, police re-sponded to a business on Summit Road inregards to an ongoing dispute betweentwo former business partners in the pro-cess of dissolving their business. Ac-cording to police, one of the individualswas removing property, valued in thethousands of dollars, from the businessthat he was told to leave at the propertylast week.

Saturday, November 19, a resident ofWyoming Drive reported that someonedumped a large quantity of branches ontoa bush next to his driveway. According topolice, the manner in which it was dumpedappears to have been perpetrated by adump truck.

Sunday, November 20, Aaron R.McQuiller, 19, of Newark was arrestedfollowing a motor vehicle stop onPembrook Road for allegedly drivingwith a suspended license. He was pro-cessed and released at the scene.

Sunday, November 20, Laurence J.Koller, 41, of New Providence wasarrested and charged with DWI after amotor vehicle stop on New ProvidenceRoad. He was transported to policeheadquarters, processed and released.

A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES Thursday, November 24, 2011 Page 7

Imperial Brass to PerformAt Willow Grove Church

SCOTCH PLAINS – ImperialBrass will perform its annual Christ-mas Concert on Sunday, December4, at 7 p.m. at its home base, theWillow Grove Presbyterian Church.The church is located at 1961 RaritanRoad in Scotch Plains.

Imperial Brass is a 30-piece brassensemble known throughout NewJersey for performing a diverse rangeof musical selections. The concertwill feature favorite Christmas carolsand hymns.

Originally formed under the aus-pices of Rutgers University, ImperialBrass has been appearing in the Met-ropolitan New York and Tri-State areasince 1991 with concerts and perfor-mances at churches, band festivals,schools and universities.

Its repertoire includes classical,pop, Broadway and movie music,feature solo selections and Big Bandjazz classics. In the 20 years since itsinception, Imperial Brass has twicewon the Northeastern Brass BandCompetition held at West Point Mili-

tary Academy and performed at theNew York Brass Conference forScholarships.

Imperial Brass has recorded fourCDs, among them “Bone-A-FideBrass” with Joseph Alessi, principaltrombone with the New York Philhar-monic, and “Have Yourself a BrassyLittle Christmas.” Its goal is to intro-duce audiences to the world of brass.

Tickets are on sale in advance andat the door. The cost is $15 for gen-eral admission, $12 for senior citi-zens and students, and free for chil-dren age 12 and under. Following theconcert, a reception with light re-freshments will be held in the church’sAlexander Hall.

The concert will take place in thesanctuary of the Willow Grove Pres-byterian Church. For ticket sales orfurther information about the church’sprograms and ministries, call (908)232-5678 or visitwillowgrovechurch.org. Further in-formation on the concert is availableat imperialbrass.org.

BE A CLOWN…Congregation Beth Israel in Scotch Plains held its annualtraining session November 6 to teach middle-school students how to become“Mitzvah Clowns” (clowns who perform good deeds, or “mitzvahs”). Thechildren were taught how to apply face makeup, create balloon animals andengage an audience. Veteran mitzvah clowns then joined the newly trainedclowns and entertained residents at Atria Assisted Living facility in Cranford.The Mitzvah Clowns will entertain throughout the year at sites such as nursinghomes, hospitals and centers for ill or special-needs children. The clown troupeis open to both members and non-members of the synagogue.

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Fanwood Presbyterian PostsChristmas Events ScheduleFANWOOD – The Fanwood Pres-

byterian Church has announced itsservices and programs for Adventand Christmas. Advent will beginthis Sunday, November 27, with thelighting of the first Advent candle atthe regular 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.services. The Reverend DavidJahnke, senior pastor, will officiateat both services.

On Sunday, December 4, thechurch will present the joyful Christ-mas portion of Handel’s Messiah at4 p.m. in the sanctuary. More than50 singers, a full orchestra and fourprofessional soloists will be featured,under the direction of ThomasBerdos, music director at the church.Tickets, at $20 each, are available bycalling (908) 889-8891, extensionno. 17, or by sending a check pay-able to: Fanwood PresbyterianChurch, noting Messiah, with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to thechurch at P.O. Box 69, Fanwood,N.J. 07023.

A Heifer Market will be held onSunday, December 11, from 10:30to 11:15 a.m. in Westminster Hall.The children of the Sunday schoolwill sell shares of different animalsfor Heifer International.

Heifer is a non-profit, humanitar-ian organization dedicated to end-ing hunger and poverty and caring

for the Earth by providing livestockand training to those in need. Re-cipients agree to “Pass on the Gift”of one or more of their animal’soffspring to others. A card and noteis given to those who purchase sharesof animals as gifts. The public isinvited to come to this market.

The regular worship times of 9:30and 11:15 a.m. will continue on theSundays of December 11 and 18.

On Christmas Eve, Saturday, De-cember 24, the church will featuretwo services. The family service willbe at 5 p.m. Children from age 4 tothose in fifth grade will sing during aChristmas pageant. At 11 p.m. therewill be a candlelight communion ser-vice preceded by special Christmasmusic beginning at 10:45 p.m.

On Christmas Day, Sunday, De-cember 25, and New Year’s Day,Sunday, January 1, there will be onlyone service, at 10:30 a.m.

The Fanwood PresbyterianChurch welcomes everyone to all orany of these services. The church islocated at the corner of Martine,LaGrande and Marian Avenues. Formore information, call the churchoffice at (908) 889-8891, e-mailfanwoodpress@erols.com, or visitfanwoodpc.org or facebook/com/pages/Fanwood-Presbyterian-Church/311300160969.

FUSP Invites CommunityTo Holiday Craft Fair

PLAINFIELD – The First Uni-tarian Society of Plainfield (FUSP)will present its 2011 Annual Holi-day Craft Fair on Saturday, Decem-ber 10, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., andSunday, December 11, from 11 a.m.to 4 p.m. in its revitalized ParishHall and Stevens Wing. The build-ing is located at 724 Park Avenue inPlainfield, near the corner of ParkAvenue and West 7th Street. Ad-mission will be free and open to thepublic.

Local crafters will show and sellhomemade foods, jewelry, textiles,pottery, knitted goods, ornamentsand other specialties for the season.A variety of Fair Trade products,from coffee to chocolate, will roundout the offerings. Homemadelunches, coffee, desserts and hotcider will be available in the

Stevens’ Café rooms, comple-mented by holiday music.

New crafts have been added toKids’ Craft Workshops. For a smalldonation, children can bring home ahandmade holiday craft of their ownmaking. Certain crafters also willdemonstrate some of the secrets oftheir handiworks. Several craftershave donated crafts for the event’scraft raffle, a new feature this year.Visitors can purchase raffle ticketsat the door for the raffle and need notbe present to win.

Profits from the craft fair willsupport the FUSP’s congregationalwork and outreach programs to thecommunity. For more informationabout the Society or craft fair, visitthe FUSP website, fusp.org, or callthe congregational office at (908)756-0750.

Hatfield FamilyWelcomes Katie

Richard and Jennifer Hatfield ofBasking Ridge have announced thebirth of their daughter, Katie AnnHatfield, on Saturday, November 5,at 1:04 p.m. at Overlook MedicalCenter in Summit.

Katie weighed 8 pounds and 13ounces and measured 21 inches inlength at birth.

Allen and Nancy Hatfield ofWestfield are her paternal grandpar-ents.

The baby’s maternal grandparentsare Anthony and Donna Legros ofUnion.

Katie’s paternal great-grandparentsare Chartos and Jane Nickles of Ab-erdeen, Miss.

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Presbyterian Church PlansCelebrations For ChristmasWESTFIELD – The Presbyterian

Church in Westfield invites the com-munity to join the congregation incelebrating the Christmas seasonthrough various events and services.

The church’s season of joy willbegin with 7 p.m. Tuesday EveningAdvent Prayer Services, held onNovember 29, December 6 and De-cember 13.

Another holiday tradition, Ad-vent Lessons and Carols, is sched-uled for Sunday, December 18, dur-ing the 10 a.m. service. Short read-ings will be interspersed with in-strumental presentations, vocal so-los, congregational singing, thechildren’s choirs and the ChancelChoir, which leads the regular Sun-day worship services.

A popular event for the entirefamily is set for Sunday, December4, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. with a LiveNativity and community ChristmasCarol singing on the Great Lawn ofthe church. Hot chocolate will beavailable as visitors witness mem-bers of the church play the roles ofthe main characters in the Nativitytableau, which also will feature liveanimals.

Three Christmas Eve services willbe presented on Saturday, Decem-ber 24. The Family Worship Serviceat 5 p.m. will showcase the music ofthe Cherub and Joyful Sound Choirsand costumed children will recreatethe scene in Bethlehem. The 8 and11 p.m. Candlelight Services, led bySenior Pastor Reverend Ray Rob-erts, will feature the Chancel Choirunder the direction of Interim Di-rector of Music and OrganistKathleen Connolly. A musical pre-lude for each of the later services

will begin a half hour before thecandlelight programs.

An informal 10 a.m. ChristmasDay service will be held in theChapel of The Presbyterian Churchand will highlight the joy of the daywith congregational singing ofChristmas carols.

All events will be free and opento the public and will be held in thehistoric church sanctuary, locatedat 140 Mountain Avenue inWestfield. For more information onthese or any other church eventsand services during the Christmasseason, call the church office at(908) 233-0301 or visit the churchwebsite, westfieldpc.org.

A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES Thursday, November 24, 2011 Page 9

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URBAN, McKENNA LED SCORING; GRAY UC 1ST TEAM

Lady Field Hockey Blue DevilsAre Heading in Right Direction

By DAVID B. CORBINSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

Rapid progress in the right direc-tion has definitely been the focus ofthe Westfield High School fieldhockey team this season, and thatfocus certainly paid off.

Just two years ago, the Lady BlueDevils struggled through a seasonthat yielded only three victories. In2010, the Lady Blue Devils tacked onfive more victories to that total tofinish with an 8-13 record, and nowwith three added wins and six lesslosses, the Blue Devils finished withan 11-7-1 record.

“Overall, we are really proud ofour season. We have been on a steadybuild for the past three years, and thisyear was by far the best season in

Westfield’s recent history. We wereable to come out on the winning sideof a lot of one-goal games, which wasa big difference from last year. Wewere also able to capitalize more onour offensive penalty corner oppor-tunities,” Blue Devil Head CoachCaitlin MacDonald said.

A pair of juniors led the Blue Dev-ils in scoring this season, which isgood news for next year. Junior LinksHalsey Urban, last year’s leadingscorer, led the team once again withfive goals and 10 assists for 20 points.Urban’s final goal came off a penaltycorner from senior midfielder AlinaSpera in the NJSIAA playoff gameagainst Phillipsburg on Halloween.

Junior Links McKenna Wilson wassecond in offense with five goals and

four assists for 14 points. McKennaprovided the penalty corner that setup the winning goal in a 1-0 victoryover Glen Ridge on September 14.Both Urban and McKenna receivedFirst Team All-Conference recogni-tion for their achievements.

“Some key offensive players for uswere definitely McKenna Wilson andHalsey Urban, who are our two topscorers. They were not only top scor-ers but also were our top two leadersin assists. They were playmakers forus this year,” Coach MacDonaldpointed out.

The Blue Devils’ most experiencedcrew was on defense with seniorsKelly Gray, Emily Fahey, OliviaPecora and Katie DeMasi. Gray, who

SMITH, HEROUX, KERKHOF, KRONICK LED SCORING

Blue Devil Soccer Boys TookOpportunities to Play Youth

By DAVID B. CORBINSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

Twenty-seven talented players onthe varsity roster, including fivesophomores and a freshman, pre-sented Westfield High School boyssoccer Head Coach George Kapnerwith the opportunity to test a varietyof combinations this season.

After winning their first two games,the Blue Devils, who finished 11-6-1, went into a skid, losing four oftheir next five games. Interestingly,the Blue Devils reversed that skid,and it began on October 1 at KehlerStadium with a 2-1, overtime victoryover then 10th-ranked Kearny, whichalso gave Coach Kapner his 1,000thcareer victory (all varsity sports).

“Kearny was part of the WatchungConference for years, and Westfield.Kearny and Scotch Plains were tradi-tionally the power brokers. Getting itagainst a team that we had so manygreat matches with over the course of

my career and the way we got it wasa cool thing. We were ahead, 1-0.They scored a late goal to tie it up. Inovertime, they had all the momen-tum, and we turned the game around,”Coach Kapner said.

Junior striker and three-year starterHenry Smith was the individual, whospun the straw into a golden goal withone minute remaining in the secondovertime. Smith led the Blue Devilsin scoring with 15 goals and sevenassists. He was selected Coaches All-County (CAC) First Team and All-Division First Team.

“Henry was our best striker thisyear. He’s had progressively betteryears. He scored that winning goal,and he had quite a few others,” CoachKapner said.

Junior midfielders Shane Kronickand Jake Heroux had an impressiveoffensive impact. Heroux (CAC Sec-ond Team, All-Division HonorableMention) netted seven goals and addedfour assists. Kronick (CAC First Team,All-Division First Team) scored threegoals and added six assists.

“Shane Kronick is an exception-ally talented midfielder. Last year,from the State Coaching Associa-tion, he was Second Team All-State.Shane and Jake Heroux were themainstays of our midfield,” CoachKapner pointed out.

Senior team captains SpencerKerkhof and Anthony Valles, accord-ing to Coach Kapner, “both played avariety of positions as we were tryingto find the best fit. Being willing tomove from position-to-position showedgreat leadership and versatility.”

Kerkhof finished with six goalsand three assists, while Valles con-tributed an assist.

Junior outside fullback Sam Eliades(CAC Honorable Mention, All-Divi-sion First Team), according to CoachKapner, “Is an exceptionally goodmarking back. He is also a great forcegoing forward.”

Eliades also had three assists, andsenior fullback Max Marchiano (CACand All-Division Honorable Mention)also contributed an assist. Senior Jake

GREEN TWO TDs; J.P., WITWICK TD, KETTLER TWO F.G.

Cougars Halt Patriots, 34-7,In Grid Sectional Semifinals

By DAVID B. CORBINSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

Prevent running back sensationGreg Jones from tearing up the turf ashe had done all season was theCranford High School football team’sprimary focus in practices leading upto the third-seeded Cougars’ show-down with second-seeded Colonia inthe semifinal round of the North Jer-sey, Section 2, Group 3 tournamentin Colonia on November 19.

The 9-1 Cougars’ veteran defensedid its homework in glorious fashion,while the offense inflicted punish-ment on the Patriots’ defense en routeto a 34-7 victory to place them in

uncharted territory of having beenthe first Cranford High School foot-ball team to play for the sectionalchampionship.

The Cougars’ defense limitedJones, who had 450 yards rushing ina 33-21 victory over previously un-beaten Wall Township on November5, to just 28 yards rushing in the firsthalf and 30 in the second half beforebringing in the reserves for the finaltwo plays of the game where Joneswould add another 60 yards, includ-ing a 42-yard touchdown (TD) runwith 30 seconds remaining.

“I knew we had a good defense. Welooked at the Summit game as a les-

son that it was going to be an aberra-tion. We believe that we can playgood defense against anybody. He’s[Jones] a great player, but we havegreat players too. Some people cameup to me and said, ‘you got to figurehe is going to get a couple,’ and I toldthe team he gets nothing. We weren’tgoing to be OK with him gettinganything. That was our mindset fromthe beginning. [Defensive coordina-tor Joe] Hubert and our defensivestaff did a great job. I just get to hangout and coach offense,” Cougar HeadCoach Erik Rosenmeier said.

In the meantime, it was CougarCONTINUED ON PAGE 10

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Probitas Verus Honos

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The TimesOUTMANEUVERING SOME LIONS…Blue Devil striker Henry Smith, No. 3, outmaneuvers a pair of Roselle CatholicLions. Smith led the Blue Devils with 15 goals and seven assists.

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The TimesPRESSURING THE GOALIE…Blue Devil Links McKenna Wilson, left, puts a lot of pressure on the Glen Ridge goalkeeperand defense in an early season game that Westfield won, 1-0.

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The TimesBREAKING TOWARD THE GOAL…Cougar running back Chris Witwick, No. 22, with some help from lineman MikeKlimek, No. 57, managed to shake several tackles and sprint to a 26-yard touchdown against Colonia on November 19.

CAPTAINS SULLIVAN, LEYDEN PLAYED 1-2 SINGLES

Lady Raiders Finish TennisSeason With an 8-13 Record

By DAVID B. CORBINSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

Inclement weather denied thisyear’s Scotch Plains-Fanwood HighSchool girls tennis team the opportu-nity to get into the flow that a veryyoung team needed to reach its peak.

But despite the weather and their

youth, the Lady Raiders finished theirchallenging schedule with an 8-13record and placed seventh in theUnion County Tournament. Addition-ally, the girls qualified for the NorthJersey, Section 2, Group 3 tourna-ment for the fourth year in a row.

“Unfortunately with all the inclem-

ent weather, it was tough to get into aflow for the season. We had ninematches rained out. We were a veryyoung team this year with all thestarters being juniors, and we playedagainst some stiff competition dur-ing the season,” Raider Head Coach

David B. Corbin (Preseason photo) for The Westfield Leader and The TimesRAIDER GIRLS TENNIS TEAM…Pictured, left to right, are: front row; Gabrielle Mendes, Victoria Giamboi, AlexSullivan, Alyssa Leyden, Madison Maisel and Alex Ehrenthal; back row, Lindsey Wilkinson, Taylor Swaak, MaxineMarvosa, Sarah Freeman, Elsa Leistikow and Hannah Nizri.

Page 10 Thursday, November 24, 2011 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

Cougars Halt Patriots in Grid Sections, 34-7CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

junior quarterback Reggie Green, whotore up the grass field, with 192 rush-ing yards on 20 carries, includingrespective TD runs of 60 yards and 54yards. Green also completed two ofthree pass attempts for 50 yards, bothto wide receiver Ryan Williamson.

Running back Chris Witwick car-ries seven times for 67 yards, includ-ing a 26-yard TD sweep around theright side, and running back J.P.Christiano added a one-yard TDplunge. Senior Eric Garguilo added atwo-point conversion.

“As good as everybody said thatJones was, I looked on the defensiveside of the ball and they [Colonia]had three shutouts. I put the pressureon the offense that it’s up to us tomove the ball. We responded. We gotthe big play early, and I think that itcalmed down the nerves, and we wereable to execute,” Coach Rosenmeiersaid.

Sophomore Troy Kettler kicked re-spective field goals of 32 yards and20 yards to go with a pair of PAT’s(points after touchdown).

“For a sophomore, that’s a lot ofpressure to be under. Troy made thosefield goals. Rather than getting noth-ing, it was a good job by him,” CoachRosenmeier said.

“He showed that he can knock downfield goals when he has to,” Greensaid.

The Cougars’ offense sent a mes-sage early, taking only two plays tohit pay dirt on the opening drive whenGreen found an opening in the middleat the line of scrimmage then hookeddown the right sideline for his 60-yard TD with just over one minute offthe clock to make the score 7-0.

“The whole line did a great job ofcreating holes. At first I thought I wasgoing to get tackled, then RyanWilliamson came in and made a greatblock, so I could get to open field andscore,” Green explained.

On the ensuing kickoff Cougardefensive lineman Chris Folinuszdelivered a message with a crunchingtackle at the Patriot 21. On their nextpossession, the Cougars pulled off alittle slight of hand. The Cougars linedup on a fourth-and-four, indicatingan effort to go for the first down.Instead Green pitched out toWilliamson, who got off a punt, whilethe Patriots had nobody in thebackfield for a return. The ball cameto rest at the 19-yard line.

“We had practiced that earlier inthe year. We thought it was a great

opportunity to bring it out. We thoughtthat this was going to be a field posi-tion game, and it was,” CoachRosenmeier said.

“Coach put that in this week. Ryanmade a great punt, and we were ableto pin them back deep,” Green said.

One play later, Folinusz recovered

a fumble at the 23.“There were a couple of big hits,

and I saw the ball pop out, so I doveon it,” Folinusz explained.

After a three-yard loss on the firstrunning attempt, Green handed off toWitwick, who scooted around theright for a 26-yard TD with 5:23 leftin the first quarter. Kettler’s PAT wasgood.

“Sometimes the defense keys onme a lot, so when I fix up Witwick,they think I have the ball, but he hasthe ball. He was able to make bigplays off of that,” Green said.

In the meantime, the Patriots’ of-fense was being hammered by theCougars’ defensive line, especiallyFolinusz, Ryan Farrell and TJ Nichols,and linebackers Mike Klimek,Christiano, Anthony DaSilva andNick Diaz. Klimek, Folinusz, Diazand Christiano each recorded a quar-terback sack.

“Coach Hubert gave us a great gameplan. We had two weeks to preparefor him. We perfected this defense, sowhen we got to this game, we ran itthe way we had run it in all of ourpractices,” Nichols said.

“I never had this feeling before, butwe practiced for two weeks and weperfected our defense and offense.Every single aspect of their offense,Greg Jones, we knew everything hedid. He got no touchdowns, except inthe last quarter. It was an outstandingperformance by the defense,” Diazsaid.

“We knew he was a great runningback, but we have a great defense.He’s only one man, but we are a unit.

We couldn’t give Jones breathingroom. That’s what it came down to,”Klimek said. “It was all about con-tainment, and that was what we werecoached to do. The Summit game puteverything in perspective. We cameout against Del Val [Delaware Val-ley]. We executed well.”

The Cougars added a seven-play,44-yard scoring drive that ended withKettler’s 32-yard field goal with 10:29left in the half. On the followingkickoff, which was a bit of a squibkick, DaSilva recovered the ball onthe Colonia 41. Seven plays later,Kettler booted his 20-yard field goalto make the score, 20-0. Towards theend of the half, Williamson got off a47-yard punt that was downed at thePatriot one by Witwick.

The Cougars’ defense immediatelypicked up where it left off. Klimek’s10-yard sack of quarterback TrentBarneys put the Patriots in dire straits,but a forward bouncing punt came toa stop at the Cougars’ 13. Eight playslater, Christiano plunged in from theone for the TD. Garguilo, who washolding for the PAT, scooped thebotched snap and rolled to the left forthe two-point conversion with 4:50left in the third quarter. During thatdrive, Williamson had a 45-yard re-ception.

The Cougars’ next score took onlythree plays when Green broke loosefor a 54-yard TD with 11:00 remain-ing in the game. The missed PATprevented the Mercy Rule from be-ing invoked. But on the ensuing kick-off, Folinusz donated a “special de-livery” cracking tackle that causedthe fans and the sideliners to go“Wooo!”

“I had a couple of nice hits. Wehave competition with who hits thehardest,” Folinusz said. “My coachsays defense wins championships. Itwas like we are predestined to bechampions. If you want to be a cham-pion, you have to play like a cham-pion.”Cranford 14 6 8 6 34Colonia 0 0 0 7 7

Blue Devil Boys Place 3rd at MOC X-CSix of the seven Blue Devil boys recorded personal (PR) record times as

the Westfield High School (WHS) boys cross-country team finished thirdat the Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park on November 19. ChristianBrothers Academy took top honors with 45 points, followed by Don BoscoPrep at 111 and Westfield – the state’s top public school – with 112 points.

Jack Leahy crossed eighth on the course with a PR time of 15:51, whichwas 11 seconds better than his previous PR. John Kirna finished 45th witha time of 16:35, and Matt Luppino crossed 47th at a PR time of 16:36 (18seconds better than his previous PR). Kevin Ingram, who finished 57th, cut32 seconds off his PR with a time of 16:42. David Carville cut 12 secondsoff his best time to finish 62nd with a time of 16:47. Kevin Smith finished70th with a PR time of 16:51 to beat his previous best by seven seconds.Evan Tarlow took four seconds off his previous best to finish 88th with atime of 17:05.

This group of Blue Devils rewrote the All-Time WHS records this season.

F. H. Blue Devils Heading in Right DirectionCONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

was named First Team All-UnionCounty, also received First Team All-Conference recognition, while Pecorawas named Second Team All-Con-ference.

“Defensively, we had a great groupof four seniors, who did an awesomejob for us. Kelly Gray was nominatedFirst Team All-Union County – ahuge accomplishment,” CoachMacDonald said.

After graduating a superb goalie inHannah Purdy last year, the BlueDevils were searching for a replace-ment, who could step into the fire,and they found her. Junior DeannaCohen faced 142 shots and saved 118for an 83 percent average. She al-lowed 1.32 goals per game, and shealso recorded nine shutouts, whichwas more than Purdy recorded in aseason, and she was 1-for-1 on pen-alty strokes. Cohen was selected First

Team All-Conference.“Deanna never played field hockey

in her life before this fall. She cameout and became a natural in the cage.She is the epitome of a team player.The best thing about watching Deannaplay is being able to see that in everyplay she makes, she’s playing for herteammates. She’s doing everythingin her power to win for them,” CoachMacDonald said.

Senior Co-Captain/Links Meg

Anderson proved to be quite an of-fensive asset with four goals and threeassists for 11 points. Her efforts earnedher Second Team All-Conference rec-ognition.

Senior right wing Meghan Murphynotched four goals for eight points,and senior left wing Geena Gao scoredthree goals and added an assist forseven points. Gao scored the winninggoal in the 1-0 victory over GlenRidge.

Spira, a primary playmaker, alsonetted a pair of goals and added anassist. She received First Team All-Conference recognition. A very pleas-ant surprise was Emily Mastrocola,who stuffed in three goals and addedthree assists for nine points.Mastrocola scored the winning goalin a 1-0 victory over Cranford onOctober 5. She received All-Confer-ence Honorable Mention recognition.

Senior left wing Hannah St. Liferhad an assist, and right wing LaurenAnzevino netted two goals and anassist for five points. Junior high for-ward Casey Gillespie scored a goaland had an assist. Juniors Carly Levineand Cassie Masciale, respectively, hada goal and an assist.

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The TimesHARD MAN TO BRING DOWN…Cougar quarterback Reggie Green, No. 7,rushed for 192 yards, including TDs of 60 yards and 54 yards against Colonia.

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The TimesPASSING TO A TEAMMATE…Blue Devil Links, Halsey Urban, left, prepares to pass the ball to her teammate in thesectional game against Phillipsburg on October 31.

Addition to StatesGymnastics Meet

Scotch Plains-Fanwood sopho-more Kacie Bumiller competed onthe vault at the NJSIAA individualchampionships at MontgomeryHigh School on November 12. Hername was unintentionally omittedin last week’s article.

See Cranford football storywww.goleader.com

Ballyhoo Sports

Jim O’Connor (njsportpics.com) for The Westfield Leader and The TimesHAULING IN THE PASS…Rutgers University wide receiver Brandon Coleman,No. 17, hauls in a pass against Cincinnati on November 19. Rutgers defeated theBearcats, 20-3.

ROVING SOCCER CHAMPS…Eight Scotch Plains boys playing for theMetuchen Rovers helped win the U-14 New Jersey Youth Soccer AssociationState Cup in Wall on December 19. Last spring, the Rovers won the U-13 U.S.Club N.J. State Cup with a dramatic overtime win. The Scotch Plains boys are:Noah Bernstein, Julian Korduba, Jake Longo, Brian McManus, Tyler O’Brien,Ari Rosenzweig, Matt Scariati, Stav Shadmi.

FRIENDS IN A SOCCER SHOWDOWN…Four local girls representing JohnsHopkins University and Amherst competed in the Division 3 women’s soccerSweet 16 at Messiah College in Granthum, Pa. on November 19. Amherst won,2-0. Pictured, left to right, are: Emily Nagourney (Scotch Plains for Hopkins),Hannah Kronick (Westfield for Hopkins), Claire Bennet (Westfield for Amherst)and Ava Scheininger (Westfield for Hopkins).

Locals Vie in Division 3 Women’s Soccer Sweet 16Westfield residents Ava Scheininger (senior forward) and Hannah Kronick

(freshman forward), along with Scotch Plains-Fanwood graduate EmilyNagorney (freshman midfielder) represented Johns Hopkins University ina Division 3 Sweet 16 match-up against Amherst, whose goalkeeper wasClaire Bennett of Westfield, at Messiah College in Granthum, Pa. onNovember 19.

Johns Hopkins, seeded fourth, entered the game with a 21-0 record, whileAmherst was sporting a 19-0 record. Amherst won, 2-0.

PUBLIC NOTICETOWN OF WESTFIELD

COUNTY OF UNION, NEW JERSEY

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Notice is hereby given that sealed bidswill be received by the Town Clerk of theTown of Westfield, County of Union, Stateof New Jersey, in the Town of WestfieldMunicipal Building Court Room, 425 EastBroad Street on Wednesday, December28th 2011, at 10:00 a.m. for:

CONRETE WALKS, TRENCHDRAINS AT MEMORIAL POOLCOMPLEX

in accordance with Drawings and Speci-fications prepared by Thomas DiGiorgioArchitecture, Westfield, New Jersey. Nobids shall be received after the time desig-nated above.

Plans and Specifications will be avail-able for pick up on Wednesday, Novem-ber 30th 2011, at Westfield RecreationDepartment.

One set of complete documents may beobtained upon the payment of One Hun-dred Fifteen dollars ($115.00) per projectfor each set. Deposits are non-refundable.Drawings and Specifications are on file at425 East Broad Street in the Recreationoffice and may be examined and obtainedthere between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and4:00 P.M. daily except Saturday, Sundayand holidays. Checks must be made pay-able to the order of the “Town ofWestfield”. Bidders must use, and fullycomplete the proposal pages included withthe specifications furnished by the Ownerand comply with all requirements attachedthereto, including the following:

1. An experience record of the bidder;2. Certified Check or a Bid Bond in an

amount not less than 10% of the amountfor which the bid is submitted, but not inexcess of $20,000.00, furnished by a SuretyCompany licensed to do business in theState of New Jersey;

3. A Non-Collusion Affidavit;

4. A Consent of Surety;5. Qualification Statement; and,6. Ownership disclosure statement;7. Affirmative Action Information.8. New Jersey Business Registration

CertificateEach bid must be submitted and en-

closed in a sealed envelope with the nameand address of the bidder and the projecttitle and contract number clearly shown onthe face of the envelope.

The bid shall be directed to the attentionof:

Town ClerkTown of WestfieldMunicipal Building

425 East Broad StreetWestfield, New Jersey 07090-2196

The Owner expressly reserves the rightto reject any or all bids, accept and enterinto contract with the lowest responsiblebidder for the project, or combined projects,or to waive any informalities in the bids andaccompanying documents received,should it be deemed to be in the bestinterest of the Owner.

The Owner also reserves the right tocorrect any erroneous mathematical com-putations in any proposals submitted, andto consider the bid on the basis of thecorrected total or totals. The written figuresshall prevail over the numerical figures.

Bidders are required to comply with therequirements of P.L. 1975, c. 127 (N.J.A.C.17:27 et seq.) entitled “Law Against Dis-crimination”.

Bidders are required to comply with therequirements of P.L. 1999, c. 39 (N.J.S.A.40A:11-23.1 and 40A:11-23.2).

Bidders are required to comply with therequirements of PL. 1999, C.238 The Pub-lic Works Contractor Registration Act.

Bidders are required to comply with therequirements of P.L. 2004, c. 57 New Jer-sey Business Registration Act.

M. Bruce Kaufmann,Recreation Director

1 T - 11/24/11, The Leader Fee: $78.54

PUBLIC NOTICE

SPF PAL D Tops Summit,Advances to the Super BowlThe Scotch Plains-Fanwood (SPF)

PAL D football team (fifth graders)won the American Division champi-onship in the New Jersey SuburbanYouth Football League last Sundaywith a 33-19 win over the SummitMaroon at the Scotch Plains-FanwoodHigh School football field.

The SPF D team advanced to theSuper Bowl to face the National Divi-sion winner, Sparta, 6-0 winners overChatham on Sunday, December 4, at10:30 a.m. in Chatham.

Coach Luke Fugett’s SPF unitgrabbed a quick 6-0 lead whenJonathan Ramos scooted 55 yards tothe end zone. But Summit struck rightback with a long run to even the gameat 6-6. The Raiders took a 12-6 lead onanother long run by Ramos, but Sum-mit was there to strike right back witha long run to square the game at 12-12.

Ramos added another TD bolt, butSummit answered with a TD to sendthe game into a 19-19 tie at the half.

The second half, however, belongedto the Raiders. The SPF defense, ledby Alex Oslislo, Tyler Stines, TedGiandana, Jahsyn Silver, Billy Root,Ryan Johnson, Charlie Fugett andNoah Costanzo, smotheredSumnmit’s attack, while AnthonyPorter reversed field and kept for a40-yard TD burst, receiving crispblocks down field from Oslislo andRamos. That score gave the Raidersthe lead for good at 26-19.

Oslislo capped the scoring whenhe plowed over defenders en route toa 35-yard TD. He also had an extra-point run. Nicky Smith, RobbyCamisa, Zack Zimmerman, Jay JaySistruck and Gianni Caro Espositoprovided the solid blocking up front.

The victory improved the SPF Dteam record to 10-0 overall this sea-son.

Probitas Verus Honos

See Rutgers/Cincinnati, Giants Photos by Jim O’ConnorGo to www.goleader.com Ballyhoo Sports – Pages 3 thru 11

A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES Thursday, November 24, 2011 Page 11

WESTFIELD, N.J. – (November 11, 2011) – The Coldwell Banker

Residential Brokerage Westfield East office was honored by its parent com-

pany NRT with a dinner dance at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster,

N.J. on October 12 for being the #1 NRT office in the nation for 2010. The

Westfield East office, led by Branch Vice President Michael Scott, main-

tained the top overall sales performance out of approximately 750 NRT

offices for the second year in a row.

The Westfield East office was also named a Premier Sales Office for

2010 by NRT. This illustrious award was achieved by only 4% of all

Coldwell Banker offices within North America. Recipient offices main-

tained a superior level of sales production per sales associate or an average

of 26 units sold per sales associate for the 2010 calendar year. The

Westfield East office has earned this prestigious honor multiple times.

Westfield East has also been the top Coldwell Banker Residential

Brokerage sales office of its size for more than 20 years.

“This enormous accomplishment shows what is possible when an

office’s management, sales associates and administrative staff constantly

perform incredible teamwork,” said Hal Maxwell, president of Coldwell

Banker Residential Brokerage in New Jersey and Rockland County, NY. “The Westfield East office has consistently delivered extraordinary

service while always making time to give back to the communities they serve. They are truly a premier group of individuals.”

The Westfield East office has a full-service award-winning sales team of approximately 100 sales associates. Experienced and skilled at

sales negotiations and global marketing, including strategic online advertising and social media promotion, the Westfield East team knows

how to achieve the best market value in the least amount of time in any market condition. The sales team represents a vast inventory of

properties, meeting the needs of first-time, move-up and luxury homebuyers.

For information about buying or selling real estate in the greater Union County area, contact the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Westfield East office at (908) 233-5555. The office is located at 209 Central Avenue. You can view the office’s listings at

www.ColdwellBankerMoves.com/WestfieldEast.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New Jersey and Rockland County, New York, a leading residential real estate brokerage com-

pany, operates more than 55 offices and more than 3,200 sales associates serving all communities from Rockland County, N.Y. to Monmouth

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COLDWELL BANKER WESTFIELD EAST OFFICE HONORED FOR BEING #1 NRT OFFICE IN THE NATION

The Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Westfield East office was honored by par-ent company NRT on Oct. 12 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster for being the#1 NRT office in the nation. Pictured at the event are (above, left to right) WestfieldEast Branch Vice President Michael Scott, NRT Executive Vice President of theNortheast Region and Eastern Seaboard Maureen Passerini, Westfield East SalesAssociate Hye-Young Choi and NRT President and Chief Executive Officer Bruce Zipf.

©2011 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company.Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC.

Since 1986, the Westfield Office has been recognized as one of the best in the Coldwell Banker Corporation.

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Lady Raiders Finish Tennis Season, 8-13CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

Gary Wasserman said.The Raiders had no seniors on their

team, so two juniors Alex Sullivanand Alyssa Leyden, were selected asteam captains. Sullivan, who playedthird singles last year, jumped intothe fire to play the Cream of the Cropat first singles, while Leyden, whocompeted at first doubles last year,moved up to second singles.

“Alex played third singles last sea-son as a sophomore. This year shemade a huge jump up to first singles.She had a record of 7-14 and playeda very competitive schedule. She isvery coachable and always lookingto improve. She was hampered byinjuries this season but fought throughthem. I’m looking forward to seeingAlex healthy again and taking hergame to the next level,” Coach

Wasserman said.Junior Gabriella Mendes played

second doubles last year but made agiant leap to third singles and didvery well to place sixth in the UnionCounty Tournament. In some cases,Mendes took another step up the rungand competed at second singles. Shefinished with a 7-13 record.

“When Gabrielle is on the court, sheis a very steady player. Gab playedsecond doubles last season and for thefirst time played singles this year. Sheis a very consistent player, alwaysworks hard in practice. She had a verygood county tournament I am lookingforward to seeing her improve for nextseason,” Coach Wasserman said.

Although Coach Wasserman didrotate some girls in the doubles spotsthis season, juniors Lindsey

Wilkinson and Hannah Nizri com-peted in the Union County Tourna-ment at first doubles and placed fifthafter knocking off Summit’s EmmaRadest and Julia Shafer. Juniors ElsaLeistikow and Maxine Marvosa com-peted at second doubles and placedsixth in the county tournament.

Although they endured a very com-petitive schedule and took their lumps,all of the Lady Raider return to com-pete next year, so the outlook looks tobe brighter.

“Through thick and thin, the girlsplayed tough every match, and we arelooking forward to a very competi-tive season next year,” CoachWasserman said.

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Blue Devils Took Opportunity to Play YouthCONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

Vergara finished with two goals andthree assists, while senior BrandonLevan contributed a goal.

Junior Noah Rosenberg netted fivegoals and two assists. Junior BrettRipperger had two goals and threeassists. Sophomore Zach Sheil con-tributed a goal and four assists. Fresh-man Mike Prosuk had two goals andan assist. Sophomore Leo Ohaus hada goal and two assists. Junior BenFine had a goal, and sophomore SamOhaus had an assist.

Sophomore goalkeeper Joe Ohaus,one third of the Ohaus triplets, had 77saves in 13 games and recorded sevenshutouts. Senior keeper Justin Coelhohad 30 saves in six games.

“All three of them got a significantamount of playing time. They all arevery talented and hopefully will helpthis program for the two years thatcome after,” Coach Kapner said ofthe Ohaus brothers.

The Kearny victory sparked a 5-0-1 run that came to a halt when theBlue Devils lost to New Providence,2-1, in the second round of the UnionCounty Tournament. After winningfour in a row, the Blue Devils lost toNorth Hunterdon, 1-0, in the secondround of the North Jersey, Section 2,Group 4 Tournament.

“We were disappointed with theresults in the counties and in the states.We expected to do better, but a teamthat wins basically two out of everythree games, it’s hard to call that adisappointing season,” Coach Kapnersaid. “I was very pleased with thegrowth. We had a lot of trouble defen-sively. We gave up 14 goals in the firsteight games and four goals in the last10 games. The team improved as theyear went on.”

One particular game that did show thedepth of their talent came in a 2-1 victoryover Elizabeth at Tamaques School Fieldon October 20. After 12 minutes of play,Coach Kapner pulled his entire firstteam and played the entire bench for theremainder of the game.

“Elizabeth was playing in the semi-finals of the counties in two days, andwe have been knocked out. I hadalready told the kids who haven’tgotten a lot of playing time that wouldbe a game that they could target. Theywere very talented top to bottom. Itwas a lot of fun to watch. Actually acouple of kids played so well that inthe games that remained, they gotmore playing time than they got ingames prior to that. It was also a lot offun to be played at Tamaques School.From the time when I took the pro-gram over in 1991, that was whereour home base was. It was fun for mehistorically,” Coach Kapner said.

The ability to allow so much play-ing time to underclassmen this seasonand the fact that four of the top-fivescorers are expected to return wouldindicate a promising 2012 season.

“There are some interesting un-knowns as to what is going to happenwith the club also known as the Acad-emy Program. There are a number ofour kids, who play for major acad-emies, and they are being told that

they are expected to play a 10-monthseason, which should impact the highschools. Even if they cannot committo playing high school, I still believe

we have a great deal of talent,” CoachKapner said. “Much of the team iscoming back. We will see how thattranslates.”

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The TimesSPRINTING TO THE BALL…Blue Devil Zach Sheil, No. 24, and an ElizabethMinuteman hustle to the ball in a game at Tamaques Park in Westfield.

Benefit Comedy NightSet for December 2A benefit comedy night featur-

ing Chris Monty and Joe Moffawill be held on Friday, December 2,at the Shackamaxon County Clubin Scotch Plains.

The event, which will begin at 7p.m., will benefit the Scotch PlainsPolice Foundation. Tickets are$65 each and the price covers thecomedy show, hors d’oeuvres andopen bar. For tickets and moreinformation, contact Jason at(908) 490-0808 or atjasonparker@k9resorts.com

A Money Team WinsHoop Heaven CrownThe sixth grade A Money AAU

basketball team won the 2011 HoopHeaven Fall League Championshipon November 19. ChristopherO’Connor, Mark Schiavo, LukeHunziker, Dylan Jackson, MichaelLeniert and Corey Hiltz all fromWestfield led the team all year to helpbring home the trophy.

Registration to CommenceFor SP-F Youth Lacrosse

SCOTCH PLAINS – The ScotchPlains-Fanwood Lacrosse Club willbegin its spring 2012 open onlineregistration for boys from first throughfourth grades and girls from firstthrough eighth grades on Sunday,November 27.

Our first- through fourth-grade pro-grams are intended to introduce chil-dren to the great sport of lacrosse andare developmental in nature. Theemphasis is on skills and fun.

Our middle-school programs aretravel programs that are more com-petitive in nature while still empha-sizing player development.

The club also will host a player/parent orientation on Saturday, De-cember 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. atScotch Plains-Fanwood High Schoolin the cafeteria. Members of the clubwill be available to answer questionsfor both returning and new regis-trants. Universal Lacrosse will bepresent to answer questions aboutuniform sizing and will offer an array

of equipment for both boys and girls.All are welcome.For more information and to regis-

ter online, go to spflacrosse.org.

Paid Bulletin Boardgoleader.com/express

Page 12 Thursday, November 24, 2011 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

PUBLIC NOTICEBOROUGH OF FANWOOD

PLANNING BOARD

Notice is hereby given that the PLAN-NING BOARD OF THE BOROUGH OFFANWOOD, after public hearing on Sep-tember 28, 2011 granted variance relieffrom 184-108(F,C) and 184-115(E) hav-ing to do with setback requirements andfence height for property owned by Mitchelland Regina Tenzer at 83 Oakwood Court,Fanwood, New Jersey being Block 42, Lot12.

Documents pertaining to this applicationare available for public inspection at Bor-ough Hall during normal business hours.

Regina Tenzer83 Oakwood Court

Fanwood, New Jersey 070231 T - 11/24/11, The Times Fee: $17.34

PUBLIC NOTICETOWNSHIP OF SCOTCH PLAINS

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVENthat the following Ordinances were passedon first reading by the Township Council ofthe Township of Scotch Plains, County ofUnion, New Jersey on the 14th of Novem-ber 2011, and that said Ordinances will beconsidered for final adoption at a meetingof the said Township Council to be held inthe Council Chambers, 430 Park Avenue,on the 20th day of December 2011 at 7:30p.m., at which time and place a publichearing will be held prior to final passageof said Ordinances and all interested per-sons will be given an opportunity to beheard concerning the same. Copies ofsaid Ordinances can be obtained from theTownship Clerk’s Office at any time prior tofinal adoption at no cost to any member ofthe general public who requests same.

ORDINANCE NO. 2011-17

AN ORDINANCE SUPPLE-MENTING AND AMENDINGTHE REVISED GENERAL OR-DINANCES OF THE TOWN-SHIP OF SCOTCH PLAINS,CHAPTER VII, ENTITLED“TRAFFIC” TO AMEND THEPARKING RESTRICTIONSFOR CEDAR BROOK ROAD.

ORDINANCE NO. 2011-18

AN ORDINANCE SUPPLE-MENTING AND AMENDINGTHE REVISED GENERAL OR-DINANCES OF THE TOWN-SHIP OF SCOTCH PLAINS,CHAPTER IX, ENTITLED,“TAXICABS AND VEHICLESFOR HIRE” BY: 1) AMEND-ING THE TITLE OF THE CHAP-TER TO READ, “ TAXICABSAND LIMOUSINE SERVICES”AND 2) ADDING SECTION 9-15 ENTITLED, “LIMOUSINESERVICES”.

ORDINANCE NO. 2011-19

AN ORDINANCE SUPPLE-MENTING AND AMENDINGTHE REVISED GENERAL OR-DINANCES OF THE TOWN-SHIP OF SCOTCH PLAINS,TO INCLUDE A NEW CHAP-TER ENTITLED “PRECIOUSMETALS AND GEMS.”

ORDINANCE NO. 2011-20

AN ORDINANCE SUPPLE-MENTING AND AMENDINGTHE REVISED GENERAL OR-DINANCES OF THE TOWN-SHIP OF SCOTCH PLAINS,CHAPTER X ENTITLED,“PARKS AND GOLFCOURSE” BY AMENDINGTHE FEES FOR THE USE OFFACILITIES.

BOZENA LACINA, RMCMunicipal Clerk

1 T - 11/24/11, The Times Fee: $59.67

PUBLIC NOTICESUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY

CHANCERY DIVISIONUNION COUNTY

DOCKET NO. F-52752-10FILE NO. 11843-10

NOTICE TO REDEEM

FT PROPERTIES, LLC;PLAINTIFF VS. MARIA LAOS;JOHN DOE HUSBAND OFMARIA LAOS, SAID NAMEJOHN DOE BEING FICTI-TIOUS; SOVEREIGN BANK;BANK OF AMERICA, NA;DEFENDANT(S)

TO: MARIA LAOS; JOHN DOE HUS-BAND OF MARIA LAOS, SAID NAMEJOHN DOE BEING FICTITIOUS;

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that an ordermade on November 18, 2011, the Supe-rior Court Fixed January 4, 2012 betweenthe hours of nine o’clock in the forenoonand four o’clock in the afternoon, prevail-ing time, at the office of the Tax Collector ofROSELLE, located at 210 CHESTNUTSTREET, ROSELLE, NEW JERSEY07203, as the time and place when andwhere you may pay to the plaintiff theamount so found due for principal andinterest on its certificate of tax sale asfollows:

LOT 19 BLOCK 5001 on the tax dupli-cate of ROSELLE. Total amount requiredto redeem tax sale certificate no. 07026 is$ 104,576.32 together with interest fromAugust 31, 2011 and costs of $1,451.48.

And that unless, at the same time andplace, you or one of you redeem by payingthe aforesaid sum so found due to plaintiff,then you, and each of you shall be de-barred and foreclosed of and from all rightand equity of redemption of, in and to thelands and premises above set out anddescribed in the complaint and every partthereof, and that the plaintiff be vested withan absolute and indefeasible estate ofinheritance in fee simple in said lands andpremises.

Anything to the contrary notwithstand-ing, redemption shall be permitted up untilthe entry of final judgment including thewhole of the last date upon which judg-ment is entered.

Michael G. Pellegrino, Esq.Attorney for Plaintiff

PELLEGRINO & FELDSTEIN, L.L.C.Denville Law Center290 Route 46 WestDenville, New Jersey 07834(973) 586-23001 T - 11/24/11, The Leader Fee: $50.49

PUBLIC NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICETOWN OF WESTFIELD

NOTICE OF SALE OF REAL ESTATE FORNON-PAYMENT OF TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS

Public notice is hereby given that the undersigned, The Collector of Taxes of the Townof Westfield, Union County, New Jersey, will sell at public auction on the 2nd day ofDecember, 2011 in the Tax Collector’s office in the Municipal Building, 425 East BroadStreet, Westfield, New Jersey, at nine o’clock in the morning, the following describedlands:

The said lands will be sold to make the amount of Municipal liens chargeable againstthat same on the 2nd day of December, 2011, together with interest and cost of sale,exclusive however, of the lien for taxes for the year 2011.

The said lands will be sold in fee to such persons as will purchase the same, subjectto redemption at the lowest rate of interest, but in no case in excess of eighteen percent(18%) per annum. Payments for the sale shall be made by cash or certified check beforeconclusion of the sale or the property will be resold.

Any parcel of real property for which there shall be no other purchaser will be struck offand sold to the Municipality in fee for redemption at eighteen percent (18%) per annumand the Municipality shall have the right to bar or foreclose the right of redemption.

The sale will be made and conducted in accordance with the provisions of Article 4 ofChapter 5 of Title 54, Revised Statutes of New Jersey, 1937, and amendments thereto.

At any time before the sale the undersigned will receive payment of the amount due onthe property, with interest and costs incurred up to the time of payments, by certified checkor cash.

Industrial properties may be subject to the Spill Compensation and Control Act(N.J.S.A. 58:10-23.11 et seq.), the Water Pollution Control Act (N.J.S.A 58:10A-1 et seq.)and the Industrial Site Recovery Act (N.J.S.A. 13:1K-6 et seq.) In addition, the municipalityis precluded from issuing a tax sale certificate to any prospective purchaser who is or maybe in any way connected to the prior owner or operator of the site.

The said lands so subject to sale, described in accordance with the tax duplicate,including the name of the owner as shown on the last duplicate and the total amount duethereon respectively on the 2nd day of December, 2011, exclusive of the lien for the year2011 are as listed below:

Susan NoonCollector of Taxes

Westfield, New Jersey

Location of Block Amount DueProperty Address Owner & Lot Dec. 2, 2011

1. 1053 Lawrence Ave Lawrence Avenue, LLC 304/11 $31,355.012. 705 Lenape Trail Lenape Trail Assoc, LLC 603/14 $12,793.583. 760 Prospect St Rapuano, Samuel & Jo Ann 603/43 $ 3,799.724. 367 Brightwood Ave Pringle, Edward 701/8 $ 8,759.295. 619 Kimball Ave Khedr, Christine-Gadzera, Irene 1206/23 $12,804.386. 208 Sunset Ave Wilkins, Elise D. 1901/3 $19,787.217. 10 Wychview Dr O’Brien, Michael & Christine 2004/20 $12,068.798. 644 Cumberland Liebrich, Bernadine 2705/23 $10,716.999. 624 Downer St Clavijo, Victor & Maria 2710/16 $ 4,854.4710. 214 Scotch Plains Ave Morse, Norman & Nancy 2816/2 $13,674.3511. 531 Pierson St Smith,FM-Smith,MA-Smith, C 2911/28 $ 5,447.4812. 412 Elmer St S Mormile, Antonio & MaryAnn 3207/6 $ 6,146.0513. 330 Benson Pl Potamousis, Ioannis & Sally Narkis 3408/4 $16,868.9714. 52 Michael Dr Materek, Ruth 3902/16 $13,522.2915. 118 Cacciola Pl Colonel, Lottie c/o N. Pringle 4001/4 $ 869.1016. 114 Livingston Str Furnari, Nancy J. 4001/16 $ 3,518.2617. 727 Central Ave Patel, Hasmukh S-Patel, Mahendra C 4001/98 $ 8,502.2318. 202-220 Cacciola Pl BLM Realty Co 4002/1 $11,259.9219. 625 Ripley Pl Caldora, Frank & Gloria 4003/22 $ 564.7520. 714 Central Ave Nardone, Ida 4103/4 $ 3,026.5621. 1017 Lamberts Mill Rd McDaniel, Frederic & Neils 4505/17 $ 6,769.8922. 948 Willow Grove Rd Rotchford, JoAnn Est Of 4506/8 $ 9,367.8723. 152 Harrow Rd DelMonico, Gerald & Joanne 4911/16 $ 9,967.2424. 1305 Frances Terr Barnes, Robert 5008/9 $ 4,833.73

In the event that the owner of the property is on Active Duty in the Military Service, theTax Collector should be notified immediately.

4 T - 11/03, 11/10, 11/17 & 11/24/11, The Leader Fee: $440.64

‘Y”s Men’s Tree Sale to GetUnderway This Saturday

WESTFIELD – Continuing a tradi-tion that has lasted more than 60 years,the Westfield Area “Y’s Men’s Club

will begin its annual Christmas TreeSale to raise funds for local charities.

This year’s tree sale will kick offthis Saturday, November 26, at 9 a.m.,continuing from Monday to Friday, 3to 9 p.m., and Saturdays and Sun-days, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The tree lot islocated on the Elm Street AthleticField, across from Stop and Shop.

“Y”’s Men members from Westfield,Scotch Plains, Mountainside andCranford run this event. Many othervolunteers from area organizationsalso lend their support to make thisevent possible.

All proceeds from the sale benefitlocal charities and organizations.Some of the many recipients of “Y”’sMen’s grants and donations over theyears include the Westfield Area “Y”’sclubs and youth programs, such asthe Strong Kids Campaign and theLeaders Club; Resolve CommunityCounseling Center; the Children’sLearning Center; Furniture Assist,Inc.; New Jersey Workshop for theArts; Westfield Rescue Squad; Relayfor Life-Cancer Research; UnitedFund of Westfield; Children’s Spe-cialized Hospital; CONTACT WeCare and Camp Speers-Eljabar.

Fraser Firs, Douglas Firs and Bal-sams will all be available, in sizes rang-ing from three-foot “table top” Balsamtrees to nine-foot Fraser Firs. Also avail-able will be wreaths, evergreen roping,grave covers and tree stands.

The Westfield Area “Y”’s Men’sClub has expressed appreciation toits loyal customers for their supportyear after year.

Art Show-Sale to OfferWorks By Mr. BeierleMOUNTAINSIDE – The

Mountainside Public Library willhold a special art show and sale fea-turing the works of the late local artistJoe Beierle on Saturday, December3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will takeplace at the library, located on Con-stitution Plaza.

Mr. Beierle, who passed away inMay, lived in Mountainside for manydecades. Known to many around townas “Tattoo Joe” for the many tattoosdrawn on generations of children’sarms, he also was an accomplishedpen-and-ink and chalk artist who spe-cialized in portraits and Western scenes.

These drawings will be on viewand available for sale at theMountainside Library for one dayonly. Items will be reasonably priced,according to the library. All proceedsfrom the sale will benefit theMountainside Public Library’s col-lection development fund for newbooks and DVDs. For more informa-tion about the library, call (908) 233-0115 or visit mountainsidelibrary.org.

Bramnick, Lesniak UrgePassage of CATV Bill

TRENTON – State Senator RayLesniak (D-20, Elizabeth) and As-semblyman Jon Bramnick (R-21,Westfield) this week release state-ments urging passage of S-2664/A-3766, legislation known as theMarket Competition and ConsumerChoice Act, which would makechanges to state regulation of com-petitive services provided by tele-communications and cable TV(CATV) companies.

“Earlier this year, my colleaguesand I overwhelming passed A-3766, important legislation that isa positive step forward for NewJersey’s consumers and the state’scommunications industry. Thecompanion bill in the Senate, S-2664, will ensure the laws govern-ing telecommunications are keptup to speed with changing technol-ogy by modernizing state regula-tions of telecommunications andcable providers in New Jersey andcreating a climate for job growthand economic development,” Asm.Bramnick said. “We are fortunateto live in a state where competitionfor phone service is thriving. To

foster that competitive environ-ment, as well as to encourage im-portant investments in infrastruc-ture improvements and jobs, S-2664 should be enacted withoutfurther delay. I hope the Senatewill move this necessary legisla-tion forward.”

Senator Lesniak added that “forfar too long, communications com-panies have been governed by ob-solete rules that were written de-cades ago – long before the I-Phoneor smart phone became a thing ofthe norm.

“I gave thoughtful considerationhow this bill would impact my con-st i tuents and believe wholeheartedly that all New Jerseyanswill be better served under a mod-ernized regulatory framework,”Senator Lesniak said. “Moving thislegislation forward was and still isthe right thing to do - especiallysince I have proposed amendmentsthat address the concerns raised bysenior groups.”

He said the legislation “leavesintact important consumer protec-tions while allowing telecommu-nications and cable companiesmore freedom to hire more work-ers or bring more products andservices to market at prices peoplecan afford.”

“New Jersey needs to enhanceits business climate, encourage in-vestment and get more peopleworking. Industries like telecom-munications are growing andshould be allowed to flourish inour state,” Senator Lesniak said.“Passing the Market Competitionand Consumer Choice Act is criti-cal and I look forward to castingmy vote in favor of this bill soon.”

Miller-Cory Museum PostsUpcoming Winter Events

WESTFIELD – The Miller-CoryHouse Museum, located at 614 Moun-tain Avenue in Westfield, has an-nounced its upcoming winter sched-ule of programs.

The new year will begin with “TheLegend of La Befana” on Sunday, Janu-ary 8, celebrating the tale of the Italianwitch who leaves toys for good chil-dren and lumps of coal for bad childrenon the eve of the Epiphany. Two Sun-days later, on January 22, “The Historyof Snowmen” will showcase one ofmankind’s oldest forms of folk art.

Programs will continue with “A Col-lection of Novelty Valentines” on Feb-ruary 5, and “Abraham Lincoln and theOld School House” on February 11.The season will end with four presenta-tions in March – “Maple Sugar Sun-day” on March 4, “Irish Dolls Throughthe Centuries” on March 11, “Silhou-ette Craft for Children” on March 18and “A Spot of Tea!” on March 25.

Most of the programs are ideal forchildren, and some of the events willoffer children’s crafts as well.

Two programs remain in 2011.Openings are still available for “Gin-gerbread Sunday,” which will takeplace on December 4 between 1:30and 4 p.m., during which childrenwill make a gingerbread house andone additional craft and will hear“gingery” tales. Light refreshmentswill be served. Reservations are re-quired and must be requested by noonon Friday, December 2. Admission is$4 per child; accompanying adultsmay attend for free. The followingSunday, December 11, “Polish Christ-mas Customs” will highlight Polishholiday traditions and foods.

For more information on the mu-seum and its programs, call the mu-seum office weekday mornings at(908) 232-1776 or e-mailmillercorymuseum@gmail.com.

We are currently looking toexpand our expert panel fortesting of makeup and skincareproducts. We are seeking womenwith light to medium complexions,between the ages of 25-40, to betrained for work on the panel. Thepanel is based and operates inClark NJ and primarily at theResearch and Innovation facilityoperated by L’Oreal . The mainfunction of this position is to applymakeup and skincare productson yourself using a standardizedprotocol, and to evaluate thesensory properties of the productsusing established rating scales.To qualify for consideration, youmust have the ability and desire

to apply and evaluate makeupand skincare products; work wellin a team environment; havestrong written and verbalcommunication skills along withattention to detail. This positionrequires a long term commitmentof usually 2 years or more andcompletion of a paid 6-monthtraining program. Must beavailable on Tuesdays,Wednesdays, and Thursdaysfrom 8:30AM - 12:30PM. Inaddition, availability needed onMondays and Fridays (timeflexible). Candidates must be anon-smoker, not have anysensitivities or allergies tomakeup or skincare productsand be in good health.

For consideration, please call Donna at:

MAKEUP PANELIST (PART-TIME)

(732) 680-4960

FREELANCERS WANTEDStrong, detail-oriented writerswith professional demeanorneeded to cover localgovernment meetings. Must beable to meet deadlines, knowhow to write a lead, and takean active interest in their beatsin order to develop newsstories. Please emailresume and clips to:

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AUTO FOR SALE

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MATH AND PHYSICS TUTOR

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CLEANING SERVICE

Portuguese cleaning lady lookingfor houses to clean. Apartmentsand houses with 16 years ofexperience. Free estimates andreferences available upon request.

Call (732) 826-9242or (732) 915-6770

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‘Y’ Welcomes FamiliesTo ‘Lunch With Santa’

WESTFIELD – The Westfield Area“Y” will host its Seventh Annual“Lunch with Santa” event on Sun-day, December 11, from 12:30 to 2p.m. at the Main “Y” Facility, locatedat 220 Clark Street in Westfield.

Families will enjoy lunch to-gether, sing Christmas carols andwill be able to take pictures of theirchildren visiting with Santa. Ad-vance ticket purchase is highly rec-ommended and can be done at anyWestfield Area “Y” location.

All proceeds will benefit the “Y”Strong Kids Campaign. For moreinformation, call the Welcome Cen-ter at the Main “Y” Facility at (908)233-2700.

Service League Gearing UpFor Holiday Sale on Dec. 3

WESTFIELD – The WestfieldService League (WSL) Thrift Shopwill hold its largest sale of the yearon Saturday, December 3, from 9a.m. to 4 p.m. Thousands of holi-day items, including new toys,clothing and bric-a-brac, will beavailable at discounted prices.

Due to the large volume of mer-chandise, shop racks and shelveswill be replenished throughout theday. In preparation for this sale,the thrift shop will be closed Fri-day, December 2, for restockingfor the holiday sale. The shop will

have a series of sales, including a$1 Day Sale, prior to December 2.

New this year will be the Holi-day Sale Preview, a collection ofquality holiday items that will bedisplayed in the thrift shop prior tothe Holiday Sale. These items maybe purchased in advance of theHoliday Sale.

The league also operates a con-signment shop on the upper levelof the premises, which currently isrunning sales of up to 75 percentoff on certain items. This shop alsowill open at 9 a.m. on December 3.

Both shops carry men’s,women’s and children’s clothingas well as shoes, books, toys,household items, jewelry and holi-day gift selections. Located at 114Elmer Street in Westfield, bothshops are open Tuesday throughSaturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Forfurther information, call the thriftshop at (908) 233-2530 or the con-signment shop at (908) 232-1223.County Offers DVD on

Cyber Safety for ParentsCOUNTY — - The Union County

Board of Chosen Freeholders, in part-nership with the Union CountyProsecutor’s Office, has announcedthe creation of a new DVD on cybersafety for parents.

The DVD, entitled “Internet Safety,Cyber Bullying and Social Network-ing,” takes a proactive approach tokeeping children safe from the dan-gers of the web and social network-ing. It is designed to teach parents thepotential threats to their children andoffers tips on how to address thecyber safety issue without embar-rassing their children or betrayingtheir trust.

The DVD is available for free fromthe Union County Office of PublicInformation and has also been postedto the Union County website and canbe viewed in the video channel sec-tion, at www.ucnj.org/videochannel/

Union County Prosecutor TedRomankow said he hopes the videowill empower parents and guardians

to get more involved with theirchildren’s Internet activities and totake the time to educate themselveswith the particular programs and de-vices children use to communicate.

“The Internet can be very usefuland informative, but it can also be avery dangerous vehicle,” Mr.Romankow said. “We are trying tohelp parents learn about what theycan do to protect their children fromtrouble.”

The DVD, which is over an hourand twenty minutes in length, con-tains a presentation by SergeantMichael Hoose of the Union CountyProsecutor’s Office High Tech TaskForce. During the presentation he dis-cusses the most prevalent threats tochildren and young adults includingsexting, cyber-bullying, secret vid-eotaping and high-tech pranks.

Copies of the DVD will be madeavailable at the Public InformationVan during various Union Countyevents. Residents may also obtain acopy of the Cyber Bullying DVD bycontacting either Mary Lynn Will-iams at (908) 527-4106 or by e-mail-ing info@ucnj.org.

Rahway AARP SlatesFinal ’11 Casino Trip

RAHWAY – The Rahway AARPchapter will hold its last trip of thisyear to Atlantic City’s ShowboatCasino on Thursday, December 1.The cost is $22 with a $30 cashvoucher. The bus will leave at 8:30a.m. and return at 6:30 p.m. Toreserve a spot, call Irene at (732)499-7740.

PUBLIC NOTICETOWNSHIP OF SCOTCH PLAINS

NOTICE OFPUBLIC COMMENT SESSION

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that theScotch Plains Municipal Manager hasscheduled a public input/public commentsession regarding the 2012 municipal bud-get on Wednesday, November 30, 2011between 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon at Town-ship Hall, 430 Park Avenue, Scotch Plains,New Jersey.

The public is invited to provide any com-ments and/or input concerning the 2011budget at that time.

Christopher R. MarionMunicipal Manager

1 T - 11/24/11, The Times Fee: $15.81

Temple to Present‘Mom’s The Word’

WESTFIELD – Temple Emanu-El’s Early Childhood EducationProgram will host “Mom’s TheWord” on Thursday, December 8,at 7:15 p.m. It will take place at thetemple, located at 756 East BroadStreet in Westfield.

This musical comedy revue turnsa comic eye on the ups and downsof parenthood through song, cov-ering such topics as tantrums, sib-ling rivalry, finding a reliablebabysitter, overscheduled extra-curricular activities and uselesshusbands. Wine, cheese and des-sert will be served.

Tickets are $40 in advance by Fri-day, December 2, and $45 after De-cember 2 or at the door. They may bepurchased in advance from TempleEmanu-El’s Early Childhood Educa-tion Program by calling the office at(908) 232-6770, extension no. 130.

SURGERY SCHEDULER / ADMIN

Surgery Scheduler / Administratorneeded for growing Westfield, NJvascular surgery practice.Schedule patient appts & surgerydates, arrange testing/precertifications, make arrangementswith patients, verify insurance, fieldcalls from dialysis patients/unitsand prepare reports. Excellentcommunication skills, attention todetail, computer skills and passionfor patient care. Email resume to:

HR@tcvcg.com

St. Bart’s to AcceptGiving Tree Gifts

SCOTCH PLAINS – A cherishedChristmas tradition will get under-way on Friday, November 25, at St.Bartholomew the Apostle RomanCatholic Church, located at 2032Westfield Avenue in Scotch Plains,when the Christmas Giving Tree ap-pears in the narthex of the church.

In addition to its sparkling lights,the tree will be laden with almost1,000 tags in 11 different colors rep-resenting the specific Christmaswishes and needs of children andadults in 11 different service organi-zations that provide them vital careand sustenance.

The request for a wish list fromthese organizations goes out in Sep-tember, so that a group of St.Bartholomew women can create thespecifically detailed tags that willappear on the Giving Tree the dayafter Thanksgiving. Parishioners se-lect tags from the tree and purchasethe requested item, gift-wrap it andreturn it to the narthex, where men ofthe Holy Name Society sort the pack-ages for delivery to the receivinginstitutions before Christmas Day.

Concert to ShowcaseHickory Tree ChorusSUMMIT – The Central Presbyte-

rian Church, located at 70 MapleStreet in Summit, will begin its con-cert series for December on Friday,December 2, at 12:15 p.m. Admis-sion will be free.

Presented in collaboration withMusic Director, pianist, vocal coachand organist Sandor Szabo, the churchwill welcome the Hickory Tree Cho-rus chapter of Sweet Adelines Inter-national. For more information, callthe church at (908) 273-0441.

A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES Thursday, November 24, 2011 Page 13

SSt. Bartholomew Academy

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Serving children Full day Pre-K in grades Fully Integrated & Kindergarten Pre-K – 8th Technology

2032 Westfield Avenue Scotch Plains, NJ 07076

908.322.4265

Call for information or visit: www.stbacademy.org

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take control of your semester breaktake control of your credit requirementstake a class at Union

Get a jump on your Spring Semester by Enrolling in a Winter Course at Union County College.

Winter Session classes begin Tuesday, December 27, 2011.

For info call 908-709-7518 – or – visit www.ucc.edu

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to the advertiser who wants to sell well!

Brunner Garden DesignatedAs Monarch Waystation

BUTTERFLY HABITAT…Bernadette Hoyer shares the news that a Monarchbutterfly garden at Brunner School in Scotch Plains is now designated as awaystation. Pictured with Mrs. Hoyer are: Hannah Baik, Amanda Baylock,Grace Sweeney, Ava Fazio, Jalen Geneblazo and Nate DeMatteo. They helped tocreate the habitat and learned about monarchs in the garden last year.

SCOTCH PLAINS - The BrunnerSchool Children’s Garden has beencertified and registered as a Mon-arch Waystation by the MonarchWatch Organization. MonarchWaystations provide milkweeds,nectar plants and shelter for mon-arch butterflies throughout their an-nual cycle of reproduction and mi-gration.

Recently retired preschoolteacher, Bernadette Hoyer, becamea member of the Monarch Teacher’s

Network in 2001 and used the gar-den to teach students and colleaguesat Brunner School about monarchbutterflies and began to work to-wards creating a MonarchWaystation.

In June 2011, the application forMonarch Waystation designationwas submitted as a joint effort byMrs. Hoyer, the Brunner School PTAand Scott Bortnick, Brunner’s prin-cipal. The waystation sign was re-cently put on display in the garden.

UC Inducts Seventy StudentsInto National Honor SocietySCOTCH PLAINS – Union

Catholic announced the inductionof seventy students into the Na-tional Honor Society. The eventtook place on October 11 in theauditorium. After an invocation bySister Percylee Hart, RSM, andopening remarks by Patty Nuwer,senior inductees James Weyand,Christian Fernandez, GabrielleAquino and Ann Cierpial spoke oncharacter, service, leadership andscholarship, respectively. Keynotespeaker Edward Thornton, Classof 2004, commented on his archi-tectural experience through hisdegree in Historical Preservationfrom Mary Washington Collegeand told inductees, “You have aslew of amazing faculty and staffhere to support you and pave thepath for your futures. Grab hold ofthat pencil and be ready to startdrawing.”

The following students have metall the requirements set forth by theNational Honor Society:

Class of 2012 InducteesGabrielle Aquino, Catherine

Bree, Meghan Brule, AbigailCalixto, Ann Cierpial, StephenCocuzza, Ryan Coughlan, RoxanneDalere, Timothy Dalton, MartyDavidson II, Adrianna DeGazon,

Kenneth Di Giovanni, McKennaDick, Jordan Doherty, KimberlyEsguerra, Christian Fernandez,Loren Franco, DanielleGruskiewicz, Jingmei Han, AnnyssaHerlihy, Kelsey Lasin, KathrynLubin, Meredith McAna, KaylaMcCloud, Anna-Teresa Mutuc,Christina Nesi, Katherine Nolan,Michelle Peters, NicolePietrapertosa, Jonathan Riedinger,Jessica Santana, David Schanz, Jas-mine Serano, Kendra Simcox,Stephanie Smith, Shannon Streisel,Kathleen Sullivan, Demie Texeira,Megan Trollo, David Von Ellen,James Weyand, Muzi Yin, Ui-YeonYoon.

Class of 2013 InducteesAndres Aguaiza, Natasha Andre,

Adriana Belmonte, Sarah Beriont,Alexandra Brown, KatherineBrown, Brian Cattafe, RosaCuppari, Alexa DaSilva, TaylorDiken, Ian Donahue, Colleen Dow,Jacqueline Fabricatore, GregoryGagliardi, Christine Hahn, RoseVictoria Irace, Dara Maguire,Courtney McGovern, TrevorMiranda, Jolie Montes, KevinMoran, Brittany Pellettieri, MathewSarrico, Ashley Titolo, RobertVagueiro, Thomas Wang, DihanaWijedasa.

HONORALBE…Union Catholic announced the induction of seventy studentsinto the National Honor Society. Pictured, left to right, are: Edward Thornton,Gabrielle Aquino. James Weyand, Principal Sister Percylee Hart, RSM, AnnCierpial, Christian Fernandez, and NHS Moderator.

CLASS REUNION…The Westfield High School Class of 1936 is planning a 75thReunion planned for Florida this winter. Details will be made known as the eventis planned. Pictured are Doris Beecher Schaub of Harwich, Mass. and Dan Sweetof Newfields, N.H., co-chairs of the reunion.

A Song for Everyone on OriaAspen's New CD Yellow Paint

Westfield High School student Oria Aspen's New CD is now available.

WESTFIELD – “Yellow Paint” isa collection of 13 original songs writ-ten by Oria Aspen, with one coversong, “What A Wonderful World,” aduet with none other than NewJersey’s legendary soul rocker,Southside Johnny. The songs on “Yel-low Paint” are varied, with pop rocksongs such as “Be My Rock Star,”“Yellow Paint,” “Burn Up In TheFlames” and “It’s You,” punk vibeslike “Party Song,” beautiful balladssuch as “Over The Rainbow,” darkerballads like “Scars,” “M3NT@L” and“Forbidden Love,” defiant soul/rapgrooves like “Get Back” and gor-geous heartfelt songs such as “LuckyTo Be Me” and “Last Song.”

There is a song for everyone on the“Yellow Paint” CD. It is the finalresult of writing, tossing out, re-writ-ing, cultivating and recording songsfor the past three years. It is an ex-traordinary collection of songs by17-year-old Oria Aspen, featuring notonly her amazing songwriting andvocal abilities, but her accomplishedand masterful flute skills.

Oria is backed by some of the fin-

est musicians from New York, LosAngeles, Nashville and New Jersey,such as session ace multi reed man,Bob Magnuson, world renowneddrummer Shawn Pelton, who hasworked with Shakira, Pink, KellyClarkson, Sheryl Crow, ShawnColvin, etc., Van Romaine, who hasworked with Enrique Iglesias,Naughty By Nature, Deep Purple,Steve Morse, etc., The Asbury Jukes’Jeff Kazee, The General, John Conte,Chris Anderson and Neal Pawley,Conan O’Brien keyboard wizardScott “Hollywood” Healy, producer,keyboard extraordinaire MichaelMancini and Nashville’s top sessionaces Mike Durham, Tony Harrell,Greg Morrow and Steve Mackey.

The CD is available locally at SoundStation, 433 South Avenue, West,Westfield, N.J. and also online atCDBaby.com, Oriaaspen.com,tunecore.com, itunes and many otheronline distributors. View “Be MyRock Star” video at youtube.com/oriaaspen.

Paid Bulletin Boardgoleader.com/express

Christine Cosenza, Agent2 Elm Street

Westfield, NJ 07090-2148Bus: 908-233-9100

www.christinecosenza.net

SUMMIT—Bob Costello, OratoryPrep School’s Head of School, hasannounced the names of area studentswho have earned academic recogni-tion by being named on the honor rollsfor the first quarter of the school year.

Earning top honors by inclusion tothe St. Philip Neri Highest Honorslist with the criteria of a grade pointaverage (GPA) of at least 95 or higherwith no grade below 90 are the fol-lowing young men from the all-boys,Roman Catholic prep school in Sum-mit:

Seventh graders: Connor Briggsof Mountainside and Peter Herbert ofFanwood.

Earning High Honors with a GPAof at least 90 with no grade below 85

are the following students: seventhgrader Aidan Windorf of Westfield,ninth grader Zachary Friedrich ofMountainside, eleventh grader Timo-thy Esteves of Cranford and eleventhgrader Alex McDonald ofMountainside.

The following students earnedHonors recognition by maintaining aGPA of at least 85 with no gradebelow 80: seventh grader ConnorRegan of Westfield and eleventhgrader Andrew Kontra ofMountainside.

Oratory Prep School is a RomanCatholic School for boys in gradesseven through twelve. For more in-formation, visit the school’s websiteat www.oratoryprep.org

Oratory Prep Announces Honor Roll

Page 14 Thursday, November 24, 2011 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

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William A. Doyle Mgr. Dale R. Schoustra Mgr.

NJ Lic. Number 2325 NJ Lic. Number 3707

(908)-233-0143 (908)-276-0092

Gray Funeral Homes Since 1897

John-Michael “J.M.” Jones

N.J. Lic. #4869

Director

www.grayfuneralhomes.com

A GRAND VIEW…Troop No. 73 from Westfield attended the Boy ScoutCatholic Retreat October 14 to 16 on Ross Dock at the base of the Palisades in FortLee and just north of the George Washington Bridge. Ten Scouts, three CubScouts and six adult leaders attended. During the weekend, they all also hiked upthe Palisades and over to the New York side of the bridge, pictured above. FatherEugene Field led the retreat. For membership information, call ScoutmasterHenry Hom at (732) 382-9139.

Dolores Doyle, 88, Was Office Manager;Dedicated Volunteer For Many Years

Dolores Eloise Doyle (néeMowrey), 88, passed away peace-fully on Saturday, November 12,2011, while visiting with her son athis home in Las Vegas, Nev.

Dolores’ childhood was spent inSpringfield, N.J., and after marryingher beloved late husband, Roger, to-gether raised their four children inWestfield. After retiring from herwork as office manager for Dr. PhillipGrey, Dolores had a wonderful lifespending her summers at her home inBeach Haven, N.J. and her winters ather home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.She traveled all over the world, butalways came home to be with herchildren, grandchildren and great-grandchildren over the holidays.

Dolores had a special place in herheart for volunteering. With the short-age of nurses during World War II,she spent hours volunteering as anurse’s aide at Overlook Hospital. Asa young mother, she continued vol-unteering for the American Red Cross,visiting with veterans at the LyonsVeterans Center, helping to make theirlives a little better. Later, Dolores wasa Boy Scout den leader, Girl Scoutleader and longtime member of theWoman’s Club of Westfield.

Once leaving the local area, she

followed her volunteer spirit byspending hours donating her time tothe Long Beach Island HistoricalSociety’s “Kitchen Cabinet” and theNeedlers’ Club of Sawgrass by knit-ting baby blankets for the families ofthe men and women stationed at Jack-sonville Naval Station.

Surviving are her loving children,Roger (Carol) of Glastonbury, Conn.,Lawrence (Joe Lamarca) of Las Ve-gas, Nev., Kathleen Frost (Richard) ofCarlisle, Pa. and Robert (Lorraine) ofRocky Hill, Conn. She also leavesbehind eight grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and a very special niece,Joyce Hale, who will miss her dearly.

A Mass of Christian Burial wascelebrated on Saturday, November19, at the Holy Trinity Roman Catho-lic Church in Westfield. Intermentfollowed at Fairview Cemetery inWestfield.

Arrangements were by the GrayFuneral Home, 318 East BroadStreet in Westfield(www.grayfuneralhomes.com to of-fer condolences).

In keeping with Dolores’ love ofvolunteer work, donations may bemade in her honor to the AmericanRed Cross chapter of choice.

November 24, 2011

– Obituaries –

Prayer to

The Blessed Virgin(Never known to fail)

Oh most beautiful Flower ofMount Carmel, Fruitful Vine,Splendor of Heaven, BlessedMother of the Son of God, Im-maculate Virgin, assist me in mynecessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, helpme! Show me herein you are mymother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother ofGod, Queen of Heaven and Earth,I humbly beseech you from thebottom of my heart to succor me inthis necessity. There are none whocan withstand your power. Showme herein you are my mother. OhMary, conceived without sin, prayfor us who have recourse to thee.Holy Mother, I place this cause inyour hands (3x).

Holy Spirit, You who solve allproblems, light all roads so that Imay attain my goal. You who gaveme the divine gift to forgive andforget all evil against me and that inall instances in my life You are withme. I want in this short prayer tothank You as I confirm once againthat I never want to be separatedfrom You in eternal glory. Thankyou for your mercy towards meand mine. Amen.

Say this prayer on three con-secutive days. Publish this prayerafter the favor is granted.

C.D.

Newell Haller, 93, Was Accomplished InGardening, Architecture, PhotographyNewell Maverick Haller passed

away peacefully in her sleep at theDavis Health Center in Wilmington,N.C. on Tuesday, November 15, 2011.She was 93 years old. Although shewill be sorely missed byher large family, theychoose to celebrate her ex-ceptional life. Newell willlive forever in their heartsand minds.

Born in San Antonio,Tex. in 1918, Newell wasa third-generation Texanand great-granddaughterof Samuel Augustus Mav-erick, a Texas lawyer, poli-tician, land baron andsigner of the Texas Decla-ration of Independence.Her own parents, George Madisonand Ruth Newell Maverick, set astrong, accomplished and loving ex-ample for Newell throughout theirexceptionally long marriage and lives.Newell carried on that tradition forher own family.

A very accomplished lady, Newellhad many interests and hobbies. Shewas a master gardener before suchtitles required classroom training, anamateur architect who planned andbuilt two houses in Pine Knoll Shores,N.C. and an award-winning photog-rapher. She collected interesting itemsfrom her travels all over the globeand was very involved in volunteerwork at the local hospital back athome. While running a householdwith four children and all the chaosthat entails, Newell was a successfulinvestor in the New York Stock Ex-

change, spending several hours dailydoing her own research on potentialinvestments.

Newell is preceded in death by herhusband of 56 years, Hugh Kenneth

Haller, a successfulHarvard-trained attorneywho helped establish thetown of Pine KnollShores, N.C. Ken servedtwo terms as its mayor.Newell also spent 12very happy years withher second husband,Clarence Cade, at Plan-tation Village inWilmington, N.C. Claywas a wonderful, caringman with a joyfullyyouthful spirit.

Newell is survived by her four chil-dren, Judith Haller Newsome ofMarietta, Ga., Susan Haller Balmatof Morehead City, N.C., KennethMaverick Haller of Athens, Ohio andHugh Maverick Haller of St. Augus-tine, Fla., as well as 11 grandchildrenand 10 great-grandchildren.

Her daughter Sue has been Newell’srock, and invaluable helper, for thepast 10 years and will especially missher frequent chats with her motherand best friend.

Newell Maverick Haller will beburied next to her husband, Ken-neth, in the Haller plot at Mt. OlivetCemetery in Frederick, Md. It ishigh ground, overlooking the his-toric town of Frederick and the beau-tiful, rolling hills of the surroundingcountryside.

November 24, 2011

Newell Haller

Service League Thrift ShopTo Begin Holiday Boutique

SCOTCH PLAINS – TheFanwood-Scotch Plains ServiceLeague’s annual Holiday Boutiqueat its thrift shop will begin at 10 a.m.on Tuesday, November 29. The shopis located at 1730 East Second Streetin Scotch Plains.

All the items featured will be brandnew, many still in their original pack-aging, and will be on display in thestore’s main room. The table will bereplenished daily. Among the giftsincluded in the sale will be Lenoxchina serving pieces, designer purses,ties and wallets for men, holiday deco-rations for the home, small appli-ances and costume jewelry.

Shoppers also will be invited toenter a free drawing for one of fourprizes, by filling out a piece of paperwith their name and telephone num-ber and putting it in the “prize bag.”The drawing will take place on Tues-day, December 13. Individuals neednot be present to win.

This year there will be a free gift-wrapping service on Saturday, Decem-ber 10. Any gifts purchased on that dayfrom the boutique table may be wrappedin holiday wrapping paper complimentsof the thrift shop staff. The boutiquesale will continue until Saturday, De-cember 17, when the shop will closefor the holidays. The store will reopenon Tuesday, January 3, at 10 a.m.

The Service League is a volunteerorganization, the members of whichoperate the thrift shop. All profits fromthis and sales throughout the year aredonated back into the localcommunity’s charitable organizations.Shop hours of operation are Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to2:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday,10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more informa-tion, call the shop at (908) 322-5420.

Additionally, the thrift shop willhold a “Black Saturday Sale” No-vember 26, when everything in thestore will be half-price.

Willow Grove to OfferBlue Christmas Service

SCOTCH PLAINS – “A BlueChristmas: A Service of Comfort andHope” will be held in the sanctuaryof the Willow Grove PresbyterianChurch on Saturday, December 3,beginning at 3 p.m.

This service is designed for thosefor whom the holidays are painful dueto the loss of a loved one, the loss of ajob, a painful relationship, a life intransition or any number of otherstruggles.

Through music, scripture, prayerand candlelight, participants will beencouraged to acknowledge the bluesand the pain and look toward thehope to come. The Reverend CynthiaCochran-Carney, Willow Grove pas-tor, and the Reverend Bonnie Fee,chaplain, Center for Hope Hospiceand Palliative Care in Scotch Plains,will lead the service.

For more information about Wil-low Grove Church, call the churchoffice, Monday through Friday, at(908) 232-5678, e-mailoffice@willowgrovechurch.org orvisit the church website,willowgrovechurch.org.

Willow Grove Presbyterian Churchis located at 1961 Raritan Road inScotch Plains, across the street fromthe Southside Firehouse and soccerfield and near the corner of SouthMartine Avenue. All facilities arehandicap-accessible.

Westfield Library to PresentEvening For Storytellers

WESTFIELD – The WestfieldMemorial Library, located at 550 EastBroad Street, will present a new kindof storytelling event called a StorySlam on Wednesday, November 30,beginning at 7 p.m.

A Story Slam is an event in whichpeople tell true, five-minute storiesbased around a particular theme. Allstories are told in front of an audience,without notes, scripts or cheat sheets.The theme for next Wednesday’s pro-gram will be “Your Favorite ’roundthe Dinner Table” story.

“I hold Story Slams on a quarterlybasis,” said Jen Schulze, the library’shead of adult services, “becausepeople really like to have a chance to

talk about the memorable events intheir lives. We’re getting a good fol-lowing of storytellers.”

The popularity of New York City’s“The Moth,” a not-for-profitstorytelling organization, has inspiredthis program. The program is freeand open to Westfield Memorial Li-brary and MURAL cardholders.MURAL cardholders belong to li-braries that are part of the MiddlesexUnion Reciprocal Agreement Librar-ies. To see if a library participates,check the Westfield Memorial Li-brary website, wmlnj.org. To registerfor Story Slam, visit wmlnj.org andclick on the Online Calendar, or call(908) 789-4090, extension no. 7951.

Libraries Hold Food DriveTo Assist Those In Need

AREA – Area residents are in-vited to help fight hunger this holi-day season with donations to a fooddrive sponsored by the Union CountyPublic Libraries.

Local public libraries will acceptdonations of non-perishable fooditems now through Friday, Decem-ber 16, to benefit the CommunityFoodBank of New Jersey and otherlocal food pantries. Collection binsare located at the libraries. Librarystaff will then route 100 percent ofthe donations to designated foodbanks.

Many people in New Jersey havebeen impacted by the tough eco-nomic times, among them low-in-come families, struggling single par-ents, the elderly on a fixed incomeand the unemployed.

The Community FoodBank of NewJersey assists those in need by sup-plying food to more than 1,500 non-profit charities in 19 counties, in-cluding soup kitchens, food pantries,shelters, local food banks, after-school programs and senior centers.

Groceries most urgently neededinclude canned meat and fish; cannedsoups and stews; peanut butter (inplastic jars); boxed pasta and rice;powdered milk; infant formula andcanned vegetables and fruits.

Participating libraries include theBerkeley Heights Public Library,Clark Public Library, Cranford Pub-lic Library, Elizabeth Public Library,Fanwood Memorial Library,Garwood Free Public Library, Hill-

side Public Library, Kenilworth Pub-lic Library, Linden Public Library,Mountainside Public Library, NewProvidence Memorial Library,Plainfield Public Library, RahwayPublic Library, Roselle Free PublicLibrary, Roselle Park Veterans Me-morial Library, Scotch Plains PublicLibrary, Springfield Public Library,Summit Public Library, Union FreePublic Library and Westfield Me-morial Library. For more informa-tion, interested persons may contacttheir library or visit the UnionCounty Public Libraries’ website,luccnj.org.

WSL Now Accepting2012 Grant RequestsWESTFIELD – The Westfield Ser-

vice League (WSL) currently is ac-cepting applications for grants for2012. Applications are available atthe WSL Thrift Shop, located at 114Elmer Street in Westfield.

This past year, the WSL donatedmore than $50,000 to local agenciesand organizations. The grant fundsresult from the profits of the WSLThrift and Consignment Shops.

To be considered for funding, eachagency or organization must submita completed application requestingfunding to the Westfield ServiceLeague Donations Chairperson, 114Elmer Street, Westfield, N.J. 07090.All completed applications must bereturned no later than February 1,2012.

Knights AnnounceHoliday Toy Drive

GARWOOD – The GarwoodKnights of Columbus are collect-ing brand-new, unwrapped toysthrough December on behalf ofthe children of St. Joseph’s SocialService Center in Elizabeth.

Donations can be dropped offafter 4 p.m. weekdays at the coun-cil hall, located at 37 South Av-enue in Garwood (oppositePathMark). Parking is availablebehind the hall off Willow Avenue.Individuals are asked to use theside door entrance. The Knightshave requested that no toys depict-ing violence be donated. Individu-als are asked to call first on week-ends before bringing donations.

Monetary donations also are wel-come and may be made payable to:Garwood K of C Toy Drive, Atten-tion: Keith Gallagher.

Since 1983, St. Joseph’s has servedthe materially poor and homeless com-munity of the greater Elizabeth areaby providing basic human needs suchas food, clothing and medications, aswell as a wide range of services andprograms to help clients acquire thematerial goods and social services theyneed to live with integrity. For moreinformation, call the Knights at (908)789-9809 after 4 p.m.

FCC Plans MusicalesFor Advent Season

WESTFIELD – The First Con-gregational Church invites all tocelebrate the holidays with Mid-Day Musicales. Mid-Day Musi-cales are free, half-hour concerts,offered every Wednesday at noonin the sanctuary of the church, lo-cated at 125 Elmer Street inWestfield.

An optional soup-and-sandwichluncheon is available followingeach concert for $7. Organized byBarbara Thomson, organist andmusic director of the First Congre-gational Church, the Advent sched-ule is as follows:

November 30: Ron Levy, piano.December 7: Westfield High

School Concert Choir; JohnBrzozowski and Sharon Reynolds,directors.

December 14: Ronald Naldi,tenor, with Sean Gough, piano.

Funding for these concerts hasbeen made possible in part by theNew Jersey State Council on theArts, a partner agency of the Na-tional Endowment for the Arts,through a grant administered bythe Union County Office of Cul-tural and Heritage Affairs. For ad-ditional information, call thechurch office at (908) 233-2494 orvisi t the church website,fccofwestfield.org.

Train and Toy ShowSet This Weekend

AREA – Greenberg’s Train andToy Show is scheduled for this Sat-urday and Sunday, November 26and 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. eachday. It will be held at the New JerseyExpo Center in Edison.

More than 80,000 square feet ofoperating railroads and toy trainswill be on display and for sale.General admission is $7 and is goodfor both days; children age 11 andunder may attend for free. For moreinformation, visitGreenbergShows.com.

Westfield High School WelcomesEducator From England

VISIT FROM ACROSS THE POND…Bob Mitchell, assistant headmaster forBeauchamp College in Leicester, England, recently visited Westfield High School.He is pictured here with a recent copy of Westfield High School’s (WHS) studentproduced newspaper, Hi’s Eye, as he observes the reporters at work in theirjournalism class. Accompanying him are WHS Principal Peter Renwick, Super-intendent of Schools Margaret Dolan, far left, and Hi’s Eye advisor/teacherRosemary DiBattista.

WESTFIELD – Nationally recog-nized American Education Week wastopped off in Westfield by extendingU.S. hospitality to an educator fromEngland. Bob Mitchell, assistant head-master for Beauchamp College in Le-icester, England, and a member of theEducation Trust in the UK, paid a visitto Westfield High School (WHS) toobserve American education in action.

Mr. Mitchell observed reporters atwork in their journalism class as theyworked on an edition of Hi’s Eye, theschool newspaper. Hi’s Eye is one ofthe country’s only weekly schoolnewspapers and has consistently been

awarded recognitions from both theColumbia and American ScholasticPress Association. Mr. Mitchell alsoobserved several other classes, in-cluding art, social studies, biology,language arts, concert choir andProject ’79, WHS’ alternative educa-tion program.

As a result of the visit, Superinten-dent of Schools Margaret Dolan an-nounced, “We are looking to establishpartnerships between some of our stu-dents and those in England, which willcoincide with our mission to prepareour students for participation in a glo-bal society.”

Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS GroupsTo Perform at Annual Mayor’s Gala

SCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD –The 21st annual Scotch PlainsMayor’s Gala will be a special eventas the town honors the volunteerswho made the newly unveiled 9/11Memorial possible. Mayor NancyMalool will preside over the evening’sfestivities, held at the Scotch PlainsItalian-American Club, 1976 ValleyAvenue, from 7 p.m. to midnight.

Providing entertainment for theevening will be two groups fromScotch Plains-Fanwood High School:

The State Champion jazz band TheMoonglowers, with featured vocal-ists Varshini Narayanan, SamZimmerman, Julia Mendes, NickPoulios and Julie Busch, and Sensa-tions, the Choral Department’s acappella group.

Tickets are $65 per person and canbe purchased at scotchplainsnj.com;by calling the Scotch Plains Recre-ation Department at (908) 322-6700,extension no. 223, or in person at 430Park Avenue.

Education News

Monica Reiss, Director of Corporate,Foundation Giving For Autism CharityMonica Reiss of Fanwood, N.J.

died on Wednesday, November 2,2011.

Born in New York City, Monicalived in Westfield, N.J. for manyyears growing up, and then in NewYork City before moving toFanwood 25 years ago.

She was the director of corporateand foundation giving for “AutismSpeaks,” a charity based in NewYork City. She was responsible forwriting grant applications and forthe charity’s fund-raising efforts.

Monica graduated from CornellUniversity in Ithaca, N.Y. with aBachelor of Arts degree in Ameri-can Studies and earned a doctoratein public health from ColumbiaUniversity in New York City.

She was a member of the Sister-hood and Israel Support Commit-tee, both of Congregation Beth Is-rael in Scotch Plains.

She also was an avid supporter of“Autism Speaks” and efforts on be-half of children suffering from au-tism.

Surviving are a daughter, AlezaZimmerman; a son, CalebZimmerman; a brother, David Reiss;two sisters, Franci Sagar and RuthReiss, and her mother, Beatrice Reiss.

Services were held on Friday, No-vember 4, at Congregation Beth Is-rael in Scotch Plains. Interment wasat Beth Israel Cemetery inWoodbridge, N.J.

Arrangements were by Ross’ Sha-lom Chapels, 415 Morris Avenue inSpringfield, N.J. To leave condo-lences, please go towww.rosschapels.com.

November 24, 2011

www.goleader.com

A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES Thursday, November 24, 2011 Page 15

Handel’s Messiah PresentedAt FW Presbyterian Church

Judy Collins, Arlo GuthrieTo Perform Holiday ConcertRAHWAY – This holiday season,

Union County Performing Arts Centerpresents two of folk music’s most cel-ebrated icons, Judy Collins and ArloGuthrie, as they share the stage for anunforgettable evening devoted to sea-sonal favorites and classic hits on Sun-day, November 27, at 7 p.m. Tickets areon sale now $45, $58, $95 (price in-cludes all fees). Call the UC PAC boxoffice at (732) 499-8226, or visitwww.ucpac.org.

Over the last half a century, the leg-endary Judy Collins has thrilled audi-ences worldwide with her unique blendof interpretive folk songs and contem-porary themes. Arlo Guthrie is an ac-claimed artist whose timeless storiesand unforgettable classic songs carryon the Guthrie family legacy.

Judy and Arlo come together now to

perform their most definitive songslike never before – a collaboration thatpromises to be truly memorable forseasons to come.

Tickets are available at the UCPACBox Office at (732) 499-8226 or onlineat UCPAC.org. The UCPAC Box Of-fice, located at 1601 Irving Street,Rahway, N.J., is open Monday throughFriday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. andalso open late on Thursdays until 8p.m.

UCPAC us located in the heart of theRahway Arts District, Union CountyPerforming Arts Center is within walk-ing distance of the Rahway NJ Transittrain station and can be reached bytaking exit 135 from the Garden StateParkway or exit 12 from the N.J. Turn-pike. Parking is available downtown atthe Rahway Parking Garage.

FANWOOD - Handel’s Messiah willbe presented at the Fanwood Presbyte-rian Church on Sunday, December 4, at4 p.m. under the direction of ThomasBerdos, Director of Music at theFanwood Church. Singers from mul-tiple local choirs and the SanctuaryChoir of the Fanwood Church will bejoined by an orchestra and four tal-ented and widely known vocalists. Theyinclude: Jamie Baer, a soprano, withwide experience as a soloist with sev-eral major symphonies across the coun-try and with the Mormon TabernacleChoir. She is also a voice teacher andlives in New Providence with her hus-band and three children.

Hanne Ladefoged-Dollase, a MezzoSoprano, trained in opera in Europe.She has performed extensively through-out North America in song recitals andlectures. In the New York area, she hasperformed with several groups includ-ing the St. Cecilia Chorus at CarnegieHall. She lives in Rockaway, N.J. withher husband and two children.

Brian Ernstes, a Tenor, has won manyvocal competitions and has sung rolesin Messiah, Verde’s Requiem, Aidaand La Boheme among many others.

He is a winner of the New Jersey StateOpera Vocal Competition and has be-come a regular soloist in their OperaLogues and N.J. State Opera GuildConcerts.

Richard Zuch, a Bass, is a frequentsoloist performer with many groupsincluding the Philadelphia Orchestra,the Pennsylvania Symphony and theBuffalo Philharmonic. As a member ofthe Philadelphia Singers, he has ap-peared as a soloist in Bach’s St. Mat-thew, Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’sRequiem. He is a regular soloist atOcean Grove.

Tickets for this performance of Mes-siah are on sale for $20. To order ticketssend a check payable to Fanwood Pres-byterian Church, Memo Messiah witha stamped self addressed envelope toP.O. Box 69 Fanwood, NJ 07023.

Designations as a Patron of thisMessiah performance are available. ThePatrons will receive two tickets and thetheir names will be printed in the pro-gram. To become a Patron please senda $75 check with a self-addressedstamped envelop to the above address.

For further information about Mes-siah please call (908) 889-8891 ext. 17.

HOLIDAY SOUNDS…Members of the New Jersey Workshop for the ArtsInternational-American Alphorn Society Ensemble will again entertain holidayshoppers and visitors in downtown Westfield this season. Directed by TedSchlosberg, the IAS will recreate the sounds of the Alps on Saturday, December3, 10 and 17 from 2:30 until 3:30 pm, on the corner of East Broad Street and ElmStreet. In the event of inclement weather, the ensemble will perform the followingThursday evening from 7:30 to 8:30 pm.Continuo Arts to Present

‘Christmas Time in The City’WESTFIELD - The third annual

“Christmas Time in the City” Holidayconcert will be presented on Sunday,December 11, at 6 p.m. at The Presby-terian Church in Westfield. A produc-tion by the Continuo Arts Foundationin partnership with The PresbyterianChurch of Westfield and sponsored byColdwell Banker Residential Broker-age, this concert features five choralensembles, alumni singers from sur-rounding communities, soloists, instru-mentalists, narrators, audience-sing-a-longs and special guest artists.

Unique to this concert is an invita-tion to alumni and local singers toperform portions of “A Carol Fantasy”by Stephen Edwards. Premiered inCarnegie Hall in 2009, alumni singersreturn each year joined by ContinuoArts ensembles, as well as local sing-ers. You are welcome to become part ofthis tradition of ushering in the season

with the following rehearsal opportu-nities: Tuesday, November 29, andTuesday, December 6, from 7:15 to 8p.m. at the Historic Twin Maples Es-tate, 214 Springfield Avenue in Sum-mit and on Sunday, December 11, at3:30 p.m. prior to the concert.

Alumni singers represent many dif-ferent choral ensembles including theWestfield High School Concert Choir,the Maplewood Glee Club, The OakKnoll Ensemble, The PresbyterianChurch of Westfield Chancel Choir, inaddition to many choristers in the areawho love to sing.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. withreserved seating available to “Homefor the Holidays” House tour ticketholders from 5:30 – 5:45. Presentedfree of charge as a gift to the commu-nity, start your holiday season with“Christmas Time in the City.”

Call (908) 264-5324 or visitwww.continuoarts.com for more in-formation.

Hammond Releases ‘TheColor of Dreams’

FANWOOD – Hammond, a rockand roll group consisting of MikeKaiser, guitar and vocals; EricMarshott, drums; Jay Ruggiero, gui-tar and vocals and Marcelo Mejias,bass and vocals recently releasedtheir sophomore album “The Colorof Dreams.”

Based out of Fanwood, Hammondhas developed their own uniquesound by blending a variety of mu-sical influences and genres, rang-ing from classic rock of the 1960sand 70s to blues and country.

In the fall of 2010, Hammondreleased their debut EP, “Road So-das and Candy Canes,” and beganplaying shows throughout centraland northern New Jersey. Theyquickly became a house favorite ofThe Crossroads in Garwood.

The band followed up with theanticipated release of “The Colorof Dreams.” After the release oftheir second album, Hammondplayed a number of shows and ben-efits, including the 2011 UnionCounty MusicFest alongside na-tional touring acts like Blondie,Collective Soul, Live’s EdKowalczyk, and New Jersey’s ownThe Smithereens.

Since their formation in 2009,Hammond has come a long way tomake a name for themselves andbuild a strong, local fan base. Theyare loved for their catchy tunes,energetic live performances, andan overall aura that represents rockand roll and a good time.

For more information visithammondband.com.

Woman’s Club of WestfieldTo Host Holiday Concert

WESTFIELD - The community isinvited to a Holiday Concert and SingAlong on Sunday, December 4, at 2p.m. at the Masonic Lodge, 1011 Cen-tral Avenue, Westfield. Parking is avail-able in the rear of the building andentrance is the rear door.

Woman’s Club of Westfield willhost this delightful day of song. Thesingers will be children from the Gleeclub at Franklin Elementary Schoolin Westfield directed by their musicteacher, Mr. Brent Geyer. This eventwill be a fundraiser for Gilda’s Club,the National Federation of Woman’sClubs Special Service Project.

Tickets will be $5 for adults, $2 forchildren 5 years and up. Desserts willbe served and there will be a bake salein conjunction with this event.

New Jersey State Federation ofWomen’s Clubs selected Gilda’s Clubas the Special Project for 2010-2012.Many of us remember the comedi-

enne Gilda Radner, famous for heroutrageous antics, especially thoseon Saturday Night Live. Gilda wasdiagnosed with ovarian cancer in1989, her wish was that no one facecancer alone. There are four NewJersey locations, they are inHackensack, Linwood, Eatontownand Bedminster and one will opensoon in Newark. Gilda’s Club may bereached at (800) GILDA-4-U. Gilda’sClub locations offer a variety of pro-grams for anyone living with canceralong with their family and friends.They also welcome cancer survivorsand those who have lost a loved oneto cancer.

Gilda’s Club provides free com-munities of support for those whoselives have been affected by cancer.Their mission is to offer support vianetworking groups, talks, workshopsand social events free of cost in a non-residential home-like setting.

Westfield’s “HHome for the

Holidays”

House Tour

December 3rd, 2011

10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Tickets: $25 in advance $30 at the door

Available at Coldwell Banker Offices: Westfield East, Westfield West

Summit & Maplewood www.continuoarts.com/908-264-5324

Sponsored By: To Benefit:

WCP Present The ThreePrince Charmings

WESTFIELD - A fun-filled, rol-licking comedy for children, TheThree Prince Charmings will be pre-sented by the Westfield CommunityPlayers on Saturday, December 10,with performances at 11 a.m. and 2p.m. This pre-holiday show runs ram-pant with two boisterous duelingprinces, wicked witches, Cinderella,Rapunzel and – a mystery: Who isthe third Prince Charming?

The play is sure to delight boysand girls from the ages five and up.The fun continues after the curtaincomes down. After each perfor-mance, children will have the spe-cial opportunity to talk with the ac-tors who will still be in costume andhave their pictures taken with them,if they wish.

Tickets for this fund-raiser are $10and all proceeds will go to benefit thecontinuing growth of the WestfieldCommunity Players. Reservationscan be made by calling the box office

at (908) 232-1221 or ordering themon line atwestfieldcommunityplayers.org/WCPticketprince.html. The theateris located at 1000 North Avenue inWestfield.

“The Three Prince Charmings,”written by Edith Weiss, is directed byStephanie Youngman and producedby Lucille Bills of Scotch Plains. Thecast includes Nina Donohue ofWestfield, David Neal of Fanwood,Kelly Maizenaski, ChristianRuppenthal, Lilli Marques, BradleyHowell, and Claire Dill.

The generous sponsorship byEileen Ward-Conway, broker of El-egant Homes Realty featuring theSavannah in downtown Westfield, theJames Ward Mansion, and Ward andO’Donnell Property ManagementCompany has made WCP’s children’stheater debut possible.

Start off the holiday season bymaking reservations now.

Westfield Community Players’ cast of The Three Prince Charmings.Meet Co-Writer of TheElf on the Shelf at The

Town Book StoreWESTFIELD - Meet and talk with

Westfield Resident, Kenneth Waddell,the co-writer and co-executive pro-ducer of the new The Elf on the Shelf:An Elf Story Movie Special on Satur-day, December 3, 2011 from 11-1 p.m.

The Elf on the Shelf began as a familytradition that has become a phenom-enon, selling thousands of sets thatinclude Chippey the Elf and a storybook.This tradition now comes to life in thenew movie special The Elf on the Shelf:An Elf’s Story, which aired on CBS forthe first time at the end of November.The movie tells the tale of Chippey, theyoung scout elf assigned by Santa tothe family of Taylor McTuttle, who’snot sure how Santa really knows who’snaughty or nice... or if he even believesSanta is real. Chippey quickly findshimself facing the challenge of his life!The Blu-Ray combo pack contains both2-D and 3-D versions of the movie.

Kenneth Waddell is a producer-writer-director, known for the 30th an-niversary opening to Sesame Street,“Of Love and Fantasy” – the indiefeature starring Betty Buckley (Cats,“Eight is Enough”), Amy Redford(daughter of screen legend RobertRedford) and Shea Whigham (“Board-walk Empire”), and dozens of otherTV shows and films.

Meet Kenneth Waddell at The TownBook Store located at 270 East BroadStreet in Westfield (corner of EastBroad and Elmer Streets). If you areunable to attend this event, feel free tocall The Town Book Store at (908)233-3535 to reserve copy of this newmovie, The Elf Story and/or The Elf onthe Shelf boxed set.

Temple Sholom PlansFamily Fiesta ShabbatFANWOOD – On Friday, Decem-

ber 2, at 6:30 p.m., Temple Sholomof Fanwood/Scotch Plains will holda family-friendly Mexican fiestaShabbat dinner, followed by servicesled by one of the sixth-grade reli-gious school classes. This will bethe first dinner in a series of ShabbatAround The World events to be heldby the congregation.

Participants will learn about Shabbatcustoms in Mexico, enjoy music andmake their own burritos at the Qdobaburrito bar. The cost will be $12 peradult, $8 per child ages 4 to 12 and freefor children age 3 and younger. Thereis a maximum cost of $40 per family.To register, visit sholomnj.org or call(908) 889-4900.

For more information about thetemple or joining the congregation,call (908) 889-4900, e-mailsholom@sholomnj.org or visitsholomnj.

Page 16 Thursday, November 24, 2011 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

Occupying Elm Street With a‘Front Row Seat’

By HORACE CORBINSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

WESTFIELD - When GovernorChris Christie came to Westfield lastyear, Sweet Waters Steak House waslocked tight for the invitation only$1,000+ a plate fundraiser. I occu-pied Elm Street that evening, nosepressed to the window, trying to get apeek, but was whisked away by secu-rity. Sweet Waters, now celebratingtheir 10th anniversary, has a sterlingreputation for fine, high-end dining –exclusive, though not regular for oneas casual as I.

Circumstances arose two weeks agowhere, just like Bob Uecker, I got a“front row seat.” Sweet Waters OwnerJoe Mortarulo, a soccer coach in ScotchPlains, and sports editor Dave Corbinare friends. Chef Mortarulo invitedDave on their anniversary to see thatone now can dine casually – get aburger and a beer at Sweet Waters.Dining of choice was complimentaryof the house. Bob Cozzolina and Iwere invited to tag along.

We three amigos were warmly re-ceived and comfortably seated – apleasant start that continued through-out the evening. Our waitress, Ashley,and Chef Mortarulo introduced themenu. Scanning it, we saw a kaleido-scope of delights. And yes, if onelooks closely, you can spot the burgerand the beer. We were encouraged togo up the ladder with anything andall. So it was!

For a full description of their menu,visit their website atwww.SweetwatersSteakHouse.com.

We varied our choices to enablesharing. Everything was scrumptious,immaculately presented and prop-

erly served. Our choices were: Appe-tizers: Calamari salad served withbaby arugula in a citrus dressing;Maryland crab cakes, spiced, bakedand topped with grilled sweet corn,tomato, relish and creme fraiche andKumamoto oysters, decorated andbedded on ice. I never had oysterslike that, stupendous, from the north-west.

Entrees: Bob was treated to theSalmon, seared and oven finishedwith brown sugar and mustard glazeaccompanied by asparagus and scal-lion potatoes. Dave surrounded theirsignature steak and I partook of theFrench breast of chicken served withgreen apple and brioche stuffing andsweet potato puree.

Nothing served was left unaccom-panied. We had fine wines appropri-ate for the journey. There was MountVeeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2008;there was Main Street Chardonnay ofSanta Barbara County, California;there was a Sauvignon Blanc; withdesert: there was skinny espresso;there was cafe Mexican.

Of yes, for desert – creme bruleeand apple tart.

Thank you and congratulations toowners Frank Dilollo and JosephMortarulo of Sweet Waters on their10th Anniversary – here’s a salute formany more. They, and the entire staff,made our evening special with ourfront row seat.

With all that we were treated with,no time was left to sample the burger.That is our next visit.

To enjoy their top of the ladder, orto be casual with their burger, callthem at (908) 317-2599; or just stopin at 43 Elm Street.

Celebrate the Holidays withWF Symphony Orchestra

From traditional to pops, choral favorites to musical theater classics,this season of Westfield Symphony Orchestra concerts

will fill the entire family with holiday cheer

WESTFIELD - On Saturday, De-cember 3, at 7 p.m. join MaestroDavid Wroe and Westfield SymphonyOrchestra (WSO) musicians at ThePresbyterian Church in Westfield for“Home for the Holidays,” a familyfestival of traditional and contempo-rary songs and music, sing-a-longsand more guaranteed to make theseason merry.

This seasonal stroll of timeless clas-sics and sentimental holiday favor-ites, featuring special guests theWestfield High School Concert Choirand Bella Cora, is sure to bring joy,smiles, and holiday memories to sharewith the whole family. Tickets pricesrange from $25 to $75 for adults andthere is a special discount price of

only $12 for students K-12 makingthis event a perfect start to the holi-day season for the whole family.

On Saturday, December 31, at 7p.m., the fully professional WSOagain presents one of New Jersey ’smost popular New Year’s Eve musi-cal celebrations. This year’s perfor-mance, “That’s Entertainment!,”promises a superb revue of Americanmusical theater classics presented inglorious symphonic splendor.

The cabaret style New Year’s Evecelebration has become a musicalevent eagerly anticipated by much ofcentral New Jersey. This year’s lineup reads like a Who’s Who of the bestof American musical theater com-posers and again features renownedguest vocalists direct from the Broad-way stage.

The NYE concert will take place inthe newly refurbished Westfield HighSchool auditorium, 550 Dorian Roadin Westfield, and will finish at ap-proximately 9 p.m. Tickets in ad-vance are $40 for general admissionand $70 for preferred seating ($45and $75 at the door, if available.)

Tickets for both concerts are nowavailable on line atwww.wesfieldsymphony.org. Ticketsmay also be purchased by calling(908) 232-9400 or visiting the officeat 224 E. Broad Street, Westfield.Patrons are advised to purchase tick-ets on line – it’s simple, secure, youcan choose your own seats, print yourtickets, and avoid the additional $6office handling fee.

Maestro David Wroe and theWestfield Symphony Orchestra

Photo courtesy of Robert CozzolinaFRONT ROW SEAT...Dave Corbin, Sports Editor for The Westfield Leader andThe Times celebrates the 10th Anniversary of Sweet Waters Steak House withOwner Joe Mortarulo and server, Ashley.

Premiere Stages PresentsEllen Burstyn at Artists Series

UNION – Kean University contin-ues the Premiere Artists series with avisit by Academy Award-winningactress and best-selling author EllenBurstyn on Monday, December 5.Premiere Artists is a project of Pre-miere Stages, the professional Ac-tors’ Equity Association theatre inresidence at Kean University, pro-duced in partnership with the KeanDepartment of Theatre.

Premiere Artists features high-pro-file artists as they visit the Kean Uni-versity campus toconduct masterclasses with KeanUniversity studentsand engage in ques-tion and answer ses-sions with the cam-pus community andlocal patrons.

The evening be-gins at 5:15 p.m. andincludes: OpenMaster Class: KeanBFA Acting Stu-dents preparescenes that they willbe performing intheir upcomingJanuary Showcasein NYC. Ellen will critique and dis-cuss the scenes (5:15 pm to 6:15 pm);Question and Answer Session: Ellenwill discuss her career and take ques-tions from the students and patrons inthe audience. Producing Artistic Di-rector John Wooten will moderate(6:15 to 7); Reception (7 to 7:30).Ellen Burstyn’s illustrious acting ca-reer encompasses film, stage and tele-vision. She became a “triple crownwinner” when she won an Emmy forher guest appearance in “Law andOrder: SVU” (2009) to add to herOscar win for “Alice Doesn’t LiveHere Anymore” (1974) and her TonyAward for Same Time, Next Year(1974) on Broadway. Ellen has beennominated for an Academy Awardfive other times for “The Last PictureShow” (1972), “The Exorcist”(1973), “Same Time, Next Year,”(1979), “Resurrection” (1981), and“Requiem for a Dream” (2000). Ms.Burstyn’s many theater credits in-clude the Broadway productions of84 Charing Cross Road, Shirley Val-entine and Sacrilege. She receivedglowing reviews in Stephen AdleyGuirgis’ play The Little Flower ofEast Orange (2008), directed byPhilip Seymour Hoffman at The Pub-lic Theater in New York. Earlier thisyear, she appeared in London’s WestEnd in Lillian Hellman’s TheChildren’s Hour to rave reviews.

Ellen was the first woman electedpresident of Actors Equity Associa-tion (1982-85), and served as theArtistic Director of the famed ActorsStudio, where she studied with thelate Lee Strasberg. Academically,Ellen holds four honorary doctor-ates, including a doctorate from PaceUniversity where she teaches in TheActors Studio M.F.A. program. Ellenbecame a national best-selling au-thor with the publication in 2006 of

her memoir, “Lessons in BecomingMyself,” published by RiverheadPress.

Tickets for the event are free andwill be held in the University CenterLittle Theatre, located at Kean Uni-versity, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union,N.J. Space is limited. To reserve tick-ets, please call (908) 737-4092. Allfacilities are fully accessible spaces.Patrons should call for a list of sign-interpreted, audio-described or open-captioned performances. Large print

programs are avail-able at all times.Publications in alter-nate formats andother assistive ser-vices are availablewith advanced no-tice.

For further infor-mation call (908)737-4092, emailpremiere@kean.eduor visitw w w. k e a n . e d u /premierestages. Pre-miere Stages is madepossible in partthrough fundingfrom The New Jer-

sey State Council on the Arts, TheGeraldine R. Dodge Foundation, TheNorthfield Bank Foundation, TheNew Jersey Theatre Alliance, andthrough the generous support of indi-vidual patrons.

Arco Holiday Concert AtKean’s Enlow Hall

HILLSIDE - The Gene andShelley Enlow Recital Hall at KeanUniversity presents an Arco En-semble holiday performance onSaturday, December 10, at 7:30 p.m.Conductor Bruce Hangen conductsNew Jersey’s virtuoso string cham-ber orchestra, featuring belovedmusic of the season.

Mr. Hangen is Artistic Directorand Conductor of the Orchestra ofIndian Hill, the Greater Bostonarea’s premier professional orches-tra. He began his Indian Hill affili-ation in the fall 1997 season. He isalso Director of Orchestral Activi-ties at The Boston Conservatoryand Conductor of The Boston Con-servatory Orchestra.

Arco presents concerts that ap-peal to seasoned concert lovers aswell as to those who have yet toexperience the joy of hearing greatmusic performed live. Arco En-semble was founded by violinistVictoria Stewart. Her concert expe-rience includes solo, chamber mu-sic, symphonic, and opera perfor-mances across the globe. Whilemaintaining her position on theKean University Concert Artist fac-

ulty and her busy freelance sched-ule, Stewart has eagerly embracedthe challenge of managing the op-erations of Arco.

The Arco Ensemble consistentlythrills audiences with its dynamic,polished and exciting performancesled by world-renowned guest con-ductors. The 2011-12 season marksthe sixth season and its third yearpresenting concert’s in KeanUniversity’s Enlow Recital Hall.

All tickets to An Arco EnsembleHoliday are $25 and can be pur-chased by calling Kean Stage BoxOffice at (908) 737-SHOW (7469),online at enlowhall.kean.edu, or inperson at Kean University’s WilkinsTheater Box Office located at 1000Morris Avenue, Union.

Enlow Recital Hall is located onKean University’s East Campus at215 North Avenue, Hillside, N.J.07205. WQXR is a media sponsorof Gene and Shelley Enlow RecitalHall.

For complete Enlow Hall 2011-12 Season information, please visitthe website or contact Cory Ran-som, Director of Operations at (908)737-5932, ransomco@kean.edu.

Arco Ensemble

Triple Threat Presents It’s aWonderful Life Radio Play Live!

Ellen Burstyn

SCOTCH PLAINS – TripleThreat Productions will present It’sa Wonderful Life Radio Play Live!on Friday and Saturday, December9 and 10 at the First United Meth-odist Church in Scotch Plains.

“Every time a bell rings an An-gel gets its wings.” These are thewords little Zuzu says at the end ofthe classic movie “It’s a WonderfulLife.” This holiday season, TripleThreat Productions is gearing upfor their performance of the liveradio broadcast of this classic film.

Laurie Wood directs as the venuewill be transformed into an old1948 recording studio on Christ-mas Eve, where the audience willstep back in time and participate inthe broadcast. From the applausesigns to the live sound effects thiswill be a fun family event not to bemissed. The cast plays multipleparts by changing their voices,quite challenging for all. Actors ofall ages are represented from assmall as 10 years old to those thatare young at heart.

WONDERFUL…Triple Threat Productions will present It’s a Wonderful LifeRadio Play Live! on December 9 and 10 at the First United Methodist Church inScotch Plains. Pictured are Christopher Mazur and Tiffany Lucey who play leadsGeorge and Mary.

The famous roles of George andMary will be played by ChristopherMazur and Tiffany Lucey. Theyounger versions of those two iconiccharacters will be portrayed byBrenden Patternostro and ColleenSweeny. There are 17 actors playingover 50 roles.

If you are looking for that Christ-mas spirit, bring family and friendsto this production it will make youlaugh, cry and evoke the giving spiritin all of us. Triple Threat will also becollecting canned food goods forfood pantries so please be kind andthink of those less fortunate anddonate a can or two when you cometo the show.

It’s a Wonderful Life Radio PlayLive! will be presented on Friday,December 9, and Saturday, 10 at7:30 p.m. at the First United Meth-odist Church located at 1171 TerrillRoad in Scotch Plains. Tickets are$10 and can be held in advance bye m a i l i n gtriplethreatproductionsllc@yahoo.comor calling (908) 868-6121.

Children Try Their Luck ShootingPucks in ‘Thanksgiving Challenge’ROSELLE – Bring the family

and join in the excitement at theWarinanco Ice Skating Center onSaturday, November 26, at 3:15p.m. as the Union County Board ofChosen Freeholders presents the“Thanksgiving Score-O Chal-lenge.” No hockey or skating skillsare required.

Registration for the Thanksgiv-ing Score-O Challenge begins at3:15 p.m. on Saturday. There is a$2 registration fee per participant.Regular admission and skate rentalfees do not apply; this is not askating event.

There is no public skating duringthis event. The Score-O Challengewill begin at 3:30 p.m. Children ages4 through 17 years who are compet-ing in the challenge will be dividedinto four age groups. Prizes will beawarded.

The Warinanco Ice Skating Centeris located off Thompson Avenue inWarinanco Park, located near the bor-der of Roselle and Elizabeth.

For more information call the Skat-ing Center at (908) 298-7850 or theUnion County Department of Parksand Community Renewal at 908-527-4900, or visit www.ucnj.org.

NJ Restaurant Assoc.Hosts Gala Recognizing

RestaurateursWEST ORANGE – The New

Jersey Restaurant Association(NJRA) is hosting its Annual Galaby celebrating the State’s $13 billionrestaurant and hospitality industry.The event will take place onMonday, November 28, at thePleasantdale Chateau, 757 EagleRock Avenue, West Orange, NewJersey.

The 2011 Restaurateur of the Yearwill be awarded to Mark Pascal andFrancis Schott of CatherineLombardi and Stage Left in NewBrunswick. The Restaurateur of theYear is the highest award bestowedby the NJRA. The 2011 Gold PlateAward will be given to Chef Jamesand Nancy Laird of RestaurantSerenade in Chatham, as well asJeanne Cretella of Liberty House inJersey City and Stone House atStirling Ridge in Warren. The GoldPlate Award recognizes currentoutstanding service andachievement in the food serviceindustry.

The NJRA will award a 2011 StaffLegacy Award to Judy Richards,Vice President of Events and AlliedRelations at the New Jersey Res-taurant Association. Judy will beretiring in December 2011. She is aresident of Westfield, NJ and hasworked for the NJRA for over 16years.

Theatre Co. Presents AmahlAnd the Night Visitors

WESTFIELD – Hedgehog andFeather Theatre Company is proudto present Amahl and the Night Visi-tors, one of the most popular Ameri-can operas by Gian Carlo Menotti,on Friday and Saturday, December2 and 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the beautifulsanctuary of Holy Trinity RomanCatholic Church, on the corner ofFirst Street and Westfield Avenue inWestfield.

This production promises to beone of the highlights of the holidayseason. Amahl and the Night Visi-tors is a timeless story of the powerof faith and the meaning of love. Theone-act opera tells the story ofAmahl, a poor boy on a crutch, wholives with his mother in a villagesomewhere on the road toBethlehem.

When the Three Kings followingthe star in the east seek shelter forthe night, the lives of Amahl and hismother are changed forever.

Playing the lead role of Amahl istwelve-year old Matthew Ryan ofBerkeley Heights. The role of hismother will be performed byFanwood resident Terri Cerrito. Jo-seph Loria of East Hanover, ClaudioVenancio of Rahway and TomSchaefer of Westfield will portraythe Three Kings and Steven Collinsof Rahway will be the Page. Twenty-five chorus members made up ofchildren and adults from Westfield,Scotch Plains, Rahway and Easton,Pa. will round out the production.

Commissioned by NBC in 1951,and first performed at Studio 8H at

Rockefeller Center, Menotti’s Amahland the Night Visitors has become anannual holiday tradition enjoyed bychildren and families around the world.Co-Artistic Directors Sara Hedgepethand Julie Fetter are “truly excited topresent Amahl and the Night Visitorsfor the holiday season of 2011. It’s abig year! 2011 marks the 60th Anni-versary of the original 1951 broadcastand the 100th year of composer GianCarlo Menotti’s birth.”

The doors will open at 7 p.m. forgeneral seating. A suggested donationwill be taken at the door (receipts fortax purposes will be provided uponrequest). There are no reservations forthis production. For further informa-tion please emailhedgehogandfeather@yahoo.com orcall (908) 578-0756.

Hedgehog and Feather Theatre Com-pany, founded in 2006 and based inWestfield, is a 501(c)3 non-for-profitorganization. The mission of the com-pany is to educate and enlighten thefamilies of Westfield, New Jersey,and surrounding communitiesthrough exposure to and active par-ticipation in the world of theatre arts;to provide a safe, nurturing, and sup-portive environment in which all chil-dren, regardless of theatrical, musi-cal, or learning abilities, can exploreand develop their interest in theatre;and to educate and enlighten parentsand other community members, aswell as schools and other communityorganizations, about the multiple ben-efits of children’s active participationin the arts.

Monk’s Painting and Carpentry973-635-7900

MonksCarpentry.com

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CranforCranforCranforCranforCranford Cougar High School Sportsd Cougar High School Sportsd Cougar High School Sportsd Cougar High School Sportsd Cougar High School Sports

By DAVID B. CORBINSpecially Written for The Westfield

Leader and The Times

Prevent running back sensa-tion Greg Jones from tearing upthe turf as he had done all seasonwas the Cranford High Schoolfootball team’s primary focus inpractices leading up to the third-seeded Cougars’ showdown withsecond-seeded Colonia in thesemifinal round of the North Jer-sey, Section 2, Group 3 tourna-ment in Colonia on November19.

The 9-1 Cougars’ veteran de-fense did its homework in glori-ous fashion, while the offenseinflicted punishment on the Pa-triots’ defense en route to a 34-7 victory to place them in un-charted territory of having beenthe first Cranford High Schoolfootball team to play for the sec-tional championship.

The Cougars’ defense limitedJones, who had 450 yards rush-ing in a 33-21 victory over previ-ously unbeaten Wall Townshipon November 5, to just 28 yardsrushing in the first half and 30 inthe second half before bringingin the reserves for the final twoplays of the game where Joneswould add another 60 yards, in-cluding a 42-yard touchdown

(TD) run with 30 seconds re-maining.

“I knew we had a good defense.We looked at the Summit game

as a lesson that it was going to bean aberration. We believe thatwe can play good defense againstanybody. He’s [Jones] a great

player, but we have great play-ers too. Some people came up tome and said, ‘you got to figure he

is going to get a couple,’ and Itold the team he gets nothing.We weren’t going to be OK withhim getting anything. That was

our mindset from the beginning.[Defensive coordinator Joe]Hubert and our defensive staffdid a great job. I just get to hangout and coach offense,” CougarHead Coach Erik Rosenmeier

said.In the meantime, it was Cougar

junior quarterback Reggie Green,who tore up the grass field, with192 rushing yards on 20 carries,including respective TD runs of60 yards and 54 yards. Greenalso completed two of three passattempts for 50 yards, both towide receiver Ryan Williamson.

Running back Chris Witwickcarries seven times for 67 yards,including a 26-yard TD sweeparound the right side, and run-ning back J.P. Christiano added aone-yard TD plunge. Senior EricGarguilo added a two-point con-version.

“As good as everybody saidthat Jones was, I looked on thedefensive side of the ball andthey [Colonia] had three shut-outs. I put the pressure on theoffense that it’s up to us to movethe ball. We responded. We gotthe big play early, and I thinkthat it calmed down the nerves,and we were able to execute,”Coach Rosenmeier said.

Sophomore Troy Kettler kickedrespective field goals of 32 yardsand 20 yards to go with a pair ofPAT’s (points after touchdown).

“For a sophomore, that’s a lotof pressure to be under. Troymade those field goals. Ratherthan getting nothing, it was agood job by him,” CoachRosenmeier said.

“He showed that he can knockdown field goals when he has to,”Green said.

The Cougars’ offense sent amessage early, taking only twoplays to hit pay dirt on the open-ing drive when Green found anopening in the middle at the lineof scrimmage then hooked down

GREEN RUNS FOR 2 TDs, J.P. CHRISTIANO TD, WITWICK TD, KETTLER TWO FIELD GOALS

Cougars Halt Patriots, 34-7, in Grid Section Semifinals

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Probitas Verus HonosDavid B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The Times

RECOVERING A FUMBLE…Cougars JP Christiano, No. 36, and Mike Klimek, No. 57, indicate that Cranfordrecovered a Patriot fumble in the sectional semifinal game in Colonia on November 19.

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By CHRISTINA M. HINKESpecially Written for The Westfield LeaderCRANFORD – The U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers said a studystarted nine years on the leveesalong the Rahway River is only 30percent complete and is $4 mil-lion under funded. Towns alongthe river have dealt with severeflooding in recent years includingHurricane Irene this past Augustas the river has overflowed itsbanks numerous times.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engi-neers began its feasibility study ofthe Rahway River Watershed in2002. Ms. McDonald said they ex-pect to complete the feasibilitystudy in 2015, and followingcompletion the Corps would movefor authorization and appropria-tion from the federal government.

The Corps needs $4 million tocomplete the study and did notreceive any appropriations thisyear, Project Manager Rifat Salimsaid. “After nine years…we did notreceive the funding we antici-pated,” Ms. Salim said.

U.S. Army Corps of EngineersGeotechnical Team Leader StanSedwick said the Corps has stud-ied 10 areas along the levee sys-tem in the Rahway River inCranford. “There is potential forseepage below the levees,” hesaid, noting the said the areaswere monitored before HurricaneIrene hit in August.

The levee is designed for twopurposes – to control seepageand stability of side slopes, hesaid. “The side slopes are gener-ally stable,” Mr. Sedwick said.

“In this case, because of leveereliability analysis, there is a prob-ability of failure,” added JodiMcDonald, chief of flood risk man-agement for the U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers.

“There weren’t any signs of ero-sion that we saw,” Mr. Sedwicksaid.

Considering the uncertainty ofthe outcome of the study and thelong timeframe the U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers put forth to thetownship committee, Mayor DanAschenbach told The Westfield

Leader that the township commit-tee would pursue “armoring andstrengthening” the levees them-selves by reaching out to the Fed-eral Emergency ManagementAgency (FEMA) for funding.

The Army Corps has also beenstudying the Lenape Park Basinand how it may be an area toimprove to help mitigate flooding.U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hy-draulic Engineer Andre Chauncey,Jr. said he has no concrete an-swers, but communicated an ar-ray of possibilities he is studying,including raising the elevation ofthe levee overbanks by approxi-mately six feet to alleviate flood-ing during a 25-year storm.

Mayor Aschenbach told The

Leader, “If the community can’twait for the Army Corps,” than thecommittee would seek fundingfrom state, county and the town-ship to move forward on deepen-ing the basin and elevating thelevees there. He said that wouldprotect the township from a 25-year storm.

The Army Corps’ study of theRahway River has been modelingfor solutions to mitigate a 100-year storm, which Hurricane Floydin 1999 was categorized. Irenewas categorized as a 500-yearstorm.

Township Committeeman DaveRobinson commented, “If you arelooking to stop a Floyd, it’s notgood enough. Say this (Irene) isthe new standard, this is what weneed to model.”

Homes that are outside of theflood zone — which encompass100-year storms — in Cranford,and even those outside a 500-year flood zone, were flooded as aresult of Irene.

Sima Murphy of Locust Avenue onthe northside of Cranford said shelives outside the flood zone but wasimpacted by Irene. She asked if theArmy Corps would be taking intoaccount those homes. Project Man-

By CHRISTINA M. HINKESpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

GARWOOD – The borough councilvoted 4-1 Tuesday night on a motion tointroduce a ordinance to freeze longevitybenefits. Councilman Victor DeFilippo wasthe dissenting vote and Council PresidentTimothy Hak was not in attendance. Thecouncil will vote to adopt the ordinancewith a public hearing on Tuesday, Decem-ber 13.

Non-union borough employees have theopportunity to receive longevity benefitsafter the borough has employed them for acertain amount of time. The ordinance wouldfreeze payments at the level they are at nowand not rise. The benefit would not beavailable to new hires or those employees inline to receive longevity benefits.

During the workshop session, the coun-cil discussed at length how the ordinancewas left with the council on July 12. In July,the council was to make a motion on theordinance to amend longevity benefits.

Borough Attorney Joseph Triarsi andBorough Clerk Christina Ariemma arguedover the minutes of the July meeting. Ms.Ariemma said at that meeting an ordinanceto repeal all longevity benefits was adoptedand then tabled, and at the time CouncilmanKeith Sluka questioned the legalities ofthat, asking Mr. Triarsi if it should be tabledbefore being adopted.

Mr. Triarsi said Tuesday he did notapprove tabling the ordinance after beingadopted as it is not the correct legal proce-dure, and the minutes were wrong in sayinghe did allow it to be tabled after adoption.Mr. Triarsi called Ms. Ariemma’s wordingin the minutes “convoluted.”

Ms. Ariemma held firm that her minutes

were stated accurately, and stated that thetaped recording of the meeting would provethat.

The Westfield Leader on Wednesdayreviewed the taped recording of the July 12meeting. The transcription is as follows:

“Mayor (Patricia Quattrocchi): May Ihave a motion to adopt ordinance 11-12.

“Mr. Sluka: I would like to make amotion to table ordinance 11-12.

“Mr. Triarsi: Councilman, we need tointroduce and second it. Then a motion totable is in order. We need a motion to adoptand second and then a motion to table is inorder.

“Mr. (James) Matthieu: Wasn’t it intro-duced previously?

“Mr. Triarsi: No. We need a motion toadopt it and second the adoption and then amotion to table is in order. So we have to gothrough that formality.

“Mayor Quattrocchi: May I have a mo-tion to adopt 11-12.

“Mr. Sluka: Isn’t a motion to adopt thenbecome the privileged motion and then youhave to vote on it?

“Mr. Triarsi: No. The motion to adopthas to yield to the motion to table. Themotion to table is the privileged motion.You have three options here. You can moveto adopt and adopt it. You can move toadopt, second it and table it. Or you can takeno action, and if you take no action at all itsimply expires and it fails for adoption.Those are your three options at this point intime. I need to have something before thebody to move to table.”

Then the governing body voted, 4-0, toadopt the ordinance, and then a motion byCouncilwoman Sara Todisco was made totable the ordinance.

After the meeting, Ms. Ariemma told

The Leader, “I was completely disre-spected.” She called the council’s and bor-ough attorney’s actions Tuesday “appall-ing.”

“If they felt it was a problem, theyshouldn’t have said anything like that, andjust said we need to listen to the tape,” Ms.Ariemma told The Leader.

Ms. Ariemma said after the governingbody and attorney listen to the minutes, andsee that the minutes were correct in report-ing what happened at the meeting, then, “Iwant a public apology from the attorney andthe governing body.”

Earlier, during the public comment por-tion of the meeting, Joe Wilds of Flemington,who grew up in the borough and worked for26 years as a police officer in the boroughand currently commutes to the borough forhis job as a full-time dispatcher, spokeabout his position against amending thelongevity benefits ordinance. He called theaction to freeze benefits, the “eventual de-mise of the borough.”

“You took away raises and now youwant to take away perks such as longevity,”he said.

“Is it worth destroying the hearts of ouremployees?” he asked.

Currently, the payment of longevitybenefits, he said, is about $14,680 andwould mean taxpayers paying about $7 onaverage. The total amount the council andmayor receive in salary and benefits, hesaid, totals about $31,900. CouncilmanLouis Petruzzelli has grandfathered ben-efits of about $20,400 a year. “Give backall of you benefits,” he said to the counciland mayor.

“I have worked here for 13 years aswell. I agree with what Joe said,” KathleenZabinski said.

ager Alek Petersen said the ArmyCorps looked at all structures withinthe 500-year flood plain.

“I had four feet of water runningpast my home and I am outsidethe 500-year flood plain,” saidCatherine Alexander of Crane Park-way, located on the Southeastquadrant of Cranford. She saidmunicipalities, up and downstreamincluding Cranford, are not adher-

ing to their stormwater manage-ment regulations with redevelop-ment and new development.

“We [Cranford] are allowing formore and more 100-percent im-pervious surface,” she said. Themayor dissented her statement.

The township committee has saidthey want to build a retentionbasin on Birchwood Avenue wherea 360-unit building is proposed.

The township committee has saidthey will continue to fight abuilder’s remedy lawsuit and asubsequent ruling in the courts tostop the development.

However, Mr. Chauncey said theproposed basin on Birchwood Av-enue would not alleviate floodwa-ters backing up from the RahwayRiver, but, “It will help localized(flooding),” he said.

GW Council Votes to Freeze Worker Benefits

Army Corps Updates Towns on Rahway River Flooding