HOW WE LIVE

Daily Rundown, Wednesday, Dec. 13

Brad Wadlow
Courier News and Home News Tribune
Back row: Ryck Suydam, President, NJ Farm Bureau and a member of the Somerset County Board of Agriculture; Peter Palmer, Freeholder Director; Nick Polanin, RCE Ag Agent; Jack Otterbein, Vice President, NJ Nursery and Landscape Association, and a member of the Somerset County Board of Agriculture; front row: Daryl Minch, RCE FCHS Agent; Lisa Rothenburger, RCE 4-H Agent; Camille Haberle, RMG Volunteer and Member, FCHS of Somerset County Advisory Council.

Town meeting on EPA budget cuts

A town hall meeting on the on the proposed federal budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency will be held 6:30 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Lambertville Library, 6 Lilly St. Speakers at the meeting will include Jeff Tittel, executive director of the N.J.Sierra Club and Junior Romero, of Food & Water Watch, NJ 7 Citizens For Change and Indivisible Lambertville/New Hope.

Gingerbread House Festival set

The Wardlaw+Hartridge School in Edison is hosting the first Wardlaw+Hartridge Gingerbread House Festival on Friday, Dec. 15, from 6:45 to 9 p.m. in the All-Purpose Room. Decorate your gingerbread house and take it home to display your artistic ability or to enjoy your culinary artistry as a dessert. The school provides the gingerbread house, candy, frosting and all the fun. Enjoy hot chocolate, hot apple cider, cookies and snacks while you customize your gingerbread house. The event is open to the community. Call Dana Matthews at 908-754-1882, ext. 110, if you have any questions. Registration cost is $25 per family. Make check out to Wardlaw+Hartridge and pay at event. To register, visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WHGingerbreadFestival.

READ:Catch up with The Daily Rundown for Dec. 12

RCE of Somerset County turns 100

On Oct. 10, Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) of Somerset County was presented with a proclamation from the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders in recognition of the centennial anniversary of the opening of the Somerset County RCE Office. For the past 100 years, RCE of Somerset County has helped, both youth and adults, improve their knowledge and skills, and resolve problems in the areas of food, nutrition, health and wellness; food safety; agriculture; environmental and natural resource management; and youth development though its Family & Community Health Sciences, 4-H Youth Development, and Agricultural and Natural Resource programs. RCE of Somerset County first opened its office with an Agricultural Agent, Harry C. Haines, on Sept. 10, 1917. The first County Club Agent, Noyes S. Purrinton, started on Jan. 1, 1919. These boys and girls clubs taught farming practices, cooking and food preservation. The first Home Demonstration Agent, Charlotte Embleton, joined the team on Jan. 15, 1924. Embleton served for 30 years teaching food preservation, healthy eating, clothing construction, efficient kitchen design and parenting. 

Volunteers (from left) Jenus Anbu, Joann Muscianesi and Mahak Gill received a certificate from the president of the United States and a Volunteer Service award pin.

South Brunswick recognizes volunteers

The South Brunswick Senior Center held its annual Volunteer Recognition Ceremony on Dec. 1. The center had 145 volunteers serving in 25 types of jobs this year. Business Bistro served a catered dinner and Christine Wildemuth, center director, presented each volunteer with a certificate and small gift. Jenus Anbu received the adult bronze award for serving between 250 and 499 hours. Joann Muscianesi was the first volunteer at the center to receive the adult gold award for serving more than 500 hours. She served 693 hours. And a South Brunswick high school volunteer, Mahak Gill, received the youth bronze award for serving 100 to 174 hours.

New Brunswick adds electric vehicle

The New Brunswick Parking Authority has added an electric vehicle to its fleet of cars and trucks. The 2017 Nissan Leaf will be used by Parking Services supervisors assisting patrons and supporting Parking Services attendants at NBPA facilities throughout the city. The NBPA has been a provider of charging stations for their patrons at various garages for over four years. Recently, through another PSE&G grant, the NBPA acquired 10 charging stations — five at the Gateway garage and five at the Wellness garage.

Franklin Woman's Club sets Dec. 19 event

Due to a scheduling conflict, the Franklin Woman’s Club has rescheduled its December meeting featuring the St. Matthias Handbell Choir, to Tuesday, Dec. 19. The 10–member adult choir, formed in 2009 and under the direction of Dr. Sandra Hayes – Licitra, will perform holiday favorites, beginning at 7 p.m .in the Franklin High School located at 500 Elizabeth Ave., Somerset. Women, age 18 and above who are interested in learning about the Woman’s Club and attending this performance, should contact membership chairperson, Kecia Baptist at FWCmembershipinfo@gmail.com for a guest invitation and further details about the meeting. In a handbell ensemble, each member is assigned a specific musical note or notes with one bell for each of those tones.  The performer rings the appropriate bell when his/her assigned note appears in the music. Watching the performance and the coordination of several bell ringers, is as enjoyable as listening to the melodious and highly resonant sounds. The Franklin Woman’s Club, part of the General and New Jersey State Federations of Women's Clubs, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan and nonsectarian service organization committed to improving the community through volunteerism. The club has been serving the community since 1922. In addition to community initiatives, the Franklin Woman’s Club also features frequent social and educational events for enrichment. Meetings are held at Franklin High School on the second Tuesday of the month (7 p.m.) between September and May with special meetings held at alternate locations. Visit www.franklinwomansclub.com or email franklinwomansclub@gmail.com. Or visit  http://www.facebook.com/franklinwomansclub.

Woodbridge police charge 2 with shoplifting 

Two men, one from Toms River and the other from Staten Island, are facing shoplifting charges in connection with allegedly stealing from the Route 9 Walmart store in Woodbridge. According to police, John Gaugh, 58, of Staten Island, New York, allegedly tried to shoplift a Vizio smart television from the store Dec. 9 by pretending the television in the ripped box was being returned. On Dec. 10 Manuel Q. Rivera of Toms River was allegedly seen on closed circuit television placing assorted electronic merchandise worth nearly $2,000, in a bin and then walking past cash registers as he attempted to leave through the garden section of the store. Police noted Rivera did not have any cash or credit cards on him following his arrest. 

‘BOBO Fridays’ Food Drive is Dec. 15

The next “Buy One, Bring One” collection of food for Somerset County families and individuals in need will be conducted Friday, Dec. 15. “You can help make the holidays a little brighter for a needy family by donating to BOBO Fridays this month,” said Freeholder Patricia Walsh. The program has collected more than 37 tons of donations in the past seven years. Blue BOBO Fridays bins can be found at these county sites: Somerset County Administration Building, 20 Grove St., Somerville; Park Commission Headquarters, 355 Milltown Road, Bridgewater; and Lord Stirling Stable, 256 S. Maple Ave., Basking Ridge. Local libraries hosting the bins include the Bound Brook Memorial Library, Bridgewater Library, Manville Library, Mary Jacobs Memorial Library (Rocky Hill), North Plainfield Library, Peapack-Gladstone Library, Somerville Public Library, Warren Township Library and Watchung Library. Towns that have BOBO Fridays bins in their municipal buildings are Bedminster, Bound Brook, Franklin, Green Brook, North Plainfield and Raritan. Canned or boxed food items are accepted. The bins are available every day during regular business hours, so even if you miss the third Friday, you can drop off donations at any time.

Community Options celebrates 500th

Community Options, a nonprofit organization that provides residential and employment services to people with developmental disabilities, announced the opening of its 500th home. Community Options had humble beginnings in Bordentown.  In 1991, in order to make the first two payroll payments, President and CEO Robert Stack mortgaged his home. Today, the organization operates with a budget in excess of $170 million with homes and entrepreneurial businesses nationwide while serving over 2,500 individuals and their families. One of the businesses operated in New Jersey is Vaseful, a full-service florist in Edison that employs 12 people with autism and other developmental disabilities. Visit www.comop.org.

New Jersey Career Connections Executive Director Robert Grimmie with partners at the Displaced Homemakers Network of New Jersey.

NJ Department of Labor milestone 

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) hosted a celebration at Middlesex County College to mark the addition of more than 250 New Jersey Career Connections partners since the comprehensive career service initiative launched in 2015, and the unveiling of a new, highly interactive web resource for network members. Members also toured the new Career Connections Partners website careerpartners.nj.gov.

Strengthening Elkdom through community awareness In December

Local Elks Lodges from every state, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Panama Canal Zone will be busy helping our communities this holiday season, according to a news release from the national organization headquarters. Thousands of needy families will receive food baskets and presents. Elk volunteers also will visit thousands of hospitalized veterans as they work to support active military forces and retired veterans. Elks furnish food, comfort care items, therapeutic items and gifts, host holiday celebrations and recreational activities at bases and hospitals, and stand ready to fulfill any need when called upon. Last year alone, the value of Elks’ contributions to the nation’s heroes provided more than $40.8 million to more than 300 Veterans Administration Medical Centers, clinics, and state care facilities, according to a news release. As part of this effort, the Elks have entered into a partnership with VHA to support efforts homeless Veterans in their communities, pledging $4 million dollars to help end veteran homelessness. The Elks also will receive thousands of scholarship applications in December from high school seniors across the nation. Annually, the Elks award college scholarships across the nation totaling more than $4 million, while the Elks Community Investment Program will award nearly $12 million towards enriching local communities. There are more than 1,900 Elks Lodges across the country with a total membership nearing 800,000. Elks’ members must be American citizens who are at least 21 years of age and must believe in God. To learn more visit www.elks.org.

New baseball program forming in Toms River

Toms River Sports Academy (TRSA) has joined forces with A1 Prospects, and Yorke Baseball to run the newly formed Jersey Shore Wave (JSW) baseball program. According to a news release, the intent of the JSW is to provide a unique baseball program, focusing on building an organization in which players can grow from as young as 8u to 18u to prepare for college baseball. A1 Prospects focuses on the development of young athletes to increase strength, agility, and conditioning for them to succeed in competitive sports. Yorke Baseball, headed by college and MLB level coach David Yorke, focuses on the education and development of the young athlete who is looking to play at the college level by offering college recruitment services. Toms River Sports Academy has won six of eight baseball championships in as many years. Jersey Wave teams are forming now and tryouts for the 2018 teams are: Saturday, Dec. 16, ages 7 and 8U, 4 to 6 p.m., and ages 9 and 10U, 6 to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 17, ages 11 to 12, 2 to 4 p.m., and ages 13 to 14, 4 to 6 p.m. Toms River Sports Academy is at 1825 Hooper Ave. Call 732-279-3141 or visit www.Facebook.com/TRSportsacademy.

Vineyards get help from Assembly

A network of attention-grabbing roadside signs enticing tourists with alluring New Jersey wine trails is established by legislation sponsored by Assemblymen Parker Space and Ron Dancer and approved by the General Assembly. The measure (A3047) promotes the rapidly expanding industry as a tourist destination, creating a Viticulture Trail Sign Program. American Viticultural Areas are federally designated wine grape growing regions. There are 238 AVA’s in the U.S., including three in New Jersey: The Outer Coastal Plain, Warren Hills and Central Delaware Valley. An application for a Cape May County AVA is pending. The bill establishes an art competition for the wine trail signs. The signage program will be created with the cooperation of the transportation and agriculture departments.

Saama Technologies Inc., a leading clinical analytics company, recently opened its New Jersey office at 750 Route 202, Suite 120, Bridgewater. Special guests included Mayor Daniel J. Hayes Jr. (right) with CEO Suresh Katta cutting the ribbon.

Somerset County-operated senior centers Closed Dec. 14

The following senior centers operated by the Somerset County Office on Aging and Disability Services will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 14, for staff in-service meetings: Hillsborough, Montgomery, Quail Brook, Warrenbrook and the Senior Wellness Centers in Bernards and Bridgewater. There will be no Meals on Wheels deliveries on Dec. 14. Clients are asked to use non-perishable meals that will be distributed on Wednesday, Dec. 13. The Office on Aging and Disability Services, located at 27 Warren St. in Somerville, also will be closed to walk-ins from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 14. Clients and caregivers needing information or assistance may call 908-704-6346 or toll free 1-888-747-1122 and leave a message. All phone calls will be returned on Friday, Dec. 15. Contact the Somerset County Office on Aging and Disability Services at 908-704-6346 or toll-free at 1-888-747-1122. 

Program registration deadline nears for dairy producers

Dairy producers in New Jersey who wish to sign up for the 2018 Milk Margin Protection Program (MPP) must do so before the December 15 deadline. The sign-up for the program in the past had been automatic for those who were registered in previous years, but all milk producers wishing to participate in the program must register this year, according to a news release. If farmers want to participate at the $4 catastrophic level, they must re-enroll and pay the $100 administrative fee by the Dec. 15 deadline. To register for the MPP go to https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/farm-bill/farm-safety-net/dairy-programs/mpp-decision-tool/index. The Margin Protection Program for Dairy Producers replaces the Milk Income Loss Contract program (MILC) and is effective through Dec. 31, 2018. The Margin Protection Program offers dairy producers: catastrophic coverage, at no cost to the producer, other than the annual $100 administrative fee; and various levels of buy-up coverage. The national dairy production margin is the difference between the all-milk price and average feed costs. Producers may purchase buy-up coverage that provides payments when margins are between $4 and $8 per cwt. To participate in buy-up coverage, a producer must pay a premium that varies with the level of protection the producer elects.

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