southjerseyhappenings

Letter-writing campaign

This Easter Camden Youth hunt for tougher Drug Laws not chocolate Bunnies

 

St. Joseph’s/Camden Churches Organized for People (CCOP) Community Youth and Adult Letter Writing Campaign

 

 

“Do you know how it feels to be a kid and to think that drugs are more important to your dad then you are…I do” This is just one of the shocking sentiments shared in more than 234 letters that have been sent to Assemblyman Angel Fuentes, State Sen. Donald Norcross, and Gov. Chris Christie, as part of a letter writing campaign to encourage New Jersey lawmakers to make the needed revisions to the Drug Offense Restraining Order Act of 1999.

 

Following a community meeting with Assemblymen Fuentes and Wilson and Norcross, St. Joseph’s/CCOP learned recently that the proposed bill A2416 needed to be revised and reworked.  The rationale behind the revisions is to ensure that the new legislation does not just sound good on paper but actually enables New Jersey police departments to use the Drug Offense Restraining Order, DORO.

 

Fearing that this legislative hurdle will slow down the process St. Joseph’s/CCOP leaders decided to keep the pressure on by sharing the deeply personal and upsetting stories from youth and adults from their church community. 

 

“This has confirmed not only how resilient Camden teenagers are, but how much we owe it to them to fight to give them more than a ride home from a church event,” commented Kristin Prinn, CCOP leader and youth director at St. Joseph’s Pro-Cathedral.

  

Reading these letters you can see the full picture of the drug epidemic.  From the elementary age child in East Camden who writes, “I’m tired of hearing of the people getting killed,” to the suburban family out side of Camden who write “For 15 years we lived a life of hell, giving us an inside look of the damnable world of drug addiction.”

 

“The power is in the hands of our lawmakers to rewrite the bill and pass it so Camden and all N.J. police departments can actually do something with it,” explained Teresa Reyes, CCOP leader from East Camden.  “We don’t just want a bill that looks good on paper; we want a bill that gives our police department the power to keep drug offenders out of our neighborhoods.”

 

St. Joseph’s/CCOP leaders plan to run the letter writing campaign until there is a bill that accomplishes the task at hand, that is making DORO work on the streets not just on paper.  They have already sent 234 letters.

 

Participation is important

  

It’s Important to Participate in the Census

Dear Neighbor,

By now,  you should have received your 2010 U.S. Census questionnaire.  Participating in the census is not only the law, it is also vital to many of the services we take advantage of every day.  

The federal government uses the information you provide to determine how $400 billion in funding for schools, hospitals, senior citizens centers, job training programs and public works projects gets divided.  Your responses to the 10 simple questions on the census form will go a long way toward determining what resources our area will receive in the future.  Countless decisions are made based upon census data such as population, ethnic background and age.

The new census questionnaire is shorter and simpler to fill out than those distributed in previous census surveys.  The packet mailed to your home also contains a postage paid return envelope, so there is no reason not to participate.

Since the U.S. Census only takes place every ten years, it will be another decade before we will be given the next opportunity to be accurately represented.

I encourage each of you to take the time to fill out the survey in order for us to convey a true portrayal of Camden County and its residents.  A link to information on the 2010 Census can be found at www.camdencounty.com.

Louis Cappelli Jr.

Freeholder Director

By the light of the silvery moon....

Annual Pine Barons Chorus show is set

The Cherry Hill Pine Barons Chorus will present its annual show at 2:30 p.m., April 18 at Camden Catholic High School on Cuthbert Boulevard. Join the Pine Barons pay tribute to the sights and sounds of old time radio.

In an enjoyable re-creation of a vintage music and variety broadcast the Pine Barons will bring lots of singing, laughter, and nostalgia from a time long past.

Guest choruses will include Jersey Sound, under the direction of Stephanie Bricston, and the host of the event, Camden Catholic High School's own Select Choir under the direction of Suzanne Zerone. To sweeten the mix, four great quartets will appear: 3 Good Men, Special Occasion, Sunshine Boys, and Mirage.

Tickets can be purchased at the door, from any Pine Baron member, from John at 856-866-2474, or online at www.thepinebarons.com.

 

Three-month project

Historical society receives grant for interpretive plan

CAMDEN — The Camden County Historical Society has received $35,000 from the New Jersey Cultural Trust to develop a comprehensive interpretive plan.

Continued: http://cchsnj.com/cchs_announce97.shtml

Keep your money inside...not outside

 

Stop home energy dollars from leaking out your walls

(ARA) - As home heating and cooling costs soar, your energy dollars literally might be going out the window - and the walls. Small and not-so-small air leaks through covered walls, floors, ceilings and normal openings such as windows and doors can add up to big losses. While retrofitting older homes with weather stripping, insulation and caulk helps seal air leaks, for new homes and additions, building tight walls can prevent air from escaping.

When building a new home, buyers are often aware of common heating and cooling problem areas, such as windows and doors. Many will ask their builder about double- or triple-pane windows, insulated doors and the quality of insulation, without considering the impact of wall construction on home energy efficiency.

"Energy efficient construction should address air, moisture and thermal movement through walls, as well as floors, ceiling and roof," says Rob Brooks, green buildings program director for iLevel by Weyerhaeuser. "The quality of framing materials along with the use of spray sealants or housewrap has a large impact on how much air leaks into a house through the exterior envelope, which shields the house from weather. Plus, the spacing and depth of studs and other framing members directly influences the volume of insulation and how effectively it does its job. It's important to get insulation into all the nooks and crannies such as corners, around windows, soffits and over the outside wall up in the attic space. These issues need to be addressed during construction. It's very difficult and costly to try to fix them after a home is built."

Building codes increasingly call for tight construction, yet many modern homes are built with decades-old framing practices that can leave substantial gaps where air can leak into or out of the house. For example, wall studs and floor joists placed at unmatched intervals, single studs at corners, and window openings with multiple, rather than single-piece members, can leave voids that are difficult to reach with insulation. As with gaps under improperly sealed doors, these un-insulated openings provide a path for air to leak from the home. Furnaces and air conditioners must make up the difference to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature.

"The good news is that advanced framing techniques for a tight home are simple and cost effective," says Brooks. "It's a matter of educating builders on the latest framing methods and design software that makes the best use of pre-planning. Tools like iLevel Javelin design software at their lumber dealer can show them how to best place all of the framing members for a more continuous fit with the insulation." (For more information on structural framing solutions, visit www.ilevel.com or call (888) 453-8358 to speak with an iLevel by Weyerhaeuser expert.)

Advanced framing techniques can increase the overall insulating properties of a completed wall by up to 58 percent and allow for 86 percent greater insulation volume when comparing a 2-by-4 to a 2-by-6 wall with the same type of insulation. At the same time, less wood is needed because the larger 2-by-6 studs are spaced farther apart. The result is walls that block heat and cold better, use fewer materials and are stronger than those built using conventional practices.

"More buyers are interested in green or energy efficient homes," adds Brooks. "Framing methods that aid energy efficiency not only are environmentally responsible, they can also help homeowners save money."

Courtesy of ARAcontent

 

Not now

 

Police merger put on hold

By Todd McHale and David Levinsky

Burlington County Times

 

The idea that Riverton, Palmyra and Cinnaminson would one day merge their police departments into a single regional force seemed simple in theory.

The three departments already frequently assist one another with investigations and emergencies, and conventional wisdom held that combining them would eliminate redundancies and save taxpayers money.

Continued: http://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/

Helping the less fortunate

 

Bus driver's gifts warm displaced city residents

By Deborah Hirsch • Courier-Post Staff • December 26, 2009

CAMDEN — Gloria Smith's cheery voice boomed through an unusually quiet crowd lined up outside the Walter Rand Transportation Center Friday morning.

"How are you doing? Great?" the Mount Laurel bus driver called out as she wove through the throng.

Continued: http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20091226/NEWS01/912260326/Bus-driver-s-gifts-warm-displaced-city-residents

To help the elderly

 

By Audrey Harvin

Burlington County Times

Silver Alert system becomes law in New Jersey

New Jersey has become the 11th state to create an emergency system for locating elderly residents gone missing.

Continue: http://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/

Awards are given

 

Red Cross honors 5 for life-saving efforts

CHERRY HILL — The American Red Cross has honored five South Jersey residents for life-saving efforts in three separate incidents.

Camden Police Detective Jose Torres and Haddonfield college student Michael Steinberger each were cited for separate life-saving efforts at an awards dinner in Cherry Hill last week, according to the organization's Camden County chapter.

Continue: http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20091207/NEWS01/912070326/-1/go4Ajax/Red-Cross-honors-5-for-life-saving-efforts

Community Activities — Collingswood parade

 

Photos of the annual Christmas parade

 

 

 

The Hegeman String Band makes its way down Haddon Avenue on Saturday, Nov. 28.
 

 The Peter A. Broomall String Band also strutted its stuff down the avenue. 

 

 Old car lovers weren't left out during the parade as these vintage Chrysler and Ford vehicles will attest.  

 

Matthey Automotive marchers led the way in front of a Matthey's box truck during the parade.

 

 Collingswood High School Marching Panthers were out in full force on Saturday.

 

It wasn't just local talent who participated. The marching band from Hog Island, N.Y. also paid a visit.

 

 Santa came at the end of the parade atop a Collingswood firetruck.  

 

    (Photos by Jennie Persicano)