Town Topics — Princeton's Weekly Community Newspaper Since 1946.
Vol. LXIV, No. 4
 
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
(Photo by Emily Reeves)
DOG HEAVEN: Canines play King of the Mountain on a sunny Saturday at Rocky Top Dog Park on Route 27 between Kingston and Little Rocky Hill.

Front Page

Mercer Street Will Close for Six Months

Dilshanie Perera

Mercer Street is scheduled to close on or around February 1 for six months. The expanse of roadway between Lovers Lane and Nassau Street will be barred to through traffic for the duration of the project, with the Borough Engineering Department expecting long delays during peak travel times.

Mayors Seek Volunteers for Joint Consolidation Commission Planning

Dilshanie Perera

The next step in analyzing municipal consolidation involves the formation of a Joint Consolidation Commission, a ten-member group that will include elected officials from the governing bodies of the Borough and Township, as well as local citizens. The Mayors are currently seeking applications for resident volunteers to serve on the Commission.

Township Seeks Input From PEC, Others on Wastewater Management Plans

Ellen Gilbert

Wastewater management plans and approval of a resolution prior to the purchase of land for “passive recreation” were highlights of Monday evening’s Township Committee Meeting.


Other News

High School Senior Spearheads Public Forum on Unauthorized Immigration and the Community

Ellen Gilbert

“I came out of that meeting floored by how much I did not know about the plight of migrant workers — children included — right here in New Jersey,” said Princeton High School (PHS) senior Olivia Alperstein, recalling the genesis of her idea for a program on unauthorized immigration. The meeting was presented by El Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas (C.A.T.A), sponsored by the PHS Spanish Department. “I began to realize how little I really understood about unauthorized immigration in my state and in my hometown.

Local Resident Encourages Community to Join in Health and Fitness Endeavors

Dilshanie Perera

When Gail Everett was 15 years old, her mother, who was only 47, suffered a stroke and died. “I will never forget that devastation,” she said. “I was left to grow up much too soon, and I never want another young person to experience the pain that I did.”

A Very Different Kind of “Book Club”: Princeton Collectors Share Their Treasure

Ellen Gilbert

Princeton resident Panthea Reid will discuss her new book, Tillie Olsen: One Woman, Many Riddles (Rutgers University Press $34.95) in a special author appearance Thursday, January 28, at 4 p.m. in the Community Room at the Princeton Public Library.

Topics in Brief
A Community Bulletin


Sports

Sparked by Barrett’s Will to Succeed, PU Mens’ Hoops Primed for Ivy Play

Bill Alden

Will Barrett was primed to get back into the fray last Sunday as the Princeton University men’s basketball hosted Division III Goucher College in its first action after a 17-day layoff for exams.

With Ettin Stepping Up in Crunch Time, PHS Boys’ Basketball Making Progress

Bill Alden

As the most battle-tested player on the Princeton High boys’ basketball team, Skye Ettin looks to step up in crunch time.

With Honore Displaying Tunnel Vision, PHS Boys’ Swimmers Remain Unbeaten

Bill Alden

Even though the Princeton High boys’ swimming team was locked in a tight battle at WW/P-N last Thursday, Victor Honore wasn’t checking out the scoreboard.


More Sports…


Book Review

Riddles, Silences, Secrets, and Lies: A Biographer Investigates the Curious Case of Tillie Olsen

Stuart Mitchner

And when is there time to remember, to sift, to weigh, to estimate, to total? I will start and there will be an interruption and I will have to gather it all together again. Or I will become engulfed with all I did or did not do, with what should have been and what cannot be helped.

from “I Stand Here Ironing”

Tillie Olsen, who died at 94 in 2007, was a unique, richly talented writer who led a full, fascinating life and produced a small but highly acclaimed and influential body of work. She was an inspirational figure, not only to those who responded to her as a writer and a speaker/reader, but in particular to members of the feminist movement that gathered force around the time her literary star was rising. The clearest evidence that she had arrived as a writer — a journey that began in the 1930s — was the awarding of First Prize to “Tell Me a Riddle” as the best short story of 1961.


Music/Theater

Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s New Era Introduces Rossen Milanov to Community

Nancy Plum

Every ensemble’s new music director likes to make their individual musical taste clear at the outset of their tenure. Rossen Milanov, the new Music Director of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, started his journey with the orchestra on Sunday afternoon with “Gems from our Music Director,” that appeared to be a combination of his personal favorites and pieces that he thought the audience would immediately connect with. Through this teaser of a concert, the sold-out house at Richardson Auditorium became acquainted with Mr. Milanov as he eases his way into the artistic leadership of the orchestra. To announce his arrival on the podium, Mr. Milanov chose appealing symphonies by Franz Joseph Haydn and Sergei Prokofiev, bracketed by programmatic works by Maurice Ravel and Alberto Ginastera.


It’s New to Us

RPT Specialties Stoves and Fireplaces Offers Sales. Service, and Installation

Jean Stratton

Nothing is quite as cozy as sitting by the fireside on a cold winter day. The aroma of the wood, the warmth of the fire, the colorful flames, and the final glowing embers summon memories of past fires, past winters, past gatherings. A fire creates warmth in more than one way. It is so often a focus for camaraderie, companionship, and conviviality.

Freshest and Finest Blooms from Viburnum, the Full-Service Florist on Nassau Street

Jean Stratton

It may be winter outside, but it’s springtime when you enter Viburnum, the flower shop at 202 Nassau Street. Beautiful blossoms fill the attractive setting, and the display of forsythia and pussy willows (including weeping pussy willows) is surely a harbinger of the season we all look forward to.