April 18, 2018

Chappaquiddick: Documentary Drama Revisits Kennedy Cover-Up of Tragic Accident

By Kam Williams

On July 18, 1969, Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy (Jason Clarke) hosted a reunion in a rented cottage on Chappaquiddick, a tiny island just 150 yards off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. The gathering was in honor of the Boiler Room Girls, six women who had worked on his late brother Bobby’s presidential campaign the previous year.

Around 11:15 pm, Kennedy left the party in his ‘67 Oldsmobile with one of those young staffers, 28 year-old Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara). About an hour later, the car, driven by Kennedy, went down a dirt road and off of a wooden bridge. The driver lost control and the car landed upside-down in  Poucha Pond. more

Sears Making Immediate Impact on Attack As PU Women’s Lax Girds for Stretch Drive

BULLING THROUGH: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Kyla Sears fights past a defender in recent action. Last Saturday, freshman star attacker Sears tallied four goals and an assist as Princeton defeated Yale 18-4. Princeton, which improved to 7-5 overall and 3-1 Ivy League with the win over the Bulldogs, hosts Cornell on April 21. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

For Kyla Sears, singing the national anthem before home games for the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team has helped calm her nerves when she hits the field. 

“The funny thing is, I did it in high school and I found out I got way more nervous to sing than when I played,” said Princeton freshman star attacker Sears, who performs the singing duties in tandem with Julia Haney. “So when it was over it is, oh, now we can play.” more

With Robertson Developing Into Top Finisher, PU Men’s Lax Routs Dartmouth on Milestone Day

SIX SHOOTER: Princeton University men’s lacrosse player Philip Robertson unloads the ball in recent action. Last Saturday, sophomore attackman Robertson tallied six goals to help Princeton defeat Dartmouth 24-13. The Tigers, now 6-5 overall and 1-3 Ivy league, play at Harvard on April 21. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Philip Robertson spent his freshmen season on the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team as an understudy for Gavin McBride.

As attackman McBride tallied a program-record 54 goals last spring in his final campaign, Robertson soaked up as much as he could from the senior star. more

With PHS Baseball Emerging as Pleasant Surprise, Senior Catcher Silverman Enjoying Final Campaign

CATCHING FIRE: Princeton High baseball player Alec Silverman takes charge in a game earlier this season. Senior catcher Silverman’s defensive play and solid hitting in the cleanup spot have helped PHS produce a 5-3 start. The Little Tigers will look to keep on the winning track as they host Hightstown on April 18 and Allentown on April 19 before playing at Hightstown on April 20 and then hosting Robbinsville on April 23. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Even though the Princeton High baseball team endured losing campaigns in the first three years of his career,  Alec Silverman sensed things would be different this spring.

“Our guys have invested so much into it,” said Silverman, noting that there are eight seniors on the PHS roster. more

Junior Star Nyce Helping With Bat, Arm As PDS Baseball Produces Solid 4-2 Start

NYCE WORK: Princeton Day School baseball player Matt Nyce makes contact in a recent game. Last Thursday, junior star Nyce went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs to help PDS defeat Peddie 13-6. The Panthers, who lost to Nottingham 10-8 last Saturday to fall to 4-2, host Conwell Egan (Pa.) on April 19 and Lawrence High on April 21 before playing at Gill St.Bernard’s on April 23. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Even though the Princeton Day School baseball team trailed the Peddie School 4-0 in the second inning last Thursday one day after falling 14-12 to Hun in extra innings, Matt Nyce was confident that the Panthers would rally.

“It was pretty early in the game and we have been hitting really well,” said junior star second baseman Nyce. more

April 11, 2018

Is it Spring Yet?

Shoppers were bundled up as they strolled through Palmer Square on Sunday. Warmer weather is predicted for later this week. Downtown Princeton merchants discuss spring trends in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Erica M. Cardenas)

Princeton Schools Explore Reform Efforts for Discipline, Conflict Prevention, Equity

By Donald Gilpin

Inequity in school punishment and persistently high rates of suspension and expulsion for students of color and students with special needs have been a problem at many schools across the country and a controversial issue locally, including a complaint filed with the Princeton Civil Rights Commission just last January.

Rutgers University Psychology Professor Anne Gregory, a national expert on the subject of restorative justice, equity in school discipline, and community-building will speak to a gathering Thursday, April 12 at 7 p.m. in the John Witherspoon Middle School (JWMS) auditorium. more

Council Approves Budget for 2018, Hears Comments on Affordable Housing

By Anne Levin

Princeton Council voted to adopt the $65 million budget for 2018 at its meeting on Monday night, April 9, first approving an amendment that would increase the use of surplus funds by $1 million.

Of that $1 million, $626,000 is to pay down debt that was authorized in 2018. The remaining $372,000 reduces the tax levy, with no increase from last year to this year. more

Artifacts From Historical Society Collection On Display in “Trolleys, Trains, and Transit”

BACK IN THE DAY: The Dinky train stop used to be closer to town, near Blair Arch on the Princeton University campus, as this archival photo from the Historical Society of Princeton’s program at Princeton Public Library shows. (Collection of Historical Society of Princeton)

By Anne Levin

Back in 1910, you could end up paying a fine if you got caught spitting while riding the trolley between Trenton and Princeton.

“Any person who shall expectorate or spit on the floor, seat, or platform of any trolley passenger car in this state shall be deemed and adjudged to be a disorderly person, and upon conviction shall be subjected to a fine of not more than Ten Dollars for each offense,” reads a yellowed dispatch from the Trenton and Mercer County Traction Corporation. The warning notice is just one of the curious artifacts in a special exhibit going on display the evening of Tuesday, April 17, at Princeton Public Library’s Discovery Center. more

PU’s CST, Engineering, and Lewis Center Present “Living at the Intersection”

By Donald Gilpin

Engineering and the arts will interweave in a variety of venues and manifestations April 12-13 on the Princeton University campus in a series of performances, panel sessions, and a keynote address by American sculptor and fiber artist Janet Echelman. The event is presented by Princeton University’s Council on Science and Technology (CST) and is co-hosted by Princeton’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and by the Lewis Center for the Arts. more

Helping Runaways

Fox & Roach Charities’ Princeton Junction office recently made a charitable contribution to Anchor House in Trenton. The funding supports services for runaways, and abused and homeless youth. Kim McNear, Anchor House executive director, is pictured third from left with, from left: Ben Thornton, director of outreach services; Kathy Drulis, of Anchor House Foundation; Kassie Erb, Fox & Roach Charities president; Princeton Junction sales associate and charity representative Virginia Santana-Ferrer; Anchor House shelter case manager Todd Wilson; and Anchor House business manager Karen Stettner.

Cornerhouse to Hold Forum On Vaping for Students, Parents

Cornerhouse Behavioral Health, in conjunction with the Princeton Alcohol and Drug Alliance and the Princeton Police Department, will hold a forum, “Vaping, What YOU Need to Know,” on Monday, April 30, 7-9 p.m. at Witherspoon Hall, 400 Witherspoon Street.

The program is designed to educate middle and high school parents, children, and other members of the community about what is happening in the world of e-cigarettes, or vaping. Linda Richter, director of policy research and analysis at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, is the guest speaker. A panel discussion and question and answer session will follow her talk. more

Operation Smile

Hun School senior Ellie Briggs holds a satisfied customer of Operation Smile’s surgery center, which repairs cleft lips and palates in Bogota, Colombia.  Briggs has visited Bogota three times, traveled to an Operation Smile student leadership conference in Rome, and raised nearly $2,000 for the charity at Hun. (Photo Courtesy of The Hun School)

Hamilton Jewelers’ Annual Bride and Groom Event

Hamilton Jewelers will hold its annual event geared to brides and grooms on Saturday and Sunday, April 14 and 15. Ronnie Ross, brand ambassador for The Knot, will meet and greet couples to give advice and pointers about wedding planning.

In addition, Hamilton will be offering a $500 American Express Gift card with the purchase of an engagement ring of $5,000 or more, and 20 percent off all wedding bands for these two days only. Attendees are invited to get a complimentary couples portrait valued at $150. Champagne and truffles while be served, and guests will also receive a set of crystal champagne flutes with their purchase. They will also be registered to win a Samsung 65” Smart TV valued at $1,499, and will receive gifts from partners such as Metropolis Spa & Salon, Viburnum Designs, Grounds for Sculpture, Janet Makrancy, and more.  more

Once Upon a Time in Memphis: Martin Luther King and William Faulkner

Something is happening in Memphis, something is happening in our world. — Martin Luther King Jr., April 3, 1968

By Stuart Mitchner

In the speech he delivered the night before the day he died, Martin Luther King imagined taking a “mental flight” across the Red Sea “through the wilderness on toward the promised land” to Greece and Mount Olympus, the Roman Empire, the Renaissance, then to Wittenberg and Martin Luther, to Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and to the 20th century, “the bankruptcy of the nation,” and Memphis, Tennessee. more

CTI hosts “Our Town — Princeton” Photo Exhibit

“OUR TOWN — PRINCETON”: Carolyn Scott’s photographs will be featured from Sunday, April 15 through Friday, April 20 at the Center of Theological Inquiry, 50 Stockton Street, Princeton. The exhibit is a celebration of the people at the heart of Princeton, with personal histories of migration.

Scottish artist Carolyn Scott will present her photographs of the diverse community of Princeton in a week-long exhibition at the Center of Theological Inquiry (CTI) from Sunday, April 15 to Friday, April 20, opening each day at the Center’s Luce Hall, 50 Stockton Street, from 1 to 4 p.m. more

Cranbury Digital Camera Club Photography Exhibit

DIGITAL ART: Photographs by Cranbury digital Camera Club members are on display through April 27 at the Gourgaud Gallery at Cranbury Town Hall. The organization concentrates on digital photographic techniques and methods.

Photos from Cranbury digital Camera Club (CdCC) photographers are on display at the Gourgaud Gallery, located at Cranbury Town Hall, 23-A North Main Street in Cranbury, through April 27. The photos selected by the photographers for the show depict various themes and subject matter. The photographers are from Cranbury, Hightstown, Monroe, West Windsor, and other communities in Central New Jersey. Their work has been on display at various galleries throughout New Jersey.  more

Ready Player One: Gamers Search for Easter Egg in Virtual Reality Adventure

By Kam Williams

It is 2045, a time when the planet has devolved into a desolate dystopia that is a combination of pollution, overpopulation, poverty, corruption, and global warming. Most of humanity lives in slums where they escape their misery by disappearing, via virtual reality, into the Oasis, a parallel universe co-created by James Halliday (Mark Rylance) and Ogden Morrow (Simon Pegg). Halliday is now in control of Oasis and Morrow is no longer associated with the firm.

The picture’s point of departure is an unrecognizable Columbus, Ohio, that is a devastated metropolis that has been reduced to a wasteland of vertical “stacks,” i.e. mobile homes that are piled  on top one another. We meet Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), who is an orphaned teen who has been taken in by his Aunt Alice (Susan Lynch).  more

Eve Niedergang Holds Rally To Kick Off Council Campaign

Eve Niedergang, candidate for Princeton Council, will officially kick off her campaign on Sunday, April 15, at 1 p.m. at a rally in Tiger Park on Palmer Square. The public is encouraged to attend.

Niedergang, whose campaign motto is “Building Community Together,” is committed to actively engaging with Princeton residents to better understand their concerns and to work together to solve the issues that challenge all Princeton residents. Priorities include ensuring that Princeton is welcoming and affordable for all, identifying sensible growth solutions to address Princeton’s affordable housing needs, and maintaining Princeton’s commitment to environmental sustainability. more

PU Men’s Lax Tops Stony Brook to End Skid, Fueled by Sowers’ Spectacular 9-Point Effort

MIGHTY MIKE: Princeton University men’s lacrosse player Michael Sowers looks for an opening in recent action. Last Saturday, sophomore star attackman Sowers matched his single-game career-high of nine points, tallying four goals and five assists to help Princeton defeat Stony Brook 16-8 and snap a three-game losing streak. The Tigers, who moved to 4-5 with the win, were slated to play at Siena on April 10 before hosting Dartmouth on April 14. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Even though Michael Sowers was playing in just the 24th game of his career with the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team when the Tigers hosted Stony Brook last Saturday, the 5’8, 165-pound dynamo already looms large in program history.

As a freshman, Sowers set a Princeton single-season record with 82 points on 41 goals and 41 assists in 15 appearances. more

Princeton Softball Goes 1-2 Against Dartmouth, Needs to Sharpen Focus to Get on Right Track

THE RIGHT STUFF: Princeton University softball pitcher Allie Reynolds fires a pitch last weekend as the Tigers hosted Dartmouth in a three-game set. Freshman Reynolds earned a shutout as Princeton posted a 6-0 win in the first game of the weekend. The Big Green went on to win 8-6 and 12-1 in the final two games. The Tigers, who moved to 5-20 overall and 3-6 Ivy League, play a three-game set at Yale next weekend with a doubleheader on April 14 and a single game on April 15. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

For the Princeton University softball team, its loss to Dartmouth in the second game of a three-game set with the Big Green last weekend served as a microcosm of a rough start to the 2018 campaign.

The Tigers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning in the contest on Friday and then, after surrendering three runs, battled back to make it a 3-3 ballgame heading into the fourth. Dartmouth, though, answered with two runs in the top of the next frame and added one each in the last three innings to pull away to a 8-6 win. more

PU Men’s Heavyweights Win Childs Cup, Bringing 6-0 Record Into Clash at Harvard

MAKING WAVES: The Princeton University men’s heavyweight varsity crew shows its form in a race this spring. Last Saturday, Princeton’s top boat defeated Penn and Columbia to win the Childs Cup. The Tigers, now 6-0, face Harvard in Cambridge, Mass. on April 14 in the race for the Compton Cup. (Photo Courtesy of Princeton’s Office of Athletic Communications)

In building the Princeton University men’s heavyweight rowing squad into one of the deepest programs in the nation, Greg Hughes has focused more on instilling a work ethic than stockpiling athletes.

“It is not just about your talent and ability, it is about development,” said Princeton head coach Greg Hughes. “It is one of those intangible things about sports that we as a society learn. It doesn’t come down to a one-off or just getting lucky. Consistent, steady, day-to-day hard work over time will yield results.” more

With Junior Standout Park Leading the Attack, PHS Boys’ Lax Defeats Pennington for 1st Win

CENTRAL PARK: Princeton High boys’ lacrosse player Alex Park heads upfield in recent action. Last Thursday, junior attackman Park scored two goals to help PHS defeat Pennington 10-2 as it earned its first win of the season. The Little Tigers, who moved to 1-3 with a 6-3 loss at Monroe on Saturday, are slated to host Montgomery on April 14 before playing at WW/P-North on April 16. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Having scored a total of six goals in losing its first two games this season, the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team was looking to break out when it hosted Pennington last Thursday.

“We are just working to come together on offense,” said PHS junior attackman Alex Park. more

Incoming PU Freshman Crane Rows Across Atlantic, Setting Record, Learning Life Lessons on Voyage

ATLANTIC ADVENTURE: Oliver Crane celebrates in Antigua this past January after rowing across the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. Crane, a resident of Lawrenceville who is headed to Princeton University, rowed the 3,000-mile journey in 44 days, and at age 19, became the youngest person to ever row solo across the Atlantic.

By Bill Alden

It took a while for Oliver Crane to develop a passion for rowing.

“I first experienced crew at Mercer Rowing Club in eighth grade, but I didn’t really row much then,” said Crane, a resident of Lawrenceville.

“All through middle school my main sport was ice hockey, but I ended up getting five concussions so I couldn’t do contact sports anymore. I ended up doing cross country and rowing at Peddie and fell in love with rowing after that.” more

April 4, 2018

Cleaning Up The Battlefield

Saturday’s Princeton Battlefield Clean-Up Day, sponsored by the Princeton Battlefield Society and the Sierra Club (Central New Jersey Group), was a big success. Four teams of volunteers helped with brush, stick, bamboo, and invasive plant removal. The volunteers are shown in front of the newly-restored Thomas Clarke House, witness to the 1777 Battle of Princeton. (Photo by John Lien)