July 17, 2024

ICE Activity in Princeton Provokes Strong Responses

By Donald Gilpin

The presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Princeton last Wednesday, July 10, including the arrest of one resident, has caused high levels of concern among residents and government officials at the local and state levels.

Whether it was a “targeted operation,” as designated by ICE officials, or a “raid,” as described by many locals, agents in ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Newark division arrived early on the morning of July 10 in unmarked cars.

“I am horrified to learn of the ICE raids carried out in Princeton today, by agents who did not identify themselves, drove into communities, and stopped Hispanic/Latinx residents seemingly at random to interrogate them and demand documentation,” said U.S. Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman in a July 10 statement. “This kind of conduct has absolutely no place in our community or our country.” more

Bucchere to Retire as Chief of Police, Tash to Replace Him

By Anne Levin

Jonathan Bucchere, Princeton’s police chief for the past two years, will retire at the end of this month. Subject to approval by the mayor and Council — likely at the July 22 Council meeting — his replacement will be current Captain Christopher Tash, who, like Bucchere is a longtime member of the Princeton Police Department (PPD).

“I’ve worked my entire career with Chris Tash, and I absolutely know he is going to do a spectacular job as chief,” said Bucchere. “It gives me great joy that he is going to take over and continue to do special things for this town, his way.” more

PHS Junior Claire Tang Branches Out as World Literacy Youth Ambassador

BOOKS FOR BOTSWANA: Claire Tang, left, Princeton High School junior and recently appointed World Literacy Foundation youth ambassador, and her classmate Emma Liu stand with boxes of books about to be shipped to a school in Botswana for an African library book drive they helped to organize. (Photo courtesy of Claire Tang)

By Donald Gilpin

As a newly appointed World Literacy Foundation youth ambassador for 2024, Princeton High School junior Claire Tang will be continuing her work to combat illiteracy and increase education and awareness about the importance of reading and writing.

“Reading has always been one of my biggest hobbies, so I’ve experienced the positive impact literacy can have on quality of life,” Tang wrote in an email. Last year she worked with the African Library Project (ALP) and the Alliance of Youth Leaders in the United States (AYLUS) to organize two book drives that supported libraries in Malawi and Botswana, resulting in more than 2,500 books delivered and $2,000 raised.

In partnership with her classmate Emma Liu, Tang is working on another book drive this summer with AYLUS and ALP to support a secondary school library in Lesotho.

As a youth ambassador in the year ahead, she plans to continue her work with ALP and AYLUS while branching out into additional literacy challenges locally and globally. more

Concert Culminates Weeklong Program for Participants in Composition Institute

NEW MUSIC: The 10th annual Cone Composition Institute Concert brings the music of four emerging composers, played by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, to Richardson Auditorium on Saturday, July 20. Pictured here are the participants in a past Institute program.

By Anne Levin

In the first year of the Edward T. Cone Composition Institute’s one-week summer program pairing promising composers with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO) at Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium, 30 people applied for the four available slots.

That was a decade ago. Applications for this year’s session, which is underway and will culminate in a concert on Saturday evening at 8 p.m., numbered more than 200. The reputation of the Institute, which is presented in collaboration with the University’s music department, has clearly grown.  more

PU Mathematician, Institute Physicist Awarded Prestigious Wolf Prizes

By Donald Gilpin

Noga Alon
(Photo by Sameer A. Khan)

Princeton University Professor Noga Alon has been awarded the 2024 Wolf Prize in Mathematics “for pioneering contributions to mathematical cryptography, combinatorics, and the theory of computer science.” And the 2024 Wolf Prize in Physics has been presented to Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) Trustee Emeritus Martin Rees, for his “fundamental contributions to high-energy astrophysics, galaxies and structure formation, and cosmology.”

Considered one of the most prestigious international awards for scientific and artistic achievement, the Wolf Prize, granted in Israel, includes a $100,000 monetary award. More than one-third of Wolf Prize recipients have gone on to receive a Nobel Prize, according to the Wolf Foundation.

A Princeton University press release describes Alon, who shares the mathematics award with Adi Shamir of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, as “one of the most prolific mathematicians in the world,” having published more than 850 papers, including papers on biology, economics, and neuroscience. In addition to his position at Princeton University, Alon has also been “a regular fixture” at IAS as a member and visitor in the School of Mathematics since 1993, according to an IAS press release. more

Arts Council’s ART OF Series Continues with Latest Roster of Fundraisers

MIXING IT UP: Last January’s “ART OF Mixology” at the Arts Council of Princeton was such a success that a second round has been scheduled for July 31, as part of the ART OF series of fundraising events.

By Anne Levin

When the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) was planning its annual big fundraiser two years ago, staff members came up with an idea for something more affordable and inclusive. Instead of the standard gala party, they decided to try a series of participatory gatherings covering a range of topics — from the difference between French and Spanish wines to making perfect holiday wreaths.

That first series was a success. Since then, some 30 ART OF events have been held by the ACP. The latest batch begins July 31 with part two of “Mixology with 3BR Distillery,” a cocktail-crafting session back by popular demand. Following throughout the fall are “Matcha with Ooika,” “Vintage Jewelry with H1912,” “NJ Farming and the Future,” a trip to see the Broadway show Hell’s Kitchen, “Thriving in a Toxic World with Melissa Klepacki,” “Holiday Magic with Francisco Irala,” and “Thrifting, a Journey to the Golden Nugget Flea Market.”  more

Playing the Name Game with Freud, Biden, and Trump

By Stuart Mitchner

(…what interrupts our concentration as readers may be as telling as the book we are reading: Freud is always making the case for interruption). We make a Freudian slip when we thought we knew what we were saying. We dream beyond the bounds of intelligibility….

—From Becoming Freud

Why Freud and why now?” That is the question. After a lifetime of relative indifference to most things Freudian, it’s taken the attempted assassination of a former president plus the massive media freak-out inspired by the current president’s shabby debate performance and slip-of-the-tongue doubleheader to send me to Adam Phillips’s Becoming Freud: The Making Of a Psychoanalyst (Yale University Press) and the Gutenberg text of The Psychopathology of Everyday Life translated by A.A. Brill.

Meanwhile we have this week’s “telling” interruption in the form of the All-Star game and the Republican National Convention, held in the aftermath of Saturday’s game-changing event while I’m still gamely trying to find a place in the psychopathology of everyday baseball life for Biden’s Freudian slips. Talking heads on CNN and MSNBC have already begun portraying the president as a veteran pitcher whose late-inning moment has come as the manager walks out to the mound to take the ball and bring in the closer. Except by now everybody knows Biden intends to finish the game and there’s no manager and no closer. more

Princeton Summer Theater Succeeds with “The Last Five Years”; Musical Depicts a Couple’s Breakup Through Unique Viewpoints

“THE LAST FIVE YEARS”: Performances are underway for Princeton Summer Theater’s production of “The Last Five Years.” Written and composed by Jason Robert Brown and directed by Eliyana Abraham, the musical runs through July 21 at Princeton University’s Hamilton Murray Theater. Above: Events leading to the estrangement between Cathy Hiatt (Kate Short) and Jamie Wellerstein (Julien Alam) are told from dual perspectives — Jamie’s story is told in chronological order, while Cathy’s tale moves backward in time. (Photo by John Venegas Juarez)

By Donald H. Sanborn III

The Last Five Years is an intimate, poignant musical that depicts a married couple’s gradual estrangement.

The story, songs, and script for the mostly sung-through musical are by Jason Robert Brown. The story is inspired by Brown’s first marriage. Brown carefully describes the subject matter of The Last Five Years (2001) as “personal” (rather than “autobiographical”).

A unique narrative device is employed. For the husband, a successful author, events are seen in chronological order, starting just after the couple meets. For the wife, a struggling actress, the story begins after the breakup, moving backward in time.

This concept recalls Merrily We Roll Along, a musical (adapted from a play) that portrays three friends who grow apart, telling their story in reverse chronological order. The Last Five Years takes the idea a step further; by telling the story in both directions, the characters’ timelines are allowed to intersect once, in a central scene.

 more

Princeton University Summer Chamber Concerts Presents Chamber Ensemble of Established Soloists 

By Nancy Plum

Princeton University Summer Chamber Concerts continued its 2024 season this past week with a presentation by three instrumentalists who have put their collective talents together to create an exciting new experience for their audiences. Violinist Friedemann Eichorn, cellist Peter Hörr, and pianist Florian Uhlig each have had successful international solo careers and have joined forces in the past five years to explore chamber repertory as the Phaeton Piano Trio. Named for a mythological character but performing with solid down-to-earth musicianship, the Trio came to Richardson Auditorium last Monday night for an evening of Franz Joseph Haydn, Felix Mendelssohn, and Antonin Dvorák. The ensemble may be relatively new, but its playing style is rooted in centuries-old performance practice and interpretation of the classics. more

New Jersey Lyric Opera Returns to Kelsey Theatre

SUMMER OPERA: New Jersey Lyric Opera returns to Kelsey Theatre for the Summer Opera Festival July 26-28, opening with the Verdi classic “Rigoletto.”

New Jersey Lyric Opera (NJLO) performs at Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre for a second year with a weekend of opera favorites on MCCC’s West Windsor Campus, July 26-28, during the Summer Opera Festival. The weekend includes the presentation of three operas, plus the Gala Spectacular, a showcase of opera favorites.

The opera weekend kicks off with Rigoletto (Friday, July 26, 7:30 p.m.), the tragic story of the unprincipled Duke of Mantua, his hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto, and Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda. It’s a cautionary tale of love and jealousy, with famous melodies La donna è mobile and Caro Nome. The performance stars Christopher Connelly, Amanda Simms, and John Villemaire. more

Christmas in July

“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical” at the State Theatre in New Brunswick is among the productions coming to area theaters during the winter holidays. Special offers are available for discounted tickets in advance to see “The Muppet Christmas Carol with New Jersey Symphony,” “The Nutcracker,” “An Evening with Chevy Chase” following a screening of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” and “A Magical Cirque Christmas,” all at the State Theatre, as well as “A Christmas Carol” at McCarter Theatre. Visit Mccarter.org or STNJ.org.

Phillips’ Mill Presents Premiere Showcase “The Half of It”

Drama at Phillips’ Mill presents The Half of It, a new play written by Domenick Scudera and directed by Griffin Horn, as this year’s Premiere Showcase production. An original, fully developed, never-before-performed play, The Half of It runs July 18-20 at 7 p.m. with a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, July 21.

The Half of It is a new biographical drama based on the life of Bert Savoy, one of Broadway’s first major drag performers. The story is retold by his partner, Jay Brennan, years after Bert’s death. As Jay explores his memories of Bert, he pulls back the curtain on the dazzling life they lived together — traveling the Vaudeville circuit, advising would-be celebrities backstage, playing the press against itself, dodging their exes, discovering new ambitions as performers and falling in love along the way.

“The play highlights the groundbreaking and inspirational work of this artist while shining a light on the origins of contemporary drag performance and the LGBTQ+ community in the early part of the 20th century,” said Scudera. “I am a proud and vocal member of the LGBTQ+ community. I am hopeful that The Half of It will allow audiences to learn more about our community’s history and to learn from the lessons of our past.”  more

Winners Announced for 2024 LHT Photo Contest

“PRINCETON PIKE OAK”: This photograph by Samuel Vovsi of Princeton was tops in the Nature category in this year’s Lawrence Hopewell Trail Photo Contest.

The Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT) Corporation has announced the winners of its 2024 photo contest. Many photos were submitted in two categories, Nature and People.

The winner in the Nature category is Samuel Vovsi of Princeton for his photo of the sun shining behind the Brearley Oak on the Princeton Pike. The winner in the People category is Anthony Plisko of Lawrenceville for his photo of a person enjoying Rosedale Lake. All the submissions can be viewed on the LHT website at lhtrail.org/trail-pics-and-videos. more

HV Arts Council Awards Annual Student Scholarships

SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS: Hopewell Valley Central High School 2024 graduating seniors Rose Andreski and Jacob Brown were recently awarded scholarships by the Hopewell Valley Arts Council. (Photos courtesy of Hopewell Valley Arts Council)

The Hopewell Valley Arts Council has awarded its annual scholarships to two Hopewell Valley Central High School 2024 graduating seniors: Rose Andreski and Jacob Brown.

“This year is particularly special as we celebrate our 10th anniversary,” said HV Arts Council Board President Carol Lipson. “These scholarships are a critical part of our mission in encouraging creativity in the Hopewell Valley community and fostering a lifelong participation in the arts.”  more

“Lassen Volcanic National Park”

Travel photography by Jeffrey Edward Tryon, Town Topics art director, is featured in the Red Barn at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road, through August 31. A meet the artist event is on Saturday, June 20 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The exhibit also features work by Kevin Frankenfield Photography and Joseph F. Hendrickson.

“The Delaware River At Prallsville”

This egg tempera work by Jeff Gola is featured in “Along the Delaware River & Crosswicks Creek,” a group art exhibition on view at D&R Greenway’s Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place, through September 27. The exhibition is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Zimmerli Chief Curator Donna Gustafson to Retire  

The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University—New Brunswick has extended its gratitude and congratulations to Chief Curator Donna Gustafson, who will retire on September 1. During her nearly two decades of service to the museum and the university, Gustafson’s forward-thinking contributions to the Zimmerli reach far beyond the art and exhibitions that she put on display.

“I have enjoyed my work at the Zimmerli with my colleagues at the museum, the university, and especially the students at Rutgers who challenge us all to think differently and expansively,” said Gustafson, chief curator since 2022. “My departure is bittersweet, but I am looking forward to having time to work on projects that I have long put on hold.” more

John Shedd Designs at The Tomato Factory Offers a Display of His Ceramics Creations

ON DISPLAY: Artisan John Shedd is shown by his featured entry at the New Jersey State Museum in 2017. The exhibit, “Fifty of Fifty,” honored 50 leading New Jersey artists who had received state grants for their work during the past 50 years.

By Jean Stratton

Talent, imagination, skill, and experience all come together when artisan John Shedd works on his creations.

At his Hopewell studio, which he built in 2018, he starts the process: planning, designing, carefully taking it step by step, until ultimately bringing it to fruition as it is heated in the kiln.

Many of the finished items are then displayed at The Tomato Factory Antiques & Design Center, 2 Somerset Street in Hopewell, where he has had a gallery since 2017. Others have been commissioned and then presented to the recipient, whether an individual or organization.

As he comments, “While a great deal of my work now is commissioned, the bulk of the work is speculative or made for the trade. There is a little more freedom in making things that aren’t ordered.” more

In Unlikely Path from Serbia to PU Women’s Water Polo, Sekulic Makes U.S. Squad for Paris 2024 Olympics

MAKING IT IN AMERICA: Princeton University women’s water polo star Jovana Sekulic poses with the U.S. flag. Rising junior Sekulic was recently named to the U.S. squad that will be competing at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. Earning a spot in the Olympics culminates an unlikely journey for Sekulic, who grew up in Belgrade, Serbia, and moved to the U.S. when she was 11. (Photo provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

By Justin Feil

A pair of Princeton University women’s water polo team products are on the United States team headed to the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Superstar goalie Ashleigh Johnson ’17 is on her third Olympic team, and it’s no surprise that the three-time All-American out of Princeton is going again. more

After Taking Brief Hiatus from U.S. Rowing Program, PU Grad Mead Returns to Make Men’s 4 for Paris Games

NICK OF TIME: Nick Mead rows for the U.S. men’s 4 in recent action. Mead, a 2017 Princeton University alum and Tiger men’s heavyweight rowing star, will be competing on the 4 in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. (Photo by Row2K, provided courtesy of USA Rowing)

By Bill Alden

Upon helping the U.S. men’s 8 boat take fourth place in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Nick Mead decided to take a hiatus from rowing.

“After Tokyo, they made a bunch of coaching changes, the performance director rolled over and basically the whole high performance system in the U.S. was completely different than it had been the last few years,” said Mead, a 2017 Princeton University alum and men’s heavyweight rowing star who helped the Tiger varsity 8 to a pair of bronze medals at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) national championships. “I moved back to the east coast and I didn’t know whether I was going to row again, especially not knowing who was on the coaching staff.” more

Making Instant Impact for Puerto Rico Men’s Hoops, PDS Grad Reed Headed to Paris 2024 Olympics

TICKET TO PARIS: Davon Reed celebrates after he helped Puerto Rico defeat Lithuania 79-68 in the FIBA (International Basketball Association) Olympic Qualifying Tournament final in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 10 to secure the final spot in the men’s hoops tournament in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Former Princeton Day School standout Reed scored five points with three rebounds and two steals in the final, and averaged 4.5 points and 4.8 rebounds a game off the bench in the qualifying tournament as the Puerto Rico hoops squad earned its first appearance in the Olympics since 2004. (Photo provided by Davon Reed)

By Bill Alden

Davon Reed headed to the G-League Winter Showcase last December in Orlando, Fla., looking to play his way back into the NBA.

After stints with the Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Lakers from 2017-23, former Princeton Day School standout Reed was primed to find a home in the league.

“I have played in a new city or new country every year in my career,” said Reed, who was chosen by the Suns in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft after scoring 1,343 points in his college career at Miami. “I have become a journeyman. I am looking for some stability with an NBA team in the near future.” more

Leaving Special Legacy for Christopher Newport Lax, PDS Alum Auslander Achieved Career Assists Record

HISTORIC RUN: Coby Auslander heads upfield this spring for the Christopher Newport University men’s lacrosse team. Former Princeton Day School star Auslander capped his Christopher Newport career by tallying 55 points on 22 goals and 33 assists as the Captains went 16-6 and advanced to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals. Auslander graduated as the program’s all-time assists leader with 161. (Photo provided by Christopher Newport Athletics)

By Bill Alden

When Coby Auslander made his debut for the Christopher Newport University men’s lacrosse team in the spring of 2020, he wasn’t sure of how much of an impact he could make at the next level.

As an undersized 5’7, 150-pound midfielder, former Princeton Day School star Auslander was hoping to see the field as a freshman. Auslander achieved that goal and more, emerging as one of the team’s top playmakers, tallying 18 points on eight goals and 10 assists in a season curtailed to six games by the COVID-19 pandemic. more

July 11, 2024

Bat Found Near Community Park Playground Tests Positive for Rabies

A release from the Municipality of Princeton notes that on July 9, at approximately 9 a.m., Princeton Recreation staff observed a brown bat alive and moving on the ground near the Community Park School Playground. Princeton Animal Control Officer Jim Ferry took possession of the bat and submitted it for testing at the New Jersey Public Health and Environmental Laboratory. On Wednesday, July 10, the bat tested positive for rabies. Currently, no human exposures are known. Anyone who may have been in physical contact with this bat is highly recommended to notify the Princeton Health Department for guidance and/or seek medical treatment.

Rabies is a fatal viral disease that can be prevented by avoiding contact with animals that may be rabid. If a person has significant exposure, getting vaccinated right away can also prevent disease. Rabies can be spread from the bite or scratch of a rabid animal, or when the animal’s saliva contacts a person’s mouth, eyes, or an open sore.

Rabies poses a real threat, especially to unvaccinated domestic animals. According to the release, this incident should remind pet owners to ensure their animals are up to date with rabies vaccinations. Rabies occurs throughout New Jersey, including Princeton. Skunks, foxes, raccoons, groundhogs, bats and unvaccinated domestic animals can also develop rabies. In Princeton, approximately three to six animals per year test positive for rabies. Human rabies cases in the United States are rare. more

July 10, 2024

Farm Fresh

A representative from Cedarville Farms in East Windsor assists a customer at the Trenton Farmers Market in Lawrence Township on Sunday. Founded in 1939, it is New Jersey’s oldest continuously run farmers market. Shoppers discuss their favorite summer produce in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Grace Roberts)

Council Introduces Ordinance for Seminary Properties

By Anne Levin

At a meeting Monday evening, July 8, Princeton Council introduced an ordinance to adopt the redevelopment plan for properties at Princeton Theological Seminary. A public hearing on the plan, which calls for construction of 238 apartments, 20 percent of which would be designated affordable, is scheduled for the next meeting of Council on July 22.

As outlined in the 41-page proposal prepared by Kyle McManus Associates of Hopewell, the plan’s aims include utilizing smart growth principles “to achieve better planning outcomes for the community,” providing “higher density, compact development in close proximity to downtown and transit to reduce auto dependence and support greenhouse gas reductions consistent with the Princeton Climate Action Plan,” establishing a multi-family development within walking distance of downtown, providing better on-site stormwater management, and improved safety for drivers, among additional goals.  more