May 22, 2024

Planning Board Postpones Special Jugtown Meeting

By Anne Levin

Now that the May 23 special meeting of the Princeton Planning Board devoted to the proposal for a 15-unit apartment building in the Jugtown Historic District has been postponed, residents who oppose the plan and the developer in favor of it will have to wait until a future meeting is scheduled before a final decision on the project is reached.

The Princeton Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) spent two nights last week, May 13 and 14, listening to testimony from both sides of the issue, ultimately recommending that the Planning Board turn down the proposal as presented. The developer, 344 Nassau LLC, has proposed to build an attachment to the rear of the 18th-century Joseph Hornor House at 344 Nassau Street, which was recently recognized by Preservation New Jersey as one of the 10 most endangered historic buildings in New Jersey. The project would include three units that are designated as affordable. more

Gaza Protesters Depart; Seminary Students Make Similar Demands

By Donald Gilpin

After a continuous sit-in of nearly three weeks — first in the McCosh courtyard then on Cannon Green behind Nassau Hall — Princeton University’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment dispersed on the evening of May 15 following a final rally.

In a statement issued on the last day, the demonstrators declared, ”Our fight for divestment and Palestinian liberation continues undeterred.”

Described by The Daily Princetonian student newspaper as “both a protest and a community space,” the Gaza Encampment from April 25 to May 15 was a place for speeches and rallies, singing and chanting and poetry reading, town hall gatherings, conversations, meeting and eating together, and sometimes quietly reading or studying. Through rain and shine, cold and hot weather, the numbers of demonstrators fluctuated widely. The University administration did not allow tents or sleeping.

Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber sent a message to the University community on May 13 warning that the protesters must leave Cannon Green. Signs and barriers were put in place around the green stating, “This space is closed in preparation for University events,” and Eisgruber noted, “To continue the sit-in would involve significant and impermissible disruption of University activities. The protesters are of course free to express their views in many other permissible, non-disruptive ways.” more

2024 Primary: Early Voting Next Week, New Block Ballot Design for Democrats

By Donald Gilpin

As Princeton voters go to the polls for the 2024 primary elections — in only one week for the first day of early voting on May 29 (through June 2), and in less than two weeks for Election Day voting on Tuesday, June 4 — Democrats and Republicans will vote for candidates to represent their parties in the November election for president, as well as candidates for U.S Senate and for the House of Representatives in New Jersey’s 12th District. They will also select candidates in races for three Mercer County Commissioners, Princeton mayor and two Council members, and two County Committee members.

The two spotlighted races include the competition for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Robert Menendez, who is not running, with Andy Kim, Lawrence Hamm, and Patricia Campos-Medina on the Democratic ballot and Curtis Bashaw, James Murphy, Albert Harshaw, and Christine Serrano Glassner on the Republican ballot; and the race for a seat in the U.S. Congress, with Princeton resident Daniel Dart challenging incumbent Bonnie Watson Coleman for the Democratic nomination, and Republicans Theodore E. Jones Jr. and Darius Mayfield competing for their party’s nomination. more

Sunday Afternoon Carillon Recitals Are Popular Attraction for Local Residents

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS: Lisa Lonie, Princeton University carillonneur, has planned a special summer season of performances by carillonneurs from all over the world. The festival, titled “Music that Paints the Silence,” marks three decades of concerts for the public outside Cleveland Tower on the Graduate College campus. (Photo by David Kelly Crow)

By Anne Levin

On most Sundays starting at 1 p.m., a sound described as “wind chimes on steroids” rings out across the area surrounding Princeton University’s Graduate College campus. On a good day, “It can go up to half a mile,” said Lisa Lonie, the woman often responsible for creating that sound.

Lonie is Princeton University’s fourth University carillonneur, and its first female. On the job since 2012, she is the principal player of the school’s 70-year-old carillon, an instrument that produces music by the striking of its 67 bronze bells — the largest of which weighs 12,880 pounds. Housed in a console room atop the Cleveland Tower, the instrument is one of only about 180 manually played carillons in North America. It was dedicated in 1927 by the University’s class of 1892, and is part of the program of University Chapel Music. more

Grad Students Vote “No,” Postdocs “Yes” on Unionization at Princeton University

By Donald Gilpin

In two days of elections held last week, May 13 and 14, Princeton University graduate students voted against joining the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) by 652 votes to 391, a 63-37 percent split with more than 73 percent of the 1,523 eligible voters turning out. The previous week the University’s postdoctoral researchers voted by a margin of 484 to 89 to join a union with the United Auto Workers (UAW).

On April 12 Princeton Graduate Students United (PGSU), looking “to improve working conditions for everyone,” filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Established in 2016, PGSU claimed to have widespread support and a “strong majority” of graduate students who had signed union cards. more

National Nonprofit Partners with University to Open Libraries in New Jersey Prisons

FREEDOM THROUGH LITERATURE: New Jersey Department of Corrections Commissioner Victoria L. Kuhn, left, and poet and Freedom Reads founder and CEO Reginald Dwayne Betts admire a new bookcase in a housing wing of Garden State Correctional Facility.

By Anne Levin

Before he graduated from Yale Law School and became a MacArthur Fellow, Reginald Dwayne Betts spent nine years in prison after pleading guilty to carjacking. He was only 16. It was the availability of books, and the engagement with literature, that got him through those years without crushing his spirit.

An award-winning poet, Betts was a resident artist at Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts in 2021. In a new connection with the University, Betts’ national nonprofit Freedom Reads has just opened nine Freedom Libraries at Garden State Correctional Facility, a state prison for adults in Chesterfield, Burlington County. Princeton University Library is a supporter. more

May 15, 2024

PU Gaza Encampment is Winding Down

By Donald Gilpin

Nineteen days after its start on April 25, the Princeton University Gaza Solidarity Encampment appeared to be preparing to leave Cannon Green on Tuesday, May 14 following a warning sent by Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber the previous evening.

About 40 demonstrators continued to occupy the space in the early afternoon on Tuesday, but signs of decamping included piled up blankets, tarps, and other supplies, as well as barriers surrounding the green with signs stating: “This space is closed in preparation for University events.” About a dozen public safety officials were present around the perimeter of the green, and a number of University facilities workers were hanging electrical cords and lights in the trees.

It is not clear how and when the withdrawal from Cannon Green will be completed. A mid-day Instagram notice from the protesters stated that Eisgruber “failed to let us know how, when, or on what timeline the camp would be cleared,” and the “urgent update” concluded, “Administration and public safety are currently encircling the camp as we deliberate our next steps.”  more

Meeting on Jugtown Historic Property Goes Into Second Session

By Anne Levin

Testimony was set to continue at Witherspoon Hall Tuesday evening on an application for a 15-unit addition to the Joseph Hornor House, an 18th century property at the corner of Nassau and Harrison streets that was recently listed by Preservation New Jersey as one of the 10 most endangered historic places in New Jersey.

Some 40 people, many of whom live in the Jugtown Historic District where the house is located, attended Monday’s 5 p.m. special meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) to express their views on the proposed project. Because Princeton Council was to meet in the room at 7 p.m., the HPC ran out of time before any of them had an opportunity to speak. With this in mind, the commission scheduled a second meeting for 5 p.m. Tuesday, after press time, without a time limit. more

Improvement Projects Currently Underway Provide Opportunities for Bike Facilities Plan

By Anne Levin

At its meeting on Monday evening, May 13, Princeton Council held a work session on the 2024 Bicycle Facilities Implementation Plan. Assistant Municipal Engineer Jim Purcell talked about how to work elements of the Master Plan Bicycle Mobility Plan into programs that are taking place to resurface roads, make capital improvements, and repave sidewalks.

“We have some opportunities this year,” he said. “PSE&G’s gas system modernization project is underway. Twelve miles of gas mains are being replaced, so they are tearing up the roadways.”

PSE&G is required to replace existing markings on the roadways, and will be asked to add some new ones. “Given limited resources, we want to implement these elements when we can,” Purcell said. “With all the construction and PSE&G work, this is an opportunity.” more

Watershed Institute and Partners Launch Trenton Tree Planting at Cadwalader Park

ONE THOUSAND TREES: The Watershed Institute and its partners embarked last week on a tree planting project in Cadwalader Park that aims to increase Trenton’s tree canopy and combat climate change while adding 1,000 trees throughout the city in the next three years. (Photo courtesy of the Watershed Institute)

By Donald Gilpin

With a plan to plant 1,000 trees in Trenton in the next three years, the Watershed Institute, the New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF), and other partners began planting trees last week in Cadwalader Park to improve climate resiliency and enhance the environment.

“At the Watershed we really believe that trees are such an important component of the green infrastructure that protects our waterways and so important as we enter this year of climate change,” said Watershed Chief of Operations Sophie Glovier. more

Isles’ Series of Virtual Forums Has Become an Annual Event

By Anne Levin

Celebrating its 40th anniversary during the pandemic in 2021, Isles, the Trenton-based community development organization, came up with the idea for a week-long series of free webinars, workshops, and panels focused on timely topics such as environmental concerns, violence prevention, and building community. The Virtual Forum was such a success — attracting more than 650 participants from New Jersey and beyond — that it has become an annual event.

This year’s Virtual Forum takes place Monday to Thursday, May 20-23, with sessions from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The focus is Environmental Health on day one, Building Wealth on day two, Transportation and Mobility on day three, and Innovative Approaches to Violence Prevention on the final day. Each webinar is followed by a discussion. more

May 1, 2024

BOE Expected to Approve Referendum Proposal

By Donald Gilpin

At its meeting on Tuesday night, April 30, which took place after press time, the Princeton Board of Education (BOE) was expected to approve a proposal for a $85 to $89.5 million facilities referendum, planned for December 2024 or January 2025, and also a 2024-25 budget of $119.2 million.

The referendum proposal, for new construction and renovation at Community Park Elementary (CP), Littlebrook Elementary (LB), Princeton Middle School (PMS), and Princeton High School (PHS), is anticipated to be submitted to the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE). The specific dollar amount, which could be smaller with the inclusion of potential state aid, and the final form of the referendum questions will be determined after the NJDOE reviews the application and advises which portion of the costs is eligible for state funding. more

University Gaza Protest Continues Into Day Six, with Total of 15 Arrests

GAZA SOLIDARITY ENCAMPMENT: Pro-Palestine demonstrators at Princeton University moved into the sixth day of their “encampment” on Tuesday, moving the demonstration from McCosh Courtyard to Cannon Green between Nassau Hall and the Whig and Clio halls. Thirteen protesters were arrested on Monday evening during a takeover and sit-in in the Clio administration building.

By Donald Gilpin

The Gaza Solidarity Encampment pro-Palestine demonstration at Princeton University entered its sixth day on Tuesday, April 30 after a tense Monday evening during which protesters marched from their previous base in McCosh Courtyard and occupied Clio Hall for several hours before settling on Cannon Green, directly behind Nassau Hall.

In an email sent to the Princeton University Community at 10:30 p.m. Monday, following the arrest of 13 people, University President Christopher L. Eisgruber noted that all 13, including five undergraduates, six graduate students, one postdoctoral researcher, and one person not affiliated with the University, received summonses for trespassing and have been barred from campus. Two other demonstrators, both graduate students, were arrested at the start of the demonstrations on April 25.

“The students will also face University discipline,” he added, “which may extend to suspension or expulsion.” There were no injuries reported during the incident. more

Council Hears Report On Present and Future Of Climate Action Plan

By Anne Levin

At its meeting on Monday night, April 29, Princeton Council was given a progress report on the town’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), which was adopted in 2019 to reduce carbon emissions and help the community become more climate-resilient. Sustainable Princeton, which has been leading the effort, delivered the presentation.

Among other items on the agenda was the adoption of a resolution appointing nine members to the Princeton Advisory Committee on Affordable Housing, Human Services, and Racial, Social and Economic Equity. The committee was formed after the controversial consolidation in January of the former Civil Rights Commission, Human Services Commission, and Affordable Housing Board.

Council also passed ordinances related to loading zones and parking on Chambers Street once construction of the Graduate Hotel is completed, and license agreements for the new Hermes and Faherty stores, among other issues. Resolutions included a shared service agreement with Princeton Public Library for information technology services, a consulting agreement for community solar development, a contract for bicycle-safe grates and curb piece faceplates, and an urban tree canopy assessment. more

Fusion Energy Week Starts May 4; PPPL to Hold Groundbreaking Event

INNOVATION CENTER: The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory will be holding a groundbreaking ceremony on May 9 for its new $109.7 million Princeton Plasma Innovation Center (PPIC), as Fusion Energy Week features a number of engaging activities, in-person and virtual, for the general public. The above rendering of the PPIC building, scheduled for completion by 2027, shows the three-story North Wing with the roof garden to the left, and the South Wing laboratory building. (Rendering courtesy of SmithGroup)

By Donald Gilpin

The first-ever Fusion Energy Week, a worldwide initiative to inform and engage the pubic with the world of fusion energy, is coming up, and the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab (PPPL) will be kicking off activities on May 4 with a pop-up Science on Saturday presentation on the quest for fusion energy at the PPPL since 1951.

PPPL Science Education Department Head Arturo Dominguez, who is one of three leaders of the U.S. Fusion Outreach Team and one of three organizers of the week’s activities, noted that there are events scheduled in person and virtually all over the world, with information and registration available at usfusionenergy.org. more

Teaching Piano to Senior Citizens Is an Inspiration for Young Volunteer

NEVER TOO LATE: Residents of Maplewood at Princeton have been taking piano lessons from 15-year-old high school sophomore Pranayaa Jeyaraman, who was among those honored last week for their volunteer work.

By Anne Levin

Pranayaa Jeyaraman has been taking piano lessons since she was in first grade. Since February, the Woodbridge Academy Magnet School sophomore has been spending some of her time at the keyboard with enthusiastic students who happen to be decades her senior.

They are residents of the senior living community Maplewood at Princeton, and they study with the Monroe Township resident on Saturday afternoons. Results have been so positive that Pranayaa was among those honored last Saturday, April 27, at an appreciation luncheon, where she was given a certificate and a special key chain hand-made by Maplewood residents. more

Autism Awareness Alliance Hosts Special Celebratory Gathering

“BEYOND THE SPECTRUM”: Members of the Princeton Police Department were among those on hand to help out at this special Autism Awareness Alliance event on Saturday, April 27 at the Dinky Bar & Kitchen.

By Anne Levin

According to a March 2023 report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the rate of children identified with autism spectrum disorder is one in 36 children nationally. Here in New Jersey, it is one in 35.

This and other statistics related to the developmental disorder inspired Sean (Shenyao) Xu, a sophomore at the Hun School, to help families — especially Chinese families — deal with the issue. Last Saturday, April 27, the 15-year-old, who moved to Princeton from China with his family a few years ago, helped organize a special “Beyond the Spectrum” event with the nonprofit Autism Awareness Alliance of Princeton. more

April 24, 2024

PU Grad Students File for Union Election

By Donald Gilpin

Graduate students at Princeton University have filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), claiming to have a “strong majority” of graduate students who have signed union cards. They are hoping for an election in the next month.

The Princeton Graduate Students United (PGSU) is currently in discussions with the University administration and the NLRB regional office in Newark to arrange elections and set a date for voting.

If recognized, the PGSU would be affiliated with the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers (UE) and would be the largest union at Princeton University. Except for the University of Pennsylvania, where graduate workers are holding a union election next week on May 1 and 2, Princeton is currently the only Ivy League school that has not formally recognized a graduate student union. more

Morven Museum Marks Twentieth Anniversary With Untold Stories

By Anne Levin

Contemplating how to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Morven Museum & Garden, staff at the historic house on Stockton Street came to the conclusion that digging into their own collections was the way to go. “Morven Revealed: Untold Stories from New Jersey’s Most Historic Home,” a show of rarely exhibited objects and newly discovered photographs, opens Friday, April 26 and remains on view through March 2, 2025.

A lit-up Baby Jesus, a lavish inaugural gown, a child’s ring uncovered during archaeological work, and a history of all the pets who lived at the house are among the curiosities on display. Way before it became a museum, Morven was home to numerous notable residents — Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Robert Wood Johnson Jr., Johnson & Johnson heir; and five New Jersey governors have occupied the property. All had families and staffs.  more

The Jewish Center Celebrates 75 Years In Princeton

By Wendy Greenberg

Last week at The Jewish Center Princeton, about 30 men and women over the age of 85 gathered for the “Seasoned Souls” lunch group, with bag lunches and desserts provided by volunteers. Later that day, sixth graders and their families met for a program and had dinner together.

The age range in the building was typical. The Jewish Center seems to have something for everyone: Yoga, Torah and Tea, knitting with Interfaith Stitchers, a book club, adult education, programs tied to religious holidays, weekly Shabbat (Sabbath) services, and more.

As its mission statement says, in part, “Our congregation includes children, parents, grandparents, and friends – families who have been here more than seven generations and recent college graduates. We embrace interfaith families, Jews by choice, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals. We provide a home for teens, empty-nesters, and seniors.” more

Dogs and Horses and Maybe a Goat Join Schools’ Mental Health Efforts

TIGER AND FRIENDS: Tiger, Princeton Public Schools’ goldendoodle therapy dog, has been a frequent visitor to all four elementary schools, and Princeton High School junior Kayla Resnick has founded an Animal Therapy Club with regular visits by therapy dogs and recently two miniature horses. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Moore)

By Donald Gilpin

Two unusual visitors interacted with students, parents, and teachers, on the front lawn at Princeton High School (PHS) on a Friday afternoon after school earlier this month. They were Bleu and Big Mac, two miniature horses accompanied by handlers from the Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Center in Philadelphia.

“Not a lot of people have seen miniature horses,” said PHS junior Kayla Resnick, the founder of the PHS Animal Therapy Club who arranged the visit. “Their reactions were partly the shock of ‘Oh, my god, what is that?’ Bringing miniature horses to our school is a dream come true.” more

Library’s “Local Author Day” Offers Several Literary Events

By Anne Levin

It is billed as Local Author Day. But the annual event at Princeton Public Library, now in its 13th year, is actually a weekend-long celebration of area writers, their books, and the strategies that go into getting them published.

The celebration April 26-28 will blend live and virtual presentations designed to appeal to a range of ages and preferences. The main event is Saturday from 1-4 p.m., when 42 local authors take over the library’s first floor to sign books and meet the public. Two online workshops and one in person are also on the agenda.  more

Two PHS Educators Make Connections, Create Programs with School in Mexico

BUILDING BRIDGES: Andrea Dinan, left, director of the PHS Ideas Center, and PHS social studies teacher Christine Carbone have led an English language Boot Camp program in the city of Merida, Mexico during spring break week over the past six years. They have forged strong alliances between their students at PHS and the school in Merida. (Photo courtesy of Andrea Dinan)

By Donald Gilpin

Andrea Dinan, director of the Ideas Center for tutoring at Princeton High School (PHS), and PHS social studies teacher Christine Carbone, spent their spring vacation week in the city of Merida, Mexico, leading an English language Boot Camp program for a high school populated mainly by Mayan and itinerant workers.

The high school, Unidad Academica Bachillerato con Interaccion Comunitaria (UABIC), helps to prepare the students to take the college entrance exam in June, and the Boot Camp program, now in its sixth year, is the outgrowth of a Fulbright Distinguished Teachers Program award that Dinan received in 2016.

The two teachers worked with UABIC students daily and coordinated a number of electronic exchanges with PHS, including live Zooms and a pen pal letter program. more

April 17, 2024

Celebrating a New Library for a New Era

By Wendy Greenberg

More than 20 years ago, Princeton residents were enmeshed in discussions about replacing the burgeoning library building, and how to encourage people to spend more time in the library. With the support of the two municipal governments of that time, donations from residents, and the visionary thinking of those involved, the result is the gleaming brick and glass three-story building on Hinds Plaza, named for donors George and Estelle Sands, that opened on April 24, 2004.

The Princeton Public Library will celebrate this milestone, the 20th anniversary of the Sands Library Building, on Wednesday, April 24 with a photo exhibition, a panel of three key individuals in the development of the new building, a tour of public art in the building, and short films about the library, with cake, all at the library. The exhibit starts at 1 p.m., and the other events are from 5 to 9 p.m.

“Many people new to Princeton assume that the library has always had a facility as magnificent as the Sands Library Building,” said Jennifer Podolsky, executive director of the library. “When I was new here, I soon found out that wasn’t the case — that creating a new library for Princeton was actually a decades-long process to build public support, craft a vision, and raise capital. We’re so happy to be welcoming some of the people who made this building a reality.” more

IAS’ Avi Wigderson Wins Turing Award For Computer Science

By Donald Gilpin

Avi Wigderson
(Photo by Cliff Moore, IAS)

Avi Wigderson, the Herbert H. Maass Professor in the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) School of Mathematics, has been awarded the 2023 Association for Computing Machinery’s (ACM) A.M. Turing Award for his groundbreaking work in theoretical computer science and the role of randomness in computation.

The Turing Award, often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of Computing,” comes with a prize of $1 million. Wigderson, who won the 2021 Abel Prize, considered the highest honor in mathematics, is the only person ever to have won both Turing and Abel awards.

In announcing the award, the ACM noted Wigderson’s “reshaping our understanding of the role of randomness in computation” and “his decades of intellectual leadership in theoretical computer science.”

The ACM also cited his leadership in the areas of “computational complexity theory, algorithms and optimization, randomness and cryptography, parallel and distributed computation, combinatorics, and graph theory, as well as connections between theoretical computer science and mathematics and science.” more