Inside this issue:
SIX09 Healthy Living COMMUNITYNEWS.ORG
DECEMBER 2022 FREE
LHS girls’ soccer continues to improve
Incumbents win school board race BY BILL SANSERVINO
BY RICH FISHER
At a passing glance, the 7-7-2 record compiled by the Lawrence High girls soccer team doesn’t look overly impressive. But in the big picture, it is a sign of just how far the Cardinals have come since Emily Palombo took over as head coach 10 years ago. During Palombo’s first three seasons, the downtrodden program went an unsightly 12-38-4. Since then, there have been seven straight seasons of .500 or better, showing the stability she has given to the program. Lawrence managed to qualify for the Mercer County Tournament as a top-eight team this year despite having three freshmen in the starting lineup. The fact those 9th-graders performed well indicate that the Cards are now replenishing themselves without bottoming out. Things could have gone even better with a few breaks, as Lawrence lost four one-goal games. Along with its talented incoming class, the Cardinals returned a nice group of seniors, including recordsetting Gwyn Moore. The goalie See SOCCER, Page 5
Sarah Steward, the new CEO of Lawrence-based nonprofit Homefront, with her predecessor, Connie Mercer.
Steward fights on the front line against homelessness BY REBEKAH SCHROEDER
Sarah Steward has big shoes to fill. There is no question about that for the person chosen to take over from HomeFront’s longtime CEO and founder, Connie Mercer, who led the nonprofit organization in combating family homelessness and poverty for 31 years. But Steward naturally stepped into
them, bringing with her a recognition of the task ahead, as well as a message of timeless importance— rather than focus on ‘replacing’ Mercer, Steward had already been working alongside her to fill stomachs across Mercer County for seven years, equally nourishing minds and spirits as HomeFront’s COO. HomeFront, based in Lawrence Township, announced Mercer’s
transition back in March. In an April interview with the Lawrence Gazette, the pioneer behind the area’s first family shelter shared her intentions to pursue “bigger picture issues,” such as legislative reforms, before passing the torch. Following a national search for the best candidate to succeed Mercer, the HomeFront Board of Trustees See STEWARD, Page 2
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The three incumbents running for open three-year terms on the Lawrence Township Board of Education won election on Nov. 8. Patricia “Pepper” Evans, Michelle King, and Amanda Santos, who ran together on the “Building Tomorrow Together” slate, won by an almost 2 to 1 margin. Running against them were Carlos Raziel Rodriguez, Thomas Figueira, and the husband-wife team of Amy Gregory and Nathaniel Gregory. According to unofficial results as of Nov. 21, King was the top vote-getter with 5,495, followed by Santos with 5,404 and then Evans with 5,299. Getting the next highest total was Figueira with 3,837, Amy Gregory with 2,727, Rodriguez with 2,220 and Nathanael Gregory with 2089. County wide, more people cast their ballots on election day (60,417) than by early voting and mail (39.413). An election day glitch throughout all towns in Mercer County delayed tabulation of the results for several days. A problem scanning ballots cast on election day meant that voters had to submit their choices via paper ballots and sharpies. The exact cause of the problem is under investigation.
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