Volume LXXVII, Number 34
Directing Trenton Youth Theater at PU is “Full Circle” for Faith Iloka . . 5 Oppenheimer film Sparks Remembrance of His Secretary . . . . . . . . . . 7 Hispanic Heritage Month to Feature Many Celebrations . . . 9 PU Women’s Soccer Bringing Hunger Into 2023 Campaign as it Hosts Monmouth in Opener . . 24 Taking Its Lumps Last Fall in Youth Movement, BattleTested PHS Football Primed For Big Season . . . . . . 28
Robbie Robertson (1943-2023) Takes the Stage in This Week’s Book Review . . . . . 16 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21 Back to School . . . . 13-14 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 32 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 15 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 23 Obituaries . . . . . . . 30-31 Performing Arts . . . . . 17 Real Estate. . . . . . . . . 32 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Lawsuit Cites Mayor For Role in Chase That Claimed Two Lives Princeton Mayor Mark Freda has been named as a defendant in a lawsuit related to a fatal crash that took place on Route 27 in November 2021. Freda, who is president of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad (PFARS) and is a volunteer firefighter, was allegedly involved in a chase that took place before the fatal collision. A teenager from Newark and a woman from Kendall Park were killed in the crash, which involved a Jeep Grand Cherokee, stolen from a home in Pequannock Township and driven by 15-year-old Damajia Horner; and another vehicle driven by Jodi Marcou, a 61-year-old fundraising coordinator at Rutgers University. Both drivers died after the Jeep crossed the yellow lines and collided head-on into Marcou’s Acura near Carnegie Drive. A 14-yearold boy in the Jeep sustained severe injuries. It was on the afternoon of November 7, 2021 that three teenagers in the stolen Jeep pilfered an unlocked Range Rover parked on Dodds Lane. A resident of Clover Lane, where the trio then attempted to steal two sports cars, called police and the mayor, who each drove to the scene. When the teens saw them, they drove away. The Jeep, driven by the 15-year-old, was the vehicle involved in the crash. The Range Rover, driven by another teen, was later found abandoned in Newark. The lawsuit reads that Freda “flipped on the blue lights of the vehicle he was driving at the time and joined the police chase,” actions in violation of township, police, and First Aid/Rescue policies, it reads. The lawsuit naming Freda is the latest in court filings related to the case. According to a report by the radio station and website New Jersey 101.5, which first reported the suit filed by Marcou’s husband last week, Freda’s name was added on July 21. In addition to Freda, the suit filed by David Marcou also faults the owner of the Jeep for leaving it unlocked with the keys inside. Marcou first filed a lawsuit against a 19-year-old accused of ordering the 15-year-old to steal the Jeep. Her mother and Hanover Insurance were also named as defendants. Continued on Page 12
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Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Princeton Public Schools Prepare for Opening The cleanup projects are being completed, and the teachers have been coming in to organize their classrooms. Teachers and staff will be reporting for in-service preparation and meetings next week, and the first day of school for all of the nearly 4,000 Princeton Public Schools (PPS) students is Tuesday, September 5. “I’m very excited for the school year,” said Johnson Park Principal Angela Siso Stentz. “I’m excited to see our students. We’ve missed them. It’s felt like a long summer, and I’m waiting for them to arrive at our front door. I’m also excited to see my staff next week and to get the school year going.” “Belonging and Community: Where Every Learner Thrives” is the official district theme for the 2023-24 school year. In a message to PPS parents, Superintendent Carol Kelley expressed her gratitude for the parents’ support in the education of their children. “The trusting relationships, open communication, and partnerships between you and PPS staff provide the supporting conditions for our students’ success,” she wrote. Kelley went on to point out three priorities that the schools will be focusing on this year: progress in literacy and numeracy for students aged 3 through third
grade; wellness, inclusion, and support for all students with a sense of belonging and meaningful relationships with at least one adult in their school; and “a meaningful life for all students beyond graduation from Princeton Public Schools.” Siso Stentz noted that attention to social emotional learning has been a high priority for her and other administrators in implementing the district’s strategic plan that was approved last spring. “We’ve been spending a lot of time as
an administrative team really working on the goals for the school year, and a lot of it is rooted in social emotional learning, making sure that our students feel safe, feel loved, and are supported in their learning,” she said. “We’re excited about that. It’s a good goal to have for our school.” She went on to point out that in the current post-COVID-19 period the aftereffects of the pandemic are more social and emotional than academic. “We’ve been Continued on Page 8
Princeton Adult School — 85 Years, 298 Courses, and Still Branching Out
Liberal arts education may be in jeopardy, as colleges around the country announce the elimination of degree programs and massive cuts in faculty positions, but Princeton Adult School (PAS), ready to launch its 85th year with catalogs in the mail this week and fall course registration underway, is bucking the trend. There are 298 courses available for every possible interest. Want to study sewing literacy and “Get to Know your Sewing Machine”? How about “No Limit, Texas Hold ‘em Poker”? Or maybe start “Your Second Career: Becoming a Flight Attendant”? Or, on a more
scholarly note, “Shakespeare’s Falstaff and Henry IV: the Love-Hate Triangles of Fathers and Sons” or “Nudes: The Naked Truth in Art”? Language courses, walking tours, fly fishing, computers, media, gastronomy, health, and a host of other traditional fields are also available at PAS. Or maybe you’ve always wanted to “Discover Ancient Egypt” or “Learn to Read the Tarot”? Or get on your feet and learn “Ballroom Dance Basics” (waltz, foxtrot, rumba, tango, cha-cha, swing, and more) or experience “An Introduction to Continued on Page 10
A WALK IN BEAUTY: People and their pets enjoy a walk by the lake at the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve on Saturday. Local residents share how they are inspired by nature in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)