Volume LXXVI, Number 37
Princeton Makes Marks First Anniversary with Celebration . . . . . . . . . 5 Love of Local History Spurs Second Career for Area Resident . . . . . . . 9 PU Professor Discusses Impact of Inflation Reduction Act . . . . . . 10 PSO Opens Season With Evening of Spirited Dance . . . . 18 The Wolves Will Start Season at McCarter . . 19 PU Football Kicks Off 2022 Season by Playing at Stetson This Saturday . . . . . . . . 28 Junior Star Howes Helps PHS Girls’ Soccer Get Off to 2-0 Start . . 32
Seeing the Library Book Sale Through “Bette Davis Eyes” . . . . . . . 17 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Better Living. . . . . .22, 23 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 26 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 40 Luxury Living . . . . . . . . 2 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 16 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 27 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 38 Performing Arts . . . . . 20 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 10 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 40 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6 Young Princetonians . . . 15
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Eight Organizations Plan “Save Our Democracy” Rally for September 17 Responding to threats to democracy from election deniers, recent Supreme Court decisions, and climate change, a Save Our Democracy rally sponsored by eight different organizations will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 17 at Hinds Plaza next to the Princeton Public Library. “Understanding that our democracy is fragile and that it’s now not working the way it should, I wanted to inspire people to get out and make sure that they elect legislators who are going to protect what they believe is important to them, as well as to highlight the statewide organizations that are doing the work on the ground defending these things that we care about,” said rally organizer Laura Zurfluh, who is the founder and leader of Indivisible Cranbury. Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA), NJ Citizen Action, Planned Parenthood, NJ Institute for Social Justice, Moms Demand Action, the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice (BRCSJ), and Clean Water Action, as well as Indivisible Cranbury, are co-sponsoring the rally. There will be a speaker from each organization and tables providing information for attendees to take more direct action on a number of fronts. “We are co-sponsoring this rally to counter the grave and continuing threat to democracy represented by election deniers and violent insurrectionists threatening the cornerstones of our democracy: free and fair elections, and the peaceful transition of power,” said CFPA Executive Director the Rev. Robert Moore. Opposition to the Supreme Court’s rulings reversing the Roe vs. Wade decision that protected legal access to abortion and the ruling allowing prayer in public school settings will be additional focal points of the rally, which will also protest new federal gun laws and Republican resistance to funding combating climate change. Zurfluh described her reaction to a string of Supreme Court decisions “that were painful for me, and I felt that I didn’t understand how, when you’re in a democracy where everyone’s voice is heard, all these decisions could be made when it’s really only a minority of people who believe these are correct decisions.” She decided to channel her concern Continued on Page 11
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Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Witherspoon Street Construction is On Schedule At its first in-person meeting since the beginning of the pandemic more than two years ago, Princeton Council held two work sessions on the town’s ongoing parking issues, and heard an update on construction projects that have been underway on Witherspoon Street and Chambers Street. The good news, as reported by Municipal Land Use Engineer Jim Purcell, is that work on both projects is on schedule. The section of Witherspoon Street between Nassau Street and Paul Robeson Place is expected to be completely open to traffic and pedestrians by the end of October, in time for the holiday season. “They won’t be working over the winter, so they will be completely out of our way while all the shopping and revelry takes place during all of the holidays,” he said. Merchants on Witherspoon Street have complained that the Witherspoon Street Improvement Project, which has involved relocating and upgrading sanitary and storm sewers and the replacement of curbs and sidewalks, has caused a serious downturn in business. In response, Council introduced an ordinance increasing free parking in the Spring Street Garage from 30 minutes to one hour, seven days a week. The time limit would revert back to 30 minutes on July 31, 2023, or when the Witherspoon Street project’s first phase is finished. The ordinance also permits free parking on certain holidays. A public hearing will be held at the next
Council meeting on September 27. On Chambers Street, demolition that began in May for the Graduate Hotel project has necessitated road and lane closures. The project is expected to take 20 months to complete. “Rest assured, the contractors are moving along as diligently and efficiently as possible and hope to be out of our hair right on time,” Purcell said. The two work sessions involved proposed parking hours on Witherspoon Street, between Nassau Street and
Spring Street, once work is completed; and permit parking on Bank Street and in the Witherspoon-Jackson and Tree Streets neighborhoods. Regarding Witherspoon Street, Deputy Administrator and Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton said staff recommended it be limited to loading on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays (no loading on Sundays). Otherwise, three-hour metered parking by kiosk would be allowed from 5 to 8 p.m. Continued on Page 8
University Enhances Financial Aid Program; Families with $100K Income or Less Go Free Princeton University has announced that it will be making major enhancements to its financial aid program starting in the fall of 2023. The University, which was just rated first among national universities overall in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings, has also topped the list for the lowest graduate indebtedness. Most families whose annual income is less than $100,000 (up from the previous $65,000 annual income level) will pay nothing for tuition, room, and board. About 1,500 students, more than 25 percent of undergraduates, are expected to qualify for this level of aid. As the University continues its push to attract talented students from a wide variety of backgrounds, many families with income above $100,000, in addition to the families paying nothing, will receive
increased aid. A majority of the additional scholarship funding will support families earning less than $150,000. “One of Princeton’s defining values is to ensure that talented students from all backgrounds can not only afford a Princeton education but can flourish on our campus and in the world beyond it,” said Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber. “These improvements to our aid packages, made possible by the sustained generosity of our alumni and friends, will enhance the experiences of students during their time at Princeton and their choices and impact after they graduate.” In 2001 Princeton was the first university in the country to eliminate loans, meeting students’ full financial needs with Continued on Page 12
CELEBRATING BUGS: The Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County hosted their annual Insect Festival on Saturday at the Mercer Educational Gardens in Hopewell Township. Attendees share what they learned at the event in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Weronika A. Plohn)