Flemington dentist’s Halloween candy bounty program benefits charity, soldiers

Dr. Darren Loew wants to make Halloween even sweeter this year.

In an effort to teach children the importance of maintaining healthy smiles while also aiding U.S. troops overseas, the borough-based orthodontist is holding a candy buy-back program.

During the program, Loew throughout early November will buy for $1 per pound any unopened candy from any child who comes to the office. That money will be given to charity and the candy will be turned over to Rose Holden, director of development and public relations at the Center for Educational Advancement. Holden’s son in November is scheduled for deployment to Afghanistan with the Marine Corps.

Holden’s son also is affiliated with the Hunterdon Marine Corps League Bulldogs, Detachment No. 927. The Bulldogs participate in Operation Shoebox New Jersey, which sends care packages to troops fighting overseas. The candy will be part of those packages, said Janna Gay, a spokeswoman for Loew Orthodontics.

“These kids get so much candy, which aren’t healthy for their teeth or braces, so I wanted to give the kids some excitement so they actually get something back from giving away their candy,” Loew said. “Giving candy to the troops helps them (troops) enjoy Halloween when they can’t be at home. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

This is the fifth consecutive year Loew Orthodontics is holding the program. In 2008, the orthodontics office collected more than 425 pounds of Halloween candy for the troops and $400 total was donated to the Hunterdon Outreach Program.

The program, started in spring 2003, promotes and develops different sports for children in the community who are physically or developmentally disabled. Loew said he plans to aid that program again this year.

Polytech students complete internship

Polytech Teacher Academy seniors completed their initial 3-week internship program at Barley Sheaf and Reading Fleming Intermediate schools in Flemington last week. The 14 students will participate in 7 more internship programs throughout the school year to complete their course work to earn 3 Seton Hall College credits in the education program at Polytech. These internships provide experience with assisting in the classroom, teaching mini-lessons and observing classroom techniques under the supervision of the lead teacher.

Pictured here are Teacher Academy students—Bottom row from left to right:

Brandi Matarazzo (North Hunterdon), Celine Harabin (North Hunterdon), Courtney Letwinch (Voorhees Post Graduate), Laura Adamcik (North Hunterdon).

Top row from left to right:

Megan Cegielski (Hunterdon Central), Rachel Levy (Hunterdon Central), Kelsi Komoroski (North Hunterdon), Megan Dean (North Hunterdon Post Graduate), Chelsea Christophel (North Hunterdon), Cori Grafer (Hunterdon Central), Maggie Murphy (Hunterdon Central), Megan Babecki (Hunterdon Central) and Heather Muscatell (Hunterdon Central). Not pictured: Hope Lamendola (Voorhees).

For more information about the education programs at Polytech please visit www.hcpolytech.org or call guidance at 908-806-3855 Ext. 103.

Flemington dentist buying back Halloween candy

Dr. Darren Loew wants to make Halloween even sweeter this year.

In an effort to teach children the importance of maintaining healthy smiles while also aiding U.S. troops overseas, the borough-based orthodontist is holding a candy buy-back program.

During the program, Loew throughout early November will be buying any unopened candy from any child that comes to the office for $1 per pound and then, will give those funds to charity. The candy will then be turned over to Rose Holden, director of development and public relations at the Center for Educational Advancement. Holden’s son in November is scheduled for deployment to Afghanistan with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Read more

Jury awards man $6 million for tree falling on car in Delaware Township

A jury has awarded a Warren County man $6 million, believed to be the largest trial award in Hunterdon County history, for injuries he received when a tree limb fell on his car on Route 29 in Delaware Township.

John Matlock, 43, suffered a broken neck and severe arm and hand injuries in the July 4, 2006 accident that left him disabled, said his lawyer, John Dodig of the Philadelphia firm of Feldman, Shepherd, Wohlgelernter, Tanner, Weinstock & Dodig.

The eight-member jury reached the unanimous verdict after deliberating approximately four hours, Dodig said. The trial before Superior Court Judge Peter Buchsbaum lasted two weeks.
Read more

The Poltergeist on 7 West Road

As you may know, West Road abuts the cemetery so I expect ethereal wanderers to stroll around my property all the time. I think they do, together with the deer and gnats and currently this plague of so-called stink bugs. An incident this very week served as a reminder. My husband and I were in our entrance hall kicking around some decorating ideas. We have just finished a massive re- paint of our downstairs and were fielding ways to use our old stuff to make it seem we had just re-decorated with new stuff. Did you follow that? No? There’s hope for you then. We had been so engaged for about 5 minutes when an unopened water bottle I had placed there moments before starting the decorating session rolled down the stairs. Well, OK then… At 7 West Road things are always falling off shelves or over on their sides.  I figure it’s me, right? I'm careless…but rolling down the stairs after being firmly planted???
Read more

Read more from this author at The View From Flemington!

Hunterdon County Clerk Mary Melfi takes oath as President of Constitutional Officers

Hunterdon County Clerk Mary H. Melfi recently was sworn in as president of the Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey at the group’s 33rd annual conference.

The meeting was held Sept. 15-18 in Galloway Township. COANJ is a professional organization, made up of county clerks, registers of deeds, surrogates and sheriffs from each of the state’s 21 counties.

Hunterdon County Freeholders Matt Holt, R-Clinton Town and Ron Sworen, R-Frenchtown, were in attendance as Hunterdon County Surrogate Susan J. Hoffman administered the oath of office. Deputy Majority Leader Sen. Paul Sarlo, D-Wood-Ridge, and Assembly Minority Leader Assemblyman Alex DeCroce, R-Whippany, also were in attendance as they received awards from COANJ as 2009 Legislators of the Year.

“It is truly an honor to be selected by my peers to lead this important organization,” Melfi said in an e-mail. “With their support, we will continue to provide services to our constituents in an ethical and efficient manner.”

Melfi was elected in 2006 as county clerk. In July, she was nominated President of COANJ by her 65 colleagues. The organization meets regularly throughout the year to discuss legislation, continuing education and other issues that affect county constitutional offices.

Boro Council Election: Oberst/Hain

Yesterday, I received an election mailer from Team Oberst/Hain. It is short and to the point. The candidates are contesting the health care insurance coverage provided by the taxpayers for Boro council members, promising not to let taxpayers pay for their health care insurance. Quoting an excerpt from a July 2009 Hunterdon County Democrat article that discusses the objections made by some of those in attendance at council meetings to the $31,000 for insurance coverage for some on council, the mailer says” Tax Dollars Should Benefit Our Community, Not Line the Pockets of Elected Officials.” Their slogan is “ Leadership not Politics”. Oberst/Hain are committed to” cleaning up Main Street, economic development and creating as safer community for our children.’

Read more from this author at The View From Flemington!

ON VETERANS DAY NJ APPLEBEE’S SERVE FREE MEALS TO THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED

New Jersey (October 26, 2009) – Did you know that there are 23.6 million U.S. veterans in the United States, including 9.3 million over the age of 65 and 7.9 million Vietnam-era veterans? This Veterans Day, Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar ^® restaurants throughout New Jersey are serving free entrees to our veterans and active duty military for proudly serving our country. All past and present members of the U.S. military are invited to come in and pull up a chair this Veterans Day at their favorite neighborhood restaurant for a delicious free entree and heartfelt thanks. With gratitude for their service and sacrifices, this November 11, hot food will flow freely for these local heroes from lunchtime through the dinner hours for dine-in guests at all New Jersey Applebee’s restaurants.   

Veterans as well as active duty military with proof of United States military service—such as a military ID or photo in uniform–can choose one complimentary entrée from a wide selection of favorites. A 7-ounce House Sirloin, Three-Cheese Chicken Penne, Fiesta Lime Chicken^®, Fire Pit Bacon Burger, Chicken Tenders Platter or Oriental Chicken Salad, including traditional sides, will be served to them “on the house.”

“It’s an honor to host an event that helps the neighborhood come together and say ‘thanks’ to our veterans and active servicemen and women,” said Kevin Coughlin, Director of Operations for Applebee’s New Jersey. “We feel a special connection to everyone who wears or has worn our nation’s uniform to protect our freedoms. We’re proud of their courage and happy to have this opportunity to offer a great meal with our compliments.”

Applebee’s in Flemington is located at 244 Highway 202.  To find other Applebee’s restaurants nearest you or for more information, visit www.applebees.com.

Hunterdon agencies partner to fight homelessness

By PAMELA SROKA-HOLZMANN
STAFF WRITER

FLEMINGTON – United Way of Hunterdon County is partnering with the Interfaith Hospitality Network and Legal Services of Northwest Jersey in three counties to better assist families threatened by homelessness.

United Way, on behalf of Hunterdon, Sussex and Warren Counties, received in September a $2 million grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to aid the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The funds will go toward the program to help prevent families from becoming homeless or help those who already are homeless, be quickly rehoused and stabilized, said Casey Koller, president of the United Way of Hunterdon County’s board of trustees.
Read more

North Hunterdon Rotary Donates Dictionaries

Members of the North Hunterdon Rotary Club recently came to Valley View School in Lebanon Township, NJ. They presented all third grade students with dictionaries to use at school and at home. The rotary club members explained the uses of the dictionary as well as some of its special features. The presenters reminded the students that even if they use spell check on their computers, they might still make mistakes and that the dictionary is a very useful tool.

Hunterdon Parks & Recreation’s annual “Touch-A-Truck Day”

From 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 7 at Deer Path Park, 120 W. Woodschurch Road, Flemington, visit with vehicle owners who love to share their life size hot wheels. A day of fun for kids of all ages who would like to examine up close a huge dump truck, a Harley Davidson Sportster with sidecar, vintage farm tractors, Army trucks, a carpenter’s rig, a horse trailer, fire engines, a ladder truck, the book mobile, a garbage truck and many more…over 35 vehicles in all.

Climb aboard the “train on wheels” for a free train ride, from noon to 2:30 p.m., thanks to Rowe Electric Inc. Watch an underwater dive demonstration by the Garden State Underwater Recovery Unit at 12:15 p.m. and experience the drama while the Flemington-Raritan first aid and resque squad liberates a victim from a staged car accident by using their hydraulic rescue “jaws of life” at 2:15 p.m.

Touch a Truck is free, but donations will be accepted to help fund the event next year. The Hunterdon County Employee Appreciation Committee food booth will be selling hot dogs, drinks and more.

Don’t forget your camer, as there will be many photo opportunities. If you or someone you know has a cool vehicle to share, give us a call at 908-782-1158 and ask for Liz Braidwood Fulmer.

Birding trip to Sandy Hook

Join chief park naturalist Tom Sheppard for a birding adventure to Sandy Hook, a 2044 acre barrier beach peninsula with salt marshes and a maritime holly forest, beginning 6 a.m., until 5:30 p.m., on Nov. 15, for adults only. We will search a variety of coastal habitats from sand dunes, grasslands, salt and freshwater marshes, and the maritime forest for birding opportunities. Once we leave Sandy Hook we will head south and check various ponds and beach locations along the Monmouth County coastline. Possible sightings include Northern Gannet, Red-throated Loons and waterfowl species.

Advance registration is required. The cost is $25 per person, accepted on a first come, first served basis. For more information and a registration form, call 908-782-1158 or visit www.co.hunterdon.nj.us and click on “parks and recreation.”

A fun evening of sensory “awareness games”

Join park naturalist Laura Kroon at the Echo Hill Environmental Center, 42 Lilac Drive, Flemington, for  a fun evening of sensory awareness games, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 19.

For thousands of years people from all over the world have used games to sharpen their senses and practice skills important for survival. Most people no longer need to hunt to find food, however the same games that ancient hunters played to hone their powers of observation can help you to see animals up close.

The cost is $3 per person, for ages 8 and up and advance registration is required. All children must be accompanied by an adult. To register, call the Parks Department at 908-782-1158 or download a registration form at our Web site, www.co.hunterdon.nj.us and click on “parks and recreation.”

Birding workshop offered by Hunterdon Parks and Recreation

“Birding for Beginners” will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12 at Echo Hill Park, 42 Lilac Drive, Flemington. The cost is $3 per person. The workshop is designed for ages 8 and older and all children must be accompanied by an adult. Advance registration is required.

The workshop will focus on the use of binoculars, field guides and other birding books, led by Tom Sheppard, chief park naturalist. Tom will share some of the short cuts he has learned on how to start identifying our feathered friends. If time permits, participants may even take part in a bird identification game.

For a registration form, call 908-782-1158 or download one from the Web site at www.co.hunterdon.nj.us and click on “parks and recreation.”

Hunterdon Garden Guild to meet

Don’t miss a meeting of the Hunterdon Garden Guild on Nov. 5.

In attendance will be program speakers from the Trenton Orchid Society. The meeting begins at 7 p.m.

The meeting will be held at the Raritan Township Fire House, located at
303 South Main St. in Raritan Township.

Road to recovery: Courier News writer making progress after car accident

Walter O’Brien was making the same trip home he does every night, traversing Interstate 78 west to Route 31 north. The only deviation from his normal routine on Sept. 4 was a side trip to a co-worker’s house to drop off a computer.

But that gesture was about to mark the onset of the most difficult time of his life, for as he was driving on Route 31, he was involved in a serious car accident.
O’Brien could not get out of his Jeep Liberty, which he had just paid off that morning. And his first thought was not about himself or his well-being — it was about his trusted canine companion, Bear.
A muffled whimper told O’Brien that Bear was OK. But O’Brien was not, and that soon became painfully obvious.
“The dog was absolutely the first thing on my mind. The second was that I knew I was going to be in good hands,” said O’Brien, 57, referring to the Clinton Emergency Medical Services unit, with which he works regularly while covering Hunterdon County for the Courier News, the sister paper of the Home News Tribune. “I knew (the right) ankle hurt; I knew (the left) leg wasn’t moving; I knew (the left) arm was moving at the elbow, but the wrist just stayed where it was. But I just said, “Just shut up, relax and do whatever they say.’ ”
It took awhile to get him into those good hands — the top half and sides of his car had to be cut to gain access to him. And then his journey to recovery began.
Read more

Clinton Township police blotter

BURGLARY, Oct. 23. A Lilac Drive residence was burglarized between 12:30 p.m. Oct. 22 and 6:30 p.m. Oct. 23. Entry was gained by breaking a bedroom window. Although the burglars left numerous drawers ajar, the homeowners reported that a jug of coins, valued at approximately $75, was the only item stolen.

The homeowners advised police their driveway had been resealed Oct. 22 and that the contractor claimed that he had resealed a neighbor’s driveway several days earlier. Upon checking with the neighbors, however, police learned that the neighbor’s driveway had been resealed by a completely different organization. Det. Sgt. David Bye is investigating.
Source: Central Jersey police departments

Traumatic injury care highly specialized at Central Jersey facilities

Courier News staff writer Walter O’Brien has been through a lot since suffering a serious car accident on Sept. 4.

He’s had multiple surgeries on his right ankle, left leg and left arm, spent three weeks at Morristown Memorial Hospital and has been at a rehabilitation facility for several weeks, undergoing physical and occupational therapy twice a day.

It’s still at least another couple of weeks before O’Brien will know when he can get back to work and resume his life.

O’Brien could not have made it through his ordeal without the sympathy, attention to detail and skills of those who worked on him so diligently that first night in Morristown.

“I remember one of the first things the doctors said to me was, “We saw your car. You are one lucky guy,”‘ said O’Brien, who covers Hunterdon County for the Courier News and MyCentralJersey.com.

That was just the beginning. Drs. Vicente H. Gracias and Adam Schiroff of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, or RWJUH, and Robert Wood Johnson Medical Schools in New Brunswick have a pretty good idea of what might have taken place after O’Brien arrived at the hospital. Neither physician is involved in O’Brien’s case.

“The more people that understand what’s going on the better,” said Gracias, the director of RWJUH’s Level One Trauma Center — one of only three in the state, along with University Hospital in Newark and Cooper Hospital/University Medical Center in Camden. “It’s called damage-control surgery, so we stop operating when we stabilize things.

Read more

South Branch Watershed Assoc. to reveal monitoring results

By PAMELA SROKA-HOLZMANN
Staff Writer

The South Branch Watershed Association is expected to reveal the results of the 2009 river monitoring season and the health of the South Branch Raritan River using 16 years of the association’s monitoring data, which includes two new sites added this year.
Read more

Clinton Township police blotter

THEFT, Aug. 26. Detective Paul Bate recently charged township resident Lloyd Albright, 53, with theft. Police say Albright was browsing in the Golden Rainbow antique shop on Route 626 on Aug. 26 when he agreed with the owner to purchase some chairs, a vanity, and a dresser for $100. Albright and a second person loaded the chairs into a car and said they would return with the money.
Read more