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THURSDAY JANUARY 19, 2012
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City council passes bike ordinance with changes BY MATTHEW MATILSKY CORRESPONDENT
New Brunswick residents clashed with city officials at a city council meeting last night, after council members passed an ordinance prohibiting cyclists 12 years or older from riding on the sidewalk and requiring bikes to have bells. Under the ordinance, cyclists charged with riding on the sidewalk will be fined $25 for the first offense occurring in a year, and $50 to $100 for the second, third and further violations within the year. The initial bicycle ordinance — first proposed last September — stated that the fine would be no less than $50 for the first offense.
Council members claimed the ordinance would prevent bicycle collisions with both cars and pedestrians. But residents who spoke at the meeting alleged the ruling was unsafe and unfair, particularly for minority residents. Glenn Patterson, director of the Department of Planning, Community and Economic Development, cited a University of California study, the New Jersey Department of Transportation guidelines and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials manuals to indicate that bicycles are safer on roadways than on sidewalks.
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JOVELLE ABBEY TAMAYO / SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Charles Renda, a New Brunswick resident, argues against the bicycle ordinance last night at a city council meeting in downtown New Brunswick.
Professor considers factors behind childhood obesity BY LISA BERKMAN STAFF WRITER
Researchers have found a link between childhood obesity and father involvement among children with unmarried parents — a growing epidemic that is on the rise in the United States. Lenna Nepomnyaschy, a School of Social Work assistant professor, explained the significant role fathers play in the rising obesity epidemic yesterday in Davison Hall on Douglass campus. “More frequent contact with fathers and more child support through the formal system are associated with higher instances of obesity among children,” she said to a crowd of about 40 people. Circumstances like these are deemed common since about 40 percent of all births in the United States belong to unmarried mothers, Nepomnyaschy said. Obesity is a dangerous condition for children to live with, as it could lead to mor tality, said Paul Breslin, a professor in
JENNIFER MIGUEL-HELLMAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Lenna Nepomnyaschy, a School of Social Work assistant professor, connects low-income with childhood obesity yesterday in Davison Hall on Douglass campus.
the Depar tment of Nutritional Sciences. “You can die from all kinds of things like cancer, hear t attack, stroke and so on,” Breslin said. “That’s all correlated
with obesity, so we want to tr y and control that.” Though obesity is a problem throughout the countr y, it is more
UNIVERSITY The Rutgers Business Governing Association plans its first pageant event.
BY ALEKSI TZATZEV ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
OPINIONS Christie’s Tuesday address was wrought with optimism, but his tax cut plans may prove detrimental to state.
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Romney takes lead in race for Republican vote
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visible in cer tain social spheres, Nepomnyaschy said. Those with an abnormally high Body Mass Index often belong to a low-income minority and live in single-parent families, according to studies Nepomnyaschy presented. “Kids who are poor are more likely to be obese,” she said. “I think that’s an upsetting thing. Your socioeconomic status should not determine your health.” Gaining access to some of the more helpful gover nment programs also becomes more dif ficult for families when fathers are involved, Nepomnyaschy said. “The notion of ‘let’s get money from fathers to help children in single-parent families and that will make ever ything better’ doesn’t really work in a situation like this,” she said. But the arguments made during the demonstration did not sit well with
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney takes the early lead in the GOP race for candidacy, with wins in both Iowa and New Hamsphire Republican caucuses.
Presidential hopeful and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s early wins at the Iowa and New Hampshire Republican caucuses show that most voters consider a candidate’s electability over their principles. His lead has extended to 20 delegates, leaving candidates Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, behind at 12 and three, respectively. Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House of Representatives, has none. “In politics, anything can happen,” said John Weingart, associate director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics. “But unless some information is revealed about Romney that is new and ver y damning, I don’t see how anyone else could win the nomination.”
Weingart said electability is the major driving force behind Romney as Republican constituents look for someone to face President Barack Obama in November. “For a large part of Republicans, it is most important that Obama be defeated. That is more important than preference for one candidate or another,” he said. Weingart said if Romney wins the GOP candidacy this summer, it would be because of his electability and the fact that his opposition divided the voters — never forming a unified front. Romney won the Iowa caucus taking 24.6 percent of the vote, leaving Santorum a mere 0.1 percent behind. The following week in New Hampshire, Romney again led the state, but Paul came in second, and Jon Huntsman — a recent candidacy dropout — came in third, according to The Associated Press.
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