Volume LXXIV, Number 37
Education & Recreation Pages 23-25 PSO’s Fall Season is Virtual, Ambitious . . . . 5 Free Book Day in Princeton and Lawrence . . . . . . . . . . 8 Pandemic Makes High Holy Days a Challenge . . . . . . . . . 10 George Bailey's Bridge is Nearer Than You Think . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Pegasus Launches “Intimate Conversations Series” . . . . . . . . . . 17 PU Women’s Hockey Star Fillier Takes Another Step to Olympic Dream . . . 26 PHS Runners Enjoyed Bonding, Training at Recreation Department Camp . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
PHS Alum Gonzalez Impacting Local Baseball Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .18, 19 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classified Ads . . . . . . 33 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 31 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 14 Performing Arts . . . . . 20 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 6 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 33 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
PU President Eisgruber Promises to Increase Efforts to Combat Racism Princeton University is ramping up its efforts to combat racism on a range of fronts, in both scholarly work and practical operations, according to a September 2 letter from Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber to the University community. Eisgruber’s letter outlined the next steps the University, under the leadership of its senior academic and administrative officials, will take to address systemic racism at Princeton and beyond, including planning to extend a Princeton education to underserved populations in the area and significantly increasing the number of faculty members from underrepresented groups. In June, as demonstrations throughout the country protested the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Rayshard Brooks, Eisgruber called on his cabinet of University leaders to develop plans to combat racism, asserting, “As a University, we must examine all aspects of this institution — from our scholarly work to our daily operations — with a critical eye and a bias toward action. This will be an ongoing process, one that depends on concrete and reasoned steps.” On June 26, 2020 the Princeton University Board of Trustees voted to remove the name of Woodrow Wilson from its School of Public and International Affairs and from a residential college, because of Wilson’s “racist thinking and policies.” In following up, on August 25 Eisgruber and his cabinet examined a range of proposals during a full-day session, and on September 2 Eisgruber issued his update. “Princeton contributes to the world through teaching and research of unsurpassed quality,” he wrote, “and we must continue to find ways to bring that mission to bear against racism, and against all of the discrimination that damages the lives of people of color.” Eisgruber cited “an impressive range of data-driven insights, recommendations, and questions for further study” generated over the past two months, in addition to changes and initiatives announced in June, which included new funding for teaching, research, and service projects related to racial justice and a new grant program, Princeton RISE, that provided Continued on Page 12
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Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Progress Continues on the Rocky “Road Back” Princeton, along with the rest of New Jersey, has moved cautiously into Phase 3 of “the road back,” with schools reopening this week or next, restaurants restarting indoor dining, and gyms, movies, and religious events permitted to welcome participants, with restrictions. Princeton Public Schools (PPS) will start remotely on September 14, with students coming to the buildings for the first time for a phased-in hybrid program in October. Private schools are opening for remote, hybrid or in-person learning over the next two weeks. Emphasizing the Princeton Health Department’s focus on many different fronts in this transitional period, Health Department Press and Media Communications Officer Fred Williams noted, “The biggest challenges here are keeping more people healthy as increased social activities come into play. Our Health Department is prepared to observe how these reopenings impact our current infection rates and is prepared to act based on what they encounter.” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivered a favorable coronavirus report on Tuesday, September 8, describing the Labor Day weekend as “an incredibly good weekend in terms of compliance,” but adding, “You don’t see as much masking as you’d like.”
Although for the 11th consecutive day the transmission rate increased slightly, to 1.10, on Monday, (with any number over 1 indicating that each new case is leading to at least one additional case and the outbreak is spreading), Murphy expressed optimism that “the chances are relatively low” that recent reopenings will cause significant spikes in COVID-19 cases. In a week to ten days, he said, we would know more about possible effects of the reopenings.
In Princeton, Williams reported, “the Health Department has been busy working with our local restaurant owners in preparing their establishments for indoor dining. Guidelines have been disseminated and the process of inspecting and readying workplaces has also begun and is continuing. Business owners have been anticipating these reopenings for a few weeks now, which has resulted in the Health Department seeing tremendous cooperation in reopening these establishments within Continued on Page 7
Community Collaboration Saves 145 Ewing, Red Farmhouse with 265 Years of History When the Princeton Planning Board (PPB) approved a minor subdivision plan last month for 145 Ewing Street, known as the red farmhouse, it was a victory for the owner, for a group of concerned local residents who spoke up, for historic preservation, and for the whole Princeton community. “We were very happy with the outcome of the application,” said Planning Director Michael LaPlace. “It was really a team effort with the applicant, the town, and interested neighbors as well. A lot of credit goes to Brooke Brown, the owner. She was willing to rethink the application
in order to preserve the historic building.” He continued, “We saw it as a win-win for both the applicant and the community. We’re very excited about it. It shows that there are many ways to achieve historic preservation. This was a creative and sensible solution.” Built in 1755, with additions in 1830, the house has a rich history. It was the home of novelist Caroline Gordon from 1956 to the mid-1970s, and, though they divorced in 1959, her husband the poet and essayist Allen Tate was there frequently, reportedly along with such Continued on Page 12
WE SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM: The line was steady on Saturday as ice cream lovers waited patiently for their treats at Thomas Sweet Ice Cream on Nassau Street . (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)
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