Volume LXXII, Number 45
Local Shop Salvages Pieces of Hodge Road Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 PU, PHS, PDS Team Up for Satellite Program . . . . .12 Exploring Parallel Worlds in This Week’s DVD Review . . . . . . . . . . . 22 NJSO Opens Princeton Series with Stellar Violinist . . . . . . . . . . 23 Jessica Lang Dance Comes to McCarter Theatre . . . . . . . . . . 26 PU Football Wins Ivy Showdown Against Dartmouth, Now 8-0 . . .36 PDS Girls’ Soccer Takes 5th Straight Prep B Crown . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Jerome Desrosiers and PU Men’s Hoops Tips Off This Friday . . . . . . . . 38 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .14, 15 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 31 Classified Ads . . . . . . 47
www.towntopics.com
Controversies Continue Over the Future Of Westminster Choir College
In the continuing saga surrounding the future of Westminster Choir College of Rider University, those opposed to Rider’s sale of Westminster to a Chinese for-profit company remain committed to pursuing legal action that would prevent the transaction from going through. Others who support the sale have suggested that the two lawsuits, which challenge Rider’s right to sell, are endangering the prestigious music school’s ability to flourish in the future. In order for the sale to Beijing Kaiwen Education Technology to proceed, the lawsuits would have to be resolved. In addition, Rider needs approval from the New Jersey Secretary of the Department of Higher Education and the New Jersey Secretary of State. Another key component is the sanctioning of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). “There are a whole slew of accreditation issues,” said Jeffrey Halpern, an associate professor in Rider’s Department of Sociology and a spokesperson for the school’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). “There is no way we see this being resolved within the deadline, which is July 1, 2018. All of the impediments would have to be cleared. Anyone who’s ever been involved in a civil suit would find that laughable.” According to Larry Livingston, interim president of Kaiwen’s Westminster Choir College Acquisition Corporation, the accreditation is proceeding as normal but hitting delays because of Westminster’s changing status. The process “involves elaborate reports, a site visit, and things typical of what every school goes through,” he said. “There is no possibility that it will be fully accredited until the transaction closes. But we’re working on it and there is no evidence at all that NASM
75¢ at newsstands
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Dems Win Council Seats; Upsets in BOE Vote
Princeton voters overwhelmingly supported the Democratic team of Eve Niedergang with 6,828 votes and Dwaine Williamson with 6,565 votes in the race for two seats with three-year terms on Princeton Council, according to unofficial results at press time. Current Council members Heather Howard and Lance Liverman will be stepping down on January 1. Though her Council bid fell short, Republican Lishian “Lisa” Wu won 2,074 votes, bolstered by her strong campaign to fight property tax increases. Democrats will continue to hold all six seats on Council in the coming year. In the hotly contested election for three seats on the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education (BOE), Brian J. McDonald, Daniel J. Dart, and incumbent Betsy Kalber Baglio prevailed against strong opposition from incumbent Dafna Kendal and Mary Clurman. McDonald won 3,895 votes, Dart 3,611, Baglio 3,303, Kendal 3,207, and Clurman 3,157. McDonald, Dart, and Baglio will begin new three-year terms on January 1, as BOE President Patrick Sullivan vacates his seat. The ten-member BOE will elect a new president for the coming year. A $27M school facilities bond referendum, scheduled to go before vot-
ers on December 1, was the source of much debate throughout the BOE campaign.The referendum price tag was reduced from an original proposal of $129.7M after significant resistance from Clurman, Dart, and others. The BOE will be seeking further public funding for renovations, upgrades, and new construction in the coming year. In the race to represent New Jersey in the United States Senate, Democratic incumbent Bob Menendez with about 54 percent of the votes held on to defeat Republican challenger Bob Hugin with about 43 percent. In the 12th District election for U.S.
House of Representatives, incumbent Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman coasted to victory with about 71 percent to about 29 percent for her Republican opponent Daryl Kipnis. Elected to the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders were Democrats Ann M. Cannon, 69,688 votes, Pasquale “Pat ” Colavita, 69,070 votes, and Samuel T. Frisby Sr., 66,701 votes. Also-rans included Republicans Michael Silvestri, 32,341 votes, Mary R. Walker, 32,052, and Cynthia Larsen, 32,393. Elected to a one-year term, running unopposed, was Democrat Nina D. Melker. —Donald Gilpin
Archaeology Day Offers Hands-On Exploration Of Princeton Battlefield Artifacts, Events
The Princeton Battlefield Society (PBS), in collaboration with Princeton University and the Historical Society of Princeton (HSP), will be hosting Public Archaeology Day this Saturday, November 10, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with an array of educational and recreational activities to engage participants. “You are invited to join students, Princeton University faculty, and professionals in the archaeological and historical exploration of the Princeton Battlefield,” the PBS announced. Princeton University Art and Archae-
ology Professors Nathan Arrington and Rachael DeLue, who teach the University’s “Battle Lab” course, will be working with participants throughout the day to examine the history and preservation of the Battlefield. “Princeton Battlefield Society is thrilled to be working with the University on this important and innovative course with Princeton Battlefield as its laboratory,” said PBS treasurer and event organizer Tom Pyle. “The knowledge it is imparting to students about practical archaeology Continued on Page 11
Continued on Page 8
Dining & Entertainment . . . 29 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Music/Theater . . . . . . 26 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 33 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 46 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
• Recycling • MONDAY For Princeton
RUNNING FOR A CAUSE: The weather was just about perfect and the foliage was at its peak on Sunday for the annual HiTOPS Princeton Half Marathon, which features a course located entirely in the heart of historic Princeton . All proceeds support the nonprofit organization’s programs and services for adolescents . (Photo by Erica M. Cardenas)