Volume LXXII, Number 39
Robotics & Education Pages 15 - 17 Reimagined Galleries at Morven . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Council Concerned About Planned Dinky Suspension . . . . . . . . 11 Toasting T .S . Eliot and George Gershwin . . . . 14 Bobby McFerrin at Richardson . . . . . . . . 24 PU Men’s Soccer Reels Off Three Wins . . . . . 30 Doran Starring on Defense as PHS Field Hockey Starts 5-0 . . . 33
IAS Director Robbert Dijkgraaf Welcomes New Scholars . . . . . . . . . . 10 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . .22, 23 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 27 Cinema . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Classified Ads . . . . . . 38 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Music/Theater . . . . . . 25 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 28 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 36 Police Blotter . . . . . . . . 4 Religion . . . . . . . . . . . 37 School Matters . . . . . . . 7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Tammy Murphy Promotes Climate Action at PU Andlinger Conference Calling for “a new mindset” in her keynote address last Friday at Princeton University’s conference on Accelerating Climate Action, New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy stated that she and her husband are committed to making New Jersey a “magnet for innovations and solutions” in the battle against climate change. Murphy urged an audience of about 100, including a mix of students, researchers, policymakers, and business and nonprofit leaders gathered at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, to join in the efforts to find solutions. Quoting the title of one of the day’s panel discussions, she highlighted “the interplay of technology innovation, public policy, market forces, and human behavior” in achieving environmental goals. Murphy, an advocate for a clean and sustainable economy who is the secretary and a charter member of the Climate Reality Action Fund founded by former Vice President Al Gore, delivered a farreaching commentary on the state’s efforts to become a national leader in climate action in both pushing back against political forces in Washington and in reversing declines that took place in New Jersey during the past eight years of the previous administration in Trenton. Commenting on her work on the environment, Murphy noted “political forces in Washington which are not only ignoring the warnings but actively denying what science and reality are telling us. It is clear that the progress we have made is being imperiled by bad public policy. The only thing more destructive than ignorance is willful inaction, and that unfortunately is exactly what we’re seeing.” New Jersey, however, she claimed, is “of a different mind. We know that by working to push back against climate change, we can not only make our state more resilient, we can create good jobs along the way.” Murphy went on to describe the state’s forward-looking policies on the environment as “our greatest break from President Trump’s thinking. We realize that our future relies on our embracing new ways of doing things that will lead to a new prosperity.” She added, “We can’t tackle the challenges of the 21st century Continued on Page 10
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Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Schools Consider Referendum Compromise In the face of widespread criticism and concern, voiced through public statements at meetings, through petitions, and elsewhere, Princeton Public Schools’ (PPS) Board of Education (BOE) is considering narrowing the scope of its $129.6M bond referendum proposal. As of press time yesterday, before last night’s BOE meeting, where listening to the community and discussing options — but no vote for two more weeks — were on the agenda, the BOE’s latest compromise plan called for a reduced referendum total of about $82.5M. A plan offered by the BOE Facilities Committee would split the proposal with the first question including $27M for immediate essential needs, like se-
curity, HVAC, and crucial renovations at all schools; and the second question of about $55M, which could pass only if the first question passed, including the construction of a new 5/6 school on the Valley Road site and the acquisition of the Thanet Road property for administration, transportation, and maintenance. More extensive improvements and expansion at Princeton High School (PHS) would be postponed for three or four years. For all these plans the BOE expects approvals soon from the State Department of Education. “We need to do the right thing for our kids,” said PPS Superintendent Steve Cochrane at last Saturday’s referendum information/discussion meeting in the PHS
cafeteria. “We hope to have more interactive discussion about this.” More interactive discussion is a certainty. In addition to Saturday’s lively session, with about 75 community members along with the superintendent, Board Chairman Patrick Sullivan, and several other BOE members in attendance, last night’s meeting was expected to be well attended, as is a gathering on the referendum at Witherspoon Presbyterian Church this Saturday, September 29 at 9:30 a.m. A pro-referendum group, Yes For Princeton Schools (Y4PS), was planning to present a petition with more than 200 signatures to the BOE at last night’s meeting, objecting to the ideas of limiting the scope of the referendum and postponing a major renovation of PHS. Explaining Y4PS’s concerns, Nicole Pezold-Hancock stated, “We believe that the Board of Education’s new proposal Continued on Page 7
Recyclables in Plastic Bags Will Not Be Collected
BOOKS, BOOKS, AND MORE BOOKS: The works of more than 80 authors and illustrators were featured at the Princeton Children’s Book Festival at Hinds Plaza on Saturday . Presented by Princeton Public Library, the annual event is one of the largest of its kind on the East Coast . (Photo by Erica M. Cardenas)
If you use plastic bags to dispose of recyclables, don’t expect your recycling to to be picked up any time soon. Princeton is getting tough on those who continue to dispose of newspapers or any other recyclables in plastic bags, Mayor Liz Lempert said at the Monday, September 24 meeting of Princeton Council at Witherspoon Hall. “Plastic bags and other contaminants will not be picked up,” she said. “We have a real problem in this country, and here in Princeton, with plastic bag recycling. Our recycling costs are going up by 40 percent with our new contract next year, in part because China has closed its doors to U.S. recycling. But we are working with our hauler to clean up our own, and see if it will bring our costs down.” Plastic bags interfere with the mechanisms used in recycling. “They get into the gears and break the machines,” Lempert said. “They are the worst thing you can put in your recycling.” Lempert said the town wants to work with the hauler on the problem. The hauler, in turn, wants assurance that Council “will back them up when they get angry phone calls,” said Lempert. “We are in conversation with them to find the best way to go.” Continued on Page 8