Planet Princeton

Superintendent Judy Wilson will retire at the end of the year.

The Princeton Public Schools Board of Education is hosting two public forums today and tomorrow to gather feedback from residents about the search for a new superintendent of schools.

The first forum will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. today. The second forum will be held tomorrow, May 22, from 7 to 9 p.m. Both forums will be held in the school board conference room at the district administration building at 25 Valley Road.

An online survey is also being conducted to gather feedback about what residents think are important skills and characteristics they would like to see in a superintendent. Thursday is the last day to take the online survey.  Click to continue →

Mall representatives finally confirmed on Facebook yesterday afternoon that an Apple retail store is coming to the mall. The Facebook post simply read guess who is coming to the Quaker Bridge Mall? It also included photo of a store front covered with the Apple logo.

The opening date for the store has not been announced, but employees at other are Apple retail stores have said the store will open in June.

The Quaker Bridge Mall renovation project began in the spring of 2012. By the end of this year, the mall will have welcomed more than 50 new retail and dining options including The Cheesecake Factory, bebe, Bachrach, LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, Michael Kors, and Sur La Table.

A Princeton University student who traveled to his home state Sunday is receiving treatment in a hospital there after he was diagnosed with meningitis Monday morning, school officials announced today. 

Three other cases of meningitis have been associated with the University since March.

The illnesses were caused by meningococcal bacteria known as type B, which has no effective vaccine but can be treated with common antibiotics. Health officials are conducting tests to determine the type of bacteria in the most recent case.

The previous cases include a student who developed symptoms of meningitis when returning to the area and went directly to the hospital in March,  a visitor on campus who was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis after returning to another state in April, and a student who received treatment at a local hospital after developing symptoms on campus May 6.

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Wohl

Richard Wohl, who has led the expansion of services at Princeton House Behavioral Health during the past two decades, has been named the organization’s first president.

A unit of Princeton HealthCare System, Princeton House is a leading provider of behavioral healthcare services. Wohl has managed Princeton House for the past 22 years as a senior vice president for Princeton HealthCare System. He will retain that title in addition to becoming president of Princeton House. Click to continue →

Roman

The Princeton Soccer Association has fired youth soccer coach Jorge Roman, who was charged Thursday with one count of possessing images of child pornography after federal agents searched his home and allegedly found what has been described as compromising, sexual movies of minor boys.

A letter was sent to by soccer association leaders to parents yesterday outlining the group’s policies to protect children and expressing shock about the allegations. The full text of the letter is below.

Roman, 48, is an assistant soccer coach at Rider University and previously was a coach at Princeton University. Click to continue →

Friday, May 17

“Dangerous Blossoms” Art Exhibition at the D&R Greenway Land Trust – Art ranges from images of plants that poison humans to beautiful but fatal flowers increasingly destroying native species in our region. Opening reception, 5:30 p.m.  to 7:30 p.m., free.

Lines of Reason Jazz Quartet – Concert featuring special guest Clifford Adams from Kool and The Gang on trombone and vocals, Joe Ford on alto and soprano saxophones, Alan Nelson on drums, Michael Cochrane on piano, and Nimrod Speaks on Bass is the second installment of the Paul Robeson Tribute Series which explores African American music and its impact on modern music. Arts Council of Princeton, 8 p.m., tickets $15, $10 for Arts council members, seniors and students.

“The Bard!” Presented by Princeton High School’s Spectacle Theatre – Shakespeare comes alive with this approachable introduction to the famous Bard’s life and times as well as abridged scenes from five Shakespeare plays, PRinceton High Performing Arts Center, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Click to continue →

Firefighters put out a fire in the living room of a Griggs Farm condo Thursday. Photo: Seth Callen.

A fire broke out on the second floor of a condominium at Griggs Farm Thursday night just after 8 p.m. Firefighters were able to quickly put out the fire on the 200 block of William Livingston Court and there were no injuries. The cause of the fire was not immediately known and the fire is still under investigation.

Eighteen handbags valued at more than $45,000 were stolen from a store on the first block of Hulfish Street around 11 a.m. on May 15, police said. The manager of a store told police the thieves fled on foot after threatening to harm the store employees if they did not cooperate. The suspects are described as three black males, all approximately 6-foot tall and 20 to 30 years old. Click to continue →

A Princeton youth soccer coach was arrested Thursday after federal agents searched his home and allegedly found “compromising, sexual movies of minor boys”, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a news release.

Jorge A. Roman, 48, has been charged with one count of possessing images of child pornography. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas Arpert in Trenton federal court on Thursday and was held pending bail.

According to the criminal complaint, over the last five years he allegedly ordered DVDs, photo CDs and downloads that exploited nude, minor boys that were marketed as “naturist films from around the world” on more than 40 occasions.

If convicted, Roman faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The first outdoor Princeton Farmers’ Market of the 2013 season will take place today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Hinds Plaza.The outdoor market will be held every Thursday until Nov. 21.

The Gunpowder Falls Band will perform at 11 a.m. and from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. The guest table today will be Homefront, a nonprofit that provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, and other services to families in Mercer County.

Vendors at the farmers’ market this season include: Click to continue →

The Corella and Bertram R. Bonner Foundation has awarded $40,000 to the Crisis Ministry of Mercer County to support the Crisis Ministry’s hunger prevention and housing stability programs for 2013. The hunger prevention program helps keep heart-healthy foods, including non-perishables and fresh produce, available to families that experience food insecurity.

The Bonner Foundation is a long-time supporter of the Crisis Ministry. It supports anti-poverty programs in the area of hunger and education, and concentrates many of its efforts in Central New Jersey, supporting 25 community-based and educational institutions that combat poverty, especially in the area of hunger. The foundation also supports the Bonner Scholar and Bonner Leader Programs, four-year, service-based college scholarship programs at more than 75 colleges and universities across the country that provide more than 3,200 students a year with access to education and an opportunity to do community service. Click to continue →

A Superior Court Judge today ruled against a citizen group that opposes the AvalonBay development in Princeton. A lawyer for the group Citizens for Sustainable Neighborhoods argued that the Princeton Zoning Board of Adjustment should have jurisdiction over the AvalonBay proposal instead of the Princeton Planning Board, but the judge disagreed.

Judge Mary Jacobson, using words like “silly” and “absurd” regarding some of the Sustainable Neighborhood group’s arguments,  ruled that the planning board has jurisdiction over the proposal to build  280 apartments, including 56 affordable units, at the downtown Princeton hospital site. Click to continue →