A really old time capsule once again saw the light of day, the Camden & Amboy Railroad Right-of-Way Site was recognized as an historic site, the Hightstown High School Team Mercury 1089 robotics team took home second place in the Curie Division at World Championships and the 50th reunion of the high school’s first graduating class were among the 2016 highlights in Hightstown., And so the year began in . . ., January, Council approved a resolution authorizing a shared services agreement with East Windsor Township for dispatch services during its regular meeting., In a 4-2 vote, council approved the resolution. Council members Seth Kurs and Susan Bluth voted no due to concerns over language in the resolution., “My only concern is that there are some paragraphs in there that leave us open to problems in the future,” said Council member Kurs. “Before we pass it, I would like to see those paragraphs tightened up a bit in the language less ambiguous.We are not looking at unintended, unexpected costs in the future because we are pushing through a resolution now that we all might want, but the language needs to be better to avoid any problems in the future.”, Council member Bluth agreed., “I fully support the concept of the agreement,” she said. “I fully support sharing our municipality services with East Windsor. My concerns, as with Mr. Kurs, is I would like to see some of the language tightened up.”, Local resident Stacey Judge, chairwoman of the Parks and Recreation Commission, is the recipient of the Mercer County Woman of Achievement Award., The announcement was made by Hightstown Borough Council member Susan Bluth at the council’s Jan. 19 meeting., The Woman of Achievement Award was established to honor a Mercer County resident who volunteers time to make the county a better place to live, raise a family and work, according to the Mercer County website., “It is a great accomplishment for Stacey,” said Ms. Bluth. “It is a great accomplishment for Hightstown.”, Mayor Larry Quattrone nominated Ms. Judge, a volunteer in the borough for more than 12 years, for her dedication to Hightstown Borough and its residents, according to a press release., February, Despite concerns raised by some resident, borough council unanimously passed the introduction of an ordinance – replacing and amending its current ordinance – to re-establish the title of chief of police during its council meeting on Feb. 1., “This ordinance will re-establish the position of chief of police and will repeal the position of police director,” said Borough Attorney Frederick Raffetto., He said that the ordinance was been updated based on recommendations by Elizabeth Garcia, the borough’s labor counsel., According to the ordinance, the chief of police shall be the executive head of the department, and shall have complete authority regarding the day-to-day operations of the police department. The chief shall consult and cooperate with the borough administrator, as appropriate authority., The Hightstown High School Varsity Cheerleaders took second place recently at the Northeast Championship Regionals and the Garden State Championship and are headed to Disney World to compete at the national competition this weekend., “This competition is the toughest that the girls will ever compete in,” said co-coach Dana Kamaras, also a mathematics teacher at the high school, in an email. “They must perform a nearly perfect routine. We are hoping to make it to finals and move up to the top.”, The team’s second-place finish in the Northeast Championship Regionals and the Garden State Championship secured its spot in the national competition., The UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship was held Feb. 6-7 in Orlando, Florida at the ESPN SportsCenter complex., The Hightstown Cultural Arts Commission teamed up with local eateries to explore the Empty Bowls program and use “artwork to end hunger.”, “The Hightstown Cultural Arts Commission has been exploring numerous ways to connect with our community, and this project was something that both I and Adam Welch had considered independently,” said Ann Marie Miller, chair of the Cultural Arts Commission, in an email on Feb. 5. “Our minds came together at the December Cultural Arts Commission meeting.”, Empty Bowls is an international program that engages participating artists to create and donate handmade bowls in which a simple meal is served to a gathering of community members. In exchange for the meal and the hand-made bowl, guests contribute a donation., The Peddie School turned 208 years old this month and celebrated the occasion by honoring two of its alumni and opening a time capsule during its Founders Day celebration Feb. 19., “Today is a great day of celebrating our past,” said Dean of Students Peter McClellan. “Our past can merely be an excavation, but it has to be an act of self creation in the present.”, The entire student body of 545 students, staff, alumni and board of trustees gathered or the celebration inside Ayers Memorial Chapel on the Peddie School Campus., The school was marking the 208th birthday of Thomas Baldwin Peddie, the namesake of the school, who was born in Edinburg, Scotland, on Feb. 12, 1808. After his father died, Mr. Peddie emigrated to America in 1833 at the age of 25 to seek his fortune. He settled in Newark, N.J., as an apprentice in a leather factory, making saddles and leather trunks, according., Students at Walter C. Black Elementary School raised more $3,700 for the American Heart Association by participating in the annual “Jump Rope for Heart’ event in February., The top two fundraisers for the school are both third-graders. Chase Deutsch raised $525 and Jack Rubin raised $255 at the event. Students in third, fourth and fifth participated., Students participated in many jump-roping, hula-hooping and basketball shooting activities during their physical education classes. While participating in these events, students had the opportunity to contribute to the fight against heart disease and stroke by raising money for heart research and education., March, A former Hightstown police officer, who faced unspecified charges filed by the borough in 2007 and was suspended with pay and later dismissed as part of an agreement, was arrested for driving while under the influence and various other charges after a March 1 accident on Allentown Road in Robbinsville., Glen Moore, 46, of Robbinsville, was also charged with failure to report an accident, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to maintain lane, careless driving, reckless driving and failure to use a hands-free device after the incident. He was charged and released pending a court date., According to a story in the Windsor-Hights Herald from March 2010, the Hightstown Borough Council approved a settlement with Mr. Moore after having paying him for nearly three years while he was on suspension for unspecified charges., On March 1, 2010, the borough council approved “a settlement and general release agreement” with Mr. Moore on a 4-2 vote. According to the approved resolution, “the borough filed certain charges” against Mr. Moore on Nov. 26, 2007., The East Windsor Regional School District Board of Education recognized district teachers and educational specialist who were selected as Governor’s Educators of the Year at its meeting on March 7., “Tonight is a very special night we get to recognize our teachers and specialists of the year,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Richard Katz. “We are so fortunate to have an exceptional staff of so many great teachers, great specialists, support staff.”, The program highlights educational innovation, student achievement, the rewards of teaching, and the important services outside the classroom environment that lead to student success, according to the district website., The teachers cited included: From the Perry L. Drew School, Theresa Moran and Susan Fernandez; from the Ethel McKnight School, Robert Bucci and Stephanie Tafone; from the Grace N. Rogers School, Michelle Ruff; from the Walter C. Black School, Karen Haug; from the Melvin H. Kreps School, Elizabeth Somer and Kristen Cifuentes; and from Hightstown High School, Candice Bland and Amy Gazaleh., The Camden & Amboy Railroad Right-of-Way Site along Rogers Avenue has been recognized as an historic site by the state review board of historic sites and will be listed in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. It will now be sent to Washington, D.C., to be considered by the National Park Service for the National Register of Historic Places., The Camden & Amboy Railroad Right-of-Way Site is a small, preserved portion of the first roadbed laid for the Camden & Amboy Railroad in 1832. It contains 22 undisturbed sleeper stones that have been deliberately exposed for the purpose of interpretation and public viewing. They were installed to support the iron rails of the first construction of the railroad., The importance of this site is underscored by the fact that in 1984 historians from the Smithsonian Institute visited Hightstown to inspect the site and negotiate the acquisition of a portion of it. Hightstown Borough donated eighteen sleeper stones from the line just to the north of this property to the Smithsonian to accompany their Transportation Museum’s centerpiece, the original John Bull steam locomotive., April, He battled warmer than usual temperatures, a headwind and pain in his feet, legs and hips, but Hightstown High School alum Jeremy Klapper managed to finish his fourth Boston Marathon Monday., Mr. Klapper, who ran cross country for HHS, wanted to run this marathon in his original cross country jersey, circa 2000. But that one couldn’t be found, but he did end up running the marathon in Highstown Rams uniform., He said he decided to run in the Boston Marathon because it is the oldest annual marathon in the world., “In addition, I love the city, the atmosphere and the environment,” said Mr. Klapper., Local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Union members joined to help run a food drive to support their local food pantry located next door., Hightstown Mayor Larry Quattrone and Rise Executive Leslie Koppel were on hand to receive the donation and help unload the food at food pantry., “In 2012, IBEW Local 94 started a Young Workers Committee, as a way of generating involvement of the millennial generation, in our local union and the labor movement,” said Kenneth “Buddy” Thomas, president and business manager of IBEW Local Union 94 in an email., The union started with six members and now has 18 members., A Hightstown man was injured Monday when the bicycle he was riding was hit by vehicle on Route 130 North., Rigoberto Mendez, 49, of Hightstown, suffered both upper body and lower body injuries when his bicycle was struck by a 1999 Honda Odyssey driven by Ester Tulayan, 51, of East Windsor., According to a report by the East Windsor Police Department, the vehicle driven by Ms. Tulayan was traveling north on Route 130 in the left lane when it collided with the bicycle that was attempting to cross the northbound lanes of Route 130, from east to west, in the area of the Dunkin’ Donuts., Following the collision, the Honda Odyssey came to rest in the left lane of Route 130 North with front-end damage. Mr. Mendez was ejected from the bicycle upon impact and was thrown into the left lane of Route 130 North., Mr. Mendez was transported by ambulance to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton. Ms. Tulayan and six passengers in her vehicle were uninjured., Hightstown High School’s Team Mercury 1089 robotics team took home second place in the Curie Division at World Championships., “We placed second place, which made us a captain of an alliance in the elimination tournament,” said team advisor Chris Gregory in an email on May 5. “Sadly, we were eliminated in the tournament, but we learned a lot, and had a great time competing.”, FIRST Robotics team competed April 27–30 in St. Louis, MO, against 75 teams in the Curie Division. There were 600 teams from around the world there, broken into eight divisions of 75 teams each, from places like Israel, Mexico and Canada., The HHS team has around 60 active students ranging in grades 9-12., May, The “Steward of Hightstown History” award for 2015 was presented to Chris and Holly Moraitis during the council’s May 16 meeting., Mr. Moraitis was present to receive the plaque from Mayor Larry Quattrone and council member Connor Montferrat, also the council’s Historic Preservation Commission liaison., Mr. Montferrat explained how one receives the award., “After three nominations from the Historic Preservation Commission on the way their houses are restored, rehabilitated or preserved,” he said., The council resolution reads: “The Steward of Hightstown History award is given to a recipient selected by the Hightstown Historic Preservation Commission recognizing the owner of a historic property who demonstrates a long-term commitment to preservation through careful property maintenance, restoration or rehabilitation.”, Mr. Montferrat said that a minimum of three nominees are presented to the Historic Preservation Commission for deliberation and selection., “A plaque is presented to the most deserving applicant as determined by the commission,” he said. “The Hightstown Preservation Commission have deliberated the proposed nominees and found that Chris Moraitis and Holly Moraitis, of 208 Stockton Street, have been found to the be the most deserving of the award for 2015.”, He said that the Moraitis’ house was formerly owned by two doctors and had a side wing doctor’s office with several adverse adjustments made to the house over the past 75-plus years., The Hightstown Borough Council recognized Emergency Medical Services Week May 15-22 as it presented its first aid members with a resolution during its meeting on May 16., “It’s an amazing feat that you guys do every night – taking the calls, helping out the public, responding to emergencies,” said council member Seth Kurs, a First Aid liaison, who has been an Emergency Medical Technician and volunteer for almost 30 years., “It’s a selfless act. And it’s an honor to be the one to present this resolution to you tonight,” he said., Mr. Kurs read the resolution to members of the Hightstown First Aid Squad as they stood next to him and Mayor Larry Quattrone for the presentation., According to borough website, Hightstown First Aid Squad has been providing emergency medical services to the borough and mutual aid to surrounding areas since 1935., The selection process regarding the newly appointed chief of police was called into question once again by a resident who still wasn’t satisfied at the council’s last meeting on May 16., Resident Lynne Woods – who ran for a council seat in November 2015 and was defeated – noted during a public comment portion that she had responses to comments from the Police Commissioner Seth Kurs and several other members of council from the previous council going back to the May 2 meeting., “I am not a lawyer, I am an English teacher,” said Ms. Woods. “I know the definition of words and the very definition of slander is to make false, spoken statements to cause people to have a bad opinion of somebody. I would think that a lawyer would know that.”, Ms. Woods said that she did not give out misinformation during the public comment portion of the May 2 meeting., Despite gloomy skies and a brief shower, residents gathered from around the surrounding communities and lined the streets of the borough to watch the 96th annual Hightstown-East Windsor Memorial Day Parade., “Memorial Day is the time for Americans to reconnect with their history and core values by honoring those who gave their lives for the ideas we cherish,” said Carol Nelson, parade narrator., More then 1 million American service members have died in the wars and conflicts since the first colonial soldiers took up arms in 1775 to fight for independence, she added., During the parade, Ms. Nelson highlighted the parade stops at various monuments along the route. She said as one could see Hightstown and East Windsor come together to pay tribute to every American service member who has died in defense of this great country., Among the local and county officials were in attendance included Hightstown Mayor Larry Quattrone; Hightstown council members Steven Misiura, Seth Kurs, Susan Bluth, Connor Montferrat and Lee Stults; East Windsor Township Mayor Janice Mironov; East Windsor Township Deputy Mayor Peter Yeager; East Windsor council members Denise Daniels, Marc Lippman, Perry Shapiro, Alan Rosenberg, and John Zoller; Mercer County Surrogate Diane Gerofsky; and Mercer County Freeholder Lucylle Walter., June, While school is winding down for the year, Rise is already thinking about how to get kids ready for going back to school in the fall., Busy collecting backpacks and school supplies for low-income children in the community, Rise is hosting its eight annual Backpack Drive., “The program got started at the Rise summer camp,” said Leslie Koppel, executive director of Rise. “We wanted to start the kids that spent the summers with the tools they needed for a successful school year.”, She said that it soon spread to all of the families that use Rise services., “Some local houses of worship had similar programs and we all decided to pool our resources so that all families in our Hightstown and East Windsor community can come pick up a backpack if they are struggling financially,” she said., Plus, Rise is open every weekday so it is easy for parents to pick up school supplies, she added., “Rise – A Community Service Partnership provides assistance to hundreds of local individuals and families,” said Maria Cunningham, Rise volunteer event coordinator in an email. “We’re getting ready for our 2016 RISE HAS GOT YOUR BACKpack Drive., “Last year, 578 local students started the school year with new backpacks and supplies,” she said. “Our goal this year is to provide 600 new backpacks to students.”, According to Ms. Cunningham, Rise will fill the backpacks with supplies, including pencils, pens, notebooks, rulers, erasers, crayons, glue sticks, highlighters, dry erase markers, water bottles and insulated lunch bags., The dedication of the renovated education wing at the First Presbyterian Church of Hightstown was held June 5 during a special worship service followed by the dedication ceremony., The wing has housed the Better Beginnings Child Development Center since 1969, and the relationship is vibrant. All are welcome to join in the celebration., The education wing was showing its 50-year age and could not keep up with the needs of its users. Through a successful capital campaign and an extensive year of renovation, the building is re-vitalized and once again provides a warm and welcoming home to all., Approximately 390 seniors graduated at the 101st annual Hightstown High School commencement ceremony June 21 at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton., The class valedictorian was Jai C. Patel and the class salutatorian was Niranjan Shankar., Class officers for 2016 included Allison Gleich, president; Nicole Elena Charache, vice president; and Devon DiComo, vice president. Student council president was Jay Vaingankar., July, Sometimes, change throws people a curveball., That’s what apparently happened with the Hightstown Farmers Market., For the past 15 years, the market has been held on Fridays. But the folks who used to organize the market gave it up after last season., When the Hightstown movers and shakers decided they wanted the market to continue this season, it was decided that it should be under the auspices of the Hightstown Parks and Recreation Department. And the committee that was handling the details for this year’s farmers market thought that it would attract more vendors and more people if the day were changed to Thursday, which wouldn’t interfere with any weekend plans., In theory, it seemed to make sense. In reality, what happened was that folks were so used to showing up on Fridays for the farmers market that they continued to show up on Fridays., And there was no farmers market to be found on that day., “It was a natural evolution that parks and rec would take over coordinating the market. We were hoping to broaden the spectrum of people who would come out to the market,” said Mairead Thompson, an alternate member of the parks and recreation department committee. “It was on Fridays all those years and everybody expected it to continue to be on Fridays.”, But when it was moved to Thursdays, few people showed up., “It wasn’t something that we anticipated,” said Ms. Thompson., The 4th annual Latino Festival of Hightstown/East Windsor was held July 30 at the Rocky Brook Park in Hightstown., This multicultural community celebration will showcase music and dance, art and crafts displays, children’s games, and food from popular area restaurants. The event is free and open to the public, and free parking is available., “We are excited to be able to bring together such a wonderful group of Latino artists to share their traditions, creativity and passion with our community,” Dr. Carlos Fernandez, director for the Rutgers University Center for Latino Arts and Culture and member of the organizing committee., The festival brought together artists and ensembles from across New Jersey and the Tri-State Area. It will feature live folkloric and popular music and dance representing traditions from diverse newcomer and longstanding Latino communities in our region, including those originating in Bolivia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Puerto Rico., August, Sylvia Weiss and her granddaughter Marci Meixler took a lot of walks together. During those walks, they would inevitably stop and chat with people along the way., “She knew everyone and everyone liked her,” said Ms. Meixler. “I think she was such a pillar in the community because she was involved in so many activities and had made such a large contribution. She saw a need and filled it and her legacy remains in the many people who are continuing to benefit from her forward-thinking actions and ability to get things done.”, Getting things done. That’s what Sylvia Weiss did for her communities of East Windsor and Hightstown., Ms. Weiss died Aug. 7 at the age of 101, and family, friends and colleagues have spent the past few weeks remembering what she meant to her family and her communities., She volunteered for everything, it seemed, including the PTA of her children’s school, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Hadassah, the League of Women Voters, and more recently, at Better Beginnings in Hightstown., Ms. Weiss initiated and developed East Windsor’s Senior Citizen program, was an East Windsor Township Council member, chairwoman of the East Windsor Township Commission on Aging, and a long-time national board member of Elder Hostel (now Road Scholar)., The Hightstown Borough Police Department, flanked by the Hightstown mayor and council, members of the community, family and friends, gathered Aug. 11 to celebrate the promotion of Chief Frank Gendron, Sgt. Ronald Stephensen, Sgt. Francisco Jimenez, and the appointment of three officers Patrolman Ryan Buck, Patrolman Daniel Abbatemarco, and Patrolman Vincent Doell., Chief Gendron, along with the two sergeants and three officers, were sworn into their respective offices by Mayor Lawrence D. Quattrone and Police Commissioner Seth A. Kurs., Hightstown Mayor Larry Quattrone and the borough council presented a proclamation of appreciation to Mrs. Virginia Nardino and her students at Hightstown High School for their work on the refurbishment of the Hightstown Borough gateway signs., “It means so much to us that the students took time to contribute to the betterment of the borough,” said Mayor Quattrone, who made the presentation at the Aug. 15 council meeting., Resident Gary Grubb spoke on the project and its beginnings, which he explained is a great, but simple example of community service. Although the six signs do not require painting every year, nearly half a dozen students gave back to their community under the leadership of Mrs. Nardino., Nearly 1,000 motorcycles will pass through downtown Hightstown as part of the annual America’s 9/11 Ride, which will be making its final ride Saturday, Aug. 20., The America’s 9/11 Ride is about remembering the heroes, volunteers and victims who lost their lives Sept. 11, 2001, and since. The annual memorial ride takes place the third weekend in August, respecting each site and the survivors., ”This is the final ride and my wife and I have registered to join them,” said America’s 9/11 Ride Hightstown coordinator Paul Kocher on Sunday. “Lori and I are excited and honored to be joining the foundation on this final ride.”, According to Butch Budai, New Jersey contact for the America’s 911 Foundation, this year will be the final ride because of the challenging logistics of putting together the three-day event., September, Hightstown Borough hosted its 9th Annual Triathlon Sunday, Sept.11, 2016. This year race categories include Triathlon, Duathlon, AquaBike and Relay Teams. As the race falls on Patriot Day, the finisher medals, t-shirts and awards will all carry the “Remember 9/11” theme and a portion of the proceeds will also be donated to a 9/11 First Responders Fund., Last year’s race attracted about 350 athletes who came from near and far to participate in the beginner-friendly race that starts and ends in downtown Hightstown by Peddie Lake, according to Stacey Judge, co-race organizer and chairwoman of the Hightstown Parks and Recreation Commission., The finish line for this year’s race will be on Main Street in Hightstown. The course has been altered slightly from last year to accommodate safer traffic patterns in town., The triathlon is the largest fundraiser for the borough’s Parks and Recreation Department., Vicki Mack’s classmates threatened to have her lead them in a cheer at their class reunion. After all, Ms. Mack had been captain of the varsity cheerleading team at Hightstown High School her senior year., But she put a stop to all that cheerleading talk, and quickly., “I said, after 50 years, forget that!” said Ms. Mack, a Cranbury native., That was only one of memorable and lighthearted exchanges during the 50th reunion weekend of the Hightstown High School Class of 1966, held Sept. 9-11.The class has the distinction of being the first graduating class from what was then the new Hightstown High School., What is now Grace N. Rogers Elementary School on Stockton Street in Hightstown was the high school for many from that era. Construction on the new high school began in the early 1960s and was completed in the fall of 1965., When students — who came from Hightstown, East Windsor, Cranbury and Monroe Township then — came back from Christmas break in January 1966, they were in a brand new school., Six months later, the Class of 1966 graduated 168 seniors., October, Carve them, bake them, mash them – even, smash them. For many, October is the ultimate season for pumpkin everything., And whether your custom is stepping in line at your favorite café for a sip of something hot and pumpkin spiced, or a trip with your family to the pumpkin patch to pick out the best pumpkin to carve into a jack-o-lantern, pumpkins are all the rage this fall season., But for Hightstown resident Glen Dalessandro – the self-proclaimed “King of Carving” – that pumpkin craze does not just begin and end with the month of October., Mr. Dalessandro has been carving, crafting and painting pumpkins and gourds professionally since 1991., Hightstown’s own Hometown Harvest Festival celebrated its 14th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 8, despite this fall season’s relentless stormy weather forecast., “From what I’ve been overhearing, the rain has slowed things down a bit,” Hightstown Fair Volunteer, Emily Tufford, 17, said while manning the Harvest Festival’s information booth., A senior at The Peddie School, Ms. Tufford went on to note, “People are still out and about today though, walking around with their family and friends.”, As a colorful sea of umbrellas and tents helped to ward off the threat of raindrops, more than 200 vendors featured crafts and collectibles for fair-goers to thumb through as they strolled through the center of town., Marching band color guards traditionally use flags, sabers and rifles in their shows. But Hightstown High School’s marching band decided to ignore the traditional props this year and instead went with pink yoga balls, Hula Hoops, umbrellas and bicycles., Pink yoga balls? Bicycles?, Yep. And all the funky ideas did was help earn the band its undefeated season and first-ever state title., “We thought about what crazy things we could use and do on the field that haven’t been done before,” said Justin Halat, a music teacher in the school district who is in his fifth year as band director at Hightstown High School., But it wasn’t just the outside-the-box thinking that earned the band the New Jersey State Championship on Oct. 30. It’s Mr. Halat’s first state title as a director as well and he has had a sense from the beginning of the school year that this band might be something special., November, Three juveniles were charged with armed robbery after targeting a victim who was making a withdrawal from at AMT at the Wells Fargo Bank., At approximately 10:15 p.m. on Nov. 11, a 17-year-old male victim was walking away after making a withdrawal the bank’s ATM on South Main Street in Hightstown when he was accosted by three males, one of whom produced a silver, revolver style, handgun, and made demands for money. The victim turned over to $140 in cash to the actors and then fled. One of the assailants pursued the victim, who was able to escape without incident., An investigation by Hightstown Police into the incident resulted in the identification of one of the subjects. Officers, during their patrol on the following day, observed one of the actors, wearing the same attire as described and found on video surveillance., The actor, a 15-year-old male from Hightstown, was taken into custody and was found in possession of the firearm, which was a simulated handgun, depicted as a silver revolver., Officers were able to identify the other two suspects, a 16- year-old male of East Windsor and a 17-year-old male, also of East Windsor. All three subjects were taken into the custody, with the 17-year-old being arrested on Nov. 15., The Highstown Rams Junior Pee Wee Cheerleaders proved hard work and determination pays off by taking first place first place at the Eastern Region Pop Warner Cheer competition held Nov. 12 at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton., The girls competed against 14 other teams from New York, NewJersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware to win the championship. The group of 16 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders will now head to Florida to compete Dec. 7 for the national championship at Disney World., December, Have you ever had a problem and felt like you were the only one going through it?, The men and women of City of Angels, an organization that helps guide people with addiction to treatment and supports them in their recovery, understand that feeling of being alone., That is why in May 2013, Recovery Radio was born. According to the City of Angels’ website, Recovery Radio is the world’s first and only radio station that plays original recovery talk all day, every day. It is on air 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and hosts more than a dozen shows that focus on virtually every aspect of recovery from addiction., The radio station operates out of the First Baptist Church in Hightstown, and is available to anyone, anytime completely free of charge., There are a lot of cat and dog idioms out there: the cat’s out of the bag, sick as a dog, there’s no room to swing a cat, the dog days of summer, it’s raining cats and dogs., Then there’s fighting like cats and dogs. That’s one idiom that Doug Davidson finds more practical than the others., Mr. Davidson, manager of environmental health services for Hightstown, Robbinsville and West Windsor, wants to make sure that the cats and dogs don’t actually fight like cats and dogs. That’s why he’s on hand at the free rabies clinics the health department offers, like the one held Dec. 1 at the Hightstown First Aid Squad Building on Bank Street in Hightstown., The free clinic is an annual event in Hightstown. This year’s clinic attracted approximately 50 animals – which were required to be on a leash or in a carrier – who got their rabies shots. Mr. Davidson said there were more dogs than cats at this year’s event, which is typically held in Hightstown the first week in December., A police manhunt that put the Peddie School on lockdown for nearly three hours Thursday afternoon ended with authorities catching two teenagers who had crashed their stolen car on the lawn of the campus, fled and were found hiding a top of a school building., Peter S. Davidson, 19, of Cornwall, New York, and his 17-year-old girlfriend were brought down from the unidentified building, with the aid of the borough fire department, police said. The girl, whose name was not disclosed, was hospitalized “for evaluation,” while Mr. Davidson was being held on undisclosed charges, police said., They had been traveling through town in a reported stolen GMC SUV out of New York, when around 1:45 p.m. a Hightstown Police officer spotted the SUV driving “in a reckless manner” and passing other vehicles in the opposite traffic lane, police alleged. Police said the officer turned down South Street and saw that the SUV had crashed on the Peddie lawn on South Main Street and South and Mr. Davidson and the girlfriend fleeing., The two “hopped a fence” to get on campus with police later saying they were getting reports that they were armed. A BB gun allegedly was found in the SUV, police claimed.
