Training Trenton
Growing up in Trenton, my family moved to several houses around the area and I attended Cathedral Grammar and High schools in the heart of downtown. Memories are very fond of the movies theaters, Woolworth’s food counter and Dunham’s (my first job in gift wrapping) and Nevius-Voorhees department stores. Over the years, it changed, for whatever reasons and businesses closed, resulting in a much different look.
I graduated college in New York City, but came back to live with family in Ewing Township for one year. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to work as an art director in NYC, but recently, due to my mother’s health, I am now commuting on NJT every weekend.
Seeing what Trenton has evolved into is very disheartening. I absolutely agree with the article by L.A. Parker about the blight.
Wahab Onitiri will certainly have monumental challenges taking on the interim position of Public Works Director “until a comprehensive search can be conducted.”
Taking the train every Friday and Sunday night has given me a perspective that might help whomever get appointed.
It appears to me that Trenton is in a prime location to be viable for young professionals, millennials, hipsters, trustarfarians or any other demographic. But no, it’s not happening. (Even I don’t tell anyone I live in Trenton. I always say Ewing.) Seems like Trenton is just a transfer stop. Everyone’s getting on SEPTA to the burgeoning growth of Philly.
Until Trenton cleans up it’s trash mentality, it will never offer any appeal except for a train change. I’d suggest Mayor Gusciora start a slogan contest for residents to “Theme Trenton.”
My suggestion would be: “Trenton
— Change Your Life!”
— Gerri Guadagno, NY & NJ will remember his campaign promise and do everything in his power to end the state’s black bear hunts. As for the claim from the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife regarding an increase in the population, it has been proven bears start breeding at an earlier age and produce more cubs when a third of their numbers are killed each year. When they are allowed to live, breeding decreases as they age, just like with many other species. The normal life span for a bear is twenty-five to thirty years. Most bears living in hunting zones are dead by five. They are capable of controlling their own numbers when left alone, something hunters do not want the public to know.
What is needed is not hunting but an inquiry into exactly what actions the division of wildlife takes in order to increase bear fertility. It is known biologists enter dens to give bears shots and collect data. Perhaps the shots are steroids to speed growth and make them mature faster. Who knows how the collected data is used?
Wildlife watchers spend much more money than hunters. They pay taxes on public lands and the state agencies connected to them. Many visit state forests in hopes of seeing or photographing bears along with other wild creatures. On these trips, money is spend on lodging, food, and transportation.
Black bears should be observed and studied in their natural habitat. We could learn a lot from them. Their sense of smell is seven times greater than a bloodhound’s. It has been recently documented that some dogs can be trained to sniff cancer in samples of blood, urine, tissue, and saliva, paying more attention to cancerous samples. Bears also show an interest in animal and human urine. They can determine the present health of another wild animal by smelling traces of urine they came across. We should be watching not brutally killing them.
— Jean Mollack