nj.com/bridgeton TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2011 Surace Dems ...media.nj.com/cumberland_impact/other/The News...
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YESTERDAY, TODAY OR TOMORROW Grand Jury indictments. Page A-5 nj.com/bridgeton TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2011 50¢ 6 56525 11071 9 ■ Standoff in Mannington. Page B-7. ■ Road projects. Page B-7. ■ Heat wave. Page B-7. Annie’s Mailbox ...... B-7 BEN column . . . A-8 Classified...... B-8 Comics ........ B-6 Community .... A-3 Crossword ..... B-5 Dr. Gott ....... B-7 Horoscope ..... B-7 Obituaries ..... A-7 Police Blotter . . A-5 Sports ........ B-1 Sudoku........ B-5 Television...... B-5 Viewpoint ..... A-4 Cloudy, High 91 Details, Page A-2. 30% chance of thunderstorms. WEATHER INSIDE TODAY INDEX Vol. 263, No. 145 Get local breaking news 24/7 at nj.com/cumberland Photo special to The News/Dave Hitchner Gary VanMeter Sr. as a volunteer firefighter. Hunsberger is retiring after 63 years at WSNJ Radio host is 93 PAUL HUNSBERGER By Dave Hitchner Special to The News Born and raised in Hopewell Township, 55-year- old Gary VanMeter Sr. has always been involved in and surrounded by the farming industry. The son of the late George and Kay VanMeter, Gary has been married for 37 years to the former Donna Ketcham. They are the proud parents of sons, Gary Jr., Danny and wife, Jenna, and grandparents of five. He has always been a part of VanMeter Farms, owned and operated by Gary’s grandfather and uncle. Potatoes and tomatoes were their primary crops until recently converting their land to rais- ing sod. Gary left farming for a short period to follow in his father’s footsteps operating construction Van Meter lifetime volunteer (See VANMETER, Page A-3) From staff reports VINELAND — Pineland Learning Center students in grades 9 and 10 raised $1,420 in support of the Jewish World Watch efforts to purchase solar cookers for the women of Darfur. The students first studied how World War II and the Holocaust led to the cre- ation of international organizations to protect human rights in their U.S. His- tory II classes, which is one of the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards. The goal of the project is to protect refugee women and girls from rape and violence while performing the critical task of collecting firewood for cooking. The refugees must search for wood outside of the camp, thus subjecting Pineland aids Darfur women (See PINELAND, Page A-3) Surace Dems’ choice TONY SURACE By Stephen Smith [email protected] BRIDGETON — Friends and family held a vigil for Andre E. Harris Monday evening as police continued to search for his killer. About 50 children and adults stood on the sidewalk and sat on porches sur- rounding 146 South Giles St., where Harris was shot on Friday afternoon. “He was a good dude. He was straight up and down like 6 o’clock,” said a man who declined to be identified. “He never had any trouble with the police or anything like that.” “He taught me to drive,” piped in another man. “He didn’t deserve to die this way.” Harris left behind two children with his longtime girlfriend, who others Vigil mourns murder victim (See VIGIL, Page A-3) By Greg Adomaitis [email protected] MILLVILLE — Paul Huns- berger has been in radio so long he uses a frame of reference to refresh his memory. “I’ve been married for 64 years and with WSNJ regularly for 63,” Hunsberger said Monday. Now, the 93-year-old will make one last sign off at “the end of this year.” QBC TV 2/radio WSNJ-AM President Jim Quinn was the first to know. As of a couple days ago, “It was just too much. “I told Jim I have to leave,” he said, citing his own and his wife’s health conditions. This was much the case back in 2007, but he opted to remain with the station. “My wife’s been wanting me to retire” and he’s told her “OOK, honey, this is it.” He and Roberta don’t have any vacations planned but retire- ment will give them the chance to take care of their needs. Hunsberger joined WSNJ in 1948. The World War II U.S. Army vet was in the service from 1943 to 1946. He hooked up with the station upon returning to Vineland after the war. Except, they told him there weren’t any openings so he went back to a Vineland station, “1360 AM on the dial,” and into sales work. Soon after, his future employer gave him a call and offered an opening. The station said their adver- tisers were switching accounts over to the now-defunct WWBZ- AM in Vineland. He jumped ship and signed a one-year contract with WSNJ. “That was the only contract I’ve seen since,” he said. This wasn’t his first foray into radio broadcasting. He worked as an announcer after high school and completed college courses before being drafted. There were three radio sta- tions in Cumberland County when Hunsberger started and all segments were done live and face to face. As technology in the field changed, so did Hunsberger’s roles — from sales work to pro- curing and producing his own shows and now account execu- tive with WSNJ. When announcer John Frank- lin announced he was relocating to Philadelphia, Hunsberger auditioned for his position. (See HUNSBERBGER, Page A-3) By Jason Laday [email protected] MILLVILLE — Former Millville High School football coach Robert “Tony” Surace is the county Democratic Party’s choice to replace Freeholder Jane Jannarone on the ballot in November. The decision will be finalized and officially announced at a press conference on Thursday at the American Legion, on Buck and Mulberry streets, at 6 p.m. Surace was the head football coach at Millville High School for 25 years before becoming the school’s athletic director prior to the 1997 season. He led the Thunderbolts to a state title in 1975. He also coached baseball for 19 years. Surace was inducted into the South Jersey Coaches Hall of Fame in 1994, the West Chester University Hall of Fame in 1995, the New Jersey Interscholastic Coaches Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Millville Thunderbolt Club Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. Since September 2005, he has worked as vice president of Salmon Ventures, a Millville-based firm that provides consulting services to utilities, government agencies, school districts, trade orga- nizations and businesses. (See SURACE, Page A-5) By Jarrett Renshaw Statehouse Bureau TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie, fresh from a two-week trip to the West, tried to silence Democratic critics Mon- day by offering to restore $139 million in aid to the state’s most distressed cities. But, there was a string attached. The governor insisted that Democrat- ic legislators allow him to retain over- sight as to how municipalities spend their money — including the authority to monitor local hiring and the awarding of contracts — on his own terms. The cities have been caught in a politi- cal tug of war since Christie vetoed the money, known as transitional aid, for the state’s poorest cities, without warn- ing. Christie, who pointed out during a news conference at the Statehouse that his budget had also included the aid, said he was forced to whittle the appro- Christie offers aid, but ... (See CHRISTIE, Page A-5)
Transcript of nj.com/bridgeton TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2011 Surace Dems ...media.nj.com/cumberland_impact/other/The News...
-
YesterdaY, todaY or tomorrow
Grand Jury indictments. Page A-5
nj.com/bridgeton TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2011 50¢
6 56525 11071 9
■ Standoff in Mannington. Page B-7 .■ Road projects. Page B-7 .■ Heat wave. Page B-7 .
Annie’s Mailbox . . . . . . B-7BEN column . . . A-8 Classified. . . . . . B-8 Comics . . . . . . . . B-6
Community . . . . A-3 Crossword . . . . . B-5 Dr. Gott . . . . . . . B-7 Horoscope . . . . . B-7 Obituaries . . . . . A-7
Police Blotter . . A-5 Sports . . . . . . . . B-1 Sudoku. . . . . . . . B-5 Television. . . . . . B-5 Viewpoint . . . . . A-4
Cloudy, High 91Details, Page A-2.
30% chance of thunderstorms.
WEATHERINSIDE TODAYINDEX
Vol. 263, No. 145
Get local breaking news 24/7 at nj.com/cumberland
Photo special to The News/Dave Hitchner
Gary VanMeter Sr. as a volunteer firefighter.
Hunsberger is retiringafter 63 years at WSNJ
Radio host is 93
PAUL HUNSBERGER
By Dave HitchnerSpecial to The News
Born and raised in Hopewell Township, 55-year-old Gary VanMeter Sr. has always been involved in and surrounded by the farming industry.
The son of the late George and Kay VanMeter, Gary has been married for 37 years to the former Donna Ketcham. They are the proud parents of sons, Gary Jr., Danny and wife, Jenna, and grandparents of five.
He has always been a part of VanMeter Farms, owned and operated by Gary’s grandfather and uncle.
Potatoes and tomatoes were their primary crops until recently converting their land to rais-ing sod.
Gary left farming for a short period to follow in his father’s footsteps operating construction
Van Meterlifetimevolunteer
(See VANMETER, Page A-3)
From staff reports
VINELAND — Pineland Learning Center students in grades 9 and 10 raised $1,420 in support of the Jewish World Watch efforts to purchase solar cookers for the women of Darfur.
The students first studied how World War II and the Holocaust led to the cre-ation of international organizations to protect human rights in their U.S. His-tory II classes, which is one of the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards.
The goal of the project is to protect refugee women and girls from rape and violence while performing the critical task of collecting firewood for cooking.
The refugees must search for wood outside of the camp, thus subjecting
Pinelandaids Darfurwomen
(See PINELAND, Page A-3)
Surace Dems’ choice
TONY SURACE
By Stephen [email protected]
BRIDGETON — Friends and family held a vigil for Andre E. Harris Monday evening as police continued to search for his killer.
About 50 children and adults stood on the sidewalk and sat on porches sur-rounding 146 South Giles St., where Harris was shot on Friday afternoon.
“He was a good dude. He was straight up and down like 6 o’clock,” said a man who declined to be identified.
“He never had any trouble with the police or anything like that.”
“He taught me to drive,” piped in another man. “He didn’t deserve to die this way.”
Harris left behind two children with his longtime girlfriend, who others
Vigilmournsmurdervictim
(See VIGIL, Page A-3)By Greg [email protected]
MILLVILLE — Paul Huns-berger has been in radio so long he uses a frame of reference to refresh his memory.
“I’ve been married for 64 years and with WSNJ regularly for 63,” Hunsberger said Monday.
Now, the 93-year-old will make one last sign off at “the end of this year.”
QBC TV 2/radio WSNJ-AM President Jim Quinn was the first to know.
As of a couple days ago, “It was just too much.
“I told Jim I have to leave,” he said, citing his own and his wife’s health conditions.
This was much the case back in 2007, but he opted to remain with the station.
“My wife’s been wanting me to retire” and he’s told her “OOK, honey, this is it.”
He and Roberta don’t have any vacations planned but retire-ment will give them the chance to take care of their needs.
Hunsberger joined WSNJ in 1948. The World War II U.S. Army vet was in the service from 1943 to 1946.
He hooked up with the station upon returning to Vineland after the war.
Except, they told him there weren’t any openings so he went back to a Vineland station, “1360 AM on the dial,” and into sales work.
Soon after, his future employer gave him a call and offered an opening.
The station said their adver-tisers were switching accounts over to the now-defunct WWBZ-AM in Vineland.
He jumped ship and signed a one-year contract with WSNJ.
“That was the only contract I’ve seen since,” he said.
This wasn’t his first foray into radio broadcasting. He worked as an announcer after high school and completed college courses before being drafted.
There were three radio sta-tions in Cumberland County when Hunsberger started and all segments were done live and face to face.
As technology in the field changed, so did Hunsberger’s roles — from sales work to pro-curing and producing his own shows and now account execu-tive with WSNJ.
When announcer John Frank-lin announced he was relocating to Philadelphia, Hunsberger auditioned for his position.
(See HUNSBERBGER, Page A-3)
By Jason [email protected]
MILLVILLE — Former Millville High School football coach Robert “Tony” Surace is the county Democratic Party’s choice to replace Freeholder Jane Jannarone on the ballot in November.
The decision will be finalized and officially announced at a press conference on Thursday at the American Legion, on Buck and Mulberry streets, at 6 p.m.
Surace was the head football coach at Millville High School for 25 years before becoming the school’s athletic director prior to the 1997 season.
He led the Thunderbolts to a state title in 1975.He also coached baseball for 19 years.Surace was inducted into the South Jersey
Coaches Hall of Fame in 1994, the West Chester University Hall of Fame in 1995, the New Jersey Interscholastic Coaches Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Millville Thunderbolt Club Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
Since September 2005, he has worked as vice president of Salmon Ventures, a Millville-based firm that provides consulting services to utilities, government agencies, school districts, trade orga-nizations and businesses.
(See SURACE, Page A-5)
By Jarrett RenshawStatehouse Bureau
TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie, fresh from a two-week trip to the West, tried to silence Democratic critics Mon-day by offering to restore $139 million in aid to the state’s most distressed cities.
But, there was a string attached.The governor insisted that Democrat-
ic legislators allow him to retain over-sight as to how municipalities spend their money — including the authority to monitor local hiring and the awarding of contracts — on his own terms.
The cities have been caught in a politi-cal tug of war since Christie vetoed the money, known as transitional aid, for the state’s poorest cities, without warn-ing.
Christie, who pointed out during a news conference at the Statehouse that his budget had also included the aid, said he was forced to whittle the appro-
Christieoffersaid, but ...
(See CHRISTIE, Page A-5)
