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Mercer County Wildlife Center seeks volunteer support

The Mercer County Wildlife Center, a rehabilitation facility whose goal is to release wildlife back into the wild, will hold orientations for new volunteers Sunday, April 2, from 1 to 3 p.m. and Saturday, April 8, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Wildlife Center in Hopewell Township. 

 

Volunteers must be able to commit to one four-hour shift per week from April through September. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age and are required to attend one orientation session. Volunteer duties are varied and include enclosure cleaning, meal preparation, laundry and other miscellaneous tasks that help ensure the proper care and health of the Wildlife Center’s patients.

 

Those who are interested are required to attend only one of the two sessions. If you would like to attend, please email Kimberly Dawes, Volunteer Education Coordinator, at mcwcvolunteers@gmail.com. Pre-registration is required. These are the only orientations scheduled for the 2023 season.

 

The Wildlife Center, which is owned by the County of Mercer and operated by the Mercer County Park Commission, is located on Route 29 in Hopewell Township. For more information about the Wildlife Center or other Park Commission facilities, visit www.mercercounty.org/parks.

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Lifestyle Local Events

Mercer County announces 2023 summer youth employment program

Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes has announced a summer youth employment program that will provide paid internships and work readiness training to teens and young adults in the County.

Priority is given to those who are economically disadvantaged or have barriers to employment; however, the program is open to all.

Mercer County’s Summer Youth Jobs Connection, which is being funded by a grant from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development and coordinated by the Mercer County One-Stop Career Center, will benefit more than 100 youth ages 16 to 24 with summer employment meant to encourage a successful transition to the workforce.

Summer Youth Jobs Connection is an eight-week program that begins July 3 and concludes Sept. 1. Participation is open to Mercer County residents ages 16 to 24 who meet the criteria. Interns will be paid $15 an hour with an opportunity to earn $3,000 for the summer. Read more.

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Business Culture Government Lifestyle Local News News Now! Regulations & Security

Mercer County Exec. Brian M. Hughes announces that Moody’s Investors Service reaffirms Aa2 rating

Healthy score reflects confidence in county’s fiscal management, and saves taxpayers money

Citing the county’s conservative budgeting, strong governance and its growing and diverse economy, Moody’s Investors Service on Tuesday reaffirmed Mercer County’s global long term and short-term ratings at Aa2, County Executive Brian M. Hughes announced today.

 

 

“This news reflects Moody’s confidence in Mercer County’s ability to manage its finances,” said County Executive Hughes.

 

“This reaffirmation recognizes the county’s stable finances, shows businesses that Mercer County is a great place to grow, and cites our access to job centers.”

 

In announcing their decision, Moody’s analysts noted that Mercer County “is well positioned to continue its trend of satisfactory finances,” and that Mercer’s economy “has grown faster than the nation’s.”

 

The pandemic has only a limited impact on the county’s economy, and in December 2022, the unemployment rate was 2.5 percent, lower than state or national rates, according to Moody’s.

Mercer County has consistently held a solid credit rating. Higher bond ratings mean the county can borrow at lower interest rates and make the county’s bonds more attractive for investors, thus saving taxpayer money.

 

Also, yesterday, Moody’s Investors Service has assigned a Moody’s Investment Grade MIG 1 rating – the highest quality — to Mercer County’s $155.4 million Bond Anticipation Notes of 2023, Series A, stating the rationale for the rating “reflects the county’s strong underlying credit quality, reflected in its Aa2 stable issuer rating, and demonstrated history of market access.”

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Culture Government Lifestyle Local News Regulations & Security

Mercer County to salute Vietnam War veterans March 29

TRENTON, N.J. — Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes invites the public to join the County in recognizing National Vietnam War Veterans Day on Wednesday.

 

Photo: The Mercer County Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Mercer County Park.

Presented by Mercer County Veteran Services, the event will take place at 11 a.m. at the Mercer County Office Park gym, 1440 Parkside Ave., Ewing.

 

“I encourage the community to come out and help us remember the service and sacrifice of our Vietnam War veterans,” Mr. Hughes said.

 

“We cannot forget the brave soldiers who served our country during that conflict.”

 

Mr. Hughes will give opening remarks at the event, and Dr. Gerald Novik, a U.S. Army Vietnam veteran, will serve as keynote speaker. The program also will include the traditional placement of a wreath and a salute to fallen soldiers by Marine Corps League Trenton Detachment #207.

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Culture Government Local News Politics

Women’s History Month features Barbara Boggs Sigmund, political trailblazer

Barbara Boggs Sigmund (1939-1990) was the first woman elected mayor of Princeton when she won the 1983 election.

 

During her term, Sigmund dealt with issues related to affordable housing and town development. She previously served on the Princeton Borough Council and the Mercer County Board of Freeholders where she held the position of president in 1979 and 1980.

 

Sigmund grew up in a politically-minded family. Her father, former Congressman Hale Boggs, was a Democrat from Louisiana. He died in a shocking 1972 plane crash in the midst of his term as House majority leader. Her mother Corinne Lindy Claiborne Boggs succeeded him in Congress. Before his death, Sigmund’s father served for 31 years and her mother carried on the family legacy for another 20 years.

 

In 1974, Sigmund joined the staff at the Center for the American Woman and Politics at the Eagleton Institute at Rutgers University. Princeton University honored her by establishing the 2001 Barbara Boggs Sigmund Symposium on Women and Poverty. Sigmund suffered from cancer for many years of her life and was widely known for her iconic eye patch.

 

Source: New Jersey Women’s History

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Government Lifestyle Local News Programs & Events Regulations & Security

County Clerk advises residents on home title scam, Property Alert Service

TRENTON, N.J. — Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello reminds County residents about home title theft that can occur when someone forges the deed to your property so that the title is no longer listed under your name.

This kind of theft usually coincides with identity fraud. Con artists often use a falsified or stolen identity to hide their involvement in the theft. Then, they create a fake document that transfers ownership of the property to their own name instead of the name of the valid owner. Some property owners are much more likely to fall victim to deed theft such as seniors, individuals with second homes, or identity-theft victims.

 

To ensure that one’s property is protected, Sollami Covello reminds residents to register for the County Clerk’s Property Alert Service to provide property owners with important alerts concerning their properties. The Property Alert Service is completely free and alerts Mercer County property owners when the Mercer County Clerk’s Office records a document affecting a specific property. Residents can sign up for the alert system by going to https://records.mercercounty.org/PropertyAlert/ and registering.

 

It should be noted that the Property Alert Service does not prevent fraudulent activity from occurring; it helps monitor activity and transactions on properties. 

 

Anyone who suspects fraudulent activity should contact authorities. Additionally, if a County resident feels they have been victimized by property fraud, they may call our County Clerk’s Property Alert Hotline at 609-989-6470.

 

For more information, please visit the Mercer County Clerk’s website at https://www.mercercounty.org/government/county-clerk or call the office’s main number at 609-989-6465.

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Government Lifestyle Local News Programs & Events

New program in Mercer County can assist homeowners with HECM reverse mortgages

TRENTON, N.J. — County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello would like to inform homeowners in Mercer County with Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) about a new program from the federal government.

 

The HECM is a reverse mortgage loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) for borrowers who are at least 62 years old.

 

“As the County’s property recorder, I strive to keep residents informed of programs that exist to help them, especially when they may be under financial stress,” said County Clerk Sollami Covello.

 

This government-insured loan allows homeowners to convert their home equity into cash. HECM borrowers are a particularly vulnerable population and continue to experience difficulties due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. To remedy this, the federal government has taken significant steps to help facilitate economic recovery from the pandemic.

 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which oversees the HECM program, recently announced a new repayment option that will provide protection for borrowers who have fallen behind on their property charges.

 

The Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) provides financial assistance to eligible homeowners who have suffered financial hardships during COVID-19.

 

Mortgagees may provide a borrower with a COVID-19 “HECM Property Charge Repayment Plan” if the borrower has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and is currently on a standard repayment plan. The maximum length of a repayment plan is 60 months. This 60-month time-period is not reduced by any time that a borrower utilized a standard HECM repayment plan.

 

For more information on this program, call the FHA Resource Center at 1-800-CALL-FHA, email answers@hud.gov or visit www.hud.gov/answers.

For more information on the services offered by the Office of the Mercer County Clerk, please visit the Mercer County Clerk’s website at https://www.mercercounty.org/government/county-clerk or call the office’s main number at 609-989-6465.

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Lifestyle Local News Regulations & Security Travel & Leisure

Hughes proposes ordinance to lower speed limit on Rosedale Road in Princeton

TRENTON, N.J. – The speed limit along Rosedale Road (County Rt. 604) in the Municipality of Princeton would be lowered from 40 mph and 45 mph to a consistent 35 mph between Province Line Road and Elm Road under an ordinance that Mercer County Exec. Brian M. Hughes recently presented to the Board of County Commissioners.

 

The proposal to amend the speed limit, which was approved by the board on first reading, is one of several traffic-calming measures undertaken by the County.  This approval ties into the Safe-Routes-to-School grant, Princeton received to make Rosedale Road safer for children walking and bicycling to and from Johnson Park Elementary School, Mr. Hughes said.

 

Other improvements designed to enhance pedestrian safety included restriping the Rosedale Road corridor to reduce travel lane widths to 11 feet in order to encourage reduced vehicle speeds; the installation of a mini-roundabout last summer at the intersection of Rosedale Road and the entrances to Johnson Park Elementary School and Greenway Meadows Park in an effort to increase pedestrian safety and decrease congestion during peak school and park operation hours by calming vehicular traffic; and the installation of rectangular rapid flashing beacons at both roundabout approaches on Rosedale Road to increase driver awareness of pedestrian crossings.

 

The ordinance is expected to be considered for adoption at the board’s March 23 meeting.

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Culture Local Events

In March, during Women’s History Month, Mercer County draws strength and inspiration from previous exemplary women

MARCH 18, 2 p.m.
Mothers of Invention

The Mercer County Library, Robbinsville Branch
42 Robbinsville-Allentown Road
(609) 259-2150 | mcl.org

 

It’s Women’s History Month! Carol Simon Levin, professional storyteller, portrays Lillian Moller Gilbreth, motion study pioneer and “Cheaper by the Dozen” mother of 12, sharing stories of other overlooked women innovators. From Margaret Knight (the 19th century “Female Edison)” to Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr, these “Mothers of Invention” changed our lives.  Click here to register

 

MARCH 30, 7 p.m.
Nonfiction Book Group: 10 Women Who Changed Science and the World

The Mercer County Library, Ewing Branch
61 Scotch Road
(609) 882-3130 | mcl.org

 

Join us to discuss 10 Women who Changed Science and the World by Catherine Whitlock and Rhodri Evans. Learn the moving stories of the female physicists, biologists, chemists, astronomers and doctors who helped to shape our world with their extraordinary breakthroughs and inventions, and their remarkable achievements. Feel free to attend even if you have not read or finished the book.  Click here to register.

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Culture Lifestyle Local News

Mercer County executive named 2022 Robert F. Casciola Distinguished American

The Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation has named Mercer County Exec. Brian M. Hughes the 2022 Robert F. Casciola Distinguished American Award recipient. 

 

The award was presented to Mr. Hughes at the 61st Annual George Wah Awards Dinner, held March 12, 2023, at the Princeton Marriott at Forrestal, in support of the 2022 Scholar Leader Athlete Awards.

 

Considered the Chapter’s highest award, the Casciola Distinguished American Award is named for the revered All-Ivy League tackle for Princeton University who spent 20 years in the college coaching ranks as an assistant coach at Princeton and Dartmouth College and then as head coach at the University of Connecticut and Princeton. Along with having a rewarding career in the banking industry, Bob Casciola also served for many years as color analyst for the Princeton Tigers football organization.

 

On bestowing the award, the Chapter recognized the County Executive’s transformative leadership of Mercer County, N.J., and his ongoing commitment to opening up opportunities to people from all walks of life.

 

Under Mr. Hughes, the Mercer County Park Commission has vastly expanded and diversified programs offered by the park system to get more people involved. Mercer has done that by introducing children to activities that might otherwise be out of reach, such as rowing, horseback riding, tennis, and skating.

 

The Hughes Administration also developed a STEM curriculum at its Nature Center to align with that being taught in area schools, and initiated Mercer at Play, a funding program to encourage new municipal recreation amenities, leading to dozens of new projects – from skate parks to basketball courts to accessible playgrounds – all across the county.

 

“While I may not have done for the sport of football what Bob Casciola has, it has been my honor to serve the people of Mercer County and to dedicate myself to making a positive impact on society by uplifting all people, especially the underserved,” Mr. Hughes said.

 

“To the scholar athletes, the things you do off the field will always be as important as what you do on the field. I encourage you to dream big, chase your dream and strive to be the great citizens this country needs.”