A mobile mammography unit, no strings

The YMCA will have a mobile mammography unit on Tuesday thanks to Atlanticare Regional Medical Center’s Ruth Newman Shapiro Mobile Digital Mammography Program.

Between 10:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. local women have access to an affordable and essential health screening. Just make an appointment, and bring your insurance card and an ID.

Thought walk-ins are also welcome and funds are available to provide mammograms to those without insurance coverage.

To schedule an appointment, call the program toll-free at 1 (800) 246-2404.

A Buena Vista birthday for Barbie

America's favorite blonde-haired toy is coming to Buena Vista, sort of.

Buena Vista Township's 21st annual Independence Day Festival on Sunday includes a "Barbie Turns 50" segment, Mayor Chuck Chiarello said.

Bring your Barbies to display or go a step further and dress up as your favorite Barbie.

Even if you don't have a doll or no way to dress up, Chiarello said the event will have some "real-life Barbies."

Another caffeinated option

16 ounces of Peruvian organic (with creme and sugar)

Dear coffee lover,

The Wawa at Wheat and Main roads has a new blend. Peruvian organic is new flavor. It can be found in the pot with the green top. Kona has been missing since this arrived.

Does anyone know what happened to Kona?

Vineland now has 13 cases of swine flu

VINELAND - The city has confirmed its 12^th and 13^th cases of swine flu, municipal Health Officer George Sartorio said Monday.

The latest to come down with the illness are a 7-year-old boy and a 37-year-old man. They were diagnosed June 10 and June 17, respectively.

The boy is at home. The adult was hospitalized but subsequently released.

Sartorio said confirmation that they had swine flu was just received.

"Luckily so far, it (swine flu) has been behaving just like the season flu - which is a good thing," Sartorio said. "The fact that it is still here is a little disturbing. The bigger concern is what's going to happen over the summer and in the fall."

The first case of swine flu in Vineland was reported in early June and involved a sixth-grader at Landis Intermediate School.

Meanwhile, Atlantic County confirmed Monday that a 15-year old Egg Harbor Township youth and a 13-year old Atlantic City youth contracted swine flu.

Both are recovering. Atlantic County now has 15 confirmed cases.

Want a new pet?

The Cumberland County SPCA has an overflow of cats at its shelter and is desparately in need of adopting families.
The shelter has cats of all ages and sizes.
Currently 37 cats are listed on the adoption page on the local SPCA's Web site.

100 years and going strong

Birthday girl Rose Janetta, left, poses with her cake and Toni Jalowitz, a registered nurse and case manager with Cumberland County Homemaker-Home Health Aide Service. Submitted photo.

Toni Jalowitz, a registered nurse and a case manager of Cumberland County Homemaker-Home Health Aide Service, helped Janetta celebrate and gave her the cake on Friday.

Cutest babies on parade on Landis Ave.

Deemed giggly, creative and cute, a handful of local babies won a spot in Vineland's second annual Baby Parade.

The parade took place Saturday on Landis Avenue as part of the weekly downtown Fresh and Specialty Foods Market.

And the winners were...

• Omar Smith won first place for Most Creative Costume in the ages 2 and under category. Katherine Hoff earned second and Vincenzo, Lily and J.J. Garton took third in the category.
• Taeara Woodson won first in the same category for the 3 to 5 age bracket.  Israel D. Rodriguez earned second and Julie Marie Guzman got third.
• Katherine Hoff was considered Most Giggly in the category for ages 2 and under. Omar Smith and Emma and Abby Cavaliero earned second and third.
• Taeara Woodson won first for the Most Giggly category for the ages 3 to 5 bracket. Julie Marie Guzman took second and Israel D. Rodriguez earned third.
• Emma and Abby Cavaliero have the Chubbiest Cheeks for the ages 2 and under set. Lexi and Lia Rodriguez earned second and Vincenzo, Lily, and J.J. Garton took third in the same category. 
• Julie Marie Guzman won first in the Chubbiest Cheeks category for ages 3 to 5. Taeara Woodson won second and Israel D. Rodriguez earned third.
• Aiden and Sean Riggins won first in Best Overall in the ages 2 and under set. Vincenzo, Lily, and J.J. Garton won second overall and Katherine Hoff took third in the same age group.
• Taeara Woodson took first in Best Overall for the ages 3 to 5 bracket. Julie Marie Guzman earned second overall and Israel D. Rodriguez won third overall in the same age bracket.

Check out pictures from the event in photo gallery at www.thedailyjournal.com/photos.

ShopRite for dinner?

VINELAND - The ShopRite on North Delsea Drive has a yellow banner hanging from its store sign advertising its new Chinese buffet.

The store planned to open the buffet earlier this year to compete with the Walmart Supercenter opening across the street.

The Chinese food bar now complements the pre-existing hot foods and salad bars.

Freeholders to consider open space plan

BRIDGETON -- The idea of drafting an updated "open space plan" for Cumberland County gained a little ground Wednesday.

The Board of Freeholders will consider whether to authorize a study of the idea at its July 1 meeting, county officials announced Wednesday.

The county Planning Board would do the work on what needs to be acquired, preserved and developed in the interest of public recreational use and public quality of life.

"Cumberland County has always understood the importance of maintaining a delicate balance between open space protection and development," Freeholder Director Louis Magazzu said.

Magazzu said community input would be important.

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Vineland OKs new Public Works director

VINELAND — City Engineer Brian Myers will become director for the Department of Public Works on July 1.

City Council approved this personnel move on Tuesday.

But Councilman Doug Albrecht voted against it, and a related measure that amended qualifications, compensation and duties of the director of the department stating that the ordinances do not require that the director live in Vineland.

The council objected at last week’s work session meeting to requiring the department director have an engineer’s license because the members felt viable candidates should not be overlooked for the position if they didn’t have such a license.

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Cumberland Regional Graduation

Cumberland Regional held its graduation ceremony on June 22.

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Farmers Market returns to Landis Ave

By DEENA DiBACCO
The city's fifth annual Fresh and Specialty Foods Market on Landis Avenue got off to a soggy start Saturday, but organizers say the outdoor marketplace will continue to exhibit Vineland's local gems weekly through late August.

This year's market launch is presented by Vineland Downtown Improvement District/Main Street and sponsored by Sun National Bank.

The event has the ability to attract more people to the Avenue by presenting fresh produce, arts and crafts, sweets, fresh flowers, and different mini-events every weekend, said VDID Promotions Committee Chairwoman Marie Landicini.

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The search for a new Vineland schools chief

Embracing a new superintendent while bracing for districtwide labor negotiations are the Board of Education's top priorities this year.

Typically, drafting annual goals requires much discussion and debate. But that wasn't the case this year, as the board faces an obvious to-do list.

Finding the perfect-fit superintendent is the first hurdle, because that becomes the foundation upon which all other major personnel decisions will be built.

Superintendent Charles "Chalky" Ottinger is retiring, effective Oct. 1.

With that deadline looming, the board has hired the New Jersey School Boards Association to serve as a "matchmaker" and posted help wanted ads.

As of Thursday, 12 people had requested an application, said Charlene Zoerb of the NJSBA, noting that was a good response.

The next step is Wednesday's community forum to gather input on the search. But some board members are wondering whether that will attract more interest than two meetings held last week to gather staff input.

A combined total of 15 staffers showed up for those meetings, Zoerb said.

She urged the board not to be discouraged, noting a packed room can sometimes indicate an angry staff.

The board offered some insight into what it wants the NJSBA to look for when reviewing resumes. Their wish list includes expertise in personnel, finance, curriculum, technology and planning.

"We need a visionary," board member Ron Franceschini said at the Board of Education's annual retreat Saturday.

The board also told the Zoerb to look for a strong leader, an energized public speaker, a participatory management style and sincerity.

They said the new superintendent should come with thick skin -- and a sense of humor would be helpful.

Board member Tom Ulrich was adamant that the new superintendent must be willing to connect with the community.

The board can't legally require its superintendent to reside in Vineland, but Zoerb suggested board members ask candidates how active they are in their current school districts to gauge their involvement.
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Ulrich also urged the NJSBA to offer up the best of both in-district and out-of-district contenders.
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The board's strategy puts the first round of interviews in the hands of the NJSBA.

This hands-off approach by the board was seen as a way to ensure the public that the superintendent search isn't a done deal, board members said.

When the association makes it recommendations, Franceschini cautioned, he didn't want see a list lopsided with North Jersey or New York contenders.

Zoerb noted the association determines the candidates based on criteria developed by the board, staff and community. "I don't have to live with this candidate, you do," she said.
Labor negotiations

The board also will be working the NJSBA to gather legal information regarding contract negotiations scheduled to start this fall.

All union contracts within the school district expire next year.

"That's a nice present for the new superintendent," board President Frank Giordano quipped.

Ottinger, who offered to provide a financial analysis to help the board with its negotiations, noted it would be a very tough year.

Even if the district optimistically receives flat funding from the state next year, every contractual increase will have a ripple effect on education, he said.

Read the rest of the story on TheDailyJournal.com

2 fires strike residence

Firefighters on Saturday extinguished a second blaze in three days at an Almond Road residence.

The causes of both fires remain under investigation, authorities said.

Firefighters responded to the home in the 2200 block of Almond Road at 3:18 p.m. Saturday to put out a blaze that started in the home's basement, according to Fire Capt. Lou Tramontana. Firefighters cleared the scene at 6 p.m. Saturday, he said.

Firefighters also responded to the property at 9:19 p.m. Thursday to extinguish a fire in a trailer parked behind the home. The fire destroyed the contents of the trailer.

Tramontana said he could not comment Sunday on the extent of damage caused by Saturday's fire.

Moren parents reflect on year without their son

By TIM ZATZARINY Jr.

Chuck Moren spent Father's Day weekend remembering his son.

Josh Moren, 18, died last June, just weeks after graduating from Sacred Heart High School, where he was a standout baseball player.

He was killed by a drunken driver while on his way to an outing in Wildwood.

The days leading up to the first anniversary of his son's death were difficult, Chuck Moren said in an interview last week.

"I'll be perfectly honest with you," he said. "It's been the hardest year of my life."

But Moren and his family say they've found some comfort in recent months while working with state legislators to increase the penalties for intoxicated drivers in vehicular homicide cases.

They're also thankful for the outpouring of support from the community since Josh's death.

Following the tragedy, Sacred Heart High School reinstated its Students Against Drunk Driving chapter.

And, a softball tournament to benefit a scholarship fund in Josh's memory raised nearly $15,000 last year, said his father. The scholarship was established for a Sacred Heart baseball player who is going on to college.

The second annual softball tournament is scheduled for Aug. 1 at Fiocchi Field.

Josh's mother, Grace, recalled in an interview last week that on the last day of her son's life, she and Josh were at home folding laundry together.

Then, she watched as Josh bounced a foam ball off the walls of their house, something he did often.

"It annoyed me sometimes, but at that moment, I saw his face and he was so happy and he was glowing," Grace Moren recalled.

Just a few hours later, her son would be dead -- a promising young man's life ended in a violent crash.

On the afternoon of June 21, 2008, Josh was on his way to an outing at Morey's Piers in Wildwood for employees of South Jersey Healthcare, where his mother is a nurse.

Laura Lippie of Bridgeton, now 48, was driving a Chevrolet Trailblazer on Route 47 in Middle Township when she swerved into oncoming traffic, striking Moren's motorcycle head-on.

Josh died at the scene.

Read the rest of the story on TheDailyJournal.com