WOODBURY —  Gloucester County Warden Eugene Caldwell, of Franklin Township, will be sworn in as president of the New Jersey County Jail Wardens Association on Friday, Jan. 9 at Scotland Run Golf Course in Williamstown.

NJ DOC Commissioner Gary Lanigan will be administering the oath of office to Caldwell,. who previously served as Vice President to the New Jersey County Jail Wardens Association.

WASHINGTON TWP. — A 29-year-old Washington Township man was arrested Tuesday afternoon in connection with a series of home burglaries in Washington and Monroe townships and Glassboro.

Officers assisted by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office Fugitive Investigations Unit and the U.S. Marshal’s Service Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Nicholas Martorano, of Rutland Court, inside his sister’s home on Harrell Avenue in Williamstown, police said.

He was charged with burglary, theft and violation of parole, said police.

The value of property taken in the series of burglaries exceeds $50,000, police said.

Martorano was lodged in the Salem County Jail on a no-bail warrant, said police.

The passing of another year made me a bit reflective, I think. I started thinking about all that has happened in my 68 years.

First of all, I realized I have lived in portions of eight decades. I was part of the early days of the Baby Boomer generation. The Cold War was just beginning and I lived to see it come to an end, along with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

When I was a kid, we held A-Bomb drills in school, or air-raid drills as some called them. We’d either get under our desks or go out into the hallway and line up on the floor, with our head down between our knees. This, supposedly, would help us survive if someone dropped an atomic bomb on us. (You have to realize how naïve everyone was about nuclear weapons in those days. I have seen scientists watching bomb tests from behind chest-high walls being cautioned to remember to put their sunglasses on. Even they weren’t fully cognizant of the danger they wrought.)

GLASSBORO — Nine cops have been holed up in a hotel all week, learning to draw better and faster.

No, it’s nothing to do with their service weapons.

They’re attending a class on Digital Composites drawing, hosted by the Glassboro police department, at the Marriott on Rowan Boulevard.

CLAYTON — The Gloucester County Department of Public Works is busy brining
emergency routes, overpasses and major county roadways Monday in anticipation of the
forecasted 1 to 2 inches of snow expected for Tuesday morning’s rush hour.

Freeholder Director Damminger said, “Although 1 to 2 inches of snow does not sound like a lot after last year’s storms, it can still wreak havoc on rush hour traffic.
If it does snow, we ask that you let plows and salt spreaders do their job and take your time going to work or driving to school tomorrow.”

Freeholder Heather Simmons, Liaison to Public Works said, “Trucks are being loaded with salt and being made plow ready to handle what Mother Nature may bring us tomorrow morning.”

Simmons said that the county has 5,500 tons of salt on hand and two brine tanks that each holds 5,000 gallons.  Brine is made to replenish what is taken out of the tanks and used during the brining operation.

DEPTFORD TWP. — After 40 years of service leading the staff and members of South Jersey Federal Credit Union, Benjamin T. Griffith, president/CEO of SJFCU, will retire in April 2015.

After a national search for Griffith’s replacement, Rahul Kachru, who most recently was Chief Operating Officer at Long Beach City Employees Federal Credit Union in Long Beach, Calif., will join SJFCU in mid-January.

Griffith will stay on in a consultant capacity to aid in the organization’s transition to its new chief executive officer.

“Rahul Kachru has 19 years of financial services experience in branch administration, lending, operations, turnarounds, and strategy development,” said Griffith. “In addition, he has experience in business development and community involvement, and a comprehensive technical background.”

Griffith has led SJFCU since 1974. During those four decades, Griffith has overseen the credit union’s growth from an organization with 1,500 members to today’s SJFCU with a membership base of more than 45,500 individuals throughout South Jersey. SJFCU is currently the largest credit union in South Jersey, and among the top 10 in New Jersey, based on its assets, currently more than $335 million. SJFCU has evolved from a single office in the City of Camden to six branch locations in Gloucester, Camden, Burlington, Cumberland and Atlantic counties.

WOODBURY — Woodbury storefront business owners can now apply to receive up to $2,500 to make beautification improvements to the fronts of their stores through the newly created Curb Appeal program.

In a partnership between the city of Woodbury and Woodbury’s Olde City Restoration Committee, the no-interest loans are being financed through the Cooperative Business Assistance Corporation (CBAC). The city and WORC invested a total of $5,000 to the program to make the interest free loans available.
 
Some eligible improvements include: new signage, windows, doors; painting the front of the building; purchasing flowers and urns; and purchasing or upgrading awnings. The Curb Appeal brochure and application are available on the City’s website at www.woodbury.nj.us.
 

WEST DEPTFORD TWP. — The POW/MIA Awareness Committee of Gloucester and Camden Counties is asking for help.

The committee needs a trailer to store and transport equipment it uses to stage  the POW/MIA Missing Man Ceremony — this involves items that include a table and chairs, among other things.

Many groups and organizations request the Missing Man Ceremony and the committee has always tried to accommodate those requests.

If you can help, send a check made payable to POW/MIA Awareness Committee to Bob  Jonas, 1119 Brewer Ave., West Deptford, NJ 08093

CLAYTON —  The Gloucester County Office of Land Preservation is now accepting
applications for the 2015 Certified Gardener training course.

The course is held every Wednesday morning from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, from Jan. 21
through June 10, in the Office of Government Services Building in Clayton.

Certified Gardeners are trained in horticulture and assist Gloucester
County in delivering horticultural programs and information to the general public.

The fee for the course is $150 and includes a resource manual, speaker fees,
advanced training opportunities and many other benefits. There are a variety of
payment options available. Graduates are asked to volunteer 60 hours within one year
of completing the training.

If you are an avid gardener or just a beginner and enjoy volunteering, this course
offers something for everyone. For more information or an application, call the
Office of Land Preservation at 856-307-6451, visit our website at
http://www.gloucestercountynj.gov/depts/l/landpre/default.asp or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..