To the Editor: Have you ever felt hungry? Or felt your stomach grumble? Some people feel that way every single day. There are people throughout New Jersey who aren’t able to eat three meals a day, everyday. Hunger is an important problem, but not impossible to solve. Every citizen in New Jersey has a responsibility to help people in need and to donate food to people who don't have any. Without money, your health could be at risk and you can get sick, or even die. Basically, once one person starts donating, everyone will follow their lead. This could be a very easy problem to solve, but not …

To the Editor: For decades now, from time to time, someone with a firearm seems to step out of the crowd and begins shooting down innocent people for no apparent reason—not that any reason would ever justify an act of carnage the likes of which we have come to be witness to as of late.   It always seems to me that society is always better at looking back at these incidents rather than looking forward at them, analyzing what has happened rather than heading them off.   And for all the efforts we do make in deconstructing these sort of events to try to know what might have been going through …

To the Editor: I would like to thank those members of the community who have already given so generously to the charity drive to benefit the Raritan Pregnancy Aid and Information Center, and to remind the public that there is still time to drop off donations at the Bridgewater Township Clerk’s Office.  We will be accepting donations through next week, however, anyone interested in supporting this organization can certainly make donations directly to the Raritan Pregnancy Aid and Information Center any time throughout the year.  The center opened 30 years ago, and is an all-volunteer …

To the Editor: At their Nov. 29 meeting, the all-Republican Bridgewater council took an alarming stance against saving Bridgewater taxpayers' dollars through a sensible shared services agreement with Somerville. The majority vote essentially undid efforts to create a shared municipal court system which would have netted a total tax savings if $73,000—with specifically $47,000 for Bridgewater.  The proposal followed the state's model for sharing courts, with each retaining its separate identity, but sharing personnel, space and records storage.  Bridgewater would continue to conduct court in …

To the Editor: Congratulations to Patrick Breslin, Jacqueline Barlow and Aaron Kurdyla on winning seats on the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District (BRRSD) Board of Education (BOE). Additionally, I would like to thank the community of Bridgewater for giving me the opportunity to serve for 10 years on the BRRSD BOE. While there is always room for improvement, the board has accomplished much in the last several years. A few examples include: Better communications—Powerschool (parents can track student progress on a daily basis), teacher websites (homework assignments available), …

To the Editor: On Nov. 6, voters in Bridgewater will choose three members of the board of education. This year, the best candidates are incumbent board members Patrick Breslin and Cindy Cullen, and long-time active citizen Jackie Barlow. Breslin is seeking his second term on the board and currently serves as the board’s vice president and chair of the facilities committee. He has a background in business and management, as well as a degree in education, which give him the perspective to deal with the challenges facing the school district. Cullen has served on the board for nine years and has …

To the Editor: Hurricane Sandy was indeed a devastating storm to our region, our state and our township. The amount of damage is of historic proportion. As I write this note, thousands of our residents remain without power, many have suffered significant damage to their homes and many more damage to their property.  Fortunately personal injuries were very limited.  Communications There is much to communicate in an environment where communication access is limited. If you have access to the internet, current updates and important links can be found on the township website. The library is open …

To the Editor: How sad that one of our students was struck by a car this morning right in front of the high school and many students.  I am writing to please ask that you place a Bridgewater PD officer or crossing guard at the high school to direct and control the traffic each morning between 6:35 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. on Garretson Road.  I am a mother of a junior at the high school. I drive my daughter to school each morning, arriving between 6:45 a.m. and 6:50 a.m. I can tell you that I am not surprised at all that a child was hit by a car this morning. The amount of traffic and the speed that…

To the Editor: Recently, I was at New Jersey American Water’s Canal Road Water Treatment Plant to discuss New Jersey’s Water infrastructure organized by the Somerset County Business Partnership and New Jersey American Water. I was thankful for the opportunity to share my thoughts as an engineer who worked in the industry for 30 years and became a policymaker and chairman of the Assemblyman Telecommunications and Utilities Committee. One of the important outcomes of the session was the need to accelerate the replacement and rehabilitation of this critical infrastructure using a BPU program …

To the Editor: I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, who lost her 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She had an inspiring, accomplished career and is an icon in our nation’s history.  Tragically, for those who have been touched by pancreatic cancer, 17 months is an exception, as 74 percent of patients die within the first year of diagnosis. Perhaps what is worse is that pancreatic cancer is one of the few cancers for which the relative five-year survival rate, of just six percent, has not improved substantially in more than 40 …

To the Editor: I was stunned recently to find that the Kid’s Place water fountain at the Bridgewater playground [on Commons Way] had been removed and replaced with a large Pepsi vending machine hawking, of all things, unhealthy soft drinks to our kids. In today’s depressing economy, families should not be forced into buying products from a vending machine when the water fountain previously worked well to serve our community. I contacted the mayor’s office regarding this concern, but never received a reply and hope that Patch can make this issue visible and restore the water fountain. Vending …

To the Editor: Did you know that Siberian tigers are in danger of becoming extinct? Siberian tigers’ habitats are disappearing, and because of that they need to be protected. Since that is happening, Siberian tigers are in danger of becoming extinct. If Siberian tigers are extinct, then their disappearance will disrupt the food web. The world is becoming over-populated with Siberian tigers’ prey [musk deer, wild pig and more]. Siberian tigers are also losing their homes from humans. To help Siberian tigers from going extinct, the World Wildlife Fund [WWF] needs people to participate in their …

To the Editor: Wherever you go, stares follow you. There is pointing and shocked expressions on people’s faces as you pass. Some people might say, “Why are they pointing?  Is it because they have autism?”  But the right thing to say is, “Why should they be pointing?” Contrary to what many people think, people with autism are no different than people without it. Everyone should accept them, even if they are different. In fact, there are some things that people with autism contribute that people without autism can’t contribute. In some ways, people with autism can be smarter, people with autism…

To the Editor: Zoos. The places where you can see wild animals. The kind of place you might enjoy, but do you know what’s happening behind the bars or fences? There is a whole life of cruelty hidden with little space, no care and “money—makers.” Yes, it’s true—zoos don’t provide animals with enough place to live. The animals will get zoochosis as a result. Zoochosis is a term which is used to refer to a range of psychological problems associated with animals kept in captivity. Also, after conducting a study, the Born Free Foundation found that animals spend most of their time showing symptoms…

To the Editor: Can you think back to a time in your life when you were bullied? Can you remember how terrible that made you feel? Today, bullying has escalated mainly due to the increase in modern technology. In fact, bullying online is a huge world problem, and to top it all off nothing has been done to stop it! It is crucial for people to raise awareness about online bullying now! People around the world have been cyber bullied. That number is going up by the day because cyber bullying is becoming easier to do. Cyber bullying is so serious that it can lead to suicide. In my opinion, cyber …

To the Editor: The Bridgewater Township Planning Board will be holding a meeting on May 8 at 7 p.m. at the Bridgewater Township Municipal Building to review an application to develop the former Wemple property, at 440 Foothill Road, as well as the former Cramer property, at 501 Steele Gap Road.  The new owners are proposing a major subdivision of the tracts in order to construct 18 houses and two roads on these 36 acres of pristine, primarily wooded land.  The former owners preserved these lands for many years. Unfortunately, due to their deaths, this proposal has been submitted by people who…

To the Editor: I need to voice my concerns about the current status of the relationship between the board of education and the B-REA.  I have been a resident of Bridgewater for the past 33 years. Both of my sons received the benefit of an excellent Bridgewater-Raritan education from kindergarten through 12th grade. I must say that my husband and I were very lucky when we purchased our house in Bridgewater. We did not have children at the time and had not done any research regarding school districts. I remember when people would ask where I lived they would say what a great school district …

To the Editor: I need you to hear my letter that I emailed to the board of education on Monday, May 1, 2012. I want you to listen to my words and support us. I am writing as a resident, parent of two young children and as a teacher in Bridgewater-Raritan. I grew up in Bridgewater and proudly graduated from our district. After college, when I began looking for a job, I knew I wanted to work in only Bridgewater. It seemed natural to want to give back to the district that gave so much to me. People would always say to me, "How could you work in the district where your kids will go?" My response …

To the Editor: Government regulatory burdens are destroying job creation in America today. As a result, the private sector economy has lost 2 million jobs in the last three years. My opponent for the New Jersey’s congressional seat in the 7th District, moderate Republican Leonard Lance, has done nothing to stop this. Although the Senate has not voted on Cap and Trade—the carbon tax trading scheme championed by President Barack Obama, and voted for by Lance—the EPA has moved ahead with burdensome and often contradictory regulations specifically designed to shut down coal plants, limit drilling…

To the Editor: How is the world changing? One big problem is people hurting other innocent feelings, not just physically, but mentally. The world is going downhill and not enough people are helping. I believe we can each make a difference by helping to fight cyber bullying. Parents need to monitor their children’s online activities, to be aware if the child is being bullied online, and then help stop it. When a child is a victim of cyber bullying it can hurt the whole family, friends and his or her reputation and relationships. According to scientific surveys, there are about 15 to 35 percent…