If you know of someone or something you would like to nominate for a cheer or a jeer, please send the information to sjletters@njadvancemedia.com
CHEERS to talking the talk. We walked the walk: 2.4 miles on an unforgiving June afternoon. Camden City School District officials agreed to talk to the talk: $150,000 to provide busing for high school students who live between 2 and 2.5 miles of their schools. "Courtesy busing," as it's called, is a service offered in many school districts for students living within that thresholds. Camden was not one of them -- until now. While additional funding to come via legislation at the state level to pay for the service in other New Jersey school districts is still being hammered out, this is a win for Camden students. For those lending a hand with raising a family, working part-time jobs or striving academically to secure a college education, not having to worry about what awaits on the walk home is akin to the weight of a thousands textbooks being lifted off students' shoulders.
CHEERS: To West Deptford and county Republicans for acting quickly to sever ties with a write-in candidate accused of harassing a reporter with disturbing and vile messages. The organizations saw this disaster for what it was and distanced themselves from Mike Krawitz, a candidate seeking a place on township committee. Krawitz claimed someone had hacked his social media accounts and posted a comment expressing the hope that a Daily Beast reporter would be raped. A lesson for political leaders at all levels is that any candidate joining a ticket for any office -- either through the primary process or a write-in campaign -- must be vetted to ensure they are suitable to serve. It appears Krawtiz's alleged behavior began with comments he made to the reporter back last December. A little homework could save party bosses from embarrassment and save voters from potentially making a terrible choice at the polls. Voters deserve quality candidates, not ballot fillers.
JEERS: To a cruel sport. A Milville man is the latest suspect to be arrested in an alleged interstate dog fighting ring. Robert A. Elliott was taken into custody Wednesday after it was found he was the owner of several dogs alleged involved in fighting. On the property where Elliott lived officials found dogs in pens, chained in a wooded area and held in crates in a basement. The dogs allegedly used for fighting are now being cared for by animal welfare authorities.
CHEERS: To 40 years for a community tradition. It all began as a small celebration to mark America's 200th birthday. Today, 40 years later, the Pennsville Septemberfest celebration has grown and become a tradition of its own. Thousands are expected to turn out Saturday for the parade which takes place on Broadway in Pennsville beginning at 11 a.m. Activities then shift to Riverview Beach Park where music, food and other activities continue until dusk when a grand fireworks show begins. It's a true community celebration that must not be missed!
JEERS to "The New Jim Crow." Let's be real here. If you're in jail, you did something wrong. There are worse fates than being paid pennies on the dollar for working while behind bars for billion dollar corporations. That, among other grievances raised Friday by Decarcerate the Garden State during a protest in Camden, is just a sad fact of life. However, the National Prison Strike held on Sept. 9 on the 45th anniversary of the Attica prison riot does shed light on human rights concerns -- namely the incarceration of minorities at a higher rate in New Jersey compared to caucasians as well as the money to be made on sending people behind bars, no matter how long the sentence. We, too, think that should be addressed. Just don't start complaining about the food that gets served in the clink -- it affects the credibility of an otherwise just cause.
If you know of someone or something you would like to nominate for a cheer or a jeer, please send the information to sjletters@njadvancemedia.com