The Courier-News du lieu suivant : Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 83

The Courier-News inlllMit Inside: Classified, C-5 Our Towns, C-2 Obituaries, C-3 3 Us 1997, there were 124 (trucks) in two rows, and there was another row that I did not get to count because I was asked to leave the property?" Cook said. Addona has lived in Readington just six weeks, but has joined the grass-roots movement to keep Interstate from expanding. "You buy in a town for resale value," he said. "You don't expect to have a steel mill." Stephen D. Reid, a hired spokesman for Interstate, said the company is not doing anything illegal.

Company of ficials also want to expand Interstate's office space and the maintenance area, erect a canopy over the above-ground storage tanks, add parking space for flatbed trucks and enclose a yard where raw steel can be stored. More than 20 residents who attended Thursday's Zoning Board meeting expected to hear Interstate's noise expert, but the expert was not ready to testify. The residents instead listened to the compa-. ny's transportation manager, Thomas Romeo, talk about how the rail spur will reduce truck traffic by about 20 percent. Residents were limited to asking questions only about Romeo's testimony.

Jerry Cook of Railroad Lane has been attending Zoning Board and Township Committee meetings for more than a year, hoping to keep Interstate from expanding. He questioned Romeo's assertion that the company has kept no more than 106 truck trailers on its property at any time. "Are you aware that in January ing that they can hear the sound of crashing steel well after 10 p.m. "I've heard it at night, I've heard it this morning," said Vincent Addona of Baneberry Drive. "I'm a decent distance from there, and I heard steel being dragged." Interstate Iron Works officials last year applied to the Zoning Board to bring railroad tracks directly onto the company's spur.

That is expected to reduce the number of trucks coming to the site by three a day, company officials said. On average, 13 trucks visit the site each day. By DAVID HILGEN Hunterdon County Bureau Chief READINGTON Angry residents Thursday night accused Interstate Iron Works of violating an agreement that restricts overnight truck traffic and limits outside activity at the steel plant. A Superior Court agreement limits the company's outside activity to between 6 a.m. and 8:15 p.m.

But nearby residents said at a township Board of Adjustment meet- Manville gets funding for its Main St. project r-" i Local briefs Democrats to hold Victory '97 Rally The election may be a few days away, but the Hunterdon County Democratic Party will celebrate early with a Victory '97 Rally Sunday at Flemington Borough Park. State Senate candidate Austin "Ken" Kutscher, Assembly candidates Pat Barnes and Sharon Ransavage and freeholder candidate Josephine Marchitto are expected at the 11 a.m. rally. At noon, a busload of supporters will leave for Middlesex County College in Edison, where President Clinton will be stumping for gubernatorial candidate Jim McGreevey.

Commons to decide on creche display BRIDGEWATER Officials at the Bridgewater Commons will decide by early next month whether to allow a creche display at the mall this holiday season. Residents and clergy delivered petitions bearing more than 5,000 signatures supporting the display to Commons officials on Tuesday. They have been working since August to generate support for the creche, a traditional depiction of the birth of Jesus Christ in a Bethlehem manger. Commons management will make their decision within 10 working days of the delivery of the petitions, said Anthony Cicia-tello, a spokesman for the Commons. That means the decision should be made by Nov.

11. Supporters of the creche say the display would serve as a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas as the holiday becomes increasingly secularized. Lawyers are examining the law surrounding public speech in malls. David Behrend Man charged after assault on woman SOMERVILLE Wesley Glenn, 43, of 150 Mercer Somerville, was charged early Thursday with simple assault under the Domestic Violence Act after he allegedly grabbed and bruised a woman's forearm. Police removed a folding knife and six-shot Titan Tiger revolver and six rounds of ammunition from his apartment.

Glenn denied that he owned the gun, police said. The investigation is ongoing. Jason Alt Firefighters put out Bernards brush fire BERNARDS Firefighters from six departments helped put out a 4-acre brush fire Thursday. A field about a half-mile off Acken Road caught fire about 2 p.m. Thursday, a spokesman for the Liberty Corner Fire Company said.

Liberty Corner officials sought help from other departments because four-wheel drive trucks were needed to reach the site. The fire was under control after about an hour. Jason Alt Got a tip? For questions or comments, you can e-mail us at or call Metro Editor Joe McDonald at (908) 707-3121. You can also call our Hunterdon County bureau at (908) 782-2300 or fax (908) 782-2366. Or write to us at 122 Main Flemington, N.J.

08822. By JANET A. HINES Courier-News Staff Writer MANVILLE The borough is one of three Central Jersey communities to receive a federal transportation grant to fund non-transportation construction projects. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act grants were announced Thursday. The federal grants weren't the only ones announced, as the state Department of Transportation also awarded road reconstruction grants.

Manville will get $374,000 in federal funds for phase two of its Main Street Beautification project. Three years ago, the borough received a $100,000 grant for the project. New Providence and Raritan Township also received federal grants. Thomas Kaschak, chairman of the Manville Main Street Beautification Committee, said the money will be used to complete the restoration of the business district. "This is great news," Kaschak said.

"This has been an ongoing project for the last six years. We've been putting in applications and it finally worked out. This is really good." He said the borough already has begun enhancing the walking area. Cobblestone blocks, acorn lamps and trees have been added to the north side near the municipal complex. The V'" Courier-News photo by Ed Murray CLOWNING AROUND: Jed Doherty, portraying The Fantabulous Jedley, on Thursday teaches 'Boss of my Body' to Triangle School students in Hillsborough during Red Ribbon Week activities.

Holiday festival proves a treat Annual event was expected to draw more than 8,0007 By JANET A. HINES Courier-News Staff Writer BRIDGEWATER Halloween came a day early Thursday as hundreds of ghosts, goblins and vampires took over Slattery Park for a ghoulish festival. More than 8,000 children and adults were expected to attend the township's sixth annual Halloween Festival. The festival is funded by the Bridgewater-Raritan Municipal Alliance, Operation Cooperation and donations from companies and individuals. The park was transformed into an open fun house featuring games, hay-rides and plenty of music and dancing.

First-time festival participant Christa Leriche said she was impressed with all the activities. "This was the absolute best," Leriche said. "They had everything, the haunted house, music, games everything. I'm glad I came." Christa, 11, and her best friend, Raquel Neto, wasted no time in finding out what was the hottest attraction at the event the haunted house. "It was the bomb," said Raquel, 11.

"It was scarier than last year. There were people chasing us; things popping out of nowhere. It was cool. Every year this gets better. And this year was the best." Robert and Besty Resker also rated the festival one of the best they've attended.

"It seems as if it gets more popular each year," Betsy Resker said. "There's so much to do and the girls seem to enjoy coming." Their daughters, Dana, 7, and Jessica, 11, said the night was a practice run before Halloween. "We're still going trick-or-treat-ing," Jessica said. "There's no way we'd miss that. But this was pretty good.

We get to stock up on candy." Resker said she remembers as a child the night before Halloween wasn't always known for fun. "It was known as "Mischief Night." Kids would go around soaping windows, throwing toilet paper and just creating a lot of chaos," she said. "This is a nice thing to do. It's a community event that allows everyone to get together and have a good time." Pasquale DiFulco what, too. Sure, it looks lovely as it merges with the horizon.

But by setting right about 5 p.m., it also happens to look right into the eyes of every driver just off work and heading west on Route 22 or 1-78. This has only just begun. We're still more than seven weeks away from Dec. 21 the day of year that the sun makes only a token appearance before it sets barely nine hours later. It makes you almost grateful for the 10 hours and 29 minutes we get 1 SB5' 1 (.

I L.I to profitable Jiang's eight-day visit to the United States already has resulted in a $3 billion airplane contract with Boeing, China's largest-ever purchase of airplanes. Even if no deals are announced Jiang today, Jiang's visit to Central Jersey is potentially significant because China is looking to expand its communications network. China is woefully behind the United States in this regard, experts said. even though we may view it as a bumbling dinosaur, is still the pre-eminent communications company," said James W. Hughes, 'fa See JIANG on Page C-3 thing.

I just feel horrible. It's depressing, like death." It is tempting to dismiss the idea that diminished sunlight creates a disorder when its symptoms are remarkably similar to those exhibited by a lazy teen-ager. But hear the anguish in a sufferer's voice and you start to believe. Doctors have proof, too. They've run tests and trials demonstrating how something definitely goes quacky in the human chemistry when days grow short, and it goes away again in the spring.

So what to do if you're sad, or if you have SAD? A few suggestions: Exercise, which doesn't mean using the treadmill in your basement. Get outside in the morning and go for a walk. It'll give you a chance to soak up some of those precious rays. Limit your intake of carbohy At a glance Central Jersey communities receiving federal funding for nontradi-tional transportation projects: Raritan Township, $114,000 for the Hermia Lechner Memorial Greenway Extension. Manville, $374,000 for the Main Street Beautification Project, Phase II.

New Providence, $162,000 for the New Providence Station access improvements. Central Jersey communities receiving Department of Transportation grants for road improvements: High Bridge, $150,000 to reconstruct Dewey Avenue. Bernardsville, $50,000 to resurface Childsworth Avenue. Raritan Borough, $80,000 to reconstruct Second Street. Rocky Hill, $67,000 to resurface Princeton Avenue.

Bernards, $200,000, reconstruction of King George Road. grant money will be used for the south side from the Conrail Bridge to Kyle Street, he said. "We're hoping that by March or April, when the weather gets better, we'll be able to begin the final phase," Kaschak said. Roads in High Bridge, Bernardsville, Raritan Borough, Rocky Hill and Bernards will be repaved or reconstructed with the state grants. Bats, chipmunks, frogs, ground squirrels, hamsters, hedgehogs, lemurs, lizards, groundhogs, some species of mice, snakes, toads and turtles all do a temporary deep-six during the winter months.

Squirrels native to Barrow, Alaska, take the concept to the extreme: They hibernate nine months a year. It's hard to begrudge these little guys their extended sleep, however, since Barrow, one of the northernmost regions in North America, goes a full two months in winter without a single sunrise. And we complain in Central Jersey? Pasquale DiFulco's commentary appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Phone: (908) 707-3163. E-mail Courier-News photo by Kathy Johnson CAREER DAY: Students at Irene Feldkirchner School in Green Brook explore a Coast Guard helicopter during career day Thursday.

Lt. Gary Polaski from the Brooklyn, N.Y., Coast Guard, guided the tour. Jiang's visit could prove By DAVID HILGEN Courier-News Staff Writer Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to Central Jersey today could mean big bucks for a Rutgers University finance professor said. Jiang is scheduled to visit network operations center in Bed-minster this afternoon, then head east on Chinese Interstate 78 to President Jiang tour Lucent Zemin defends Technologies human-rights headquarters in recordA-3 Berkeley Heights. "His visit to is certainly good for the company," said Cheng F.

Lee, a Rutgers professor. "Can they get a contract? We'll just wait and see. From my prediction, is going to get. something." -H between sunrise and sunset today. Lack of sunlight is unhealthy, too.

Doctors estimate about 20 percent of the nationwide population suffers from what is commonly referred to as "winter blahs." Worse still, about 6 percent of Americans suffer from seasonal affective disorder, dubbed SAD by the doctor who discovered the disorder in 1984. Women suffer from SAD more than men, although doctors aren't sure why. (Could it have anything to do with juggling a marriage, parenthood, and a career? Just wondering ...) SAD is marked by a variety of symptoms including agitation, annoyance, confusion, changes in appetite, fatigue and despair. "I've got them all," said one man from Central Jersey who requested anonymity. "I'm convinced I have this Shedding some light on Eastern Standard Time blues drates.

They temporarily boost the body's production of serotonin, a hormone that doctors say is deficient in SAD sufferers. The carbos won't cure you, and if you get them in the form of a Baby Ruth or Snickers, they'll only make you gain weight. If you have the cash and the time, take a trip to Australia (or somewhere else with more sunlight in winter than Central Jersey). As a last resort, "light boxes" that simulate daylight can be used indoors, but consult a physician before using one. They can wind up doing more harm than good by damaging the eyes if not used properly.

Or maybe we can accept the blues and figure out a way to deal with it, as some of our cousins in the animal kingdom have done over the millennia. They call it hibernation. As if this time of year weren't depressing enough what with the profusion of political candidates no one really wants to vote for, now we have to worry about sunlight, too. Or, more precisely, the lack of sunlight. For the past week, we've enjoyed if that's the right word a return to Eastern Standard Time.

The extra hour of sleep felt great Sunday morning. We woke refreshed, energized, practically giddy. For some of us, it was the first decent night's sleep in ages. But those bonus 60 minutes of dream time came at a steep price. By the time evening fell, it may as well have been midnight.

In that instant, we were reminded just how little the sun shines this time of year. The timing of the sunset has become a royal pain-in-the-you-know- imi onB mm 01 dm 11 te hmmi mm mm Ill, nn 1 -III a rr-l Mil 't- ,1 irni -i -wr mm I'.