Mau Comments on the Holiday Rush

"Why don't you rush out and buy me some more catnip?"

WBLS Report Nearing Completion

The City Council has received a 17-page draft report on the WBLS investigation and expects a final report soon, Council President Annie McWilliams said Monday.

The council discussed the report in closed session before the public meeting Monday. The final report will include recommendations for council action.

The governing body invoked its investigative powers under the city's special charter after failing to receive answers from the administration regarding use of $20,000 in public funds for an Aug. 1, 2010 "Town Meeting" broadcast live on WBLS. The report is from attorney Ramon Rivera, hired by the council to conduct the investigation, which included three hearings with testimony from top officials. Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, who contends a bank's donation of $15,000 largely repaid the WBLS bill, also hired her own attorney.

The administration and some council members have challenged the cost of hiring Rivera, but McWilliams said the investigation is relevant to how the city handles all of its funding. At an Oct. 19 hearing, the mayor said she sought a $20,000 check on the Friday before the Sunday radio show because it was an "emergency." The funds came from a budget line for "hardware and software maintenance." Click here for Plaintalker's full report on the Oct. 19 session.

For more on the genesis of the investigation, click here.

--Bernice

City Council Welcomes Berry

The governing body welcomed new City Administrator Eric Berry Monday and even concluded business by 9:05 p.m.as a bonus.

Berry comes to the Queen City from Trenton and began work here a week ago. His term will be concurrent with that of Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, to Dec. 31, 2013. He is in charge of day-to-day operations of the city and all three department heads that report to him were also on hand Monday.

Best wishes to Mr. Berry!

--Bernice

House Tour, Procession Cross Paths

Fine weather Sunday benefited both the Van Wyck Brooks Historic District House Tour and a religious procession from Library Park to St. Mary's R.C. Church.

Parishioners carried flags of their homelands and images of the Virgen de Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas.

Tour goers lined up at a Madison Avenue home to buy tickets and get maps.

As the faithful marched, the district's streets began to fill up with visitors interested in the district's eclectic architecture and holiday decorations.

Along the way, marchers stopped for prayers.

The opulence of the Victorian era contrasted with the simple faith of the marchers, who will hold another procession on Dec. 11, from 10:30 p.m. to midnight, when the Feast of the Virgen de Guadalupe will be observed.

Act IV Offers Capra Film As Radio Play

Act IV Productions will present "It's a Wonderful Life" as a radio play, complete with "Foley artists" making sound effects, for one weekend only this month.

Based on the beloved Frank Capra film, the performances will replicate the kind of radio play that was a prime form of family entertainment in the 1940s. Radio theater depended on sound effects to enhance the listener's experience and in tribute to innovator Jack Foley, those who continue this craft are called "Foley artists."

Director Cass Cochrane and a cast of sixteen, including many veterans of Central Jersey community theater, will present 7:30 p.m. performances of Philip Grecian's radio play on Dec. 16 and 17 and a 2 p.m. matinee on Dec. 18. Tickets are $17, or $14 for students and seniors. All performances will take place in the Parish Hall of the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield, 724 Park Ave. See www.fusp.org or call (908) 756-0750 for more information or directions.

--Bernice

Land Line: FAIL

My, my. Who knew that modern telecom elements include not only colored wire, but STRING and manila tags.

My neighbor's land line failed and after a week, a repairman showed up in one of those 12-hour time frames that Verizon offers (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.).

So he does something in the box pictured above, which has a very flimsy cover, and voila! her landline is fixed.

The next time I pick up my handset, guess what? No dial tone! Tag, I'm it! Now I have a 12-hour time frame several days from now in which to wait for a repair person.

If I knew where to get some of that excellent STRING, I might track down a couple of Dixie cups and at least my neighbor and I could talk on a homemade land line.

Meanwhile, I will have to rely on my cell phone for ringie-dingies this week.

--Bernice

Public Safety Meeting Today

Council President Annie McWilliams has taken the unusual step of calling for a meeting on public safety at 4 p.m. today, Sunday, due to a "recent rash of burglaries."

McWilliams said Public Safety/Police Director Martin Hellwig will attend, with members of the Police Division. The meeting is from 4 to 5 p.m. at 1341 Prospect Avenue, the McWilliams family home. It is not a City Council meeting. According to her announcement, all are welcome to attend the meeting and bring their questions or concerns.

Plaintalker was unaware of a recent increase in burglaries, but the 2010 Uniform Crime Report, released Nov. 10, shows a 16 percent increase in burglaries in Plainfield over 2009, from 334 to 387. Larcenies increased 10 percent, from 846 to 930. Undoubtedly the current poor economic conditions have led to increases in these crimes, which are considered non-violent, but affect the quality of life in neighborhoods.

Urban dwellers already know enough to take precautions such as locking cars and securing their homes, but career burglars tend to hit whole streets or neighborhoods looking for opportunities to steal valuables. Often police can stop a spate of burglaries with one or two arrests.

Plainfield's "crime index," the total of seven major crimes, increased by 9 percent in 2010, from 1,773 to 1,936. Among Part 1 (violent) crimes, murders, rapes and aggravated assaults increased, while robberies decreased. All Part 2 crimes - burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle theft - increased.

--Bernice