Maria: School, city issues demand smelling salts.. Piv on DIY road repairs and more.. Mapp: Queen City baseball league does good..

(BREAKING) Obituary: "Marguerite Coleman, former Symphony president" -- Wife of Hon. Rudy Coleman, Appellate Court justice.

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PLAINFIELD TODAY:

• "City Rec division mugging Queen City Baseball League kids"
  
  
• "The Mayor's Ball: Did you get your invite?" -- Check the comments; the Mayor has put her secretary in an untenable position.
  

Town Hall Meetings: "Plainfield council hosts meetings in all 4 wards"
UEZ: "Impact of Christie budget on Plainfield's UEZ"
Dornoch: "Other developers presented with Savoy projects" -- Rahway trying to move ahead after Dornoch fails to get Savoy project under way; Dornoch is the developer of The Monarch condos/Senior Center.

Berkeley Heights: "Three candidates considered to replace mayor" -- Ledger | CountyWatchers |
Contract Renegotiations: "Woodbridge teachers union refuses to revisit contract"
Cop Raises: "Middlesex Boro cops get 10% pay raise"
Passports: "County Clerk to hold 'Passport Fair' in Westfield"
Recall of Mayor: "Leader of Perth Amboy effort submits corrected paperwork"
South Plainfield: "Mayor Butrico won't seek new term"
Summit: "Longtime Summit CFO plans to retire"

Christie Budget --

• Budget Message: "NJ's day of reckoning" -- Ledger | NYTimes | Gannett |
  
• Budget: "Key budget points - with chart" -- Full text of address here.
• Central Jersey Impact: "Impact on Central Jersey assessed"
• Dems: "Dems criticize steep cuts, tax increases"
  
• Towns, Schools: "Towns, schools assess local impact"
• Analysis: "Budget cuts may lead to layoffs, higher local taxes"
• Reactions: "Reactions to budget proposals" -- Various stakeholder groups.
  
• Tom Moran: "Christie swings budget ax, misses tax cut for wealthy"
• Paul Mulshine: "Christie's real message: Forget about property tax relief"
  

Affordable Housing: "Committee clears controversial bill to kill COAH"
Menendez Recall: "Court rules Tea Party can proceed with recall effort"
School Funding: "History repeats itself for NJ schools" -- OpEd, Deborah Yaffe.

Plainfield observers (click on name to go to post): Bernice reports Golden Jewelers is closing, family biz since 1940s. Olddoc post instalment two of three on his Muhlenberg career. Maria finds school budgets, civil rights in the schools, and questions of whether diverse Plainfield is truly integrated leave her needing smelling salts. Piv's thoughts on do-it-ourselves road maintenance deserve careful reading. Bo on the 22nd finds Lt. Gov. Guadagno taking on red tape issues. Councilor Mapp finds the Queen City Baseball League doing good by and for our children.

Don't miss these personal blogs by Plainfielders, each with a point of view: Rebecca Williams' Confessions of a Bathrobe Blogger; Renata Hernandez' PEPTalk: Revisited, Renata highlights the PAAAS open house tomorrow (Thursday); Jackie Schnoop's The (TV) Show Must Go On, Lost 'recon' post; and Dottie Gutenkauf's Dottie G Sez.

| BERNICE'S PLAINTALKER | MARIA'S BLOG | DOC'S POTPOURRI | PIV FOR PLAINFIELD |
| PLAINFIELD SPORTS NEWS| PLAINFIELD TREES | COUNCILOR MAPP | COUNCILOR McWILLIAMS |
| COUNCILOR STORCH | COUNCILOR BURNEY | JERRY GREEN'S PAGE | BO ON THE 22nd |

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WHAT'S HAPPENING

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• (NEW LISTING) Today - March 17. 7 PM. BOE Race: Fundraiser for Team CFHT. Candidates Callands, Fletcher, Hendricks and Tucker, running as Team CFHT for BOE, will host a kickoff fundraiser. $5 Donation/Cover Charge. DJ, dancing and cash bar. Meet the team and have a reason to wear green and go dancing on St. Patty's Day. At Stone Square Lodge, 722 St. Mary's Avenue.
  
  
• Today - March 17. 7:30 PM. Cultural & Heritage Commission. City Hall Library. 515 Watchung Avenue (parking in lot at rear of building). Public invited.
  
  
• Tomorrow - March 18. 7 PM. City Council Town Hall Meeting (Ward 1). First Ward residents are invited to discuss concerns specific to their Ward and neighborhoods. At Emerson Community School, East 3rd Street and Emerson Avenue.
  
  
• Tomorrow - March 18. 8 PM. Planning Board. City Hall Library. 515 Watchung Avenue (parking in lot at rear of building). Public invited.
  
  
• Friday - March 19. 6 - 8 PM. BOE Campaign Kickoff: Campbell · Abdul-Haqq · Hernandez · Edwards. At United Church of Christ-Congregational, 220 West 7th Street (at Madison Avenue). $25/person. For tickets, see the candidates or email rannette439@verizon.net.
  
  
• Friday - March 19. 8 PM. Play: Lorena Hickok and Eleanor Roosevelt: A Love Story. Starring Marjorie Conn, the play (which had a 13-year run in Provincetown) chronicles the 30-year relationship between the First Lady and the top female journalist in the country and is drawn on Eleanor's 2,000 letters to her beloved 'Hick'. Ms. Conn will provide music and memorabilia of the period as well as a Q&A after the performance. A reception follows the play, at which Ms. Conn will autograph copies of her books. Proceeds will help fund scholarships and cultural events of the First Unitarian Society. At First Unitarian Society of Plainfield, 724 Park Avenue. (Parking in city lot across street.) Tickets: $15, include reception. Info: Sue at (732) 548-3877 or email sue3877@live.com/.
  
  
• Saturday - March 20. 1 - 3 PM. 'Kids' Iron Chef' Competition. Teams of 12-14 year olds compete to cook up the tastiest and most nutritious dinners -- aided by NJ celebrity chefs, and judged by 9 - 11 year olds -- to honor Childhood Obesity Prevention Month. A statewide project of the Junior Leagues of NJ, with Whole Foods as chief food sponsor. Hosted by Grace's Kitchen, at Grace Episcopal Church, East 7th Street and Cleveland Avenue. (Parking in public lot across street.) For more info, call (973) 997-1700 or visit www.jlnj.org/.
  
  
• Saturday - March 20. 5 - 10 PM. People-To-People Fundraiser. Dinner and Dance-a-thon fundraiser to help send Marcus Moore to Europe as a Student Ambassador with People To People. Great food, fabulous prizes, music by DJ Cavalier and The Outlet. Tickets: $25/$30 at the door; under 13, $15. Contact: Belinda Moore, (908) 884-0289. At Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church, East 7th Street and Watchung Avenue (parking in lot on First Place or at Swain Galleries).
  
  
• Sunday - March 21. 1 - 4 PM. Gallery Talk: An Historical Survey of Women Artists, 1550-1950. New Jersey artist and educator (she teaches at du Cret) Joan Arbeiter presents an illustrated talk (at 2:00 PM). In addition, there are two exhibitions, one of portraits of currently active women artists, and another of assemblages playfully tracing Arbeiter's coming of age in the 1940s and 50s. At the Drake House, running through May 2. The Drake House is at 602 West Front Street, at the foot of Plainfield Avenue. Info: (908) 755-5831 or the Museum's website drakehousemuseum.tripod.com/.
  
  
• Tuesday - March 23. 7:30 PM. Historic Preservation Commission. City Hall Library. 515 Watchung Avenue (parking in lot at rear of building). Public invited.
  
  
• Wednesday - March 24. 7:30 PM. Plainfield Shade Tree Commission. City Hall, 2nd Floor Conference Room. 515 Watchung Avenue (parking in lot at rear of building). Public invited.

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