Week in Review: Cupcake Wars Drama, Keep Jughandles Open and More

Princeton to DOT: Keep Jughandles Open Until Alexander Rd. Bridge is Widened

Princeton Township officials will ask the state Department of Transportation to delay permanently closing the jughandle turns off Route 1 until the Alexander Road bridge can be widened. With left hand turns prohibited off Route 1 north onto Washington Road and Harrison Street and Quaker Road closed for repairs through February 2013, the only remaining access into Princeton from Route 1 north is via Alexander Road. The bridge over the canal, however, is only 20 feet wide, too narrow for most busses or emergency vehicles to pass unless traffic in the other direction stops to let it pass.

 

Liverman to Face DUI Charge at Oct. 9 Trial

Unable to reach an agreement with the prosecutor, Princeton Township Committee Member Lance Liverman is scheduled to go to trial on Oct. 9. Liverman appeared briefly before Hopewell Township Municipal Court Judge Charles Ouslander on Tuesday to confirm that no agreement had been reached and to schedule a trial date. He faces charges of DUI, refusing a Breathalyzer test, reckless driving and making an unsafe lane change after an accident on Aug. 9 in Hopewell Township.

 

Cupcake Wars Fan Vote Erupts Into Controversy

Who would have thought the subject of cupcakes would whip people into such a frenzy? It all started on Friday after TV’s Food Network launched a Facebook contest to send four of its 12 most popular bakers back to Cupcake Wars. It was an opportunity for fan favorite and Princeton’s own House of Cupcakes on Witherspoon Street to return to the show that launched them to fame after winning the national bake-off featuring the country’s top cupcake bakers. By Monday, the Facebook contest was closed by Food Network and a look at the Facebook voting pages reveals fan accusations of vote-buying, phony Facebook accounts and outright cheating.

 

[UPDATED] Streamline Air to Suspend Service at Trenton-Mercer Airport

Streamline Air has announced that effective Friday, Sept. 14, it will suspend passenger flight operations between Trenton Mercer Airport and Bedford Hanscom Field.  "As of Sept. 14, streamline air will be suspending service between Trenton Mercer and Bedford Hanscom Field. Any passengers with reservations past the 14th will be refunded to their original method of payment," said a recording a Streamline Air, a subsidiary of Charter Air Transport, Inc. 

 

Downtown Visitor Kiosks? Not So Fast, Say Borough Officials

Borough officials have deferred a decision that would create new visitor kiosks on Nassau Street, saying the issue needs more investigation. Council members on Tuesday unanimously voted to table the discussion, expressing concerns over free speech, safety and whether the town actually needs them.

 

Plans Underway to Bring Costco to Quakerbridge Road

The Lawrence Township Planning Board has approved a change in the land use designation of a 37-acre parcel located along Quakerbridge Road where Costco Wholesale Corp. has expressed interest in building a store.

 

U.S. House Passes Battlefield Protection Bill

The American Battlefield Protection Program Amendments Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday, Sept. 10. The bill by U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12), will offer competitive matching grants to preserve battlefields from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. It aims to protect hundreds of battlefields sites throughout the state of New Jersey from commercial development, including areas of Princeton where the Battle of Princeton took place.

 

Small Helicopter Crashes in West Windsor (VIDEO)

A helicopter crashed at on Quaker Bridge Road near Clarksville Road at a little after 12 p.m. on Saturday. According to the West Windsor Police Department, the crash was in the Clarksville area of Quakerbridge, near the Pig Farm. According to a report on nj.com, one person was killed in the crash.