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Just Because It Is Legal Doesn\’t Mean It Is Safe

The Gloucester City Municipal Alliance Against Drugs and Alcohol issued the following statement about the potential abuse of certain over-the-counter drugs:

According to a recent SAMHSA article, one in 11 teens have abused OTC (over the counter) medication, such as cough medicine. The ingredient, DXM, is found in many cough medications such as Contac, Coricidin, Robitussin and Sudafed.

While this ingredient is generally safe when used at recommended doses, high doses of this ingredient can produce hallucinations and out-of-body experiences.

Kids have been known to take DXM up to 30 times the recommended dose just to get mild-altering effects. At lower doses DXM can produce the feeling of being \”stoned.\”

At higher doses, DXM causes kids to see and hear things that are not there. This \”tripping\” can begin within 30 minutes of taking the drug and can last for hours.

This drug is appealing to young teens because of its low cost and easy availability. As you can imagine, taking incredibly high doses of Robitussin or Coricidin tabs can be very dangerous.

Teens have been known to develop a tolerance to DXM. Most tablets containing DXM have 20-30 100 mg doses. (5-6 pills)

Long term users, who have developed a tolerance, may increase the dose up to 1,000 mg or more!

These medications have other ingredients in them, which can cause severe damage to the liver and kidney or even death if taken in high doses.

A common complaint of teens that abuse DXM is that they have severe stomach pain from throwing up so much, for days afterward, many teens talk about the scary feeling of having to go to the bathroom during the \”tripping episode\” but they literally cannot urinate.

Other side effects include hallucinations, psychosis, extreme agitation, and violent behavior.

Young people are under the false assumption that because something is legal and sold in stores, it can’t be harmful to them. Some don’t understand that if you take anything in excess, it can be harmful and even deadly.

Talking with kids about proper dosages and reasons to take OTC meds is the best way to prevent abuse. Parents should also keep track of the OTCs in their home.

Know how many pills are in each bottle or package. Avoid overstocking of OTC drugs in the home. Don’t allow kids to keep OTC medications in their rooms, backpacks, or lockers.

Monitor your child’s web usage. Many DXM medications are sold via the Internet. And finally, be a good role model yourself.

Mrs. Kristen Kitchenman,

Student Assistance Coordinator,

Gloucester

City

High School

 

 

MARINO
Kathryn A.
(Nee Bubbico), on February 11, 2007, of Laurel Springs, formerly of Westville. Age 84.
Beloved wife of the late Marco. Devoted mother of Mark and his wife Diane. Loving grandmother of Michelle and Mark, Jr. Also survived by many nieces, nephews and in-laws.
There will be a viewing from 8:15 to 10:15am Thursday morning at GARDNER FUNERAL HOME, RUNNEMEDE. Funeral Mass 11am St. Agnes RC Church, Blackwood. EntombmentCalvary Mausoleum, Cherry Hill.
Family requests in lieu of flowers donations be made in Mrs. Marino\’s memory to the American Diabetes Foundation, 1060 N. Kings Hwy., Suite 309, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034.
Expressions of sympathy may be e-mailed to [email protected].

BATTESTI, DIANA
(nee Martino) on February 11, 2007 of Bellmawr. Age 64.
Devoted mother of Maria Montagnaro (Tony), Diana Lynn Mort (Bill), Johnna Paradiso (Nick), Anthony Battesti and Kristeen Battesti. Loving grandmother of Francesca, Tony, Marcello, Lauren, Jenna Lynn, Danielle, Alyssa, Giana, Brianna, Christopher, Jonathan, Jason, Mikayla and the late Gabrielle. Beloved daughter of the late Frank and Sophie (nee Centanzo) Martino, Sr. Dear sister of Frank Jr. (Kumiko), Joseph (Carol), Anthony (Kathy) and Dominick Martino. Also survived by many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.
Diane was a chartered member of the Ladies Auxiliary Post 303 of Winslow. She loved being surrounded by her family.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend her viewing Thursday eve 7:00 to 9:00pm and Friday morning 9:00 to 10:00am at the EGIZI FUNERAL HOME, 119 Ganttown Rd., Washington Twp. Mass of Christian Burial 11:00am, Annunciation BVM Church, Bellmawr. Interment New St. Mary\’s Cemetery, Bellmawr.
Condolences may be shared with the family at www.egizifuneral.com.

HENKEL, CARL G.
On February 9, 2007, a long time resident of Brooklawn, NJ, age 96.
Beloved husband of Anna E. (nee Lincoln). Loving uncle of Gloria Ritchie, Gayle Ferguson, Hope Henkel and Sophie Mosley. Several dear cousins also survive him. He was predeceased by his brothers George, Bill and John Henkel, and his sister Sophie Berger.
Carl was a member of the Cloud/Collingswood Lodge #101 F&AM, and the Excelsior Consistory, and a former member of Crescent Temple Shriner\’s in Trenton.
Relatives and friends are invited to call on Thursday from 10:00AM to 11:00AM at the ETHERINGTON-CRERAN FUNERAL HOME, 700 Powell St., Gloucester City, NJ 08030. Mr. Henkel\’s funeral service will be held at 11:00AM. Interment will be private and held at the convenience of the family.
In lieu of flowers the Family requests memorial donations be made to the Church of Ascension, Sussex & Ridgeway St., Gloucester City, NJ 08030, or to a charity of your choice.

City Volunteer Firemen Association Report Funds Are Missing From Softball Marathon Account
By Bill Cleary

ClearysNotebook received an anonymous email this morning (Monday Feb. 12) stating monies raised during this year\’s annual Fireman\’s Softball Marathon has been stolen.

A reporter contacted Gloucester City Mayor William James who said, \”I heard the rumor, but that is all I know.\” He referred all questions to the police department.

The reporter also contacted Station 51 Fire Chief Brian Hagan. Who said, \”There is an investigation being made into the allegation. I can\’t comment any further because of possible litigation\”, said Hagan.

Sgt. Brian Morrell, a City Police Department spokesperson said, \”The Gloucester City Police are conducting an investigation into an allegation that funds are missing from the Gloucester City Volunteer Fire Association bank account\”.

Morrell added,\”No one has been arrested, or charged\”.

The email source also mentioned that funds were stolen once before from the Softball Marathon. The incident occurred about 20 years ago. The amount stolen then was approximately $10,000.

Update-The Firemen\’s audit is completed. And the monies missing are from the Softball Marathon account. The amount is $7200.

LOCAL LEADERSHIP INSPIRES CITY YOUTH

Gloucester City, NJ – February, 2007 – The GOAL Center of Gloucester City Jr. Sr. High School has announced plans for the upcoming CHOICES Program to be presented at the high school on Thursday, Feb. 8 and Friday, Feb. 9, 2007.

On each of these days, local business volunteers will each spend a class period with the Eighth Grade Students. Approximately 150 students will participate in classroom seminars focusing on time and money management, careers, decision-making, and life consequences. The seminars will be facilitated by the GOAL Center, which is funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant.

Presenters include William J. Labbree, Jr. from Labbree Realty, Gloucester City, N.J., Kathleen Yhlen, a nurse from the Cooper Health System, and Gregory Mikolajczak, an investment counselor from Lincoln Investments. Our sincere gratitude goes out to Mr. Labbree and Mr. Mikolajczak, both of whom have given their time for the past 4 years to present this curriculum to the Eighth Graders. Special thanks go to Mrs. Yhlen, who graciously joined our ranks this year.
\”The intent of the program is to teach these young men and women that the decisions they make today can greatly affect the opportunities and potential career paths they will be afforded in the future,\” said GOAL Center Director and project organizer, Catherine George. \”We are deeply grateful for the time and effort the presenters expended to study the material and produce this important program.\”

Sharing life experiences by professionals with classroom instruction produces a rewarding educational experience for our students. We are deeply grateful to the Gloucester City School District for providing this opportunity, and to the business professionals who give their time so generously to present the course.

The seminars are based on the needs and interests of participating students, while presenters share their own personal and professional expertise. The curriculum is based on classroom materials provided through the CHOICES Education Group. The CHOICES Education Group was formed in 1985 as a not-for-profit, social enterprise based in Seattle, Washington. The mission of CHOICES is to empower students with vital tools that increase their career and life opportunities.

A woman was exasperated with her younger sister, who bought an unreliable car and called for a ride every time it broke down. One day, while out running errands, she received yet another call.
\”What happened this time?\” she asked.
\”My brakes went out,\” her sister said. \”Can you come and get me?\”
\”Where are you?\”
\”I am in the drugstore.\”
\”And where is the car?\”
\”It\’s in here with me.\”

from The American Legion Magazine

PROTECT OUR CHILDREN
Recently I was informed that we now have a new principal at the Mary Bray School in Mount Ephraim. I would first of all like to welcome him and also alert him up to an existing problem.
When Station Avenue was designated as a one way street between Gaskill Avenue and Kings Highway it was done to make the area safer for our younger children that attend Mary Bray School. In the past parents dropped off children on both sides of Station Avenue, and then some of them were forced to cross the roadway in between parked cars.
My understanding was that along with the one way designation, the Borough was also going to establish a loading zone on the school side of Station Avenue in that portion designated as a one way street. As of this letter this has not been done.
Now the area is constantly taken up by parked cars, presumably teachers and school staff, and there is very little room to drop off students. This causes a very serious safety problem for our smaller children.
Once again they are dropped off either in the middle of the roadway or on the opposite side of the roadway and then they cut between cars that are either parked or dropping off children.
I also have noticed that parents are now forced to let their children out a block away in all kinds of weather.
It is time to reconsider our thinking and establish the proposed loading zone for everyone’s safety. If the vehicles that use this area for parking claim they do not have enough space on school property that may be true, but I also know that they have been offered free parking less than a half a block away.
Please, principal of the Mary Bray School, I urge you to get this loading zone established in the very near future so that we do not have a tragedy on our hands.
Robert J. Conley, Mount Ephraim

 

Bill Bates
NEWS Correspondent

On Thursday, February 1st, the Mount Ephraim Board of Commissioners general meeting was held. At the top of the agenda for the evening was the swearing in of Police Officer Kevin Sullivan. Kevin has been a part time officer for about two years and said he is very excited to become a full-time employee and to serve the borough of Mount Ephraim. Police Officer Sullivan was sworn in by Mayor Micheal Reader as family, friends, and colleagues looked on.

Commissioner Tony Chambers presented the monthly report from the Department of Public Works (DPW) on the following: all operations are running smoothly through-out the town with no major occurrences. Employee\’s removed some graffiti from both the Shining Star Park on Harding Avenue and the Norcross Memorial Park on Centre and New Jersey Avenues. A few existing stop signs will be replaced as they are out-dated and several new stop signs will be added in accordance with federal regulations. Stop signs should be strategically placed within 500 feet from every school and every playground. The DPW is still continuing with collecting and hauling our own trash. For the month of January, the borough collected and hauled 202 tons of trash. Commissioner Chambers said that the borough is definitely saving taxpayers money by independently running its own trash removal operation. He also added that the Commissioners will know a better figure within the next few months as the
end of the first year is quickly approaching.

Mayor Micheal Reader presented the monthly report from the Fire Department (MEFD) on the following: the total alarms answered for the month of January was 30 and they conducted 3 training drills for the month. Total runs year-to-date (for record keeping purposes, runs from October thru September) is 161 and 8 training drills year-to-date. Total man-hours for the month was 375 hours. The monthly Police Department (MEPD) report was on the following: the total calls received for the month of January was 590, calls ranged from 54 emergency medical services (ambulance) calls to 14 of those being motor vehicle accidents. Two personal identity thefts have occurred over the past month and Mayor Reader encourages everyone to be vigilant and to report anything that you think is suspicious or if anything doesn\’t seem right.

Commissioner Suzanne Gaglianone reported that the commissioners had received a letter from the Federal Highway Transportation Authority regarding the Route 295 and Route 76 highway project stating that they had reached a decision on a proposal. The Commissioners are very happy because the proposal that was chosen was the most favorable and in the best interest of the residents of Mount Ephraim. More information on this project will be released as it becomes available.

The Walgreen\’s project is moving along quickly. The construction company that is completing the demolition is awaiting approval from the state Department of Transportation on whether or not they are able to close any lanes of traffic when demolishing the Harwan Theater. The company would like to close moving lanes of traffic sometime at night because they are unsure which direction the building will fall and how fast it will fall due to the current condition the building is in. Officials are expecting to have the Harwan building leveled within the next two weeks.

The Kings Highway Revitalization Project is right on course. The first of several phases will be underway shortly. The Commissioners spoke with representatives from PSE&G and they stated that they are on schedule to begin installing the light fixtures along Kings Highway when the Spring weather arrives sometime in March. Once this is complete the next phase would be the brick walkways.

The traffic light that was recently installed at the intersection of Kings Highway and Market Street is complete and officials are awaiting for PSE&G to finish some wiring and to connect electricity to the lights to make them operational. We should see the lights up and running in the next week or so.

The next general meeting will be held on Thursday, March 1, 2007 at the Borough Hall located at 121 South Black Horse Pike.