There will be a follow-up Clean-Up Day in October.

The number of groups and individuals are too numerous to mention, and their dedication to this community is appreciated. We would also like to thank the additional groups and individuals who responded to the article in the Gloucester City News. Some people from outside of the community called in, signed up, and participated alongside our residents.

Finally, we would like to thank the various city departments, committees, and employees who participated in this event. Gloucester City continues to move forward and we say \”Thank you for a job well done!\”

Mayor William James, Gloucester City

The crew, eating their lunch, were there with the backhoe, but the hearse was nowhere in sight. I apologized to the workers for my tardiness and stepped to the side of the open grave where I saw the vault lid already in place.

I assured the workers I would not hold them up for long and told them this was the proper thing to do. They gathered around me as they ate their lunch. I played my heart out, and the workers began to weep. I played like I\’d never played before, from Going Home and The Lord is My Shepherd to Flowers of the Forest . I closed the lengthy session with Amazing Grace and walked to my car.

• Hometown: Edmonton, KY
• Awarded: Bronze Star

The Story:

On March 20, 2005, Pullen was driving one of three Humvees providing security for a 30-vehicle convoy traveling in Iraq. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary – which is often how the prelude to an ambush appears. Suddenly insurgents sprung a complex operation and began pouring heavy fire from multiple directions, stopping the convoy in its tracks. Pullen’s unit moved out from behind the convoy to flank the insurgents and prevent them from escaping. Pullen’s team began firing back.

Then she heard a call for help over the radio. Pullen backed her Humvee into a better position, jumped out, and ran 90 meters through the line of fire toward the injured soldier. She administered first aid and tried to calm him down. As she was treating him, another soldier launched a shoulder-held rocket toward a nest of insurgents. Although he warned of the impending firing, Pullen couldn’t move out of the way fast enough. She threw her small frame over the wounded soldier to protect him from the blast – a blast that threw her off the soldier onto her backside.

About 27 insurgents were killed during the fight, and six were injured. For her efforts, Pullen was awarded the Bronze Star with \”V\” on June 16, 2005.

Effective April 7, 2009, the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, with the approval of the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council, has changed the summer flounder recreational possession limit and season and the black seas bass recreational size limit.

We are a group of volunteers that do a trap neuter return (TNR) program in our city. TNR is when you trap a feral (wild, not friendly) cat, get him or her fixed, shots and left ear tipped (cut) and then we return the cat to the site of capture.

TNR is humane and the best way to decrease the number of feral cats that are running astray in our city. I am asking that all residents help us to help our community by not allowing their cats to run at large.

By allowing your cat to roam freely you are taking the chance of it becoming severely injured or dead.

Or it could be trapped by my committee and possibly put up for adoption.

Also, keep in mind that our council has passed an ordinance prohibiting residents to allow their animals to run at large and if found, you could receive a fine.

This time of year is our biggest time due to it being kitten season. If you have seen any kittens please contact me immediately and one of our committee members will trap the kittens before they become feral.

It is essential for us to get the kittens as young as possible to ensure them a good home. We are always looking for good foster/adoption homes for the many cats and kittens that we are removing from the streets.

Sometimes we come across a cat that has been socialized, usually because it had been dumped by its previous irresponsible owner.

If you are interested please contact me and we will match you with the best pet for you and your family. We could also use any towels, sheets, and cat food, (wet and dry). Also, we are going to be holding a fundraising yard sale and any donations of items for us to sell would be greatly appreciated.

Please remember to always spay/neuter your pets. For low cost spay/neuter info, please contact me.

Tina Vessella, Coordinator

Gloucester City Feral Feline Committee

Not only is it there, the Library’s Director, Elizabeth Egan, and all the people who work there, always seem to find ways to make a great library even better!

From the groups of youngsters who come from our schools for special readings and other library sponsored events, to those events for seniors such as having fun with Wii bowling, to the movies offered, and the occasional speakers on different subjects of interest-the list goes on and on!

Now I found a way to say thank you once in awhile, simply by donating and unopened, unused gift that the library can use as a reading award at one of their sponsored events.

Check around you home and maybe you’ll find, as I did, an item or two that would be a perfect award for a child anywhere from pre-school through eighth grade.

It would be a nice way to say how much the library does for all of us, and how much we appreciate their never-ending efforts to make it a library that any town would be honored to have!

Carol Ritchie