By Freeholder Jeffrey L. Nash

The holiday season is the perfect time of year to gather around family and those closest to your heart, and also to spread that love and compassion to others who are in need. There are food drives, coat drives, and charitable donations of all kinds. I hope that everyone takes a moment this year to remember those less fortunate and find a way that works for you to give back. For my family, that included remembering our four-legged friends.

Norman (Photo) is the newest addition to our family. He’s a 10-month-old black lab mix we adopted on Thursday from the Camden County Animal Shelter and we couldn’t be more excited about him. I wanted to take a moment to share with you why we adopted and why it’s important for anyone looking for a new pet to consider adoption a pet who is in the animal shelter.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on today\’s episode [click here] of \”The View\”:
 
Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg and Elisabeth Hasselbeck have been bashing the Catholic Church relentlessly over the past several years, all with the blessings of Barbara Walters, the show\’s co-producer. Yesterday, the gals were at it again, this time joined by their new convert, Sherri Shepherd. So I wrote a news release, asking our list of energized Catholics to contact the executive producer, Bill Geddie.
 
Well, today their lid came off as one after another took to bashing me. Whoopi pleaded that she had made peace with God for her abortions. In all seriousness, I hope she was telling the truth.
 
Behar tried to convince the audience that somehow she might still be a Catholic. But it\’s a little too late in the game to start reclaiming her former status: for years she has bragged that she was \”raised Catholic,\” and we all know what that means. Shepherd was incoherent, and Hasselbeck, who switched to Protestantism, showed her true colors by telling me to \”Go to Hell\” on the air. Such a sweet Christian girl.
 
Bashing me means nothing, so I hope they don\’t think their temper tantrum will shut me up. The only way they\’ll do that is if they start treating Catholics the way they do Muslims, African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Native Americans, homosexuals, transvestites, Pacific Islanders, dwarfs….
 
Contact producer Bill Geddie: [email protected]

Corey Ankum and Edward Stringer were among a dozen firefighters putting out a blaze in an abandoned building at daybreak today when suddenly the roof gave way.

Steven Ellerson, a 20-year veteran, and others swarmed inside to rescue them. \”He heard someone calling for help and he looked for him,\” Ellerson\’s brother Maurice Matthews said.

Ellerson found Ankum on the floor, gasping.

\”He found him and knew he was struggling to breathe so he took off his mask to give him some oxygen,\” Matthews said. \”Corey\’s head was stuck somehow and they couldn\’t get him out. So my brother went to give him his coat but they came and got my brother out of there. My brother didn\’t want to leave him, but there was no choice.

\”It was a chaotic scene,\” Matthews said. \”These guys put their lives on the line every day.\”

Stringer and another trapped firefighter was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, police closing ramps and clearing the way for the ambulances. Ankum was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said both firefighters died of trauma. Ankum had been with the department less than two years, Stringer about 12 years.

read via www.firehouse.com

(Trenton) – The New Jersey Department of Transportation today announced that the Route

52 Causeway will remain open to traffic throughout the winter as construction proceeds on the project to replace the span linking Somers Point (Atlantic County) and Ocean City (Cape May County).

The decision to make no changes to traffic patterns followed a meeting on Monday during which the Department sought input from elected officials and business owners on a proposal to temporarily close the bridge for approximately two months to speed construction.

\”After careful consideration of our options as well as public input, the Department has decided to make no changes to existing traffic patterns, and we will continue to work closely with our contractor to ensure that the bridge capacity needed for the busy summer season is available,\” said NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson.

 Stephen Roche, Gloucester City News Reporter, Community Activist; Retired member of Plumbers and Pipefitters Union 

Stephen Roche passed away at home in Gloucester City, on December 13, 2010 surrounded by his loving family. He was 59 years old. Stephen was the loving father of Katharine Harper and Christopher Scott and beloved grandfather of Barbara, Stephen and Robert Scott and Justin, Andrew and Micah Harper. He was the cherished son of Emma (DiDonato) and Daniel Roche Sr. and dear brother of Duane (Sheryl) and Daniel Roche, Jr. (Patti), Dr. Maureen Nalle (Denny), Diane Roche (Mindy), Teresa Quirk (Ted), Mary and Jeanne Roche, Kristin Dirago (Edward) and is also survived by 22 nieces and nephews.

 On December 17, 2010 (nee Fischer) of Waynesboro, PA. Mrs. Lange was born and raised in Gloucester City, NJ and was a 1956 graduate of GHS. She was also a long time parishioner of St. Mary’s Church. Mrs. Lange was the beloved wife of the late Ellis M. Lange, loving mother of Linda Murphy, of Woodbury Hts., John M. Lange, Kristina M. Stewart, William E. Lange, and Stephen R. Lange all of Waynesboro, PA and Derek M. Lange of Willamsport, MD. She was the cherished grandmother of 7 grandchildren, three step-grandchildren and 1 great grandchild and dear sister of Anna Steelman and Marie Vogel. She is also survived by 2 nieces, 4 nephews and 2 special cousins Violet Effinger and Betty Beard. Relatives and friends are invited to meet Tuesday evening Dec. 28 from 7:00 to 9:00pm and again Wednesday morning Dec. 29 from 9:30 to 10:30am at the ETHERINGTON-CRERAN FUNERAL HOME 700 Powell St., Gloucester City. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated 11:00am at St. Mary’s RC Church 426 Monmouth Street, Gloucester. Interment to follow New St. Mary’s Cemetery, Bellmawr. In lieu of flowers the family has requested memorial donations in Mrs. Lange’s name be made to Heartland Hospice, 1200 Walnut Bottom Rd., Suite 302, Carlisle PA 17015