AC Prosecutor Seeks Public\’s Help with Decade-Old-Murder

MAYS LANDING – The ACPO Major Crimes Unit continues the investigation of an unsolved homicide connected to a shooting that claimed the life of a 61 year-old woman who was the mother of four children and grandmother of 12 grandchildren, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner announced.

Joyce McKinnon

“Ten years ago today, Joyce McKinnon came home after a hard day at work to relax in the comfort of her own home. Moments later, her life was taken away without any regard for those who loved her most. Whoever is responsible for this senseless killing, robbed her children and grandchildren of the love that they so deserve. Somewhere there is a witness or someone who knows why a bullet found its way into Ms. McKinnon’s home that night, two weeks before Christmas. As the County Prosecutor,

I am requesting that anyone who has knowledge of the circumstances that caused her death to come forward immediately and give Ms. McKinnon’s family the justice they deserve,” Prosecutor Tyner said.

On Dec. 11, 2009, at approximately 10:47 p.m. Atlantic City Police responded to a report that a female had been shot in her 1900 N. Michigan Avenue residence. When officers arrived, they discovered Joyce McKinnon, 61, a cocktail waitress at the Tropicana Casino Hotel, deceased in her bed from an apparent gunshot wound. Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit detectives were notified and responded to the scene.

Atlantic County Medical Examiner Dr. Hydow Park performed an autopsy on the victim this morning and determined McKinnon died as a result of a single gunshot wound.

Prosecutor Tyner encourages anyone with any information in connection to this investigation to come forward and speak with law enforcement.

Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at

609-909-7800

or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at

http://www.acpo.org/tips.html

and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page. People can also call Crime Stoppers at

609-652-1234

or

1-800-658-8477

(TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at

http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/

. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.

Archbishop’s Benefit for Children Christmas Party

PHILADELPHIA PA–Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (CSS) will host the 64th annual

Archbishop’s Benefit for Children

Christmas Party

benefitting nearly 500

children and youth in grades Pre-K through five. This year’s theme is “Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus!”

The

Archbishop’s Benefit for Children Christmas Party

will kick off with a live Nativity scene on the front steps of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center (APC) featuring students from Saint Raymond of Peñafort School (Philadelphia). Highlights include live animals, a performance by the Divina Uncion Choir, and a Las Posadas presentation commemorating the journey that Joseph and Mary made in search of a safe refuge where Mary could give birth to the Savior.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Archdiocesan Pastoral Center

222 North 17th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Following the live Nativity scene, the celebration will officially kick off at the Philadelphia 201 hotel located directly across from the APC.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

will greet the children and join in on the festivities. Reverend Christopher M. Walsh, Pastor of Saint Raymond of Peñafort Parish (Philadelphia), will serve as the emcee for the event.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Philadelphia 201 Hotel

17th Street between Race and Vine Streets

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Children and youth will enjoy an afternoon filled with performances, sing-a-longs, snacks, and more. In addition, children will be treated to a surprise visit from Santa who will distribute gifts to all in attendance. Student volunteers from Archdiocesan High Schools throughout the five-county region will serve as Santa’s elves.

The event will be streamed live from

Archbishop Chaput’s Facebook page

as well as the

Catholic Social Services Facebook page

.

The Archbishop’s Benefit for Children (ABC)

is a year-round fundraising effort that provides necessary support to help ensure the vitality of CSS’ youth programs for children and families of all faiths throughout the five-county metropolitan area comprising the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. These programs provide help and create hope for thousands of children each year, including children with disabilities, at-risk children, and dependent or court-adjudicated youth. All children in need are served regardless of background and faith.

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Editor’s Note:

For more information or to make a donation in support of the Archbishop’s Christmas Benefit for Children, please visit

Archbishop’s Benefit for Children

.

Ginger Radzieta Wins 2020 Avalon Beach Tag Art Contest

(Avalon, NJ)–Fifth grade Avalon Elementary School student Ginger Radzieta, pictured with Avalon Business Administrator Scott Wahl is the winner of the

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Annual Beach Tag Art contest sponsored by the Avalon Elementary School and the Borough of Avalon.  Ginger was presented with the very first beach tag of the 2020 beach season with her artwork, along with a plaque from Mayor Martin Pagliughi congratulating her on the award.

2020 Avalon Beach Tag

Each year, students at the Avalon Elementary School are asked to design the art work for the following summer’s seasonal beach tag.  Dozens of entries are submitted to Mayor Martin Pagliughi who chooses the winning design.

The presentation was made to Ginger at the Avalon Elementary School on Friday, December 13

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to kick off the annual holiday program at the school.

Photo:  Avalon Business Administrator Scott Wahl with Ginger Radzieta.  Photo by Avalon Recreation Director Chuck McDonnell.

Former Owner of Trailblazers, Inc. Sentenced to 18 Months for Bankruptcy Fraud

LEXINGTON, Ky. –

Barry E. Sanders, 64, the former owner and CEO of Trailblazers, Inc., an auto and truck parts supply business formerly located in Lexington, was sentenced today, by Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph M. Hood, to 18 months imprisonment for bankruptcy fraud.

Sanders had previously admitted in U.S. District Court that, while Trailblazers, Inc. was in the process of contemplating bankruptcy in the summer of 2013, he transferred $315,000 from the business to his personal banking accounts, using four cashier’s checks.  Sanders then knowingly concealed the receipt of those funds, by failing to report the cash transfers on Trailblazers’ corporate bankruptcy filings in August 2013, as required by federal bankruptcy law.

Under federal law, Sanders must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Sanders will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years, following his release.

Robert M. Duncan, Jr., U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and James Robert Brown, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation leading to Sanders’ conviction was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin Roth and Will Moynahan.

Avalon Receives $177,000 NJDOT Grant for Reconstruction of Portion of 69th Street

AVALON, NJ–The Borough of Avalon is receiving a $177,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.  The grant will be used for the Borough’s reconstruction of a portion of 69

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Street between Dune Drive and Ocean Drive.  The project is expected to begin in 2020.

“We are very appreciative of the Department taking a close look at this project and providing funding to help defray costs for municipal taxpayers”, said Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi.  “Avalon has been fortunate to submit competitive grant applications in prior years.  These grants allow the Borough to repair and replace necessary infrastructure”.

Since 1997, the Borough of Avalon has secured approximately $2.9 million from the New Jersey Department of Transportation for various street projects.  Last year, the Borough received a $150,000 grant from the program for the reconstruction of a portion of 68

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Street.

In 2019, the Department received 661 applications that requested more than $368 million for projects.  Funding comes from the Transportation Trust Fund which is supported by the State gasoline tax.  $161.25 million was allocated to projects throughout the State of New Jersey for the NJDOT’s Fiscal Year 2020 Municipal Aid Program.  The application for the grant was made by Avalon municipal engineer Thomas Thornton of Mott MacDonald and previously authorized by the Avalon Borough Council.

What is a Smart City?

PHILADELPHIA PA–In 2017, the City launched the SmartCityPHL initiative to help improve service delivery for its broad community of residents, businesses, and visitors. While developing a roadmap to guide this initiative, we engaged community members and organizations in workshops designed to build a shared foundation for how technology can make Philadelphia a better place to live.

At its most basic level, the

SmartCityPHL Roadmap

defines a smart city as one that uses data and technology to improve the quality of life for those who live, work, and visit our diverse city.

To further shape the development of smart city projects and technology, we identified four guiding principles unique to Philadelphia’s approach:

Locally-inspired:

We will pursue projects that accurately reflect the needs of Philadelphia’s communities and use the unique assets, culture, and existing resources present in the city.

Innovative:

We will grow our capacity for research, discovery, piloting and evaluation to develop creative solutions to municipal challenges.

Equitable:

We will strive to engage and invest in our diverse communities so that all Philadelphians can benefit from and contribute ideas to smart city activities.

Collaborative:

We will collaborate on project development and implementation with stakeholders and partners from government, private sector, startup, civic technology, academia, and local neighborhoods.

These goals represent primary considerations when forming and evaluating SmartCityPHL projects.

Pitch & Pilot

, a new program designed to identify and test innovative approaches to municipal challenges, is a prime example of putting these principles into practice. The SmartCityPHL guidelines drive Pitch & Pilot’s process of choosing challenges, soliciting and evaluating proposals, and assessing the success of a pilot project. Our goals for this exciting initiative are to engage Philadelphia’s diverse community and work together to discover solutions to the city’s challenges.

Learn more about how Pitch &Pilot supports the overall goals of SmartCityPHL.

Eleanor Jablonski (nee Bartoszek) of Audubon

Eleanor Jablonski (nee Bartoszek), went to be with the Lord on December 16, 2019, of Audubon. Age 89.

Beloved wife of the late Henry B. Jablonski. Devoted mother of Henry Robert Jablonski (Patricia) and Jane Jablonski. Loving grandmother of Gregory, Christopher and Kimberly and great grandmother of Brayden. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.

There will be a viewing from 9:45 to 10:45am Saturday morning at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, St. Vincent Palliotti RC Church, 901 Hopkins Rd., Haddon Twp., NJ 08033.

Funeral Mass 11am in church.

Interment St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Chews Landing.

Family requests in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Mrs. Jablonski’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.