The Hammonton Gazette 03/26/14 Edition | Page 6

Page 6 • Wednesday, March 26, 2014 • The Hammonton Gazette The Hammonton Gazette “The Paper of Record” gabriel J. donio, Publisher gina rullo, Editor-in-Chief dan russoman, Sports Editor Benny Mendez, Staff Artist Marysusan hoffman, paul J. Macrie Iv Michael hozik, donna Brown, Joseph Bruno, lauren Bucci, lauren crescenzo, Brian Morris, Staff The Hammonton Gazette is located at 233 Bellevue ave. to reach a staff member, call 704-1940 or fax at 704-1938. the mailing address is p.o. Box 1228, hammonton, nJ 08037. edItorIals The Hammonton Gazette is published Wednesdays, by The Hammonton Gazette, Inc. Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved. ISSN 1093-6181 June 29: save the date Consider this notice far enough ahead of time: June 29, 2014 is going to be a memorable day in the history of Hammonton. The Greater Hammonton Chamber of Commerce’s 28th Annual Red, White and Blueberry Festival will be held at Hammonton High School in the town’s uptown section, and the downtown will be the prime viewing area for the Challenge Atlantic City Triathlon, which organizers said could bring approximately 1,500 participants cycl ing through the downtown area. Local boosters of both major events and law enforcement said they will be able to coordinate the street closures and the tourist traffic. Jitneys are being considered to shuttle people between the two events, according to organizers of the triathlon. Challenge Atlantic City Triathlon will move through Atlantic County, starting in Atlantic City, moving to Hammonton and then back to Atlantic City. It will begin with a 2.4-mile swimming race around the back bays of Atlantic City, followed by a 112-mile bicycle race on a course through Atlantic County that includes downtown Hammonton, and end with a marathon of 26.2 miles. Together, the triathlon will create a race totaling 140.6 miles, according to the event’s web page at www.challengeatlanticcity.com. Across town, the Red, White and Blueberry Festival, which has drawn approximately 10,000 people a year to Hammonton, will be featuring hundreds of classic cars, crafters, food and music. Having both events occurring in Hammonton on June 29 should make for an incredibly exciting, fun and historic day. Hammonton Police Chief Robert Jones said he plans to have a full complement of officers on duty that day, and is already organizing with other law enforcement agencies for assistance with road closures, detouring traffic and crowd control. Jones told The Gazette people would be able to move through Hammonton and go to either event on June 29. It is critical that municipal and school government, law enforcement, the Chamber, MainStreet Hammonton, Challenge Atlantic City, the Hammonton business community and all volunteers work together to coordinate their efforts regarding June 29 so the day moves smoothly, and tourists are able to enjoy all our community has to offer from the time they arrive to the time they leave town. The experience must be as pleasurable as possible, throughout the entire town, during the entire day. Thousands of people attending the Red, White and Blueberry Festival and the Challenge Atlantic City Triathlon on the same day in Hammonton will provide an excellent opportunity for Hammonton to show itself off to the region. Our shops and restaurants should try to capture some of the business from the influx of tourists. Our municipal and school governments should have the entire town and school district looking their best. June 29 will be a day to celebrate Hammonton pride, and share it with thousands of visitors who will come to town to enjoy the festival and the triathlon. perspectIve/weekly address In his March 22 address, President Obama highlighted the importance of making sure our economy rewards the hard work of every American – including America’s women. The President reiterated his call for Congress to ensure that women earn equal pay for equal work and increase the minimum wage to $10.10, which would give nearly 28 million Americans the raise they deserve. He underscored his belief that providing opportunity for working women and families is the right thing to do for our economy, because when women succeed, America succeeds. This week, I visited a community college in Florida, where I spoke with students about what we need to do to make sure our economy rewards the hard work of every American. More specifically, I spoke about making sure our economy rewards the hard work of women. Today, women make up about half of our workforce, and more than half of our college graduates. More women are now their families’ main breadwinner than ever before. But in a lot of ways, our economy hasn’t caught up to this new reality yet. On average, a woman still earns just 77 cents for every dollar a man does. And too many women face outdated workplace policies that hold them back – which in turn holds back our families and our entire economy. A woman deserves to earn equal pay for equal work, and paid leave that lets you take a day off to care for a sick child or parent. Congress needs to act on these priorities. And when women hold most lower-wage jobs in America, Congress needs to raise the minimum wage. Because no woman who works full-time should ever have to raise her children in poverty. Now, the good news is that in the year since I first called on Congress to raise the minimum wage, six states have passed laws to raise theirs. More states, counties, and cities are working to raise their minimum wages as we speak. Small businesses like St. Louis-based Pi Pizzeria, are raising their wages too – not out of charity, but because it’s good for business. And by the way, Pi makes a really good pizza. And in this year of action, I signed an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay their employees a fair wage of at least 10 dollars and 10 cents an hour. But if we’re truly going to reward the hard work of every American, Congress needs to join the rest of the country and pass a bill that would lift the federal minimum wage to 10 dollars and 10 cents an hour. This wouldn’t just raise wages for minimum wage workers – its effects would lift wages for nearly 28 million Americans across this country. It will give businesses more customers with more money to spend, and grow the economy for everybody. So call up your Member of Congress and let them know it’s time for “10-10.” It’s time to give America a raise. A true opportunity agenda is one that works for working women. Because when women succeed, America succeeds. We do better when everyone participates, and when everyone who works hard has the chance to get ahead. That’s what opportunity means – and it’s why I’ll keep fighting to restore it. president Barack obama washington, d.c. Quote of the Week: “In the sprIng, I have counted 136 dIfferent kInds of weather InsIde of 24 hours.” — Mark Twain The Hammonton Gazette welcomes letters to the editor that are no more than 800 words long. All letters must include the name of the author and an address and telephone number for verification. Letters should be mailed to The Hammonton Gazette, Editorial Page, P.O. Box 1228, Hammonton, NJ 08037. Letters also will be accepted via fax. The fax number is 704- 1938.  Or by e-mail to [email protected]. Deadline for all submissions is 2 p.m. Monday. The Hammonton Gazette reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions expressed in letters, perspectives or in guest columns do not necessarily reflect those of The Hammonton Gazette.  The Gazette is not responsible for factual errors in letters, perspectives or in guest columns. The Gazette retains the right to refuse any submission or advertisement.