The Hammonton Gazette 08/21/13 | Page 6

Page 6 • Wednesday, August 21, 2013 • The Hammonton Gazette The Hammonton Gazette “The Paper of Record” Dan russoman, Sports Editor Benny mendez, Staff Artist gabriel J. Donio, Publisher gina rullo, Editor-in-Chief showing pride The Hammonton Gazette is published Tuesdays, by The Hammonton Gazette, Inc. Copyright © 2013. All rights reserved. ISSN?1093-6181 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. michelle gameron, marysusan?hoffman, lauren Bucci michael hozik, Donna Brown, Jessica newell, Joseph?Bruno, Paul J. macrie iv, lauren crescenzo, Brian?morris, Anthony marella, Staff eDitOriAls The Eagle Theatre, which opened in 2009 in the revitalized building that originally housed the theater back in the 1910s and 1920s, is growing. The theater announced it had purchased an additional building on West End Avenue behind the West End Grille. This 5,000-square-foot building, called “The Workshop” according to theater officials, will house offices for the theater as well as serving as an area for set building and storage for the increasingly successful Eagle Theatre. In addition, according to theater officials, a portion of the new space could eventually be used as a secondary venue for smaller productions. Visual and performing arts continue to blossom in Hammonton. The Eagle Theatre has received much acclaim from theatergoers, reviewers and restaurant owners for its positive impact on the community. If you’ve attended a show at the theater, you already know what we mean. If you haven’t, you should go. The theater continues to improve itself with ambitious projects like The Workshop, and through those projects, continues to improve our town. eagle spreading wings This week, one of our favorite local events will be observed. Puerto Rican Civic Week is a longstanding tradition in Hammonton, and the food, music, pride and fun will again be seen, heard and tasted locally from August 25 to September 1. The bulk of the event is held at the Puerto Rican Civic Association’s newly-refurbished clubhouse on Old Forks Road. A nice crowd attends the flag-raising ceremony at town hall each year, and we’re sure this year will be no exception. It’s an impressive show of Puerto Rican pride — one that began on the farms of Hammonton, when Puerto Ricans comprised the bulk of the labor force. Now, generations later, Puerto Ricans have gone from the labor camps to positions in the stores, offices and service industries of the town. Children and grandchildren of former farm laborers have graduated from college. While Puerto Ricans from Hammonton have shared in the American Dream, they have also kept their traditions alive through a celebration of the Puerto Rican culture each year. It’s a perfect way to end the summer — delicious food, great music and a festival atmosphere where people can see and be seen and catch up with each other. Elected officials who stop by the Puerto Rican Civic Association this week are sure to be treated to a warm welcome by the people who attend the event. Congratulations to the Puerto Rican Civic Association on their upcoming week. We’re sure it will be another excellent event. Below is President Obama’s weekly address from August 10. For the past few weeks, I’ve been visiting folks across America to talk about what we need to do as a country to secure a better bargain for the middle class. I’ve been laying out my ideas for how we can build on the cornerstones of what it means to be middle class in America. A good job. A good education. Affordable health care when you get sick. A secure retirement even if you’re not rich. And the chance to own your own home. This week, I went to Arizona and California, two of the states hit hardest when the housing bubble burst, triggering the recession. All acro ss the country, millions of responsible Americans were hurt badly by the reckless actions of others. Home values plummeted. Construction workers were laid off. And many families lost their homes. Over the past four years, we’ve worked to help millions of responsible homeowners get back on their feet. And while we’re not where we need to be yet, our housing market is beginning to heal. Home prices and sales are rising. Construction is up. Foreclosures are down. Millions of families have come up for air because they’re no longer underwater on their mortgages. Now we have to build on this progress. Congress should give every American the chance to refinance at today’s low rates. We should help more qualified families get a mortgage and buy their first home. We should get construction workers back on the job rebuilding communities hit hardest by the crisis. And PersPective/Weekly Briefing we should make sure that folks who don’t want to buy a home have decent, affordable places to rent. As home prices rise, we have to turn the page on the bubble-and-bust mentality that created this mess, and build a housing system that’s rock-solid and rewards responsibility for generations to come. We need to wind down the companies known as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, make sure private capital plays a bigger role in the mortgage market and end the era of expecting a bailout after your pursuit of profit puts the whole country at risk. We need to preserve access to safe and simple mortgages like the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage. We need to keep laying down rules of the road that protect homeowners when they’re making the biggest purchase of their lives. And finally, Congress needs to confirm Mel Watt to be our nation’s top housing regulator, so that he can protect consumers and help responsible lenders provide credit. No program or policy will solve all the problems in a multi-trillion dollar housing market, and it will take time to fully recover. But if we work together, we can make a home a source of pride and middle-class security again. And if Washington is willing to set aside politics and focus on what really matters, we can rebuild an economy where if you work hard, you can get ahead. Thanks, and have a great weekend. “A frienD is sOmeOne WhO knOWs All ABOut yOu AnD still lOves yOu.” — Elbert Hubbard 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 3 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. Quote of the Week: Barack Obama President Washington,?D.c.