PRINCETON, NJ (MERCER)–Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri and Kenneth Strother Jr., Princeton University assistant vice president for public safety, announced that at approximately 1 p.m. on Thursday, October 20, 2022, authorities located the deceased body of missing Princeton University student Misrach Ewunetie.
Ms. Ewunetie’s body was found outside on the Facilities grounds behind the tennis courts at approximately 1:00 p.m. on Thursday by a Facilities employee. An autopsy by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine Ms. Ewunetie’s cause and manner of death, however there were no obvious signs of injury and her death does not appear suspicious or criminal in nature.
Prosecutor Onofri expressed his deepest condolences to Ms. Ewunetie’s family and the Princeton campus community.
He also thanked the many agencies who provided assistance and resources this week, including the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, the Princeton University Department of Public Safety, the Princeton Police Department, the New Jersey State Police, the New Jersey State Park Police, the West Windsor Township Police Department, the Hamilton Police Division, the Lawrence Township Police Department, the Princeton Fire Department, West Windsor Emergency Services, the Princeton First Aid Squad and the Trenton Fire Department Dive Team.
As the weather turns colder and the growing season ends most may not notice that sections of New Jersey are still under moderate drought conditions. Even with recent rains improving some of the drought conditions, in northern New Jersey many streams are not flowing at the same rate as this time last year. Photos taken below are of the Double Kill near the Wawayanda Iron Furnace at Wawayanda State Park this past week showing a dry stream bed. At the same time last year, the stream was flowing with high levels of water.
A couple of low pressure systems with trailing frontal boundaries resulted in another round of improvements to long-term drought conditions across New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Widespread 1 to 2 inch rainfall surpluses were observed across New England, with more than 4 inch surpluses in central and western Maine. Given the recent beneficial rainfall in many of these same areas, widespread 1-category improvements to the drought depiction were warranted. Some areas in western New York and south-central Pennsylvania have seen deficits creep up to between 1 and 3 inches over the past 30 days. So these areas will need to be watched in the coming weeks.”
The U.S. Drought Monitor is a map released every Thursday, showing parts of the U.S. that are in drought. The map uses five classifications: abnormally dry (D0), showing areas that may be going into or are coming out of drought, and four levels of drought: moderate (D1), severe (D2), extreme (D3) and exceptional (D4).
The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
ROBBINSVILLE, NJ (MERCER)-When the first pitch is thrown at 7:37 p.m. Friday, as the Philadelphia Phillies take on the San Diego Padres in the National League Championship Series, you can bet that Kelly Fleck will have a great view at Citizens Bank Park.
Fleck, an AP history teacher for the past two years at Robbinsville High School, also happens to be finishing her stint as a Phillies Ballgirl, a part-time job she has had on plenty of summer nights and weekends over the last two baseball seasons.
“Friday night is going to be awesome; I can’t wait for the hometown crowd,” Fleck said. “The excitement of playoff baseball is just incredible. It’s something I’ve been waiting to experience.”
Fleck, 23, will be in left field for Saturday night’s game to grab foul balls and toss them into the crowd. During the rest of the homestand, Fleck will be in the stands, serving as an ambassador for the Ballgirls and helping out with the stadium’s recycling efforts.
“The fans have been great; they are always nice to me because they want me to throw them a foul ball,” Fleck said. “Every once in a while, I’ll hear `Ms. Fleck! Ms. Fleck!’ and I’ll know instantly that some of my students from Robbinsville came to see the Phillies play.”
Fleck even has her own baseball card, which she signs and hands out to fans during the game. She also distributes “rally towels” to fans, while also selling 50-50 raffles to raise money for Philadelphia-based charities.
There are 19 Phillies Ballgirls, all of whom are eager to rotate onto the field during a big weekend of playoff baseball in Philly.
During the season, in which the Phillies played 81 home games and then defeated the Atlanta Braves in the wild-card playoffs, Fleck would take the 80-minute drive from her home in Ocean Gate to serve as a Ballgirl for the Philly fans.
So how did this history teacher become a Phillies Ballgirl?
The Phillies advertise on college campuses. Her two older sisters, Joanna and Jenna, became Ballgirls. So, when it was time for Fleck to try out in 2020, she was ready. She competed with about 100 candidates who submitted videos. She went through an on-camera interview, as well as tests in fielding, throwing and batting. Some of the women even played college ball, so competition was fierce.
“Over the past two seasons, I’ve made some good plays out there,” Fleck said. “Usually, I let the foul ball hit the wall first because, as you can imagine, the players hit the ball really hard. It can get a little scary out there. I once got a bruise.”
Fleck said she will be retiring as a BallGirl this season, as the Phillies only allow two seasons, based on the high demand.
Robbinsville Schools Superintendent Brian Betze said the school community will be cheering on the history and global studies teacher this weekend.
“Robbinsville may have its Mets, Phillies and Yankee fans, but we are all certainly Kelly Fleck fans,” Betze said. “What a tremendous opportunity for her. We are all very proud.”
Fleck said she is squarely focused on the best-of-seven series against the Padres, but can’t help but dream what would happen if the Phillies win the whole thing. “The Ballgirls would certainly be in the parade,” she said. “And, who knows, maybe we will get a World Series ring!”
It all depends, this teacher notes, if the Phillies make some history.
MidJersey.News 
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