A green economy is emerging worldwide as growing numbers of companies embrace environmental policies and investors pump hundreds of billions into clean technology and renewable energies, finds the 2008 United Nations Environment Programme Year Book.

The Year Book was presented here today at the opening of the largest gathering of environment ministers since the UN climate conference in Bali, Indonesia last December.

The ministers, joined by representatives of business, organized labor, science and civil society, are attending UNEP’s Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum with the theme “Mobilizing Finance for the Climate Challenge.”

“Hundreds of billions of dollars are now flowing into renewable and clean energy technologies and trillions more dollars are waiting in the wings looking to governments for a new and decisive climate regime post 2012 alongside the creative market mechanisms necessary to achieve this,” said Achim Steiner, UN under-secretary general and UNEP executive director.

Climate change, as documented in the Year Book, is increasingly changing the global environment, from the melting of permafrost and glaciers to extreme weather events.

But it is also beginning to change the mind-sets, policies and actions of corporate heads, financiers and entrepreneurs as well as leaders of organized labor, governments and the United Nations itself.

Combating climate change increasingly is being viewed as an opportunity rather than a burden and a path to a new kind of prosperity instead of a brake on profits and employment, the UNEP Year Book shows. The emerging green economy is driving invention, innovation and the imagination of engineers on a scale not witnessed since the industrial revolution of more than two centuries ago.

The report points to the growing interest in novel geo-engineering projects such as giant carbon dioxide, C02, collectors that absorb the greenhouse gas from the air as trees do.

“Based on technology used in fish tank filters and developed by scientists from Columbia University’s Earth Institute, this method called “air capture” can collect the CO2 at the location of the ideal geological deposits for storage,” says the report.

Meanwhile, scientists in Iceland and elsewhere are looking at injecting C02 into that country’s abundant basalt rocks where it is claimed the gas reacts to form inert limestone.

Similar “sequestration rocks” exist in geological formations across much of the world and may provide a safe and long term disposal option for the main greenhouse gas emissions, says the UNEP Year Book.

Some elements of a green economy are already taking shape.

Corporate social responsibility reporting, including environmental concerns, is now found among corporations in over 90 countries – with the number of such statements mushrooming from virtually zero in the early 1990s to well over 2,000 now, the Year Book states.

The Investor Network on Climate Change, launched in November 2003, now has some 50 institutional investors with assets of over $3 trillion.

And the Principles for Responsible Investment, jointly facilitated by UNEP’s Finance Initiative and the UN Global Compact in 2006, now has 275 institutions with $13 trillion of assets.

In 2007, financial transactions in the sustainable energy sector reached $160 billion – up from just over $100 billion in 2006, according to another UNEP report drafted to inform the deliberations of ministers in Monaco.

“An initiative to provide seed money for clean energy entrepreneurs has spawned close to 50 new enterprises in Africa, China and India. The Principles for Responsible Investment, facilitated by the UNEP Finance Initiative and the UN’s Global Compact, has secured the support of over 275 institutions handling assets of over $13 trillion dollars,” said Steiner.

“Among the challenges facing ministers in Monaco is how to accelerate this transformation to ensure that it is far reaching, widespread and above all speedy,” he said.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, composed of more than 2,000 scientists established by UNEP and the World Meteorological Organization to advise governments, estimates that to avoid dangerous climate change emissions need to be stabilized at between 535 to 590 parts per million, ppm, in 2050.

In order to meet the stabilization target, global emissions of greenhouse gases will need to decrease in 2050 by 18 to 29 giggatonnes of carbon dioxide with emissions peaking even earlier – somewhere between 2010 and 2030.

A variety of recent assessments such as the Stern Review; ones by the IPCC and others by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change put the costs of stabilization at between 0.3 percent and four per cent of global Gross Domestic Product, GDP.

Stern estimates it at one percent of global GDP, costing around $134 billion in 2015 rising to $930 billion in 2050.

Industrialized countries, except the United States, are abiding by the Kyoto Protocol, which requires a reduction in six greenhouse gases by an average of 5.2 percent of 1990 levels by the end of 2012.

After 2012, the Kyoto Protocol will be replaced by an global agreement now under negotiation that are expected to be completed by the climate convention meeting in Copenhagen in 2009.

Some developing countries are already committed to a green economy.

UNEP Governing Council President Roberto Dobles of Costa Rica told reporters today that his country wants to become a carbon neutral, zero impact economy by 2021.

“To change the economy, we have to become more resource efficient, the culture of consumption will have to change,” Dobles said.

Although the country enjoys a 62 percent forest cover, last year Costa Ricans planted six million trees and aim to plant seven million trees this year, he said.

Costa Rica will be reducing emissions and increasing its capacity to mitigate climate change, Dobles said. “We will be increasing our well-being through a low carbon economy.”

In a video message played at the Governing Council today, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to the environment ministers to usher in a “new generation” of solutions to climate change.

“You can help us meet the crucial challenge of mobilizing finance to meet the climate challenge,” he said. “We must sustain the momentum, including through practical actions now.”

Nigeria’s traditional partners in the exploration and production of hydrocarbon resources are calling on the government to install fiscal regimes and congenial environment to ensure the continued survival of the joint ventures that sustain revenue inflow from the sector.

Chairman and managing director of ExxonMobil in Nigeria who spoke for the industry at a strategic conference in Abuja weekend said that only stable fiscal environment, sanctity of contracts, guaranteed returns on investment and securitization of payment would continue to incent investments from international oil companies.

He made it clear that the role of the private sector in the partnership to realize Nigeria’s economic goals through optimum valorization of her petroleum resources would anchor on commercial viability of investments in the local environment.

Business Champion reports that government activated a string of reforms in the industry that threaten to alter deepwater contracts signed on producing fields and commit operators to delivery of gas for the domestic market where prices are regulated.

Government and oil firms in the country have recently taken different positions on the new measures introduced by the state to earn maximum returns from exploitation of the nation’s petroleum resources.

Apart from the directive on oil firms to end routine flaring of associated gas by the end of the year, the industry is also under directives to ensure adequate supply of produced gas to the domestic market to ease out scarcity and enhance economic development of the country.

Also, there is an existing directive on the companies to refine 50 percent of their production locally and export white products from the country to reverse the current trend of massive export of crude oil and massive high cost importation of white products to fuel the domestic economy.

In his opening address at the just concluded Nigerian Oil and Gas conference in Abuja last week, President Umaru Yar’Adua said the industry reforms with associated changes in operating modalities would be enacted into law to give it permanent teeth.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the level of progress made by the industry in driving economic development of the nation in the last 50 years, pointing out that a lot of basic challenges still faced the nation despite hosting a robust oil and gas industry.

“Ours is a story of a nation with abundant oil and gas resources but has stunted growth,” he said, adding that Nigerian content of the industry has remained low while the country still depended on imported petroleum products when the country should meet its fuel needs and export to contiguous nations.

He made it clear that “this situation should not be allowed to continue.”

Similarly, while presenting the details of the reform programme to the conference, the honorary strategic adviser to the President on energy matters, Dr. Rilwanu Lukman, informed the oil companies that their commercial interests should be realigned to drive national aspirations in the industry.

On his own, the Director of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Mr. Tony Chukwueke, made it clear that government would review a set of Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) signed with the oil companies in the past to reflect the current market value of crude oil.

He said the review of the agreements would be urgent in order to avoid further revenue losses to government as production and export go on daily at offtake sites operated by the oil majors.

Earlier in a chat with newsmen in Lagos, the new managing director of Shell, Mr. Mutiu Sumonu, said most of the requirements on the operators were issue of investment decision rather than mandatory requirement.

In responding to issues on the radical reforms in the industry, Mr. Chaplin noted the reforms have posed an exciting and challenging time for the energy industry in the country, adding that what makes the transformation so important is the opportunity for economic growth for Nigeria that can be achieved by ‘getting this transformation right.’

He emphasised the need for government to recognise its roles in providing stable fiscal and regulatory frameworks, access to resources and allowing markets to operate freely.

“Countries that want to expand or develop their energy industry and compete globally for investment capital must have these elements in place to allow them to compete,” he maintained.

He added other congenial requirements to include non-discriminatory administration of laws and regulations; impartial dispute resolution; minimising obstacles to building or operating facilities; minimal import or export restrictions; freedom to negotiate commercial arrangements; and sanctity of contracts.

Ralph Nader, who turns 74 tomorrow, remains as obstinate, prickly and egotistical as ever, hewing to the idea that he must run for president because “dissent is the mother of ascent.”

Using political protest to leverage social change is a sound principle. Nader’s execution of it is not. His presidential run in 2000 wounded Al Gore enough to help George W. Bush sneak into the White House.

Events since have proven Nader was delusional when he insisted there was no difference between the major political parties. The deficit-spawning Bush tax cuts, the administration’s assault on crucial environmental laws and, most tragically, the unnecessary war in Iraq _ Nader bears partial responsibility for all of it.

Nader’s 2000 candidacy garnered almost 3 million votes. Nearly 100,000 of them were in Florida, where Bush defeated Gore by slightly more than 500 votes.

Despite eight years of some of the worst political and social backsliding in the history of the republic, Nader still confuses his narcissism with progress for the nation.

Fortunately, this is not 2000. Nader shouldn’t rise to even the level of a distraction. Gore was a solid candidate, but he was not exciting and he didn’t represent change. Nader won’t take votes from Barack Obama or from Hillary Clinton. Both candidates are sufficiently appealing as agents of change that Nader can’t steal their thunder.

Nader, the stinging wasp, has become the irritating gnat. He says he’s not a spoiler. While it’s true he no longer has the power to be, his intentions are suspect. It’s time for him to go away and stop pretending that what’s good for him is good for the country.

___

On the Net: http://www.nj.com

Tuesday’s (Feb. 26) Record of Bergen County on “Freeheld’s” Oscar victory:

On Sunday, a New Jersey story won the Academy Award for short subject documentary. It was a bittersweet moment. In what may go down as the ultimate Oscar irony, a film about gay and lesbian discrimination in Ocean County was announced as the winner by members of the U.S. military serving in Iraq.

Probably no one planning this year’s show thought about the hypocrisy of having the military, which bans openly gay and lesbian soldiers from service, announce a category that included a film about a law enforcement officer’s dying struggle to transfer pension benefits to her legal domestic partner.

“Freeheld” shows how Ocean County freeholders continued to deny Lt. Laurel Hester’s requests to have her pension transferred to her partner, Stacie Andre. The freeholders relented only after Governor Corzine applied personal pressure.

Hester’s publicized battle spurred numerous counties across New Jersey to grant pension rights to their employees in legal domestic partnerships. Since then, New Jersey has expanded rights to same-sex couples with a civil union law. But a recently released report on the one-year-old law shows that benefits discrimination continues despite the state Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing equal rights to same-sex couples.

And while Corzine says he will sign legislation recognizing same-sex marriage if it ever reaches his desk, he also has said that he does not support introducing such legislation in a presidential election year. There is little appetite inside the State House to take on this issue in 2008.

The Oscar win will give “Freeheld” more public exposure. It is a sad, compelling film. Watching Hester slowly succumb to cancer is heartbreaking. Watching her repeatedly being denied equal rights despite her decades of public service is galling. And watching the emotional bond between Hester and Andre as they face the inevitable is proof there is nothing gender-specific about spousal commitment.

“Freeheld” ends in death: Hester died in 2006. It also ends in personal victory. But the struggle for equal rights has never been one individual’s story. Equality for gays and lesbians in New Jersey is a sometime thing. In the U.S. military, it does not exist at all.

It will take more than an Academy Award to change that.

TRENTON — Declaring that New Jersey had reached an irrevocable “turning point” because of years of bad fiscal habits, Gov. Jon S. Corzine proposed a budget on Tuesday that would reduce the state’s work force by 3,000 people, close three departments and prune expenses for services including colleges and hospitals.

Corzine’s Proposed Budget Cuts If enacted as proposed, the overall state budget would shrink by $500 million to $33 billion, marking only the fifth time in the last 50 years that New Jersey would spend less money than it did the previous year. Assuming inflation this year at around 3 percent, as it has been since 2004, the cut would be equivalent to roughly $1.5 billion, or 4.4 percent of last year’s budget, in real terms.

“Frankly, New Jersey has a government its people cannot afford,” a somber Governor Corzine told a stone-silent group of legislators, lobbyists and local officials in his annual budget address.

“We must turn away from the era of spending and borrowing beyond our means, once and for all,” he said. “In practical terms, failing to take on the tough choices will only force New Jersey into a deeper fiscal swamp.”

Mr. Corzine delivered the harsh prognosis against a grim national backdrop, given that more than 20 states, New York included, are now grappling with budget shortfalls because of a downturn in the national economy, according to an analysis released Monday by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

But New Jersey’s troubles are especially deep, fiscal analysts say, because of rising costs for pension and health care benefits, a ballooning increase in spending under both Republicans and Democrats over the last decade or so and the longtime practice of paving over deficits with one-shot revenues that dried up the following year.

So while the slumping housing market has led to shrinking tax receipts across the country, only a few states face a greater shortfall than the nearly 10 percent gap New Jersey has to fill, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said. Arizona’s deficit is the largest, 16 percent, followed by California, at 15 percent.

Here in Trenton, Mr. Corzine warned that the new math was full of difficult numbers, big and small.

He proposed cutting state aid to colleges and universities by $76 million, or 4 percent. Grants to towns? Down $190 million (about 10 percent). Hospitals? Less $144 million (14 percent). His plan would shut down the Departments of Personnel, Agriculture and Commerce, and trim jobs across the board, largely through buyouts. Residents would face longer lines and shorter hours at motor vehicle registries, and limited hours at public parks.

Beyond the numbers, Mr. Corzine said he wanted to change the culture of the way the state government operated. He said, at several junctures, that he had been humbled by the anger of the public, much of which has been trained on him and his proposed toll increases in a series of town-hall meetings in recent weeks.

In a 25-minute speech, the governor used some variation of the word “cut” at least 28 times and elicited applause just twice: when he entered the Assembly chamber, and when he left.

“I have heard firsthand the public’s frustration and anger generated by too many years of overspending, borrowing and false rhetoric,” he said. “And they’re right.”

He later referred to his plan as “cold-turkey therapy for our troubled spending addiction.”

After the speech, the state’s top two legislators, both Democrats like the governor, offered a guarded assessment.

Senate President Richard J. Codey said that “anything that affects the middle class or the poor is going to get a thorough look at and see whether we can restore some of the cuts that have been proposed.” In a sign of the challenging economy, he added: “But if we do that, we have to also propose a cut of our own.”

Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr. said he believed that the budget reflected the consensus that the public was demanding spending cuts. “I think they’ve said with a very clear and loud voice, ‘We’re not prepared to consider tolls or taxes or revenue anywhere until you can convince us and demonstrate to us that you’ve cut everywhere that’s possible.’”

Republicans, meanwhile, said that they felt vindicated, at least in part, because they had been calling for spending cuts for years.

“It’s a good beginning for us,” said Assemblyman Alex DeCroce, the minority leader. “I would like to see them cut a little deeper.”

The Fed’s relentless policy of interest rate cuts is working like a charm. The dollar hit a record low against the Euro ($1.5057) and oil hit a record $102 in response — up 325% since January 2001’s $24. The record oil price has not yet found its way to the gasoline pumps — but it will. If oil prices remain above $100, by this summer gasoline prices will top $4 a gallon — or $80 for a 20-gallon tank. Back in January 2001, you would have paid about $1.59 a gallon — so you’ve got a 152% price increase there.

What is going on here? According to the New York Times, producer inflation is up 7.4% — the worst since 1981. The U.S. has pursued a weak dollar policy — relative to the Euro, the dollar has lost 63.7% of its value since January 2001 when it traded at 92 cents to the Euro. And since oil is denominated in dollars, a weaker dollar translates into a higher oil price. That excludes the effects of political instability in oil producing regions — Iraq and environs — and rising oil demand in China and India.

How are you coping with this? The Times reports that one person, Phyllis Berry, a 31-year-old factory worker who drives a beat-up Dodge Caravan, said, “I used to fill it up pretty regularly, but now I drive it until the tank is almost empty, looking for the cheapest place to buy gas.” She said that she used to take her four children to the movies four or five times a month. But with the cost of gas, tickets, popcorn and soda adding up to $70, they now go only once a month.

When the Fed’s Chair Ben Bernanke testifies today, he’ll likely dismiss inflation as a lesser concern than the credit crunch. Is he making the right choice? I don’t think so. How about you?

The state Department of Environmental Protection on Tuesday fined Johnstown-based McKelvey Oil Co. Inc., $145,000 for failing to comply with a prior order and ordered the company to stop operating above-ground storage tanks of home heating fuel at two facilities.One of the facilities — Gilbert Brothers Oil in Ligonier Township — is a bulk fuel distributor with two tanks: one with a 75,000 gallon capacity and the other with a 128,000 capacity, according to a news release the DEP issued about the fine.

The other affected facility, in Stoneycreek Township in Cambria County, also distributes bulk fuel via 10 tanks with capacity levels ranging from 14,600 gallons to more than 29,000 gallons.

In October, DEP issued an order to McKelvey Oil by after the company failed to register the tanks with the state, the DEP said. The company also failed to make required inspections of the storage tanks, according to the DEP.

“McKelvey Oil is paying a steep price for failing to comply with state regulations that are intended to protect the public and environment by preventing storage-tank spills,” said Kenneth Bowman, the DEP Southwest Regional director. “Properly registering and inspecting tanks of this size is essential to preventing a tragedy.”

McKelvey Oil Co. principal William G. McKelvey could not be reached for comment yesterday.

THERE ARE some who say the price of crude oil is experiencing a “psychological disconnect” from its true fundamental value.

In other words, the simple supply-and-demand equation is no longer setting the price of oil. The activity of speculators who are using the oil commodity as an alternative to investing in riskier investments such as real estate and the stock market is pushing the price higher.

It is true that oil has climbed to US$100 a barrel due to growing demand for oil from developing nations India and China. The rising price is fuelled as well by concerns in the U.S. about the falling value of the greenback. Also helping to drive up the price is the continued unrest in Nigeria and noises coming from Venezuela about nationalizing a large portion of that country’s oil sector. But the price reflects more than that.

David Collins, a vice-president at Wilson Fuel Co. in Halifax, says investors are looking for something that they can understand and that offers a reasonable return. Oil provides that. And while the continued high price will also help to reduce demand for the product and therefore lead to lower prices, predicting oil prices is almost impossible.

It is Collins’ opinion that oil inventories are increasing and there should be enough capacity within existing North American refineries to easily keep the market well-supplied with gasoline and heating oil for the next little while. It is inevitable the price will come down, says Collins. He just doesn’t know when that will happen.

For the troubled household that finds it difficult to come up with the money to put heating oil in the tank, that’s a tough spot. While some of us can wait out the market and call for delivery after the price drops a little, those living on a limited income often don’t have that luxury.

If the tank is empty, low-income families must either find a way to come up with the money for fuel or go cold. It really doesn’t matter what the per-litre price is at the time; it’s a simple matter of need.

A survey of heating oil companies in the Halifax area, which is the most competitive heating oil market in the region, shows that the lowest-priced discount oil delivery companies have their prices bumping up against 85 cents a litre. Even at that price, most of the smaller delivery companies are seeing their operating margin — the difference between the wholesale and retail price — squeezed.

The so-called full-service oil companies are charging a posted price that is much higher than that. Although they offer lower prices for those who are regular customers or who had signed up for a “cap” on the price, one must also sign up for automatic delivery, which guarantees the oil company it will be delivering a certain quantity of oil that winter.

The poor don’t have that luxury. They can’t sign up for a program they know they can’t afford.

Although some companies had been making deliveries for as little as $100 worth of fuel, fewer of the discount oil companies say they can afford to continue delivering such small amounts. The only way some can make the oil delivery business worth their effort is to insist on a larger minimum volume per delivery.

Very often that excludes those families who are most in need of oil, because they simply can’t afford to pay more for an oil delivery.

While the heating oil assistance program operated by the Salvation Army provides a stop-gap measure for some, once a family has received assistance from that program, it can’t apply for help again until the following year.

Who cares whether Premier Rodney MacDonald rings the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange today? The closing bell ceremony, which happens every trading day, is supposed to celebrate Nova Scotia’s recent success in attracting some companies in the financial services sector to establish a presence in our province.

To help build the excitement for his largely American audience, the premier is to be accompanied by Economic Development Minister Angus MacIsaac and Stephen Lund, president and CEO of Nova Scotia Business Inc.

I suspect that will produce a big yawn from the New York audience.

Just a thought. Perhaps the premier should have arranged to bring a couple of more high-profile Nova Scotians, such as Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page or reigning NHL MVP Sidney Crosby, along with him for the ceremony.

Then maybe someone from Nova Scotia ringing the closing bell would attract some attention.

When I was single, I always dream of owning a Mediterranean home but it turned out to be the opposite. Who else doesn’t want their own property in the beautiful french landscape? Well, I’m sure there are many people who wants it, including me. But that’s okay. I’m happy where I am right now as long as I’m with my family. Today while browsing online, I found a Mediterranean property portal where they have huge list of beautiful Mediterrean properties for sale. The site has a really cool design and it’s very easy to navigate.

The site is in 7 languages, from English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian and Danish and offer more than 7000 property spain, property france, property italy and property cyprus. Either you’re a a estate agents or private individuals, you can list your property in their site.

Sales of existing homes fell in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and 43 other states during the October-to-December quarter, with metropolitan areas showing growing weakness, a real estate trade group said yesterday.The Philadelphia region did show a 1.1 percent increase in the median sale price of existing single-family homes.

For the most part, however, the fourth-quarter data from the National Association of Realtors underscored the breadth of the housing market’s slump.

In Pennsylvania, existing-home sales were off 13.5 percent from the same quarter a year earlier. New Jersey fared better, but still saw a 9.1 percent drop-off.

South Dakota was the lone state to show a sales increase. Existing-home sales there rose 8.9 percent from the same quarter a year earlier. Sales were unchanged in North Dakota. No sales figures were available for Idaho, Indiana and New Hampshire. Sales also fell in Washington.

Median home prices fell in more than half the 150 metropolitan areas surveyed. The Philadelphia region – including the Camden and Wilmington areas – was not among the losers, though. Prices rose 1.1 percent from a year earlier, to a median of $226,800.

But, of 77 metro areas that experienced declines, 16 showed double-digit percentage drops, the trade group said. The largest price declines were found in Lansing, Mich.; Sacramento, Calif.; Jackson, Miss.; and Riverside, Calif., which posted price declines of 17 percent to 19 percent.

Lawrence Yun, the trade group’s chief economist, attributed the declines in median prices to mortgage-market problems that mushroomed last fall, making loans more expensive for borrowers looking to take out “jumbo” mortgages larger than $417,000, the maximum size of mortgages that government-sponsored mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can purchase and market as securities.

“The continuing crunch in the jumbo-loan market that began in August has disproportionately reduced the number of transactions in higher price ranges,” Yun said in a statement.

Nationwide, existing homes sold at an annual rate of 4.96 million units in the fourth quarter, down 21 percent from the sales pace of the fourth quarter in 2006, the Realtors’ group said.

The states suffering the biggest drop in sales in the fourth quarter were Nevada, 44 percent, and Wyoming, 42 percent. Other states with big declines were New Mexico, 39 percent, Oregon, 38 percent, and Arizona, 37.6 percent.

Mortgage lenders, would-be home buyers, and Wall Street investors have been grappling over the last year with the impact of rising defaults, the result of lax lending standards prevalent during this decade’s housing boom. As defaults have risen, lenders have grown more cautious, which has allowed fewer buyers to qualify for home loans.

The Record’s annual Forecast section provides an overview of New Jersey’s economy as we head into a challenging year.

Two years after the overheated real estate market began to sag, real estate professionals are hoping for news that the market has bottomed out. But analysts predict the housing correction will continue through most of 2008. The Forecast Section includes three sections, Part One appeared February 10, Part Two appears February 17 and Part Three will appear the following Sunday.

STORIES

Part 2, Sunday February 17, 2008

• Low prices are turning many heads
• Sour economy, new rules slow Highlands growth
• Other centers plan for showdown with Xanadu in the fall
• North Jersey watches nation
• Economic gloom may be boon for N.J. tourism
• Car dealerships fear ‘08 will be lemon of a year
• Cable growth slows as customers opt for rivals
• Who’s responsible for bad loans? N.J. lawmakers differ
• Box-store retailers enjoy success from highway corridors
• Minorities find American dream with help of feds
• More colleges are taking care of business
• Winners, losers among N.J. public companies

Part 1, Sunday February 10, 2008

• New Jersey braces for slowdown
• New Jerseyans feeling squeezed in 2008, observers say
• Hot jobs are found in drugstores, classrooms
• Little guys loom large in governor’s plans
• 4 N.J. retailers stay among the world’s heavy hitters
• Consumers over a barrel for more than just the oil
• Commercial real estate expects another tough year
• Business leaders oppose paid family leave, mental-health parity
• Freewheeling lending grinds to a halt
• Immigrant-owned small businesses face uncertainty
• It looks like another fun year for electronics
• Shakeout expected to continue for hospitals
• Scandale: We’ll find the silver lining

Read all The Record’s Business coverage

ENGLEWOOD Bergen Performing Arts Center Ron White, stand-up comedian from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. March 6 at 8 p.m. $39 to $99. Bergen Performing Arts Center, 30 North Van Brunt Street. (201) 227-1030; www.bergenpac.org.

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS Bananas Comedy Club Robert Kelly, stand-up. Friday and March 1. $20. Bananas Comedy Club, 283 Route 17 South. (201) 727-1090; www.bananascomedyclub.com.

NEW BRUNSWICK State Theater Bill Cosby, stand-up. Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. $25 to $60. State Theater, 15 Livingston Avenue. (732) 246-7469; www.statetheatrenj.org.

FILM

RED BANK Count Basie Theater “Take Nine at the Basie: Nine Decades of Film Classics,” free screenings: “Casablanca,” directed by Michael Curtiz. Tuesday at 5 p.m. Count Basie Theater, 99 Monmouth Street. (732) 842-9000; www.countbasietheatre.org.

FOR CHILDREN

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS First Avenue Playhouse “Beauty and the Beast,” presented by the Paper Moon Puppet Theater. Through March 22. $9. First Avenue Playhouse, 123 First Avenue. (732) 291-7552; www.firstavenueplayhouse.com.

BRANCHBURG The Theatre, Raritan Valley Community College The Theatre’s Sampler Series: “Peter and the Wolf/Beauty and the Beast,” a performance by the New Jersey Ballet Company. Ages 4 and up. March 2 at 1 and 3:30 p.m. $10. Theater at Raritan Valley Community College, Route 28 and Lamington Road in North Branch. (908) 725-3420; www.rvccarts.org.

CAPE MAY Emlen Physick Estate “Cape May Family Treasure Hunt,” self-guided family tours; continuing. $5. Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington Street. (800) 275-4278; www.capemaymac.org.

HACKENSACK Edward Williams Building Auditorium, Fairleigh Dickinson University “Schumann’s World,” a concert featuring four selections from the works of Bach, Brahms and Schumann. March 9 at 3 p.m. Free. Edward Williams Building Auditorium, Fairleigh Dickinson University, 150 Kotte Place. (201) 692-7028.

MADISON Museum of Early Trades and Crafts “Happy Birthday Widget,” a birthday party to honor the mascot Widget the Beaver. Ages 2 to 6. Thursday, 4 to 6 p.m. $3. Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, 9 Main Street. (973) 377-2982; www.rosenet.org/metc.

MARLTON Borders “Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly,” stories and activities. Monday at 10 a.m. Free. Borders, 515 Route 73 South. (856) 985-5080.

MONTCLAIR Luna Stage “Rapunzel,” musical comedy presented by Running Rabbit Family Theater. Through March 9. $14. Luna Stage, 695 Bloomfield Avenue. (973) 744-3309.

NEW PROVIDENCE Suburban Community Music Center “Meet the Brass.” Children will be introduced to a wide variety of brass instruments; interactive performances by members of the New Jersey Youth Symphony will follow. Ages 3 to 8. Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. $5. Suburban Community Music Center, 570 Central Avenue. (908) 790-0700; www.scmcmusic.org.

TOMS RIVER Ocean County Library “Mother Goose on the Loose.” Rhymes and songs for babies up to 23 months. Through Thursday. Free; registration required. Ocean County Library, 101 Washington Street. (732) 349-6200; www.oceancounty.lib.nj.us.

WEST WINDSOR Kelsey Theater, West Windsor Campus, Mercer County Community College “Stone Soup,” a musical based on a classic fairy tale, presented by the Children’s Theater. March 8 at 2 and 4 p.m. $10 to $16. Kelsey Theater, West Windsor Campus, Mercer County Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road. (609) 570-3333; www.kelseyatmccc.org.

MUSIC AND DANCE

ENGLEWOOD Bergen Performing Arts Center Dionne Warwick, pop. March 1 at 8 p.m. $27 to $97. The Beach Boys, pop. March 2 at 7 p.m. $37 to $110. “Too Hip for the Room Cabaret Series,” with performance by singer-songwriter Kate Taylor. March 6 at 7 and 9:30 p.m. $50. The Chieftains, traditional Irish music. March 8 at 8 p.m. $35 to $97. Bergen Performing Arts Center, 30 North Van Brunt Street. (201) 227-1030; www.bergenpac.org.

FAIR LAWN Fair Lawn Community Center Modern Man and guest Abbie Gardner, folk. March 1 at 8 p.m. $17 and $20. Fair Lawn Community Center, 10-10 20th Street. (201) 384-1325.

LAWRENCEVILLE Jacobs Music Recital Hall Joanna Chao, pianist, will perform works by Beethoven, Brahms, Pesson and Smetana. Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. $15. Alex Ruvinstein, pianist, will perform works by Bach, Chopin and Ravel. March 9 at 3 p.m. $8 and $15. Jacobs Music Recital Hall, 2540 Brunswick Pike. (609) 434-0222; www.jacobsmusic.com.

MILLBURN St. Stephen’s Church John Charles Schucker, organist, performing selections from German and French organ works. Feb. 24 at 4 p.m. $10. St. Stephen’s Church, 119 Main Street. (973) 376-0688.

MORRISTOWN Morristown United Methodist Church “Abendmusik,” performance by the Albers Trio. March 8 at 7:30 p.m. $12 and $15. Morristown United Methodist Church, 50 Park Place. (973) 538-2132.

NEWARK New Jersey Performing Arts Center New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Through Feb. 24. $20 to $78. New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. March 1 at 8 p.m. $20 to $78. Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet,” by the Tchaikovsky Ballet and Orchestra. March 2 at 4 p.m. $21 to $79. Jill Scott, soul/R&B. March 5 and 6. $45 to $85. New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center Street. (888) 466-5722; www.njpac.org.

RED BANK Count Basie Theater “Love, Janis,” a musical portraying the life of Janis Joplin. March 6 at 8 p.m. $20 to $49.50. The Irish Rovers, Celtic. March 8 at 8 p.m. $19.50 to $40. B.B. King, blues. March 9 at 7 p.m. $38 to $175. Count Basie Theater, 99 Monmouth Street. (732) 842-9000; www.countbasietheatre.org.

SOUTH ORANGE South Orange Performing Arts Center “Discover ‘The Four Seasons,’ ” a demonstration of the score and a performance of the concertos. Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. $32 and $40. South Orange Performing Arts Center, 1 Sopac Way. (973) 313-2787; www.sopacnow.org.

SUMMIT Summit High School The Summit Symphony Orchestra, works by von Weber, Bruch and Mendelssohn. March 9 at 3 p.m. Free. Summit High School, 125 Kent Place Boulevard. (908) 273-1494.

TOMS RIVER Ocean County Library “Garden State Philharmonic: Exploring American Genius,” a celebration of African-American composers and musicians and their influence on American music today. Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. Free. Ocean County Library, 101 Washington Street. (732) 349-6200; www.oceancounty.lib.nj.us.

WAYNE Shea Center for Performing Arts, William Paterson University Jazz Room Concert Series: Vincent Herring and his quintet, swing. Feb. 24 at 4 p.m. $8 to $15. Shea Center for the Performing Arts, William Paterson University, 300 Pompton Road. (973) 720-2371; www.wpunj.edu.

OUTDOORS

CAPE MAY Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts “Ghosts of Cape May Trolley Tour,” a guided tour of Cape May. Through March 22. $5 and $10. Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts, 1048 Washington Street. (609) 884-5404; www.capemaymac.org.

SPOKEN WORD

LAKEWOOD Lakewood Municipal Building “A Walk Down Memory Lane,” an oral history told by a panel of guests from the African-American community. Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. Free. Lakewood Municipal Building, 231 Third Street.

PRINCETON McCarter Theater Center “In Their Own Voices,” writers and composers reading and performing excerpts from their own works in progress. Monday to March 3. Free. McCarter Theater Center, 91 University Place. (609) 258-2787; www.mccarter.org.

THEATER

CHESTER Black River Playhouse “The Sisters Rosensweig,” by Wendy Wasserstein, presented by the Chester Theater Group. Friday to March 15. $18. Black River Playhouse, Grove Street and Maple Avenue. (908) 879-7304.

HACKENSACK Bergen County Academies Auditorium “The Secret Garden,” musical based on the Frances Hodgson Burnett book. Friday at 7:30 p.m. and March 1 at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. $10 and $12. Bergen County Academies Auditorium, 200 Hackensack Avenue. (201) 837-1980.

HADDONFIELD Haddonfield Plays and Players Theater “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” drama by Dale Wasserman. Through March 8. $14 and $16. Haddonfield Plays and Players Theater, 957 East Atlantic Avenue. (856) 429-8139.

MILLBURN Paper Mill Playhouse “The Miracle Worker,” drama by William Gibson. Through Feb. 24. $25 to $92. “Steel Magnolias,” drama by Robert Harling. March 5 through April 6. $29.25 to $88.25. Paper Mill Playhouse, 3 Brookside Drive. (973) 376-4343; www.papermill.org.

NEW BRUNSWICK George Street Playhouse “The Scene,” comedy by Theresa Rebeck. Tuesday to March 23. $28 to $62. George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Avenue. (732) 246-7717; www.georgestplayhouse.org.

NEW BRUNSWICK State Theater “Three Ways to Get a Husband,” drama presented by I’m Ready Productions. Wednesday at 8 p.m. $29.50 to $44.50. State Theater, 15 Livingston Avenue. (732) 246-7469; www.statetheatrenj.org.

NEW HYDE PARK Herricks Community Center “The Rimers of Eldritch,” mystery play. Through Feb. 24. Free. Herricks Community Center, 999 Herricks Road. (516) 877-4010.

OAKLYN Ritz Theater “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” musical. Through Friday. $20 to $30. Ritz Theater, 915 White Horse Pike. (856) 858-5230; www.ritztheatreco.org.

ORADELL Little Firehouse Theater “Angel Street,” presented by the Bergen County Players. Through March 8. $5 to $19. Little Firehouse Theater, 298 Kinderkamack Road. (201) 261-4200.

PARAMUS Bergen Community College “Proof,” drama by David Auburn. Through March 2. $5 and $10. Bergen Community College, 400 Paramus Road. (201) 447-7428.

PERRYVILLE Hunterdon Hills Playhouse “Barefoot in the Park,” comedy by Neil Simon. Through March 18. $53 to $61.50. Hunterdon Hills Playhouse, 88 Route 173 West. (800) 447-7313; www.hhplayhouse.com.

PRINCETON McCarter Theater Center “Eclipsed,” drama by Danai Gurira. March 6 at 7:30 p.m. “The Mad 7,” musical written and performed by Yehuda Hyman. Through March 9. $12. McCarter Theater Center, 91 University Place. (609) 258-2787; www.mccarter.org.

SOMERSET Villagers Theatre “Little Women,” musical version of Louisa May Alcott’s novel, with music by Jason Howland. Through Friday. $18. Villagers Theater, 415 DeMott Lane. (732) 873-2710; www.villagerstheatre.com.

SOUTH ORANGE South Orange Performing Arts Center “The Merchant of Venice,” by William Shakespeare, directed by James McGlone. Friday at 7:30 p.m. $8 to $15. South Orange Performing Arts Center, 1 Sopac Way. (973) 313-2787; www.sopacnow.org.

Bellevue-based drugstore.com said Friday that it’s taking a pretax charge of $2.5 million, or 3 cents per share, for the 2007 fiscal year after a New Jersey tax ruling against the online company.

Drugstore.com, in a filing made public Friday, said the Tax Court of New Jersey had upheld a state division of taxation assessment against drugstore.com for $221,626 in taxes plus $11,081 in penalties and interest.

The assessment stems from drugstore.com allegedly not collecting and remitting sales taxes to the division on sales made in New Jersey in 2000 and 2001.

The company said it didn’t believe it was required to collect sales taxes on sales made to customers in New Jersey.

The company is appealing the decision, but with the ruling, drugstore.com said it would take a pretax charge for its New Jersey tax liability in 2000 and 2001 as well as for all subsequent years through 2007.

The charge increases the fiscal 2007 net loss to $11.5 million, or 12 cents a share.

The company said it intends to begin collecting and remitting sales taxes on taxable New Jersey sales.

The New Jersey Nets were expected to have a tough time holding on to playoff position after trading Jason Kidd. The Indiana Pacers are just one of many Eastern Conference teams looking to take advantage.

After snapping a three-game losing streak, the Pacers look to inch closer to the Nets in the East when the teams conclude a home-and-home series Saturday night.

New Jersey (24-31) lost 113-103 at Indiana (22-33) on Friday night, falling to 1-2 since trading Kidd to Dallas. A playoff spot in the East remains a strong possibility for the seventh-place Nets, but the Pacers are now two games behind New Jersey and are among six teams in the conference vying to move into playoff position.

With the Nets missing Devin Harris, the centerpiece of the Kidd trade, they’ll have an even tougher time holding off teams such as Indiana. Harris, the point guard New Jersey acquired from the Mavericks, sat on the bench Friday because of a sprained left ankle and could miss another two weeks.

“It’s not easy to implement all these guys,” Nets forward Bostjan Nachbar said. “It’s similar to training camp. It’s going to take some time.”

Harris’ absence was felt as the Nets finished with 23 turnovers and 22 assists. It was just the first time in the past 48 games New Jersey has had more turnovers than assists, and the fifth time on the season.

“I think it’s a little easier to defend them because (Kidd) brought so much to their transition game,” Pacers forward Danny Granger said. “They won’t have that anymore. I’d rather play them without him than with him any day.”

Marcus Williams, who averages just 4.1 points, is filling in at point guard until Harris returns. He had five points Friday, while backup Darrell Armstrong finished with nine.

Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter are New Jersey’s top veterans with Kidd gone, and they combined for 49 points in the first game of this series. Jefferson is averaging 29.0 points in his last two games.

Indiana swingman Mike Dunleavy, meanwhile, shot just 34.9 percent (22-for-63) from the field in five games before leading Indiana with 34 points versus New Jersey. He went 11-for-20 from the floor, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range as the Pacers snapped a three-game losing streak and beat a team by 10 points or more for the first time since a 113-91 win over Atlanta on Jan. 4.

“I knew he wouldn’t be down long,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said of Dunleavy, who topped the 20-point mark for the first time in nine games.

It was also the fourth time Dunleavy scored 30 points or more this season. Indiana needs Dunleavy to become more consistent with Jermaine O’Neal out with a knee injury. O’Neal, who has missed 15 straight games, remains day-to-day.

The Pacers also have been without point guard Jamaal Tinsley the past six games. Travis Diener, who has been starting for Tinsley, tied a career high with 19 points Friday and set a career high with eight rebounds. Diener is averaging 10.4 points and 5.7 assists in 10 starts this season.

“He’s done a nice job running our team,” Dunleavy said. “He makes the right plays.”

A Glace Bay senior citizen lost everything she owned in a house fire Monday night, but she’s safe because she couldn’t afford to fill her oil tank.

Ellen Napoleon, 68, had moved out of her home and in with her daughter, Margaret, over the weekend when it was discovered she had no heat.

“I’m really sad, I’m really upset,” Margaret Napoleon said Tuesday as she walked through the ashes of her mother’s home. “I try to reassure Ma, ‘As long as you’re not gone, that’s the main thing.’ “

Margaret Napoleon said her mother’s worst fear is going into a nursing home. So when she couldn’t afford oil, Ellen Napoleon didn’t tell her family.

“Apparently, what I found out, she was here for awhile with no heat. I’d come over and she’d be like, ‘I’m fine. I’m getting oil, I’m getting oil.’ But she couldn’t afford it,” Margaret Napoleon said.

Fire Chief Arnold MacKinnon said it’s too early to say what caused the fire, but he has some suspicions.

“At this time, it appears to be something of an electrical nature,” he said.

Margaret Napoleon said her mother had no insurance and she has nothing left except the clothes she was wearing.

Ellen Napoleon has severe asthma and her oxygen machine was also destroyed. Her plans are uncertain, but for now she’ll continue to stay with her daughter, who is a student and single mother of three.

Living without heat because the oil ran dry is a miserable and embarrassing experience. However, homeowners no longer need to worry about spending another night, holiday or winter weekend huddled under warm blankets, because now there is a simple, safe and foolproof way to monitor the amount of oil in your home’s heating tank. The experts have invented a device called OilAlert that will automatically check the oil in your tank and warn you when the level is low.OilAlert is easy to install by any homeowner. One simply attaches a transmitter to the plastic dome of the oil gauge on the tank at the ¼ level. After installing batteries in both the transmitter and receiver, the owner can then mount the receiver in a commonly trafficked area of the house, such as the kitchen or near the phone. When the level in the tank starts to get low, the receiver will either flash a red warning light or emit a beeping sound, alerting the owner to call the oil company.

Many customers use an auto delivery system offered by their oil company. This, however, is not a sure-fire way to keep the tank full and customers often run out of oil. The OilAlert system eliminates this risk for the owner and also saves the company time and money on emergency refills.

“We knew we had a winner with this product,” says founder and CEO Richard Cicciari. “The need is there and the subject of oil prices is in the news and on everyone’s mind. With homeowners all over the country feeling the pinch, we know the OilAlert monitoring system will give peace of mind to millions of customers.”

The company offers a few bonuses as well, such as a discount on the purchase of two units, and free battery replacement should they run out. Homeowners need not run the risk of going cold this winter; installing an OilAlert system from OilAlert will let them rest assured that their house will be heated all through the season.

A Vineyard Haven, Mass. petroleum storage and distribution company has agreed to pay a $78,000 fine for violating the federal Clean Water Act and Oil Pollution Prevention regulations.

RM Packer Inc. failed to adequately implement a “Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure” (SPCC) plan and did not sufficiently maintain proper containment for its tanks and loading rack. Upgrades required by the facility’s SPCC plan had not been implemented, including installing high level alarms and level monitors on tanks, installing secondary tank bottoms with corrosion protection, and testing tanks for soundness. Because the facility is located directly across from Vineyard Sound Harbor, these violations presented a significant threat of an oil spill into navigable water.

Following the original EPA inspection, the company submitted a schedule for coming into compliance, including upgrading its tanks and containment areas. When RM Packer fell behind schedule, EPA sent a letter to the company notifying the company that its oil tanks on Beach Road were still out of compliance with the SPCC regulations. Due to the company’s continued noncompliance, EPA subsequently issued an Administrative Order to RM Packer, requiring the company to comply with the storage tank requirements of the SPCC rule. Following continued delays to comply with the SPCC requirements, EPA initiated the current penalty action against the company.

Spill prevention and control laws help ensure that a tank failure or spill does not lead to oil being released into drinking water wells, rivers or streams.

“Oil spills can do significant damage to the environment,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “EPA will continue to ensure that facilities handling oils follow established procedures to minimize risks of oil spills.”

RM Packer has agreed to upgrade its facility and comply with the SPCC regulations. The company has poured concrete in the previously unpaved tank containment area, upgraded containment for other, smaller tanks, and installed high level alarms and corrosion protection for the active tanks. In addition, RM Packer is working with an engineer to update its SPCC plan.

EPA continues to focus on oil spill prevention in New England. In 2007, EPA conducted inspections at over 100 facilities in New England to determine their compliance with the Oil Pollution Prevention regulations.

Holloway Lodging Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX: HLR.UN) (“Holloway” or the “REIT”) announced today a distribution of $0.045 per unit for the month of February 2008, payable on or before March 14, 2008 to unitholders of record on February 29, 2008.

Holders of units who are non-residents of Canada will be required to pay all withholding taxes payable in respect of any distributions of income by the REIT.

The REIT also announced that the holders of Class B limited partnership units of Holloway Lodging Limited Partnership (a subsidiary of the REIT) shall receive $0.045 per limited partnership unit for the month of February payable on or before March 14, 2008.

The REIT has 38,819,817 units issued and outstanding and 333,500 Class B limited partnership units of Holloway Lodging Limited Partnership issued and outstanding (each of which is exchangeable for one REIT unit). After giving effect to the exchange of the Class B limited partnership units, there are an aggregate of 39,153,317 REIT units issued and outstanding.

ABOUT HOLLOWAY LODGING REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST

Holloway is a real estate investment trust focused on acquiring, owning and operating select and limited service lodging properties and a small complement of full service hotels primarily in secondary, tertiary and suburban markets and providing investors with stable distributions. Holloway currently owns 22 hotels with 2,424 rooms. Holloway’s units and convertible debentures trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols HLR.UN, HLR.DB and HLR.DB.A, respectively.

Buzz Aldrin was scheduled for a phone interview on the Friday, June 8, 2007, edition of Your World with Neil Cavuto on the Fox News cable channel. Originally booked to talk about the latest space shuttle launch, he suddenly found himself being asked about Paris Hilton and had some very interesting things to say. Friday, June 8, 2007, should have been a big news day. A former Preacher’s Wife was sentenced to three years in prison for shooting her husband in the back while he slept. A Tax Protestor couple in New Hampshire discovered what happens when you challenge the authority of people you elect to office: You get state police and an army of federal troops with tanks and federal agents with submachine guns at your door.

Barbara Freire, Sales Associate, Realtor for Century 21 Alliance will present three seminars to the senior community in several locations. Two different topics will be presented to assist the senior community in Mount Laurel and Pemberton.

February 28 and March 26 from 2-3:30 p.m. Freire will present Real Estate Seminars-Taxes too high? Thinking about relocating for retirement? Looking for second/vacation home? Investment properties then join Freire and other real estate professionals for this workshop to learn about the real estate opportunities in other states and including North/South Carolina. Receive information you need to make informed choices. Seminar presented by Barbara Freire-Sales Associate for Century 21 Alliance NJ-Relocation Rebecca Williams and C-21 Sweyer & Assoc NC Michael Mac Bean @ Burlington County College through LIFE-Learning Is For Everyone-Mount Laurel Campus Laurel Hall Room 134. To register call 856-222-9311 ext 1498. March 26 seminar will be @ the Pemberton Campus.

March 11 (12:30 1:50 p.m.) Freire was also invited to speak by AARP Mount Laurel division also to present a Lunch & Learn seminar to the senior community. Learn ideas how to navigate in this “back to traditional” real estate market. Discover ideas for downsizing your home and getting ready for the next possible phase of your life. Get yourself and home ready for assisted living care. Take advantage of historically low interest rates. Should you do a home equity or refinance? Presented by Barbara Freire-Sales Associate for Century 21 Alliance Mount Laurel, NJ- Century 21 Alliance Relocation Rebecca Williams & Century 21 Mortgage Michael Moraglia Senior Account Manager and Mortgage Advisor. Burlington County College LIFE-Mount Laurel Campus Laurel Hall Room 212. To register for this Call Linda Bennett @ 856-222-9311 ext 1498.

About Barbara Freire and Century 21 Alliance
Barbara Freire is a Sales Associate, Realtor with Century 21 Alliance which is the largest multi office in New Jersey. There are 11 offices from the top of Northern Burlington County to the Tip of the Jersey Shore to serve buyers, sellers, renter and investors needs. June 2007 as well as March 2006, Freire was the Top Sales Agent for Century 21 Alliance Mount Laurel office. Freire received the Superior Performer Award 3 times within 2 years.

Freire began her real estate career in 1988 after taking a real estate class at The College of New Jersey f.k.a. Trenton State College. She purchased her first home at age 21 which was the first of many. She participates in many community functions, Mount Laurel Fall Festival, Police Expo, sponsors Larchmont Estates “connecting neighbors” community Internet site, and serves on many other committees. She presents and speaks at local seminars at various libraries, colleges and seniors programs.

TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey woke up Friday to its most severe weather this winter.

Snow started falling across the region before daybreak. By 7:30 a.m., many areas in the northern part of the state had 2 to 3 inches. Farther south, the totals were under 2 inches, according to the National Weather Service. In this mild winter, that qualifies as the biggest snow of the season in many areas.

The steady snowfall was causing havoc on roads and highways for the morning commute. The ride home was not expected to be any better, especially from Burlington County northward.

Airports are experiencing delays of several hours.

The speed limit along the Turnpike is reduced to 35 mph, and Turnpike spokesman Joe Orlando urged commuters to stay home Friday if they can.

He says countless accidents already have been reported, mostly single-car spinouts from drivers going too fast.

No serious injuries have been reported.

Dean Iovino, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said a bit more snow would fall, but that it gradually would change to sleet and rain.

By 7:30 a.m., he said the change had begun in Cape May County. By late afternoon, he said, southern New Jersey would have only rain, but areas to the north were expected to be slow-going for the evening commute.

“It’s going to get even more messy as we progress,” he said.

More than 2,000 salt and sand trucks are out in force across the state this morning.