Friday, March 5, 2021
Catholic High Schools Feature Joint Music Program
Thirty-six students representing Archdiocesan Secondary Schools and private Catholic High Schools throughout the five-county region have been selected to participate in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s 2021 All Catholic String Orchestra Concert.
This year’s concert, is under the direction of guest conductor, Mr. Joseph Lovecchio and will be hosted by Mr. Gary Zimmaro, President of Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster (Bucks County).
Saturday, March 6, 2021
6:30 p.m.
Archbishop Wood High School Auditorium
To view the livestream of the 2021 All Catholic String Orchestra Concert, please click here.
Social distancing and COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed.
The students will perform pieces that have been selected from: Brandenburg Concerto, No. 3, Mvt. 1, Bach arr. Isaac; Crossbow Overture, Lennie Niehaus; Ancient Aires and Dances (Balletto), Respighi arr. Brubaker; Egyptian Legacy, Soon Hee Newbold; An Irish Party in Third Class, arr. Gaelic Storm; and Over the Rainbow arr. Phillips.
Students from Archdiocesan Secondary Schools including Archbishop John Carroll High School in Radnor (Delaware County); Archbishop Ryan High School in Northeast Philadelphia; Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster (Bucks County); Saint Hubert Catholic High School for Girls in the Tacony section of Philadelphia; John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School in Center City, Philadelphia; Lansdale Catholic High School in Lansdale (Montgomery County); Pope John Paul II High School in Royersford (Montgomery County); and Roman Catholic High School for Boys in Center City, Philadelphia will participate.
Students from private Catholic High Schools including The Academy of Notre Dame de Namur in Villanova (Delaware County); Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem (Bucks County); Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School in North Philadelphia; Merion Mercy Academy in Merion Station (Montgomery County); Nazareth Academy High School in Northeast Philadelphia; Villa Joseph Marie High School in Holland (Bucks County); and Villa Marie Academy High School in Malvern (Chester County) will also participate.
Background Information on Mr. Joseph Lovecchio, Guest Conductor:
Mr. Joseph Lovecchio has been the Music Director / Conductor of the WSO since 1995. Prior to that he played principal trumpet and served as the Associate Conductor. Under his baton the orchestra performs the finest orchestral literature and annually features guest soloists of national and international renown. Some of the recent soloists who have performed under his baton include “America’s Violinist – Jenny Oaks Baker”; Broadway stars, Ciaran Sheehan, Sarah Pfisterer, Gay Willis, and Kimilee Bryant; trumpet virtuoso Allen Vizutti; tuba virtuoso Velvet Brown, Philadelphia Orchestra musicians William and Gloria dePasquale, and legendary performers Eily Patterson and Louis Brown from Ireland.
He has earned much recognition for his work as a music educator including being named one of America’s top music educators by the education division of Conn Selmer Corporation, being nominated and chosen for Who’s Who of America’s Teachers on 8 different occasions by 8 different students, and included in 20 editions of Marquis’ Who’s Who in America for contributions in the Arts and Education.
Currently he is a resident of Warminster, Pa., and was recently honored by the Warminster Township Board of Supervisors for his many contributions to the cultural and educational life of the community.
Note: The All-Catholic Chorus will perform on Saturday, March 20, 2021 at Conwell-Egan Catholic High School in Fairless Hills (Bucks County) and the All-Catholic Concert Band will hold its performance on Sunday, April 11, 2021 at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield (Delaware County). Both performances will be livestreamed.
O'Scanlon Blasts Blatant Violations Of Reforms
The Office of the New Jersey State Comptroller (OSC) released an investigative report revealing that Palisades Park paid tens of thousands of dollars each year to employees who had unused sick leave, directly in violation of state laws. Senator Declan O’Scanlon, who sent a letter to Comptroller Kevin Walsh imploring him to conduct an investigation into the allegations of malfeasance, commended the OSC for its meticulous report.
The Office of the State Comptroller released an investigative report revealing that Palisades Park paid tens of thousands of dollars each year to employees who had unused sick leave, violating state law. Sen. Declan O’Scanlon commended the Comptroller’s office for its meticulous report. (SenateNJ.com)
“Not long ago, an investigative journalist working for Gannett newspapers and partnering with ProPublica, notified me that some public employees seemed to still be receiving sick leave payouts on an annual basis and in excess of the $15,000 cap, despite the enactment of legislation to correct this expensive problem,” said O’Scanlon (R-13). “It is now clear from the Comptroller’s report that the leadership in Palisades Park blatantly ignored New Jersey’s written laws and made annual costly payouts to town employees for years. This is not only unlawful behavior but it is, quite frankly, immoral. Taxpayers should not be forced to continue to endure ever-increasing tax burdens just so exorbitant benefits may be paid to public employees.”
In the past, sick leave payouts for New Jersey’s public employees reached an unsustainable level, placing an extreme burden on taxpayers and leading to the enactment of P.L.2010, c.3. That law places a $15,000 cap on sick leave payouts for public employees and prohibits those payouts from being provided at any time other than at an employee’s retirement.
The investigative report issued by the State Comptroller found that, for many employees, the sick leave was used as a method for increasing employee compensation, rather than for legitimate illness that required time off. This was best illustrated in 2018, when Palisades Park paid over $109,000 to 27 employees who, under the 2010 law, should not have received the sick leave payouts. Similarly, in 2019, the Borough improperly paid over $95,000 to 22 employees.
The OSC report also highlighted the current contract for the Palisades Park Business Administrator. According to the agreement, if the current Business Administrator were to retire or be terminated, that individual would be paid at least $360,000 in compensation for “all accrued and accumulated sick, personal, severance and vacation time”—directly in violation of New Jersey state law.
“The amount of waste and fraud that occurred in the case of Palisades Park is shocking and disgraceful,” added O’Scanlon. “I am grateful to Comptroller Walsh for his cooperation and I am glad that his office was able to uncover the truth and hold people accountable. The people of New Jersey should never again have to experience such reprehensible behavior.”
If you have any tips of suspected government mismanagement or fraud, you can always report them anonymously to Office of the State Comptroller by calling 1-855-OSC-TIPS (1-855-672-8744) or by emailing comptrollertips@osc.nj.gov.
Just In Case You Haven't Noticed . . .
And, sadly these figures are already outdated. In some areas it's $2.89, $2.99 or over $3.00!
'Totally Out Of Control' - Thanks To Joe Biden!
Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America |
The spiraling tsunami at the border is overwhelming local communities, depleting budgets, crowding hospitals, and taking jobs from legal American workers. When I left office, we had achieved the most secure border in our country’s history. Under Biden, it will soon be worse, more dangerous, and more out of control than ever before. He has violated his oath of office to uphold our Constitution and enforce our laws.
There has never been a time on our southern border like what is happening now but more importantly, what is about to happen. Now that Biden has implemented nationwide Catch-and-Release, illegal immigrants from every corner of the Earth will descend upon our border and never be returned. You can never have a secure border unless people who cross illegally are promptly removed.
I had a great relationship with Mexico, and its wonderful president, but all of that has been dissipated by the gross incompetence and radicalism of the people currently in charge. The Remain in Mexico Policy was incredible, but immediately abandoned by Biden, probably because it worked so well. Likewise, our Safe Third Agreements in Central America were extraordinarily successful, so Biden foolishly ditched them too. We stopped payment of the hundreds of millions of dollars paid to them and then developed an excellent relationship that made our country and their countries more secure. We put in place powerful rules and procedures to stop the smuggling and trafficking, but the Biden Administration has abandoned these proven strategies and instead given the smugglers and traffickers effective control of our border.
Despite being delayed by years of litigation and politics by the democrats, the wall is almost finished and can be quickly completed. Doing so will save thousands of lives.
The Biden Administration must act immediately to end the border nightmare that they have unleashed onto our Nation. Keep illegal immigration, crime, and the China Virus out of our country! |
Watch Independent NJ Covid Hearings LIVE Here!
Important, live independent legislative hearings on the New Jersey Covid nursing home issue.
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Don't Miss This Livestream Event Friday, 3/5, 10 AM!
Senate and Assembly Republicans will livestream an independent hearing tomorrow to review Murphy administration policies that led to nearly 8,000 deaths and substantial hardship in New Jersey’s nursing homes, veterans homes, and long-term care (LTC) facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senate and Assembly Republicans will livestream an independent hearing on Friday, March 5 to review Murphy administration policies related to nursing homes, veterans homes, and LTC facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. (FB Live event page)
The legislators will hear from family members of residents and caregivers who have been impacted by the crisis along with advocates and experts.
WHO: Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26), Senator Kristin Corrado (R-40), Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-13), Senator Michael Testa (R-1), Senator Steven Oroho (R-24), Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (R-26), Assemblyman Christopher D. DePhillips (R-40), and invited guests.
WHAT: Virtual hearing to review Murphy administration policies related to nursing homes, veterans homes, and LTC facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHEN: TOMORROW, Friday, March 5 at 10 a.m.
WHERE: A video livestream of the hearing will be accessible to the public and press via Facebook Live. Click here for the event page.
The meeting tomorrow is the first in a series of independent hearings that will be held to understand the policy and management failures of the Murphy Administration that led to preventable deaths, destroyed businesses and jobs, and left millions of New Jerseyans without access to important services and support.
GOP Voters To Congress: You're Out-Of-Touch!
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 51% of Likely Republican Voters say Republicans in Congress have lost touch with GOP voters from throughout the nation over the past several years. Forty-one percent (41%) of Republicans think their representatives have done a good job representing the party’s values. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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