Sunday morning at 2 a.m. marks the start of Daylight Saving Time (DST). As the clocks advance, that lost hour will stretch itself out through the next several weeks, wreaking havoc with circadian rhythms up and down the East Coast. Collingswood Patch asked borough residents and visitors about how their Saturday and Sunday plans would be affected with one less hour to accomplish things. "It's not stopping us from going out!" said Kerry Shelley of Arts Plus Gallery. She and her coworker, Kathy VanCuren were going to watch their boss, Sam Caruso, perform at a Blackwood bar gig with his band, No …

The Flyers are ramping up for a playoff push just as the Phillies enter Grapefruit League ball. The surprising 76ers are trying to find their second-half stride, and nobody knows what the Eagles will do at the draft. In a four-sport community and a 24-hour news cycle, there’s a lot for Collingswood sports fans to keep up with. “God bless the Flyers,” said Elliott Doyle of Ridley Park, PA. “Without Pronger, this team’s not going to win.” Although GM Paul Holmgren tried to remedy his team’s defensive lapses by trading for porch-clearing defensemen Pavel Kubina and Nicklas Grossman, Doyle fears …

After years of heavy layoffs, Gannett, the publisher of such papers as the Courier-Post, Asbury Park Press and USA Today, believes it has found a new revenue model. The company announced last week that it would begin charging a fee to access content at its news sites nationwide (with the exception of USA Today). Gannett says the public is ready for such a move, and expects the strategy will bring in $100 million in its first year. We asked Collingswood residents and visitors whether they believe readers are prepared to pay to read the newspaper online. “Charging for digital content is a way …

In the span of four days last week, both houses of the New Jersey State Legislature approved a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage. Within 24 hours, Gov. Chris Christie had vetoed it, as he'd promised, saying that he would prefer the issue be decided in a November ballot referendum. Proponents of the bill say it’s a civil rights issue and shouldn’t come to that. In Collingswood, residents and visitors are trying to figure out what to make of the news, which came and went inside of a very busy week for lawmakers. A Merchantville resident who identified himself only as Larry said, “I …

Valentine’s Day spending is up this year, according to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation, likely to top a record $17.6 billion. With the holiday falling on a Tuesday this year, that means that many couples are likely to do their celebrating the weekend previous. Collingswood Patch asked residents, shoppers and retailers about their amorous plans for the day. “I’m going to dinner at P.F. Chang’s with my husband and two daughters,” said Valerie Brown of Haddon Township. Brown, who works at AMC Movie Theaters, said she naturally sees couples out on Valentine’s Day dates every …

Throughout Collingswood, there are few issues discussed as passionately as the LumberYard. As the borough considers refinancing measures to ease the financial impact of the project, Collingswood Patch asked: What projects would you like to see the municipal government tackle in 2012? At Grooveground, Chris Rocco said his biggest concern is that Collingswood storefronts don't remain open as long as is necessary to sustain greater commercial foot traffic. "I would love to see retail businesses in town extend their hours and be open evenings and weekends," Rocco said. By comparison, he said, …

A new state law allows school districts to move their school board elections to November, from April, and keep the school district budget off of the ballot, provided the spending plan doesn't exceed a 2 percent increase. Proponents call it a way to save money by combining elections and to possibly increase voter turnout for school board elections. Some critics have decried removing direct voter input from the school budget—usually the largest chunk of taxpayers' tax bills.  Last week, Collingswood's school board vote to move the elections. Borough Beeswax asked Collingswood residents and …

In Patch's recent discussion about the business climate in Collingswood, owners were divided about the scope of promotional efforts to attract shoppers to the  Collings Avenue theater and Route 130 business improvement districts. Borough Beeswax sought out popular sentiment on the comparative impact of marketing efforts by Collingswood Partners in both regions. Asked if he were familiar with any Collingswood businesses along Collings Avenue, Dom Palladino of Haddon Township said, “I would have to say no. “I couldn’t tell you one store down there,” Palladino said, adding that he believed “most…

In the past few months, Collingswood has seen its share of visible criminal activity, including a rash of incidents at the Heights of Collingswood apartments, a prostitution bust, and a shooting. Borough Beeswax went downtown to ask residents their take on the town's recent affairs. “I’m thinking of moving here,” said Laura Stark, whose Hi Fiber apparel line was on display for Second Saturday, outside of Jubili Beads and Yarns, on Haddon Avenue. “We love this town,” said Stark. Stark, a Cherry Hill resident, said she recently bid on a house in Collingswood, and the sudden rise in crime has …

A plaque dedicated to the late actor and Collingswood native Michael Landon disappeared from the Collingswood Public Works Department some time after it was removed by the borough during a November 5 cleanup of Knight Park. The case of the memorial has taken on a national profile in the wake of an uproar from Landon fans worldwide, but it's a Collingswood story at its core, given that the borough resident who reportedly recovered the plaque has long been a vocal opponent of Mayor James Maley. Collingswood Police have launched an investigation into the matter. Borough Beeswax asked …

The first day of 2012 marks an opportunity to make new beginnings, change old patterns, or to try something new. Patch asked Collingswood residents about their New Year's resolutions, and got a variety of answers. Borough woman Liz Hoover said she makes a New Year's resolution each year, but they usually only last a couple of weeks. In 2012, Hoover hopes to get better grades and exercise more. Lorraine Carey, of For Heaven’s Sake, says she’s abandoned the practice of resolutions “because I never keep them anyway." “They last a couple of days,” Carey said, adding that the last resolution she …

Why let Time magazine have all the fun? As the year comes to a close, we asked borough residents who would be their person—or persons—of the year for 2011. “I’d have to say the president,” said Camille Introcaso, formerly of Crestmont Terrace. “He’s an underdog right now, but I still believe in him.” With the right support and the right Congress, Introcaso said she believed Obama could achieve even more. Borough resident John Bradley said that his choice for persons of the year are, “The people of the Middle East, who overthrew some of their repressive governments,” in spring of 2011. Bradley…

The holiday season can combine the worst of several forms of pressure: family, economic and, if you're not careful, health. As stress levels escalate, how are Collingswooders dealing? “I just kind of trudge through,” said Sandy Ebersole. “There’s not really options. You just keep going forward.” The biggest albatross is gift wrapping, she says, although the Ebersoles are also very active in the Magnolia Fire Department. They participate in parades, hall decorating and a Christmas Eve drive-through of the entire town to distribute candy canes. “There’s a lot of commitments,” said Don Ebersole—…

Aside from being a first-rate slapstick comedy, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is a time-honored holiday movie because it so effectively hits all the notes of seasonal beleaguerment—intruding relatives, dangerously over-the-top decorating schemes, and the lengths to which families will go in working to create the perfect holiday. In the film’s pivotal scene, Clark Griswold, played by Chevy Chase, finally melts down when the cash bonus he’d expected would fund a new swimming pool has been replaced by a subscription to a jelly-of-the-month club. Clark launches into a stirring, apoplectic…

Shopping days are dwindling—but for many families, so is the cash. So Collingswood residents are looking for ways to make the season merry, bright and affordable. “It’s tough when you have two little guys,” said Sean Joyce of Dwight Avenue. “We’re making gifts this year,” said Danel Joyce, including – *** SPOILER ALERT FOR GRANDMA *** – a book of handmade drawings and letters from Ryan, 8, and Aaron, 4. “Homemade is nice,” said Danel, who also suggested that families might save money by having a pollyanna instead of buying for everyone. Still, Aaron is hoping for a Nintendo DS game system, …

With the Collingswood Farmers' Market season coming to its annual end, Collingswood Patch got a recap from attendees. “I love the farmers market!” said 8-year-old Nicolas Schwam of Collingswood. Nicolas comes every week for the cheese quesadillas and the kettle corn, and has been a regular attendee of the Saturday morning marketplace “almost every Saturday since I was 4.” “You’ve been coming here for eight years,” corrected his father, Chris, who says he enjoys "the camaraderie and community" that the farmers market provides. Nicolas’ sister, Alexa, 2, is a big fan of the egg sandwiches she …

Nov. 11 marked Veterans Day. Borough Beeswax took to the streets to learn how Collingswood remembers its brothers in arms on the day given over to their memory. Helen Rubano, proprietor of Scissors n’ Suds, said watching The Pacific on HBO the other day really drove home the significance of Veterans Day for her. “Very young men were thrown into that to make the ultimate sacrifice,” she said. “Whether you agree with the actions of this military or not, [Veterans Day] should be honored and respected.” Rubano is married to a U.S. Air Force veteran whose father was a colonel. Her husband's six …

The Food Bank of South Jersey is facing a significant shortfall in both material and financial donations, as was reported in Patch earlier this week. Borough Beeswax spoke with Collingswood residents about their knowledge of the situation and what, if any, steps they thought they could take to help. “I think it’s indicative of what’s been going on across the country,” said Andrew Quietmeyer, a Delaware law student. “It’s your neighbors in need, not random strangers.” Quietmeyer and his companion, a UMDNJ-Stratford medical student, agreed that their limited awareness of the issue was another …

At the conclusion of South Jersey Restaurant Week, Borough Beeswax checked in with Collingswood restaurateurs on the strength of their businesses during the promotion. Lizz Tooker, who waits tables at the Tortilla Press, said that her employer “had a lot of good fall choices” for restaurant week. “I think people choose Tortilla Press because we’re a little more upbeat, more colorful,” Tooker said. “We did a lot of harvest-y things,” including a center-cut porkloin stuffed with chorizo and apples and a pumpkin bread pudding, which was served with salmon ice cream. Unfathomably, she said, even …

Collingswood and eight other Camden County towns entered into a shared services agreement for municipal waste, effective Nov. 1. By signing a collective bidding agreement, the borough was able to lower its trash disposal costs from $65 to $52.50 per ton. That $90,000 annual savings for Collingswood is about 10 percent of the overall $949,667 that will be saved among the participating towns, including Cherry Hill, Voorhees, Haddon Township, Winslow, Merchantville, Somerdale, and Gibbsboro. Still, according to a recent study, lack of consolidation in New Jersey leads to higher taxes. Borough …