Financial Aid Department

Last year, Tom Dancer farmed approximately 500 acres, all but a few rented, in Freehold, Manalapan and Millstone townships, growing field corn, soybeans, rye straw and wheat.

That quick profile of Dancer, a 49-year-old lifelong farmer who lives in Millstone, is the kind of information the U.S. Department of Agriculture seeks in its five-year census of farmers in the 50 states and Puerto Rico.

The census is important in drawing up farming legislation, determining how federal agriculture money is distributed and positioning farming support services, according to state Secretary of Agriculture Charles M. Kuperus and Troy Joshua, director of New Jersey farming statistics for the USDA.

Also, the census will provide financial figures for a state industry that is under-recognized in terms of dollars, said Peter J.

Passageways concludes year of innovation, acquisitions

Passageways, a company in Purdue Research Park, is preparing to close the books on a very productive year.

The 4-year-old West Lafayette-based firm provides solutions
that enhance internal communications for the financial services industry.

This fall it added 66 new clients through the acquisition of the Instant Intranet Builder product from Engineered Business Solutions in Houston.

Since then, the company has launched new products and been selected to streamline internal communications and data management for additional financial institutions.

Passageways introduced its Knowledge Management and Learning Management applications in
mid-November at the BAI Retail Delivery Conference and Expo in Las Vegas.

"The launch of these two customizable products adds further information management capabilities to the Passageways portal," said co-founder and Vice President Christopher Beltran.

Toll-hike plan meeting set for Voorhees

Gov. Jon S. Corzine announced the next series of town hall meetings on his financial restructuring and debt-reduction plan.

The meetings are part of the governor's effort to have an open discussion in each of the state's 21 counties about the state's financial problems.

Locally, the governor will host a meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 28 at Voorhees Middle School Performing Arts Center, 1 Holly Oak Drive.

Residents who plan to participate are asked to RSVP by calling (609) 292-9763, e-mailing camden.rsvp@gov.state.nj.us or filling out the online form available at www.state.nj.us/townhallmeetings/listing. .

Governor proposes lean operating budget

After a bruising special session to address Maryland's chronic deficits, Gov. Martin O'Malley proposed one of the leanest state budgets in the past two decades, relying on cuts in open space and road maintenance and a slowdown in an education spending initiative to place the state on sound financial footing.

The governor proposed a 4 percent increase in the state's operating budget - the lowest in five years and one of the lowest in the past 25 years. A 7.5 percent increase was approved by the General Assembly last year.

O'Malley, a Democrat in his second year in office, has been working to put his stamp on the state's government but has been constrained by a structural budget deficit, projected at $1.7 billion for the fiscal year that begins in July.

Families, businesses share money worries

Families, businesses share money worries More than half of Marylanders polled believe the economy is bad and getting worse Rising gasoline prices are part of the problem that is forcing up the cost of nearly everything, which has caused a general pessimism and expectation of recession. (Sun photo by Monica Lopossay / January 16, 2008)

Conference of Municipalities Asks Rell to Push Tax Relief for ...

With tax anxiety threatening many state cities and towns, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) Wednesday asked legislators and Gov. M. Jodi Rell to provide tax relief.

Earlier, the governor had proposed a cap on municipal property tax revenues, but CCM [www.ccm-ct.org] has warned her idea is not the magic bullet needed to ease the burden on local taxpayers and asked Rell to pull back on that proposal.

"Unless the governor and the General Assembly act this session, property taxpayers in towns and cities across the state face steep property tax hikes, huge reductions in public services or both," said Elizabeth Patterson, president of the CCM and mayor of Mansfield.

Westport First Selectman Gordon F. Joseloff, in a brief telephone interview yesterday morning, said there is a need to be concerned about finances and that Westport will be getting "a little bit more money" from the state.

Freshmen must apply by new March 1 deadline at CSUMB

Suddenly, its crunch time for incoming freshmen who have yet to apply to schools in the California State University system.

Following a surprise announcement Wednesday, most of the CSU systems 23 campuses will now require first-time freshmen to apply by Feb. 1 instead of by mid-August.

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