Tag Archives: United Way

From blight to hope in 25 years

Posted on February 10, 2015 by michaelstephendaigle

These are the places we drive an extra block to avoid, the dark places with plywood for windows, broken siding for walls, knee-high grass. The blocks of hollow storefronts, locked gated doors, “For Sale” signs angled on brickface. The places … Continue reading →

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Change is easy: Just do it

Posted on August 29, 2014 by michaelstephendaigle

It was an old dusty lot along River Styx Road in Hopatcong. Weed filled, marked by an old wall and the angular concrete slab of a forgotten bar, another sign of stagnation in a Lake Hopatcong town where, some said, … Continue reading →

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ALICE in the real world

Posted on September 26, 2013 by michaelstephendaigle

While writing “The Swamps of Jersey,”  my political novel, I included a  scene when the protagonist, Frank Nagler and his then-third-grade girlfriend (and later his wife)  Martha Shannon,  are walking home from school: “They stopped and spoke with everyone on … Continue reading →

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New Jersey: Walking into the future, looking backward

Posted on April 30, 2013 by michaelstephendaigle

Nearly 40 years ago, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that municipalities could not use their zoning powers to exclude certain residents from moving in.  The suit was based on a complaint filed by a South Jersey chapter of the … Continue reading →

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