April 30, 2025

Former PU Football Star Offensive Lineman Travis Headed to the NFL After Being Drafted by the Colts

PICKED UP: Jalen Travis heads to the line during his career with the Princeton University football team. Star offensive lineman Travis ’24, who played for Iowa State last fall as a graduate transfer, was selected in the 2025 NFL Draft last Saturday by the Indianapolis Colts with the 127th pick overall in the fourth round. Travis is Princeton’s highest NFL Draft pick in the modern draft era. (Photo by Sideline Photos, provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

By Justin Feil

Jalen Travis is headed to his third team in three years.

This isn’t a diatribe against the transfer portal, but rather a celebration of the former Princeton University offensive tackle’s rise to become the Tigers’ highest NFL Draft pick in the modern draft era. The Indianapolis Colts selected him with the 127th pick overall in the fourth round Saturday. more

PHS Boys’ Tennis Takes 2nd in CVC Tournament, Falling Just Short of Toppling Powerhouse WW/P-South

DOUBLE PLAY: Princeton High boys’ tennis first doubles player Tacto Yamada hits a volley as partner Shaan Zaveri looks on last Wednesday in the final of the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) Tournament. The pair of Yamada and Zaveri topped Rohan Ramachandran and Shriyan Kumar of WW/P-South 7-6, 5-7 (10-2) in the first doubles final. PHS ended up falling just short of the team title as WW/P-S piled up 26.5 points with the Tigers scoring 26. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Earlier this month, the Princeton High boys’ tennis first doubles pair of Shaan Zaveri and Tacto Yamada suffered a straight-set defeat against WW/P-South in a regular season matchup.

Last Wednesday, the duo of Zaveri and Yamada were looking to turn the tables on South’s Rohan Ramachandran and Shriyan Kumar as the foes met in a rematch in the first doubles final of the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) Tournament. more

Utilizing Poetic Inspiration to Overcome Nagging Illness, PHS Boys’ Tennis Star Kuo Wins CVC 2nd Singles Title

By Bill Alden

Wearing a black surgical mask and dealing with a nagging cough, Princeton High boys’ tennis player Andrew Kuo wasn’t sure he could make it through the second singles final last Wednesday afternoon at the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) Tournament.

“It was a struggle at times, it was hard to breathe,” said junior star Kuo. “It was probably allergies mixed with a cold, the allergies probably made the symptoms worse.”

But as Kuo battled Prahalad Dharma of WW/P-South at the Mercer County Tennis Complex, he relied on some literary inspiration to help him press on. more

Looking to Make the Most of his Final Campaign, Senior Sarceno Swinging a Hot Bat for PHS Baseball

NO QUIT: Princeton High baseball player Nano Sarceno takes a cut in game earlier this season. Last Thursday, senior standout Sarceno went 2-for-3 with a double and one RBI in a losing cause as PHS fell 16-5 to Hightstown. The Tigers, who lost 12-8 to Somerville last Monday to move to 6-7, play at Hamilton West on May 1, at Ewing on May 2, and at Montgomery on May 6. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Nano Sarceno was looking to be a catalyst for the Princeton High baseball team as it hosted Hightstown last Thursday.

Batting third for PHS, senior Sarceno belted a double to left field in the bottom of the first inning and advanced to third base on an error. more

With Senior Star Peng Excelling at Third Singles, PDS Boys’ Tennis Places 7th in CVC Tournament

THIRD HAND: Princeton Day School boys’ tennis player Jaylen Peng hits a forehand as he competed in the Colonial Valley Conference Tournament last week. Senior Peng placed third at third singles to help PDS finish seventh in the team standings at the event. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

While Jaylen Peng has done some big things over the years for the Princeton Day School boys’ tennis team, he achieved a breakthrough last week at the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) Tournament.

Senior Peng advanced to the semifinals at third singles and ended up taking third in the flight for his best-ever finish in the county competition as he defeated Tanush Mendhirata of Hightstown 6-3, 6-4 at the Mercer County Tennis Complex. (The Mercer County Tournament Association announced last spring that it was discontinuing county tournaments in favor of a CVC Tournament, which bars local private schools who are not members of the conference.) more

Sparked by Nowakoski’s Production in the Midfield PDS Boys’ Lacrosse Making Progress after 0-3 Start

SHOWING HART: Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse player Hart Nowakoski races upfield in a 2024 game. Last week, senior midfielder Nowakoski scored two goals in a losing cause as PDS lost 8-7 in overtime to Allentown on April 22. The Panthers, who fell 10-4 to the Hun School last Thursday to move to 3-5, will be playing in the Prep state quarterfinals on May 9. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

With the Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse team bringing a three-game winning streak into its clash against Allentown last week, Hart Nowakoski and his teammates were primed to keep rolling.

“We were just trying to ride the same kind of confidence that we had off the Princeton High win and try to play the same way,” said PDS senior midfielder Nowakoski. more

With Senior Ruf Emerging as Go-To Finisher, PDS Girls’ Lacrosse Gets on Winning Track

RUF RIDER: Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse player Shelby Ruf heads to goal last Friday against Peddie. Senior attacker and Merrimack College commit Ruf tallied two goals and one assist in the game as PDS prevailed 13-9. The Panthers, who defeated WW/P-South 11-4 last Monday in improving to 4-5, host Notre Dame on April 30 before playing at St. Elizabeth in a Prep B state quarterfinal contest on May 6. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Shelby Ruf wasn’t the go-to scorer for the Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse last spring as a trio of senior stars led the way for the Panthers.

But with those three standouts, Tessa Caputo, Kelly Christie, and Jesse Hollander, having graduated, senior Ruf knew she had to take a leading role for the Panthers this spring. more

April 25, 2025

Body of Missing Princeton Student Found at Lake Carnegie

Lauren Blackburn

The body of Lauren Blackburn, the Princeton University undergraduate student who has been missing since Saturday, was recovered this morning (April 25) from Lake Carnegie, according to a statement from the University.

No details were shared, but a statement by Regan Crotty, Dean of Undergraduate Students, reads, “I am deeply saddened to share with you that the body of Lauren Blackburn ’26 was found at Lake Carnegie this morning. Our hearts are heavy and we share our deepest condolences with Lauren’s family and friends. It is during these difficult times that we must draw strength and support from one another and from those in our community who are available to us for counsel and care.”

The statement directs students in need of counseling to reach out to Counseling and Psychological Services, the Office of Religious Life, chaplains, residential college staff, and Graduate School staff. Faculty and staff are advised to seek support from Carebridge.

Blackburn was last seen Saturday evening in the vicinity of Firestone Library. Emergency responders began searching for him around midnight on Tuesday after a phone signal pinged in the vicinity of Lake Carnegie. Boats, helicopters, and emergency vehicles were involved in the search, which continued throughout the week.

A National Merit Scholarship recipient and a former features writer for The Daily Princetonian, the University’s newspaper, Blackburn was from southern Indiana.

“We know that every member of our community joins us in sending our condolences to Lauren’s family, friends, and loved ones and in wishing them strength in this most difficult time,” writes Crotty.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

April 23, 2025

Championship Moment

Members of Princeton University women’s lacrosse team celebrate after they defeated Brown 15-13 last Saturday at the Class of 1952 Stadium to clinch a share of the Ivy League regular season crown. The Tigers, now 12-2 overall and 5-1 Ivy League, play at Dartmouth on April 26 as they look to earn the outright league title and the No. 1 seed going into the Ivy postseason tournament. For more details on the game, see page 27. (Photo by Bill Alden)

Search for Missing PU Student Focuses on Lake Carnegie

By Anne Levin

Lauren Blackburn

A Princeton University student was reported missing on Tuesday, April 22, according to a TigerAlert sent to the University community around 11 a.m. by the school’s Department of Public Safety. Lauren Blackburn, an undergraduate member of the class of 2026, was last seen at about 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 19 near Firestone Library.

Blackburn, 23, is 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair. According to the Department of Public Safety, when last seen he was wearing blue jeans with torn knees, a yellow T-shirt with a black, zippered hooded sweatshirt, and blue, flat-bottom shoes.

According to a report by the ABC News affiliate WPVI, a search of Lake Carnegie began around 12 a.m. on Tuesday morning after a phone belonging to a missing student pinged in the area. It was not confirmed that the phone belonged to Blackburn. more

Municipality Endeavors To Make Safety a Priority On Local Streets, Roadways

By Anne Levin

At its most recent public meeting on April 14, Princeton Council passed an ordinance reducing the speed limit from 40 to 35 miles per hour on a portion of Cherry Hill Road between Mt. Lucas Road and a point 565 feet north of Foulet Drive.

This change, which makes the entire length of the roadway uniform at 35 miles per hour, is small but significant. According to Councilman David Cohen, it will likely be followed by future ordinances lowering speed limits in the center of town.

Cohen has been especially active in efforts to make the streets of Princeton safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists. He applied for, and was accepted to, the 2025 Champions Institute, which is sponsored by Smart Growth America, a national organization that helps make communities affordable, convenient, and safe. Cohen is working on an action plan to make Princeton’s bicycle boulevard network more effective. more

Tenth Annual Princeton Research Day Offers Abundant Learning Opportunities

RESEARCH DAY: About 150 undergraduate, graduate school, and postdoc researchers will be presenting their discoveries at the 10th Princeton Research Day to be held in Frist Campus Center at Princeton University from 12 to 3:30 p.m. on May 8. The event is free, interactive, and open to the public. (Princeton University, Sameer A. Khan/Fotobuddy)

By Donald Gilpin

With about 150 undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs presenting and several hundred curious spectators in attendance, the 10th annual Princeton Research Day (PRD) on May 8 will afford everyone a glimpse of some of the research that’s happening at Princeton University and a chance to learn about something they didn’t know before.

Taking place at the University’s Frist Campus Center from 12 to 3:30 p.m., the event will be free and open to the public, and “a very interactive session,” according to Pascale Poussart, who is the University’s director of undergraduate research and one of the founders and organizers of PRD. more

Tenth Annual “Perspectives on Preservation” Contest Held by Friends of Princeton Open Space

IN OUR OWN BACKYARD: Photographs like this one, from a previous photo contest held by Friends of Princeton Open Space, celebrate the natural beauty found in and around the Mountain Lakes Open Space Area. (Photo courtesy of FOPOS)

By Anne Levin

With its lakes, rocky creeks, forests, and trails, the Mountain Lakes Open Space Area is a gold mine for nature photographers. The nonprofit Friends of Princeton Open Space (FOPOS) has been making use of this natural fit for the past 10 years, inviting adult and student photographers to enter images in the “Perspectives on Preservation” photo contest.

The 10th annual competition is officially underway. Photographers have until midnight on October 12 to submit shots taken in the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, Mountain Lakes North, John Witherspoon Woods, Community Park North, Tusculum Preserve, Pettoranello Gardens, and the J. Seward Johnson Sr. Trail and Boardwalk. more

Trenton Walks! Offers Many Opportunities To Explore History and Nature in Trenton

THE “SHAKY BRIDGE”: The old bridge, designed by Brooklyn Bridge creator John A. Roebling, is just one of hundreds of points of interest on nine different walks in the coming weeks led by Trenton Walks! Participants can socialize while exploring the history, culture, and natural surroundings of different sections of Trenton. (Photo courtesy of Trenton Walks!)

By Donald Gilpin

Nine different walks throughout Trenton in the coming weeks will take participants through a park and a marshland, around downtown and into a variety of interesting neighborhoods, and back to the dramatic history of the American Revolution and the story of the D&R Canal.

Sponsored by the Trenton Green Team (TGT) and supported by the Mercer County Action Team (MCAT), the next series of walks begins this Thursday, April 24, and features a stroll on the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park towpath and Greenway from the Battle Monument through downtown Trenton.  more

Arbor Day at Marquand Park Features Many Tree-Related Activities for Families

ARBOR DAY CELEBRATION: Children of all ages are invited to an Arbor Day celebration at Marquand Park’s Children’s Arboretum on Sunday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. There will be story time, a sing-along, a children’s book club, free sugar maple saplings, and more. (Photo courtesy of Marquand Park Foundation)

By Donald Gilpin

Marquand Park will be celebrating Arbor Day 2025 with story time, a sing-along, a children’s book club, a scavenger hunt, and more this Sunday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at its Children’s Arboretum on Lovers Lane.

Marquand Park Foundation Co-Chairs Evie Timberlake and Rebecca Flemer noted that the Foundation has recently “taken a sharper focus on education, trying to get children more involved with the environment.” more

On Shakespeare’s Birthday, Smoking Is the Unintended Consequence

By Stuart Mitchner

An open pack of premium cigarettes was thus a centerpiece of Hindenburg advertisements.

—Edward Tenner

Even before I read about those advertisements in Edward Tenner’s new book Why the Hindenburg Had a Smoking Lounge: Essays on Unintended Consequences (American Philosophical Society Press $34.95), my interest in vintage cigarette ads had been stirred by a Broadhurst Theatre Playbill from 1934, three years before May 6, 1937, the day the Hindenburg crashed and burned on landing at Lakehurst N.J. Naval Air Station, killing 35 of the 97 passengers. By specifying the proportion of fatalities, Tenner leaves it up to us to assume that most of the victims were in the smoking lounge at the time (“under 7 million cubic feet of flammable gas”), a possibility underscored by a pointed reference to satirist Bruce McCall’s drawing of a Hindenburg prospectus showing a skeleton in an officer’s uniform asking elegant passengers, “Zigarette?”

The Playbill

Passed down by my parents, who once dreamed of writing Broadway plays together, the Playbill for Men In White, Sidney Kingsley’s drama about doctors, love, abortion, and medical ethics, features three cigarette ads in its 22 pages, the first a two-page spread wherein the “Warner Bros.” star Joan Blondell testifies to the “throat-ease and flavor” of Old Golds, my two-pack-a-day mother’s brand for life. Another two-page spread (“Get a LIFT with a Camel!”) shows two unidentified young women, one frowning (“Tired? Then light a Camel!”); the other smiling, radiant, cigarette in hand. On the back cover an older, fashionably dressed woman is saying, “Frankly, one of the chief reasons why I enjoy Chesterfields is the fact that I don’t get little crumbs of tobacco in my mouth.”  more

PU Orchestra and Glee Club Combine for Concert of French Music

By Nancy Plum

Spring is always a time of renewal, and for college students the season may mean an opportunity to enjoy a break from the academic race to the end of the semester. For the members of the Princeton University Orchestra and Glee Club, the early months of this spring have meant hard work and preparation as the two ensembles came together for a presentation of 20th-century pieces. This past weekend’s performances of Francis Poulenc’s Gloria and Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé showed precision, musicality, and crisp playing in the annual Stuart B. Mindlin Concerts.

Friday night’s performance (which was repeated Saturday night) in Richardson Auditorium juxtaposed two French composers linked by their use of Impressionistic compositional devices as well as a unique scoring for chorus. Early 20th-century composers in France often added choral forces as wordless voices for effect — distinctly evident in Ravel’s 1912 ballet Daphnis et Chloé. Fifty years later, Poulenc’s 1960 six-movement Gloria drew on voices to the fullest to convey a liturgical test. Led by Orchestra conductor Michael Pratt, the University Orchestra and Glee Club were precise from the outset of the Gloria, with short decisive conducting gestures from Pratt eliciting a crisp sound. Off-beat rhythms were meticulous from the Glee Club, and it was unmistakable that this piece was a good fit for these singers.  more

Oldest Community Band To Celebrate Milestone

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: Jerry Rife, conductor of the Blawenburg Band, celebrates his 40th year on the podium at a concert that also marks the 135th year of the band on May 18.

The Blawenburg Band, New Jersey’s oldest community band, will celebrate its 135 years of performing as well as the 40th year of conductor Jerry Rife’s leadership at its Anniversary Concert in Kendall Hall on The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) campus, 2000 Pennington Road, Ewing, on Sunday, May 18, at 3 p.m.

The concert is free, but donations are welcome. On the program are traditional band marches, show tunes, and more. more

All Aboard at Kelsey For “Anything Goes”

SAIL AWAY: Cast members of the Mercer County Community College Academic Theater and Dance program rehearse the upcoming production of “Anything Goes,” which runs April 25-May 4 at the Kelsey Theatre on the college’s West Windsor Campus.

The Mercer County Community College (MCCC) Academic Theater and Dance program presents the musical comedy Anything Goes, April 25-May 4 at the Kelsey Theatre on the college’s West Windsor Campus.

The show follows the antics of Billy Crocker, who stows away on the S.S. American when he learns his love interest, Hope, is on board and bound for England to marry the wealthy Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. When Billy borrows an unused ticket and passport from gangster Moonface Martin (a.k.a., Public Enemy 13) to stay on board, the comedy gets rolling with mistaken identities, a comical disguise, and blackmail — along with music and dancing. more

Garden Theatre Announces Summer Film Screenings

The Princeton Garden Theatre has announced the 2025 lineup of the annual Hollywood Summer Nights program. Featuring 34 films that showcase over 75 years of cinematic history, the season will include classic literary adaptations, political satires, sci-fi and fantasy spectacles, and much more. Each film will be exhibited as originally intended: on the big screen.

Opening the series on May 28 is Planet of the Apes, followed by The Maltese Falcon on May 29. The season will close on September 10 with Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove: or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, and Christopher Nolan’s Memento on September 11. Each film will begin at 7 p.m. with select titles receiving encore screenings on Sunday afternoons.  more

“Not Your Run of the Mill” Photo Show at Phillips’ Mill

“JAPANESE MAPLE LEAVES”: This photo by Sharlene Holliday is featured in the “Not Your Run of the Mill Photo Show,” on view through April 27 at Phillips’ Mill in New Hope, Pa.

April marks a month-long celebration of fine art photography at the historic Phillips’ Mill in New Hope, Pa., which wraps up with a final exhibit spotlighting the work of the Mill Photo Committee members who organize the annual juried exhibition each year.

The “Not Your Run of the Mill Photo Show” is on view through April 27. The Mill Photo Committee is comprised of both professional and amateur photographers who meet and share their interests in all things photography throughout the year. Like the juried exhibition, the Photo Committee show fills both levels of the Mill, upstairs and down, with works of photographic art on the walls, as well as dozens of matted prints in the portfolio bins. more

Art Station Celebrates 34 Years of Open Studios

The Art Station, 148 Monmouth Street, Hightstown, will celebrate its 34th year of open studios on Sunday, May 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Art Station welcomes the public to tour its historic building, view the art, and meet award-winning artists during its semi-annual open studios. Enjoy light refreshments and conversation, and learn what inspires the artists and about their creative process. Visitors will also have the opportunity to enter a drawing for a door prize.

The eclectic art mix at the Art Station includes painting, drawing, fiber art, mixed media, collage, assemblage, sculpture, video, jewelry, and ceramics. Artwork will be available for purchase.

The Art Station artists include Murray Becker, Anne Ciemnecki, Karen Cybulski, Ingrid Davis, Roy Fisher, Gary David Fournier, Marisa Keris, Kathleen Hurley, Liao, Claudia Luongo, Jane Nieman, Mary Jane Puleio, Tehyla Richman, Anne Steinhorn, Joy Sacalis, Chanika Svetvilas, Susan Winter, and Juanita Yoder.

For more information, visit artstationstudios.com.

Talk on Photography Of Edward H. Stokes

The Trent House Association will host a talk by Gary Saretzky illustrating photography of the mid-19th century with a special focus on the work and life of Edward H. Stokes. This free talk will be given on Sunday, April 27 at 2 p.m. in the Trent House Visitor Center, located at 15 Market Street, Trenton. Free parking is available behind the property off William Trent Place.

The last private owners of the Trent House, then known as Woodlawn, were the Stokes family. Edward Harris Stokes was born in 1824. He became an accomplished artist, photographer, and daguerreotypist in the 1850s. After his marriage to the wealthy heiress Permelia Wood in 1860, Stokes retired from this business to become active in Trenton ​civic affairs and investments, while his nephew, Stockton Stokes, remained a photographer for many years in Trenton and Philadelphia. This illustrated lecture by Gary Saretzky explores both the early history of photography in Trenton and the life of Edward H. Stokes, who became one of the wealthiest men in Trenton. more

Princeton’s Flourishing Whole Earth Center Is Celebrating a Mega 55th Anniversary

SUCCESS STORY: 55 years of providing customers with fresh, safe, nutritionally sound organic food and environmentally-friendly products is a remarkable achievement. Princeton’s Whole Earth Center continues to offer healthy choices and helpful information every day. Shown, from left, are deli manager Carmina De Leon, perishables manager Jervis Doctor, and produce manager Bona Thiel.

By Jean Stratton

Fifty-five years and still going strong!

This is the story of Princeton’s Whole Earth Center.

Indeed, its remarkable journey began 55 years ago, when a group of concerned citizens decided to take action. So, on the original Earth Day, April 22, 1970. Barbara Parmet, Hella McVay, Florence Falk, Margot Sutherland, and Susanna Waterman founded The Whole Earth Center. more

Whiteway Produces a Senior Day to Remember, Helping PU Women’s Lax Top Brown, Earn Ivy Title

WHITE LIGHT: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Sophie Whiteway, right, goes after the ball in recent action. Last Saturday, senior midfielder Whiteway came up big on her Senior Day, tallying two goals along with four draw controls and two ground balls as No. 5 Princeton topped No. 18 Brown 15-13 to clinch a share of the Ivy League regular season crown. The Tigers, now 12-2 overall and 5-1 Ivy League, play at Dartmouth on April 26 as they look to earn the outright league title and the No. 1 seed going into the Ivy postseason tournament. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

In her freshman season for the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team in 2022, Sophie Whiteway contributed three draw controls on the program’s Senior Day to help the Tigers defeat Yale and clinch the Ivy League regular season title.

Last Saturday, Whiteway came up big on her Senior Day, tallying two goals along with four draw controls and two ground balls as No. 5 Princeton topped No. 18 Brown 15-13 at Class of 1952 Stadium to clinch a share of the Ivy regular season crown as it moved to 12-2 overall and 5-1 Ivy. more