Weather: 82° Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon 

- BDE: Petira of Sanzer Rebbe of Boro Park, Harav Hatzaddik Reb Boruch Halberstam, zt”l. He was 70 years old. The Rebbe, a descendant of the Divrei Chaim of Sanz, zt”l, was widely known for his extraordinary dedication to chesed and hachnosas orchim and for his open door to Yidden from across the community.

- LPD Traffic Alert: E 4th Street will be closed from Cottage Place to Negba Street for planned NJAW construction. Plan alternate route if possible.

- Amazon plans to begin using drones to carry out deliveries around South Jersey starting in mid-October, according to a notice the tech giant sent to Mantua Township officals. According to the notice, the proposed operating area for its "Prime Air" service will cover a radius of around 15 miles from its facility at 240 Mantua Grove Road in West Deptford Township. NJ

- Trump:  The Radical Left Democrats are going CRAZY with Fake Polls. They’re putting them out at levels never seen before. They’re called, “Demoralization Operations,” where they try to demoralize Republicans so that they don’t go out and vote — But the actual Polls are tremendous, and the Spirit in our Country has never been higher. We’re winning against EVERYONE, including Iran, whose Country is in Economic and Military Death Spiral. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP

- LSTA update: Parents will have to "only" pay an additionl $290 instead. Total of $675 per child for courtesy busing. (While Lakewood township fully sponsors  public school courtesy busing.)

This is what schools are asked to send out

Important Update Regarding Non-Mandated Bussing

Dear Parents,

We are pleased to share an important update regarding non-mandated bussing for the upcoming school year.

Over the past several days, we have been working closely with representatives of the LSTA, together with our local and state government officials and dedicated askanim, in an effort to ensure that transportation for the children of our Kehila can begin on time and without interruption.

Baruch Hashem, through these discussions, the additional fee for non-mandated bussing has been reduced to $290 per student.

In light of this development, we are now recommending that parents opt in for transportation. Please note that the $290 fee is due at this time in order to secure transportation.

We fully recognize that this is still an additional expense for families. This arrangement is intended to allow bussing to begin on time while we continue our efforts to explore possible solutions.

We will continue to keep parents informed of any developments as they arise. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and cooperation throughout this process.With best wishes for a successful school year,{Your Mosed}

- Rav Shlomo Eisenberger shlita R"Y Telz will be giving a Elul shmooze  at B"M Kol Aryeh today at 1:15pm

- Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatens to cut off electricity and critical minerals to the US if the trade war with Canada worsens.

- LSTA: With the Monday night deadline looming, there have still been no updates from LSTA, the schools, or elected officials, leaving parents wondering what to do about bus transportation for the upcoming school year. There is still hope that some source of funding will come through, but for now, families are being left with a wait-and-see approach as the deadline rapidly approaches.

- LSTA from the state report: Recent LegislationIn 2024, new legislation expanded the LSTA model and allowed additional transportation consortia to form. Unlike the 2016 pilot, the new law allows districts from multiple counties to participate, removes district-size requirements, requires savings  from mandated  funds to be returned to districts, and permits up to a 6% administrative fee for  busing.

Lakewood Student Transportation Authority functions similar to a coordinated transportation services authority (CTSA). However, a CTSA is a governmental entity and the LSTA is a non-profit limited-liability company.

More from the report: One of the LSTA’s advantages over Lakewood for operating nonpublic routes is its flexibility in charging for courtesy busing, which Lakewood cannot do because of the district’s free and reduced lunch percentages. A study performed by Lakewood, NJ CPA firm HFA Certified Public Accountants and Advisors in 2020 found that the LSTA saves the district over $11 million versus the district bidding and managing all routes.

- Man with the truck will be in Lakewood today  at BM Ohr Tuvia East End Ave hall 4:30 pm

- Tuition in Lakewood  survey from TVOL interview with Lakewood families: Tuition remains a significant financial burden for many families. Sixteen percent spend at least half their income on tuition, while 29% spend more than 25%. Despite this, 61% believe tuition is reasonable, and paying tuition ranks 4.6 out of 5 in importance. Still, 29% owe tuition from the previous school year, showing that families can consider tuition important and reasonable while still struggling to pay it.

- Giyus: “I have a feeling that the state will give up on us. They’ll understand that this isn’t possible and back off from us.” Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, leader of Degel HaTorah, speaking to several activists about the issue of drafting charesim into the military.