Monday, May 13, 2013
Senate bill 2601 would also allow the county to exercise the power of eminent domain in order to erect dunes to protect lands, property and facilities near the beaches
The Ocean County Freeholders oppose a Senate bill that, if approved, would permit counties to take over the operation of beaches within its jurisdiction. A resolution stating that Ocean County would be “actively impacted” by this legislation was unanimously passed at a Freeholders meeting May 1. “If Ocean County were to take over and maintain the 44 miles of just oceanfront beaches in Ocean County, it would not only be cost prohibitive but would also require taxpayers who don’t use the beaches to pay for them,” Freeholder Joseph H. Vicari said. The bill (S2601, A3891), sponsored by Sen. Bob Smith and Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer, would authorize any county of the fifth or six class — Atlantic, Monmouth, Ocean and Cape May — to assume …
Senate bill 2601 would also allow the county to exercise the power of eminent domain in order to erect dunes to protect lands, property and facilities near the beaches
The Ocean County Board of Freeholders are opposing a proposed state Senate bill that would permit counties to take over the operation of municipal beaches within its jurisdiction. Board members unanimously approved a resolution stating that Ocean County would be “actively impacted” by this legislation at the May 1 board meeting. “If Ocean County were to take over and maintain the 44 miles of just oceanfront beaches in Ocean County, it would not only be cost prohibitive but would also require taxpayers who don’t use the beaches to pay for them,” Freeholder Joseph H. Vicari said. The bill (S2601, A3891), sponsored by Sen. Bob Smith and Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer, would authorize any county of the fifth or six class — Atlantic, Monmouth, …
'Triple whammy' for Shore residents, Menendez says on U.S. Senate floor
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez threw Shore residents a virtual lifeline Thursday, delivering an address on the Senate floor where he urged colleagues to support an amendment to federal legislation that would stop flood insurance rate hikes, at least in the short term. Menendez (D-N.J.) spoke in favor of an amendment to the Water Resources Development Act which would stop flood insurance premiums from rising until FEMA completes its study on the affordability of premiums of the National Flood Insurance Program. Shore homeowners face annual flood insurance premiums of up to $31,000 a year if they do not raise their homes at a significant cost. Many homeowners who were never previously located in flood zones now find themselves being listed as …
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Christie rebate cuts cause 22.4 percent increase in net property taxes that hits those making under $150,000
Net property taxes in New Jersey rose 22.4 percent in Gov. Chris Christie's first three years in office, compared to just 6 percent in Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine's last three years in office, a New Jersey Spotlight analysis shows. Christie, who has made attacks on “Corzine Democrats” a centerpiece of his reelection campaign, has been touting his record of holding down overall property tax increases. But when Christie’s rebate reductions are factored in, his property tax record is not so clear-cut. While Corzine doubled average property tax rebates from 2006 to 2009 and provided rebates to families earning as much as $250,000, Christie sharply cut the size of rebate payments and limited eligibility for non-seniors to those earning $75,000 …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
"Discrepancies" were found in some of the charges submitted by AshBritt, the debris removal firm contracted by the state after Superstorm Sandy
AshBritt, Inc., the firm hired by the state to haul debris after Superstorm Sandy, benefited from an “ambiguous” contract that resulted in at least tens of thousands in extra charges, according to a report released on Wednesday. Ocean County Administrator Carl Block handed the Freeholders a thick report at Wednesday’s pre-board meeting. The report, done by state-hired monitor The Louis Berger Group, Inc., reviews the mileage billed to Ocean County by AshBritt. “The director contacted me after some articles had been written about the clean up efforts,” Block said. Freeholder Director John P. Kelly had asked for a report to be done breaking down the process of debris hauling as well as the charges in relation to distance. “Discrepancies” had…
66-year-old woman is reported to be in stable condition
A woman suffering from heart failure aboard a cruise ship was rescued early Thursday by U.S. Coast Guard officials while the vessel was 20 miles off Toms River's shore. Personnel aboard the Splendor, a 952-foot Carnival cruise ship, contacted Coast Guard watchstanders in New York at about 12:40 a.m. Thursday and reported a 66-year-old woman aboard was experiencing heart failure, according to a news release. A rescue crew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from the Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City was dispatched to the cruise ship to rescue the woman, who was not immediately identified by authorities. The Coast Guard helicopter crew was able to hoist the woman and a nurse aboard and transport them to Jersey Shore University Medical …
Island Beach will not be included in Army Corps of Engineers' dune and beach replenishment program
South Seaside Park resident Donald Whiteman's family has lived on the barrier island section of Berkeley Township for seven decades. And they know a washout from a storm when they see one, going all the way back to the Hurricane of 1938, he has said at more than one Berkeley Township Council meeting. Whiteman again urged township officials at the May 5 meeting to pressure the state Department of Environmental Protection to include Island Beach in the Army Corps of Engineers dune and beach replenishment program. "Residents in South Seaside Park who stayed during the storm recognized there was more than one breach," he said. "Island Beach had about five washouts." Whiteman was one of those who rode out the storm. He noticed problems at the …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
More than 13 miles of roadway will be repaired
The county will be embarking on improvement projects for 11 county roads in the upcoming weeks. “As part of our annual overlay program, we will be starting work shortly on safety improvements including stormwater drainage work, new paving and reconstruction on several roads throughout Ocean County,” said Ocean County Freeholder Director John P. Kelly, Director of Law and Public Safety. More than 13 miles of roadway will be repaired when complete, he said. The Board of Freeholders will be awards a contract to Earle Asphalt Company, which is based out of Farmingdale, in the amount of $2 million to reconstruct portions of seven roadways. “This work will get under way in the next few weeks and while there may be some inconvenience to motorists…
Live traffic updates, weather, things to do
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Wednesday, May 8
Find out the weather, live traffic conditions and things going on in our town today. Check out the current road and traffic conditions reported for the Bayville, South Seaside Park, Pelican Island, Pinewald and Holiday City areas. In this real-time traffic map from Mapquest, green portions mean traffic is flowing freely, while yellow and red indicate traffic delays. The weather: Today - The National Weather Service is calling for showers, with possible thunderstorms. Expect a high near 65 degrees. Winds will be from the east, gradually becoming southeast in the afternoon. The chance of precipitation is 80 percent. Rainfall amounts up to half an inch are possible. Tonight - Mostly cloudy with a low near 53 degrees. There's a 30 percent …
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Governor tells New York Post that Lap-Band procedure was done at the urging of his family. An NYU doctor made house calls to Christie's Mendham home to not draw attention to the surgery.
Gov. Chris Christie underwent stomach-shrinking Lap-Band surgery in February, he confirmed to the New York Post on Monday night while refuting speculation that he was slimming down for a White House run in 2016. Christie quietly had the Lap-Band -- or laparoscopic adjustable gastric binding -- procedure done in a New York hospital, telling the paper that he agreed to the surgery at the urging of his family after turning 50 in September. The governor insisted that the Lap-Band was not inserted to help him lose weight in the run-up to 2016. "I know it sounds crazy to say that running for president is minor, but in the grand scheme of things, it was looking at Mary Pat and the kids and going, 'I have to do this for them, even if I don’t …
Ginny
1:42 pm on Sunday, May 19, 2013
Agree Carl ! more ›