Veterans Connecting at College

OCC's Veterans Club growing in popularity

There is a surge of interest among hundreds of veterans attending Ocean County College in the once dormant Veterans Club. Credit for the turnaround goes to Michael Sparrow, who became the OCC coordinator of Veterans Affairs in September, according to leaders who have witnessed the transformation. “He’s totally changed how the veterans think, energized the club, no idea is too difficult,’’ said Col. Alan Smith, USMC Ret., an adjunct history instructor and training director for employer support of the National Guard and Reserve. “He’s given them leadership,’’ Smith added. Sparrow is a veteran who served eight years in the U.S. Navy, some of the time aboard the U.S.S Constellation. “Sparrow brought in a lot of best national practices’’ for …

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Bites Nearby

Get Fired Up at Hibachi in Toms River

It's a fun night out at many local restaurants offering the popular Japanese style of cooking

Sizzling sounds, scrumptious smells, flames two feet high and, oh yes … food!  It’s dinner and a show all in one. It’s hibachi time around town.There's more than one hibachi restaurant in Toms River. You can choose a place with the feel of downtown Tokyo or one of Japanese zen. Here's our rundown of just a few of many places to find hibachi in Toms River, explaining what's on the menu and more. Shogun at Bey Lea – North Bay Ave. This is a party atmosphere and the only non-franchise hibachi restaurant in Toms River with a full service bar. Strobe lights and music fill the room. Definitely a place to gather with the group. Hibachi dinners range from a $15 vegetable dinner to $36 for a seafood deluxe dinner. All hibachi dinners include soup, …

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Where Have All the People Gone? Population Drops in 17 Ocean County Towns

Census report puzzles officials

Did more than half of Ocean County’s communities lose residents in the past decade, or have more property owners just declared tax-friendly states as their primary residences? Ocean County’s freeholders are convinced the populations in Lavallette and Seaside Park have not dropped 30 percent, as reported in the 2010 census. “We’re not sure if we lost them or they changed their address to Florida,’’ because of the tax benefits those who claim the Sunshine State as their primary residence receive, Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari said yesterday. “Something is wrong someplace,’’ he said. Early census estimates of the population in the county’s 33 towns gave no warning that 17 of those communities would report population drops. “They’re all…

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Parkway Accident Detours Northbound Traffic onto Route 9

Accident northbound just after Toms River toll plaza

Traffic from the Garden State Parkway northbound was detoured onto Route 9 in Toms River as police and fire crews respond to reports of an accident. All Northbound lanes closed for approximately 45 minutes, detouring traffic onto Route 9 via Exit 83. The accident was reported around 5 p.m. Monday near mile 85 after the Toms River toll plaza, and at 6:20 p.m., traffic is crawling to a halt both locally and on the parkway. At 7:15 p.m. debris from the accident remained near mile post 85.7, where one vehicle could be seen in a steep ditch off the right hand side, a second car completely overturned and smashed, with two tow trucks nearby and more than five state police and New Jersey Turnpike Authority vehicles tending to the incident. At 6:35…

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Candlelight Vigil in the Cold for Three Lost Friends

Friends, family gather at Winding River Park to honor those who died in horrific crash at Pine Beach Elemntary School

The young people stood stoically in the frigid air, shivering as they clutched lit votive candles in their hands. Some of the flames in the glass holders flickered and went out in the chill wind at Winding River Park. They stood quietly, awkward and unsure in the face of death and loss. They came to mourn their three friends - Matthew Budesa, Kimberly Gorden and Matthew Witzgall - who died together in a violent and puzzling car crash in the early morning hours of Feb. 3. "I'm speechless," a youth in a wheelchair whispered. Wendy Duffy, Beachwood, came with her daughter Krystena and son Michael Runke to honor the three who perished when a car driven by Budesa slammed into a brick wall at the Pine Beach Elementary School. "It's hard," she …

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