Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Park now opened from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Island Beach State Park has returned to pre-Superstorm Sandy hours and more of the park has been opened to visitors, state Department of Environmental Protection Commission Bob Martin said. “We are keeping pace with the Christie Administration’s goal of having all of our state parks, including Island Beach State Park, fully operational for the peak summer season,” Martin said. “Having this popular destination getting closer to normal operations is emblematic of the state’s drive to have the Shore open for business this summer.’’ The park is now open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for all guests. Fishing access has also been extended to 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The DEP recently awarded a $268,000 contract to a New Brunswick-based Tekton Development Corp…
Monday, April 29, 2013
Many storm victims have become Sandy zombies
They are easy to spot. They don't smile much. They look tired. They are tired. They are numb. They are the Sandy zombies. They are fried emotionally and physically from half a year of battling to go home, if they still have a home to go to. I am a Sandy zombie. Is it possible it's been half a year since that horrific day and night when Superstorm Sandy blasted the Jersey Shore and changed some lives forever? Six months since we left our Bayville home with three terrified cats and made our way to family in Toms River? Six months since we've been living in a basement? We knew Sandy was going to be bad, even when we evacuated at noon on Oct. 29. Trees were already toppling in Pine Beach, taking down power lines. But we didn't know then we …
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Goal is to have entire park open for peak summer season, access to park is free until May, DEP commissioner says
More sections of Island Beach State Park are now open to the public, nearly half a year after Superstorm Sandy tore through the park's dunes and damaged facilities. Roughly five miles of beach access points - more than half of the nearly 10-mile park - are now open, state Department of Environmental Commissioner Bob Martin said. The park will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, for the first time since Oct. 29, the day Sandy roared into Ocean County. “Thanks to the hard work of park staff, partnerships, volunteers and contractors, we have seen considerable progress in the cleanup and restoration of Island Beach State Park,” Martin said in a statement Friday. “This is all part of the Christie Administration’s plan to have a strong summer…
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
The long slog to recovery is taking a toll
Show me the way to go home. Five months? Has it really been five months since the monster Superstorm Sandy roared into Ocean County and changed the landscape for all time? Has it really been five months since we fled our Bayville home and moved into my son and daughter-in-law's basement? I remember hoping in those first dark weeks that we might be back in time for Christmas. We are still out. It took awhile for reality to sink in. It took some time to realize that recovery, for many, won't happen quickly. And for some, it won't happen at all. I met a woman who lives on Cove Road West in Bayville at the township's informational session on home elevation recently. She moved into her house about 15 years ago and happily began making it a home…
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Friends of Island Beach State Park's Osprey Cam is up and running
The waiting game is over. The osprey who make Island Beach State Park their home each spring and summer are returing to the park that was heavily damaged by Superstorm Sandy. Their return was a bright spot after a dismal winter and early spring marred by Superstorm Sandy The Friends of Island Beach paid $10,000 back in October 2011 for the solar-powered "Osprey Cam," which runs day and night. The camera and platform were battered by the massive storm and had to be repaired. The camera was reinstalled a few weeks ago and the wait began. This morning, one osprey was spotted on the nest near the park's Interpretive Center, several miles in from the entrance, according to the FOIB's facebook page. Berkeley Patch will continue to update the …
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Daniel O’Leary, 51, was charged with second degree aggravated arson in connection with the Friday fire
A 51-year-old Berkeley Township man was charged with aggravated arson Monday in connection with a fire at a Holiday City residence, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. Daniel O’Leary, 51, of 66 Barbuda Street in the Holiday City section of Berkeley Township, was arrested and charged with second degree aggravated arson in connection with the Friday fire. O’Leary is charged with intentionally setting fire to the home at 77 Barbuda Street on Friday, according to the prosecutor's office. "He lived a few houses away," Executive Assistant Prosecutor Michel A. Paulhus said. Investigators charge that O'Leary knew that two people were inside the residence at the time. "He intentionally set the fire using combustible materials," said …
Monday, March 11, 2013
Jacobs becomes the only African-American head coach in the Shore Conference; will be paid a stipend of $6,800, superintendent says
Central Regional has a new head football coach for the Golden Eagles. Willie Jacobs, a 1990 Central graduate, replaces Vincent Casale, who held the position for five years while also serving as the district’s athletic director. Casale will remain as the school’s athletic director, Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides said. The 41-year old Jacobs is the only African-American head coach in the Shore Conference. He spent the last two seasons on Casale's staff as defensive coordinator, Parlapanides said. Before coming to Central, Jacobs worked at Long Branch High School under Head Coach Dan George. Jacobs was the defensive coordinator during Long Branch’s State Championship runs and also served as an assistant coach in Franklin …
Monday, February 4, 2013
Constant stress, confusion bring on relentless fatigue for many
"Oh, a storm is threatening My very life today If I don't get some shelter Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away" - from "Gimme Shelter" by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards It's been over three months since Superstorm Sandy roared into the Jersey coastline, changing landscapes and lives forever. At first, some people were optimistic the mess could be turned around in a relatively short period of time. Now we know better. Now the sickening realization that things will never be the same has sunk in. Township Council President James J. Byrnes had it right when he said at a recent council meeting that storm fatigue had set in. I've got it and so do too many other people. I'm tired of acronyms like FEMA, ICC, ABFEs, SBA. I'm tired of all the things I've…
Friday, January 25, 2013
State Park System officials hoping to reopen entire park by summer
Nearly three months after Superstorm Sandy swamped Island Beach State Park, sections of the park are now open to the public, free of charge. “This partial reopening of Island Beach State Park is an important benchmark in the state’s recovery from Sandy,” Gov. Chris Christie said. “While there is still much work to be done, we know that having even partial access to the park is important to residents and visitors and we are thrilled to welcome them back.” Ocean Bathing Area 1 - four miles south of the park entrance - is now open for walking, four-wheel drive access and sport fishing. Four-wheel drive vehicles with park-issued permits can enter the beach at Ocean Bathing Area 1 or at Gillikin’s Road, which is 1.2 miles north of Ocean Bathing…
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Dunes breached in a number of sections of the state park during Superstorm Sandy; sections of park slated to open sometime next week
Surf fisherman often trudged through the sand on Two-Bit Road at Island Beach State Park to make their way around the towering dunes, on their way to the beach and the waves. But there is little in the way of a cut now, since Superstorm Sandy swamped the park on Oct. 29. And in many sections of Island Beach, the carefully cultivated, cherished dunes - strengthened by beach grass and protected by snow fence - are no more. "There's a lot more devastation at this end of the beach," said Area Supervisor Ray Bukowski, as he steered his Ford F-250 down the nearly deserted beach in the park's Northern Natural Area. The beach is littered with pilings, crab pots, storm debris and even a roller coaster car from nearby Seaside Heights. The scene is …
1stcav
8:45 am on Sunday, May 5, 2013
Foggyworld: Ah...no- do as I say, not as I do as I'm part of the 1 % , right Mary Pat....Different rules for the rulers...You don't think the President and Congress will be under Obamacare of collect Social Security or a meger Pension plan...No ..top shelf the " Best of the Best " by the tax payers of OUR fair land...for serving Us mindless , falling down wreches , who without them couldn't wipe … more ›