Sunday, May 19, 2013
Paul D. "Pete" McClain's efforts to save the dwindling osprey population back in the 1970s have paid off
Visitors who click on the Friends of Island Beach's osprey cam are often entranced by the sight of the osprey pair keeping watch over their clutch of four rust-and cream-colored eggs. However, it wasn't always this easy to keep tabs on the ospreys of Island Beach State Park. Environmental conditions were grim for the large raptor birds back in the early 1970s. Nesting sites were hard to come by, due to the rapid development of wetlands. DDT and other chemicals had been heavily used in 1950s and 1960s for mosquito control and worked their way into the food chain. Osprey nests were dwindling. By 1968 there were only 12 osprey nests at Island Beach State Park. By 1974, the number had dropped to just one. Osprey eggs laid during those years …
Saturday, May 18, 2013
The state urges customers to consult the database before buying a car
The State Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) and Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) are urging all customers to consult their database of flood and salvage-titled vehicles before purchasing a car. That database now provides information on 31,000 such vehicles, the State MVC announced on Wednesday. It isn't illegal to sell vehicles with flood or salvaged titles. However, there are specific requirements that ensure potential purchasers are aware of the status of such vehicles, according to the MVC. “Damage sustained by vehicles must be disclosed to prospective buyers,” Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa said. “We will hold car dealers accountable for violating our Consumer Fraud Act if they fail to make such disclosures.” The database was …
Friday, May 17, 2013
Home buyouts in areas prone to flooding expected to start soon, though participation remains voluntary.
Buyouts of properties in flood prone areas are expected to begin within a matter of weeks, beginning in Middlesex County and working south into the summer months as residents and their respective town officials make the difficult decision to abandon entire neighborhoods for good. Though buyout specifics have been limited, Bob Martin, commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, said between eight and 10 towns along the coast have inquired about participating in the State’s Blue Acres program, which purchases severe repetitive loss homes in flood areas and converts the land into open space. Martin said he wanted to be cautious about naming the municipalities that have inquired about the property buyouts as many have …
Jack Bowden worked in the Galloway Township Public Works Department for 29 years.
Galloway Township Mayor Don Purdy honored Public Works employee Jack Bowden, who is retiring after 29 years of service to the township, at the council meeting on Tuesday night, May 14. Check out the video from Tuesday night's presentation.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
NJHOPELINE received approximately 300 calls in its first days
Although New Jersey has the second-lowest suicide rate in the nation, a new hotline has received approximately 300 calls since it was launched May 1, according to Philly.com. New Jersey’s suicide rate for people ages 35 to 64 increased 31 percent from 1999 to 2010, and as a result the New Jersey Department of Human Services spent $648,981 to create NJHOPELINE, Philly.com reported. Officials have expressed concerns of the emotional impact the stress related to damage and losses from Hurricane Sandy has had and will continue to have, according to Philly.com. Operated by University Behavioral HealthCare at the University of Medicine and Dentistry, the hotline only uses New Jersey-based trained volunteers and professional counselors. The …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The 10-year-old company designed three of the top 10 sites in New Jersey, and will handle the upgrade for $7,000.
City Connections President and CEO Morris A. Enyeart will handle the upgrade of Galloway Township’s website for $7,000, Councilman Jim McElwee stated at the council meeting Tuesday night, May 14. McElwee was part of a three-person committee, along with Councilwoman Whitney Ullman and Councilman Brian Tyrrell, charged with helping select an outside source to upgrade the township’s website. Township Manager Arch Liston put out an RFP in February, and McElwee expressed concern that attaching a $10,000 limit to the RFP was akin to an invitation for high bids. The committee narrowed the search down to four candidates, and selected Enyeart. “I think $7,000 is well worth it to have a top notch site,” McElwee said. “We’ll be able to post anything …
Monday, May 13, 2013
'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 …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
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 …
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 …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Grant funding will be used to improve drinking water and wastewater facilities damaged during Hurricane Sandy.
New Jersey will receive $229 million in grant funding to help upgrade wastewater and drinking water treatment facilities in communities impacted by Hurricane Sandy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday. As a result of the late-October storm, wastewater and drinking water treatment systems in parts of New Jersey were so severely damaged that some could not provide safe drinking water or treat raw sewage. The funding announced today will give states the capacity to further reduce risks of flood damage and increase the resiliency of wastewater and drinking water facilities to withstand the effects of severe storms similar to Sandy, according to a release. The funding is part of the Sandy relief package approved by …
CRMOM3
5:57 pm on Sunday, May 19, 2013
Berkeley twp. Please explain why the SHAKLEE reporthas been hidden from the public & why hasn't it been reffered to the OCPO YET. more ›