Hurricane Sandy

UPDATE: Nearly 247,000 Without Power in Ocean and Monmouth

Outages to increase as Sandy barrels towards the Shore

Update, 6 p.m.: Outages have reached 126,739 in Ocean County and 120,000 in Monmouth County. --- There are nearly 24,000 reported power outages in Monmouth and Ocean counties as of early Monday afternoon, according to a Jersey Central Power & Light map. As of early Monday afternoon, there were 23,559 outages reported in Monmouth and Ocean. However, there was no way to immediately learn if some without power have not reported it yet because they may have no means of communication without electricity. But according to the information available, the highest number of outages in one town in the two counties was Middletown, with 6,869. Another town with a high number of reported outages was Berkeley in southern Ocean County with 1,848. …

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Hurricane Sandy

JCP&L Readies for Sandy

Utility cautions that using generators can be dangerous

JCP&L is getting ready for Hurricane Sandy, with extra staff on standby and a lot of lessons learned. JCP&L clearly has not forgotten the criticism it took after Tropical Storm Irene ravaged New Jersey in August 2011. Utility officials learned from it, made a wide array of improvements in technology, communications and planning and they're ready to put that to the test, said JCP&L spokesman Ron Morano. "We've made improvements to how we provide customer information," Morano said, adding the company is doing all it can to prepare for Sandy and to plan on how to keep officials and residents informed and well-served. For starters, JCP&L is doing what everyone else is doing: closely watching weather forecasts, trying to figure out when and …

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Octogenarian Dispenses Wisdom With Beach Tags

At 89, Jim DiMarco is one of the Jersey Shore's oldest workers. What keeps him coming to work? He loves to share his positive outlook on life—and hugs, lots of hugs.

Buy a beach tag from Jim DiMarco and you might get more than you bargained for. Just ask the young couple who stopped by his office on a recent Saturday morning to buy a pair of weekly tags. “Is this your wife?” DiMarco questioned the impossibly young-looking customer about his equally youthful companion. Taken aback a bit, the man answered that yes, it was. “Well, here's my recommendation,” DiMarco said. “Listen to her.” Dramatic pause. “Then do whatever you want.” The couple laughed good-naturedly, then went on their way, presumably to enjoy some beach time in Ocean City. After they left, DiMarco admitted, “I'm not afraid to do anything I want.” And why should he be? After all, DiMarco, who works at the office at the Ocean City Music …

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17-year old Matawan Regional High School Student Dies of Bacterial Meningitis

County Board of Health to hold an information forum Monday evening at the High School, 8 p.m.

A county official confirmed Monday that Chris Dhume, a 17-year old student and star soccer player in the Matawan-Aberdeen School District, died early Saturday morning at Jersey Shore University Medical Center from bacterial meningitis. The cause of death is confirmed, said county spokeswoman Laura Kirkpatrick. On Monday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m., the Monmouth County Department of Health will give information about bacterial meningitis and answer questions in a public forum at the High School at 450 Atlantic Avenue, Matawan.  The Board of Education meeting has been moved to Wednesday, according to a notice on the district website. The community is trying to cope with the sudden death of a star athlete, who lived in the Cliffwood section of …

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