MATES Students Win State 'Envirothon' Competition

Students from Brick, Toms River among the winners

For the fourth year in a row, a team of high school students from the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Sciences (MATES) in Manahawkin was the winner of the New Jersey Envirothon, held Saturday, May 4 at Girl Scout Camp Kettle Run in Medford, the state's Department of Agriculture has announced. The team, consisting of  Emily Golembiski of Little Egg Harbor, Jillian Hubbard of Toms River, Gillian Schriever of West Creek, Michael Signorelli of Toms River and Megan Tumpey of  Brick, will represent New Jersey in the 2013 North American Envirothon at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana in August.  The Ocean County students competed against 33 other teams on knowledge of natural resources-related topics, including soils, …

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Week in News: Hopes High for Prince Harry's Visit

Check out the stories you may have missed from our Patch neighbors in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Belmar- Belmar is hoping to get on Prince Harry's itinerary for a stateside tour the royal has planned in May.  The Prince of Wales has planned a May stop, touring Hurricane-Sandy impacted areas of New Jersey and New York. Read more on Belmar Patch. Middletown- A man who formerly lived in Port Monmouth pleaded guilty today to leading a narcotics network that was responsible for the largest indoor marijuana growing operation ever shut down by police in New Jersey, the state attorney general's office announced. Read more on Middletown Patch. Long Branch- The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and Long Branch Police are still investigating three homicides which occurred in the last three weeks in the city. The double homicide which occurred …

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Week in News: Rebuilding Efforts Continue With Local Legislation

Find out what you may have missed from our Patch neighbors in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Brick-  Officials in Brick Township and Mantoloking Borough are both hoping their residents sign easements allowing for an Army Corps of Engineers dune project that will shore up the oceanfront and, hopefully, prevent breaches like the one that occurred near the Mantoloking Bridge during Superstorm Sandy. That breach, which led to a 20 foot-deep inlet forming between the ocean and the base of the county-owned bridge across Barnegat Bay, is largely blamed for the resulting floods in mainland neighborhoods such as Shore Acres and Baywood in Brick Township. Read more on Brick Patch.  Berkeley- Berkeley officials will travel to Trenton on Wednesday, to protest the new FEMA advisory base elevations Township Council President James J. Byrnes …

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Week in News: Long Branch Boardwalk's Fate, Sandy Video Diary, Guard Still on Patrol

Find what you may have missed from our neighbors in Monmouth and Ocean counties

Ocean City - John Thornton, a resident of the Ocean City Homes neighborhood on the south end of Ocean City and a teacher at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, recently completed a third segment of a film about the impact of superstorm Sandy on his friends, neighbors and hometown. The first 14-minute segment of the film starts on Saturday, Oct. 27, two days before Sandy makes landfall and continues through the storm. The second part of the film is about Sandy's impact on Ocean City. It starts the day after Sandy makes landfall as Thornton gets his first look at the storm's effects. Read more on Ocean City Patch. It’s Sunday afternoon. A few hours ago guardsmen were stationed along the barrier island, huddled in the rain around makeshift …

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Week in News: Rebuilding the Jersey Shore

Check out the stories you may have missed this week from our Patch neighbors.

Point Pleasant- Jonathan Miller and Megan Baglivio from the Point Pleasant First Aid and Emergency Squad never expected to be on the Ellen DeGeneres TV show, much less to leave the set with the gift of their lives. The two volunteers, from "Point Beach EMS," the squad that serves Point Pleasant Beach, Bay Head and Mantoloking, are getting their flooded home gutted and made over by Kitchen Cousins, professional home remodelers, thanks to the generosity of DeGeneres. Read more on Point Pleasant Patch. Lavalette- Charlie Lord has seen his share of storms come through the Jersey Shore. The 55-year resident of Lavallette remembers '62. He remembers the Halloween storm of 1991, the Perfect Storm, the December 1992 nor'easter that tore up much of…

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Hurricane Sandy

STORM: Snow Brings New Outages For Some

Others have had no power at all for 10 days

Gov. Christie told a gathering on Long Beach Island on Wednesday that the coming Nor'easter and anticipated snowfall would likely cause "a setback" in the work underway for full power restoration. Boy, he wasn't kidding. JCP&L, on its website, is acknowledging that the nor'easter has created new outages, often for customers who were hit with outages in the height of Sandy's destructive path, had power restored and are now in the cold darkness yet again. "Late Wednesday, heavy, wet snow and high winds from the nor'easter resulted in approximately 120,000 additional power outages in the Jersey Central Power & Light service territory," says the JCP&L website. The company serves 13 counties in New Jersey, including Monmouth and Ocean. There …

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Hurricane Sandy

JCP&L to Continue Working on Outages "As Safety Permits"

Still 74,012 in the dark in Ocean and Monmouth counties

There are currently 28,176 JCP&L customers without power in Ocean County and 45,836 without power in Monmouth County, according to an update on the JCP&L website. Those numbers change constantly as crews continue to work on outages throughout the region. However, the nor'easter starting to move into the area may cause new outages as well as coastal flooding, according to the National Weather Service. JCP&L, in a prepared statement, says: "Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) has restored power to more than 900,000 of the 1.2 million JCP&L customers affected by Hurricane Sandy, marking five consecutive days where crews have restored at least 100,000 customers per day. While restoration continues, JCP&L is preparing for a Nor'easter that is …

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This Week In News Around Monmouth and Ocean Counties

Check out the stories you may have missed this week from our Patch neighbors.

Toms River- A subpoena was served to Toms River Township pertaining to the municipality’s business with Birdsall Services Group, a Monmouth County-based engineering and consulting firm that has been under investigation by the state. The subpoena was issued by the State Grand Jury sitting in Trenton and was served on multiple municipalities that transact business with Birdsall Engineering.  Read more on Toms River Patch. Wall- Jimmy Blewett raced to an emotional victory in a modified stock car race held in memory of his brother, Wall Stadium track officials said Monday. Blewett, of Howell, on Saturday won the 76-lap “John Blewett III Memorial,’’ an annual race held at the Route 34 racetrack honoring the memory of Jimmy’s brother, who was …

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This Week In News Around Monmouth and Ocean Counties

Check out the stories you may have missed this week

Brick- Anyone who has ever dreamed of flying or walking on water can now turn that dream into a reality. Jersey Shore Watercraft Rentals has unveiled a new product for this summer, called Jetlev. According to JSWR owners Manny Bello and Raymond Cortese, it is the ultimate adrenaline ride. Read more on Brick Patch. Manasquan- The borough of Manasquan celebrated its 125th anniversary on Tuesday night with a lighted boat parade through the Manasquan Inlet. Over 20 boats outfitted in patriotic lights and decorations made their way through the inlet as hundreds of residents watched from Manasquan and Point Pleasant Beach. See the full gallary of photos on Manasquan-Belmar Patch. Oceanport- Oceanport police responded to Monmouth Park numerous …

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