Times
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS, INC.
Inside This Week’s Edition
THE SOUTHERN OCEAN
Vol. 3 - No. 39
Business Directory...................19 Classifieds................................18 Community News.................8-11 Dear Joel..................................21 Dr. Izzy’s Sound News..............14 Government...............................7 Inside The Law .........................17 Letters to the Editor.....................6 Wolfgang.................................23 WWW.MICROMEDIAPUBS.COM
Your FREE Weekly Hometown Newspaper | Serving Lacey, Waretown, Barnegat, Manahawkin, LBI, Tuckerton and Little Egg
Thousands Turn Out For Ocean County St. Patrick’s Parade
By Shawn Smith OCEAN COUNTY – Despite forecasters calling for a chance of rain, the 2016 Ocean County St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Seaside Heights was all sunshine and smiles on March 12. Thousands of residents (and their pets) celebrated in green as the parade made its way down the Boulevard. After about an hour delay, as organizers waited for traffic to slow from visitors gridlocked coming over the Tunney-Mathis bridge, it was time for police, firefighters and emergency services to blare their horns and sirens to kick off the parade around 1 p.m. The street was lined several people deep in some places, as others watched and waved from homes, hotels, and even the Bamboo Bar. As the trucks and marchers walked down the Boulevard, candy and giveaways were thrown to the crowd, as children of all ages eagerly chased down each lollipop and Tootsie Roll. (Parade - See Page 12)
March 19, 2016
Officials: 911 Issue Wasn’t From Dispatching Switch
By Daniel Nee BARNEGAT – A switch to county dispatching for Barnegat police officers is not to blame for a recent outage of the 911 emergency call system in Barnegat, the township’s mayor said. Rumors began circulating around town that 911 calls were resulting in busy signals, but Mayor John Novak said the issue was traced to Verizon – not the county sheriff’s office, which is performing dispatching services for township police. “It was disheartening to me that four calls placed to 911 resulted in a busy signal,” Novak said, explaining the full nature of the issue at a recent meeting of the township committee. Despite the switch to county dispatching (911 - See Page 12)
–Photos by Shawn Smith The annual Ocean County St. Patrick’s Day parade marched down the center green stripe of Seaside Heights, featuring bands, groups and emergency response vehicles from throughout the county.
“It is very difficult to compare one year’s budget, now, from another year’s budget because we are still experiencing the effects of Superstorm Sandy,” Bartlett said. The county’s tax ratable base is still off about 14 percent due to properties that have yet to be repaired or rebuilt following
By Catherine Galioto A high school football rivalry won’t be stopped by conference realignments. Alumni from the Lacey Lions and Central Regional Golden Eagles plan to strap on their pads and jerseys and give the communities what they’ve been missing – a football game between the two teams. Central Regional will host the alumni game at 6:30 p.m. June 4. Berkeley Mayor Carmen Amato said he has volunteered to coach. It’s full contact football with pads, just like those memories spent on the high school football field, the community cheering under Friday night lights.
(Budget - See Page 4)
(Football - See Page 4)
Ocean County Budget Drops, But Tax Rate Up Slightly
By Daniel Nee OCEAN COUNTY – County government will reduce its budget in 2016, but the tax rate will rise less than a penny if a proposed budget is adopted by the Board of Chosen Freeholders. “This tax rate is still less than the tax rate was 12 years ago,” said Freeholder John C.
Bartlett, who has spent decades shepherding the county’s annual spending plans. The 2016 budget, as proposed, is reduced by about $13 million from 2015, for a total this year of $399.9 million. The reduction, Bartlett said, is due to Superstorm Sandy aid and reimbursements either ending or having been completed.
ALUMNI GAME TO KEEP FOOTBALL RIVALRY ALIVE