Vol. 23 - No. 42
In This Week’s Edition
THE MANCHESTER
TIMES
jerseyshoreonline.com
Your FREE Weekly Hometown Newspaper For Manchester, Lakehurst and Whiting
Community News!
10th Annual Soup-R-Bowl Of Chili Challenge
Don’t miss what’s happening in your town.
Pages 11-15.
Government Page 9.
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News
Hearing Is A Whole-Health Issue
Page 18.
Dear Pharmacist Chaos And Screaming Over Nutella
Page 19.
Dear Joel Overachiever Parent?
Page 27.
Inside The Law
Residential Real Estate Tax Appeals Basics
Page 26.
Business Directory Page 25.
Classifieds
–Photo by Jennifer Peacock PTA member Michael Thomas won first place in the people’s chili choice award. He is holding his trophy with Lakehurst Historical Society’s Kathy Abrahamson. By Jennifer Peacock LAKEHURST – Kathy Abrahamson has her opinion on what makes a good chili. “I am not one for really super spicy foods, so I look for the chilis that aren’t real hot and that have a nice flavor. I like
meat chilis,” she said at the 10th annual Soup-R-Bowl of Chili Challenge. “But the people who like hot will judge it that way.” Six contenders competed to win over Abrahamson and dozens of others at the challenge, held on Jan. 27 at the community center.
The Lakehurst Historical Society, which sponsors the event, went up against the Lakehurst Elementary PTA, Lakehurst Volunteer Fire Company, Lakehurst First Aid Squad, AristaCare at Manchester and Fleet (Chili - See Page 5)
| February 3, 2018
New Home Assessments For 2020
By Chris Lundy MANCHESTER – The township has been ordered to either revaluate or re-assess the properties in town, officials said. Manchester was ordered by the Ocean County Board of Taxation to revaluate the properties in town so that they are on par with other municipalities, and residents will be taxed a fair amount. A revaluation, or reval, occurs when properties are valued higher or lower than the market. Since taxes are based on a property’s assessment, towns are often updating this information to make sure that owners are paying their fair share of taxes. The work needs to be done by the tax year 2020, township tax assessor Martin Lynch said. Right now, the township is at 85 percent market value, he said. That means that, on average, home values are below what they should be. When a township hits this number, they are ordered to perform a reval. “The market appreciated in value. It’s bounced back,” he said. Therefore, home values throughout the county are higher than what they were several years ago. But many homes in Manchester are still assessed at the lower numbers. At the end of the reval, the township will still collect the same amount of taxes, he said. What (Home - See Page 23)
Project Homeless Connect Helps Serve Toms River Community
Page 24.
Fun Page Page 26.
Wolfgang Puck
Summer In Winter: Enjoy The Warm Tastes & Colors Of Summer
Page 31.
Horoscope Page 31.
–Photos by Kimberly Bosco Left: The camouflage print backpacks were pre-packed with toiletries. Right: Winter coats and shirts were hung up on racks along the wall.
By Kimberly Bosco TOMS RIVER – With the cold weather and the recent end of the holiday “season of giving,” it is important to remember that there are still homeless and at-risk individuals in our areas that need our help. The Hope Center in Toms River provided their assistance as part of the Project Homeless Connect program and Point in Time statewide survey. On (Project - See Page 4)
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