Vol. 24 - No. 29
In This Week’s Edition
THE BERKELEY
TIMES
t s e B
FOR BREAKING NEWS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Your FREE Weekly Hometown Newspaper For Bayville, Berkeley, Beachwood, Pine Beach, Ocean Gate and South Toms River | December 29, 2018
Coloring Contest Page 7.
Community News!
Photos of
Berkeley Doesn’t Plan On Tax Increase In 2019
2018
Sometimes, a picture tells a story. Sometimes, it catches the eye. Sometimes, it’s both. Here, we present the best photography by staff from 2018. Most of these pictures accompanied stories, but some never saw print until now. (See more Best Photos of 2018 on page 4-5)
Don’t miss what’s happening in your town.
Pages 8-10.
–Photo by Patricia A. Miller Berkeley police promoted two of their patrolmen to the rank of sergeant.
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Taking Charge: 7 Tips for Longer-Lasting Hearing Aid Batteries
Page 14.
Dear Pharmacist Page 15.
–Photo by Chris Lundy The statue of a firefighter overlooks a plaque reading “Gone but never forgotten” at the Firefighter Memorial in Veterans Park in Berkeley.
Inside The Law Page 21.
Business Directory Page 19.
Classifieds Page 18.
Horoscope Page 23.
Driver Who Hit Wunder Wiener Sentenced To Careless Driving By Patricia A. Miller BERKELEY – The man whose car slammed into Gerry LaCrosse’s popular food stand, destroyed it and nearly killed him in a June accident in Bayville, was sentenced to careless driving in Municipal Court. The other charges were dropped as a result of a plea bargain that
LaCrosse agreed to, Municipal Court Judge James J. Gluck said. Berkeley police originally charged Mark Poplawski, Lacey Township, with careless driving, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane, driving in an unsafe manner, operating a motor vehicle on public (Driver - See Page 17)
By Patricia A. Miller BERKELEY – Unless there are any catastrophic expenses, the township’s municipal tax rate will not rise in 2019, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said at the latest Township Council meeting. Amato made the remarks during an overview of Berkeley’s finances in both 2018 and 2019 at the Dec. 17 Township Committee meeting, the last meet-
ing of the year. “Barring any natural disasters...we are planning on not increasing municipal taxes in 2019,” Amato said. 2018 was a “good year overall” for Berkeley, he said Standard and Poor’s has upgraded the township’s bond rating to AA minus. This financial services company rates municipalities based on how fiscally (Tax - See Page 17)
Berkeley Fighting Discrimination Suit
By Patricia A. Miller BERKELEY – A Berkeley Township Recreation Department supervisor has accused Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. and several other township employees of discrimination and harassment because she is Jewish. Debra Reuter recently filed a suit against Amato, Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Ted McFadden, Township Administrator John A. Camera and Deborah Winogracki, director of the Recreation Department. Reuter is still listed as the supervisor of the Recreation Department. She is described in the suit as a “Jewish female suffering from anxiety.” The suit states that Amato, McFadden, Winogracki, Camera and two unidentified employees known as John Doe 1-5 and/or Jane Doe 1-5 “engaged in a severe and pervasive pattern of mentally abusive and offensive behavior (Discrimination - See Page 6)
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