Vol. 24 - No. 37
In This Week’s Edition
THE BERKELEY
TIMES
FOR BREAKING NEWS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM | February 23, 2019
Your FREE Weekly Hometown Newspaper For Bayville, Berkeley, Beachwood, Pine Beach, Ocean Gate and South Toms River
P ipes A nd D rums G etting R eady To M arch Government Page 7.
Community News! Don’t miss what’s happening in your town.
Pages 8-11.
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News
Fire Safety For Those With Hearing Loss
Page 14.
Dear Pharmacist Page 15.
Inside The Law Page 17.
Fun Page Page 20.
Business Directory Page 19.
Classifieds Page 18.
Horoscope Page 23.
By Jennifer Peacock TOMS RIVER – People wander in, likely confused. Since when does a court-ordered Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous meeting include bagpipes? Wrong room. They’ve stumbled upon a practice of the Pipes & Dr ums of Bar negat Bay, which practices Mondays at Christ Episcopal Church on Washington Street. At 6 p.m. a small gathering of novices pick up chanters and practice scales and gracenotes with band founder and pipe major Frank Johnson. Around 7 p.m. band members will trickle in, with their drums and bagpipes, chatting and erupting into what sounds like a high-pitched traffic jam on a hot New York City summer night. They’ll eventually quiet, form a circle. The
–Photo by Patricia A. Miller Law enforcement gave a presentation at Central Regional High School about the dangers of drug use.
–Photo by Jennifer Peacock Frank Johnson leads the practice of the Pipes & Drums of Barnegat Bay Feb. 4. marching bass drummer will boom boom, boom boom to count the time, the bagpipers will inhale, and the cacophony from
several minutes before bursts into nine-notes in unison. It’s nearly parade season, and they have to practice.
Johnson, a contractor from Toms River, has been playing bagpipes since 2000. He studies under award-winning (Pipes - See Page 5)
Congressman Kim Talks Health Care, Changes In Government
By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – Congressman Andy Kim said he will use his seat in the House of Representatives to help make health care affordable, support the military, and change government so that it represents people, not corporations. He said this at a Town Hall meeting which was held for about two hours at the Holiday City West Clubhouse. Kim said it would be part of an ongoing policy (Kim - See Page 6)
Teaching Teens About Opioid Addiction
–Photo by Chris Lundy Congressman Andy Kim (D-3rd) held a Town Hall meeting at the Holiday City West Clubhouse in Berkeley.
By Patricia A. Miller BERKELEY – Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and his staff had a stern message recently for any Central Regional High School students who might be tempted to use opioids or illegal drugs. Don’t. Just don’t. Billhimer and Chief Juvenile/Domestic Violence (Addiction - See Page 6)
Spending Up, Taxes Down With County Budget
By Jennifer Peacock TOMS RIVER – Taxpayers will see a slight decrease in their county tax bill due to more ratables to share the burden. The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders unveiled its 2019 budget at its Feb. 13 preboard meeting, and then formally introduced it a week later. The budget in 2018 was about $416.1 million. It is increasing
to $432 million for 2019. The amount to be raised by taxes will be $353.05 million, an increase of 1.89 percent from last year’s $346.5 million. The county took a double-hit with the downturn in the economy in 2009 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Ratables’ value plummeted $20 billion between the two but are slowly climbing. (Budget - See Page 5)
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