Vol. 25 - No. 27
In This Week’s Edition
THE BERKELEY
TIMES
FOR BREAKING NEWS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM | December 14, 2019
Your FREE Weekly Hometown Newspaper For Bayville, Berkeley, Beachwood, Pine Beach, Ocean Gate and South Toms River
Vigil Remembers Raccoon Beaten To Death By Lacey Teens
Final Questions As Part Of Town Tries To Leave Coloring Raffle Page 8.
By Bob Vosseller TOMS RIVER – Around 20 people, concerned about incidents of animal cruelty, came out for a vigil in front of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office on Hooper Avenue. The vigil was held to mark the first anniversary of an incident involving a raccoon who was trapped by several teenagers in Lacey Township and who beat the animal to death. “Yes, it’s been a full year since that poor animal was tortured and murdered for the entertainment of two Lacey Township kids, and the Ocean County Prosecutor has yet to share any information on it,” Lacey resident Barry Bendar said. Bendar was among those who organized the candlelight vigil in memory “of this horrific event.” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said earlier “this matter was fully and thoroughly investigated by the Lacey Township Police Department Detective Bureau, the New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.”
Community News! Don’t miss what’s happening in your town.
Pages 10-14.
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 16.
Dear Pharmacist Page 17.
Inside The Law Page 20.
Business Directory Page 22-23.
Classifieds Page 21.
Wolfgang Page 27.
Horoscope Page 27.
South Seaside Park is Beach State Park. By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – All the testimony has finally been given. Witnesses have spoken and many documents were entered in as evidence. The decision as to whether South Seaside Park should leave Berkeley Tow nsh ip will be…next year. South Seaside Park residents have often argued that they are paying an inordinate amount of taxes and said that they don’t receive as many services as people on the m a i n la nd . L o cat e d next to Island Beach State Park, some residents there have said that they share more in common with Seaside Park than with mainland Berkeley. For about five years n ow, t h e Pl a n n i ng
–Photo by Chris Lundy located next to Island Board has hosted a hearing over whether the section of the township should be allowed to de-annex, or secede, from Berkeley Township. The issue had been headed up by the South Seaside Park Homeowners and Voters Association. However, the Planning Board did not vote at the most recent meeting. Board Attorney Gregory McGuckin said that the next meeting of the board would be spent determining what evidence every board member needs to see. T hey need to read or listen to testimony from meetings they missed. Then, they would vote at a meeting in January of 2020. The fi rst hearing on this case was in Jan-
(Vigil - See Page 4)
uary of 2015, so the last hearing will mark five full years of testimony. However, there were some meetings cancelled during that t i me. Add it ionally, t he Be rkeley Pla nning Board t r ies to limit these meetings to about two hours, whereas other towns potentially go much longer, sometimes well into the night. During the part of the meeting where Plan-
ning Board members asked questions, at least one referenced testimony from 2015. During the last meeting, the attorney for South Seaside Park (SSP), Joseph Michelini, wrapped up his questioning of Stuart Wiser, vice president of planning and environmental services for ARH Associates, who was retained by the Planning Board. (Seaside - See Page 5)
Clean-Up Near Trestle Commended
By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – The iconic trestle on the border of Berkeley and Lacey has always attracted young people. While some of them cause all kinds of mischief while they are there, another group of young people recently went down to clean up the area. Boy Scout Troop 9503 paired with the township Waterways Advisory Committee to clean Dudley Park near the trestle and the rail trail. They were honored at a recent Township Council meeting for their efforts. “Part of scouting is about service to the community and unselfishness,” said Bob Petry, one of the leaders. “They attend everything. Every (Clean-Up - See Page 11)
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