2020-03-14 - The Brick Times

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The BRICK Times

Vol. 19 - No. 44

In This Week’s Edition

MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS

JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM

Caring For The Feral Cats Of Brick

Community News! Pages 9-11

BREAKING NEWS @

jerseyshoreonline.com

Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 16

Dear Pharmacist Page 17

Inside The Law Page 18

─Photo by Judy Smestad-Nunn A small group of feral cats live in the woods behind houses and businesses. By Judy Smestad-Nunn BRICK − Managing the township’s feral cat community began in 2007 when a group of Herbertsville residents attended council meetings to complain that some of their neighbors were feeding squirrels by throwing seed, bread and other food on the ground, which was attracting mice and other nuisance animals. The governing body responded at the time

by passing an ordinance that prohibited ground feeding in the township. “But then the cat folks started coming to the meetings to say that (because of the new ordinance) they couldn’t take care of the feral cats,” said former Brick Councilman Michael Thulen. “We didn’t know it was an issue.” The quality of life for a feral cat is very poor, with the stress of constant reproduction, the threat

of disease, the constant search for food and shelter translating into an average lifespan of just two years. Kittens have a 75 percent mortality rate. They compete for food in the wild with other animals, such as skunks and raccoons, and they are predators to birds, snakes, and other small animals. What followed was a Feral Cat Ordinance, which stated that residents could care for feral cats if they

got permission from the owner of the land since some of the caregivers rented their homes or lived in apartments. “What would happen is sometimes a renter would move out and the landlord would have a problem,” Thulen said. Feral cats, which are cats who are unsocialized to humans, are virtually in every neighborhood. The governing body put together a process (Cats - See Page 4)

County, Schools Prepare For Coronavirus

By Chris Lundy OCEAN COUNTY – The advice is pretty consistent across the board from officials: use good hygiene and educate yourself. While this might be good advice in any situation, right now it’s what health and education officials are saying in order to keep people safe

and keep children from getting sick from the coronavirus, otherwise known as COVID-19. At the time this article was written, there were no cases of the disease in Ocean County. New Jersey had 11 known cases. The governor declared a State of Emergency – a legal decision which is needed to re-

ceive federal funding. It also gives greater power to the Office of Emergency Management. “The Ocean County Health Department has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak from day one and is working diligently with federal, state and local agencies to share information and offer guid-

ance regarding response strategies. We are also in the process of putting together agency and community-wide task forces to asses and reinforce local readiness,” said Daniel Regenye, OCHD Public Health Coordinator. “On the county level, we’ve been in close communication with the Ocean County

Board of Chosen Freeholders, Ocean County Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy, superintendent of schools, our faith-based leadership, local law enforcement and public health providers to keep lines of communication open as we move forward.” The county is getting (Virus - See Page 20)

March 14, 2020

Beaches Getting In Shape For The Season

By Judy Smestad-Nunn BRICK − Conditions at township beaches are back to pre-SuperstormSandy conditions, or maybe even better, according to Director of Recreation Dan Santaniello. Thanks to the mild winter, that featured only a couple of mild nor’easters, there was very little erosion of the sand and dunes. “This is the first year we didn’t need bulldozers to push up and reinforce the dunes,” Santaniello said from his office at the Civic Center recently. “There has been very little erosion. The beach replenishment worked.” Santaniello was referring to an Army Corps of Engineers project that created 200-footwide beaches and 22-foot-high dunes from sand that was pumped from the ocean floor. The project was completed in 2018. The other contractual elements for the beach replenishment project included the installation of sand fencing, dune crossovers (ie: beach entrances), and dune grass planting, which is thriving, he added. (Beach - See Page 19)

Accomplice Pleads Guilty In Shooting Near School

By Bob Vosseller BRICK – A township teen charged with attempted murder and weapons offenses pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated assault according to a report from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Luis Rivas, 16, took a plea deal on March 6 in Superior Court of Ocean County stemming from charges following the Oct. 22 shooting. Brick Police had responded to Brick Memorial High School around 1:45 p.m. on Oct. 22, 2019 for a report of a student who had sustained a gunshot wound at the school. An investigation revealed that the student was walking home from school with three friends (Teen - See Page 18)

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