The BRICK Times
Vol. 20 - No. 30
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Microplastics Studied In Our Water And Food
Normandy Beach Roads Being Elevated
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 14
Dear Pharmacist Page 15
Inside The Law Page 21
Dear Joel Page 23
─Photo courtesy Save Barnegat Bay A microplastics workshop was held before COVID-19 where students learned about the invasive chemicals and how it enters the food chain. By Judy Smestad-Nunn JERSEY SHORE - It is estimated that humans ingest about 5 grams - or about the size of a credit card - of plastic each week from microplastics that have contaminated food, d r in king water and even the air. The potential effects on human
health are unknown. What is known, however, is the effect plastic has on animals, who mistake different forms of plastic for food, which is toxic and cannot be digested. Plastic is a by-product of oil, and companies like Shell, Exxon and BP are responsible for
the mass production of this material. As the planet steers away from fossil fuels and transitions to renewable energy, the oil industries are looking at plastic production as their new ticket to growth. In the last 10 years, these companies have i nve st e d some $89
billion into chemical plants that produce plastic, and growth has been exponential. Plastic continues to be mass produced, despite the negative impact it has on the planet, because it’s cheap, durable, and versatile. Worldwide, factories (Plastic - See Page 4)
Route 70 Roadwork Scheduled In Several Towns
By Chris Lundy NEW JERSEY – A New Jersey Department of Transportation project will improve Route 70 in several Ocean and Monmouth county locations. The project began on December 1, closing shoulders on the road in Pemberton in Burlington County through River view Drive in
Brielle in Monmouth County. This part of the project involves pavement rehabilitation and improvements. Milling and pavement is expected to begin in spring. According to the DOT, the $12.9 million project will improve safety at six intersections and repair more than 14 miles of deteriorated pavement in three counties.
There will also be curb and sidewalk work, and ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. New guiderails will be installed, drainage improvements will be made, and traffic signals will be updated at the following intersections: • Orchard Street - Lakehurst • Colonial Drive - Man-
chester Township • Buckingham Drive Manchester Township • Whitesville Road/CR 527 - Toms River Township • Massachusetts Ave Toms River Township • Airport Road - Lakewood Township Work is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, weather permitting, throughout
December 12, 2020
the winter. The entire project is expected to be done by fall of 2022. The first section will be Woodland and Pemberton in Burlington County. This will be followed by the Manchester work. After that will be Lakehurst, Toms River, and Lakewood. The final section will be Brick through Brielle.
By Judy Smestad-Nunn NORMANDY BEACH - Brick and Toms River are joining forces to elevate the roads that traverse both towns in the Normandy Beach section of the barrier island since the neighborhood is split between the two townships. Flooding has become so bad that school buses and delivery trucks are unable to drive through a main access road there. Residents say roads that used to flood a handful of times a year now flood 20-30 times a year. The townships applied separately to the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Fiscal Year 2021 Municipal Aid Program for grant funds. Brick was awarded $417,028 and Toms River was awarded $323,600. According to a statement issued by Brick Township, 549 municipalities submitted for funding from the program and requested (Beach - See Page 8)
Brick Hospital Addresses Employees With COVID
By Chris Lundy BRICK – Hackensack Meridian Health, which operates Ocean Medical Center (formerly known as Brick Hospital), responded to reports that more than 100 employees might have COVID-19. A memo on November 20 was recorded by NJ.com before being removed from the Hackensack website. It read: “A story we have seen over and over again since the beginning of the pandemic has played out within our hospital system. More than 100 of our team members are out of work at one hospital after several of our colleagues socialized outside of work and then unknowingly exposed both other colleagues, and patients to COVID-19. We are all human, and working within our hospital – (Brick - See Page 2)
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