The BRICK Times
Vol. 20 - No. 35
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
COVID-19 Vaccinations Begin For Community Medical Center Staff
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 14
Dear Pharmacist Page 15
Inside The Law Page 17
Classifieds Page 19
─Photo courtesy RWJBarnabas Health Medical Center Emergency Department Nurse Domie Catipan receives the first COVID-19 vaccine at Community Medical Center in Toms River from Chief Nursing Officer Donna Bonacorso. By Bob Vosseller TOMS R I V ER – Dom ie Cat ipa n, a n Emergency Depar tment nurse at Community Medical Center was all smiles when he received his first COVID-19 vaccine at his place of work from
Chief Nursing Officer Donna Bonacorso. The first round of vaccinations began at the Toms River hospital late last month. New Jersey continues to have one of the lowest rates of COVID-19 t r a n sm ission ca se s
in the nation at .92 – which means ever y t i me someone get s sick, they transmit it to less than one other person. It is the lowest since mid-September. Anything below one indicates the virus isn’t aggressively spreading
according to health officials. Health officials however are finding hope in the arrival of the vaccination process. CMC Chief Executive Officer Patrick Ahearn said, “We have 192 (COVID - See Page 10)
Former Councilman Seeks County Seat
By Chris Lundy BRICK – Michael Thulen, Sr., who spent 12 years as a member of the Township Council, announced his candidacy to be a County Commissioner to take the place of retiring Commissioner Gerry Little. Little, 72, of Surf City, was appointed in 2003 to fill the term of the late Freeholder James
Mancini. Prior to this he served on local boards and worked in a Congressional office. He announced late last year that he will not seek re-election in 2021. Freeholder was a term for the five elected off icials who oversee county operations. State law changed this title to “commissioner” for 2021.
All five County Commissioners are Republican. That party always endorses the incumbent during election time. This November, there will have to be a new name on the ballot. Local Republicans have been putting their names in the running to earn the party line endorsement. “I have resided in Ocean
County for 36 years now, relocating with my family from northern New Jersey in 1984. The primary reason I moved into this county was the same as for many other Ocean County residents who opted for a safer and healthier environment to raise a family, where jobs were readily available, shopping and malls were easily accessible,
taxes were affordable, and the school systems were committed to stellar educational practices,” he said. “This is a great county!” During his time on the council, he said he worked to monitor residents’ taxes, roadways, and safety. The council at the time was Republican-controlled, and (County - See Page 16)
January 16, 2021
Officials Look Back On Challenging Year
By Judy Smestad-Nunn BRICK - Lisa Crate agreed to stay on as council president for a second consecutive year, and was sworn into office by Mayor John G. Ducey during the January 5 virtual Reorganization Meeting. The mayor said it had been great working with Crate in 2020, who organized the council meetings and kept everything under control during “severe, difficult times.” Also, Art Halloran accepted the nomination to serve as council vice-president for the second year in a row. During the Mayor’s Comments portion of the meeting, Ducey called 2020 “the worst possible scenario...we have experienced, witnessed, and certainly have heard of sickness, death, financial ruin, social chaos, isolation, and many other things occurring around the country and across the world,” due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Serving the public was not easy for the township to do in 2020, he added. Sixty township employees selflessly took a COVID furlough to help the budget, and the employees who stayed had to work harder than ever to make up for the employee shortfall while risking their own health, he said. Meanwhile, the need for township services (Officials - See Page 8)
New Board Members Sworn In
By Judy Smestad-Nunn BR ICK - New Boa rd of E ducat ion members Michael Blandina and Melissa Parker took their oaths of office during the district’s reorganization meeting, held on January 7. It was a tight race this year, with Parker receiving the most votes at 13,543. There was a court-ordered recount after tallies in the November election showed just a two-vote difference between Blandina and incumbent Jessica Clayton. The final vote tally after the recount (Board - See Page 13)
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