TheTOMS RIVER Times Vol. 17 - No. 40
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Who Are Ocean County’s Homeless?
Michael Citta Chosen As Toms River Superintendent By Chris Lundy TOMS RIVER – During a special meeting, the Toms River Board of Education finally chose a new superintendent: High School South Principal Michael Citta. Citta thanked the board, administration, staff, and families after being chosen. He said he’s worked 24 years in the district, and “I promise not to let anyone down.” Prior to being principal at HSS, he was principal of Hooper Avenue Elementary School. He speculated that he is “the first superintendent who can say he started this district in kindergarten.” The district will focus on the whole student – academics, special activities, emotional wellbeing and more, he said. “The bar is high and we set it,” he said. Over the last few years, there have been challenges that the district, and its students
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Community News Pages 10-13
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 16
Inside The Law Page 20
Classifieds Page 22
(Citta - See Page 5)
─Photo by Chris Lundy James Havens, a formerly homeless man who works for Just Believe, embraces Zach Gershonowitz, one of the clients, at the Riverwood overnight warming center. By Chris Lundy Two people were playZach Gershonowitz, 31, his fiance, who has stage TOMS RIVER – At the ing pool in the building, was going through his two breast cancer. They Riverwood overnight which serves as a rec- backpack and making had been victims of warming center, a few reation center during sure he had everything fraud. dozen men and women warmer months. Three for the night. Originally “All of our money was were settling in for the young men were dis- from Staten Island, he’s there one day, and gone evening. This was a few cussing which version now living in Ocean the next,” he said. days before the blizzard. of the Bible they prefer. County’s shelters with (Homeless - See Page 4)
Governor To Lift Mask Mandate For Schools
By Bob Vosseller TR ENTON – After months of debates between officials, parents, school administrators and Boards of Education, Governor Phil Murphy declared that he will lift his executive order on March 7 and let school districts make their own rules about wearing masks. The governor has
February 12, 2022
been under fire by Republican lawmakers, accusing him of overreach. Litigation and parent opposition in school districts like his own home town of Middletown in Monmouth County, and in Ocean County districts such as Jackson and Lacey, have called for the governor to surrender that control over to the school districts allow-
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ing for their Board of Education to determine if the mask mandates will be left in place or become optional. In Lacey Township last month, two meetings were canceled minutes into their start when members of their audience including one member of their Board, refused to wear masks. One meeting cancelation led to a resched-
uling to a Zoom session while a second live meeting’s cancelation caused the creation of a hybrid session a few days later when the same Board member, Salvatore Armato and a large portion of the audience did not put on their COVID-19 masks. Jackson Township has been no stranger to the controversy and many parents have expressed
their view that students wearing masks was ineffective in combatting the virus and was creating undue stress on their children. Jackson and Lacey are among the school dist r icts whose board members said they would prefer local control to determine policy and preferred a choice to make masking optional.
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(Mask - See Page 9)
Social Services Workers Ask County For Hazard Pay By Stephanie Faughnan TOMS RIVER – About a dozen members of CWA Local 1088 showed up at the Ocean County Board of Commissioners meeting to appeal for hazard pay for their work during the pandemic. CWA Local 1088 represents social services and clerical employees of the Ocean County Board of Social Services. Union officials presented the county’s governing body with a petition asking for an appropriation of funds to their workers. The union workers, all dressed in red, and carrying protest signs, sat in the front two rows of the county meeting room. They were not disruptive and were the first to speak when the public comments session opened.
“My fellow employees would like you to know the conditions we have been working under during the (Hazard - See Page 6)
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