Landfill To Be Capped, Homes To Be Built

By Chris Lundy SOUTH TOMS RIV-

Officials: Mortgage Fraud On The Rise

By Bob Vosseller OCEAN COUNTY

– Property mortgage

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– The borough is receiving a $5 million grant to help them close their landfill, officials said.

The grants are coming from the State Department of Environmental Protection as well as the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.

“We’ve been work- ing on that for 10 years, and before me, there were many, many people working on it,” Mayor Oscar Cradle said.

The landfill is behind the Public Works building which is on Drew Lane, off Attison Avenue.

Once it’s capped, the borough is looking for a developer to build 30 units of affordable housing over it, he said.

Every town in New Jersey is required to build a certain number of socalled affordable units for low- to moderate-income people.

“That’ll satisfy 75% of our affordable housing requirement,” Cradle said.

It’s still too early yet for an estimated timeline, he said.

The landfill is a 15 acre site that was offi- cially closed on March 31, 1986, according to borough records. Local officials have proposed multiple plans for closure and its future use. Now, however, they have the finances to close it and make this land useful again.

“I am overjoyed to announce this vital state assistance, and receive the largest grant in the history of South Toms River,”

Cradle said. “South Toms River has always worked tirelessly to advance environmental leadership. The state has been a partner throughout the whole process and we are pleased to have this help from Governor Murphy as we close not just a landfill, but extend the borough’s ability to use redevelopment as a catalyst for a stronger local economy.” fraud is one of the fastest growing crimes in the country and officials are urging residents to sign up for the Property Alert Service offered by the Ocean County Clerk’s Office.

The free program, first introduced in 2016, offers an added layer of security when it comes to property protection, according to Ocean County Clerk Scott M. Colabella. It provides property owners with email alerts anytime a document affecting a specific property is recorded by the Ocean County Clerk’s Office. Colabella told the Ocean County Board of Commissioners, “this helps our property owners to guard against fraud. This type of fraud is a nationwide problem.”

“Scammers record fraudulent documents like fake deeds or record fake liens against property owners. In some instances, fraud on real property is not discovered for years. To address these concerns and protect one of the most important assets a person has, my office (Fraud - See Page 6)

Artist: Continued From Page 1 and only you can make it shine. At an artist’s reception recently, he had art supplies out for children where they could get creative.

“Art is always a place we can all get along. It’s cohesive, everyone is able to do their own thing without discrimination,” he said. This message is even more important in the age of social media, where doubt, anger, and hate are easily found at your fi ngertips.

He’s created heroes of his own, such as Space Pup Ozzi who was inspired by his dog. He’ll be the star of a children’s book he’s writing. Ozzi and two other characters were on display, made from recycled materials. Cosmic Cat Cas’ face has an exclamation mark because they’re always excited. Blind Venus looks within herself for love as opposed to relying on others’ validation. The characters pop with primary colors – much like super heroes on the printed page.

A painting “Blind Venus Goes to the White House” was sent to the Clintons in 1995, and in return he received recognition from the sitting president. The painting now resides in the Clinton Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas. His work was featured on MTV’s Real World Boston House in 1997. He’s also done work for 20th Century Fox, Paramount Studios, and Turner Classic Movies. In 2011, Retacco presented writer, broad- caster and Asbury Park native Wendy Williams with his painting “Wendy Williams Statue of Liberty.” He anchored and hosted programs for the Ocean Happening online magazine, and taught art at Creighton School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.

In 2013, he was honored by county leaders for his “dynamic creativity” and “unmatched passion for advancing the arts community of Ocean County.” Two years later, he led a walking tour of historic downtown Toms River under the auspices of the Toms River Business Improvement District.

In a similar vein, one of his paintings is a recreation of an old post card showing downtown Toms River. The painting was done in 2015. The postcard was from 1915. Some of the work is social satire, such as a painting about paying at the pump. This was made in 2006 but “we’re still complaining about it today.”

As many artists do, he uses his talent to express powerful emotions in a way that grabs people’s attention. One of the fi rst paintings a visitor might see walking in is “Stop Hate Crimes,” using dramatic imagery in his bright style.

Now living in South Toms River, the Central Regional graduate said growing up there was brutal and he clawed his way out. He doesn’t want other kids to suffer the same way. He sees the news of bullying and suicide and his heart goes out to the kids.

“I rely on my faith and making the world a better place for people,” he said about how he focuses on positivity.

“My paint brush takes me on a journey of happiness, despair, and self-discovery,” Retacco said. “At times, I just glide along, losing my fears, without boundaries or inhibitions! It is my sanity and independence from this world. My superpower is my uniqueness. Your superpower is your uniqueness.”

To See The Art

“Stronger Together” tragically life-changing event of the attacks on September 11, 2001 as an example of how a person does not have to be immediately involved in order to have a mental reaction.

It’s currently on display in the Berkeley library’s meeting room throughout April and May. From there, it will be at the Lacey branch in June, the Toms River branch in August, and the Barnegat branch in September.

But what negative effects are directly derived from those mental reactions?

Terri Dawe, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Assistant Clinical Director at Calm and Sense Therapy, considers the most disturbing effects of school shootings are feelings of ongoing danger that spread through schools. She states that the climate and sense of community in schools have been profoundly damaged.

“Where children once found schools to be a safe haven, they are now ‘unsafe’ often leading to hypervigilance, anxiety, depression, and vicarious trauma responses,” she said.

The power of media also plays an important role here as well. The constant exposure to media and detailed coverage of the shootings can be a trigger to the mental health-harming symptoms mentioned by Dawe.

For students like Brianna, a senior from Toms River High School South, while unsurprising to her, the news of another school shooting leave her angry and overwhelmed.

That media exposure, according to

Brogan, is also adding a sense of hopelessness to the anxiety of students that further contributes to them losing their sense of control.

In order to combat that, Dawe shares the idea of parents and teachers encouraging “news breaks” to their kids and students.

“It is important to limit the time spent watching TV or staying connected online because constant exposure may heighten their anxiety and fears,” she said.

In addition to the constant media exposure, here in Ocean County, multiple schools have been subject to a number of fake active shooter treats. High School South was one of them. Those threats have led to lockdowns, evacuations, and missing school days, all negatively impacting Brianna and her fellow classmates.

“I always feel an overwhelming sense of dread and anxiety,” said Brianna, commenting on the recent active shooter threats on social media.

Brianna, who had grown angry and exhausted over the topic of school shootings, found that educating others on the severity of the topic of active shooters has helped her cope, even though she finds it hard to stay strong when there is not much done about the number of school shootings.

When it is too late, and the exposure has done damage to the mental health of the student, it is time to start asking the question: What should that person do in order to receive help?

According to Brogan, once a student reaches that point they should start asking themselves who are the people that they can go to and ask for some support? For her, asking for help when a person is in need is a sign of bravery.

“Asking for help is actually a strength and not a weakness,” said Brogan. “By sending the message that even the strongest people, the smartest people also need help at some point of their lives… we want to send this message of help-seeking behavior.”

She also states that adults should also be reaching out and willing to offer support to children and adolescents that need help.

Often their parents are the closest adults in their lives, but unfortunately , some parents don’t find the value in mental health. In that case, Dawe suggests that students should turn to their school counselors to ask for help, or even a trusted coach or mentor for support.

Parents should be mindful when addressing concerns about their children’s safety, she said. Parents should not downplay the fears of their kids because that might lead to a shutdown of communication.

“It is not appropriate to tell the child that they will never experience a school shooting because we do not know that,” she said. “At the same time, we want to help them to feel safe enough so that they do not become fearful of going to school.”

Schools can and should be able to offer support for students, she said.

“Schools need to provide psychoeducation on the vicarious impact school shootings have on the mental health of its student body,” said Dawe. “De-stigmatize mental health by validating (that) having fear/anxiety are natural responses to traumatic events even if (they are) not directly involved.”

For Brianna, ready access to mental health resources in schools for students and their families and the financial support needed to obtain those resources would be the best course of action that schools can take.

Constant exposure to school shootings can potentially lead to dangerous tendencies. According to Brogan, instead of developing depression and anxiety, some students will just become numb. She says that with some of the school shooters, the theme of disconnectedness is present. Whenever people might not have a sense of belongingness and they feel like they have been marginalized, that’s when they might have a desire for revenge or notoriety.

“If no one is paying attention to me then I will make sure that everyone is paying attention to me,” said Brogan (in regard to the idea of marginalization.)

Fraud:

Continued From Page 1 has been offering this free service that immediately notifies you by email whenever a document with your name is recorded in the County Clerk’s Office,” the Clerk added.

Berkeley Township Councilman John A. Bacchione recently told the County

Commissioners there was growing concern in his township over this type of fraud being committed in particular because of the large number of seniors living there.

Bacchione said he was providing seniors in the township with information on the Property Alert Service. “Our seniors are probably the most targeted.”

Colabella noted that last year, his office recorded more than 131,000 documents including 24,000 deeds and 26,000 mortgages. “We have a dedicated staff that makes certain the paper work is in order.”

“However, we are not investigators or detectives and based on the volume of deeds and mortgages recorded monthly, it’s not impossible for some items to be potentially fraudulent. By signing up for the property alert service, you will be notified by email whenever a document is recorded affecting your property,” Colabella added.

“You can review the record to determine if it’s correct or if it’s fraudulent,” he said. “It adds some peace of mind for our property owners.”

“It’s as simple as registering your name or business name and your email address and you will be automatically notified electronically if a document is recorded with your name,” Colabella added, noting that about 4,000 property owners have signed up for the service.

Colabella stressed that identity theft is a growing consumer complaint and property fraud which is a form of identity theft is on the rise. “While this service can’t prevent fraud, it’s important to be notified early that someone may be trying to steal your property without your knowledge.”

He added that the only time recordings can be refused is when statutory guidelines are not met. “As long as a document meets statutory recording guidelines, New Jersey law requires the Clerk’s Office to record the document.

I am pleased we offer this program to help our constituents detect information that may be fraudulent.”

To sign up for the program visit countyclerkpas.co.ocean.nj.us/PropertyAlert/ and follow the steps outlined on the page.

Grounds For Sculpture Trip

TOMS RIVER – The Holiday City South Garden Club is hosting a trip to Grounds for Sculpture on June 11 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Enjoy a full day exploring this beautiful 42-acre park with over 300 contemporary and impressionist art sculptures along the DE River. Lunch on your own at Van Gogh Cafe or Rats Restaurant (reservation advised). Cost is $80 per person for admission and transportation. Tickets on now through May 3.

Leave a message to make reservations or inquiries at 732-341-4518 with Carroll or via email: cbaszkowski@aol. com, or visit the HCS Clubhouse on 139 Santiago Drive, Toms River on Fridays 9:30 to 11 a.m. to purchase tickets.