Thursday, January 17, 2013
Panel of experts address issues such as compliance, mitigation, insurance, financing, resale and rebuilding after Sandy.
Recognizing that real estate professionals are “on the front lines” when it comes to answering questions about homes and businesses after Sandy, the Ocean County Board of Realtors convened an information session this week in Toms River. Tom Wissel, of the Ocean County Board, invited representatives from FEMA and the SBA (Small Business Administration), as well as a real estate attorney, insurance professional and mortgage banker, to attend the first of two planned “After Sandy” panels. “What I first learned, was a lesson on the Constitution because federal agencies need to be invited to sessions like this that deal with state and local issues," said Wissel. "They can not call for them on their own,” he added. In addition, federal agencies…
Friday, January 4, 2013
Police: suspect rented Sandy victim a Brick Township home he did not own
Brick Township police have charged a Toms River man with swindling a displaced victim of Superstorm Sandy out of money she paid to rent a house he did not actually own. Anthony White, 46, of North Carolina Avenue, was arrested Wednesday, Brick Police Sgt. Keith Reinhard said. The victim, whom police did not identify, had her Brick Township home knocked off its foundation in the storm. On Dec. 3, she posted an advertisement on the Craigslist classified website seeking a temporary rental. She later received a text-message response about a potential rental available on Dogwood Drive. The person sending the text message, who called himself Mr. Dublin, said the home was unlocked, and advised the prospective tenant to enter the home, see if it …
Foundation awards six grants to organizations in Sandy-battered communities
OceanFirst Foundation’s Relief and Recovery Grant Program is awarding six new grants totaling $93,000 to organizations in Point Pleasant Beach, Toms River and Monmouth County. The recipients are: Ocean Fire Co. #1, Point Pleasant Beach; Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey, Toms River; Children’s Home Society, Toms River; Homes for All, Toms River; O.C.E.A.N., Inc., Toms River and United Way of Monmouth County, Farmingdale. "The foundation's grant program assists the efforts of nonprofit organizations in the New Jersey shore market area that are helping local families and individuals affected by Hurricane Sandy," says a prepared statement issued by the foundation. The amount awarded to each of the organizations and details about their …
Friday, December 21, 2012
Ortley Beach the only neighborhood which will not be open
Unfettered access to barrier island neighborhoods of Brick and Toms River, as well as Seaside Heights, will resume Jan. 7, officials announced Friday. Brick Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis and Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher both signed a formal request to Gov. Chris Christie's office certifying that public utilities and roadways would be restored by that date. The request was also signed by Seaside Heights mayor William Akers, who did not attend the ceremony because he was attending the funeral of long-time Ocean County Sheriff William Polhemus. The access plan, if approved by Christie, will allow full public access to all of the barrier island neighborhoods in Brick and Toms River, as well as Seaside Heights, with the exception or Ortley …
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Brick Township, Toms River, and Seaside Heights will announce repopulation plans
The mayors of Brick Township, Toms River and Seaside Heights will jointly announce plans to permanently repopulate their barrier island communities Friday. The North Beach area of Toms River, all of Brick Township and single-family homes in Seaside Heights will be included in the formal joint request to repopulate their towns on the same day. The request will be submitted to Gov. Chris Christie for approval. Seaside Heights Mayor William Akers said Wednesday the repopulation date will be Jan. 7. The hard-hit neighborhood of Ortley Beach will not be included in the plan, officials said, however a statement will be made Friday regarding its eventual repopulation. "Based on what we're seeing from the utility companies, we expect [Gov. …
Monday, November 26, 2012
State Senate looking to improve infrastructure, hear from local mayors, police chiefs on Hurricane Sandy specifics
Local officials described in dramatic detail the work of rescue and rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy, as state senators listened to how the Jersey Shore is grappling with widespread devastation and how to improve for the future. “This is flooding, devastation, I’d never have imagined in my lifetime,” said Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy, one of the first panelists detailing specific anecdotes and financial spending in response to Hurricane Sandy. The panelists were called by the state Senate Budget Committee, held in Toms River Monday. It was the first of several meetings aiming to equip senators with a better understanding as the state figures out how to fund the rebuilding of a collapsed infrastructure and to improve it in …
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
State officials approve re-entry plan that could allow Lavallette residents back this week; other barrier island residents may have to wait
The state has approved a plan to allow residents access to barrier island communities - including Seaside Heights, Lavallette and Ortley Beach - in phases, officials said Tuesday. The State Police has approved a plan that would allow residents phased-in access to Lavallette beginning this week, officials said during Tuesday's Toms River Council meeting. Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy suggested that the township will get people to see their properties as soon as possible and mentioned a five-to-six day timeframe. Some Ortley Beach residents who attended the meeting were upset that Lavallette residents could have easier access to their homes than they will. "There are still areas of Ortley Beach that are unstable," Mastronardy …
Monday, November 5, 2012
No new date will be set
The Point Pleasant Beach Office of Emergency Management and police department have decided that there will be no trick or treating in Point Beach this year, said Maryann Ellsworth, Municipal Clerk. The cancellation is for safety reasons in a town still reeling from the wrath of Sandy, which left numerous homes and businesses flooded, widespread power outages and live wires and tree limbs hanging. While progress has been made clearing streets of sand, tree limbs and live wires, there is still some debris and power outages. Point Borough also cancelled Halloween for safety reasons. For information about trick or treating in Brick, click here. There is a trick or treating event at the Ocean County Mall, Hooper Avenue, Toms River. Regarding …
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Two locations in Southern Ocean are open through the weekend to vote.
Two places are available where people who have been displaced by Sandy can vote. Voters can either go to the Ocean County Administration Building located at 101 Hooper Avenue, Room 116, in Toms River or the Southern Ocean Resource Center at 179 S Main Street in Stafford. People at those locations will be handed a mail in ballot, which can be filled in and handed back. The deadline for mail in ballots to be received for counting is Monday at 3 p.m.. The hours are: today and tomorrow, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Monday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. "We have relocated our staff from the Ocean County Courthouse to the Ocean County Administration Building at 101 Hooper Avenue," Ocean County Clerk Scott M. …
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Pictures from around the area as Hurricane Sandy approaches.
As Hurricane Sandy approaches Monday night, damage from the storm can already be seen in Ocean County. Trees, power lines and debris are starting to close roads all over the area. In the barrier islands, flooding has already started taking place. Power is out all over the area as well, in parts of Toms River, and from Vaughn Road to the Tunney and Mathis Bridges. The Barnegat Bay has started to swell, raising water levels in the area, including the Toms River. Check out our photo gallery from around Toms River, Silverton, the bayshore and Seaside.
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4:58 pm on Friday, January 18, 2013
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