Week in News: Video Diary of Sandy, GSP Improvements, Teacher Arrested

Video Diary of Sandy: 'Returning Home'

Ocean City- John Thornton, a resident of the Ocean City Homes neighborhood on the south end of Ocean City and a teacher at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, recently completed the final segment of two-part film about the impact of Superstorm Sandy on his friends, neighbors and hometown.

See more on Ocean City Patch.

Oceanport Town Hall Draws Hundreds of Storm Victims

Oceanport — Hundreds of residents turned out to an Oceanport Town Hall meeting on Thursday, many from other towns, to hear from FEMA, SBA and National Flood Insurance representatives.

Along with Oceanport residents, homeowners from Tinton Falls, Middletown, Long Branch, Red Bank and Little Silver crammed into Maple Place School, their numbers totalling around 300.

Read more on Little Silver-Oceanport Patch.

New Jersey Marathon to Run as Scheduled

Jersey Shore- The New Jersey Marathon will continue at the Jersey Shore this spring, but some changes may be made to the annual event.

Organizers have announced that the full marathon, which highlights the series of events scheduled for May 3-5, will take place as scheduled, and that they are working on a program to give money back to the local community in an effort to Restore the Shore as it continues to recover from the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

This has already begun with fundraising promotions at events owned and operated by US Road Sports, which operates the marathon, in Palm Beaches and Miami.

Read more on Long Branch Patch.

Lacey's Chief of Police Announces Retirement

Lacey — Chief of Police William Nally will be retiring at the end of this year, according to committeeman and police liaison Gary Quinn.

Nally submitted a letter to Township Administrator and Municipal Clerk Veronica Laureigh on Nov. 19, announcing his retirement, effective Monday, Dec. 31.

Read more on Lacey Patch.

Revising FH Schools' 2012-13 Calendar

Fair Haven — Because the wrath of Hurricane Sandy was so unforgiving in its impact to Jersey Shore residents, Fair Haven schools administrators said they were holding their breath in the hope that maybe Gov. Chris Christie would forgive a few make-up school days.

“Alas, he has not done that,” Superintendent Kathleen Cronin said at Wednesday night’s Board of Education meeting. “We are (now) required to submit to the county a revised calendar that shows (the originally required) 180 school days.”

Read more on Rumson-Fair Haven Patch.

Assemblyman Sees Red Over Traffic Camera Report

Monmouth County — Monmouth County Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon is criticising a recent New Jersey Department of Transportation red light camera study, saying that it fails to properly analyze its own data and presents a narrative that's misleadingly optimistic about the controversial program. 

Read more in Red Bank-Shrewsbury Patch.

Mountains of Toms River's Garbage Pushed Into 'Debris Management Sites'

Toms River- Toms River is pushing acres of garbage into "debris management sites" throughout the township, converting parks and parking lots into temporary dumping grounds in order to manage the clean-up of Hurricane Sandy.

Township Administrator Paul Shives said landfill costs have been approximately $1 million a week.

At its township council meeting Tuesday, Toms River paid a $2.5 million bill for landfill costs, which is just for three weeks of garbage, Shives said.

Read more on Toms River Patch.

DEVASTATION: Destroyed Boardwalks, Burned Homes; State Officials See Them All

Ocean County — The bed is still made. A wicker shelf stands in the corner of the room, its shelves covered with untouched knickknacks, shore memories. A framed print of a lighthouse and white-capped waves hangs on the wall, just a tad askew. The bedroom’s French doors open to the brisk air and an ocean view previously obstructed by the other half of the house that’s no longer there.

The devastation unleashed on the New Jersey shore a month ago by Hurricane Sandy has been captured in countless images and videos, spread throughout the world through news reports and social media, but it’s access, being able to see it first hand, the burned out husks of an entire block of summer cottages, the toppled boardwalk, the homes torn away from their foundations and flushed out to sea, that makes it real.

Read more on Manchester Patch.

Parkway Exit 105 Improvements Likely to Begin This Spring

Long Branch — The New Jersey Turnpike Authority's project to improve Garden State Parkway Exit 105 will likely begin in late spring or early summer, project engineers announced today.

The plans are part of a proposed $40 million plan to improve traffic flow in the area and improve access to Fort Monmouth as it is developed in the future.

Read more on Long Branch-Eatontown Patch.

Point Beach Moves on Boardwalk Fix

Point Pleasant Beach — Point Pleasant Beach Council awarded a contract to fix a section of boardwalk damaged in Tropical Storm Irene last year and authorized the municipal engineer to prepare bid specs for reconstruction of Sandy-battered sections of boardwalk.

The council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to award a contract to Albert Marine for $290,210 to fix the stretch of boardwalk in front of Lucky's Arcade.  The section was still functional and did not have to be closed off.

Read more on Point Pleasant Patch.