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Man injured in diving accident near Point Pleasant Beach, police say

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The victim was an experienced diver, police said

POINT PLEASANT BEACH -- A 62-year-old man was injured in a diving accident in the ocean off Point Pleasant Beach on Friday afternoon, authorities said.

The man, whose name is being withheld pending notification to his family, was part of a dive group on the 50-foot Gypsyblood when he experienced problems under water around noon, New Jersey State Police said.

The boat was 15 miles off Point Pleasant Beach when the trouble began, state police said.

A U.S. Coast Guard boat met the Gypsyblood 10 miles offshore while people aboard the diving vessel were performing CPR on the man, who was an experienced diver, state police said.

Two Coast Guard crew members boarded the boat and continued to perform life-saving measures for the remainder of the return trip through the Manasquan Inlet to the dock behind the Coast Guard station in Point Pleasant Beach, according to state police. The diver was rushed by ambulance to Ocean Medical Center in Brick, police said.

Investigators were planning to retrieve the victim's dive computer to help them determine the cause of the accident, police said.

Crew and guests aboard the Gypsyblood, which is based in Point Pleasant Beach, declined to comment. The man is not from the area, police said.

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

DEP reaches $10M tentative settlement over contaminated asphalt site

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The proposed settlement comes 14 years after the DEP initiated the action against the former asphalt company in Manchester

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TRENTON -- The owners of an Ocean County-based asphalt manufacturing plant have agreed to pay $10 million to settle a decades-old groundwater contamination case that affected more than 1,000 residents of a nearby mobile home park in Manchester.

The tentative agreement between the state Department of Environmental Protection and the owners and operators of the former South Brunswick Asphalt could potentially end a 14-year dispute over coal tar contamination detected nearly 30 years ago but suspected nearly half a century ago.

The proposed settlement addresses the contamination at the former Nicol site off Route 37 in Manchester where for decades a plant that manufactured asphalt used several chemicals that eventually polluted the potable water wells for Pine Lake Park residents.

When the chemicals were detected in the groundwater in 1987, Manchester eventually paid to have the more than 1,000 mobile homes there hooked up to municipal water supply system. The township was eventually reimbursed by the state through the state's Spill Compensation Fund.

Without admitting guilt, the former company representatives agreed to reimburse the Spill Compensation Fund $9.5 million and pay another $500,000 in damages for the groundwater contamination, according to the proposed settlement.

The chemicals found in the groundwater included benzene, styrene toluene, xylene, trichloroethane, trichloroethylene and dichloroethylene.

Inspections as far back as 1971 found No. 4 fuel oil sprayed on the asphalt trucks, leaking storage tanks and roads sprayed with oil to suppress dust, according to court documents.

In a 1983 site inspection, the DEP found 26 full or partially-filled 55-gallon steel drums containing waste oil and a 1,000-gallon above-ground tank containing No. 2 fuel oil, the documents said.

After working with company representatives since 1987 to try to clean up the site, the DEP filed a complaint against South Brunswick Asphalt and its partner Robert E. Johnson, Thomas Nicol Asphalt Co. Inc. and Thomas Nicol Co. Inc. in 2002.

Thomas Nicol Co. owned the 45-acre site since 1966. Thomas Nicol Asphalt manufactured asphalt products there between 1966 and 1981 and after that time, South Brunswick Asphalt leased the operation, according to court documents.

Davies Consultants Inc. bought the site in 2006.

The DEP is in the process of taking public comment on the proposed settlement, which would not be finalized until after that comment period ends 60 days after its publication in the New Jersey Register on Monday, said Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the environmental agency.

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

No Labor Day weekend plans? These 10 Shore rentals are still available

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Want to book a last-minute rental for the summer's last big weekend? There are still options.

Less than two weeks remain before hordes of tourists head to the beach to celebrate the last three-day holiday of the summer season and many of those visitors have already secured their overnight accommodations (whether that involves crashing on a friend's couch or staying in an oceanfront mansion).

For the procrastinators who are just now thinking of heading to the Jersey Shore for Labor Day Weekend, the chances of finding the rental of your dreams are dimming day by day.

But there are still places available to book from Cape May to Sea Bright for last-minute vacations.

Which Jersey Shore town should you vacation in? Take this quiz to find out

Among the options still open for a trip from September 2 to September 5 are a five-bedroom oceanfront home equipped with everything you'd need for an adventurous weekend at the Jersey Shore, including kayaks, boogie boards, surfboards, a standup paddleboard and bikes.

You can also book a weekend in a bunaglow that sits just a few blocks from the beach and boardwalk or decide to stay in the southernmost beach town in New Jersey, where a six-bedroom home with a heated pool and 10-person Jacuzzi hot tub is awaiting visitors.

Check out those rentals and others, which were available as of Friday morning, in the gallery at the top of the page. 

Erin O'Neill may be reached at eoneill@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LedgerErin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Monster sighting in N.J.: Trucks compete for beach title (PHOTOS)

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Monster trucks compete on the beach in Wildwood.

WILDWOOD -- Who knew Santa Claus liked monster trucks?

Good old St. Nicholas was one of hundreds in attendance to watch the first of two sessions of the "Monsters on the Beach" Monster Truck Races in Wildwood Saturday afternoon. 

Some of the country's biggest trucks -- Bigfoot, Snake Bite, Avenger, Crushstation, Lumberjack, Wrecking Crew, Equalizer and Red Solo Truck -- competed against each other on the beach between Lincoln and Spencer avenues.

The ninth slot was left vacant in memory of Maxie Broaddus, driver of the Walking Tall monster truck.

Broaddus, who was crowned "King of the Beach" last year in Wildwood, died Dec. 31 at the age of 49. 

This year's drivers were vying for a new title as Broaddus will forever hold the title of "King of the Beach." 

Boardwalk battle: Tram car vs. monster truck tug-of-war (PHOTOS)

The tough trucks showed that they could stand tall with the "monsters" during their qualifying rounds and races. 

Sunday will feature title truck and tough truck races starting at 1 p.m. Gates open an hour before start time. Tickets for Sunday races are $30 for adults and $20 for children. Children three and under do not need a ticket to enter.

For additional information about the Monster Truck Beach Races or to purchase tickets, call 609-522-4546 or visit wildwoodmotorevents.ticketleap.com. For additional information about the Wildwoods, visit www.WildwoodsNJ.com or call 800-992-9732.

Tim Hawk may be reached at thawk@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @photogthawk. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Here's how crews move all that sand from ocean floor to the Jersey Shore

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The beach replenishment project on Long Beach Island is expected to be completed after Labor Day Watch video

BARNEGAT LIGHT -- Much their time aboard the Dredge Liberty Island for Capt. James "Woody" Hoffman and his crew is deja vu.

For weeks at a time, they sail back and forth between an underwater island in the Atlantic from which they suck tons of sand onto their ship and then pump it onto the New Jersey coastline.

Theirs is a job that goes mostly unnoticed as the state continues with a massive but controversial federal beach replenishment project. But in a rare glimpse at the operation, the head of New Jersey's environmental protection agency and NJ Advance Media got an inside look at how the millions of cubic yards of sand are first collected before being deposited on the shoreline.

"I know the steps we go through (for design) and I know the work they do there on shore, but this is the other side of it," said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin. "How do we get the sand and how to we get it to shore? It's not a simple answer. It's complex stuff."

The $138 million project hasn't had smooth sailing. Dozens of oceanfront property owners in Long Beach Township refused to voluntarily give the DEP the easements needed to do the work on their property. That's left the state and town taking the property owners to court to take the tracts through eminent domain.

And to the anger of state and local officials, Great Lakes temporarily pulled out of the work over the winter to head to projects in other areas of the country.

Taking the route that other Liberty Island crew use, Martin boarded a 60-foot boat that shuttled him to the dredge 3 miles off Long Beach Island where Capt. Woody and his crew of 19 were waiting.

Approaching the Liberty Island, the 60-foot crew boat was dwarfed by a dredge three city blocks long and as high as a small skyscraper. That 315-foot vessel is Capt. Woody's home for three weeks at a time.

At 55, Capt. Woody, of Panama City, Fla., has worked as a merchant mariner most of his life, beginning at around age 14 when he started on fishing boats. For the past 20 years, he's worked for Illinois-based Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Co., one of the few companies in the world with the ability to tackle beach replenishment projects.

The sand for Long Beach Island's project is coming from what's been likened to an underwater island running 3 to 5 miles off Barnegat Light. Some of its peeks are 3 miles high, making those spots good targets for the sand. Keith Watson, project engineer for the Army Corps, says the federal agency has to carefully choose its source of sand so that, among other things, it matches the beach where it's headed.

At the "borrow" area, the Liberty Island lowers on davits two large suction pipes 30 inches in diameter- one on each side - into the ocean. Like vacuum hoses, these pipes suck up the sand that is loosened by jets of water and by drag heads with cutter teeth fastened to the end of the pipe.

It takes about an hour to fill the ship's hold with sand. That's 5,000 cubic yards at a time - the equivalent of 500 dump trucks.

With its load, the Liberty Island sails about 20 minutes to a buoy marking an underwater pipe laid months earlier. Hooking up to that pipe, the dredge discharges that load of sand onto a beach that could be as far as 3 miles away, Capt. Woody said.

After that hour-long discharge, the Liberty Island returns to the "borrow" site, digs for another hour and heads back to the discharge pipe, which is pumping onto the Loveladies and North Beach sections of Long Beach Island.

In that 24-hour operation, Capt. Woody and his crew make that pass six or seven times a day with mate Rick McClenton steering the vessel and drag tender Billy Born keeping an eye on what's coming into the hold and watching the gauges and computer screens that show an animation of what's going on below the surface.

Two other smaller dredges - the Padre Island and the Dodge Island - keep a similar schedule farther south in other sections of Long Beach Island.

By the time the project is finished, about 10 million cubic yards of sand will have been pumped onto 12.7 miles of coastline in Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom, Beach Haven and a small section of Surf City. After construction, the beaches will be anywhere between 250 feet and 350 feet wide and have 22-foot high dunes.

North Beach should be finished within a week and the work in Loveladies should be completed shortly after Labor Day, Watson said.

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Swallows lead the way as fall migration kicks up in N.J.

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The innate urge for these birds to head south, as the days begin to grow shorter, drives them toward their winter homes

redphal.jpgRed-necked phalarope 

WHAT WE'VE SPOTTED


* White ibis, Whitesbog

* Red-necked phalarope, New Jersey Meadowlands

* American avocet, Barnegat Township

* Baird's sandpiper, Pole Tavern/Elmer

* Mississippi kite, Waretown

THOUGH IT MAY be known as fall migration, this avian traveling time for passerine (or perching) birds occurs primarily in the summer. Birds begin to trickle into New Jersey in mid-July, but by this time in August, they move through in earnest.

Swallows are one of the first indicators that the migration season has seriously gotten underway. Well over 1,000 tree swallows crowded power lines along Great Bay Boulevard in Tuckerton last weekend -- in some cases, they were lined up from pole to pole. Flocks of swallows, too, were observed passing over Toms River in late afternoon. 

The innate urge for these birds to head south, as the days begin to grow shorter, drives them toward their winter homes. Swallows such as the purple martin will be completely gone by month's end, with some traveling as far as central South America.

The olive-sided flycatcher, one of the state's rarest flycatcher migrants, is an August traveler. The highest numbers of this bird -- as well as Eastern kingbird, and yellow-bellied, Acadian and least flycatchers -- peaks around Labor Day weekend. Cape May is an excellent location to look for them, particularly Cape May Point State Park and Higbee Beach.

Warblers, too, are on the move -- with flocks of yellow warblers possible now. Smaller numbers of blue-winged warbler, American redstart, Northern parula and chestnut-sided warblers, as well as black-throated blue and black-throated green warblers are likely. Louisiana waterthrush -- one of our earliest warblers to arrive in spring, usually in late March or early April -- are already well on their way to tropical wintering grounds.

In North Jersey, Sandy Hook is the premier location for fall migrants. There is still a fee to enter Sandy Hook through Labor Day, but you can tell the toll booth attendant that you will be birding, but not parking in one of the beach parking lots, and you should get through without any difficulty. The north end of the Hook, known as the locust grove, is just east of the observation deck and a great location to bird. Walking the multi-use path from Guardian Park, south toward the Boy Scout camp, is also a good choice.

The best birding days are those when the wind does not come out of the south or from any easterly direction.

This column is compiled and written by Pete Bacinski, longtime New Jersey birder and retired NJ Audubon All Things Birds program director. Questions or comments should be directed to him by emailing petebacinski@comcast.net.


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District suspends school custodian charged in child porn sting

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Custodian Randy Hull of South Toms River was suspended immediately after his arrest, according to a report

LONG BRANCH -- A school custodian in Long Branch charged with possession and distribution of child pornography in a massive statewide sting has been suspended and banned from school property, according to a report.

Randy Hull.pngRandy Hull

Randy Hull, 43, of South Toms River, was arrested Aug. 10 as part of a roundup of 40 men charged in a statewide child pornography sting, authorities announced on Thursday.

Long Branch school superintendent Michael Salvatore told APP.com that Hull was immediately suspended but Salvatore did not say whether Hull would continue to collect his salary. He told the news outlet that word of Hull's arrest was "upsetting and disturbing" and that the district is cooperating with authorities.

The six-month investigation, dubbed "Operation Statewide," tracked images of the sexual exploitation of minors circulating on Internet file-sharing networks to individual IP addresses. That led police to the home addresses of suspects in each of the state's 21 counties, authorities have said.

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Lakewood police mourn 31-year-old officer

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An officer, the son of the recently-retired Lakewood police chief, was bid a tearful farewell on Sunday.

Patrolman Craig Lawson (Lakewood police)Patrolman Craig Lawson (Lakewood police). 

LAKEWOOD -- It was a somber scene outside of the Lakewood funeral home Sunday afternoon where the township's police department gathered to pay their respects to a young officer who had joined the force just two years ago.

"Although he was only with us two short years he was an amazing, larger than life character," Lt. Greg Staffordsmith of the Lakewood police department said. "He had an amazing impact on us and the community he served as well."

Patrolman Craig Lawson, 31, died unexpectedly Thursday morning from an unknown medical condition. 

"Today we celebrate his life," Staffordsmith said.

Lawson -- the son of Robert Lawson who retired as chief of Lakewood department last month after 35 years -- joined the force in April of 2014 and was a patrolman who worked evening shifts.

"He definitely wanted to follow in his father's footsteps," Staffordsmith said.

Lawson, he said, displayed an "amazing interest" in firearms and firearm safety and the department has lost a future leader and firearms specialist.

Lawson was unmarried and has no children.

An autopsy has been performed but the official cause of death has not yet been released.

Greg Wright may be reached at gwright@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregTheWright. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

N.J. pets in need: Aug. 22, 2016

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Homeless pets in need of adoption from northern and central New Jersey.

There's summer heat, and then there's oppressive summer heat.

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We've experienced some of the latter recently, and while we do everything we can to keep ourselves cool, it's important to remember our pets as well.

"If it's hot to you it's just as hot for your dog or cat, and probably even worse," said John Gickling, a board certified veterinarian in emergency and critical care. "We're better equipped to handle the heat because we perspire."

Some tips on making sure your pets can deal with excessive heat:

* If you walk your dog, pick the coolest time of the day you can, use a shady route and bring water along with you for your pet.

* Certain pets suffer more in high heat. Overweight dogs and cats, dogs with short sboutts such as bulldogs and older pets.

* If your pet is outdoors, make sure it has a cool place to lay and that water is always available. Avoid taking your pets anywhere that has concrete or blacktop until temperatures normalize.

* Dogs may be overheating if they can't get up, aren't alert or can't stop panting. If you suspect overheating, hose your dog off but never use ice water, which worsens the situation. If this doesn't work, a visit to a veterinarian is important.

How hot is too hot for pets? Consider that if humans think it's too hot ... and aren't covered head to toe in fur ... it's almost certainly too hot for pets.

More pets in need of adoption can be viewed by clicking here and here.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.

Every single $1M home in N.J. on one map

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New Jersey is one of the wealthiest states in the country. But it may surprise you how many $1M homes there are in the Garden State. We mapped every single one.

Body found in Round Valley Reservoir ID'd as Toms River man

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The 71-year-old man often went to the reservoir, authorities say.

Round Valley Reservoir through the yearsRound Valley Reservoir in Clinton Township. (File photo)

CLINTON -- The body of an Ocean County man was found early Monday morning in the Round Valley Reservoir, a state environmental official confirmed.
 
Koon Fung, 71, of Toms River was found dead in the water Monday following a search by State Park police and State Police, Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Bob Considine confirmed Monday afternoon.

State Park police were notified of a missing person by the Toms River police on Sunday night, said Considine.

Fung, whose vehicle was found at the reservoir, apparently left his home Sunday to wade or swim in the reservoir, which he had often done, he said.

Fung's body was taken to Hunterdon County Medical Center, where an autopsy is scheduled to be performed Tuesday morning.

Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

More than 70 people have been charged with Sandy fraud since the storm

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AG charges 9 more with allegedly duping aid programs out of relief money.

TRENTON -- Nine people have been charged with Hurricane Sandy fraud, bringing the total number of people accused by state authorities of exploiting disaster relief programs since the storm made landfall to 71, authorities said.

They include a Toms River motel owner who billed the federal government for emergency housing and five family members from the Newark area who allegedly submitted fraudulent applications to relief programs, according to the state Attorney General's Office.

The latest round of charges came last week, when authorities accused eight people of defrauding relief programs. One of the defendants, 44-year-old Jerry Gustoso II, allegedly received more than $200,000 in relief funds by claiming a storm-damaged vacation home was his primary residence while he actually lived in Hoboken, authorities said.

Most state and federal relief programs were only available to those whose primary residences were damaged by the storm.

Millions lost in Sandy contractor fraud

Another defendant, Sandipkumar Patel, 43, made more than $80,000 by charging the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide rooms to victims at the American Motel on Route 166 in Toms River.

Authorities say Patel made $133.28 a day for housing Sandy victims who either didn't stay as long as he claimed or never stayed at his establishment at al.

Robert Stahl, an attorney for Patel, told NJ Advance Media his client "has acknowledged responsibility and has agreed to make full restitution." Attorneys for the other defendants did not immediately respond to messages seeking comments.

The five family members charged -- Debra Reddick, 58; her children Thomas Jamar Reddick, 34, and Lateefah Reddick, 38; her niece Neima Jones, 32; and another relative, Kevin Osborne, 55 -- each allegedly applied for between $4,000 and $14,000 apiece in Sandy relief using fraudulent lease documents or phony utility bills, authorities said.

A Point Pleasant man, Michael J. Casey, 51, allegedly applied for more than $90,000 in relief grants for damage at a dilapitated property he falsely claimed as his primary residence, authorities said.

A Manahawkin woman, Judith McMahon, 47, allegedly received $18,292 as compensation for rent she was paying in Maryland after being displaced by the storm. But, authorities claim, she had actually been renting that property since 2010 -- two years before the storm made landfall.

All of the accused were charged with various degrees of theft by deception. Gustoso, Casey and Thomas Jamar Reddick were also charged with unsworn falsification. 

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Returning All-State football players: A quick look

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From 315-pound people movers to 165-pound, make-people-miss scatbacks, the returning All-State football players from are a talented group.

Man dies after crashing car into utility pole

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The man's Honda Civic continued off the roadway instead of going around a curve in the road, authorities said.

LITTLE EGG HARBOR -- A man died early Sunday morning after he crashed his 2000 Honda Civic into a utility pole, authorities said.

Bruce Long, a 38-year-old Williamstown resident, was driving southbound on Radio Road around 1:25 a.m. when his car continued off the roadway instead of going around a curve in the road, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Long's Civic then crashed into a utility pole, Della Fave said. When Little Egg Harbor police arrived at the scene, near the intersection of Radio Road and Kadlubeck Way, Long was still in the car but was motionless and unresponsive, Della Fave said.

Long was pronounced dead at the scene.

Della Fave said it's unclear what led Long to drive off the roadway. He said the crash report indicated there was no sign Long attempted to break, adding that no skid marks from the tires were found on the roadway.

Long had a relative that lived in Little Egg Harbor, Della Fave said.

The crash remains under investigation by the Little Egg Harbor Police Department. 

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Jersey Shore beach closed, 5 more with advisories from high bacteria levels

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The closure and advisories were issued for beaches in Cape May, Monmouth and Ocean counties

Five beaches along the Jersey Shore have water quality advisories, and one was closed on Tuesday because of high bacteria counts.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has issued water quality advisories for the ocean beaches at Montgomery and Bennett avenues in Wildwood as well as for the Lincoln Avenue ocean beach in Seaside Heights.

The state agency also issued advisories for the L Street Beach along the Shark River in Belmar and the bay beach at Stockton Street in Long Beach Township.

The bayfront beach at 25th Street in Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island was closed because of those high Enterococci bacteria levels.

The advisories come almost three weeks after nearly 20 beaches in Monmouth and Ocean counties were under advisories.

Beaches are closed when, after two consecutive days of sampling, the water quality exceeds the state standard of 104 colonies of Enterococci bacteria per 100 milliliters of water in a sample.

Advisories are issued after the first day of a high level.  

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

High turnout forces state to postpone pipeline hearing

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Hundreds of people showed up to the hearing over a compressor station that could connect to another proposed pipeline.

BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP -- A meeting to discuss a proposed pipeline expansion project here was postponed Monday night because the organizers could not fit all the attendees in the room.

Hundreds of people  -- well above the capacity limit of the hotel ballroom where the hearing was scheduled -- showed up to the meeting, called by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).

The hearing concerned a freshwater wetlands permit for Transco's proposed Garden State Expansion compressor station which would connect to the proposed Southern Reliability Link pipeline that will run to Ocean County.

Pipeline opponents said the turnout signaled symbolized residents' concerns.

"There were just as many people outside the room as there were inside," Jeff Tittel, President of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said. "After realizing that the meeting space was only big enough for half the people who wanted to attend and testify, NJDEP representatives made the decision to reschedule the hearing for a later date."

"The residents of Chesterfield and surrounding towns have made it clear that they don't want or need this project," Tittel said. "This incident shows just how opposed the people are to this project, and the connected pipeline."

Some residents and environmental groups are worried that the construction and operation of the compressor station could potentially create water pollution and contaminate drinking water because of the use of hazardous chemicals and runoff from construction that could impact groundwater.

The township's mayor, Jill Popko, took to Facebook Monday night to congratulate residents for the high turnout.

"(Transco) picked the venue and the township appealed to the NJDEP to change it as it wouldn't hold the amount of people expected," Popko said. "They chose to have it anyway - which turned into a fiasco."

"Good job Bordentown Township -- showing (Transco) we don't want this compressor station or pipeline in any where near our community!!!" she said.

A spokesman for the NJDEP said that the location where an April meeting was held was not available and Monday's venue was chosen as an alternative location that they hoped would accommodate the number of people normally seen at such hearings.

The NJDEP is looking to reschedule the new date and location as soon as possible, the spokesman said.

Greg Wright may be reached at gwright@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregTheWright. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Blue Acres a win for open space, owners of flooded homes | Opinion

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New Jersey Blue Acres program is buying up flood-prone property around the Garden State, helping create an open space buffer to absorb water.

Like many residents along the Delaware Bayshore, Natalie and Don Fisch of Downe Township worried about the future of their community after Superstorm Sandy devastated New Jersey's coastline.

They saw that street flooding was increasing during high tides, full moons and rainstorms, making it hard for residents to get in and out of their homes. They were concerned that the neighborhood's water and sewer infrastructure would be compromised. Uncertainty about the future of their community weighed heavily on their minds.

Fortunately, the New Jersey Blue Acres program was there to offer a solution to the Fisch family and other residents of flood-prone areas around the state.

The Fisch family recently became the 500th homeowner to sell their property to the Blue Acres program. Their house will be demolished to create an open space buffer to absorb water, and proceeds from the sale allowed them to buy a new home in Tuckerton. About a dozen additional Downe Township families are accepting Blue Acres buyouts, and more are considering it.

Blue Acres, a program of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, has been moving families out of harm's way since 1995.

Blue Acres closes first buyout in Delaware Bayshore

After Superstorm Sandy hit in October 2012, Blue Acres shifted into high gear. With an infusion of federal funding, the post-Sandy buyout program was launched in May 2013 and is still underway.

The 500-plus properties purchased by Blue Acres after Sandy come in addition to the 126 properties acquired between 1995 and 2012. The program is now at a grand total of 632 acquisitions and counting.

The pace of Blue Acres buyouts won't slow down anytime soon.

After Sandy, the administration set an ambitious goal of purchasing up to 1,000 homes in tidal areas affected by the storm, and another 300 in other communities that have flooded repeatedly.

With the four-year anniversary of Sandy approaching, the Blue Acres program is well on its way toward its goals. So far the program has:

  • Secured funding for 846 properties;
  • Made offers on 811 homes;Completed 506 closings; and
  • Demolished 371 houses.

"The Christie Administration's effort to protect lives and property from dangerous flooding has not wavered since Superstorm Sandy struck New Jersey," said New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin.

The Blue Acres program looks for clusters of homes - or even entire neighborhoods - that have experienced flood damage from Superstorm Sandy or previous storms. Owners must be willing, there must be an opportunity to improve the environment or public health and safety, and there must be local government support for the buyouts.

7 things to check out at Delaware Bayshore

In addition to Downe Township, buyouts have occurred, or are in the process, in East Brunswick (Middlesex), Lawrence Township (Cumberland), Linden (Union), Manville (Somerset), Newark (Essex), New Milford (Bergen), Ocean Township (Monmouth), Old Bridge (Middlesex), Pompton Lakes (Passaic), Rahway (Union), Sayreville (Middlesex), South River (Middlesex) and Woodbridge (Middlesex).

Kudos to the Blue Acres program on its post-Sandy milestone!

Retreating from flood-prone areas is a wise move as our climate becomes more unpredictable, sea levels rise and strong storms become more frequent.

The Blue Acres program is sure to provide a lasting benefit to this state we're in, and it has just received a new source of funding through New Jersey's corporate business tax dedication.

There's more information on the Blue Acres Program online, as well as information on Sandy recovery.

And to learn more about preserving New Jersey's land and natural resources, visit the New Jersey Conservation Foundation.

Michele S. Byers is executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation.

Bewildering beach access rules leave state ripe for a big problem, lawmaker warns

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State Sen. Bob Smith wants the Attorney General's Office to determine whether the beach access regulations are in effect or remain invalidated by the court

TOMS RIVER -- The state could be exposing itself to a massive lawsuit if it doesn't figure out whether it has rules governing how the public accesses beaches and other waterfront areas across New Jersey, a state lawmaker warned.

The adversaries in a lawsuit over public access to the state's waterways disagree over whether the state Department of Environmental Protection has any rules in place dictating access requirements, a situation that could encourage developers to sue the state, state Sen. Bob Smith said.

Under rules adopted in 2012, developers of coastal areas would have to provide public access to beachfronts and other waterways when they construct more than a certain number of units or make certain types of improvements to waterfront businesses. But now that there's confusion over whether those rules are now invalid, developers could sue if the DEP rejects their projects over a coastal access issue, Smith said.

"This is a major problem," said Smith (D-Middlesex) at the conclusion of last week's joint Senate and Assembly environment committee hearing.  "I can see the mother of all lawsuits coming when somebody wants to develop something down the Shore and the DEP says 'no, you can't do it,' and the developer goes to court and says 'you have no right to regulate that.'"

Saying the DEP lacked the authority to set or enforce coastal access regulations, an appellate court in December threw out the state's waterfront access rules. The state Legislature made some attempt early this year to address the issue, but the NY/NJ Baykeeper and the Hackesack Riverkeeper say those rules still remain invalid.

The DEP, which was sued by those two coastal conservation organizations, insists the rules -- which govern the location of public access points to waterways -- are still in effect.

Because of those conflicting interpretations, Smith said he wants an opinion from the state Attorney General's Office before New Jersey gets sued over those rules.

How N.J. towns lost big in waterfront access battle

The confusion stems from a lawsuit Riverkeeper and Baykeeper filed after after the DEP revised its access rules in 2012. In December, an appellate panel ruled the DEP overstepped its authority in issuing those regulations because, the court found, the state Legislature never gave the state agency that power. The appellate court then invalidated those rules.

Alarmed by the ruling, the state Legislature acted swiftly, and within a month it passed a bill specifically giving the DEP the authority to regulate land use in coastal zones.

Ray Cantor, chief assistant for the DEP, told a joint session of the Senate Environment and Energy and the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste committees in Toms River on Thursday that the bill lawmakers passed, and Gov. Chris Christie signed, in January restored those regulations.

"We believe our rules are in full force and effect," Cantor told the committee members.

But Andrea Leschak, a staff attorney for Riverkeeper, said that because the state Supreme Court refused to take up the DEP's appeal of the December ruling, the appellate decision that invalidated the rules remains in effect.

"In our opinion, the 2012 rules are no longer in effect," she told the joint committees. "It means the DEP has to start all over again."

Smith, chairman of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee, said he doesn't know whom to believe. He said he plans to ask state Attorney General Christopher Porrino for an interpretation of the court ruling.

Lee Moore, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, said the office isn't commenting on NJ Advance Media's questions about whether the rules are in effect. He said the attorney general has not yet received a letter from Smith.

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

 

Newest 'luxury' commuter ferry to begin Jersey Shore service Sept. 1

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The Betsy Ross will join its sister ship, NY Waterway's Molly Pitcher, on a route between the New York Harbor region and the Jersey Shore

WEEHAWKEN - Commuters will get free sewing kits to celebrate the maiden commercial voyage of the Betsy Ross, the region's newest "luxury" ferry, which will begin service on Sept. 1 between the Jersey Shore and the New York Harbor region, its operator announced Wednesday.

The Betsy Ross, named for the Revolutionary War heroine famous for stitching together the first American flag, is the sister ship of the Molly Pitcher, another female figure of the Revolution, already in service on the same route. 

The Betsy Ross will operate on weekdays between the Belford/Middletown Ferry Terminal and stops father north, including Wall Street and the World Financial Center in lower Manhattan, West 39th Street farther uptown, and Paulus Hook in Jersey City, said the operator, NY Waterway, the Weehawken-based company that provides ferry service throughout the region.

NY Waterway, a company initially focused on trans-Hudson ferry routes between Manhattan and Hudson County, competes in the Jersey Shore commuter market with Seastreak, which operates similar high-speed service between Monmouth County and New York's financial district.

The Betsy Ross and Molly Pitcher, built by Yank Marine in Cape May County, are the first ferries built entirely in New Jersey in more than a century, New York Waterway has said.

Both of the 400-seat commuter craft feature what New York Waterway says is more leg room than a first-class airline seat, with wood grain interiors and art deco styling and fixtures, carpeting in the passenger salons, ceramic bathroom tiles, wi-fi and flat-screen televisions.

"We want to show our commitment to our loyal Monmouth and Ocean County customers, and to our partners in government, by providing the highest quality commuting experience available in the Metropolitan Area," NY Waterway President & Founder Arthur E. Imperatore said in a statement.  "These two great ladies, the Betsy Ross and the Molly Pitcher, are a demonstration that our commitment remains stronger than ever after 14 years."

Imperatore said the Betsy Ross will help meet an 18-percent increase in passenger volume on the Monmouth route during the first half of this year. 
 

The Betsy Ross and the Molly Pitcher depart Belford/Middletown weekdays from
5:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., with return trips leaving Manhattan between 1:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. 

For more information, call 1-800-53-FERRY or visit www.nywaterway.com, or visit NY Waterway's Facebook and Twitter pages.

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Football: 2015's Top 20 in 2016 - Who's up, who's down

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NJ.com is looking back at last season's NJ.com Top 20

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