The HOWELL Times
Vol. 20 - No. 17
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
Local Farm Owners Want To Cultivate Cannabis
In This Week’s Edition
BREAKING NEWS @
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Community News
By Stephanie Faughnan HOWELL TOWNSHIP – No doubt that weed control poses its share of challenges when it comes to cultivating plants. For the owners of one local farm, weed control of a different variety stands in the way of the crops they’d like to harvest. Municipal and state regulations control who can legally cultivate cannabis on their land. The owners of Merrick Farm hope to bypass the obstacles to keep their business alive and add some extra tax revenue to the –Photo by Stephanie Faughnan Merrick Farms is on Merrick Road and has been family-owned and operated since 1908
township coffers. The first hurdle comes as a result of the local governing body’s decision to outlaw all six marketplace classes of cannabis establishments in July 2021. Authorities were under the gun to prohibit marijuana businesses by August – or miss the opportunity to ban or limit operations for five years. Meanwhile, it’s far easier to amend or even lift the prohibition ordinance. Howell authorities reassured residents the ban was temporary as the issue required more discussion. The township held two separate public hearings covering a wide array of topics – including community impact, types of available licenses, and
Pages 7
Inside The Law Page 12
Dear Pharmacist Page 13
Classifieds Pages 15
(Farm - See Page 4)
Has Jersey Shore Tourism Returned To Its Pre-Pandemic Status?
By Alyssa Riccardi JERSEY SHORE – With countless sunny days that offered the perfect beach day, the Jersey Shore had quite a successful summer season despite the world still living through a pandemic. In 2020, many businesses and beaches were closed due to
COVID-19. 2021 was the year tourism bounced back. However, several businesses in both Ocean and Monmouth counties had issues with staffing shortages. This summer, it truly felt like things were returning back to normal. Now that the summer season has officially come to a close, can it be justified to say
that Jersey Shore tourism is back to pre-pandemic status? Many officials agreed that this summer there were a lot of visitors. Sandra Lazzaro, Division Director of Ocean County Business Development & Tourism, said the nice weather greatly impacted the number of people coming to visit.
“What I can say is that the weather was perfect and we had many visitors from out of state. The Jersey Shore is very weather driven and it was perfect,” Lazzaro said. “We had a phenomenal tourism season. The energy level and experiences here in Ocean (Tourism - See Page 2)
September 24, 2022
New Police Chief Talks About His Leadership Role
–Photo by Stephanie Faughnan Police Chief John Storrow, speaking at the ceremony remembering the attacks on September 11, 2001, was formally sworn in as chief at a recent Township Council meeting. By Stephanie Faughnan HOWELL – Newly sworn-in Police Chief John Storrow is far from a stranger to his colleagues and the community. Of course, Storrow’s also fully aware that the local police union gave his predecessor a vote of no confidence. The need to appoint a new police chief came after Howell Police Chief Andrew Kudrick resigned as of April 1, 2022. Captain Mark Pilecki took on the role as Interim Chief until Storrow was named as chief with a start date of August 1, 2022. At a Township Council meeting earlier this month, Storrow was formally sworn in with a touch of pomp and circumstance. Chaplain James Casey offered an invocation at the start of the meeting. He related a biblical passage to emphasize that the new chief fills the mold perfectly for the functions chosen for him. Although Chaplain Jeff Wegner attended Storrow’s swearing-in, he was not there to lead in prayer. However, like Casey, Wegner referred to the new chief as a great friend and someone he respected. The ceremony continued with the Howell Police Color Guard, followed by the Howell Township High School’s Rebel Yell performing the national anthem. “I’m very confident that I speak for the majority of this governing body when I say that John Storrow is everything our police department needs at this time,” said Deputy (Leadership - See Page 3)
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