The BERKELEY Times Vol. 28 - No. 46
In This Week’s Edition
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Local Artist Inspires The Power Within
How Does News Of School Shootings Affect Students’ Mental Health? By Andrey Nalbantov OCEAN COUNTY - Nashville, TN. Denver, CO. East Lansing, MI. Chicago, IL. St. Louis, MI. Uvalde, Texas. What do all of those places have in common? There has been a school shooting in each. From the st ar t of the year, 19 school shooting-related incidents have occurred . The tragic reality is not just that school shootings happen, but it also i mpact s t he mental health of every student, teacher, and staff member – even if they are indirectly
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Mark B. Retacco poses with Space Pup Ozzi, inspired by his dog. By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – All it takes is to turn on a TV or flip through your phone to fine a super hero these days.
They’re dominating the movie theaters, soaring into action to save the world. Kids look up in the sky to see the cape flap in the wind and a
─ Photo by Chris Lundy
streak of color shoot past. But a local artist said that you don’t have to look at a screen or f lip through a comic book to see bravery and
strength. “Your super power is your uniqueness,” Mark B. Retacco said. It belongs to everyone (Artist - See Page 4)
Landfill To Be Capped, Homes To Be Built By Chris Lundy SOUTH TOMS RIVER – 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-
April 29, 2023
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.
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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.”
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affected. W hile than k f ully none of the schools here in Ocean County have yet found themselves on that list , students attending our schools also can feel as if they were directly in the crossfire . “We are seeing that our students in New Jersey a re havi ng reactions as if they are experiencing the shootings,” said Maureen Brogan, Traumatic Loss Coalition Program Manager at Rutge r s Un ive r sit y B e h av io r a l He a l t h Care. Br og a n u s e d t h e (School - See Page 5)
Officials: Mortgage Fraud On The Rise By Bob Vosseller OCEAN COUNTY – Property mortgage 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 Com m issione r s, “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)
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