The HOWELL Times
Vol. 21 - No. 50
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Basketball Team Scores Third Championship Win
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Community News Pages 8-11
Inside The Law Page 14
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 15
Classifieds Page 18
The team was honored for their third championship win. By Alyssa Riccardi HOWELL – Members of the Newbury School 5th Grade Basketball Team were recognized for their hard work and dedication, becoming this year’s champions. The team was honored
by the Howell Board of Education at their May meeting, accompanied by everyone’s favorite Cobra mascot. “The Newbury 5th Grade Basketball Team had another great season this year. They
Photo courtesy Matt Zupanc
brought home a third championship for our C ob r a s ,” Ne w bu r y School Principal James Quinn said. The 5th grade basketball program works in conjunction with the Howell Basket-
ball Club. The program lasts about two months and chooses 20 kids – 10 boys and 10 girls – from each school to form teams. The schools involved i n c l u d e N e w b u r y, (Win - See Page 4)
Tentative Date Set For New VA Clinic Opening By Chris Lundy TOMS RIVER – After years of preparation for the new facility, the grand opening of the Veterans Administration clinic is July 16. A VA official told The Toms River Times that the date is tentative and subject to change. The building’s offi-
cial address is 1051 Hooper Avenue, and there’s an entrance to the parking lot from t h a t r o a d . T h e r e’s another entrance on Caudina Avenue, which is the back road past two banks that leads to the Seacourt Pavilion. When groundbreaking ceremonies took place
in 2022, the expectation was that it was going to open in spring of 2024. Currently, veterans travel to Brick’s James J. Howard Outpatient Clinic for their needs. They have complained that the facility is understaffed and that it doesn’t have enough
Photo by Chris Lundy The Toms R iver VA Clinic is mostly (VA Clinic - See Page 4) constructed.
May 18, 2024
Anti-Hate Vote Framed By Israel-Palestine Tensions By Stephanie Faughnan HOWELL – Tensions ran high at a Township Council meeting as residents and activists clashed over a resolution addressing a controversial billboard and the broader Israel-Palestine conflict. The resolution, initially aimed at condemning antisemitism, sparked heated debate and ultimately underwent revisions to oppose all hate. References to the billboard were removed from the final document approved by the governing body. No longer on display, the billboard affixed to a structure owned by Lamar Advertising Company was located on Route 9 on the Howell/Lakewood border. It contained the message “Stand with Humanity. Stand with Palestine. Paid for by Voice for Humanity Project.” The Voice for Humanity Project is a Palestinian-led nonprofit dedicated to amplifying unheard voices, driving transformative change, and urgently addressing humanitarian needs. Their website lists a post office box in Fairview, located in Bergen County. Representatives of the group at the Council meeting said they did not intentionally target the Howell-Lakewood border. However, the billboard’s placement raised questions among some members of the Orthodox Jewish community, who felt it contained a targeted message against them. Approximately 100 people attended the Council meeting. Before public commentary began, Township Attorney Caitlen Harney clarified the motivation behind the resolution, stating it stemmed from concerns raised by residents about the sign’s message, which some perceived as antisemitic. Harney said the governing body lacked the authority and ability to restrict the content of billboards. She said such considerations are part of First Amendment rights – specifically freedom of speech. “But we are not condoning any type of discrimination,” said Harney. “Any type of hate speech whether it be any type of race, religion, national origin.” (Tensions - See Page 5)
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