The JACKSON Times Vol. 21 - No. 9
In This Week’s Edition
Class of ’89 Members Visit Coach For 90th Birthday
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Government Pages 8
Community News Pages 9-14
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 12
Classifieds Page 22
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
Photos courtesy Alex Sauickie Former Jackson Memorial High School football players from the Class of 1989 recently visited their former head coach Bill Ruddy at his Toms River home on the occasion of his 90th birthday. The visitors included JMHS graduates Julius Blackwell, Chris Kaldrovics, Michael Cybulski, and Alex Sauickie. By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – Former Jackson Memor ial High School (JMHS) football players from the Class of ‘89 recently visited their former head coach at his Toms River home on the occasion of his 90th birthday. Coach Bill Ruddy served as coach in Jackson beginning
in 1976, a r u n that would last for 17 years in the dist r ict. His career started in the mid-1960s with his first head coaching position at Palmerton High School in Pottsville, Pa. Ruddy is still only one of six head coaches in the program’s history and he also held head coaching positions at PS Dupont High School
in Wilmington, Delaware; Williamsport, Pa.; and Elwood City, Pa. He and his wife were vacationing and visited his wife’s family in Jackson when he found out that Jackson Memorial High School (JMHS) was in need of a new head coach. Ruddy accepted the job for the start of the 1976 season, and moved his wife Marilyn, five sons and two daughters, to the township. All seven of Ruddy’s children graduated from JMHS. The coach also had
a career as a math teacher. He taught geometry and trigonometry at JMHS and he often explained hardto-conceive math like the Pythagorean Theorem by using local people and places that Jackson students could relate to like the Cassville section of the township. Students would claim years later that they could only remember the nuances of the theorem because of Ruddy’s “stories” and
Bill Ruddy, his wife Marilyn, and their seven children pose in this revered family photo.
Ex-Teacher’s Sex Assault Case Moves To Grand Jury By Stephanie Faughnan FREEHOLD - Allison Havemann-Niedrach, a former special education teacher at Freehold Intermediate School, recently appeared in Monmouth Superior Court on charges of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. The August 8 hearing, presided over by Judge Christie Bevacqua, marked the first court appearance
since her initial detention hearing. Havemann-Niedrach remains remanded to home detention at her parents’ house as ordered by Superior Court Judge Vincent N. Falcetano. This decision stemmed from allegations of an inappropriate relationship with an eighth-grade student during her employment at Freehold Intermediate School. Both her husband and elderly par-
(90th Birthday See Page 4)
ents accompanied Havemann-Niedrach to court and sat quietly during the brief legal proceedings. When approached for comment, attorney Thomas Huth of the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall declined to speak on behalf of his client. Assistant Prosecutor Katherine Butler appeared for the state for this hearing, where the matter was (Grand Jury - See Page 5)
August 24, 2024
Funds Still Needed For Field House By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – Officials said that the Jackson Memor ial High School Field House renovation is still in the fundraising stage, and needs more money to move forward. In June, The Jackson Times reported on the fundraising project that involved To w n s h i p M a y o r Michael Reina, the Township Council, the Board of Education, Jackson Education Foundation, Department of Public Works, fire and police departments, and a number of dedicated residents coming together to enhance the high school’s sports facilities. With the school district’s ongoing financial challenges, capital projects like the Jackson Memorial High School’s Field
House Locker Room, concession stand and showers haven’t been addressed. Harold Mee will be a senior this fall and is a member of the school’s football and track teams. He told The Jackson Times that the renovations would be a welcome improvement that the students will appreciate. “We are big on tradition, so as nice as it would be to be in the same fieldhouse as the amazing athletes who came out of our school, walking into a nicer environment would make us all feel even better about being there,” Mee said. Council President Jennifer Kuhn reported during a recent Tow nship Cou ncil meeting that $30,000 is needed for the renovation project. “We
(Funds - See Page 4)
Advocates Fear Homeless Will Be Left Out In The Cold
By Stephanie Faughnan TOMS RIVER - The thought of freezing temperatures might seem far away, but for Toms River homeless advocates, the harsh reality of winter is already hitting hard. Concerns are mounting that those who work tirelessly to provide cold weather shelter for the town’s unhoused population could soon find themselves homeless. Just Believe, Inc. a nonprofit or-
ganization, has operated the Code Blue warming shelter out of the Riverwood Recreation Center at 250 Riverwood Drive for the past several years. However, the group was recently locked out of the facility, raising fears that the homeless could be left out in the cold when temperatures drop. Kevin McKenna, a representative of (Homeless - See Page 17)
CELEBRATING 46 YEARS OF SERVING THE COMMUNITY • 2ND GENERATION FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED SINCE 1978
GEORGE S. HASSLER FUNERAL HOME
George S. Hassler, Owner & Director, NJ Lic. No. 3193 Brian T. Hassler, Manager, NJ Lic. No. 4054
Serving All Faiths with Personal Service • Traditional Burial & Cremation Options
Prearrangement and Prepayment Plans Available 980 Bennetts Mills Road • PO Box 1326 • Jackson, NJ 08527 Tel: 732.364.6808 | Fax: 732-364-8592 www.hasslerfuneralhome.com • contact@hasslerfuneralhome.com