The MANCHESTER Times Vol. 30 - No. 39
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Christmas Tree Lighting Keeps The Season Bright
In This Week’s Edition
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Photos by Bob Vosseller (Above) Santa Claus is having a long chat with two children inside the Lakehurst Community Center following his arrival via Borough Fire Truck. (Left) The Lakehurst Christmas Tree is officially lit during the annual ceremony held in front of the Borough Community Center.
Community News Pages 10-15
Dr. Izzy Sound News Page 18
Classifieds Page 22
Inside The Law Page 23
By Bob Vosseller LA K EH U RST – Residents, public officials and a few visitors came out to watch the borough tree lighting brighten up the sky
– as well as t he hea r t s of children and adults recently. The annual event held in front of the Borough’s Com mu n it y Center drew a nice crowd and Mayor Harry Robbins introduced this year’s Citizen of the Year
Councilman Jim Davis who would go on to push the magic button to light up the tree at the appointed moment. “Jimmy isn’t getting the citizen of the year for all the years that he has done on the council dais, that is a whole other story,” Mayor Robbins remarked. “Jimmy
is getting citizen of the year for what he’s done outside of the governing body. The car show (during the 4th of July weekend) that he works so hard on every year. The memorial walk at the lake that he has done for us. These are just (Tree - See Page 4)
Barbara Jo Crea Reflects On Her Time As Commissioner
By Stephanie Faughnan TOMS RIVER – In just one term as an Ocean County Commissioner, Barbara “Bobbi” Jo Crea leaves with some commendable accomplishments. During this past year, Crea served as the board’s director, a role traditionally held by senior members. While her time as a commissioner was brief, her
career in public service spans decades. Crea served four terms on the Little Egg Harbor Township Committee and was mayor in 2006, 2007, 2019, and 2020. Transitioning to county-level service brought new challenges, but Crea embraced them with determination. “When I was elected to this position, I promised to treat it as a full-time job,
and I did just that,” Crea said. Her daily commute from Little Egg Harbor to Toms River often included long days and late-night meetings to keep county operations running. One of Crea’s most significant achievements was her work on the Homelessness Trust Fund. For years, the initiative faced resistance,
(Commissioner - See Page 9)
Photo courtesy Ocean County Barbara Jo Crea.
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December 28, 2024
Local Officials Concerned About Drones
By Bob Vosseller MANCHESTER – Drone sightings are on the minds of New Jerseyans and township residents are no exception. Municipal officials provided an update of what they’ve heard during the latest council meeting. Included within their council reports, Mayor Robert Arace, Council President Roxy Conniff and Councilman Joseph Hankins discussed the mysterious sightings of drones throughout New Jersey and areas of New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, California and beyond stating they had attended recent meetings on the subject with state and federal authorities. Mayor Arace said he attended a New Jersey Police Briefing concerning the drone sighting matter. “I also attended the White House briefing (phone conference). The state is taking it very seriously. Our State Senator Carmen Amato and Assemblymen (Brian) Rumpf and (Greg) Myhre are taking this seriously and have interfaced with the governor’s office and have written letters to the federal government requesting additional assistance.” “The fact of the matter is that there is very little information about the drones in terms of their origin and what they are doing. Some question marks that I found rather distressing is that they said there was no credible threat to public safety and they stick by that, so that is what the federal government is saying,” the mayor added. “Our Sheriff ’s Department is taking it very seriously. They’ve been witnessing sightings on a daily basis and are documenting them,” he added. Hankins was present at a press conference held in Seaside Heights where the matter was discussed with law enforcement and fellow public officials. “I attended the press conference with Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) about all the drone activity going on. He is introducing some bills to try and get state and local police and the county sheriff offices more authority to act in the absence of the FAA (Federal Aviation Agency).” “There was also a briefi ng today by the White House about the drone situation came up again and Washington thinks New Jersey (Drones - See Page 5)