The HOWELL Times
Vol. 22 - No. 41
In This Week’s Edition
BREAKING NEWS @
By Alyssa Riccardi HOW ELL – The MacKenzie Museum and Library was beautifully decorated with cherry blossoms to honor the history of the flowering trees in America. The Howell Heritage and Histori-
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Community News Pages 7-10
Dear Pharmacist Page 12
Inside The Law Page 14
Classifieds Page 15
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cal Society (HHHS) welcomed visitors to its first event of the season just in time for spring. “We are always happy to have visitors to our 1854 miller’s home where we highlight the Nesbits and Capt. William A. Prickitt, the most notable ow ners, who
were also involved in the Civil War,” said Leigh Shaffer, HHHS Board Vice-President and MacKenzie Committee Member. Recently, the Society hosted an exhibit showcasing the history of cherry blossoms in America. On display were original postcards of cherry blossoms in Japan and Washington, D.C., along with pink and g r e e n c h e rr y blossom Depression glass. Photos infor med visitors of the different stages of growth before cherry blossoms are completely bloomed. There were also pict ures and information about the Cherry Blossom Festival in
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School Board Introduces $151.1M Budget
Photos courtesy Leigh Shaffer The MacKenzie Museum and Library was decorated to honor the history of cherry blossoms in America. Branch Brook Park in Essex, NJ, which was the first county park in America to be opened to the public, Shaffer said. The historical significance of cherry blossoms dates all the way back to 1885, with traveler, writer and diplomat Eliza Scidmore. When she returned
to Washington after visiting Japan, she spoke with the United States Army Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds and proposed that maybe they could get Japanese cherry trees to be planted along the Potomac River. ( See Page 2)
Congressman Faces Criticism At Rally
By Bob Vosseller JERSEY SHORE – Crowds protested recent actions by the Trump administration, and they wanted to know where their congressman stands on the issues. A head count from the first rally held a few weeks back was approximately 70 people, most of whom carried signs in front of Toms River Town Hall where Congressman Chris Smith (R-4th) has a district office. A second rally was held later at the same location. The protestors chanted slogans and spoke in opposition toward President Donald Trump’s policies concerning immigration,
LGBTQ+ rights, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts of federal employees, removing medical insurance programs to U.S. citizens and cutting foreign aid plus the administration’s recent actions in dropping support to the Ukraine. The rallies were not organized by any one group but by area residents and members of the National Organization for Women (NOW), Manchester Democrats and a local Indivisible group who were present. Indivisible is a grassroots movement with a mission to “elect progressive leaders, (Criticism - See Page 3)
March 22, 2025
Photo by Bob Vosseller Protestors called for Congressman Chris Smith to hold a meeting to discuss federal cuts impacting vulnerable groups.
By Alyssa Riccardi HOWELL – The Howell School District has introduced the tentative $151.1 million budget for the 2025-26 school year. The public hearing is scheduled for May 7 at 7 p.m. After the public hearing, board members have the option to adopt the budget. Ac c o r d i ng t o t h e b o a r d , t h e $151,074,942 budget will be supported by $93,248,413 in taxes collected from Howell’s residential and commercial property owners. The budget will be used to operate 12 schools, grades kindergarten through eighth, which have an estimated enrollment of about 5,400 students, according to the school district. Additionally, the board’s agenda did not include information as to how the proposed budget will impact local property taxes during the upcoming year. Currently, residents pay municipal taxes for Howell K-8 and Freehold Regional High School districts, Monmouth County, fire districts, and open space. For the last seven years, Howell Schools have struggled with state aid cuts due to the S-2 funding formula. In Governor Phil Murphy’s preliminary budget announcement for the 2026 fiscal year, the Howell School District is slated to receive $21,455,291 in state aid for the 2025-26 school year. According to the NJ Department of Education, this is a decrease of $663,566 or 3 percent. However, the district will receive $7,474,060 in assistance for its special education students, which is an increase over the $5,257,622 received last year. Howell will also receive $3,419,152 for transportation aid, an extreme increase from the $903,761 received in 2024-25. The equalization aid offsets this increase, as it’s decreased nearly 40 percent – $9,276,379 for 2025-26, compared to $15,439,995 from the previous year. (Budget - See Page 2)
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