The HOWELL Times
Vol. 23 - No. 14
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Fall Concerts Hit The Stage
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Community News Pages 6-7
Dear Pharmacist Page 9
Inside The Law Page 8
Classifieds Pages 12
The Phil Engel Band performed classic and modern rock tunes. By Andrew Rice FREEHOLD – Freehold’s fall concert series kicked off on Wednesday, September 3, with residents gathering downtown to watch the Phil Engel Band play in front of the Monmouth County Hall of Records on East Main Street. The music kicked off around 7:30 p.m. and continued until 9:30, with the majority of event attendees pulling out their lawn
chairs and staying for the entire show. Sponsors of the event had a private section to sit in, which was blocked off by red tape to the front right of the band. Concessions, including popcorn, were available to concertgoers. The band played a diverse range of songs from various genres of music. Classics like “Take It Easy” by the Eagles were mingled with modern hits like “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk
Photos by Andrew Rice The Moon. The band concluded the show by playing a song that is always strongly associated with the state of New Jersey, “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. According to the Phil Engel Bands Website, they are a band that provides timeless music and use different styles of music throughout the night while keeping people moving on the dance f loor. Their versatile skillset (Concerts - See Page 2)
Bill Would Charge Fossil Fuel Companies
By Chris Lundy MONMOUTH COUNTY – A press conference was held to build support for a bill that would charge certain fossil fuel companies money that would then be used on grants for climate resiliency. Curtis Fisher said he lives off Drum Point Road in Brick. Sometimes the flooding is so bad that he can’t leave his neighborhood. Furthermore, the infrastructure is being devoured by saltwater intrusion. “Ocean County is one of the most threatened areas in the state,” he said. The cost to respond to these climate issues is in the hundreds of billions of dollars, he said, quoting figures from the State Department of Environmental Protection as well as the Army Corps of Engineers. So, who is going to pay for it? “We’re only asking for our fair share,” he said. New York and Vermont Photo by Chris Lundy have already passed similar legislation. Curtis Fisher of Brick talked about flooding in (Companies - See Page 3) his neighborhood.
GOLD Exceeds $3500 an Ounce! OVER 20 YEARS IN BUSINESS
HIGHEST RATED CASH FOR GOLD STORE IN OCEAN COUNTY
SILVER Nears $40 an Ounce!
90% SILVER • MEDALLIONS FLATWARE • SCRAP • JEWELRY TEA SETS • TRAYS • PITCHERS CANDELABRAS
September 13, 2025
School District Tracks Violence, Bullying Incidents
By Andrew Rice HOWELL – Incidents of violence, vandalism, and bullying were discussed at the most recent meeting of the Freehold Regional High School District Board of Education. Districts are required to record numbers of incidents so they can address them appropriately. According to a presentation by the district’s Director of Safety, Operations, and Security, Michael Mendes, there has been a decrease in the overall amount of these incidents from last year. To calculate how many incidents they had in the 2024-2025 school year, the board broke up the school year into two phases. Phase one included the 2024 portion of the year, while phase 2 included the 2025 portion of the school year. They then added both of these phases together to get their total for the whole school year. The yearly total for violence incidents was 33, a decrease from 41 the year prior. The category Violence included simple assaults, sexual contact, sexual assault, threats, and fights. Simple assaults are an act of physical harm that does not seriously injure someone, where the victim does not retaliate. According to the presentation, there were 11 incidents this year, up from 10 last year. Zero cases of sexual contact were recorded this year, down three from last year. Sexual assault remained at zero from last year. Threats increased by one this year, and fights dropped from 17 to 10 in one year. Vandalism was broken up into several categories as well. Zero incidents of damage to property were recorded this year, down one from last year. False public alarms went up by one this year compared to last year, when they had no incidents. One theft was recorded this year, down one from last year. Trespassing incidents remained at zero. Possession of a weapon went up from one last year to five this year, while violence with a weapon remained at zero. All recorded incidents of a weapon involved a knife of some kind. According to the presentation, confirmed cases of substance use were brought down by ten from 31 last year to 21 this year. 27 recorded incidents of substance possession dropped from (District - See Page 2)
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