The MANCHESTER Times Vol. 31 - No. 42
In This Week’s Edition
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Leadership Conference Showcases Local Educators
Residents Question JCP&L On Power Outages By Bob Vosseller MANCHESTER – Nine representatives from Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) came out to the clubhouse of Crestwood Village 5 to assure residents of the township that the FirstEnergy Company wanted to regain their trust following a major outage that occurred in Whiting around the one-year anniversary of a similar power loss in that vicinity. The forum, organized by Judy Noonan, the confidential aide to Mayor Joseph Hankins, featured Mayor Hankins, Council Vice President James Vaccaro, Councilwoman Sandy Drake, Police Chief Antonio Ellis and members of the police department, Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Robert Sharry and approximately 30 residents. “This was set up because we had a power outage again almost a year to the day and I had been assured as your mayor, having attended meetings with JCP&L that new equipment would be at the Whiting sub-station and as to what happened, I’ll let them explain it but we know it is unacceptable,” Hankins said.
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Photos courtesy Manchester Schools (Top, left) Manchester Township educators Kimberly Costaglio, Monique Phua and Crystal Policastro make a presentation during the 3rd Annual Connected Leadership Conference held at Monmouth University. (Top, right) Whiting Elementary School Principal Evelyn Swift makes a presentation about teacher mentorship. (bottom, right) Educator Jennifer Eckert and Principal Sarah Thiffault of Ridgeway Elementary School spoke about Restorative Practices during their Leadership Conference presentation where they introduced strategies for fostering student ownership of school communities. By Bob Vosseller MANCHESTER – Educators within the township’s school district took part in a leadership role at the third annual Connected Leadership Conference, hosted by the Monmouth County Curriculum Consortium. The event took place at Monmouth University
(Question - See Page 4)
as part of a joint initiative with the Ocean County Curriculum Consortium and the Superintendents Roundtable. It brought together hundreds of educators from across the region for a day of professional learning, collaboration, and leadership development. (Leadership - See Page 19)
Major Turnover Reshapes County Government
By Stephanie Faughnan OCEAN COUNTY - Ocean County government entered 2026 amid one of its most significant leadership transitions in decades, with a Board of Commissioners that looks markedly different from just a few years ago. At the county’s January 7 reorganization meeting, commissioners set the direction for the year ahead while acknowledging recent changes in leadership. While the meeting included ceremonial swearings-in, several officials had already taken
the oath, including Sheriff Michael Mastronardy, County Clerk Jack Kelly, and Deputy Clerk Ashley Lamb. John Catalano will continue serving as one of two deputy clerks under Kelly. Commissioners Sam Ellenbogen and Ray Gormley were sworn into office on January 2. In just two years, the five-member Board of Commissioners has turned over completely with previous members deciding not to seek reelection. This year, Virginia Haines and Jack (Turnover - See Page 23)
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Photo by Stephanie Faughnan The Ocean County Board of Commissioners following the county’s 2026 reorganization meeting. From left: Robert Arace, Deputy Director Jennifier Bacchione, Director Frank Sadeghi, Sam Ellenbogen, and Ray Gormley.
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Toms River Protestors Debate ICE Tactics
By Bob Vosseller TOMS RIVER – Approximately 100 people came out to Hooper Avenue for a protest that was part of the thousand or so nationwide “ICE Out for Good” rallies held in response to the controversial death of a Minneapolis woman. Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of th ree, was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs En forcement ( ICE)
agent, Jonathan Ross, on January 7 during an ICE operation, sparking the protests. Federal officials claimed she tried to run over agents with her car, while some questioned the use of force, leadi ng t o cla she s a nd broader demonst rations against immigration enforcement. M i n nesot a’s mayor a nd gover nor, bot h Democrats, and the (ICE - See Page 5)
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