The HOWELL Times
Vol. 23 - No. 43
In This Week’s Edition
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Community News Pages 5-7
Dear Pharmacist Page 11
Inside The Law Page 11
Classifieds Page 13
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Local Author Tells A Jersey Shore Mystery
By Andrew Rice JERSEY SHORE - Local author Diane Crecca hosted a book launch party for her new book, “The Nose Knows: A Down the Shore Mystery,” at the Buttered Biscuit cafe in Bradley Beach. People from the local shore area assembled to purchase a copy, participate in a Q&A session, and have their book signed by Crecca as they celebrated the book’s launch. “The Nose Knows” is a murder mystery novel that is heavily inspired by Crecca’s own life. Erica Sloan, the main character of the book, has retired from being a professional “Nose” (aka perfume developer and tester) in New York City and decided to settle down by the Jersey Shore, taking a job as a bartender in Asbury Park at a place called the Harbor Island Beach Club. However, her calm life down by the beach is inter r upted when
School Officials: State Aid Not Enough To Make District Whole
Photo by Andrew Rice (Above) Diane Crecca with her book, “The Nose Knows, A Down The Shore Mystery,” at the official launch party. the club’s t reasurer is fou nd dead with Sloan’s missing scarf around her neck. Determined to solve the mystery and protect her new way of life and
good name, Erica relies on the skill she knows best: her extraordinary sense of smell. One elusive fragrance
note leads her toward long-held secrets and an unexpected link to the Morro Castle, a ship (Author - See Page 4)
Jersey Shore BlueClaws Excited About 25th Season
By Chris Christopher JERSEY SHORE - Another season of excitement and entertainment is on tap at the ShoreTown Ballpark, the home of the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, the Philadelphia Phillies’ affiliate which competes in the South AtPhoto courtesy Jeff Auger for Jersey Shore BlueClaws lantic League, a High-A circuit. Mycal Jones is in his first season as the Jersey Shore And it will be a special season BlueClaws’ manager. as the BlueClaws are in their
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25th year. Jersey Shore will play its first three regular-season games on the road. The BlueClaws’ first home regular-season game will be played Tuesday, April 7, against the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Cyclones of the New York Mets’ minor-league system at 6:35 on Opening Night at the Jersey (Season - See Page 2)
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April 4, 2026
By Andrew Rice HOWELL - Local school boards are in the midst of budget season with the state recently releasing the amount of state aid that each school board will be receiving for their 20262027 budget. It was announced earlier in the month that the Freehold Regional High School District is going to lose three percent of its total state aid for the upcoming budget, which will have an impact on how much money is available for the needs of Howell High School. The Howell Township Board of Education, which oversees the K-8 schools in the town, used its most recent meeting to discuss similar matters. During this meeting, it was announced by Superintendent Joseph Isola that while the Howell school district will be getting an increase in state aid, they will not be getting as much of an increase as they previously expected. According to Isola, the district expected to get around a $3 million increase in state aid, according to the state funding formula, however the district will only be receiving an increase of just over $1 million dollars in state aid. “We’re not complaining, but I want the community to have a better understanding of the complexity in that while we’re okay, we really should be in a better position. So while we didn’t get cut money, we didn’t get everything we should have gotten as per the formula,” said Isola when talking about the less than expected state aid increase. Many local districts lost millions in state aid because of S2, a 2018 legislative act that modified the School Funding Reform Act of 2008 (SFRA) to redistribute state education aid. After S2’s seven-year life ran out, new rules set in that made school officials hopeful. One of the board members, Maggie Lazor, expanded on some of the budget points made by Isola. She pointed out that six percent of the budget cuts that the district received previously were restored in the budget. She also pointed out that state aid is a small portion of (School - See Page 4)
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