The BERKELEY Times Vol. 31 - No. 50
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Ocean Gate School’s Final Bell
Locals Brace For Renters And Parties
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Government Page 6
Community News Pages 8-10
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 12
Inside The Law Page 15
Photos by Chris Lundy The Ocean Gate School opened one night for residents to say goodbye. Classrooms were empty and off limits. Some grads, like Emma Haug, recalled one of the murals she helped paint when she was a student. The night was an opportunity for reminiscing and remembering as people explored the halls, admiring the school that left its fingerprints on their hearts. By Chris Lundy OCEAN GATE – The closing of the Ocean Gate School saddened residents who grew up in its classrooms, but the night they said goodbye was a celebration of its small-town feel where everyone knows you. The tour started in the former one-room schoolhouse; it was appropriate to begin at the beginning.
It was not only the first school in the borough, built in 1914, but it could be the first building a student sees, since it’s used for kindergarten classes. The school’s website notes that the two-room schoolhouse was built in 1940. A third building opened in 1968, followed by an expansion in 1994. But times have changed, and state aid dropped (Final Bell - See Page 4)
Court Case About Dog’s Death Watched By Animal Lovers
Photo courtesy Justice for Ruby Nicole Guarino rests beside Ruby in a photo shared months after the French bulldog’s death. Nicole later wrote, “Seven months of not being able to sleep without you.”
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By Stephanie Faughnan OCEAN COUNTY - More than a dozen suppor ters attended arraignment proceedings for Jeffrey Lentz, the Berkeley Township man charged in connection with the death of Ruby, a French bulldog whose case continues drawing attention across Ocean County and beyond. Lentz appeared before Judge
Kimarie Rahill in Ocean County Superior Court following a May 14 indictment returned by an Ocean County grand jury. He is charged with second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, third-degree animal cruelty and related offenses tied to Ruby’s October 3, 2025 death. Lentz is presumed (Court Case - See Page 5)
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By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – After Memorial Day, tourists flock to the Jersey Shore, but some neighborhoods weren’t built for month-long parties. As people move out of waterfront homes, the new buyers are sometimes companies renting the property out on sites like Vrbo or AirBnB. Shore resident Barbara Christie warned the governing body at a recent Township Council meeting that “the season is here,” and asked what protections are in place to keep neighborhoods safe and quiet. She noted a recent instance where a home near her had a revolving door of people coming in all season. When she reported it to the code enforcer, she was told that she needed to provide proof that this was a property being used in this way, so she forwarded them the AirBnB listing. Business Administrator Jay Delaney said that there is guidance from the state on how to deal with situations like this, and that a town has to follow those rules. Township Attorney Lauren Staiger said the town has ordinances to address issues such as noise that would impact neighbors. After a certain number of violations, the town can pursue action against the homeowner to put up a bond. It costs money to send police or code enforcers to the same location over and (Renters & Parties - See Page 4)
Open Space Tax Increase Heads To Vote
By Stephanie Faughnan TOMS RIVER – For nearly 30 years, Ocean County has quietly spent pennies on the dollar preserving some of the last large stretches of forest, wetlands and open land in one of New Jersey’s fastest-growing regions. Now, county officials plan to ask voters whether they are willing to pay a little more on the open space tax that officials say protects water resources, habitats, and maintain large areas of preserved open space. The Director of the Ocean County Commissioners Frank Sadeghi first raised the issue publicly when the county’s budget was adopted two months ago. At the county’s most recent commissioners (Open Space - See Page 13)
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