TheTOMS RIVER Times Vol. 22 - No. 13
In This Week’s Edition
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
Student’s Research Could Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Council Holds Off On Borrowing $9M, Cites Lack Of Info
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Government
Photo courtesy Alexandra Kanterezhi-Gatto
Page 7
Alexandra Kanterezhi-Gatto is developing an independent research project focused on methane emissions and the health of New Jersey’s tidal marshes.
Community News Pages 9-15
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 16
Inside The Law Page 19
By Chris Lundy TOMS RIVER – A high school student has an idea: whether biotechnology can help reduce harmful greenhouse gases right in our own back yard. A rising junior, Alexandra Kanterezhi-Gatto’s laboratory is Cattus Island County Park. The park spans acres and acres of a lush ecosystem on the Barnegat Bay. The wetlands filter water, store carbon and help protect the coastline, while providing habitat for fish, birds, reptiles, insects and more. She is investigating whether a specially designed peptide could influence the natural microbial activity occurring in marsh sediments and poten-
tially reduce methane production. Organic material is broken down by different microbes. These microbes are all competing for the same resources. Whichever ones are successful impacts what compounds are produced by the material breaking down. Alexandra’s research asks whether she can influence part of that process without disrupting the ecosystem itself. “Methane receives far less public attention than carbon dioxide, yet it traps more than 80 times as much heat over the short term,” she said. “Healthy salt marshes naturally store carbon, filter water, and protect our coastline, but rising sea levels and (Student’s Research - See Page 4)
Special Education School Created On Paper By Chris Lundy TOMS RIVER – A resolution creating a school for special needs students was passed at the most recent Board of Education meeting, taking another step toward turning Intermediate North into a hub for special education students from the region. The resolution notes state statute 18A:46-14 authorizes special classes within the district. It also allows joint facilities where districts can make an agreement to send their kids to a neighboring district. Another statute, NJAC GA:14 requires each board of education to provide free special education and related services to students with disabilities from ages 3 through 21. It also requires a district to provide the least restrictive environment
and sets out the rules for a district to send a child to another. Title 34 of the federal code details when it is appropriate for a child to leave a district due to the “nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.” The sending district would need to identify “students with intensive academic, behavioral, communication, medical, sensory, physical, social-emotional, and adaptive needs who require highly specialized programming that cannot be fully addressed through the (sending) district’s existing in-district programs.” The resolution also notes that often, a student will be sent to (Education - See Page 4)
Quinn Hopping Funeral Home BURIALS | ENTOMBMENTS | CREMATIONS PRE-PLANNING without OBLIGATION Clifford B. Tantum, Manager • N.J. Lic. No. 4078
26 Mule Road, Toms River | 732-240-3800 | Quinn-HoppingFH.com
August 29, 2026
By Stephanie Faughnan TOMS RIVER - A divided Township Council postponed action on a $9 million bond ordinance after questions arose about the absence of specific projects tied to the proposed financing. The council voted 4-3 at its August 12 meeting to table the ordinance rather than take a final vote on its adoption. The action leaves the measure pending and allows it to return for consideration at a future meeting. Councilman Clinton Bradley made the motion to table the ordinance, seconded by Council Vice President Thomas Nivison. Bradley, Nivison, Robert Bianchini and Council President David Ciccozzi supported the motion. Council members Craig Coleman, Harry Aber and Lynne O’Toole opposed tabling it. Although these are all Republicans, they are two different sides of Republicans, and they have been voting along these lines for important issues. Introduced July 8, the measure is titled: a bond ordinance “providing for paving and various other capital improvements and equipment, appropriating $9,000,000 therefor and authorizing the issuance of $8,550,000 bonds and notes to finance a portion of the costs thereof.” The remaining $450,000 would serve as the township’s down payment, as required under state law. The ordinance classifies the work as general improvements to be undertaken by the township, with no portion of the cost specially assessed against properties that benefit. It does not identify particular streets, projects or equipment purchases. Section 3 says the improvements “consist of paving and various other capital improvements and equipment,” referring to “contracts, plans, specifications or requisitions therefor on file with or through the Township Clerk, as finally approved by the governing body of the Township.”
Questions Raised About Proposed Spending The absence of a detailed project list became the central issue during the public hearing. Resident Janet Laing said she went to the Township Clerk’s Office before the meeting seeking the documents referenced in the ordinance but was unable to obtain a breakdown of how the proposed (Council Holds Off - See Page 5)
DIRECT CREMATION $2,495 Includes: arrangement conference, removal from place of death, alternative container Starmark Transporter, transfer to crematory, crematory fee
“We are dedicated to exceeding expectations and delivering a standard of service that is 100% guaranteed.”