Top 20 News Stories of the Year, Part I: Dramatic Rescues of Both … – The SandPaper

The Newsmagazine of Long Beach Island and Southern Ocean County
By Rick Mellerup | on January 18, 2023
WHITE WINTER: 2022 started out white in Southern Ocean County after a Jan. 3 storm dumped 13 inches of snow on Little Egg Harbor, 10 inches on Barnegat and 7 on Beach Haven. (Photos by Ryan Morrill)
There’s no doubt that 2022 was a busy year for news at all levels, internationally thanks in large part to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and nationally mostly owing to our sharply divided politics.
The alleged old Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times,” certainly seems apropos. Wouldn’t it be great to have a nice, peaceful, predictable annum?
There was plenty of news in Southern Ocean County last year as well, as you’ll see when you review the Top 20 News Stories of 2022 as reported in the pages of The SandPaper.
No. 20: Drugs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there were more than 107,000 people who died of a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending August 2022. Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl were involved in more than two-thirds of those tragic overdoses. Government data shows that fentanyl is now the No. 1 cause of death among U.S. adults ages 18-45, more than COVID-19, more than traffic accidents, more than suicides.
Yet very little ink was spilled on the problem in many local newspapers in 2022, not only this one but in the many across the Northeast. Some obvious questions need to be asked and answered. How many OD deaths were there last year in Ocean County, especially Southern Ocean County? How many times did police officers and EMTs have to administer Narcan? Is there a survivor willing to talk about his or her experience, a family member willing to explain the pain of losing a loved one to the drug? How can drug users protect themselves when fentanyl is being found in more and more other drugs, even street marijuana?
Sounds like a story line to investigate in the next couple of months.
No. 19: And then there was one. The 2020 Census made congressional redistricting necessary in New Jersey in time for
Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R-2nd) (Supplied Photo)
the 2022 election. As a result of that redistricting Southern Ocean County now has just one representative in the U.S. House, Republican Jeff Van Drew. In previous years it had two, with Democrat Andy Kim representing half of Stafford Township and all of Barnegat Township.
When the lines were redrawn both Republican and Democrat operatives were happy. Kim’s 3rd New Jersey District migrated north so that it now includes parts of Mercer and Monmouth counties, which have far more Democratic voters than Southern Ocean County, a Republican stronghold. Van Drew, on the other hand, can now count on more reliable GOP votes in his newly drawn 2nd District. Both parties now have districts that can be considered more safe.
The results of the 2022 election proved that point. Van Drew won 61.4% of the votes in his district compared to his Democratic opponent’s 37.8%. In 2020 Van Drew’s margin of victory had been just 51.9% to 46.2%. Kim also got a bump, winning 54.9% of the votes in 2022 compared to 53.2% in 2020.
No. 18: Snow and rain. 2022 started out white in Southern Ocean County after a Jan. 3 storm dumped 13 inches of snow on Little Egg Harbor, 10 inches on Barnegat and 7 on Beach Haven.
“Last year, there was a little snow and the winter before that hardly any,” said David Robinson, state climatologist from Rutgers University.
Jan. 7 saw another snow event, with 4 to 5 inches being reported in Barnegat Township and 3 inches landing in the Queen City. Wait, wait, there’s more. On Jan. 29 Winter Storm Kenan hit Southern Ocean County. Hard! Tuckerton and Little Egg Harbor got 17 and 15.3 inches respectively while Eagleswood had 16, Stafford dealt with 13 and Barnegat with 11.4. LBI wasn’t exempt – Harvey Cedars received 15 inches; Brant Beach had 14.3.
“It was a classic nor’easter,” said Robinson.
Actually it wasn’t, because it was a rather short-lived affair, with Robinson saying “it didn’t hang around. If it stalled, there might have been 2 feet of snow.”
However officials reported very few problems as a result of the snowstorms and mayors praised their public works departments for their quick and efficient response. This was no Buffalo-like situation.
Rain, on the other hand, continues to be a problem on LBI, where roads tend to flood after just a couple of inches. But the flooding gets serious if rainfall amounts climb over that level. On Aug. 22, for example, a high tide and heavy rainfall combined to cause near standstill traffic jams and a number of disabled vehicles in Surf City, which received 5.7 inches.
“It was a series of unfortunate incidents,” said Surf City Police Sgt. Sarah Roe. “It was a lot of rain all at once. We’re lucky we have Humvees that help us get around, help us help people.”
And if a hurricane even brushes the Island, look out. In early October the remnants of Hurricane Ian delivered buckets of rainwater to Southern Ocean County including the Island with Barnegat Township getting 10.2 inches while Long Beach Township had to deal with 7.5 inches.
Flooding on the Island led to road closures and alerts from local police departments and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office that suggested people stay off the roads if at all possible or allow for extra time if they had to drive.
How bad was the rain? Students at both the LBI Consolidated District and the Beach Haven Elementary School got a “rain day” instead of a snow day.
No. 17: Lions and tigers and bears, oh my. Actually the problems were coyotes and piping plovers and lanternflies.
Coyotes made this list last year and looked like they were still an issue on the Island last winter. In his Jan. 12 “The Fish Story” column SandPaper Managing Editor Jay Mann wrote of sightings in Ship Bottom and Barnegat Light and described the damage a coyote can do when he recounted the “autopsy” he did on a neighbor’s unfortunate cat – “The owner only had a cat’s head and a paw to bury.”
Mann went on to say, “Surely more to come on coyotes in weeks to come.”
Sure enough. In a letter to the editor in the Feb. 9 issue the writer talked about an elder gardener being attacked in Somerset County two years earlier and wondered what the public outcry would be like if a child were attacked on LBI. “Excuses that regulations do not permit wild animal control are both ineffectual and unacceptable. This is a problem that will, sooner or later, happen with unfortunate consequences.”
In that very same issue Mann wrote, “How can I not write about Island coyotes this week, after receiving a veritable pack of reports regarding sightings, both tracks and visuals, from north, south and decidedly in-between?”
But almost as soon as it seemed the Island was positively awash in coyotes, poof, they were gone. And maybe, thought Mann, somebody had taken that letter writer’s warning seriously.
“So where,” wrote Mann on May 11, “have all the kai-yotes gone, short time passing? They’re suspiciously gone, possibly every one.
“I say suspiciously since they’re so quickly gone that something unnatural has likely/surely been in play. Methinks towns have been quietly undertaking de-coyoting, contractually.”
The disappearance of the coyotes must have thrilled cat lovers. On the other hand, gardeners had to be perturbed. With the prey/predator relationship dramatically changed, Mann also wrote the Island was suddenly, uh, hopping with rabbits.
A few other wildlife stories made the pages of The SandPaper in 2022.
The piping plover situation has been  well covered in the paper over the years. It again made headlines in the July 6 issue of 2022 when the Barnegat Light Ocean Mile Swim was canceled because of a conflict with the endangered species.
A strong storm in May had wiped out the plovers’ nests, but the birds weren’t discouraged – the pairs simply mated again. So nests still were busy in July and the New Jersey Division of Endangered and Nongame Species updated the Barnegat Light Patrol of the situation. The decision was made to cancel the event out of an abundance of caution for both the birds and the swimmers, who would to have had to follow a more dangerous route to avoid the plovers.
It was a shame considering the race is a fundraiser for the BLBP. On the other hand, it was a bonus for the plovers, which are, to repeat, an endangered species.
The invasive Spotted Lanternfly continued to increase in number across the county.
“Overall it was a successful season at Barnegat (Light) again this year,” wrote Emily Heiser, a state assistant biologist, to Barnegat Light officials when two piping plover chicks finally fledged on July 22. “We’re very happy with the results of the restoration area and continue to be appreciative of the town’s commitment to working with us on the front beach birds.”
Who knows if coyotes will make a return to LBI in 2023? And you can be sure the state and federal governments will continue to monitor the progress of piping plovers this year. It might be another form of wildlife, spotted lanternflies, that will, uh, bug Southern Ocean County residents and visitors this year.
An Aug. 3 article explained that the invasive species is not harmful to humans or pets but can damage fruit trees and a variety of native plants. Not only that, they are hardy, with spotting in late November, even after the temperatures had fallen.
They can congregate is rather huge numbers, certainly spoiling a picnic or other outside gatherings. Expect lanternflies to join greenheads, gnats, sand fleas, ticks and mosquitoes to be one of the most complained about species in Southern Ocean County in 2023.
No. 16: Ol’ Barney. The lighthouse, built by George Meade, eventually the winning general at the Battle of Gettysburg, is a must-see for visitors to the Island. Indeed, some half million people visit the state park that surrounds the fabled structure each year. But not in 2022, at least not for people who love to brag about climbing its 217 spiral stairs to the top of the structure.
New Jersey announced in March that its $1.3 million repair job would keep the landmark closed to visitors throughout the summer.
“Construction work through October will involve a complete exterior restoration of the lighthouse, masonry recoating and repairs to the brick facade, interior lantern steel platform repairs, roof repairs and the installation of new windows,” read the state announcement.
It had been a long time since people were allowed to climb the stairs because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Local reaction was varied, from “why couldn’t they do it some other time of the year” to “I’m glad ‘Barney’ is getting its much-needed facelift.”
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette held a press conference on July 18 and said repairs were “on track.” Robert W. Russell of HMR Architects of Princeton noted that a new type of paint would be applied to the historic lighthouse, one that would allow the structure to “breathe.” Who knew a lighthouse was a “living creature” that has to breathe?
BARNEY’S GLOW UP: The Barnegat Lighthouse was closed for most of 2022 while it underwent much-needed renovations. Officials anticipate Ol’ Barney will be ready to climb come spring. (Photo by Ryan Morrill)
“The paint that has been used on the lighthouse over many years has been kind of standard paint; it doesn’t breathe,” said Russell. “The original builders of the lighthouse understood that the masonry of the lighthouse has to breathe and let the moisture that gets inside out. So because of that, it has an inner wall and an outer wall. We’re taking all the paint off so it can breathe again.
“The new paint that we’ve been using is a different material that has generally been used in Europe for hundreds of years. It’s called a silicate coating, and it’s a breathable coating.
“It should have a longer life. It will breathe better and not produce as much mildew and other things. It should be washable in the future, without removing the paint, because removal of the paint is an extremely difficult, laborious project.”
The lighthouse actually presented a unique photo opportunity, surrounded as it was by scaffolding and netting. And the rest of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park could still be used for fishing, hiking, birding and picnicking; its office, interpretive center, fisherman’s walkway and trails remained open all summer.
By the way, another repair that was being made at the lighthouse was the replacement of its lens, Coast Guard approved and visible from 19 miles at sea. Its $29,000 price tag was covered by a donation from the not-for-profit Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse.
“There will be no difference in the rotation,” said incoming Friends President Chris Lane. “The intensity will be the same as the one we put in there previously,” referring to the lens donated by the Friends that was illuminated on Jan. 1, 2009, 150 years to the date when the lighthouse was first illuminated in 1859.
And by the way, SandPaper columnist Thomas P. Farner wrote a most interesting series of “200 Plus” installments about much of the history of the lighthouse as its repairs neared completion.
The state didn’t meet its October completion date for the lighthouse’s reopening. On Oct. 29 Ol’ Barney’s new beacon was lit as part of an observance of the 10th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. True, the work outside had been completed. But as Caryn Shinske, a public information officer with the NJDEP, explained, the lighthouse was still not ready for climbing.
“The interior of the lighthouse will not be ready to open to the public or media on this date,” she said. “Interior repairs and painting still need to be completed. We anticipate holding another event in the spring when we reopen the interior for park visitors to climb.”
To quote Carly Simon, “Anticipation, anticipation, is making me late, is keeping me waiting.”
No. 15: Library closed. In November it was announced that the Beach Haven Library was temporarily closing for renovation and restoration.
The library building is charm itself, designed and patterned after a Pennsylvania farmhouse although built with brick and steel. It has three working fireplaces, a vaulted ceiling, an interior balcony circling the first floor and a porch. No wonder Beach Haven residents love it and were the only municipality in the county that refused to join the Ocean County Library system. (Beach Haven also stubbornly refused to join the LBI Consolidated School District.)
Alas, the building is also old. It opened in November 1924. So like all old buildings, Ol’ Barney being a good example, and people for that matter, it needs tender and loving care. The library’s board of trustees was prepared to give it that care in November.
“Preliminary scope of work includes installation of new HVAC systems, sealing of original stone flooring, basement mold remediation and waterproofing, refurbishment or replacement of front doors, and overall deep cleaning (books sure can collect dust) and painting,” the trustees announced on the library website.
However, when the work began, more serious problems were discovered. Environmental testing revealed conditions that were so unsafe the borough council declared an emergency in early December and offered temporary library space in borough hall for operations to continue there.
Mayor Colleen Lambert, also a member of the library trustee board, said that in one section of the building air lead paint levels were “100 times the acceptable level.” Lead and humans aren’t good for each other, with lead posing an especial threat to children.
“Because of the age of the building, at the entrance as you open the doors, the lead paint gets chipped and settles,” explained Lambert. “Testing had not been done in a while and that is why it was undertaken.” She added that the building “needs a complete overhaul” and said the board and Borough Engineer Frank Little would review reports and decide on mediation options.
“This will dictate the course of direction,” said Lambert. “It is a beloved building and we all hope it will be up and running pretty soon, but that remains to be seen.”
In early January Borough Manager Sherry Mason told The SandPaper that remediation work has indeed begun. Guru Waterproofing of Manahawkin has cleaned out water buildup in the basement at a cost of $19,000. LEW Environmental Services, Mine Hill Township, has contracted for mold and lead paint air level remediation at a cost of $176,000. Once that work is completed a contractor will be hired to repaint the interior. The building must then be thoroughly tested and if all is successful, the beloved library will reopen by spring.
Bob Selfridge becomes a legend, making one of the most heroic water rescues of the century. (Photo by Ryan Morrill)
No. 14: Bob Selfridge. It isn’t often that this Top 20 review zooms in on an individual. When it does it usually discusses the life and career of a longtime leader who has passed away.
Don’t worry, Selfridge is alive and well, and so are a mother and her 4-year-old daughter identified only as “Riley,” thanks to a dramatic underwater rescue that took place on the evening of Aug. 7.
At 6:57 p.m. the U.S. Coast Guard received a call on FM emergency channel 16 that a 22-foot vessel had an accident in Barnegat Inlet. Troubles in the inlet are not uncommon – CWO Adam Murray, the commanding officer at Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light, said there were six major SAR (search and rescue) sorties there in the summer of 2021. So the Coast Guard was quickly on the scene, arriving four minutes after the call was received. Additional rescuers of all sorts were soon involved in the case.
Three passengers on the boat involved in the incident were quickly pulled from the water by the Coast Guard while another was transferred to the CG from the boat of a good Samaritan. But there was a major problem. The 22-footer had flipped over and Riley and her mom were trapped underwater in the boat’s cabin. Attempts to right the vessel were unsuccessful and the clock was ticking!
So Selfridge, a member of the Barnegat Light Beach Patrol and a lifeguard for 42 years, an EMT, and a member of the fire company, dove into the chilly water, swam under the boat, and surfaced in the dark cabin which, he later said, only had about a 20-inch air pocket remaining.
Mom told him to take Riley first and he did. He grabbed the little girl by her life vest, put his hand over her head so she wouldn’t bump it, and told her “Take a breath” and pulled her under.
“I did it as quick as I could,” said Selfridge. “I kicked off something to get me deep enough to go under the gunwhale of the boat. I saw the light from the sky and pushed her up ahead of me.”
Mom also surfaced. Apparently she had grabbed Selfridge’s shirt – appropriately enough, a Superman T-shirt – and hitched a ride to safety. She and her daughter had been in the submerged cabin approximately 19 minutes.
Selfridge raved about the others involved in the rescue, saying he knew people had his back in case he ran into trouble. On the other hand, everyone else raved about Selfridge.
Little Riley will be talking about her 19 minutes underwater for decades – something even a 4-year-old is almost certain to remember. She’ll be telling her children, grandchildren and, if she has a long life, great-grandchildren about her amazing rescue. Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who never would have been born if it weren’t for Bob Selfridge.
WORK HARD, PLAY HARD: Pickleball regulations dominated discussion in Beach Haven. (Photo by Jack Reynolds)
No. 13: Pickleball. “If you build it they will come,” a mysterious voice told Kevin Costner’s character Ray Kinsella in the hit 1989 movie “Field of Dreams.” (Actually the real quote is “If you build it he will come.”)
In the case of pickleball courts on LBI they – lovers of the game – did come. But some came kicking and whining.
Last year’s Top 20 list included pickleball because players wanted more courts in Long Beach Township and Beach Haven. In 2022 more municipalities got involved in the debates about building more courts, charging for their use, keeping noise levels down due to neighbors’ complaints, etc.
If towns build more courts they have to a) either purchase property or rededicate existing municipal land, b) actually build the courts, c) pay for the upkeep of the courts and d) regulate just who is allowed to play on them and for how long because demand is great and people can get stuck waiting (thus the noise complaints). That takes money.
Long Beach Township, for example, passed an ordinance at its June 6 meeting establishing the fees for use of its tennis and pickleball courts. The annual badge fee was set at $80 for non-taxpayers and $40 for taxpayers while weekly and daily badges would cost $20 and $10 respectively for all. Hey, you gotta get money to cover all of the above reasons.
“As a seasonal tax-paying resident for well over 50 years, I have always willingly paid for beach badges,” wrote one woman in a letter to the editor. “The cost of keeping the beaches clean, and safe with lifeguards, is well worth it.
“But paying to play? Pickleball and tennis are played not only by visitors and guests but by residents who pay enormous amounts in taxes and also pay for beach badges …
“Am I the only tax-paying resident to question why this was needed and effected? I cannot think so.”
Oh yeah, there was plenty of mumbling going on in town, and all over the Island, about the cost of pickleball, the noise and parking problems the game sometimes created, the waits for court time and the like.
When officials deal with pickleball enthusiasts and detractors they get themselves in, well, a pickle, one way or the other.
No. 12: Animal shelter and hoarders. The Southern Ocean County Animal Facility in Manahawkin needs to be refurbished.
It was originally rumored that the shelter would be closed for repairs and/or replacements of equipment like its HVAC system, flooring, dog runs and cabinetry in the autumn. But in September Brian Lippai of the Ocean County Health Department, which oversees the shelter, told The SandPaper the date had been moved back to “at least January.” He added that whenever the southern shelter was temporarily closed all shelter activities would be temporarily moved to the Northern Ocean County Animal Facility in Jackson.
NEED A BUDDY?: ‘Hops’, an eager young boxer mix, surveys the outdoors on a walk at the Southern Ocean County Animal Facility Jan. 5. A month earlier, he was rescued from filthy conditions at a Brick Township house.(Photo by Jack Reynolds)
There was some concern among “pet people” that January may not be a good time to start the refurbishment. There could be, they warned, a large number of pet surrenders that month. People, you see, get their children pets for Christmas and many times that doesn’t work out for a wide variety of reasons and they are surrendered to the shelter (the pets, not the children).
But Trish McCallum, the southern facility’s manager, said there really aren’t that many more surrenders after the holidays. “Not so much as you would think.” And she should know; she’s been working at the shelter in one capacity or another for 24 years.
A side note: McCallum also put an end to a myth that has been floating around Ocean County for decades. People say that summer homeowners, especially on LBI, get pets when they arrive but surrender them when autumn hits, realizing their animals wouldn’t work out in the year-round homes, especially if they are city and apartment dwellers.
“It was like that years ago,” said McCallum, “but not so much anymore.”
At any rate, it turned out that it was lucky, super lucky, that the refurbishment hadn’t started in the autumn. In early December two women in Brick Township were arrested at their “Crazy Rescue Ladies Inc.” site. They called it a rescue center; authorities called them hoarders. Reports trickled back to members of the Friends of the Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter that “the house was filthy dirty” and the animals “were just covered in feces, and it had been on them so long it was just caked.”
Approximately 180 animals – some 135 dogs and 45 cats – were pulled from the house. They received emergency care and bathing at the county’s two shelters and a temporary emergency shelter in Barnegat.
After their emergency care and bathing, Friends group president Linda Cook said, “They were the happiest little dogs you ever saw; everybody took a nap. They had been so coated I think some had to be washed 15 times.”
Once again I will dip my toes into 2023 to report a happy ending for many of the animals.
“We’ve done 102 adoptions of the hoarding pets so far,” said Jackie Strawder, assistant manager of Ocean County shelters on Jan. 5. “People have been coming from quite a ways away – somebody came and adopted a dog from Washington, D.C.; they heard about it and they wanted to adopt one.”
Strawder added at that time that the adoption process was continuing.
“It’s been going very quickly, and we’re still in the process of spaying and neutering more of them. So we’re going to have more coming up for adoption in the next week.”
No. 11: Food banks busy. Animals weren’t the only species needing a lot of help in 2022. The area’s food banks were mostly reporting record numbers of people coming in for assistance.
In July the Hunger Foundation of Southern Ocean distributed checks totaling $90,000 to nine food pantries that serve the hungry of Southern Ocean County.
Representatives of each group met at the offices of Stockton University in Manahawkin to receive their checks and to exchange advice on how to keep up with the increasing demand for their services.
Certain items, for example, are in high demand. Food items such as baby foods, special nutritional items such as Ensure and similar supplements, and food stuffs for people with allergies. Personal care products such as diapers, both baby and adult. And pet food – pets are family, too.
The sudden higher number of people seeking assistance is a reflection of the inflation that blew through the nation in 2022. Seniors on fixed incomes were especially hit hard.
“We’re not serving families like we used to; 90% of our people are elderly,” said JoAnne Kurtz of the Lacey Food Bank Program, adding her pantry was serving some 400 people a month. “It comes down to food or prescriptions.”
A sad situation. But let’s end this week’s chapter of this Top 20 story on a light note, something that occurred at the Stockton University in Manahawkin event.
“The room erupted in laughter when one representative said the last thing the pantries needed was donations from the public of bran flakes. It turns out that boxes of them are liberally distributed – too liberally, perhaps – by Fulfill, formerly known as the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Bran flakes may be popular with some seniors, but families with children know their kids will definitely turn their noses up at them.”
To Be Continued Next Week: Top 10 local news stories of the year.
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