Impaired Driving Enforcement Crackdown to be Conducted Locally as Part of Statewide Year End Campaign

Lower Township — Law enforcement officials from the Lower Township Police Department will be cracking down on drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs as part of the annual end of year “

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over”

statewide campaign. Beginning December 6, 2019 and continuing through January 1, 2020, local and state law enforcement officials will conduct saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints looking for motorists who may be driving while intoxicated.

The national

“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over”

effort endeavors to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving through a combination of high-visibility enforcement and public education. “During the last five years New Jersey has experienced nearly 37,000 alcohol involved crashes resulting in more than 679 fatalities,\” said Chief William Mastriana. “This is a critical law enforcement program that can save lives during a time of the year when social gatherings with alcohol increase the risk of impaired driving.”

Last year, 20% of all motor vehicle fatalities in New Jersey were alcohol-related. Nationally, 10,511 people died in 2018 in drunk driving crashes. The societal cost associated with these crashes is estimated to be $44 billion annually.

Law enforcement agencies participating in the

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

2019 Year End Holiday Crackdown

offer the following advice for the holiday season:

Take mass transit, a taxicab, or ask a sober friend to drive you home.

Spend the night where the activity or party is held.

If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact law enforcement. Your actions may save someone’s life, and inaction could cost a life.

Always buckle-up, every ride. It is your best defense against an impaired driver.

If you are intoxicated and traveling on foot, the safest way to get home is to take a cab, have a sober friend or family member drive, or escort you to your doorstep.

Be responsible. If someone you know is drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel.

Address/Location

Lower Township Police Department

405 Breakwater Rd

Cape May, NJ 08204

Contact

Emergency: 9-1-1

Non-emergencies: 609-886-1619

The Renewal of GLOUCESTER\’S GAME (Rams v Lions)….plus Videos of previous Contests

The excerpt below is from the

Renewal of Friendship

booklet which was released in 1993 when the annual Thanksgiving Day football game between Gloucester High and Gloucester Catholic was resumed.

Two and One-Half-Hours

The football teams from the two schools will meet tomorrow (Thursday) at the John Lynch Field at Gloucester High School, Rt. 130 and Market Street.

The Rams won last year\’s contest 30 to 14. Gloucester Catholic\’s junior running back Dashaun Harris finished that game with 222 yards on 23 carries and three total touchdowns in front of an estimated crowd of 400.

Thursday\’s Kickoff is 10:30AM. The Rams lead the series, 22-21-1.

BY G.J. FERGUSON

(CNBNewsnet)(Gloucester City NJ)(Nov. 27, 2019)–It has been nearly three decades since the last City-Series game was played in 1965. At times, it seems like it was only yesterday. But, sadly it wasn\’t. With the final whistle, on that sunny autumn day, the

City-Series passed into memory. Memories that have endured over the years. They have lived in the hearts and minds of those who remember the series and attached a special meaning to it.

Gloucester Catholic 1963 football team

It is with those in mind, that the idea for this program began. It started out as a history of the series, but a true history would require a book of several hundreds pages. What we have instead is more like a memoir of the City-Series. I hope that as you read the game stories and look at the old pictures, it will bring back the memories. Not just of the games themselves, but of old friends, old teammates, and a different time.

In the old industrial city on the

Delaware

, the year 1948 marked the beginning of the annual football games between Gloucester High and Gloucester Catholic. It was a time when semi-pro and town teams were still popular and attracting good-sized crowds. However, the largest and most loyal following was reserved for

high school football

. Across the country, in rural towns, in cities large and small, people filled the bleachers by the thousands to cheer their local school teams.

In some areas of the country, the games drew crowds of 25,000 to 30,000 or more. Closer to home, the

Collingswood

, and Camden High game used to attract 15,000 to 20,000 spectators. The City-Series games never approached numbers like these, but the crowds of 4,000 or more were common. For a small city of 15,000 people, it was a tremendous show of support.

If measured in length, it was not a long series. In

South Jersey

, many of the football series began in the 1920\’s or before. Vineland and

Millville

began their rivalry in the 1890\’s. In comparison, the City-Series was only played from 1948 to 1965. Nevertheless, for those eighteen years the people of Gloucester had a game that somehow, seemed to touch the very soul of their proud, old city.

In a

small town

like Gloucester, everybody seems to know everybody else. This familiarity made the games much more personal. Playing against a school located miles away; the opposing players were only numbers. In the City-Series games, that \”number\” had a name, and you better not forger it! If not brother against brother, surely there were cousins facing each other. Childhood friend’s kids from around the corner and down the street battling each other for 48 minutes. It was a neighborhood rivalry in the truest sense of the word:

Like the town it was played in, the games themselves were rough and tumble affairs. It was a hard-nosed and smash-mouth football. This was literally true before the facemask came into use. They were emotional games, played in a charged atmosphere before large, fanatical crowds.

Given all this, the remarkable thing is, the emotions never really got out of hand. Not on the field, nor in the stands. For the most part, the games were cleanly played. The hard hits came before the whistle, not after. This is not to say the games were perfect, they weren\’t. Nevertheless, the minor disputes that did occur were soon forgotten.

The very nature of the series made this possible. All of the ingredients that made this a fiercely contested game worked in reverse as soon ass it ended. It was high school football the way it was meant to be.

The first five years of the series belonged to Gloucester High. The Raiders (or \”Paiseleymen\”, as they were also called at the time) won the initial game in 1948 by a close score of 18-12. Matters only became worse for the Irish/Ramblers over the next four years! From 1949 to 1952, the Raiders completely dominated the series, winning by 21-2, 56-7, 19-6, and 25-7.

In 1953, Gloucester Catholic, tired of being a doormat for their city rival, recorded there first win of the series, winning by a score of 12-7. The Ramblers must have found the victory to their linking, as they set out on a winning streak of their own. The next four years found the Maroon and Gold on top by 20-13, 52-7, 26-0, and 12-7.

With the series tied at five games apiece, the Raiders pulled ahead by winning the 1958 game 18-7. However, there were to be no more long winning streaks in the series. The following year, the Rams triumphed over the newly named Lions by 19-0. 1960 was more of the same as a powerful Catholic Eleven rolled over the Lions 34-0 to take their first lead in the series.

A Preview of Gloucester Catholic & Gloucester High 2019 Gridiron Teams

Rams vs Lions Turkey Game

–Nov. 2009–With a few minutes left in the first half the Lions came back and tied the game at 14-14 but the Rams came back and scored again. As the half ended the score 22-14.

+++++++

RAMS V LIONS TURKEY GAME 2010-

What an exciting Thanksgiving Day football game this year between cross town rivalries Gloucester City High School and Gloucester Catholic High. Nearing the end of the fourth quarter Gloucester High was winning 27-20. With 19 seconds left Gloucester Catholic got a TD, making the score 27-26. Instead of kicking a field goal Catholic went for two but was stopped by the Lions defense.

+++++

RAMS V LIONS TURKEY GAME Nov. 2011–

The video contains some snippets of plays from the first half of the game. Ben Boyer carried 42 times for 294 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead Gloucester City to a 34-14 victory over Gloucester Catholic yesterday in Gloucester City. Boyer finished the season with 1,841 rushing yards, 168 shy of the school-record 2,009 yards accumulated by Mike Blankenship in 2001. Boyer had touchdown runs of 28, 73, 3 and 8 yards for Gloucester City (5-5). With the victory, Gloucester City tied the all-time Thanksgiving Week series between the two schools at 18-18 (there has been one tie). Elliott McCummings had two touchdown runs of 6 and 80 yards for Gloucester Catholic (3-7). Score Lions 34 Rams 14

NJ Taxpayers Give $161.25 Million in Municipal Aid Grants to Municipalities

Change in Grant Cycle Will Help 542 Municipalities Better Plan Future Work

TRENTON

– Governor Phil Murphy today announced that 96 percent of New Jersey municipalities will receive Municipal Aid grant awards, totaling $161.25 million for fiscal year 2020. These are the first awards being made under the new Municipal Aid grant

cycle that better aligns with the state’s construction season and municipal budget cycles.

A total of 542 cities and towns across the state are receiving grants to advance road, bridge, safety, and quality-of-life improvements, continuing the Department of Transportation’s Commitment to Communities initiative. With the announcement of the 2020 grants, NJDOT will have awarded nearly $1.2 billion to local governments during the first 18 months of the Murphy Administration.

“Our administration sought to deliver a fairer approach to how government does business and this round of grants will, in the third straight year, reach more municipalities than in the previous fiscal year,”

said Governor Murphy.

“In addition, in the spring the Department of Transportation announced it was accelerating the Fiscal Year 2020 Municipal Aid grant cycle so we could make the awards months earlier than in years past to help municipalities better plan important infrastructure projects. Today, by awarding grants to 542 municipalities in the state, nearly 96 percent of all cities and towns in New Jersey will be poised to break ground as the construction season begins.”

In May, NJDOT announced an

accelerated FY20 Municipal Aid grant cycle

to make awards in November each year, rather than in the spring as was done in past years. The vast majority of towns and cities operate on a fiscal year running from January 1 through December 31. Knowing the amount of Municipal Aid before the fiscal year begins helps municipalities better determine which projects will move forward that year.

“Accelerating the Municipal Aid grant award cycle this year is an example of the Murphy Administration’s commitment to listening to communities and delivering on our promise,”

said NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti.

“This change, along with NJDOT’s new Local Aid Resource Center, are making a real difference in providing municipalities the resources to improve safety and increase the reliability of the State’s transportation system at all levels of government.”

In addition to changing the grant cycle, NJDOT created a

Local Aid Resource Center

this year to support local public agencies, fulfilling a pledge to offer proactive assistance. The Resource Center assists communities with project planning, grant applications, project delivery, and guidance through the federal grant process by offering customized in-person training sessions, webinars, a library of YouTube videos, and a dedicated telephone hotline to receive technical assistance.

The competitive Municipal Aid grant program attracted 661 applications from 546 different municipalities in FY20 with a total of $368 million in work. Project applications are evaluated and rated on their merits by NJDOT Local Aid staff and an independent panel of New Jersey municipal engineers review the Local Aid recommendations. This process resulted in 545 awards to 542 municipalities. To see the list of FY20 grants, click

here

Under the Municipal Aid grant program, each county is apportioned a share of the total funding based on population and the number of local centerline miles. Municipalities compete for portions of their county’s share. NJDOT provides 75 percent of the grant amount when a town awards a contract and the remaining 25 percent upon completion of the project. Of the $161.25 million, there is $10 million allotted for municipalities qualifying for urban aid under state law, with the amounts determined by the Department of Community Affairs.

In past years, applications were due to NJDOT by October. By accelerating the process, applications for Municipal Aid grants this year were submitted to the Department by July 2019. They were judiciously reviewed this summer so the announcement could be made by November 30.

There are seven project categories within the Municipal Aid program eligible for funding: roadway preservation, roadway safety, quality of life, mobility, bikeway, pedestrian safety, and bridge preservation. Past performance in connection with timely award of projects and construction close-out factor were part of the evaluation of the proposals. When evaluating applications, NJDOT also verifies if the municipality has adopted Complete Streets policies. Complete Streets policies, establishes guidelines that require consideration be given to pedestrians and bicyclists when local transportation projects are being planned, designed, and built

Sweeney Says Murphy is Playing Politics with Critical School Funding

Senate President: Governor doesn’t realize his proposed $1B tax hike wouldn’t put a penny into overfunded districts under bill he signed into law

TRENTON

– Senate President Steve Sweeney today blasted the Governor for playing politics on critical school funding issues by calling for a $1 billion tax increase that would do nothing to help districts facing Adjustment Aid cuts.

“It is disappointing to see the Governor demagogue the critical issues of school funding and property tax fairness in order to call for an unrelated $1 billion increase in the sales tax and the millionaire’s tax,” Senator Sweeney said.

“What is more inexcusable is the Governor doesn’t even acknowledge his proposed $1 billion tax hike wouldn’t put a penny into overfunded districts under the school funding bill he signed into law 15 months ago,” Senator Sweeney said. “Any increase in state funding for schools would go to the overwhelming majority of school districts that are underfunded by more than $1.7 billion, not to the Adjustment Aid districts that would be helped by my plan for cap relief.”

Senator Sweeney’s 2018 school funding reform law restored fairness to the 10-year-old School Funding Reform Act by eliminating the growth caps that kept 72 percent of schoolchildren in underfunded districts – urban, suburban and rural – from getting the state aid they deserved, while establishing a seven-year phase-out of Adjustment Aid payments to school districts for students they no longer have.

On Saturday, Senator Sweeney announced that he was developing legislation that would provide cap relief to school districts facing Adjustment Aid cuts that were spending below the adequacy level established by the School Funding Reform Act – and affirmed by the state Supreme Court – as needed to provide the “thorough and efficient” education guaranteed by the 1947 New Jersey Constitution.

“We need to ensure that students do not suffer in districts that are now taking cuts after receiving more than their fair share of state aid for more than a decade,” Senator Sweeney said. “The new law will give school boards in these districts the ability to make up for past years when they had no incentive to provide their Local Fair Share because the Adjustment Aid windfall they were getting gave them no reason to do so.”

Senator Sweeney noted that the legislation signed into law by the Governor already gave the 31 former

Abbott

districts the ability to exceed the 2 percent cap if they were spending below adequacy, and required any school district facing Adjustment Aid cuts and spending below adequacy because it was not providing its Local Fair Share to raise school property taxes by 2 percent a year.

Avalon Man Indicted on Charges of Sexual Assault and Witness Tampering

November 27, 2019

Cape May Court House, New Jersey – Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland along with Chief Jeffrey Christopher of the Avalon Police Department announce the Grand Jury indictment of 31-year old Jerry Shields on Sexual Assault and Witness Tampering charges.

On November 26, 2019, Jerry Shields was indicted by a Cape May County Grand Jury for one count Sexual Assault, a crime of the 2nd degree; two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a crime of the 3rd degree; one count Witness Tampering, a crime of the 1st degree; one count of Contempt, a crime of the 4th degree; and one count of Terroristic Threats, a crime of the 3rd degree.

This indictment was the result of a joint investigation conducted by detectives from the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and the Avalon Police Department which was initiated in October of 2018 due to a report of a Sexual Assault. As a result of the initial investigation, on December 5, 2018, Jerry Shields was arrested and charged with one count of Sexual Assault and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

In September of 2019, the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office received additional information regarding allegations of Witness Tampering in connection with the initial investigation. These additional allegations were investigated and as a result, Shields was arrested a second time on September 17, 2019 in New York and additionally charged with Witness Tampering, a crime of the 1st degree and Contempt of Court, a crime of the 4th degree. Shields was later extradited back to New Jersey and is currently lodged in the Cape May County Correctional Center pending court proceedings*.

Prosecutor Sutherland stated a person convicted of a first-degree crime is subject to a term of imprisonment of 10 to 20 years in New Jersey State Prison. A person convicted of a second-degree crime is subject to a term of imprisonment of 5 to 10 years. A person convicted of a third-degree crime is subject to a term of imprisonment of 3 to 5 years in State Prison and a fourth degree crime can carry a sentence of up to 18 months in jail.

Prosecutor Sutherland would like to thank the Suffolk County New York Police Department for their assistance in this investigation and urges anyone who has additional information relating to this investigation to contact the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-465-1135, or report it anonymously through the Cape May County Sheriff’s Tip Line at cmcsheriff.net and click on anonymous tip, or through the Cape May County Crime Stoppers, 609-465-2800.

*Any charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless he is proven guilty.

Drug Raid in Cape May County Nets Meth and Heroin

Cape May Court House, New Jersey (Nov. 27, 2019)–– Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland, and Lower Township Police Chief William Mastriana announce the arrest of Jennifer R. Pagano, a 48 year old resident of Seagrove Avenue in

Lower Township, N.J. on drug possession and distribution charges.

On November 8, 2019, detectives from the Cape May County Prosecutors Office Gangs, Gun’s and Narcotics Task Force and the Lower Township Police Department concluded a two month long investigation into the distribution of illegal narcotics by Pagano in Cape May County.

On November 8, 2019, the Cape May County Regional SWAT Team executed a Court authorized search warrant in the 600 block of Seagrove Avenue in Lower Township. As a result of this search warrant, distribution amounts of suspected heroin and methamphetamine were seized from Pagano’s residence along with drug paraphernalia.

Pagano was charged with possession of heroin, a crime of the third degree; possession of methamphetamine, a crime of the third degree; distribution of heroin, a crime of the third degree; distribution of methamphetamine, a crime of the third degree; and possession with intent to distribute drug paraphernalia, a crime of the fourth degree. Pagano was processed and released with summonses pending Court proceedings. *

Prosecutor Sutherland stated that his office will continue to work hand in hand with the local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to target anyone selling illegal controlled dangerous substances. Prosecutor Sutherland continues to urge the citizens of Cape May County to report any information regarding illegal drug activity and or any criminal activity within the community and that this information can be reported anonymously through the Cape May County Sheriffs Tip Line at cmcsheriff.net and click on anonymous tip, or through the Cape May County Crime Stoppers at 609-465-2800, or the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-465-1135.

* Any charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless she is proven guilty.

350 Coast Guard Recruits to Enjoy Thanksgiving with South Jersey Families

CAPE MAY, N.J. (Nov. 27, 2019)– U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May and the American Red Cross will place more than 350 Coast Guard recruits with South Jersey families for Thanksgiving as part of Operation Fireside,

Thursday.

Operation Fireside has placed recruits with South Jersey families during the holiday season since 1981. It allows recruits to celebrate the holiday with a host family while they’re separated from their loved ones during the rigorous basic training program.

Operation Fireside has been coordinated annually by the American Red Cross Southern Shore Chapter in Cape May Court House, N.J., since the program started more than three decades ago. The Red Cross solicits and tracks volunteers and host families, while Training Center Cape May pairs each recruit with a family on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The families and the recruits will meet at Training Center Cape May’s Flores Gymnasium before departing the training center. While the recruits are off base, they will be allowed to eat as much as they want, call home, and relax before beginning training again the next day.

Training Center Cape May is the Coast Guard’s only enlisted basic training program, and more than 80 percent of the service’s workforce receives basic instruction here to become Coast Guardsmen. The recruits are trained in everything from fire arm

Old American Water Co. Building in Voorhees Township Destroyed by Vandals ; Suspects Arrested

VOORHEES TOWNSHIP (Nov. 27, 2019)–On Monday, November 4th, 2019 at approximately 6:44 pm, Voorhees Patrol Officers were dispatched to 1025 Laurel Oak Road, formerly known as the American Water Company for a fire

alarm activation. Upon arrival, officers found evidence of criminal activity afoot within the recently vacated commercial facility. The on-scene investigation was turned over to Detectives from our Criminal Investigation Bureau.

This incident subsequently developed into a multi-jurisdictional effort between Voorhees Police Department and the Gloucester Twp. Police Department. As a result of this joint investigation, individuals were identified, arrested and charged accordingly.

The Voorhees Police Department announces the arrest of Miranda Ulmer (28yoa) 500 block of Erial Road, Sicklerville, NJ, Leon Dandy (35yoa) 800 block of Blackwood-Clementon Road, Pine Hill, NJ and Rahjahn Waters (24yoa) 2600 block of Kenwood Drive, Pine Hill, NJ. All were charged with 3rd-degree crimes consisting of (2) counts each of burglary, theft and criminal mischief. The estimated damage is at one million dollars. Residents are reminded to be vigilant and report ALL suspicious activity.