Somers Point Green Thumb Garden Club Meeting

Somers Point Garden Club will discuss the region\’s flowers at an upcoming meeting.

SOMERS POINT, NJ–Shake off the winter doldrums while discovering the “Hidden Beauties of South Jersey and Where to Find Them.”

William Reinert, past department head of Atlantic Country Public Works with 35 years in Mosquito Control, will share and discuss photos of the region at the meeting Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. in the Somers Point Senior Center located at Massachusetts Avenue and Ambler Road.

All are welcome to the event hosted by the Green Thumb Garden Club of Somers Point.

For more information call Sally at (609) 927-4147.

Mays Landing Man Pleads Guilty to Murder of 17-Year-Old

MAYS LANDING- An Atlantic City man has pleaded guilty in connection to the Aug. 9, 2018, fatal shooting of a 17 year-old male, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner announced.

On Jan. 31, 2020, Rahsaad Norwood, 22, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter before the Honorable Bernard Delury, Jr. P.J. Cr

, for fatally shooting a 17 year-old male (M.M.) outside of the Carolina Apartment complex in Atlantic City on August 9, 2018 in broad daylight.

Norwood’s guilty plea calls for 25 years in New Jersey State Prison subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA) with an 85% period of parole ineligibility. Norwood’s sentencing date is scheduled for March 12, 2020.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit responded to 141 N. Tennessee Ave., Atlantic City, at 1 p.m., on Aug. 9, 2018, for the investigation of the shooting of a male. The investigation is a cooperative effort between ACPO Major Crimes Unit and the Atlantic City Police Department.

Assistant Prosecutor Erika Halayko represents the state in this matter.

Down The Shore: ACUA Employees Among Top Donors in Charitable Campaign

SOMERS POINT,NJ–The New Jersey Employees Charitable Campaign has announced that employees of the Atlantic County Utilities Authority were the second highest contributor, behind Rutgers University, to the NJECC.

ACUA employees donate nearly $58,000 during the statewide N.J. Employees Charitable Campaign. (Photo courtesy ACUA)

ACUA employees collectively raised $57,908 for their charities of choice and are vested in bettering the communities they serve, according to a press release.

“As an organization with less than 250 employees, this is a testament to the generosity of our remarkable team,” ACUA President Rick Dovey said in the release. “Our employees are proud to serve our communities every day through their work, and their personal donations speak volumes to the type of workforce we are thankful to employ.”

Every year, ACUA employees from across all departments are invited to participate in the NJECC, which allows state and local municipal employees to contribute to a variety of charities through payroll deduction.

The NJECC is among the many charitable causes ACUA employees champion each year. The news of their successful campaign comes off the heels of a recent visit to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey Southern Branch, where employees helped to organize donations.

$200,000 Safe Streets to Transit Grant Awarded to Somers Point

AVALON, NJ–Gov. Phil Murphy announced the award of a $200,000 Safe Streets to Transit Grant to Somers Point. This is one of only four grants awarded

Somers Point receives state funding to install sidewalks along Route 9 between Laurel Drive and Somers Point-Mays Landing Road.

throughout the state.

This grant, plus a $200,000 NJDOT grant received in 2018, will allow the city to construct sidewalks along Route 9 between Laurel Drive and Somers Point-Mays Landing Road.

“This sidewalk project has been a high priority for the city,” Mayor Jack Glasser said. “Now, we will have a safer walkway connecting the neighborhoods of the Somers Point-Mays Landing Road area to important destinations to the north of Laurel Drive, including Jordon Road Elementary School.”

The project is being fast-tracked and the city plans to start construction this spring, according to a press release.

“In a state as densely populated as New Jersey, it is important that we encourage the use of alternate forms of transportation, such as biking or public transportation. These grants support biking, walking, and mass transit programs designed to help drive better health and environmental outcomes that make New Jersey a more livable state,” Murphy said in the release.

This is not the first grant that Somers Point has received recently to improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.

A $1.75 million NJDOT grant has been awarded to the city to widen and enhance the Somers Point Bike Path from the Linwood border to the Route 52 Causeway.

This very popular bike path will be widened up to 14 feet, new decorative, energy efficient LED lights will be installed, bike racks will be added and flashing beacons will be placed at high-traffic crossings.

Also, the city has secured a $130,000 NJDOT grant to create bike lanes on Somers Point-Mays Landing Road, a county road, between Route 52 and Route 9.

Rutala Associates, a local planning firm, played a key role in obtaining the NJDOT grants on the city’s behalf.

“The Route 52 Causeway is constantly being used for biking and walking and our bike path connects all the city’s points of interest, including the schools and parks. We are striving to make Somers Point the ‘Bikeway Hub of South Jersey,\’” Glasser said.

A state-funded Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan was developed for Somers Point in 2014. The plan has been used to leverage these and other grants to make the bikeway network safer.

“The Department of Transportation does much more than just maintain roads and bridges,” New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said. “Our Local Aid grants, including the Bikeways and Safe Streets to Transit programs, provide funding to communities that develop projects to improve the quality of life for our residents and visitors to our state.”

Somers Point was also one of only three municipalities in New Jersey to be awarded a Bikeway Grant in 2019. This $130,000 grant will fund the addition of bike lanes along Somers Point-Mays Landing Road between Route 52 and Route 9.

“With the growth in biking throughout the region, these improvements will provide yet another reason for people to reside in and frequently visit Somers Point,” Glasser said. “All these projects will be completed by this summer.”

The city is also urging NJDOT and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority to complete yet another bike and pedestrian path – one that will connect Somers Point to Upper Township over the new Garden State Parkway bridge.

The city is committed to making sure that there is a safe connection between the existing bike paths and the new bridge, according to the release.

Plans call for improvements to the intersection of Route 9 and Somers Point-Mays Landing Road, a bike path on the south side of Route 9 and a bridge to take bikers safely over the Parkway exit ramp and onto the Parkway bridge.

A crowd attended a state public hearing in January 2019 to show support for the bike connection, but the state has yet to start construction on the project.

Down The Shore: A.C. Man Indicted for Killing Youngster at Pleasantville Football Game

MAYS LANDING (February, 2020)– A 31 year-old Atlantic City man has been indicted for murder and other charges in connection to the fatal shooting of a 10 year-old boy, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner announced.

Tuesday, an Atlantic County grand jury returned an indictment against Alvin Wyatt for the following charges in the death of 10 year-old Micah Tennant who was shot at the Pleasantville-Camden High School football game in Pleasantville on Nov. 15, 2019:

• Murder

• 2 counts of Attempted Murder

• Unlawful Possession of a Weapon

• Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose

Wyatt was initially charged with the shooting which struck 1 adult and 2 juveniles.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, Pleasantville Police Department, Absecon Police Department, Atlantic City Police Department, ATF, Atlantic County Sheriff’s Department and Stockton Police Department were all instrumental in the investigation.

Chief Assistant Prosecutor Seth Levy represents the state in the matter.

***These charges are merely an accusation and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases, a charged defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ***

Mays Landing Resident Arrested on Child Porn Charges

Cape May Court House, New Jersey (February 9, 2020)- Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland and New Jersey State Police Colonel Patrick J. Callahan announce the arrest of Richard Hoffman, 24 years old of Mays Landing, New Jersey, on first degree Child Pornography charges.

This investigation is the result of information received from the September 2018 \”Operation Open House\” in Toms River, New Jersey which was conducted by the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. During \”Operation Open House,\” Hoffman was arrested for Luring after chatting with an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old female. Subsequently, additional victims of Hoffman were identified and another investigation was initiated involving the New Jersey State Police and the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office. The teenage victim of this investigation resides in the Villas section of Lower Township.

As a result of this investigation, earlier today members of the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, New Jersey State Police, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Hamilton Township Police Department arrested Hoffman at his residence in Mays Landing, New Jersey. Hoffman was charged with Manufacturing Child Pornography, a crime of the first degree; Possession of Child Pornography, a crime of the third; Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a crime of the third degree; Criminal Sexual Contact, a crime of the fourth degree; two counts of Sexual Assault, crimes of the second degree; and Witness Tampering, a crime of the third degree.

Hoffman was lodged in the Cape May County Correctional Facility pending Court proceedings.

Prosecutor Sutherland would like to recognize Homeland Security Investigations, Atlantic City Office; the Hamilton Township Police Department; and the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, for their assistance in this investigation. This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and the entire New Jersey State Police ICAC Task Force to identify and prosecute those involved in victimizing children.

Prosecutor Sutherland continues to urge the citizens of Cape May County to report any information regarding child exploitation, child abuse, or any criminal activity within the community and that information can be reported anonymously to the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-465-1135 or text anonymously through the Cape May County Sheriff’s Tip Line at cmcsheriff.net and click on the anonymous tip.

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

Atlantic City Electric Customers Continue to Experience Improvements in Energy Service

Continued modernization of the energy grid playing major role in improving service performance

MAYS LANDING, N.J.

(Feb. 6, 2020) – Atlantic City Electric customers across South Jersey are continuing to experience improvements in the reliability of their energy service, a result of Atlantic City Electric’s ongoing efforts to modernize the local energy grid. During the past five years, energy system upgrades and new innovative technologies have driven a 22 percent decrease in the frequency of electric outages customers experienced.

The frequency of outages and the average duration of outages in 2019 remained some of the company’s lowest ever. Last year, customers experienced less than one outage, on average, over the course of the year, and if service was interrupted, crews were able to safely restore service in just 86 minutes, on average, in 2019.

“The unwavering commitment our employees have to providing the best possible service for our customers is key to our repeated success,” said Tyler Anthony, senior vice president & COO, Pepco Holdings, which includes Atlantic City Electric. “Through their hard work, and our integration of advanced technologies and industry best practices, we continue to meet our customers evolving energy needs and be a leader in the delivery of clean, safe and reliable energy.”

Atlantic City Electric received PA Consulting\’s 2019 ReliabilityOne™ Most Improved Utility Award for efforts to modernize the local energy grid and deliver more reliable service for its customers. This is the second consecutive year PA Consulting recognized Atlantic City Electric\’s service reliability, providing the company with its ReliabilityOne™ Outstanding Midsize Utility Award in 2018.

Each day, work is performed as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to further improve reliability for customers. This work includes inspecting existing infrastructure, trimming trees that could potentially impact the system,building new substations, building new underground equipment, strengthening transmission and distribution lines, and installing stronger, tree-resistant aerial cable. The company also is installing innovative technologies to improve system reliability, such as specialized equipment that can automatically restore service more quickly or isolate damage. These new technologies have been a main driver behind the continued drop in the frequency of outages customers experience.

In 2019, Atlantic City Electric completed several key projects to help modernize the energy grid and enhance reliability for customers. These projects included:

Monroe to Tansboro Transmission Line Upgrades

– Upgraded more than 8 miles of existing electric transmission line in portions of Winslow and Monroe townships which included state-of-the-art steel utility poles, among other upgrades, to improve service for more than 83,000 customers in Camden and Gloucester counties.

Orchard to Lewis Substation and Transmission Line Upgrades

– Completed 41 miles of transmission system upgrades and substation enhancements across five counties and 13 municipalities, improving service to more than half of the company’s 560,000 customers from Atlantic to Salem counties.

Rio Grande Substation Rebuild

– Upgraded an existing substation with new electric equipment including three new transformers, animal guarding and other enhancements to benefit thousands of customers in Middle and Lower townships in Cape May County. Orchard to Lewis Substation and Transmission Line Upgrades Orchard to Lewis Substation and Transmission Line Upgrades

In 2020, Atlantic City Electric will perform work on several major projects as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to enhance reliability and modernize the local energy grid, all to provide customers with the reliable energy service they have come to expect. Some of these projects include:

Atlantic City/Brigantine Community Reliability Project

– Modernizing an existing substation and rebuilding two critical transmission lines between Atlantic City and Brigantine to strengthen the local energy infrastructure against more extreme weather and improve reliability for local customers.

PowerAhead Grid Resiliency Initiative

– Continuing to perform strategic reliability enhancement work across portions of the company’s service area to modernize and enhance energy infrastructure in areas that have experienced outages during severe storms.

Atlantic City Electric also continues to share best practices for managing the local energy grid and responding to outages with its Exelon sister companies, BGE in Baltimore, ComEd in Chicago, Delmarva Power in Delaware, PECO in Philadelphia, and Pepco in Washington, D.C

Readers are encouraged to visit

The Source

Atlantic City Electric’s online news room. For more information about Atlantic City Electric, visit

atlanticcityelectric.com

. Follow the company on Facebook at

facebook.com/atlanticcityelectric

and on Twitter at

twitter.com/acelecconnect

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FACE OF DEFENSE: Coast Guard Rescues 4 Fishermen in Rough Seas (Video)

U.S. Coast Guard District 5 North

An aircrew aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina hoists four fishermen who ran aground near Shackelford Banks, North Carolina, February. 7, 2020. A crew member reported that they had become disabled due to fuel issues, then ran aground and began taking on water.

(U.S. Coast Guard video by Air Station Elizabeth City.)

WILMINGTON, N.C.- The Coast Guard rescued four men after their 78-foot fishing vessel ran aground near Shackelford Banks, North Carolina, Friday morning.

Watch standers at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina’s command center received a radio distress call at approximately 3:30 a.m from a crew member aboard the vessel Tamara Alane, who reported that they had become disabled due to fuel issues, then ran aground and began taking on water.

The crew members asked to be removed from the vessel due to harsh weather conditions.

An aircrew aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City launched to assist.

Once on scene, the aircrew hoisted the four crew members and transported them to Michael J. Smith Airport in Beaufort.

There were no reported injuries or visible signs of pollution. The Coast Guard will continue to monitor the situation and salvage operations.

“The fishermen did the right thing by calling us as soon as possible,” said Chief Warrant Officer Kristen Auer, command duty officer at the Sector North Carolina command center.“With the deteriorating weather conditions, the situation could have gone from bad to worse.”

SOURCE US Coast Guard

FACE OF DEFENSE

Fire Destroys 70 Units at Somers Point Self-Storage Facility

mvitale

January 30, 2020/

Homepage

Firefighters put out hot spots Thursday afternoon at Sure Storage in Somers Point. (Photos courtesy Somers Point Fire Chief Jim Somers)

By MADDY VITALE

An early morning fire Thursday tore through a self-storage facility, Sure Storage, at 5 Chestnut Street, causing an explosion and the loss of about 70 storage units, Somers Point Fire Chief Jim Somers said.

“It looked like it started in one unit and spread quickly. It didn’t take much. It was really hot,” Somers said in an interview with SomersPoint.com, describing one of the buildings taken down to charred metal.

There were no reported injuries in the 4:22 a.m. fire.

“We did have an explosion on the second floor,” Somers said. “Thank God no one was in the building at the time.”

By 10:50 a.m., with the help of about 10 to 12 fire companies and about 75 firefighters, the massive blaze was under control, Somers explained.

“There were still a lot of hot spots and a massive cleanup,” he added.

Somers attributed the safe extinguishment of the fire to the professional and quick actions of the firefighters.

“Everybody worked hard. Our guys are well-trained. Nobody was standing around. Not only did we have heavy fires of the units, but we had to cut the doors open,” Somers said. “It was a lot of work to get to the fires.”

The fire was fought from the exterior. It was too dangerous to enter the building, he said.

“The building was too compromised, so it was more of a defensive operation — surround it and drown it,” he said. “We had to call in a backhoe to rip off the outer sheeting of the second floor to get in there.”

The New Jersey Division of Fire Safety was on scene Thursday afternoon to investigate the cause of the fire.

“They are taking care of the investigation. They got it down to where the fire started,” Somers explained.

Although the cause has yet to be determined, Somers pointed out, “People put stuff in there they aren’t supposed to.”

Somers Point Mayor Jack Glasser said in an interview that he arrived at the scene early and saw firsthand how hard the firefighters worked to put out the blaze.

“I was there this morning, I’m very grateful to our fire department and the departments from the surrounding towns that responded and helped fight this fire,” Glasser said. “Our emergency management, police and Egg Harbor Township Rescue Squad all did an outstanding job working together to contain this fire. As the mayor, I am very proud and thankful to all.”

In addition to Somers Point Fire Companies No. 1 and No. 2, there were multiple fire departments that assisted, including from Linwood, Northfield and Egg Harbor Township.

About 75 firefighters work together to get the fire under control.

SOURCE SOMERS POINT

Authorities Investigate Bias Incident in Swainton

Cape May Court House, New Jersey (February 4, 2020)– Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland announces the Middle Township Police Department reported a racial, white supremacist slur was discovered on January 31, 2020, painted on a telephone pole, located on a utility power access road, in the Swainton neighborhood of Middle Township.

Middle Township Police took immediate steps to remove/obscure the racist slur. The public creation/display of such a racial slur is known as a “bias incident”; which is defined as a negative act which occurs to a person, private property or public property on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, national origin or ethnicity.

New Jersey has a specific bias crime criminal statute that provides that a “person is guilty of a crime of bias intimidation if he commits, attempts to commit, conspires to commit, or threatens the immediate commission of …” certain criminal offenses (.e.- theft, assault, property damage, homicide, etc.) “with the purpose to intimidate an individual or group of individuals because of race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or ethnicity”. As of now, the racial slur that was found in Swainton is considered a “bias incident” although there is an ongoing investigation. It is important that any bias incident is reported to local law enforcement even if you do not believe it was a “bias crime”.

Chief of Detectives Paul Skill of the Cape May County Prosecutor’s office states; “We have zero tolerance for bias crimes in Cape May County. Law enforcement needs to know about any such incident (whether or not it is a crime) to first make sure that any victim’s needs are addressed, to assure the public that law enforcement will act when there is any bias incident or crime and that any perpetrators are found and criminal charged.”

County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland states; “We need to know about any bias incidents to provide law enforcement with an accurate picture of activities that even if they are not currently a crime – they could lead to crimes in the future; or be evidence of hate groups in our community or being organized in our community and planning or engaged in potential bias crimes.”

If you are a victim of or witness a bias incident or bias crime in Cape May County report the incident to your local police by dialing 911, or contacting the Cape May County Prosecutor’s office (609) 465-1135, ex. 3331 or the New Jersey Department of Criminal Justice Bias Crime Tip line (800) 277-BIAS(2427).