Community News

Dog Saves Man's Life in Jackson Mobile Home Fire

JACKSON-On Sunday morning at 03:08 am, the Whitesville & Cassville Fire Departments, along with Jackson EMS, & Jackson Police Department were dispatched to a Structure Fire at the intersection of South St, & 1st St. in Southwinds Mobile Home Park.

While enroute multiple 911 calls received reporting a working structure fire. Upon arrival Whitesville Fire Chief Dave Johnson reported a working fire, with the occupant and his pet had evacuated the home.

Whitesville, Cassville, Jackson fire departments responded with assistance from Joint Base McGuire/Dix/ Lakehurst who provided Rapid Intervention Team (RIT), and Pleasant Plains Fire Department who provided station coverage. The fire was brought under control at 04:18, with units remaining on scene until 06:30.

The cause of the fire at this time is under investigation by Jackson District 2 Fire Marshal Scott Rauch, and Ocean County Fire Marshal John Pasola.

It’s important to note, that the property owner was alerted to the fire by his dog, who jumped on his bed barking, both the owner & the dog escaped unharmed.

At 3:08am on March 5, 2017 the Jackson Police Department received a 911 call regarding a structural fire at 109 First Street. First Street is in the Southwind Mobile Home Development off East Veterans Highway. Upon officer’s arrival, the sole homeowner and his dog were already outside the residence. The homeowner indicated he emptied his ashtray into the garbage can prior to going to sleep. About an hour later, the homeowner stated he was awoken when his dog Marley jumped on his bed to get his attention. After waking, the homeowner noticed smoke in the air, an orange glow coming from the kitchen area of the mobile home and the smoke detectors alarming. The homeowner was able to exit the mobile home through a bedroom window with his dog without sustaining any injuries.

Jackson Fire Companies Station 55, 56 and 57 responded along with Jackson First Aid. The Ocean County Fire Marshall also responded and assisted with the investigation. Jackson Police Officer Javier DeLaTorre, Officer Kafton and Officer Daniels responded and assisted. A portion of the mobile home development and East Veterans Highway were closed to all traffic until approximately 6:30am.

Free Oral Cancer Screenings in Jackson

The office of Dr. Miryam Bookman and Dr. Jason Goldberg (Artistic Dental) has partnered with The Oral Cancer Foundation in honor of Oral Cancer Awareness Month and will be offering free oral cancer screenings to the public on Friday 4/14/17 from 9:00am to 2:00pm, Thursday 4/20/17 from 5:00pm to 7:30pm and Wednesday 4/26/17 from 7:00am to 2:00pm. (Please let your family and friends know as we are offering this service to anyone in the community, even if they are NOT patients of the practice.)

Oral cancer has existed outside the understanding of much of the public, yet 48,250 Americans will be newly diagnosed this year alone.  Oral cancer is not a rare disease. It kills one person every hour of every day in the US, and approximately 130 new individuals will be diagnosed each day with oral cancer. These staggering statistics make these free events crucial, as awareness of the disease and its risk factors in the US population is so low.

Dr. Bookman, Dr. Goldberg and the entire Artistic Dental family are eager to help spread oral cancer awareness.  In addition to traditional screening methods, our practice will also be using VELscope technology during the screenings.  The VELscope® Vx Enhanced Oral Assessment System centers on a handheld scope that is used by dentists to help visualize oral tissue abnormalities, including cancer and pre-cancer. Please don’t miss out on this opportunity for a free oral cancer screening.

Oral Cancer Facts:

  • 48,250 AMERICANS WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH
    ORAL CANCER THIS YEAR ALONE.
  • WORLDWIDE THE PROBLEM IS MUCH GREATER, WITH
    NEW CASES EXCEEDING 640,000 ANNUALLY.
  • THE FASTEST GROWING SEGMENT OF THE ORAL/
    OROPHARYNGEAL CANCER POPULATION, ARE
    HPV16+ YOUNG NON-SMOKERS
  • TOBACCO USE IN ALL OF ITS FORMS AND ALCOHOL
    ARE STILL MAJOR RISK FACTORS FOR ORAL CANCER

Signs and Symptoms:

  • RED AND/OR WHITE DISCOLORATIONS OF THE SOFT TISSUE OF THE MOUTH
  • ANY SORE WHICH DOES NOT HEAL WITHIN 14 DAYS
  • HOARSENESS WHICH LASTS FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD OF TIME
  • A SENSATION THAT SOMETHING IS STUCK IN YOUR THROAT WHEN SWALLOWING
  • UNEXPLAINED NUMBNESS IN THE MOUTH
  • EAR PAIN THAT OCCURS ON ONE SIDE ONLY
  • A SORE UNDER A DENTURE, WHICH EVEN AFTER ADJUSTMENT OF THE DENTURE, STILL DOES NOT HEAL
  • A LUMP OR THICKENING THAT DEVELOPS IN THE MOUTH OR ON THE NECK

http://oralcancerfoundation.org/dental/

 

Jackson Council Pulls Ordinance Targeting Orthodox Jewish Dormitories

The following is a brief recap of the February 28, 2017 Jackson Township council meeting.  A full story will follow later today.

JACKSON-When Jackson Township Council President Ken Bressi proposed a township wide ban on dormitories in his town, it was clear to everyone what the goal of that ordinance was and who the targets were.

In nearby Lakewood Township, home to Beth Medrash Govoha, one of the world’s largest Orthodox Jewish Yeshivas, most Jewish students live in dormitories, but some, in makeshift dormitories, sometimes in homes located in residential areas of the township.   Even though Jackson Township’s border is nearly 5 miles from the BMG campus, out of the required walking distance of the university, the township proposed the ban on dormitories.

These dormitories became a local spotlight in January when a fire at a makeshift Lakewood dormitory displaced 50 students.

Many in Jackson’s Orthodox community felt the ban on dormitories was a moot point since none currently exist and the likelihood of Yeshiva dormitories in the town is very low.  They felt the proposed law was simply another ordinance targeting members of their faith unfairly.

In the past, members of Jackson’s Orthodox community had approached the township council to offer advice and feedback, to work together to craft sensible ordinances that would help maintain the quality of life in town in a manner that would not be seen as a continued crackdown against members of their faith.  Those community leaders said their offer to support the council’s effort to maintain quality of life standards were flatly rejected.

On Tuesday night, as the township council was poised to pass the ordinance, an obvious effort to curb the growth and migration of the growing Orthodox Jewish population, they were met with with an audience of nearly two hundred Orthodox Jewish men who came to protest the action.

Upon seeing the large gathered crowd, the council quickly suspended their regular public business meeting and entered a private executive session, a rare action for the 5 member all-Republican board.

After a few minutes, the council returned to the public meeting and announced it would not be voting on the ordinance and it needed further legal and planning board review, admitting flaws in the manner in which the ordinance was proposed, reviewed and introduced.

The basic rundown…

  • A lawyer representing the Jewish community in town told the council it was one of the most anti-Semitic ordinances he has ever seen.
  • Orthodox Jewish Jackson resident called the Jackson Township council anti-semitic and alt-right fascists.
  • Orthodox Jews in Jackson are upset that the Jackson council has passed numerous ordinance aimed at curbing their growing population in town.
  • Previously, a no-knock ordinance, realtor realtor canvassing laws, a prohibition on trailers and a landlord registration law have all been aimed at slowing down the growth of the Orthodox population in the town.
  • At the first reading of the ordinance, the Jackson council was asked if the ban on dormitories also covered drug recovery homes, nursing homes, halfway houses or the dormitory facilities in the Cassville section of town. The council said it does not.
  • Jackson’s anti-dormitory law was the first such law that could be found anywhere in the United States, raising concerns about constitutionality.
  • The lawyer representing the Orthodox community declared the law an unconstitutional law that is meant to unfairly target the Orthodox Jewish community.
  • The lawyer representing the Orthodox community has already successfully tried and won cases targeting the Orthodox communities in Howell, Toms River and Ocean Township.
  • Many township residents were upset that the township council pulled the ordinance in the face of opposition.
  • Opposition to Jewish growth in town has been mounting over the years through groups such as Jackson Strong who have expressed vocally their dislikes for the rapid growth in town.
  • Despite the setback, the township council will reintroduce a the ordinance on March 14th.
  • Orthodox residents told the Jackson council at the meeting that they wish to maintain the quality of life in Jackson and commended the Jackson zoning board for being strong and said the town should have more faith in the zoning board’s ability to govern development.

The fundamental problem with the ordinance is that no such ordinance has ever been proposed anywhere in the United States.

This story is being published under Creative Commons and may be reproduced and republished without permission or consent of the author.  Attribution/No additional restrictions.

Health Department Sponsors Drunk Driving Awareness at Ocean County Mall

Calleigh McGinley, a senior at Toms River HS North and the president of S.A.D.D. (Students Against Destructive Decisions), navigates a driving course with goggles that simulate the effects of drinking and driving. The Ocean County Health Department sponsored “The 3 D’s: Drinking, Drugging and Driving” to promote awareness of the consequences of driving under the influence.

Brick Snow Corps Debuts in February 9th Storm to Shovel Out Those in Need

Submitted by Brick Township

Brick-The Brick Township Snow Corps was called up for the first time this month, during the February 9th snow storm. Following the storm, Mayor Ducey paid a visit to a few of the people who received much-needed assistance, who talked about how crucial it was for them to have help clearing their cars and driveways. The visits also gave him an opportunity to thank the volunteers personally for their service.

Thank you to the Repage Family, Jason Carey and all the other volunteers for your service and dedication to the program!

TRFC Team Raise Money for Injured Toms River Police Officer

by Ralph Stocco, TRPD

TOMS RIVER-Local youth raise money for injured police officer: A special thank you goes out to Toms River Football Club. TRFC “Hulk” traded goals with TRFC “Dempsey” this weekend as a charity event. The boys played these games outside of their regular schedule to show support for Officer Brett Hansen who was recently injured in an off duty motor vehicle crash. Great job guys and thank you from all of us here at TRPD.