Local News

An Edison cop is arrested, accused of firebombing the home of his captain in Monroe

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:09:00 GMT

An Edison police officer has been arrested for allegedly setting fire to the Monroe home of his police captain and his family. The Middlesex County prosecutor and Monroe Township police say Officer Michael Dotro was charged Thursday with aggravated arson and five counts of attempted murder for a Monday fire at the Monroe Township home of Edison Police Capt. Mark Anderko. Anderko, his wife, two children and 92-year-old mother were home at the time of the fire, but weren't injured. Officials say an investigation determined the fire had been intentionally set and caused extensive damage to the two-story, colonial-style home. The 35-year-old Dotro, of Manalapan, who has been an Edison police officer for nine years, was being held on $5 million bail. It wasn't clear Thursday if he had an attorney.

The son of South Brunswick car dealer Brad Benson is arraigned on a wide range of charges connected to a hit-and-run

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:07:00 GMT

The 21-year-old son of South Brunswick car dealer and Super Bowl champion Brad Benson has been indicted on charges related to a confrontation that resulted in a Raritan Township man being hospitalized with a fractured skull and other injuries in March. Clint Benson of Hillsborough is charged with aggravated assault, assault by auto, endangering an injured victim, possession of a weapon (his truck) for an unlawful purpose and possession of hollow-point bullets. Based on witness accounts, Somerset County authorities charged Clint Benson rammed his pickup truck into 23-year-old Richard Lachner as he walked away in the early morning hours of March 17th. Moments earlier, Lachner had contronted Benson about recklessly driving his truck thru the parking lot of the Neshanic Inn in Branchburg. Benson also was charged with drunken driving, with a blood-alcohol level of .20 percent, two-and-a-half-times the legal limit of .08 percent. Police also seized 50 22-caliber hollow-point bullets from Benson's truck.

The Jersey Shore is mostly ready for Summer, just as they said it would be

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:30:00 GMT

Soon after Superstorm Sandy hit, business owners and local officials at the Jersey Shore promised they'd be back. Some people believed it, some people didn't. But now, with Memorial Day weekend here, there Shore indeed is back, with most attractions ready for visitors. Of course, as always, the key will be the weather. Today, WCTC's Mike Pavllichko wraps up his five-part series: "Summer at the Shore - After Sandy."

     Various polls of New Jerseyans and people in neighboring states all showed the same thing in the last couple of weeks: they thought the Shore would be open for business, a mere seven months after the worst natural disaster in the Garden State's history. So, where are we now? What's open?
     Keansburg Amusement Park got socked, but they opened in time for Easter. The Seaside Heights boardwalk was opened in stages over the last several weeks, and now is open top to bottom. Asbury Park's boardwalk opened last Saturday, and among those opening this week were those in Lavalette and Belmar. Popular nightspots like D'Jais in Belmar and Leggett's Sand Bar in Manasquan are open, too. Shore resorts further south saw little damage, so you can expect everything to look like it always did in places like the Wildwoods, Ocean City, and Atlantic City.
     A recent AAA survey looked at people's travel plans for the summer, and a vast majority - 79-percent - said Sandy did not change their travel plans. "Some people are finding different ways," explains Spokeswoman Cathleen Lewis. "There was a decrease in the amount of people who are spending a whole summer there, or who are spending a couple of weeks at the shore. But there was an increase in the nujmber of people who are going to take some daytrips."
     Lewis says some people even said they'd visit the Shore more this year, to support the businesses wrecked by Sandy. Even though places like Seaside will have fewer rides, with Funtown Pier hoping to open next year, and Casino Pier only half-open.
     But New Jerseyans can be brash, and one of the new rides on Casino Pier this year embodies that spirit. It's a pendulum ride, that swings back and forth, higher and higher each time. It's called "Super Storm."

Fingers are crossed for the beaches...

     The rental market is appears strong. The boardwalks, arcades and restaurants will be open this Memorial Day weekend. But seven months after Sandy, will it be okay to go in the water this summer at the Jersey Shore? Everyone's crossing their fingers, as we hear from WCTC's Mike Pavlichko in his continuing series, "Summer at the Shore - After Sandy."
     Everyone saw the pictures of homes washed away by Superstorm Sandy, and of those that remained, their contents being swept out to sea or into the back bays. So where did all that stuff go? New Jersey DEP Spokesman Larry Hajna says state contractors have removed more than 30,000 cubic yards of debris from waterways since early March thorugh nearly every means possible, including sonar. "The municipalities have thoroughly raked the beaches," says Hajna. "They've evaluated them and took a lot of steps to make sure there's no debris on the beaches. We've been doing surveillance flights going up-and-down the coast."
   Hajna says it's still a good idea to exercise caution, noting any Nor'easter or more common big storm could wash debris up on the shore, not just debris from Sandy. Lindsay McNamara of the watchdog group New Jersey Clean Ocean Action says things will only get better. "I think as towns continue to clean up and clean out and rake their beaches and get volunteers out there, the conditions will improve," says McNamara. "The quality of the water is fairly clean, though, and will only get better with time."
     And a new poll out this week by the New Jersey AAA finds most people aren't worried about the water: 75% believe the Atlantic Ocean and the various bays are safe for swimming.

There will plenty of vacationers...

     Nobody really knew what to expect in the real estate market this summer. Some places didn't take too big a hit, others got socked. Dennis Iannacone - owner of Royal Sands Realty in Ortley Beach - says nearby Seaside Heights mainly saw residential damage limited to smaller cottages. "However, in Ortley Beach," says Iannacone, "it seems that Sandy had it in for that town. Right now out of the 60 units that I normally rent out, not one of them is available."
     With most of the damage up north, other places like Atlantic City, Ocean City, the Wildwoods and Cape May were generally spared serious damage from Sandy. But Chris Henderson - owner of her namesake real estate agency in Wildwood - says there are some wild misconceptions out there.
     "A lot of people, especially Canadians," says Henderson, "were under the impression that the entire Jersey Shore was destroyed. We were totally fine here. The water came up tot he bulkheads in Wildwood Crest but never came over. There was never any damage to any of the hotels, motels, condos, or anything."
   Some agents in the Wildwood and Ocean City area say they thought those communities would see greater demand since rentals in hard-hit area wouldn't be available. While that didn't materialize early on, some say there's more interest since many people have seen concrete evidence of the Shore's recovery. And generally, they say the price of rentals has not gone up, despite there being less housing stock to rent.

Here's a look at some other popular Jersey Shore destinations for Central Jerseyans:

Point Pleasant...

    "Restore the Shore" has been the slogan in New Jersey for the last several months since Superstorm Sandy hit, but as it turns out, they didn't have to do too much restoring in Point Pleasant. There, the hope is for a strong showing over the next couple of months, as WCTC's Mike Pavlichko found out in the second installment of his five-part series "Summer at the Shore -- After Sandy."
     While the Boardwalk at Seaside Heights and the amusement piers over the ocean looked like a war zone following Sandy, that wasn't the case in Point Pleasant. Though Mantoloking and Bay Head to the south suffered heavy residential damage, a much bigger beach area protected Point Pleasant. There was SOME boardwalk damage, but that's long been fixed. The one exception? Popular nightspot Martell's Tiki Bar... which was wiped out by the storm. Closed for two or three months, they eventually rebuilt. Manager Ed Brannagan says social media has helped spread the word that Martell's - and the rest of Point Pleasant - is open for business.
     "I would put pictures up of our rebuilding," says Brannagan, "and within a day I'd have two-, three-thousand comments on them, which gave me some good insight because people wanted to see this. They wanted to make sure we were going to be back. It was kind of an incentive to get everything done.
     Most of the boardwalk and amusements in Point Pleasant are owned by Jenkinson's. Spokeswoman Toby Wolf says with everything open - rides, restaurants, arcades, mini golf, and the aquarium - the main concern is what it is every year - the weather. "The weather determines every year," says Wolf. "No matter what we do, Mother Nature has us in her little grip.
     Wolf says if the season is off this year, it'll likely be because of the weather, AND the fact that the rental market is down, because many homes - mostly in neighboring towns like Mantoloking and Bay Head - were badly damaged.

Seaside Heights...

   Seaside Heights was the worst-hit resort down the Shore. The boardwalk was ripped up, and the Jet Star rollercoaster was sitting in the Atlantic Ocean. It's gone now, having been demolished last week. Mayor Bill Akers put on the brave face at first, but says he had major doubts Seaside would be ready for Memorial Day weekend. But, he says he soon realized, there was no other choice.
     "That's the only way they make their living," says Akers. "If they don't open their doors, they can't pay their bills. So, the incentive is great for them to be open. And I think they will meat those deadlines and be open the same as Seaside Heights will."
     Akers believes people will come. When the southern part of the boardwalk - the most popular part - opened a few weekends ago, he says thousands came to check it out. "I know they want to come here," says Akers, "but at the same time, we need the cooperation of the weather. And we need to do what we need to do, meaning that if we say we're going to be open, we need to be accountable to those dates and make sure that we are open."
   Akers estimates about 85% of businesses will be open this weekend. Although Casino Pier will only have about 15 rides, and those on Funtown Pier won't open until 2014, plenty of familiar faces remain: Breakwater Beach, Coin Castle, the Aztec Grille, and Lucky Leo's arcade. Leo's actually re-opened six weeks after Sandy, in December. All they had was a flooded basement. Manager Kelly Whalen says the more places that are open, the better for everyone.
     "Not even prentending for one minute that we're not rooting for every single business," says Whalen. "Beacsue being open by yourself was really cool for two weeks. And that was it."

Governor Christie says Oklahoma tornado victims deserve aid as soon as possible

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:33:00 GMT

Governor Christie says now is "not a time for political retribution" against the people of Oklahoma victimized by a powerful tornado. The governor on Wednesday urged lawmakers in Washington to support "swift and immediate" aid to tornado victims, even though Oklahoma's two Republican senators voted against bills sending $60 billion in federal aid to victims of Superstorm Sandy, mostly in New Jersey. Sens. Tom Coburn and James Inhofe were among 36 senators to vote no on the aid package. Christie says two wrongs don't make a right. Christie spoke in Belmar at the official re-opening of the town's boardwalk. The shore town was the first Christie visited after Sandy, landing a helicopter in a sand-strewn street. The borough's 1.3-mile boardwalk was destroyed.

Gas prices are up a bit in Central Jersey this Memorial Day weekend, but plenty are expected to travel by car anyway

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT

Gas prices saw a small rise in Central Jersey as we head into Memorial Day weekend, but they're still cheaper than a year ago. Regular is 16-cents less than it was in 2012 at this time. Here are the Central Jersey and AAA national averages for the week ending May 24:

     Regular: Central Jersey: $3.34, up 2-cents; national average: $3.66, up 6-cents
     Mid-grade: Central Jersey: $3.58, up 1-cent; national average: $3.83, up 6-cents
      Premium: Central Jersey: $3.74, up 2-cents; national average: $3.98, up 6-cents

WCTC's survey includes the same ten gas stations each week along Route 1 and Route 27 in Edison, Franklin, New Burnswick, North Brunswick and South Brunswick. AAA nationa average can be found here.

   Despite that, it might be a good idea to "pack some patience" if you're headed out on New Jersey's highways this Memorial Day weekend, particularly Friday afternoon. The New Jersey AAA says while overall travel by Garden State residents is expected to drop six-tenths of a percent to nearly 913,729, automobile travel is expected to remain the same: 828,643. But spokeswoman Cathleen Lewis says sometimes in New Jersey, the numbers under-represent who's vacationing over Memorial Day weekend.
     "AAA numbers are predicated upon people traveling 50 miles or more," explains Lewis. "Well, we all know you don't have to drive 50 miles to get to the best vacation spots, which is the Jersey Shore for most folks. So even if they're not captured in this poll, a lot of people will be getting out there."
     But they won't be doing it as much by plane. Air travel by New Jerseyans is expected to be down almost 7% from last Memorial Day weekend.
   Meanwhile, the state's toll roads are expecting fairly stable travel numbers as well. The Turnpike Authority expects about a one-percent increase from last year to 3.6 million vehicles on the Turnpike, while the Parkway is expected to remain flat with 8.1 million vehicles traveling. Spokesman Tom Feeney says all construction will be halted this weekend to cut down on congestion.

A Monmouth County man is accused of defrauding FEMA in the wake of Superstorm Sandy

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:36:00 GMT

Authorities have accused a New Jersey man of swindling more than $12,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency after Superstorm Sandy. Prosecutors say 51-year-old William Nagle of Sea Bright used the money to pay for 68 nights of lodging even though he could have lived in his third-floor apartment. Prosecutors say Nagle's unit was temporarily uninhabitable after Sandy caused flooding and interrupted utilities to the building. But tenants were allowed back on Dec. 29, 2012. Authorities say Nagle stayed at various hotels between Jan. 14 and March 23. Nagle is charged with theft by deception. His arrest was made by Monmouth County's Superstorm Sandy Fraud Task Force.

29 New Jersey bars and restaurants are accused of cheating patrons

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:24:00 GMT

State officials have seized inventory and demanded records from 29 bars and restaurants from around New Jersey who allegedly sold low-quality products to patrons who thought they were buying premium brands. Dubbed "Operation Swill," the year-long investigation was conducted by the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division. The seizures announced Wednesday were done with the assistance of the state's Criminal Justice Division. In Middlesex County, targeted locations were the Brunswick Grove in East Brunswick, AND the TGI Fridays in Old Bridge, North Brunswick and Piscataway. In Somerset County, it was the Ruby Tuesday in Bridgewater. Officials say the establishments allegedly filled premium brand bottles with non-premium brands in an effort to fool customers and increase their profits. The customer paid for the premium brand, but was instead, unbeknownst to the customer, poured the non-premium brand. The enforcement action was executed by more than 100 state investigators. It stems from citizen complaints, confidential informants, and new technology used to test samples taken covertly from the establishments.

The feds charge a Woodbridge trainer with steroid distribution

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:46:00 GMT

A Woodbridge man is set to be released on bail after being charged with running a nationwide network that distributed illegal steroids. Richard Gray of Port Reading was charged in federal court with conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark says a routine inspection by Customs and Border Protection agents last month revealed a package from China containing illegal steroids. Agents traced the package to Gray. Prosecutors say a search of his home uncovered about 89,000 pills and thousands of steroids in liquid form. Agents also allegedly found shipping labels, packing materials and Western Union receipts. A judge in Newark allowed the 60-year-old Gray to post $50,000 bail Wednesday.

The MVC has announced changes for renewals of handicap placards and license plates

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:26:00 GMT

Motor Vehicle Commission Chief Ray Martinez has announced changes aimed at making it easier for disabled people to find handicap parking spaces, doing so with local law enforcement Wednesday morning at Bridgewater Commons. The effort is aimed at cutting down on fraud, or at the very least, those who take advantage of the special parking privilege a little longer than they should. The change means those who currently re-apply every five years for a new wheelchair symbol placard or license plate will have to do so every three years starting August 1, getting re-certification from a qualified medical professional, and indicating the disability still exists. For those who already have the placards or plates, they won't need to renew until their expiration date, but will do it every three years after that. You can find out more at www.njmvc.gov.

St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick is urging safety out in the sun with a skin cancer event Friday

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:03:00 GMT

There may not be much summer-like weather in store this Memorial Day weekend - even at the Shore - but St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick is urging people to think about their skin - and not getting a tan - at a special event in New Brunswick today. "Don't Fry Day" is being held from 12 to 2:30 pm, and features the Derma Scan machine. Community Mobile Health Services Director Marge Drozd says it'll show where your skin is damaged from too much sun.
Drozd says there's no such thing as a "healthy-looking tan," adding that any time your skin gets darker, that's damage from the sun. Whenever you're in the sun for a prolonged period of time, she says adults should use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. Children should use SPF 50 or higher.