THE HOWELL
Vol. 13 - No. 36
I N T HIS W EEK ’ S E DITION
TIMES
Your FREE Weekly Hometown Newspaper For Howell, Farmingdale, Ramtown and Freehold
Community News! Don’t miss what’s happening in your town. Pages 7-10.
Howell MS South Takes Top Spot For Food Bank Efforts
Fun Page Page 14.
Wolfgang Puck Renew Your New Year’s Resolution With A Healthy Chicken Salad Page 19.
Dear Joel He Smokes Weed Everyday Page 17.
Dear Pharmacist Vitamin E: Why Rubbing It On Is Almost Useless. Page 13.
Inside The Law We Can Assist You With Your Land Use Application Page 18.
Letters To The Editor Don’t Forget The Fire Elections Page 5.
From Your Government Officials Page 6.
Classified Ads Page 16.
–Photo courtesy Howell Middle School South Howell Middle School South earned the top prize in the FoodBank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties drive, for the most pounds collected. HOWELL – In the students’ creativity and This year, the food made this 10th year 10 years of Students perseverance to win and funds collected memorable and for Change Hunger, the the competition was totaled a record-break- s u p p o r t i n g t h o s e FoodBank of Mon- notable, as they took ing 115,081 pounds, who are hungry in m o u t h & O c e a n home the Heavyweight with more than $15,000 the community. Students Change counties has never C h a m p i o n Aw a r d in funds. There were seen a school bring (14,810 pounds of food 66,000 student com- Hunger is an annuin as many pounds as collected), as well as petitors this year. al competition r un Howell Middle School winning their Division T h e F o o d B a n k by the hunger relief South did this year. and joining the presti- thanked all the schools organizations in NJ The foodbank cited gious 5,000 pound club. a n d s p o n s o r s w h o (Hunger - See Page 15)
Fundraiser To Help Family Facing Child Leukemia Bills
By Jennifer Peacock HOWELL – It was the repeated fevers that worried her parents. Mia was barely into toddlerhood when her parents, Mike and Teresa Castellan, took her to an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Initial tests came back clear. But then the family received the news: 15-month-old Mia had
t-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This type of childhood leukemia accounts for 10 to 15 percent of all childhood lymphoblastic leukemia cases, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Children with this leukemia also have a worse prognosis. Mia suffered through 10 months of intense chemotherapy, pick-
ing up life-threatening infections along the way. It upended her family’s life, including brothers Ryan, now 10, and Logan, now 8 and has Down Syndrome. Mia transitioned to a maintenance regimen, and looked cancer free, until she relapsed last May. The only treatment that remained was a bone mar row transplant. An unrelated, anony-
mous donor was found, and in August Mia had the transplant. So far, her prognosis looks good. The now 3-yearold’s bloodwork, which is done monthly, has shown the bone marrow transplant worked— her blood shows 100 percent donor cells. Her bone marrow numbers aren’t 100 percent, but Teresa said they are good and increase each (Family - See Page 15)
MICROMEDIAPUBS.COM | February 11, 2017
Job Opening For Substance Abuse Program Sparks Debate
By Sara Grillo for the past 16 years, HOWELL – The How- has been taken over ell Township Municipal temporarily by Howell Alliance is looking for Police Officer Michael a part-time coordinator Pavlick, a detective in after its full-time co- the Crime Suppression ordinator vacated the Unit. role last year. But issues Mayor Theresa Berger surfaced at the recent said that during recent council meeting over meetings held about the the county grant used alliance, it was agreed to fund the the coordialliance. nator should The Howell “We understand be a 29-hour Alliance is a positon with the concern state-man- Howell is facing, a salary of dated subthat quite frankly $30,000 for stance abuse t he ye a r. is killing our program The role children.” that works had been within the –Deputy Mayor previously a community Robert Nicastro full-time poto prevent sition with drug addicbenefits. tion, underage drinkAs acting coordinaing and tobacco use. tor, Off icer Pavlick The alliance boasts shared concerns over dozens of prevention this suggestion, sayprog r a m s, a nd la st ing there are salary year provided Narcan, and hours guidelines an overdose reversal in the county grant medication, that saved Howell receives that 29 lives. funds the alliance. “The county recog“ W h a t I u n d e rnized that Howell has stand is that the salthe best alliance prob- ary provided through ably in the county. By the grant is $37,000. far our membership is T h a t ’s h o w m u c h high and very dedicat- money has been given ed.” said Deputy Mayor to the township in the Robert Nicastro. “We salary.” said Pavlick. understand the concern Pavlick also said Howell is facing, that the grant has specifquite frankly is killing ic guidelines on the our children.” amount of hours the The coordinator posi- coordinator needs to tion, which was occu- spend on four federally pied by Ralph Hoffman (Job - See Page 19)