Artists:

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Sleeping in the Sun.

There were intermittent screenings of local films in progress and shorts, including segments from Roaming Dingo Productions local series Jersey Shore Veteran Stories and Titans of Toms River.

The event also served as a fundraiser for Jersey Shore Veteran Stories, a series that seeks to preserve local veteran legacies along with the rich history of the Jersey Shore.

Jennifer Suwak, who served as event coordinator and head of Roaming Dingo Productions, noted that TV Party 2020 provides “a great opportunity to socialize with local musicians, artists and filmmakers and to see the creative side of Ocean County.”

Also present was Stephen Abruzzese who was photographing and recording the performances of the evening and handling the screening presentations during breaks.

“The Jersey Shore Veteran Stories began with Frank Parese, a WWII veteran we met at our first TV Party 2020 event on December 29, 2019, in Seaside Heights. Johnny Nameless played with artist Susu Pianchupattana at the time,” Suwak said. “We interviewed Frank several times and went to see where he grew up in Paterson, New Jersey.

“We finished the 20-minute short documentary in the summer of 2020 and had it screened at several film festivals, including the Southside Film Festival in Bethlehem,

Pennsylvania where it won the audience award for “Best Short Film,” she added.

“Frank was so happy when they announced it. Since then, we have made another short documentary about WWII veteran and philatelist Phil Schreiber who now lives in Highland Park. He is an amazing guy with so many interests, and so much knowledge. He turned us into philatelists because he makes it so exciting - the history and all of the events that have had postal covers,” Suwak said.

Suwak said, “we are currently in production of a third episode, which we hope to have finished and screen in the next couple months, and we hope to continue to make more episodes highlighting the lives of vets in our area.”

The name TV Party 2020 comes from the TV Party that came out of New York City in the late 70s and early 80s that showcased local artists and mostly but not all punk bands. Those events were hosted by Debbie Harry from the popular New Age band Blondie.

“It was really a great way for artists of all kinds to meet and showcase their work,” Suwak added.

Johnny Nameless is a local band out of Seaside Heights that had played in the region for years. Sleeping in the Sun is a group of friends from Toms River who have been jamming since about 2019, she added. Suwak said Sleeping in the Sun played that night for the first time at TV Party 2020. Both bands have made movie scores for their films, including Jersey Shore Veteran Stories.

“We hope that events like TV Party 2020 can continue and showcase local art in the region. We would like to livestream the events, get local sponsors, and provide complete local entertainment with local artists, local food and local brands,” she said.

“We plan on making and showcasing more Veteran Stories as we have quite a large population of aging veterans who need their story told before it’s too late and it’s lost forever,” Suwak said.

TV Party 2020 events include music, film screenings, additional micro-film interviews and highlights of Ocean County throughout the evening. There is also music and art for sale, a cash bar, and free food items available. The cost of admission is a $10 donation.

For information about future TV Party 2020 events, email roamingdingoproductions@gmail.com or call 732-552-9699.

Adriana

Continued then bullied on social media because her attackers shared the video of it online.

Close friends of the family gathered on the stage at Veterans Park and brought flowers. Many of the people gathered released balloons with messages written to her. Students drew posters with statements like “Say her name,” “Rest in paradise,” and “Forever in our hearts; always on our mind.”

But they also said things like “Stop the cover-ups at Central Regional” and “Rest easy Adriana. Justice will be served.”

There was more than sadness at this vigil, there was anger, calling for the officials in the district to be fired: Assistant Superintendent Doug Corbett, High School Principal Irene Marousis, and chief academic officer (who is the anti-bullying coordinator) Thomas Gallahue. Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides resigned the next day. A friend of the family started a cheer “What do we want? (Justice!) Who do we want it for?

(Adriana!) When do we want it? (Now!)”

Several elected officials were also in attendance. Councilman James Byrnes addressed the crowd asking everyone to pray that “something like this never happens again in our lifetime.” He also thanked the students for coming forward and standing up for what they believed in. “If you never stepped up, it would’ve been swept under a rug.”

Nearby schools held programs to talk about bullying, social media, and suicide.

The police department and the prosecutor’s office couldn’t comment on the case because it involves juveniles. Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer stopped by a rally held in front of the school the week after her death.

“I’m heartbroken for this family and the loss of this young girl,” Billhimer said in an email to this newspaper. “She had her whole life ahead of her. It’s a tragic situation for all involved. Anytime something like this happens, we all need to ask ourselves if we are doing enough to address the mental health needs of our youth. It’s important for kids to know that every situation in life is temporary. Nothing is worth taking your own life. Things will get better. Parents, teachers, administrators, friends and family – there is someone out there that cares about you. Please ask for help before you make a decision that you can’t come back from. Your life is too precious.”

Fundraiser For The Family

No one is ever prepared when tragedy hits. That’s certainly the case with the Kuch family.

“Adriana was a wonderful and brave daughter who touched the lives of those around her. We are all devastated by her loss and were not prepared for the high cost of the expenses to come,” said her aunt, Sami Nye, who started the GoFundMe that can be found at gofund. me/028f8bac

If You Need Help

Depression and feelings of hopelessness are more prevalent than anyone would like to admit. You are not alone. This is a time to reach out to each other and be there for one another. There are a number of resources available for help.

“Ocean’s Harbor House does work with many teens and families and provides shelter, support and services for youth in our region,” said Tricia Bradly, director of programs. “We don’t focus on suicide specifically but we do counsel many youth who have been involved in bullying incidents. Following up on this tragedy we will be reaching out to Central Regional High School to make them aware of our shelter and counseling services so that in the future they have another resource available to their students.”

The State of New Jersey has created a new helpline. By dialing or texting 988, you can receive help for yourself or someone you love in a mental health crisis.

The National Suicide Prevention hotline is 1-800-273-TALK.

2nd Floor is for young people to discuss both everyday and serious problems. Calling (888) 222-2228 will put you in touch with professional staff and trained volunteers with non-judgmental responses.

They are there to assist callers with any topic including: bullying, family problems or divorce, sex and sexuality, problems with friends / peer pressure, relationship struggles, depression, anxiety, self harm, substance abuse, school stress, family abuse, dating violence, and living with a disability.

Contact of Ocean and Monmouth Counties has two phone numbers to call: 732-240-6100 or 609-693-5834.

“We are here for anyone who is in trouble, lonely, depressed, and suicidal or someone who just needs a person to listen to them,” they said. They don’t offer advice or try to solve another person’s problems, but they offer a safe space for callers to talk about their problems. When appropriate, they can make referrals to other community services that are available to the caller.

─Photo by Chris Lundy Friends who knew her comforted each other at the vigil.

Ciba: Continued From Page 1 information on the status of the Toms River from the border of Manchester to the Barnegat Bay, and to continue to monitor it for the next three years. Additionally, they want a public information plan in place so that residents know what’s happening with the remediation, while also giving the public opportunities to become involved.

Ciba-Geigy opened in 1952 and closed in 1990. It manufactured dyes and other chemicals, dumping the waste into the river and the ground. Many people attribute the area’s cancer cluster to its operation. It became an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Site in 1983. The settlement with the State DEP will not impact the situation with the federal EPA.

The former Ciba land is 1,255 acres between Route 37 and Oak Ridge Parkway, west of the Garden State Parkway. According to a settlement announced on December 5 by the DEP, about 1,000 acres would be preserved. Of this, approximately 790 acres will be maintained as open space and will include restoration projects. The remaining 210 acres will be set aside for pollinator habitat and solar energy production. There would be trails, a boardwalk, and an environmental education center. The project could break ground as soon as spring of 2023 and be open to the public in phases over the next five years. The portion that won’t be part of the preservation project is about 255 acres that are currently zoned as light industrial with an entrance onto Route 37.

German company BASF assumed responsibility for the site in 2010 through corporate acquisitions. When BASF acquired Ciba, the property was undergoing remediation efforts such as excavation and capping of contaminated areas and the pumping and treatment of contaminated groundwater, the DEP said.

Public Interaction

The DEP will be hosting a public meeting about the settlement in Toms River High School North’s auditorium at 6 p.m. on March 13.

Comments about the settlement may be submitted electronically at onrr@dep.nj.gov. Comments will be accepted until April 5.

There is a way to comment on the settlement on the DEP’s site as well. The proposed settlement agreement between BASF and the DEP can be found here: nj.gov/dep/nrr/settlements/index.html

For more information on the site and the EPA’s remediation process, visit cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second. cleanup&id=0200078#Status

History:

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That old basement: cold, dark, damp, dirty, dreary. It was, simply, nasty. But we tackled the project there and included what we found - early to mid-20th century records - in our inventory.

As we worked through the basement, what a find we were to make! What luck! Tucked away in an old, rusty file cabinet were decades of the clerk’s office hand written Dover Township (our town name until 2006) election returns in presidential elections.

The records were un-official, on large paper sheets, probably recorded on election nights when the numbers from the various voting districts were called in by telephone or physically delivered to Town Hall. The results were probably entered by the municipal clerk at the time - as the office then was a one-man operation. Theodore Fischer was the clerk from 1914 to 1947. He was the village barber when he first took office and is the longest serving clerk in town history. When he died, still in office, the mayor, the chairman of the township committee - Colin Applegate - resigned from that position and took his place. He served until 1967. The hand written tally sheets sometimes had minor differences with the later officially certified results. For example, in the 1964 election, the official results gave one candidate four more votes than the handwritten clerk’s sheet.

Here’s what those irreplaceable records tell us.

Our Records And Presidential History

In the four times that he ran for president, Dover Township was not kind to Franklin D. Roosevelt. He lost here every time that he ran. While he won New Jersey each time, here’s how FDR fared in our town:

In 1932, he lost to President Herbert Hoover, the Republican, 1,266 to 902.

(History - See Page 9)