Iconic Car On Roof Away For Repairs

Berkeley Pushes For “Adriana’s Law” To Protect Kids

By Chris Lundy BERKELEY

– Re - sponding to a cyberbullying attack that contributed to the suicide of a local teen, elected officials are pushing for a law that would make it a crime to share images or videos of an attack on a minor.

By Chris Lundy

BERKELEY – It’s strange to say, but the roof doesn’t look right without a car on it.

We’re talking, of course, about Cosmo’s on Route 9. There’s been a white car parked up there for as long as anyone remembers.

It’s commonly mistaken for a Volkswagen Beetle because that’s the only car most people know of that comes in that general shape. Even then, you can tell by looking

Colorful Characters Take The Polar Plunge

By Bob Vosseller SEASIDE HEIGHTS –

The temperature hasn’t been too low most days but some real winter weather returned just in time for this year’s Polar Bear Plunge based on the borough beach and boardwalk.

The reason for freezing is to support Special Olympics New Jersey and there were thousands of participants doing just that. Some wore costumes featuring special themes like Toy Story. The Ocean (Plunge - See Page 5)

The law would be named “Adriana’s Law” for Adriana Kuch who took her life after she was assaulted by four girls at Central Regional High School. One of the attackers took a video of the incident and shared it.

Many kids at the school saw the video and, after her death, it was viewed by many more people around the world. At the Township Council meeting, Council President John Bacchione asked for a moment of silence to remember her.

Mayor Carmen Amato said that he’s spoken to a number of residents in the past few weeks regarding Adriana. He wants an anti-bullying law named after her that would create legal consequences for people who share video or images of an assault

(Adriana - See Page 9)

Protesters Ask For Answers To Whale Deaths

By Chris Lundy OCEAN COUNTY

– “Save the Whales” has been a slogan since at least the 1970s, and now in 2023 it’s still being used by people concerned that offshore wind projects are leading to the deaths of these animals.

There have been several dead whales that have washed up on the shore in recent weeks, which makes animal lovers wonder if the number of whale deaths is actually higher. Could there be other dead whales that didn’t wash up? They also have been asking, if something is killing these large, strong animals, what is happening to the rest of the creatures deep in the ocean?

Leslie Mangold, a retired Central Regional High School teacher, spoke with Trisha DeVoe, a naturalist on the Miss Belmar Whale (Whale - See Page 4)

Whale:

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Watching boat, to see what they can put together to spark awareness. Word spread through social media and resulted in a huge crowd on the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk.

“We know something’s wrong. We don’t know what it is. We need to be asking questions,” DeVoe said.

It wasn’t just these two women who helped bring attention to it. That was Valentine, a whale that got her name because she washed up in Manasquan on February 13, DeVoe said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association said this whale’s death might have been caused by getting hit by a boat. NOAA has said that there’s no direct link to the wind turbines being built off New Jersey’s shore. As climate changes, animals move to places where they can survive better. In this case, the whales’ prey has moved closer to shore, which means that the whales will follow them, and be closer to humans. They said 40% of the whales have had evidence of boat strikes or entanglement.

DeVoe and other concerned citizens spoke, as did Cindy Zipf of Clean Ocean Action, Bonnie Brady of the Center for Sustainable Fisheries, Point Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra, Seaside Park Mayor John Peterson, and Congressmen Jefferson Van Drew (R-2 nd ) and Chris Smith (R-4 th).

The whale population has been growing, and the waters are more clean than they’ve been, DeVoe said. “How can we go backwards now?”

Recently, a letter was signed by 30 mayors all along the coast calling for an immediate moratorium on all offshore wind activity pending a thorough investigation by federal and state authorities. The officials represent the communities of Atlantic Highlands, Avon by the Sea, Barnegat Light, Bay Head, Beach Haven, Berkley, Brick, Brielle, Brigantine, Deal, Harvey Cedars, Linwood, Little Egg Harbor, Long Beach Township, Mantoloking, Margate City, North Wildwood, Ocean City, Point Pleasant, Point Pleasant Beach, Sea Girt, Seaside Park, Ship Bottom, Spring Lake, Stafford, Stone Harbor, Toms River, Ventnor City, Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest.

According to the letter, they are concerned that the acoustic surveys used in the windmill process could damage their senses which would hurt their feeding and migration.

The environmentalist have strange bedfellows in conservative politicians, at least with this topic. Some right wing commentators have posted conspiracy theories that the scientific community is covering up whale deaths to advance windmills. This has led to some marine mammal groups receiving threats, according to a Time article published the day before Valentine’s Day.