Ocean County Decoy and Gunning Show Goes Virtual


The 38th annual Old Time Barnegat Bay Decoy and Gunning Show, hosted by the Ocean County Department of Parks and Recreation and the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders, will be going virtual in 2020. “This show is normally a two-day event at Tip Seaman County Park in Tuckerton, and it attracts thousands of people,” said Ocean County Freeholder Virginia […]

September a Bright Spot for 2020

LBI Rentals Open to Extend Into Serene Season
It's Still Better in September

“It’s better in September” has long been a selling point for fall rentals on Long Beach Island, but what 2020 has heightened is the social climate of working from home. If more professionals decide to conduct business from the beach and students can attend school remotely, fall rentals are available for them. If workplaces encourage remote productivity, what better place […]

No Injuries Reported as Two Boats Strike Barnegat Inlet Jetty


Two separate recreational boats were salvaged from Barnegat Inlet Saturday after they collided with the submerged jetty on the north side of the inlet, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.   A 26-foot recreational boat, with four people on board, hit the jetty around 3 p.m. on Aug. 8, Chief Warrant Officer Adam Murray, commanding officer of Coast Guard Station […]

Surflight’s ‘Mamma Mia’ a Refreshing Escape, Powered by Equity Tension


There was electricity in the air on Saturday night at Surflight Theatre’s performance of “Mamma Mia.” It wasn’t lightning. As Surflight Producing Artistic Director Steve Steiner told the crowd in his pre-show remarks, it was the best night weather-wise of the summer, a room temperature-like 75 and not a drop of rain. No, the sparks were flying onstage, as the […]

Island Power Outage Due to Wind Gusts; GOP Senators Call for Grid Resilience

Coast Guard Uses Storm Waves to Train in Barnegat Inlet

Atlantic City Electric did not proactively power down the local energy grid serving Long Beach Island ahead of Tropical Storm Isaias, company officials said last week. Their comments came after social media reports surfaced that the company proactively turned off power as a safe precaution before the Aug. 4 storm hit the Island. Frank Tedesco, a public information officer for […]

One Bounce Makes the Difference in Match With College Sophomore and Disc Golfer

‘Can You Beat Biggy?’

Caleb Weidner doesn’t mind pressure. So, when his dad, Jim, thrust him into the competitive fire of “Can You Beat Biggy?” Caleb was neither concerned nor intimidated. “When he told me he signed us up, I didn’t know anything about it,” said the 19-year-old sophomore and marketing major at Messiah University on Aug. 6. “Coming into the match, I just […]

recycling ocean county the Sandpaper

Revenge of Plastic: Pandemic Brings Back Harmful Single-Use Plastics

Single Use Plastics are Back But Environmental Leaders Say they Don’t Have to Stay

The last 10 years had seen some good progress against plastics. As a society, we were making attempts to phase unnecessary plastics out of our lives, specifically single-use plastics, products made to be used for a few minutes and then tossed, created of fossil fuels that are detrimental to Earth’s atmosphere and shipped around the world using more petroleum fuels. […]

Two LBI Doctors Advocate Return to Normal, With Caution

Government Control Lately Is ‘Complete Overreach’

Even married doctors Joseph Lattanzi and Kim Hogan aren’t 100 percent in agreement on all aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. Still, both believe it’s time for government to relax its grip on the public and allow them to make their own decisions about how to handle the virus going forward.   On Aug. 6, they provided an overview of the COVID-19 […]

Beach Haven Resident: Dredged Sand Does Not Belong on Beach


Longtime Beach Haven resident Bill Kapler said he is appalled by the dredging of bay mud onto the beaches of Belvoir Avenue and other nearby streets. “This will do nothing to fix the beach erosion at Belvoir and the adjacent streets,” said Kapler, whose grandfather Amos Kapler Sr. founded Kapler’s Pharmacy in town. Beginning in January, the state Department of […]