About Rick Mellerup
Experts Agree the 2023 Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season Will Be Near Normal
As the official June 1 beginning of the 2023 Atlantic Basin hurricane season approaches, it seems there’s a bit of normalcy in the air. Experts such as the forecasters of the Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project team headed by Phil Klotzbach, IBM’s The Weather Co. and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Prediction Center basically agree that this […]
It’s Not Just Any Made-for-TV Movie That Will Be First Film Screened at Film Festival
The official opening film of the 2023 Lighthouse International Film Festival is “Parachute,” a scripted story that, according to the LIFF publicity folks, “brings to the screen an intimate account of two young people struggling with emotional challenges and finding comfort in each other’s strengths and deficiencies.” “Parachute” debuted at the 2023 South by Southwest festival in March. It made […]
LIFF Shorts Blocks are Like a Box of Chocolates
Shorts may be, well, short, but they are a big part of the Lighthouse International Film Festival. They are screened in blocks, with several being shown at each one. There are a couple of reasons to check them out. First, the variety within each shorts block can be amazing. Two, you never know when you will see a beginning filmmaker’s […]
Pinelands Regional Computer Network Has Great Security
The public session portion of the May meeting of the Pinelands Regional Board of Education was short, lasting only a little more than 30 minutes. Business was routine. No member of the public offered any comments. There were no long debates. However, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t good news announced at the meeting. During her report to the board, Superintendent […]
McCooley Definitely Leaving Little Egg Harbor School District at End of June
All now agree it’s official: Little Egg Harbor School District Superintendent of Schools Melissa McCooley’s last day with the district will be June 30. McCooley thought her resignation had been approved by the LEHSD Board of Education at its April 26 meeting after the board had voted 3-2, with one abstention and one member absent, to accept it. But some […]
Surflight’s First 2023 Musical, ‘Steel Pier,’ Will Open June 1
Surflight Theatre will be paying homage to a legendary site of the Jersey Shore with the opening show of its 2023 season, “Steel Pier.” That’s right, Atlantic City’s Steel Pier, which in its mid-1900s heyday was known as the “Showplace of the Nation.” The Steel Pier in those years was beloved for its famous diving horses, other animal acts, diving […]
LIFF’s Closing Night Film Is World Premiere of ‘Loud & Longing’
When the folks at the Lighthouse International Film Festival first started releasing information about 2023’s lineup a few weeks ago they were excited about the large number of film premieres – be they of the world, U.S. or East Coast variety — that will be offered. Well, the LIFF’s publicity team made its final dump last Friday via a release […]
Only One Contested Seat In June’s Southern Ocean County Primaries
There was a popular antiwar poster during the Vietnam era that asked, “What if they gave a war and nobody came?” Well, what if they held an election and hardly anybody came? In the case of this June’s primary elections, if that happens in Southern Ocean County, it wouldn’t make much of a difference. The White House is not up […]
SOMC Nurses Picket to Demand Safe Staffing Levels
About 35 nurses who work at Southern Ocean Medical Center held a two-hour informational picket on Saturday morning, carrying posters and shouting slogans such as “we are the nurses – mighty, mighty nurses” as they marched outside the hospital on the grass bordering Route 72 in Manahawkin, drawing sympathetic honks from passing motorists. Members of Health Professionals and Allied Employees […]
LIFF DARKHOUSE Lineup Will Likely Satiate Fans of Horror, Sci-Fi and Fantasy
The Lighthouse International Film Festival launched a new genre-centric screening category last year called DARKHOUSE, which centered on “boundary-pushing” horror, science fiction and fantasy cinema. It must have been successful because it’s back in 2023. This year’s DARKHOUSE program will showcase five new feature-length films, one special spotlight screening and some 28 short films. The five features include: “Abruptio,” directed by […]