Cape May County Breaking News

Police arrest woman with heroin, crack cocaine and marijuana

Cape May County NJ News — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:43:41 GMT

Lower Township police arrested a woman Thursday, May 8 who was in possession of crack cocaine, heroin and marijuana.

Police were conducting surveillance of commercial fishing docks in the area of Wilson Avenue when they observed suspicious activity centered on a white Chevy. As the Chevy left the area it was being driven in an erratic manner and Det. Chris Lambert stopped the vehicle in the area of Ocean Drive and Route 109.

Channel R Lawson, 21, from Seabrook, was found to be in possession of one quarter of an ounce of a substance believed to be crack cocaine, nine bags of what is believed to be heroin, and approximately 40 grams of marijuana, police said.

Lawson was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute, and possession of marijuana.

She was placed in the Cape May County jail in default of $25,000 cash bail. The driver and another passenger in the car were not charged in the incident.

Juvenile arrested for Wawa burglary

Cape May County NJ News — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:36:16 GMT

Lower Township police arrested a 16-year-old for a burglary at the Diamond Beach Wawa.

Police said they responded to an activated burglar alarm at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 14. Upon arrival, police found the rear doorknob had been forced off and the rear door was standing open.

The store's security camera showed a white male inside who fled when the audible burglar alarm was activated. A search of the surrounding area was conducted but failed to discover the burglar.

The Wildwood Crest Police Department supplied information related to a juvenile runaway from their jurisdiction. Further investigation by Lower Township and Wildwood Crest police departments led to the arrest of the juvenile.

The teen was processed at the Lower Township Police Department and has been released into the custody of his parents. It is believed the juvenile fled the store before taking anything.

Middle officer Steve Novsak struck by ATV

Cape May County News — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:13:35 GMT

Middle Township Police Officer Steven Novsak was seriously injured early Thursday morning when an ATV rider that officers Novsak and Martino were trying pull over struck Novsak while trying to elude police.

The officers were investigating a curfew violation in the Edgewood section of the township at approximately 1:30 a.m. when they observed 19-year-old Kenneth Copson riding his ATV through the streets. When they attempted to have him pull over, Copson attempted to flee and struck Novsak in the process.

Copson was charged with aggravated assault, eluding police and possession of marijuana. He was placed in the county jail on $35,000 cash bail.

Police say Novsak was taken to ACMC with "serious bodily injuries." Sources within Township Hall say Novsak has a broken leg and internal injuries, and underwent surgery at ACMC soon after the incident. They say he is now out of surgery, but his condition was not immediately available.

Ocean City substitute arrested for sexual assault

Cape May County NJ News — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:18:47 GMT

OCEAN CITY - An Ocean City High School teacher was arrested Tuesday night on charges of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old female student.

New Jersey State Police said that Robert Dilullo, 24, of Ocean View, assaulted the student at Dilullo's home. State police said Dilullo gave the student alcohol.

The victim came forward to authorities. She said the relationship began in Dec., 2007 and that the two of them had sex in empty classrooms in the high school.

Dilullo was arrested Tuesday and was held on $100,000 bail.

More Ocean City storm photos coming in

Cape May County News — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:59:21 GMT

Photos by Jo Carroll

I-Reporter sends us OC storm photos

Cape May County News — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:39:00 GMT

Paul Schaeffer of Ocean City did a little sight-seeing during Monday's storm and e-mailed these photos. If you have photos from your town, send them to gazette@catamaranmedia.com.

Power restored to most homes

Cape May County News — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:50:48 GMT

Atlantic City Electric crews continued working around the clock Tuesday to restore service after a powerful coastal storm battered southern New Jersey on Sunday and Monday with heavy rain, high winds and flooding.
Since the storm began, Atlantic City Electric Crews have made more than 100,000 service restorations while battling sustained high winds and heavy downpours. More than 100 outside personnel joined ACE crews on Tuesday to restore service caused by downed trees, limbs and wires.
The company expects to have most customers back in service by late today (Wednesday). After making significant progress on Tuesday, crews are focusing on individual and small groups of customers who are without service. This can be a time-consuming process because it can take just as long for a crew to restore one customer as it does to restore a large group of many customers. It is possible that, given the extent of the damage, some customers may not be restored until Thursday.
The areas hardest hit by this storm have been Atlantic, Cape May, Ocean, and Salem counties. For the latest outage figures go to www.atlanticcityelectric.com.
Atlantic City Electric reminds the public to keep the following outdoor safety tips in mind following severe weather conditions:
If you see a downed line, assume that it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch the line, but stay clear and report it to Atlantic City Electric by calling 1-800-833-7476.
Never attempt to remove trees or limbs from any utility line. Assume all objects touching a power line are energized.
If using a portable generator during a power outage, always operate it outside and away from doors and windows to avoid deadly carbon monoxide.
For your safety and the safety of Atlantic City Electric employees working to restore power, do not connect your generator directly into your home's main fuse box or circuit panel. Improperly connected generators can feed electricity back into the electrical system, endangering field personnel working to restore your power.

Mahaney wins in Cape May, Swain in for council

Cape May County News — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:04:40 GMT

Voters picked Dr. Edward Mahaney as the mayor of Cape May Tuesday, May 13, with the citywide result of 530 to 457 votes for incumbent Mayor Jerome Inderwies. William Gaffney, the third candidate in the race, was a distant third, with 87 votes.
Terri Swain was the high vote getter in the City Council race, where four candidates were after a single seat on the governing body. She took 480 votes, compared to 315 for Jeanne Powick, 141 for Harry Bellangy, and 129 for Jack Wichterman, the only candidate to have formerly served on Cape May's City Council.
At City Hall after the votes were tallied, Mahaney said his election showed that Cape May residents were ready for a change, and promised that the city would better respond to the wishes of the people than it has in the past. He emphasized that point when asked about the Convention Hall project, which officials say is now close to a final plan. The current hall is now closed over structural concerns and is slated for demolition before the end of the year.
Mahaney said that there is time for the city to get better input from residents and businesses as to the preferred design of a new hall, as well as to its size and placement in the city and how much should be spent.
Mahaney and Swain will be sworn in at the July City Council reorganization meeting. They each won four-year terms.

Ocean City council election results

Cape May County NJ News — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:25:11 GMT

The city's Tuesday council elections had one big surprise.

John Kemenosh, a dark horse candidate for the 1st Ward council seat, won an impressive victory. He defeated Tom Oves, Jr. and Leslie Skibo to capture the seat being vacated by Councilman Jody Alessandrine.

Kemenosh received 424 votes. Oves got 346, and Skibo finished with 180. Kemenosh carried every voting district in the 1st Ward. Kemenosh won 44 percent of the vote, Oves got 36 percent and Skibo received 19 percent. Turnout in the 1st Ward was almost 40 percent, the highest of all the city's wards.

While the 1st Ward was the night's big surprise, the 2nd Ward was the city's closest race. Karen Bergman edged out Robert Doliszny 242 to 221. Giovanni Baratta received 99 votes.

Bergman won 43 percent of the vote; Doliszny got 39 percent of the vote and Baratta received almost 18 percent of the vote. Bergman will replace Councilman Gregory Johnson in June.

Turnout in the 2nd Ward was 27 percent.

In the 3rd Ward, Susan Sheppard rolled to victory unopposed. Sheppard received 205 votes, a nine percent turnout.

Councilman Roy Wagner won a second term Tuesday night, defeating former Councilman Frank McCall. Wagner won 491 votes to McCall's 329. Wagner received almost 60 percent of the vote; McCall got 40 percent of the vote.

Turnout in the 4th Ward was 35 percent.

Bergman and Sheppard will be the first women on the council in four years.

West Wildwood election will be May 20

Cape May County News — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:52:02 GMT

WEST WILDWOOD -- Due to weather conditions from this week’s northeast storm, the West Wildwood election that was scheduled for today (Tuesday) was postponed until Tuesday, May 20.

Storm Photo - Ocean City, NJ

Jersey Shore Admin — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:42:23 GMT

Crews work on street lights on the corner of 9th Street & Central Avenue in Ocean City after the shore's spring Nor' Eastern storm.

Photo by Tom Williams

County hopes to reopen Ocean Drive in SIC

Cape May County News — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:31:27 GMT

As of Tuesday afternoon, May 13, sections of Ocean Drive in Sea Isle City remained closed due to a late-season northeast storm, which tore through the county Monday.
The storm caused flooding, erosion, downed trees, extensive power outages and scattered debris throughout the county, but with mild, sunny skies Tuesday morning, most of the cleanup was well under way by the afternoon.
A press release from Cape May County spokeswoman Lenora Bonifante stated that Landis Avenue, or Beach Drive in Sea Isle City, was closed from 38th Street to 30th Street due to flooding, and from 1st to 8th Street in the north end because the dune was overwashed by strong ocean waves.
She said the sections were expected to be closed until about 4 p.m.

Cape May County declared limited state of emergency

Cape May County NJ News — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:37:01 GMT

The county Monday declared a limited state of emergency in response to high winds and severe flooding.

The Cape May County Bridge Commission also lifted tolls on Ocean Drive bridges effective 2 p.m. Monday until 10 a.m. Tuesday.

The county and its municipalities are activating their alert, warning and communications annexes with the National Weather Service and will disseminate information to residents through local media.

Some traffic may be limited during the limited state of emergency.

Protective measures will be put in place to keep people away from dangers beach erosions conditions.

Municipal shelters may also be opened, as deemed appropriate by the local jurisdiction.

Ocean City flood warning

Cape May County NJ News — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:53:30 GMT

OCEAN CITY - The city is notifying island residents Monday that the National Weather Service issued a costal flood warning for the area through 8 a.m. Tuesday and is telling homeowners to move their cars before high tide.

A high wind warning is in effect until 4 p.m. Monday night.

City officials said residents should expect widespread minor tidal flooding and some moderate tidal flooding during high tide on Monday afternoon and early Tuesday morning.

Persons in areas of Ocean City that typically experience flooding have been advised to move their vehicles to higher ground well prior to the times of high tide.

High tide will occur at approximately 3 p.m. Monday along the oceanfront, and one to two hours later along the bay. High tide will again occur at approximately 3 a.m. Tuesday on the ocean and one to two hours later on the bay.

Residents and visitors are also advised to closely monitor weather conditions and forecasts over the next 24 hours.

Send us your flooding and damage photos

Cape May County News — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:02:48 GMT

Gazette Leader staffer Caroline Ranoia sent these shots of flooding in Wildwood. The photo directly above is looking west toward the bay, you can see that the bay and the street are at the same level. The top photo is looking east toward the boardwalk - smart people moved their cars. There is only one left in the street two blocks up and it is up to the fender. Send your flooding photos to gazette@catamaranmedia.com and we'll post them as we get them.

Technorati Tags: storm photos,storm update,northeast storm

Ferry service cancelled for storm

Cape May County News — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:54:12 GMT

Monday’s northeast storm, May 12, brought high winds and heavy rain to the area, and beach erosion and some tidal flooding was reported.
The operation of the Cape May Lewis Ferry was suspended at least for the day.
“We have 40-knot winds and seas of six to eight feet, so we aren’t running,” said Jim Salmon, the spokesman for the Delaware River and Bay Authority, which operates the ferry.
He said Monday that they expected to be back in operation for the morning run 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 13, but he said those planning to travel should check on conditions first, either by calling 1-(800) 64-FERRY or seeing the Web site at www.cmlf.com.
In Cape May, city manager Luciano Corea said the storm was causing beach erosion and flooding in some low lying areas, but that as of late Monday morning there had been no major problems reported.
He said he heard of one tree that had blown down.

AC Electric report huge outages

Cape May County News — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:54:50 GMT

AC Electric reports 41,273 homes and businesses are without power system wide, including 12,284 in Cape May County and 9,308 in Atlantic County.

"Any restoration that requires a bucket truck are being held off at this point because of high winds," said Sandra May of AC Electric. "Those that can be repaired on the ground are being restored as quickly as possible."

High winds are expected to continue through the afternoon (see previous posts).

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More updates on northeast storm

Cape May County News — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:55:25 GMT

From the office of emergency management:

THE SUSTAINED ON SHORE WINDS AT 40 – 45 MPH (GUSTING TO 50-55 MPH) WILL REMAIN ABOUT THE SAME THROUGH 5 p.m. THIS EVENING.

THE TIDAL FLOODING SHOULD BE THE SAME THIS AFTERNOON AS WAS EXPERIENCED THIS MORNING.

HIGH TIDE THIS AFTERNOON IS AT APPROXIMATELY 3:30 p.m. ON THE OCEAN SIDE & THE BACK BAY HIGH TIDE WILL BE 1 TO 2 HOURS LATER.

THE OVERNIGHT HIGH TIDE WILL NOT BE AS HIGH AS THIS MORNING OR THIS AFTERNOON BUT DO EXPECT TIDAL FLOODING AT APPROXIMATELY 4 a.m.

THE TUESDAY PM HIGH TIDE WILL DIMINISH SIGNIFICANTLY.

Update on northeast storm damage

Cape May County News — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:01:30 GMT

Ocean City: 9^th Street Bridge Closed West of West Ave. from 5^th Street to 56^th Street are flooded

Sea Isle City: Including Strathmere most streets adjacent to the Inter-coastal Waterway are flooded

Avalon / Stone Harbor: Most streets west of Ocean Drive are flooded

North Wildwood Boulevard: Closed

Wildwood: George Redding Bridge: Closed

Wildwood Crest: Roads flooded west of Park Boulevard, north of Rambler Road

West Wildwood: EMERGENCY PROCLAMATION DECLARED All roads within the municipal boundary are flooded

IN THE WILDWOODS, MOST ROADS WEST OF PARK BOULDVARD ARE FLOODED

AC Electric is reporting that power is out in Avalon and Stone Harbor and parts of Court House.

Power outages, schools closed as storm slams Cape

Cape May County News — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:56:37 GMT

Barrier islands are taking a beating today as a northeast storm blows across the cape. Most Wildwood schools are closed, Avalon is having an early dismissal and Wildwood has declared a state of emergency. Cars are being turned around by law enforcement officials, keeping motorists off the George Redding Bridge.

In Cape May Court House, the entire Acme Plaza of retail stores, including the Pier 1 Imports and PNC Bank, are without power and closed. Trees are down in several areas and on the Garden State Parkway. The National Weather Service says wind gusts as high as 62 mph have been clocked in the county along the shore.

Officials on barrier islands are telling residents to try to stay put but to move their cars to higher ground. High tide is expected at around 4 p.m. today with water eight feet above average.

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