Gina G. Scala

Beneath cloudy skies on Sept. 11, the Island’s volunteer first responders, in full turnout gear, climbed to the top of the Causeway Bridge, turned north, saluted and stood in silence to honor the 343 New York City firefighters who died at the World Trade Center 25 years earlier. “Sept. 11 stands as one of the greatest rescue missions in the […]

Surf City reached a major financial milestone by topping $1 million in beach badge revenue this year, an achievement fueled by a surge in pre-season sales that successfully offset declines in daily, weekly and seasonal badges. “Last year, we brought in $913,730,” Councilman Peter Hartney, who chairs the borough’s beach and environment committee, reported during the Sept. 12 borough council […]

Limited street parking has long been a source of friction on Long Beach Island, so much so that residents in some communities have painted curbs and streets near their homes to stake claims to public parking – an unauthorized practice Ship Bottom classifies as graffiti and strictly prohibits. “It boils down real simple: You can’t paint anything in the street,” […]

A nor’easter cut off Long Beach Island from the mainland Sept. 26, prompting the close of the Causeway Bridge system and several major roads in Ship Bottom in an effort to keep drivers out of dangerous conditions. “It’s just not, it’s not safe, period,” Joe Vaylo, Ship Bottom emergency management coordinator, said Saturday morning shortly after high tide crested. “It’s […]

The skies over Long Beach Island are ready to catch the wind as the 12th annual LBI FLY Invitational Kite Festival takes flight Oct. 9 and 10, along the 21st Street to 28th Street beaches in Ship Bottom. Expect two days of colorful kites, creative designs and plenty of high-flying fun. In partnership with the South Jersey Kite Flyers and […]

A planned bike path in Ship Bottom is pedaling into its next phase as a survey seeking public feedback reaches its Oct. 7 deadline. “Our next step is to me

The yearslong power struggle over high utility bills between Congressman Jeff Van Drew and Atlantic City Electric has sparked another showdown, this time with a call for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reject the company’s proposed 2-cent customer refund, reopen its investigation and set the rates and refunds itself. “The two-cent figure comes from the company’s own analysis, which […]

The September nor’easter served as a reminder of the risks storms pose to boats and other vessels. Around Long Beach Island, salvage crews recovered impacted boats during and after the storm, underscoring the year-round threat of abandoned and derelict vessels – a problem that is expected to be addressed through the use of a national database to track vessels that […]

A longtime family-owned fishery could give way to townhouses on Ship Bottom’s most visible corridor as the community continues to navigate roadway changes at the heart of Long Beach Island. The proposal was expected to be heard by the borough land use board at its Oct. 20 meeting. “Based on the data and traffic analysis in this traffic engineering assessment, […]

When Boy Scout Troop 44 of Pennington planted the first shoots of dune grass in Surf City in October 2012, the National Hurricane Center had not yet forecast Superstorm Sandy. “Sandy hit two weeks later,” Bob Long, whose son was part of the inaugural troop 14 years ago, said ahead of this year’s dune planting on 18th Street in Surf […]