Rick Mellerup

New Jersey

Writer at The SandPaper

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Articles

LIFF Volunteer Meeting Set for May 18

1 week ago | thesandpaper.net | Rick Mellerup

The 17th annual Lighthouse International Film Festival will be held from June 4 through 8, which means it’s time to rally its veritable army of volunteers. A volunteer information meet and greet will be held from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 18 at the Surf City Firehouse, located at 713 Long Beach Blvd. “We are actively seeking volunteers who share a commitment to the LBI community, support the arts, and enjoy working with others,” reads a LIFF press release.
Southern Ocean Medical Center Raises Safety to A-Rating

1 week ago | thesandpaper.net | Rick Mellerup

Manahawkin’s Southern Ocean Medical Center recently received very good news. The latest Leapfrog Group Hospital Safety report card gave SOMC an A grade when it came to preventing hospital errors, injuries, accidents and infections. Leapfrog also said New Jersey ranked third among all 50 states in the country in terms of hospital safety, trailing only Utah and Rhode Island in their percentage of acute-care hospitals that earned an A. So, how credible is the Leapfrog Group? Let’s take a look at it.
Tuckerton Man Arrested on Child Porn Charges

2 weeks ago | thesandpaper.net | Rick Mellerup

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer has announced that Reuben Tallman, 62, of Tuckerton has been charged with two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. This investigation was the result of a referral from the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Tuckerton School District Tax Rate Increasing By a Mere 1.79%

2 weeks ago | thesandpaper.net | Rick Mellerup

What a difference a year makes. Last year the Tuckerton Board of Education smacked taxpayers with a 17.64% tax levy increase. An owner of a house assessed at $190,000 had to pay $257.88 more in elementary school taxes than the year before. Taxpayers owning a home assessed at $300,000 had to shell out an additional $407.13; an owner of a $500,000 home had to pay $678.55 more. The BOE decided on such a huge increase because of state aid cuts of 26.5%, or $348,995, from the year before.
OCC Closing Out School Year With Student and Faculty Musical Performances

2 weeks ago | thesandpaper.net | Rick Mellerup

Ocean County College’s 2025 commencement is scheduled for May 21. That means many college musical groups will be performing at the college’s Grunin Center for the Arts before the semester comes to a close. At 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 3 the OCC Concert Band, directed by Anthony Tafrow, will perform a program at the Toms River Intermediate East School auditorium. The reason for that venue is that the Grunin Center’s main stage has been closed for renovations since January.
SOMC Nurses Authorize Strike Notice as Contract About to Expire

2 weeks ago | thesandpaper.net | Rick Mellerup

On April 23, nurses at Manahawkin’s Southern Ocean Medical Center voted almost unanimously to authorize their bargaining committee to give a 10-day notice of their intent to strike if they are unable to agree with management on a new contract with strict safe staffing standards, among other demands. The current contract for nurses at SOMC expires on April 30.
Pinelands School Board Passes Budget With 5% Tax Increase

2 weeks ago | thesandpaper.net | Rick Mellerup

The Pinelands Regional Board of Education officially approved its 2025-26 budget at its April 28 meeting. It calls for a 5% tax increase. Pinelands Business Administrator/Board Secretary Amanda Miller said Little Egg Harbor Township taxpayers with a home assessed at $100,000 would see an increase of $30. The figure for Eagleswood was $49, for Tuckerton $9, and for Bass River $11. Homes assessed at $300,000 are more typical of the area.
Little Egg Harbor Board of Education Approves 32.6% Tax Increase

2 weeks ago | thesandpaper.net | Rick Mellerup

The Little Egg Harbor Board of Education approved its 2025-26 budget at its April 29 meeting. As expected, it raised its public tax levy by 32.6%. Superintendent of Schools Lisa Antunes and Business Administrator Robert Green gave an explanation of the budget during the public hearing, repeating much that had been said during a series of special meetings in March and April. “We are in unprecedented times in the state of New Jersey for school budgets,” said Antunes.
May 4 a Big Day of Music at Stockton Performing Arts Center

2 weeks ago | thesandpaper.net | Rick Mellerup

The Stockton University Performing Arts Center will host both a symphony orchestra concert and a choir concert on Sunday, May 4. The Bay Atlantic Symphony will kick things off at 2 p.m. when it performs a show titled “Spring in our Step.” Here’s how a publicist described the show:“American composer James Grant’s homage to the theater ‘Entr’acte’ is witty and rollicking. Solo pianist Byeol Kim performs Robert Schumann’s Concerto in A Minor with magic and joy.
Ciattarelli, Sherrill Polling Ahead in Primary Races

3 weeks ago | thesandpaper.net | Rick Mellerup

Any New Jersey resident who watches a fair amount of television knows that the 2025 gubernatorial election is heating up because the political advertisements are starting to pile up before the June 10 Democratic and Republican primaries. There are six Democrats in the running, including two U.S. representatives, the mayors of the Garden State’s two largest cities, the president of the New Jersey Education Association (the teachers union), and a former president of the New Jersey Senate.