BELMAR, NJ — After sharing her real-life experiences as a volunteer first-responder in two books, author Andrea Jo Rodgers has made a foray into fiction writing with an adventure novel for middle-grade children.

“Saving Mount Rushmore” is a story of John Jenkins, a rather ordinary teenager who stumbles upon his own talents when he needs them most. Rodgers will discuss the ...

BELMAR, NJ — Belmar Elementary School will hold prekindergarten and kindergarten registration for the next school year on Tuesday, February 19 and Wednesday, February 20.

Registration, to be held from 9 to 11 a.m. at the school, is open to both Belmar and Lake Como residents. To sign up for pre-K, children must be 3 or 4 years old by October 1 and for kindergarten they must be age 5 by ...

BELMAR, NJ — The Belmar Woman’s Club are inviting girls completing their junior year of high school to apply for the opportunity to experience college life this summer.

The club is sponsoring one Belmar resident to attend the four-day Girls’ Career Institute (GCI) at Rutgers University’s Douglass Residential College, to be held on its New Brunswick campus from June 3 ...

BELMAR, NJ — Honor roll recipients totaled 106 at Belmar Elementary School for the second marking period — 43 sixth-graders, 30 seventh-graders and 33 eighth-graders.

These are the 31 students who made the high honor roll by achieving a grade of 93 or higher in all subjects including related arts:

Sixth grade: Winter Archer, Emily Black, Sidnie Chek, Daren Chen, Claire Doherty, ...

LAKE COMO/BELMAR, NJ — Lake Como Mayor Emeritus Michael B. Ryan will hold the distinguished title of grand marshal in this year’s Belmar/Lake Como St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

When Ryan was notified of his selection to lead the March 3 parade, he said the news took his breath away. “I was surprised and honored, and hope to do a good job in bringing people together to make ...

BELMAR, NJ — An evening of traditional Chinese dance and dining ushered in the Year of the Pig at the Belmar Community Center/Library Annex last night.

Spreading a message of good luck, good health and good fortune, students from the Jersey Shore Chinese School of Holmdel delighted nearly 200 attendees with performances of the double lion dance, two folk dances, and demonstrations in ...

BELMAR, NJ — In need of a revenue boost to operate its beachfront this season, Belmar’s beach badge fees will rise across the board, beginning March 1.

The borough council on February 5 approved an increase in the cost of seasonal badges from $55 to $70, seasonal badges for seniors and disabled individuals from $15 to $30, and daily badges for anyone age 16 and older from $8 to ...

BELMAR, NJ — Longtime lifeguard Harry Harsin is returning to the Belmar Beach Patrol as its director, after he was not rehired last season as part of a sweeping restructuring of the lifeguard team.

The Belmar Council last night unanimously approved Harsin’s appointment as lifeguard director, as well as Eric Kerecman and Corrina Weinkofsky as lifeguard assistant supervisors. Last ...

BELMAR, NJ — The state Attorney General’s Office has notified Belmar that it will not be reimbursed $600,000 in professional services fees paid to the engineering firm hired for the federally funded Lake Como stormwater outfall project.

When the borough awarded a contract for “construction management and administrative services” to Maser Consulting in September 2015, it ...

BELMAR, NJ — Belmar’s recreation gymnasium is a hub of activity every Wednesday and Saturday for elementary school students.

From 3:15 to 4:30 p.m., open gym featuring basketball, dodgeball and indoor soccer is held every Wednesday for third- to fifth-graders. The sessions are open to students from Belmar Elementary School (both Belmar and Lake Como residents) and St. Rose Grammar ...

OCEAN GROVE, NJ — Regardless the weather,  it’s always warm, bright and cheerful at Serenity by the Sea, the “little shop of wonders” at 53 Main Avenue.

In addition to making shopping fun this winter with a wide selection of specialty items, handcrafted offerings and one-of-a-kind treasures, the boutique and artisan marketplace is participating in Ocean ...

BELMAR, NJ — A 32-year-old Belmar man has been charged with 18 narcotic-related offenses after a raid by Belmar police resulted in the seizure of a multitude of drugs and a large sum of cash, police said.

Zachary Long, whose 12th Avenue address was not disclosed, was arrested at the scene on February 1 during the execution of a search warrant by the Belmar Police Detective Bureau, ...

BELMAR, NJ — A raccoon attacked and killed a family’s cat yesterday afternoon in the backyard of their 13th Avenue home — three weeks after a woman on Eighth Avenue and a nearby dog were bitten by a rabid raccoon.  

Kathy Schutt said that her cat of some 14 years was out on the back deck on February 5 when her husband, Martin, heard a noise outside. “He went to ...

BELMAR, NJ — After being held a stone’s throw from the Belmar beachfront for three decades, the New Jersey Seafood Festival is headed to a new venue — the borough’s downtown district.

Belmar officials currently are hammering out details for the move, which will shift the popular event to be held on May 17, 18, and 19 to Belmar’s shopping hub, with food vendors to ...

BELMAR, NJ — More than six years have passed since David Cupoli and his mother, Carol, were rescued by raft from their Belmar home during Hurricane Sandy. But for David, the experience remains vividly etched in his memory — so much so, he has published a short book recounting what happened during those first harrowing days that shook a community … and also brought it ...

ASBURY PARK, NJ — Lake Como Councilwoman Hawley Scull was a featured speaker at the Women’s March held on Saturday, January 19 in Asbury Park.

Despite the state of emergency declared due the weather by Gov. Phil Murphy, several hundred people assembled on the city’s boardwalk as a unified voice for the women’s movement and to express their dissatisfaction with the Trump ...

TRENTON, NJ — A measure that requires pharmacists to educate patients on how to safely discard unused, unwanted or expired drugs and needles is working its way through the state Legislature.

All three District 30’s legislators who represent Belmar and Lake Como are sponsoring the bill in their respective chambers — Robert Singer (R-Monmouth/Ocean) in the Senate, where the ...

COLTS NECK/MIDDLETOWN, NJ  — Navy installations around the country, including Naval Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County, are conducting a force protection exercise called Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain 2019.

This annual force protection exercise, which is being conducted at Station Earle's Colts Neck and Leonardo locations through February 15, is designed to enhance the ...

BELMAR, NJ — Contractors working on repairs to the Belmar Main Street/Route 71 bridge have packed up their equipment, returning the span to its normal traffic pattern — at least for the next several months.

Agate Construction Co. Inc. plans on returning in April when temperatures are warmer to complete the project that began in late September, according to the state Department of ...

LAKE COMO, NJ — A group of students from a New York City high school has set its sights on Lake Como for an innovative project — developing a design plan to revitalize the lakefront.

Students at Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design traveled from Brooklyn to Lake Como on January 21 to get an up-close look at the community and to meet with officials and other ...

FREEHOLD, NJ — The Spring Lake man who led police on a high-speed chase along Main Street through five communities last January, will lose his driver’s license for a total of 13 months for driving while intoxicated and eluding police.

George Tsairis, 53 of Spring Lake was sentenced yesterday, January 25, by Superior Court Judge Joseph Oxley, who ordered a seven-month license ...

LAKE COMO, NJ — Joseph Cavaluzzi has been reappointed chairman and Eugene “Chip” Cavanagh as first vice chairman of the Lake Como Planning Board.

Allison Krilla was tapped as second vice chairperson, replacing Thomas Meehan who resigned after moving out of town.

Continuing in their professional roles for 2019 are Adam Schneider as board attorney, Alan P. Hilla Jr. as board ...

BELMAR, NJ — After being shuttered for nearly one year, the Belmar Inn on 12th Avenue has reopened after undergoing nearly $300,000 in renovations to remedy fire and building code violations.

The 40-room hotel at 112-114 12th Avenue opened on January 1 with most work completed — and proper permits obtained — to bring the three-story building into compliance, according to ...

Brighten your indoor décor with plants that bloom. Whether growing traditional favorites, flowering tropical plants, or annuals moved inside for winter; their colorful flowers are sure to elicit smiles and months of enjoyment. Just provide the right growing conditions and sufficient light and you will be enjoying months of indoor color.

You may have enjoyed an initial burst of color ...

BELMAR/LAKE COMO, NJ — TAPinto Belmar/Lake Como is the only all-online, objective newspaper that serves residents, organizations and businesses in both municipalities, reporting news at it happens 24/7.

Accredited by the New Jersey Press Association, it is the official electronic newspaper of both municipalities and is part of the TAPinto network of 75 locally owned and operated online ...