Community Corner

This Week In News Around Monmouth and Ocean Counties

Ridiculously high gas prices and a fatal high speed chase top the headlines in Monmouth and Ocean Counties this week.

Surfing Heals: Autism Group Takes Kids Riding The Waves

Manasquan- To say that he had been looking forward to it all week does a disservice to the magnitude of his newfound obsession.

Surfing. On a real surfboard. With a real surfer.  

Sunday could not come fast enough. And no neurotypical child can possibly fathom the fantastic, all-encompassing, living-and-breathing obsession that my 9-year-old son had lived these past few days.

Find out what's happening in Marlboro-Coltsneckwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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With One Weekend to Go, 69 Rescues This Season for Brick Lifeguards

Brick- Brick's lifeguards will call it a season this Sunday, after a summer that resulted in many lives saved and even more protected from the dangers that lurk within a day at the beach.

Find out what's happening in Marlboro-Coltsneckwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to statistics compiled by township officials this week, township lifeguards completed 69 rescues, 43 water assists and 128 calls for medical aid this season.

Overall, the summer of 2012 produced 19 EMT calls, 19 administrations of oxygen to patients, 14 lost persons and five reports of disorderly conduct at the beach.

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City to Demolish Bellevue Hotel

Ocean City- Demolition of the Bellevue Hotel at Eighth Street and Ocean Avenue will take place within seven days, Ocean City Business Administrator Mike Dattilo said on Wednesday.

Constructed more than a century ago in 1909, the six-story building is a public safety hazard, and city officials want to remove it as quickly as possible. The hotel has been closed for more than a year.

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Men Named in Ritacco Conspiracy Awaiting Sentencing

Toms River- A series of intermediaries allegedly associated with the kickback schemes of former superintendent Michael Ritacco have plead guilty but still await sentencing.

The former Toms River Regional Superintendent pleaded guity April 5 to two of the 27 charges he was facing, and admitted his role in years of corruption at the school district, where as much as $2.5 million in bribes were allegedly passed between Ritacco, insurance brokers and intermediaries.

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Local Gas Station Hikes Prices Above $9 to Protest Parent Company Pricing

Manasquan- Gas station owner Nikolay Kraiszler, as part of an action against pricing practices of Lukoil North America, has joined a protest of about 50 franchise stations in New Jersey who are charging $8 a gallon or more on Wednesday.

Kraisler, who has owned the Route 70 station since 2008, is charging $9.48 for a gallon of regular grade today. The gas station is located on the boundary among Wall, Manasquan and Brielle.

Lukoil forces franchisees to pay higher prices for their fuel than their competitors and it's not uncommon for Lukoil dealers to see a competitor selling gas far less, Kraisler said.

"I've never worked so hard to be broke,'' Kraisler said.

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High Speed Chase in Tinton Falls Leads To Crash, Two Deaths

Tinton Falls- Two occupants of a car that was involved in a high-speed chase with the Tinton Falls police late Wednesday night are dead after a crash in the borough.

Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Richard Incremona said two Tinton Falls police officers stopped a 2008 Subaru Impreza with three male occupants on Shafto Road around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night. When one of the officers approached the vehicle, he spotted a .380 semi-automatic handgun in the car, the assistant prosecutor said.

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