Dolphins Have Appeared Once Again In The Shrewsbury River

Six dolphins have been spotted in the Shrewsbury River and wildlife officials are trying to determine if they are part of a group of dolphins that showed up last summer in the same river.

Last June 16 dolphins appeared in the river and stayed for months, six eventually died and the rest are unaccounted for.

Photos were taken of the dolphins that appeared in the river Sunday and are being compared to pictures of last year’s group of dolphins.

“There is that possibility that they survived and came back again, but we won’t know that until we see the dorsal identification”, says Bob Schoelkopf, Director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine.

By: Janet Fried

Carpenter Bees And How To Stop Them From Destroying Your Home

by Jason Allentoff
As the summer season rapidly approaches, many pest control companies throughout the Garden State are seeing a rise in complaints regarding a flying nuisance that can cause damage to your home....and it ain't a gypsy moth or termite.

When you think of bees you think of honey...right? Some think of a painful sting. However, have you ever thought a bee could cause harm to property? Carpenter Bees can and while they don't sting, they feed on the wood on your house. People often mistake them for bumblebees. They often burrow into the exposed dry wood of buildings, fence posts and telephone poles.

Michael Russell with Action Termite and Pest Control in Toms River says people can take care of the problem themselves. Russell says they don't cause as much damage as termites. He explains one remedy would be to seal off the hole made by the bee with caulk. The other option would be to call an exterminator. They recommend a chemical treatment insecticide when nesting activity is apparent.

One Of The Largest Ground-Mounted Solar Power Arrays On The East Coast Is Now in Monmouth County

The 4,100 solar panels sit on three acres and power Marlboro Township’s water treatment and distribution operations.

They will generate over 1.3 million kilowatt hours of clean electric power each year, meeting nearly 40 percent of the power needs of the the township municipal utilities authority.

“We’re thrilled to be deploying a significant solar array to power our water treatment and distribution operations; and pleased that it’ll be cash-flow positive from day one,” says Peter Wersinger, Executive Director of the Marlboro Township Municipal Utilities Authority.

Wersinger says projects such as this one are helping New Jersey achieve its long term goal of energy independence.

By: Janet Fried

The Parent Company For Orkin Pest Control Is Investigating An Incident In Monmouth

Martha Craft, Spokeswoman for Rollins says miscommunication lead to a mother and baby squirrel being left in a trap for days in Shrewsbury without food or water.

She says their policy is to immediately respond to calls but she says in the Shrewsbury incident the servicing branch did not receive the call.

“We are investigating exactly what happened, and once we have concluded our internal investigation, we will take appropriate actions to be sure this does not happen in the future”, says Craft.

Craft says they've offered to pay the vet bills for the squirrels.

By: Janet Fried

LIVE NATION HAS IMPLEMENTED POLICIES TO TRY AND PREVENT UNDERAGE DRINKING AT THE P-N-C BANK ARTS CENTER

Underage drinking has been a huge problem in recent years sending several people to the hospital and leading to hundreds of arrests.

Live Nation Spokesman Jim Steen says they have not changed their programming at the venue but they have changed some of their policies to help combat underage drinking.

He says they are only allowing people in the parking lots two hours prior to show time, there will be a greater police presence, there are camera inside and outside of the venue and tailgating will not be allowed at some shows that draw younger crowds.

In May 2007 15 people were taken to the hospital for alcohol-related illnesses during a Gwen Stefani concert at the arts center, 13 of them were minors.



By: Janet Fried

An Expert Has Some Advice For Parents And Educators On How To Get Kids To Stay Focused at The End Of The School Year

Maurice Elias, Professor of Psychology at Rutgers University, says teachers can structure the classroom experience in a way that keeps kids focused.

“More student participation and less teacher lecturing will actually lead to more learning and better attention on the part of the kids,” says Elias.

Elias says eating well and getting enough sleep and exercise will also help kids stay focused in school but he says these are habits that should be maintained throughout the entire school year.

Elias say this is also an important time to celebrate the hard work the students have done over the course of the school year.

By: Janet Fried

Cigarette Tax?

by Jason Allentoff

In the proposed fiscal budget for 2010, Governor Jon Corzine plans to increase the cigarette tax because he believes it will generate a sizable chunk to fill in some gaps. The Center For Policy Research says otherwise.

Governor Corzine insists his plan to raise the tax by 12.5 cents would generate 26-million-dollars but the Center claims the hike would do the opposite. CPR President Gregg Edwards says the tax will end up costing the state millions and hurt small business owners. He cites an increase in the tax back in 2006 when the state lost 22-million-dollars.

In addition, Edwards feels any hike will end up increasing the black market sales of tobacco in neighboring states.