Lacey's Village Lutheran Church Serves as 'First Responders' After Sandy

The Village Lutheran Church in Lacey Township is offering free tree services

Volunteers have traveled from throughout the country to connect with the Village Lutheran Church in Forked River to assist locals with free tree services after Hurricane Sandy. “The Lutheran Church is well known for disaster response. They’re very much first responders,” said Tracey Stillman, wife of Pastor Mark Stillman at the Village Lutheran Church. The Village Lutheran Church in Lacey has been responding to natural disasters since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. When Hurricane Sandy hit the region, the church called the disaster center of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and hooked up with Ed Brashier of Gardendale, Ala., a retired lineman and Director Shepherd’s Heart Disaster Response Ministry. The ministry has the purpose of: “…

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Residents With Structural Damage Due to Sandy Should Notify Tax Assessor

If the tax assessor isn't notified before Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, taxes will be based on the Oct. 1 value

Residents with structural damage due to Hurricane Sandy have until Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013to notify the township tax assessor, township attorney Lauren Staiger confirmed at Tuesday’s Committee meeting. New Jersey property taxes are based on the property value on Oct. 1 of the preceding year but when there is material depreciation after that date and before Jan. 10, 2013 and the tax assessor is notified, the tax assessor must value the property as of Jan. 1. This exception is based on the fair market value of the structure, not the land, Staiger said. There is also a certain percentage of lost for residents to qualify for this. “You do have to put it in writing. You do have to submit it to the tax assessor by Jan. 10,” she said. If property…

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PHOTOS: Sandy's Wrath, Nearly 4 Weeks After Landfall

Residents continue to deal with damage caused by Hurricane Sandy

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Lacey Township High School Helps to 'Provide for the Pride'

Hurricane Sandy relief fundraiser coordinated by high school students and community groups

Several student groups at Lacey Township High School, in conjunction with the local community, all contributed to the ongoing cause of relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Sandy with their “Provide for the Pride” fundraiser on Sunday. The event directly benefited a pair of local outreach organizations — the Lacey Food Bank and the Lacey United Methodist Church — both of whom have been very active in serving the community’s needs since Hurricane Sandy came ashore. Donations to both groups were being readily accepted at “Provide for the Pride”. “We’re here to support what the kids are doing. Some of them are members of our church, and we’re grateful to be seeing what they’re doing,” said Pastor Linda Applegate of the United …

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Provide for the Pride Event to Collect Donations for Local Food Bank and Church

The televised event will be held at the high school on Sunday, Nov. 18 from 3 to 8 p.m.

Provide For The Pride, a fundraiser for those in Lacey that were impacted by Hurricane Sandy, will be held at the high school on Sunday, Nov. 18 from 3 to 8 p.m. The event will serve the purpose of raising donations for the Lacey Food Bank and the Lacey United Methodist Church, which have been serving the community since the storm and will be on site for collections. “It’s not a telethon in the traditional sense,” said Steven Krawiec, Co-Station Manager of WLTS TV-21, which coordinated the event with the Student Government Association and the National Honor Society. The event will be televised and people are encouraged to stop by with donations. Those who donate monetary funds or supplies will be featured on camera in an interview, Tom …

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While Normalcy Returns for Some, Others Work to Rebuild [PHOTOS]

Less personal belongings line the streets of Lacey but residents still cope with damage

Eighteen days after Hurricane Sandy struck the region, the streets of Lacey appear cleaner. Less mattresses, dressers and flooring line the curbs but the damage that Sandy caused persists. Ed Wojciechowski stood on the side of Laurel Boulevard shoveling. Debris washed up along the dock and although he lived around the corner, he was lending a hand. “We were pretty fortunate,” he said of his own property. Some landscaping, fencing and roofing suffered damage. His boat, although tied down, had been pushed across the lagoon. “It was devastating,” he said of Laurel Boulevard. “There was debris all over.” People’s docks, furniture and items had been tossed about. Muck covered the streets. To get back to his home on Tuesday, he was transported …

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Lacey Victim of Sandy Remembered as 'Gracious,' 'Lovely Lady'

Celestine Kreitzer was pronounced dead on Tuesday, Oct. 30 due to hypothermia

Celestine Kreitzer was known as a “lovely lady.” Kreitzer, 94, of Forked River was one of four Ocean County residents who died due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy. She was pronounced dead on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 2:35 p.m. due to hypothermia, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. “She was courteous and outreaching. She was a real lady," neighbor Margaret Mukherjee said. "She sounded like a very gracious woman. In this day and age, that’s a wonderful value.” Kreitzer was found that Tuesday afternoon by her caretaker, who had reportedly tried to convince Kreitzer to evacuate on Monday afternoon but failed as she refused. “She died in a house she loved,” Mukherjee said. Kreitzer’s home is currently uninhabitable after Sandy’s …

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Lacey Estimates $400K on Sandy Expenses Thus Far

The township was notified of its FEMA application process on Tuesday

Lacey has expended approximately $400,000 in costs on manpower, debris cleanup, brush cleanup and tree removal since Hurricane Sandy, township Administrator and Municipal Clerk Veronica Laureigh estimates. Lacey officials were notified of its FEMA application process on Tuesday. The township, along with all Ocean County municipalities, will be meeting with FEMA this week, she said. Up to Friday, some items of FEMA reimbursement were at 100 percent while others were at 75 percent, she said. With Hurricane Irene, it was six months before the township had a FEMA meeting and submitted paperwork. “It could take up to 18 months to get reimbursed,” Laureigh said. “We are currently spending money on debris, overtime, cleanup, etc. and are …

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LBI: Not the Same, But We Will Find Happiness Again

Is it too soon to laugh?

  When I awoke Thursday morning to see a mountain of snow in my front yard, and no power once again in my house, I pulled out my phone, started snapping photos, and updated my Facebook status. I wrote this: "Dear God, We are very sorry about Snooki, JWow, and the Situation. You have made your point. Please stop now. Sincerely, the real Jersey Shore." Within an hour I had dozens of family and friends "liking" my status and commenting on it. Then the inevitable comment. "Oh man, too soon." Which left me thinking, is it too soon for the Jersey Shore to laugh at ourselves? I thought about that famous Saturday Night Live episode after 9/11, when Lorne Michaels asked Mayor Rudy Giuliani, “Can we be funny?," prompting  Giuliani to respond, “Why …

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