The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) presented the Second Annual Young Technician Awards to two promising young technicians on May 19 during the 2022 NORTHEAST Automotive Services Show.

Thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Utica National Group Foundation, AASP/NJ supplied John Carson (Parkway Auto Body; Nutley) and Nick Kiernan (Compact Kars; Clarksburg) with tool carts overflowing with tools and equipment to help them get their start in the collision repair industry.

The annual award is given to up-and-coming technicians employed by an AASP/NJ member shop who have been working in the industry for less than five years.

AASP/NJ received many applicants this year and decided to grant the award to two deserving young professionals.

“We had six finalists, and we narrowed it down to two, but it was really difficult to make a decision,” explained AASP/NJ Allied Board Member Joe Amato, Sr. of Amato Insurance Agency (a division of World Insurance Associates, LLC). “We hope these young men will put it to good use.”

Carson expressed his gratitude to AASP/NJ for being selected as an award recipient.

“This is going to be very helpful for me. It’s really going to come in handy as tools are expensive, and it’s great to have some help.”

The young technician says he’s learned a lot since he began working at Parkway Auto Body two years ago. He hopes to one day have his own shop but right now is grateful for his job and is working to learn as much as he can in order to become a great technician.

Kiernan also communicated his appreciation for being chosen for the award.

“Winning this award is just great. Being a younger technician is challenging…especially with trying to get the tools you need to get your job done as they are extremely expensive. It can be tough to get started.”

Kiernan, who has been at Compact Kars for two and a half years, originally wanted to paint cars but discovered a love for building them instead once he started working in automotive.

“I am very fortunate to have my bosses, Tom and Jeffrey Elder, who provide me with amazing opportunities,” said Kiernan.

From our Townsquare Media Atlantic City “community bulletin board,” there are a lot of good job opportunities available at Wawa convenience stores throughout the New Jersey Shore area.

*Summertime is an exciting time at Wawa stores. We are looking for associates seeking the opportunity to thrive in a food service customer-focused environment at a company with a one-of a-kind culture of teamwork" said Stephanie Capaccio, Director of People Team Operations.

“Anyone who visits Wawa knows that it's our incredible associates who drive our business and make Wawa so special to our customers and communities.” said Capaccio.

The starting wage is $15 per hour for associates hired in both full and part-time positions.

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There is a meal benefit, as every associate receives a free Wawa Shorti Hoagie per shift and other a discounted menu items, along with employee recognition programs, fun days and events.

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Working at Wawa can lead to a great career. After meeting certain eligibility requirements, there are additional comprehensive compensation and fringe benefits available, including:

Wawa’s hiring program is underway and they are looking to hire 1,000 new associates for Wawa stores from the New Jersey Shore, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

Hiring will continue throughout the entire 2022 summer season.

There are 37 New Jersey Wawa stores that are currently hiring as follows:

3800 Landis Ave. Sea Isle City NJ 08243

9404 3rd Ave. Stone Harbor NJ 08247

2701 Ocean Drive Avalon NJ 08202

502 Shore Rd. Somers Point NJ 08244

550 North Main Street Barnegat NJ 08005

1426-28 Texas Ave. Cape May NJ 08204

102 New Rd. Somers Point NJ 08244

2500 N. Route 9 Ocean View NJ 08230

813 W. Brigantine Blvd. Brigantine NJ 08203

224 S. Main St. Cape May CourtHouse NJ 08210

902 Central Ave. Ship Bottom NJ 08008

3932 Brigantine Boulevard Brigantine NJ 08203

1250 West Ave. Ocean City NJ 08226

418 W. Rio Grande Ave. Wildwood NJ 08260

1400 Route 72 Manahawkin NJ 08050

5212 Ventnor Ave. Ventnor NJ 08406

30 Shore Rd. Marmora NJ 08223

110 34th St. Ocean City NJ 08226

548 Monmouth Rd. Clarksburg NJ 08510

2432 Highway #35 Manasquan NJ 08736

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470 N Main St. Manahawkin NJ 08050

3601 Route 9 South Rio Grande NJ 08242

3485 Route35 North Normandy Beach NJ 08735

9300 Ventnor Ave. Margate NJ 08402

2302 Route 37 East Toms River NJ 08753

3200 New Jersey Ave. Wildwood NJ 08260

1515 Bayshore Rd. Villas NJ 08251

719 5th Ave. Galloway NJ 08205

13115 Long Beach Blvd. Long Beach Township NJ 08008

3719 Bayshore Rd. Cape May NJ 08204

320 Route 72 East Manahawkin NJ 08050

179 Route 37 East Toms River NJ 08754

75 Appleton Ave. Middletown Twp. NJ 07748

945 W. Bay Ave. Barnegat NJ 08075

330 W. Spruce Ave. North Wildwood NJ 08260

16 MacArthur Blvd. Somers Point NJ 08244

1344 Corlies Ave. Neptune NJ 07753

Because Wawa stores are open in a 24/7 basis, they can offer flexibility with work schedule hours.

SOURCE: Wawa Public Relations.

New Jersey beekeepers reap the glorious bounty of sweet honey, and many sell a variety of products made from honey that attract quite a buzz among shoppers.

Products include honey — of course — as well as cosmetics, lotions, candles, soaps, flavored honey spreads and more. It’s a sticky business — pun intended — that has New Jersey products being sold near and far. The state’s beekeepers sell their honey products on site, in stores or farmer’s markets, online or a combination of all. For many, it’s a family operation, and some go back several generations.

For a list of members of the New Jersey Beekeepers Association who sell products from their apiaries, visit njbeekeepers.org and click on Honey & Hive Products. Here are some highlights of sweet items made and sold by local beekeepers:

Bee Flower and Sun Honey in Pittstown

For four decades, this raw honey has been sold unfiltered for more taste, and to preserve its naturally occurring antioxidants, pollen, enzymes, vitamins and minerals. Honey varieties include blueberry blossom, clover blossom, star thistle blossom, wild flower, buckwheat blossom and Ceylon cinnamon infused, as well as comb honey.

E&M Gold Beekeepers in Tinton Falls

E&M Gold owners Mary and Edmund Kosenski work diligently to protect their bees from diseases. Their beeswax candles are popular, and in recent years, about half of their sales have been 2- and 6-ounce honey favor jars for weddings and baby or bridal showers.

Frank’s Honey in Ridgewood

Frank’s Honey is 100% pure, raw, all-natural, local honey that is hand-harvested and hand-extracted from Bergen County hives, then poured fresh into bottles to preserve its high-quality, sweet goodness. His honey jars, honey hand lotion and honey lip balm are available at several shops in Bergen County.

Gooserock Farm in Montville

For 20 years, Landi Simone has produced raw, minimally filtered honey from hives in Morris and Sussex counties. She also harvests beeswax to make creams, soaps, lip balms and candles. Gooserock Farm has taken hundreds of prizes for its honey, candles and cosmetics in local, state and regional shows.

HarBee Beekeeping in Dumont

Pat Harrison’s suburban beekeeping business produces honey, natural bar soaps in several scents, aromatherapy candles and pure beeswax candles. He maintains 200 honeybee colonies throughout New Jersey, and offers The Good Beekeeper Plan, a hands-off beekeeping service for homeowners.

Neshanic Station Apiaries in Neshanic Station

This small, family-owned business sells its wildflower honey raw to preserve its antibacterial and antifungal properties, packed with enzymes, minerals and pollen. Popular products include Beekeepers Bar soaps and spreadable creamed honey.

New Ark Apiaries in Montclair Heights

Joseph Sarbak learned about beekeeping from a local adult education course. He now sells honey and related products. His Honeybee Venom Rub provides gentle relief from muscle and joint pain, and Bee Propolis Extract, a natural tincture that acts as a powerful natural antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal medicine, is effective for healing cuts.

Sweet Cheeks Farm and Apiary in Chester

Sweet Cheeks Farm recently took over Tassot Apiaries, whose owners retired after 20 years. The 16-acre farm sells organic honey and products such as beeswax candles and honey butters in flavors that include cinnamon, chocolate, lemon, peanut butter, vanilla chai and matcha green tea.

Top of the Mountain Honey Bee Farm in Wantage

What started as a hobby now has 400 hives over five counties. Top of the Mountain sells raw honey — wildflower, buckwheat and locust — and honey infused with flavors, like cinnamon, berries, orange and more — even garlic and hot pepper. They also sell soap and face masks, lip balms and bee rub.

Tanis Apiaries in Pompton Plains

When Craig Tanis discovered that local, raw honey relieved his allergy symptoms and his son’s asthmatic coughing, he started beekeeping with his family as a hobby. Today, the family sells its honey, soap and popular lip balm made from beeswax.

Trapper’s Honey in Clarksburg

This third-generation beekeeping family harvests their award-winning honey from hives on their farm, and sells pure bottled honey as well as a Gourmet Honey Spread made from honey and fruit. Their hives in a blueberry patch have a natural blueberry taste.

Joyce Venezia Suss is a freelance writer and native Jersey girl who has worked for the Associated Press, The Star-Ledger and North Jersey Media Group. She was nominated for a James Beard Journalism Award for a 19-part series on ethnic foods in New Jersey.

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2021 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

UPDATE: 6/7/2023, 2:15 p.m.

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — The Air Quality Index in part of West Virginia, including the Morgantown area, is now reading as unhealthy, according to AirNow, a partner website of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

As of Wednesday afternoon, the AirNow map is now showing a large portion of West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle as well as cell south of Pittsburgh that includes the northern part of Monongalia County and another over Moundsville and New Martinsville, are all considered “unhealthy.” All of the rest of north central West Virginia and the Northern and Eastern panhandles are considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”

The AirNow forecast map for Wednesday also predicts that almost all of north central West Virginia—as far south as Braxton County—and the Northern Panhandle will be considered unhealthy.

Parts of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey have an AQI considered “very unhealth” or “hazardous,” but those levels are not expected to reach as south as West Virginia at this point.

To see the most updated AQI for your area, look at the AirNow AQI map here.

ORIGINAL: 6/6/2023

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Smoke from wildfires in Quebec, Canada has been looming over West Virginia for several days.

More than 100 fires currently burning in Quebec, and haze from the smoke can be seen across West Virginia, from Clarksburg, to Charleston, to high elevations like Spruce Knob.

As of Tuesday morning, the smoke across almost all of West Virginia is considered moderate. On Monday, some areas, including Charleston and Huntington, had what was considered thick smoke, but that has since changed to just moderate.

NBC reported on Monday that the air quality in much of the north eastern U.S. was affected by the fires, calling air quality conditions “dangerous” in some areas. Specifically, parts of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin were under air quality advisories, according to NBC. But even places as far south as the Ohio Valley, which includes West Virginia’s northern panhandle, could be affected by poor air quality from the smoke, reported sister station WTRF.

At this point, no air conditions in any part of West Virginia are considered unhealthy. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Air Quality Index (AQI) for June 6 says that Charleston and Moundsville had moderate air quality conditions due to “PM2.5” pollution, or tiny particles in the air. The other seven cities on the index, including Clarksburg, all had good air quality.

Google Maps U.S. AQI map says that parts of Marshall, Wetzel, Kanawha, Boone, Fayette and Berkeley counties had an AQI in the moderate range as of 2 p.m. Tuesday. It also said that parts of Morgan, Jefferson and Berkeley counties had AQI in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” or “unhealthy” range.

For those in areas with moderate air quality, the DEP says that the quality is acceptable, but those who are affected by underlying lung conditions like asthma or COPD should limit their time outdoors.

BRICK – It won’t be long until residents of Parkway Pines will be driving on smoother and drier roads since the governing body awarded a $301,579 bid for roadway improvements there to Meco, Inc. of Clarksburg, NJ.

The project consists of drainage improvements and roadway rehabilitation to correct drainage and other issues. The scope of work includes Stephan Road from Burnt Tavern Road to Lanes Mill Road, and Mule Avenue from Burnt Tavern Road to Stephan Road.

Brick’s Division of Purchasing and Contracting received seven bids for the project, which ranged from the winning bid up to $497,315.

Parkway Pines is located in the northern section of town, two miles west of Herbertsville near the Howell border.

The council also approved some bulkhead improvements and replacements in various locations throughout the town. The $418,800 bid was awarded to marine contractors R. Kremer and Son of Brick.

The project consists of bulkhead replacement, including removal/disposal of existing bulkhead, securing of corners, pipe penetration, backfill and restoration at bulkheads on Lawndale Drive, Brower Drive, South Drive, East Coral Drive, and Bayshore Drive.

The town’s Division of Purchasing and Contracting received four bids ranging from the winning bid up to $1,137,117.

In other news, Mayor John G. Ducey congratulated Brick Little League who won the District 18 tournament, the Section 3 tournament, and the NJ State Championship.

“It was a great accomplishment for a group of 12-year-olds,” he said. “In any other year we would have been watching them on ESPN, playing in Bristol, Connecticut, then after winning the mid-Atlantic region, we would have been traveling to Williamsport, Pennsylvania and watching them on ABC playing against the world.”

These events would not be taking place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Those things didn’t happen this year, but the accomplishment is still an awesome accomplishment,” Mayor Ducey said. “These kids have been mainly playing together since they were about eight years old.”

Last year the team made it to the state finals.

And finally, the governing body congratulated the retirement of tax collector Joanne Lambusta who has been a township employee for 36 years, starting in 1984.

“I did have the opportunity to give Joanne Lambusta a Key to the Town as well as a Proclamation naming October 5, 2020 Joanne Lambusta Day here in Brick Township,” the mayor said.

Usually, Lambusta would have been honored during a council meeting, but the meetings have been virtual due to the public health crisis.

After working for several years in the tax collector’s office, Lambusta was promoted to Brick Township Tax Collector in 1989.

In addition to her township duties, Joanne has been a member of the Tax Collector and Treasurer Association of NJ and also the Monmouth/Ocean Tax Collector and Treasurer’s Association. She has also served on the township Planning Board, and on the Environmental Commission.

Lambusta will be retiring on December 1, 2020.