Chiropractor in Jamesburg, NJ

JAMESBURG – The Borough Council approved an ordinance last week that allows certain marijuana businesses to operate in certain areas of town.

The ordinance unanimously approved on Aug. 18 permits one business that holds a Class 3 Cannabis Wholesaler License and one business that holds a Class 4 Cannabis Distributor License, as issued by the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission with the approval of the borough, as a conditional use, subject to all of the terms, conditions and restrictions set forth within the ordinance, in the following zoning districts – NC Neighborhood Commercial District, CBD Central Business District and RB Retail Business District.

All other marijuana operations and classes of licenses are prohibited from operating in the borough.

According to the ordinance, "the Borough Council has determined that allowing and regulating one or more classes of cannabis business within the borough is at this time necessary and appropriate, and in the best interest of the health, safety and welfare of the borough’s residents and members of the public who visit, travel, or conduct business in the borough, and amending its Land Development Ordinance to permit such cannabis-related activities, including land use and development, specified herein within certain geographic boundaries within the borough, is also necessary and appropriate."

The ordinance establishes operational requirements for a cannabis wholesaler or distributor facility, including only allowing the businesses to operate between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

The ordinance says that a cannabis wholesaler and distributor "shall undertake best efforts to employ at least one borough resident for every 10 employees of the business.”

Under the ordinance, a 1% transfer tax payable to the borough will be collected on receipts from the sale of cannabis or cannabis items from a wholesaler to another establishment, and a user tax payable to the borough in the amount of 1% on receipts from the sale of cannabis or cannabis items will be imposed on any concurrent license holder operating more than one cannabis establishment.

The transfer and user taxes will be in addition to any other tax imposed by law.

In addition, no person shall smoke, burn, vape, aerosolize or otherwise consume any cannabis item in a public place within the borough, a private motor vehicle while in motion or parked in any public place within the borough or a private property not their own, without the express permission of the owner or other person having authority to grant such permission.

Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com

Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

JAMESBURG – For the first time one of the district's two schools was named a Blue Ribbon School.

John F. Kennedy Elementary School is one of only nine schools in the Garden State cited as an "Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing School" for 2021.

Schools in this category have made significant advances in closing subgroup achievement gaps in English, language arts and mathematics over the past three to five years, JFK Principal Kristy DeFazio said.

The designation was surprising and affirming, said Diana Sanger, special education resource teacher and president of the Jamesburg Education Association.

"This award is the direct result of the individuals who dedicate their careers to providing nothing less than the best educational experience for all," Sanger said. "My colleagues and I at JFK Elementary School are proud of the efforts and rich, diverse cultures of our students.

"It’s through our school’s vision that these achievements are possible. And it’s through the compassion and commitment of the members of the Jamesburg Education Association that JFK catapulted into the national spotlight."

The district's demographics include a 54% population of Hispanic learners, as well as students who fall into populations of 34% white, 7% Black, 3% Asian and 2% two or more races.

The Front Street school houses about 465 students.

"Because we are such a tiny little school," Sanger said. "And for us to close the gap, it's enormous. Sometimes schools struggle in different areas. For us, we have a very high Hispanic population. So, we have a lot of English language learning students and we closed the gap. That means that we now are on level with other schools for performance. So, we are one of nine schools in New Jersey to get the blue ribbon and the only one of the nine in New Jersey to close the gap."

"Our students are so proud," Sanger continued. "It takes a long time to complete the process to be awarded a Blue Ribbon."

To celebrate, the district hosted a ceremony on March 22 and a parade on April 1. Every student was given their own Blue Ribbon and made a heart depicting what they love about their small town. The hearts are now displayed on the walls of the school.

"They are beautiful," Sanger said.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and private elementary, middle and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

For 2021, Walter M. Schirra Elementary School in Old Bridge received a Blue Ribbon designation, in the “Exemplary High Performing Schools” category.

In all, 325 schools were honored from around the country. Other Garden State schools recognized were North End School in Cedar Grove, Hillside Elementary School in Closter, Weymouth Township Elementary School in Dorothy, Lucy N. Holman Elementary School in Jackson, Torey J. Sabatini Elementary School in Madison and Wemrock Brook School in Manapalan.

Email: cmakin@gannettnj.com

Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin.

MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Residents across the waterlogged Northeast began clearing mud and tearing out sodden carpets Monday after deluges dropped by Tropical Storm Henri, whose remnants threatened further flooding in New England as the system made a slow trek back to the sea.

The smell of sewage filled the air as residents of Rossmoor, a retirement community in central New Jersey's Monroe Township, returned to soaked homes and ruined possessions after Henri turned their streets into rivers.

Roseann and John Kiernan said they'd have to likely toss their appliances, tear up walls and carpets and replace their car after their house filled with nearly 2 feet of water on Sunday.

"This is what we were left with. Nothing, nothing," lamented Roseann Kiernan. "They told us that everything has to go."

A few miles away from Monroe, the whirring of portable pumps split the air on the main street in Jamesburg, another hard-hit New Jersey community.

Luke Becker, co-owner of the Four Boys ice cream stand, said nearly 4 feet of water rushed into the shop, dislodging a tall cooler and leaving 3 inches of mud behind.

"We were initially hoping to be back open by Labor Day, but now it looks like we've got to go through all the plumbing and rip out a ton of electrical because we don't know how much of that was affected," he said. "Right now there's really no timetable."

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy toured the storm-ravaged towns Monday, which remained under a flood warning until midnight.

Henri spared coastal areas of New York and New England major damage when its center made landfall Sunday in Rhode Island. But its size and slow speed led to deluges in areas from Maine to Pennsylvania.

On Monday, Henri's remnants, now considered a post-tropical cyclone, were moving eastward over New England at a leisurely 9 mph but were expected to accelerate later, prompting flood watches or warnings across swaths of the Northeast.

In the Catskills region of New York, Hunter Town Supervisor Daryl Legg believed his mountain community, which was devastated by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, would be able to weather the slow-moving storm.

"I think we escaped any kind of danger so far only because of the length of time it took for the storm to move through," he said. "This has been a 24-hour period, so it's not really the same storm, thank goodness."

But downpours, flooding and even tornadoes were still possible in New England, where officials fretted that just a few more inches would be a back-breaker following a summer of record rainfall.

"The ground is so saturated with water that every inch of rain creates immediate floods and flash floods," Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday after seeing damage in the community of Canterbury, where nearly every home lost power Sunday amid heavy winds.

No deaths have been attributed to Henri, but thousands remained without power across the region as crews scrambled to remove toppled trees and power lines through Monday.

President Biden has declared disasters in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont and Connecticut, opening the purse strings for federal recovery aid to those states.

A National Grid crewman removes a snapped electrical pole from Caswell, St. in Narragansett, R.I., on Monday. Strong winds from Tropical Storm Henri downed a large tree that fell on top of the power lines.

Annette Landry, a resident of Manchester, Connecticut, a Hartford suburb some 40 miles inland, hoped Monday's rains wouldn't be a repeat of the deluge that left three units in her condo complex under a few inches of water Sunday.

Firefighters said they helped evacuate 18 homes and made several rescues after Henri dumped about 5 inches of rain.

"It was a tragedy that this happened, because the people who live here are people who can ill afford to live anywhere else," said Landry, a 72-year-old retiree whose second-floor home was spared.

In central New Jersey, Dolores Hebert was still shaken Monday after being ferried to safety by boat with her dog and cat as 8 inches of rain fell and water surged through the streets in Rossmoor.

"I was sleeping and when I woke up, it was up to my knees," the 76-year-old said as she stood by a front door bearing 18-inch-high watermarks. "I didn't know what to do. I panicked."

After more than 80 years, Mendoker's closed its doors; Body and Soul to close next month

@SusanLoyerMyCJ

JAMESBURG - It's an end of an era for two longtime borough businesses.

Mendoker's Quality Bakery, a popular, iconic bakery that has tempted the palates of customers for 84 years, has closed. A second business, Body & Soul, which has been a staple in the community for years, is expected to close next month.

Mendoker's Quality Bakery at 34 W. Railroad Ave., announced in a Facebook post Sunday that it was forced to close its doors permanently as of Monday.

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"We have weathered many storms together in this great town and have celebrated so many special occasions with so many families over the years," the Facebook post by owners Ed and Nicole Mendoker said. "We consider our loyal customers as part of our extended family, many we greet by name, and it is heartbreaking to see our time come to an end. We have done everything in our power to keep our ovens hot and our handcrafted items on the shelf, but have become burdened with too many setbacks that we cannot overcome. We will not let our quality suffer for any reason."

According to its website, the business opened on April 1, 1932. The business has been such an integral part of the community that a sign at an entrance to the borough reads: Welcome to Jamesburg. Home of Mendoker's Bakery."

Customers far and near expressed their disappointment with the closing on Facebook.

"Very SAD day. So many great memories," wrote Patricia Vash.

"So sorry," wrote Barbara Rhodes. "Very sad to see you go. Went there a lot. Started taking my grandson !!"

"Even after I moved to California in 1989, I would still come in every trip back," Matt Sebastiano wrote. "Thank you so much for the smile that you put on my and my family's face for 37 years. I wish you all well."

In response to the posts from patrons, Ed and Nicole wrote late Monday afternoon: "Thank you for all the well wishes they mean a great deal to us! There isn't much in this world aside from family what I love more than baking, I was born on a bakers bench and there is flour in my veins. I will miss working with my children, teaching them my trade that has been so good to my family for generations. Most of all I will miss the first birthday cakes of my customers children and when they are old enough to come in to the bakery, watch the smiles on there faces when the " cookie lady" gives them a cookie. I am very sorry we closed, reading this posts makes me regret it more with each word! It was out of our control, it just had to be. Thank you for the opportunity to be your Baker."

Nearby Body & Soul, at 79 E. Railroad Ave., also is calling it quits.

"It's sad," said Monroe resident Ruth "Wuzzy" O'Carroll, who owns the business with her husband, George. "The customers have become like part of the family. We know everybody. I feel bad, but a lot of people were able to get things from us that are now sold over the internet or in the box stores."

The business opened in 1974 as The Right Track on Railroad Avenue, two or three blocks from its current location, O'Carroll said. In 1981, the business changed its name to Body & Soul and relocated to the Apple Plaza on Applegarth Road in Monroe, where they remained for about eight years before moving to a new location on Railroad Avenue in the borough.

"We moved to what was the former home of a go-go bar, called The Quarter Keg," O'Carroll said. "On the roof they had a picture of a keg of beer with suds coming out."

The business sells health and beauty aids, food supplements, cosmetics and a selection of Christian literature, including books, music and Bibles, as well as gifts and jewelry.

"We had a very active cafe, where we had music," she said. "We had authors visit. Once a month we showed a movie, which we were actually selling. It was like a ministry for us. People would come and meet other people. We would have coffee and goodies. It was a place they could feel safe. It was going well until the town told us we couldn't use it for assembly. We stopped that about a year ago and that really cut our business."

O'Carroll said a going-out-of-business sale has been going on at the store since Oct. 15.

Mayor Marlene Lowande did not respond for a request for comment.

Staff Writer Susan Loyer: 732-565-7243; sloyer@gannettnj.com

Brewer Cemetery, tucked behind a busy Howell road, is easy to miss. Six New Jersey residents wanted to change that.

Patch Staff

|Updated Wed, Jul 22, 2020 at 11:21 am ET

HOWELL, NJ – It’s not hard to miss the centuries-old Brewer Cemetery if you’re not looking for it. For decades, the Howell location has been overgrown with weeds and rotting tombstones buried under thick brush on Squankum Road. Last week, several area locals set out to change that.

As first reported by News 12 New Jersey, Jamesburg resident Ron Errickson had no connection to the cemetery, having only driven by the location in recent years. Yet, for several days over the past week, Errickson and five other individuals cleaned up Brewer Cemetery in order to memorialize the individuals buried in the “forgotten” location.

The locals cut grass, remarked tombstones and trimmed tree branches to beautify the local memorial.

“There’s people that were laid to rest here, that’s full of history. We have veterans all around us here, probably about 9 or 10 that were buried here,” Errickson told News 12 New Jersey. “I did this out of my own time, my own money. I got everybody together and had this happen, and I’m very happy with this.”

According to New Jersey State Library documents, the plot began as a burial ground for Shrewsbury resident Adam Brewer. In his 1768 will, the land was set aside for Brewer’s family cemetery, which was subsequently maintained for several generations.

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Hundreds of individuals were buried in the location over the years, including several Civil War and World War I veterans. Many of the cemetery’s tombstones date back to the early 1800s, with its oldest recorded burial dating back to 1806.

It was only after Brewer’s direct relatives left the area that the location became ill-kept and overgrown. That is, until Errikson and other locals made the effort to restore the resting place.

You can view what the location looked like before the cleanup here.

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