Donald Wittkowski

The Ocean City Police Department has become the first law enforcement agency in New Jersey to win accreditation for a sixth time, once again giving it a highly coveted recognition of professional excellence. Harry Delgado, accreditation program director for the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, presented Ocean City Police Chief Jay Prettyman with a certificate of accreditation during a ceremony at a City Council meeting Thursday night.

Responding to complaints about rowdy teenagers disrupting the summer tourism season at the shore, three Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation that would allow police to detain – but not arrest – juveniles who drink alcohol or use marijuana in public. The bill is being characterized by one of its sponsors as a “tool” that would give police the power to essentially break up large groups of unruly teens that gather on the beaches, boardwalks or other popular hangouts at the shore.

The cheers and applause were thunderous, some tears flowed and there was plenty of laughter, too. Joined by a who’s who of local, county and state politics, Assemblyman Antwan McClellan was presented with the 2022 Gerard A. Desiderio Republican of the Year award Wednesday night during a packed gala sponsored by the Cape May County Women’s Republican Organization.

A lot of fresh sand will be pumped onto Ocean City’s storm-eroded shoreline in the north end of the island as part of a $21.5 million beach replenishment project getting underway in November.

Ocean City may lower the speed limit to just 20 mph on streets throughout the island, Mayor Jay Gillian said Saturday during a community meeting that included complaints from residents about speeding drivers and careless riders on electric bikes.

Time is running out for the antiquated scoreboard at Ocean City High School’s Carey Stadium. The city is expediting plans to replace it with a new high-tech scoreboard that will include features allowing it to be used not just for sports, but also for concerts, movies and other special events. The estimated cost is $2 million.

Beach tags are going to be more expensive in Ocean City for the 2023 summer tourism season. Voting 7-0 at a meeting Thursday night, City Council approved an across-the-board price increase for seasonal, weekly and daily beach tags as part of plans to raise more revenue to maintain the resort’s sprawling seven-mile shoreline.

Shore Medical Center in Somers Point is nationally recognized as a Primary Stroke Center, including 24-hour neurology and neurosurgery care and an emergency staff specially trained in the treatment of stroke patients. At the same time, Shore is looking to enlist other “superheroes” who can recognize the symptoms of stroke and quickly take action to have stroke victims rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. Surprisingly, those heroes are children.

Visitors walking up the stairs to the second floor of Ocean City's U.S. Life-Saving Station museum are in store for a pleasant surprise. They are greeted by “Charlie,” a mannequin who is sitting on one of the beds in what is an authentic re-creation of the bunk room that served as the spartan sleeping quarters for the “surf men” who worked at the station in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Charlie isn’t much for conversation, but he is one of the centerpieces of much-awaited renovations to the second floor that were in full view to the public Saturday during the museum’s open house for the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge tour.

A small fire caused by a faulty computer broke out at the Ocean City Public Safety Building on Thursday night. Police Chief Jay Prettyman said the fire was contained to an office on the second floor. There was only a minor amount of damage, but a lot of smoke, he said.