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Donald Wittkowski

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Sea Isle Man Pleads Guilty to Punching TV Host Bob Kelly

Patrick Iannone said that he had been drinking heavily. He admitted to throwing a punch. But he maintained that he had no clue who TV personality Bob Kelly was the night that he knocked out the Fox 29 “Good Day Philadelphia” host during a party July 30 at the Oar House Pub in Sea Isle City. “I was not aware of who he was,” Iannone said of Kelly during a hearing Monday in state Superior Court. In the latest twist in the highly publicized case, Iannone, of Sea Isle, appeared in court to plead guilty to assaulting Kelly. The plea deal will result in him getting probation and staying out of jail.

Ocean City’s South End Beaches Getting Replenished

A veritable army of bulldozers, excavators, temporary buildings and workers wearing hard hats has taken over a stretch of Ocean City’s south end beaches normally deserted in December. If you think that’s strange, there’s also a towering, three-legged contraption known as a “CRAB” that looks like something straight out of an alien invasion movie. But don’t fear. All of the heavy machinery is part of a project to replenish Ocean City’s eroded beaches between 45th Street and 59th Street with 257,000 cubic yards of new sand.

No Letup in Ocean City’s Fight Against Wind Farm Project

Ocean City is taking its legal battle against an offshore wind energy farm to the next level, even though the company that was supposed to develop the project no longer plans to build it. During a meeting Wednesday, City Council agreed to hire a law firm to represent Ocean City in its appeal against the state Board of Public Utilities over the agency’s approval of a transmission line that would have connected the offshore wind turbines to the land-based electric grid. City Business Administrator George Savastano said the appeal is part of Ocean City’s ongoing legal strategy to oppose the wind farm, despite the developer’s announcement on Oct. 31 that it is withdrawing from the project.

Construction Nearly Done on New Type of Affordable Housing in Ocean...

It may very well be Ocean City’s version of the lottery. But instead of being awarded cash prizes, the lucky winners will be selected to live in a new type of affordable housing in Ocean City. Altogether, the Ocean City Community Development Corp. is building five attractive duplexes that will provide 10 units of rental housing for families with low or moderate incomes.

Ocean City’s Flanders Hotel Turns Back Clock to Celebrate 100 Years

Beautiful flapper girls sashayed on the red carpet at the Flanders Hotel, while debonair gentlemen exuded Great Gatsby-esque charisma in their tuxedos and top hats. Did someone say they saw Rudolph Valentino and Greta Garbo? Perhaps not, but the historic Flanders Hotel staged a centennial gala Saturday night every bit as glamorous as the Roaring Twenties style that marked the landmark building’s grand opening in 1923 on the Ocean City Boardwalk.

Ocean City Swears In New Police Chief

Bill Campbell had plenty of company when he took the oath of office as Ocean City’s new police chief. His wife, Jill, and his 22-year-old son, Brett, were with him for the swearing-in ceremony Thursday night in the City Council Chambers. There were also a lot of blue uniforms in the Council Chambers to show support for Campbell. The room was partly filled with about 20 law enforcement officials, including Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland, police chiefs from neighboring towns and members of the Ocean City Police Department.

Republicans Sweep First Legislative District and County Races

Republicans cruised to landslide wins Tuesday night in the First Legislative District election and also swept the Cape May County races for the Board of Commissioners, sheriff and surrogate. Incumbent Republicans Sen. Michael Testa and Assemblymen Antwan McClellan and Erik Simonsen easily brushed aside their Democratic opponents in the First Legislative District race to lock up new terms in the state Legislature.

Meet Bill Campbell, Ocean City’s New Police Chief

As he steadily climbed through the ranks of the Ocean City Police Department during his 29-year career, it appeared that Bill Campbell was heading straight to the top – to chief. He went from being a summer police officer to a full-time patrolman, to sergeant, lieutenant, captain and then deputy chief. Campbell, though, never really thought about becoming police chief during any point in his career, he said. But now he is.

Cape May County Declares Victory Against Wind Farms

Jubilant Cape May County officials Wednesday celebrated the decision by Danish energy giant Orsted to scrap plans for two wind energy farms off the South Jersey coast, but expressed caution about the possibility that the projects could be resurrected later.

Implosion Topples Landmark Smokestack

The “Big Candle” has been permanently extinguished. A spectacular implosion Thursday morning toppled the nearly 400-foot-tall smokestack at the former B.L. England power plant overlooking the Great Egg Harbor Bay in Beesleys Point. It took just seconds for explosives to destroy the cylindrical tower that been a landmark at the Jersey Shore since 1987.