MediaWize

United Methodist Communities (UMC) is the recipient of four 2019 MarCom Awards, an international creative competition recognizing outstanding marketing and communications professionals. The MarCom Awards administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, consists of several thousand marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, digital, and web professionals. This year, they judged over 6,500 entries representing the United States, Canada, and 18 other countries. The fall 2018 issue of engage, UMC’s newsletter, took Platinum. With the theme, Then and Now, it contrasted the organization’s founding year, 1907 with 2017. Platinum winners are the most outstanding for their excellence in quality, creativity, and resourcefulness. They demonstrate excellence in terms of quality, creativity, and resourcefulness. About 17 percent won Platinum...

OCEAN CITY MUSIC PIER THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE – Want to experience the Franklin Institute’s brand of interactive science right here in Ocean City, N.J.? Experience the magic of science with the Franklin Institute’s high-energy, family-friendly and energetic Traveling Science Shows. Live science shows are some of the best ways for people to see experiments and demonstrations of how science impacts our everyday lives. DISNEY’S IMAGINATION MOVERS – The Emmy Award-winning Imagination Movers bring their interactive, family-friendly rock concert to the Ocean City Music Pier for First Night 2020. Get ready for some high-flying toilet paper, ginormous balloons, vortex cannons, streamers and music, music, music. You’ll hear all your favs – like “Jump Up & Brainstorming” – and some new songs, too. This concert promises to be an amazing, interactive concert the whole family can enjoy. THE TRAMMPS – Philadelphia’s disco band THE TRAMMPS will headline the Music Pier. The band's first major success was with their 1972 cover version of “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart.” The first disco track they released was “Love Epidemic” in 1973. However, they are best known for their Grammy winning song, “Disco Inferno,” originally released in 1976, becoming a U.K. pop hit and U.S. R&B hit. After inclusion in the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, the song was re-released in 1978 and became another hit...

Dorothy Cianci, coordinator of the Ocean City Ecumenical Council Community Food Cupboard, expressed her thanks to local residents and the Ocean City Post Office carriers for the Dec. 7 food drive. The Post Office Food Drive brought in 7,460 pounds of food for the Ecumenical Council Community Food Cupboard.

Ocean City has achieved Class 4 in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System (CRS). The designation means all NFIP policy holders with compliant structures in Ocean City will receive a 30 percent discount on their flood insurance, according to a city press release Tuesday. The CRS program rewards towns that take action to make properties less vulnerable to flooding. The new rating means Ocean City’s 16,729 policy holders will collectively save $3,292,113 every year – an average savings of about $192 per participating home.

Senator Michael Testa, Jr., Assemblymen-Elect Erik Simonsen and Antwan McClellan, and Cape GOP Chairman Marcus Karavan issued the following statement on reports of Congressman Jeff Van Drew's plans to join the Republican Party. "Congressman Van Drew has been a moderate voice in the Democrat party for many years. His decision is further proof that the radical, leftist agenda that now guides the Democrats is completely out of touch with the values and concerns of the everyday Americans we serve,” Senator Testa (LD1) said. “This defection should be a wake up call for the Democratic Party. It's time to get over your Trump derangement, get down to business, and focus on how we can help law-abiding, hardworking families in New Jersey, and across America.” This past November, Testa overcame long odds to lead a GOP resurgence in LD1, flipping a New Jersey State Senate seat held by Van Drew and the Democrats for the past 12 years. Sen. Testa was also recently tapped to serve as the Trump 2020 Co-Chairman in New Jersey...

Ocean City will continue to roll out the holiday entertainment for residents and visitors with a variety of events through Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. After opening the show last weekend, the Ocean City Theatre Company will give three more performances of “Lights, Camera, Christmas: the 2019 Holiday Spectacular” at the Ocean City Music Pier. Details follow for the "Lights, Camera, Christmas" shows and other upcoming special events.

The Cape May County Office of Emergency Management advises that all municipalities in Cape May County will be under a “Code Blue” severe weather advisory from 6 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday. A Code Blue emergency is intended to protect homeless people living outside, on the streets, in parks or poorly insulated settings and who are at risk for cold-related exposure and possible death. People seeking shelter in a warming center should contact their local municipality. Additional resources are available by calling the county homeless hotline at 609-886-1325 or after hours at 1-877-886-1325.

A Service of Commissioning and Blessing for Kathryn Speer, housing administrator at United Methodist Communities (UMC) at Wesley by the Bay, was held on Dec. 12 at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Ocean City. Rev. Marcia Stanford, director of mission and pastoral care at UMC at The Shores, welcomed guests at the start of the service. During the invocation, Rev. Kimberly Wecht, director of mission and pastoral care at UMC at Pitman, gave thanks for Speer’s compassionate leadership.

The Washington Post reported Saturday that Democratic Congressman Jeff Van Drew is switching parties. Van Drew, who represents the 2nd District and has been vocal in his opposition to the impeachment of President Donald Trump, is expected to join the Republican Party in days to come, according to the Post report. Van Drew joined Trump for a meeting Friday, at which time the president urged him to join the Republican Party, the paper reported. Several prominent individual Cape May County Republicans said if Van Drew, a conservative in the Democratic Party, makes the switch they would welcome him with open arms. Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton, Vice-Director Leonard C. Desiderio, Freeholder Jeffrey Pierson, County Clerk Rita Marie Fulginiti and Cape May County Sheriff Bob Nolan issued a statement in support of Van Drew’s possible change of party.

The Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority is replacing and rehabilitating the force mains that carry wastewater to the treatment plant on the bay at 45th Street. The work will be done on 31st Street from Haven Avenue to Bay Avenue and Bay Avenue from 31st Street to Eighth Street. Details follow for construction work scheduled during the week of Dec. 16-20.