More than six months after Superstorm Sandy caused unprecedented damage to the Jersey Shore region, the beaches will be open for Memorial Day Weekend and the summer. While certain access points and facilities might be closed as municipalities continue to work on restoration, for the most part, the beaches will be operational. The only beach that remains off limits to the public is Mantoloking. The borough was home to a breach that split Ocean County's northern barrier island in half and was one of the hardest hit communities in New Jersey during the storm. So as you prepare to stick your toes…

Keansburg Amusement Park celebrated its reopening Saturday afternoon, inviting residents and visitors alike to take in the revitalized park as it continues its progress following Hurricane Sandy.  With the park about 85-percent complete, according to Bill Gehlhaus, who owns the park along with his brother Hank, visitors gathered in the unfinished building that will soon house the park's new bumper cars. Though some shutters remain closed along the park's promenade, many vendor stalls are open, offering visitors the chance to play arcade games, win prizes, and grab a bite to eat as the go from…

Keansburg Amusement Park is very much still a work in progress. A day before its grand reopening, the quirky park, with its road carnival aesthetic and crooked midway, is still wearing the plywood-bandaged wounds of its near destruction at the hands of Hurricane Sandy. On Saturday afternoon, public and park officials will meet to shake hands and signal the reopening of the park in this downtrodden seaside town. Some rides are open. More will be soon. The game and concession stalls mostly remain gutted and a restaurant, its picnic tables still adorned with last season's salt and pepper shakers…

Holmdel Helps is continuing its aid for Keansburg after Hurricane Sandy, after raising over $100,000 for their neighboring town at a fundraiser. The group is now looking for donations on Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Gently used furniture and household items are accepted. Holmdel Helps is requesting people drop off items at the Keansburg Department of Public Works at 40 Frezee Place, Keansburg. Mattresses and box springs cannot be accepted. For more information please contact, Georgette Nelson at (732) 946-2820 x1222.

There are two weeks left for survivors of Superstorm Sandy who suffered damage to their homes to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The deadline is midnight, May 1, according to FEMA officials. This is also the deadline for residents to return applications to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for low-interest disaster loans. Residents can register for FEMA assistance online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or via smart phone or tablet at m.fema.gov. They also can call 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585, and those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-…

Residents impacted by Superstorm Sandy now have until May 1 to register for individual disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to a prepared statement from the governor's office.  The deadline extension also applies for homeowner, renter, and business registration with the Small Business Administration (SBA) for Disaster Loan Assistance. Businesses applying for SBA Economic Injury loans still have until July 31 to apply. The loans are for businesses that did not suffer any physical damage, but lost revenue in Sandy's aftermath. State and federal …

The Christie administration has taken another step toward supporting new statewide elevation standards based on Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps. On Monday, the administration filed with the Office of Administrative Law an adoption package supporting the standards. The action comes nearly a week after Christie predicted FEMA will scale back tough new flood maps it issued last December.   Those maps place a large amount of properties in flood zones, and require many structures to be elevated if their owners don't want to see flood insurance rates spike. The initial FEMA flood …

Gov. Chris Christie predicted the Federal Emergency Management Agency will scale back tough new flood maps it issued last December, according to news reports. Those maps place many more properties in flood zones, requiring many of them to be elevated if their owners don't want to see flood insurance rates soar, according to reports. The initial FEMA flood maps, which could create thousands more in insurance premiums and have residents raising their houses feet off the ground, are "too aggressive," said Gov. Christie at Thursday's town hall meeting. He was addressing a packed crowd of …

In the self-described blue-collar borough of Union Beach, the frustrated pronouncement, “I’m still waiting for my money,” punctuates so many conversations that it's almost a refrain among homeowners who -- four months after Sandy -- have yet to receive the insurance checks that will help them cover critical home repairs or elevations or both. Yet despite the prolonged uncertainty and displacement, they are the lucky ones. Dozens of their neighbors in the Monmouth County town -- where half the population qualifies for low-income federal assistance -- have no insurance at all. Union Beach is …

Two weeks to the day after New Jersey Transit submitted an application for federal funds to help recovery in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, it received over $144 million in aid for the first steps of recovery, NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein said on Thursday night, March 14. “Rebuilding in the aftermath of Sandy has truly been a team approach,” Weinstein said in a statement issued Thursday night. “I am grateful for the efforts of Senators Lautenberg and Menendez, our Congressional delegation, Administrator Rogoff and the FTA, as well as the leaders and staff at FEMA and the …

Hope comes in all shapes and sizes and in Union Beach it came in the form of an artificial Christmas tree pulled from Hurricane Sandy's carnage. Former Union Beach resident Jim Butler set up the tree under the blanket of night and placed a handwritten sign next to it that read, "Dear Sandy, You can't wash away hope. You only watered it so more hope can grow. Signed, 'Union' Beach." On Saturday, March 9, the Union Beach Hope Tree was given permanent roots when two local families, the Hornig's and the Mezzina's, donated a living tree.  The community came together to dig, plant and mulch the new…

With winter weather still moving through the region, NJ Transit has extended full systemwide cross-honoring through the end of the service day Friday, March 8, enabling NJ Transit customers to use their ticket or pass on an alternate travel mode—rail, bus or light rail, as well as private carrier buses.  NJ Transit continues to monitor the storm and take steps to minimize delays and ensure service reliability and safety.  All customers are strongly advised to check njtransit.com before traveling for up-to-the-minute service information before starting their trip. High winds reported …

Inspired by the opportunity to show compassion for their Keansburg neighbors affected by Superstorm Sandy, 700 people turned out to a festive night of cocktails, music, dancing, food and schmoozing at Lakeside Manor Friday night. The organizers behind "Holmdel Helps" have started a partnership with a goal to raise $100,000. They pledged to give every dollar of it to Keansburg's elected leaders to distribute to its pre-screened homeowners in need of building supplies and appliances. According to Keansburg Borough Councilman Tom Foley, who is also a Holmdel police officer, that could mean up to…

Inspiration came in the way of a message delivered by a 9-year-old girl from a small town in Mississippi. New Jersey's coastal communities remained devastated following Hurricane Sandy. Even then, more than a month after the storm hit, rebuilding seemed like an impossible task. In December, a gunman opened fire in a school in Newtown, Conn. killing 26 people, 20 of them children. Demoralized. That’s how Bill Lavin, president of the New Jersey Firefighter’s Mutual Benevolent Association, said he felt. It’s how many in the nation felt. Karli Coyne, from Waveland, Miss., a town destroyed by …

Updated: The March 1 fundraiser is completely sold out, but donations are still being accepted. Keansburg residents looking for assistance need to contact Keansburg Boro or fill out the "affected residents" form at the Boro website. Holmdel Helps does not choose which residents will receive construction materials.  In the continued aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Holmdel Township is banding together to get the lives of Keansburg residents and their town back to normal. In December, Holmdel announced it would partner with officials in Keansburg in longterm recovery and rebuilding efforts. …

New Jersey’s recovery following Hurricane Sandy will come, officials and legislators at Tuesday’s budget introduction at the Statehouse in Trenton said, just don’t expect the state to pay for it. In Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed $32.9 billion budget, only about $40 million has been set aside for Sandy-related recovery, all of it coming in the form of supplemental aid. Its intended use will only be as a stopgap during the process of the state’s securing aid for various recovery efforts. The negligible sum will have little impact on the state’s budget, according to New Jersey Treasurer Andrew …

Sometimes, a hot meal can mean everything. No one knows this better than the volunteers of Everybody's Kitchen, a kitchen on wheels that travels around the country providing hot meals to those who need it most. Recently, the loosely-organized group has been providing meals to Hurricane Sandy victims. According to volunteer Anne Mackell, the bus made stops in Sandy-ravaged towns soon after the storm hit and has come back again three months later to address a persistent need.  The completely volunteer-sustained Everybody's Kitchen, developed in the early 1990's, has spend the last two decades …

Holmdel High School students have joined the Holmdel Helps movement to create a Public Service Announcement. In the continued aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Holmdel Township is banding together to get the lives of Keansburg residents and their town back to normal. In December, Holmdel announced it would partner with officials in Keansburg in longterm recovery and rebuilding efforts. Holmdel Mayor Patrick Impreveduto said he believes residents can impact the lives of others with their talents and altruism through Holmdel Helps. Holmdel High School students used images and stories from Keansburg…

Towns all along New Jersey's coast were devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Boardwalks were pulled back into the sea by surging waves, homes were knocked off of their foundations and residents left homeless. Despite the disaster, there's still hope. In Union Beach Saturday, and estimated crowd of about 1,000 people walked through the Sandy-ravaged town to show their support for recovery and each other. With little notice about the event other than a posting online, word of mouth spread throughout the week, resulting in a large and somewhat unexpected turnout. Many of those walking count themselves…

  A fundraiser for two schools and Shore 2 Recover will be held from 5 p.m. to midnight March 2 at Martell's on the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk. The admission fee of $25, for non-stop live music and complimentary dinner buffet, will be donated as follows: $20 to Hugh J. Boyd Elementary School in Seaside Heights and Memorial School in Union Beach and $5 to Shore2Recover’s rebuild program. Shore 2 Recover was founded by Toni Pecunia, a resident of Point Pleasant whose home was partially-flooded by the storm, according to the organization's website. The organization has donated funds to …