The Gazette of Really Small News

With five days left before Christmas, the garland  around this lamp post next to the Christmas tree in the Ocean Grove business district was more "nevergreen" than evergreen. Will there be any green left by Christmas Day? And what are the festive festooning's chances of lasting until New Year's Eve'?

Snow transforms a sand dune at the north end of Ocean Grove.

Snow covers sand berms on the beach in Ocean Grove. The berms were created in late September to protect the dunes and boardwalk from Hurricane Jose as it made its way up the coast.

Police are asking the public for information in the death of a 65-year-old man in the woods off Neptune Boulevard in Neptune Township. The badly burned body of the man, who authorities did not identify, was found on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 14, at a site frequented by members of the homeless community, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. The death does not appear suspicious, and results of an autopsy and toxicological tests are pending, the county prosecutor said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Neptune Township Police Department Detective Eric Chunn at 732-988-8000, ext. 418, or Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Detective John Leibfried at 1-800-533-7443.

Before sunrise at the Ocean Grove fishing pier, Thursday Nov. 30.

Ocean Grove's Boardwalk Pavilion turns yellow as the sun rises Wednesday, Nov. 29.

1530:  In England, Lord Chancellor Thomas Cardinal Wolsey dies. 1543: German artist Hans Holbein the Younger dies. 1643: Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi dies. 1924: Italian composer Giacomo Puccini dies. 1980: American activist Dorothy Day dies. 1987: All 115 people aboard a Korea Air flight die in the explosion of a bomb planted by agents of North Korea.

Fletcher Lake and a Bradley Beach boardwalk pavilion at sunrise Wednesday, Nov. 29.

A tabby in the window of the Catsbury Park Cafe on Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park watched the world go by early in the morning on Saturday, Nov. 25.

1666: In Scotland, Presbyterian rebels (Convenanters) lose the Battle of Bullion Green to forces of the Royal Scots Army. 1859: American author Washington Irving dies. 1908: In Marianna, Pennsylvania, 154 workers die in a mine explosion. 1942: In Boston, Massachusetts, 492 people die in a fire at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub. 1968: English author Enid Blyton dies. 1972: Claude Buffet and Roger Bontemps are the last two people to be executed in France. 1979: More than 250 people die in the crash of an Air New Zealand sightseeing flight over Antarctica. 2016: More than 80 people, including members of Colombia's Chapecoense soccer team, die in the crash of a charter flight near Medellin, Colombia.

A melony smudge announces the sun rising beyond Ocean Grove's North End dunes.

8 B.C.E.: Roman poet Horace dies. 1953: American playwright Eugene O'Neill dies. 1978: In San Francisco, city supervisor and gay activist Harvey Milk is assassinated by a former city worker who also kills mayor George Moscone. 1983: In Madrid, Spain, 181 people die in the crash of an Avianca airliner near Barajas Airport. 1989: All 107 aboard an Avianca airliner and three people on the round die when the plane explodes  in mid-air over Colombia. 2009: In Russia, 28 people die when a bomb explodes aboard the Nevsky Express between Moscow and St. Petersburg. 2015: Six people die in a mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

 Sunlight on cottages of Ocean Grove's "tent city" takes some of the bite out of Thanksgiving's frosty start. The National Weather Service says today will be sunny, with a high of around 46.

Overnight temperatures dipped into the 20s, turning this shallow puddle in Ocean Grove into a fragile, unwearable boot.

It might be Thanksgiving, but Ralph will forego the turkey dinner and stay atop the Ocean Grove fishing pier.

Public works crews will collect leaves throughout Neptune Township this Friday, Nov. 24, weather permitting. Officials ask residents not to park vehicles on or near piles of leaves awaiting pickup. .

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a wind advisory for between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19. Wind will be southwest, between 25 miles per hour and 29 mile per hour, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour, the NWS said.

Ring-billed gulls chill out on a footbridge over Wesley Lake at dawn on Saturday, Nov. 18.

Driving through Manasquan this morning? Local police say to expect delays on roads east of the railroad tracks between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. as runners take to the streets in the borough's annual Turkey Run.

Wesley Lake might  have been mirror-still at sunrise today, but showers with breezes up to 20 miles per hour are possible late this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

A pleasure boat plies the waters off Ocean Grove at sunrise on Saturday, Nov. 18.

401: The Visigoths invade northern Italy. 1421: An estimated 10,000 people die in Holland when the a seawall on the Zuiderzee dike fails. 1872: Susan B. Anthony isone of 15 women arrested for voting in the presidential election. 1947: In Christchurch, New Zealand, 41 people die in a fire at Ballentyne's Department Store. 1978: More than 900 members of Jim Jones's People's Temple cult die in a mass murder-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. Victims include 270 children, Jones, and United States Congressman Leo Ryan. 1987: Thirty-one people die in a fire at the London Underground's King's Cross station. 1999: Twelve students die when a bonfire under construction at Texas A&M collapses.

This bench behind Asbury Park's iconic steam plant cast a big shadow at sunrise on Nov. 17.

The annual Leonid meteor shower should be visible between midnight tonight and dawn tomorrow, according to published reports. The National Weather Service is calling for partly cloudy skies and a nighttime low of 36. The meteors are particles from comet Tempel-Tuttle but are called "Leonids" because they appear to come from the direction of the constellation Leo.

A wreath on Main Street in Ocean Grove is a reminder that Black Friday and the start of the Christmas shopping season is one week away.

887: Charles the Fat, king of the East Franks in what is now present-day western Germany, is deposed. 1603: English explorer Walter Raleigh stands trial for treason. 1810: Sweden declares war on Great Britain, but the two nations never actually fight each other. 1917: French sculptor Auguste Rodin dies. 2012: More than 50 children die in a train-crossing accident near Manfalut, Egypt.

Early morning at the dune where Asbury Park meets Ocean Grove.

Windows of Ocean Grove's North End Pavilion reflect properties touched by the rising sun.

Glimmer Glass Bridge in Manasquan will be closed through Tuesday, Nov. 21, officials tweeted. The closure is for emergency inspections, according to the tweet.

East End Bridge on East End Avenue in Neptune Township and Neptune City is closed to pedestrians through Dec. 4, township officials announced on the township website. East End Avenue is County Route 17 over the Musquash Brook. For information, contact the county at 732-431-7760, ext. 7896.

Neptune Township will usher in the holidays with a community tree lighting and celebration on Saturday, Nov. 25, at 6:30 p.m. in Midtown Common Park, on West Lake Avenue between Route 35 and Drummond Avenue. The event will include photos with Santa, caroling, Christmas cookies, and hot cocoa. You can also help to trim the tree. This year's theme is "peace," and attendees are welcome to bring an outside tree ornament that represents peace. Sponsors are MURC (Midtown Urban Renaissance Corporation), Ringside Rescue, and Southpaw Gym. For more information, or if you would like your youth group involved, call Stephanie Lashley at 732-895-9422.

Neptune Township is collecting canned food to send to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico this month. Canned goods can be brought to the municipal building, 25 Neptune Blvd.,  until Nov. 30. For more information, contact the township at 732-988-5200, ext. 231.

1532: Inca emperor Atahualpa is captured by Francisco Pizarro in what is now Peru. 1793: In Revolutionary France, 90 Roman Catholic priests who oppose the revolution are executed by drowning. 1849: Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky is sentenced to death for anti-government activities. The sentence will later be changed to hard labor.

The Ocean Grove fishing pier at sunrise onTuesday, Nov. 14. 

A skeletal tree in a closed-up corner of Ocean Grove suggests winter is here already. The winter solstice arrives at 11:28 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 21.

655: Penda of Mercia loses the Battle of the Winwaed in what is modern-day Yorkshire, England, to Oswiu of Northumbria. 1280: German theologian philosopher Albertus Magnus dies. 1630: German astronomer Johannes Kepler dies. 1889: Emperor Pedro of Brazil is ousted in a coup d'etat. 1959: The Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas, is murdered, a crime that will inspire Truman Capote to write In Cold Blood . 2007:  In Bangladesh, around 5,000 people die in cyclone Sidr.

The sky might have looked angrier than the sea, but the National Weather Service called for sunny skies with a high around 51. Showers weren't due until after 1 a.m. Pictured: the Ocean Grove fishing pier.

1687:  Eleanor "Nell" Gwynn, actress and mistress of England's King Charles II, dies. 1716: German philosopher Gottfried Leibnitz dies. 1831: German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel dies. 1940:  Nazi Germany's air force, the Luftwaffe, bombs Coventry, England, during World War II. 1946: Spanish composer Manuel de Falla dies.

Heck Avenue between Taylor Avenue and Route 35 is closed because of wires in the road, local police report. Commuters and students are urged to use alternate roads to reach schools and businesses on Neptune Boulevard. It was not immediately known when Heck Avenue will re-open. 

Reassessment has upped Asbury Park's overall property value by 20.06 percent, or $274 million over 2017, according to a report on the city's website. The preliminary net valuation for 2018 is $1,643,020,400, as opposed to $1,368,550,700 for 2017. The updated valuation means an increase in the local tax levy. But not every property owner will pay the same increase in taxes. Owners of property with an assessment  of less then 20.06 percent "will pay a lesser proportionate share of the tax levy," according to the  Asbury Park 2018 Reassessment Report. Owners of property with value exceeding 20.06 percent "will pay a greater proportionate share of the tax levy," the report says. Click  here  to read the full report.

1002:  Danes in England die in what will become known as the St. Brice's Day Massacre, a mass murder ordered by King Aethelred II. 1093: Scots king Malcolm III dies in battle against the English at Alnwick. 1903: French painter Camille Pissarro dies. 1950: The president of Venezuela, General Carlos Delgado Chalbaud, is assassinated. 1985: In Colombia, 23,000 people die in  mudslides caused by the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz. 2015: In Paris, 130 people die in coordinated terror attacks.

A gull finds comfort atop an Ocean Grove boardwalk lamp at daybreak Sunday, Nov. 12, when temperatures were in the low 20s.

1793: Mathematician Jean-Sylvain Bailly, the first mayor of Paris, is guillotined during the Terror phase of the French Revolution. 1928: More than 110 passengers, mostly women and children, die when the SS Vestris sinks off Hampton Roads, Virginia. 1999: More than 800 people die in an earthquake in northwestern Turkey. 2013: English composer John Taverner dies.

You've followed the Neptune Township Police Department on Twitter and Facebook. Now you can follow it on its own website, www.neptunepolice.org. Officials say the site was designed to create a convenient place for answers to commonly asked questions and to allow people to download popular forms, such as requests for temporary handicap placards, firearms permits, and Alcoholic Beverage Control forms. The site also allows the public to submit tips about crimes, commend officers, and suggest additions to the site. "I think this exemplifies our commitment to keeping the public safe and informed, and adds to our well-received and highly successful community outreach programs and public information outlets," Chief James M Hunt, Jr. said of the department's new home on the Internet. If you have questions or concerns that aren't answered on the website, or if you prefer to speak to an officer, you can still call the department at 732-988-8000. The number is staffe...

Dramatic afternoon light and shadow on one of Ocean Grove's protected sand dunes.

1831: Nat Turner is executed in Jerusalem, Virginia,  for leading a slave uprising. 1855: Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard dies. 1880: Australian outlaw Ned Kelly is hanged at Melbourne Gaol. 2000: In Kaprun, Austria, 155 people die when a cable car catches fire in an alpine tunnel.

Krampus won't inflict himself upon Asbury Park until Dec. 1, but you can add a name to his naughty list right now, if you'd like, at http://krampusap.com/naughty-list/ But be warned! The folks behind Krampus Asbury Park--Paranormal Books & Curiosities/Asbury Park Tour Company--remind everyone that the additions post immediately. They don't want you submitting information that is sensitive, or that can harm people, or that isn't appropriate for children. Krampus Asbury Park might be a family-friendly event, but, according to the website, Krampus himself is "the darker side of the season"-- the evil counterpart of the good elf that became known as Santa Claus. While Santa gave gifts to those who had been good all year, Krampus gave those who had been naughty unpalatable "treats" that ranged from piles of dirt to coal in a stocking. Or worse. "(L)et's just say it could get a LOT worse," organizers say on the website. Worse, but...

1847: Ninety-two people die when the passenger ship Stephen Whitney  sinks off the Irish coast. 1940: Around 1,000 people die in an earthquake centered in Vrancea, Romania. 1975: Twenty-nine people die when, loaded with a shipment of iron ore, the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald  sinks in a storm on Lake Superior.

Maintenance on Asbury Park's landmark casino and carousel buildings at the boardwalk continues year-round. This was the scene on Thursday, Nov. 9.

The cloud bank darkening Ocean Grove on the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 9, was the harbinger of things to come. A pre-winter Arctic blast is expected to dunk temperatures into the low 20s tonight after a chilly high of 41 this morning. Northwest winds of between 20 and 25 miles per hour could gust as high as 43 miles per hour. Source: National Weather Service.

Local municipalities will hold Veterans Day ceremonies on Saturday, Nov. 11. Asbury Park : 10:30 a.m., VFW Post, 701 Lake Ave. Bradley Beach : 11 a.m., Carmen Biase Senior Center, 719 Main Street. Neptune Township :  2 p.m., Veterans Memorial Park, 703 Old Corlies Ave.

Local municipal offices and public works yards are closed today in observance of Veterans Day. There will be no trash or recycling pickups.

The Monmouth County Board of Elections will accept hand-delivery of mail ballots until 8 tonight, the county clerk's office said. Board offices are at 300 Halls Mill Road, Freehold. Polls in New Jersey are open today until 8 p.m. Voters are deciding on county, state, and local leaders, including governor and state assembly members.

Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday. Don't forget to set your clocks and other devices back an hour either at 2 or before you go to bed. Most electronics are programmed to adapt to the changing times. But it's always best to double-check the alarm clock, clock-radios, and anything else that needs to be manually adjusted in order to show the correct time.

Trash and recycling will not be collected in Neptune Township on Friday, Nov. 10, as the municipality observes Veterans Day, township officials said.   Zone D trash and Zone D recycling will be collected on Wednesday, Nov. 8. In Ocean Grove, the Friday, Nov. 10 pickup has been rescheduled for the following Tuesday, Nov 14. All municipal offices and the recycling yard will be closed on Nov. 10, the township said on its website, www.neptunetownship.org.

Officials in Belmar are alerting residents they might notice a scent of chlorine in their tap water on Tuesday, Nov. 7, as NJ American Water changes its water treatment process from chloramine to free chlorine. The change is temporary, the borough said in a text message to subscribers.

Rings in the sand along the Ocean Grove boardwalk were created by dune grass blown around by the wind.

Neptune police want children and young adults under 18 to stay off the streets from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tonight and on Halloween night. Officials announced the curfew by way of social media this afternoon.

The National Weather Service has placed the region under a flood warning until midnight. A nor'easter moving up the eastern seaboard is bringing heavy rains and winds with gusts expected to exceed 50 miles an hour by tomorrow morning.

Flooding in Neptune Township has closed Neptune Boulevard and Taylor Avenue between Lakeview and 6th avenues, the township office of emergency management reported by way social media. The area is under a flood flash flood watch until midnight as a nor'easter moves up the eastern seaboard, according to the National Weather Service.

The region can expect flash floods and possibly damaging wind gusts as a nor'easter-like storm rolls through later today and tomorrow. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood advisory for today from noon to midnight, and a wind advisory for tomorrow from 6 a.m. to noon. Gusts could reach or exceed 50 mph, the NWS said. The storm falls on the fifth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy's landfall near Atlantic City.

Ocean Grove's North End Pavilion was battered by Superstorm Sandy on Oct. 29, 2012. Five years later, the building is home to seasonal boutiques and eateries. Here the windowsreflect properties west of the boardwalk.

The little figure at the far end of the beam is Ralph the Ocean Grove Fisherman. He appeared days after storm surge from Superstorm Sandy took down the far end of the Ocean Grove fishing pier on Oct. 28, 2012. He remains as the symbol of the community's determination to bounce back from a natural disaster that destroyed homes and businesses throughout the Jersey Shore, and that kept the area without power for a week.

The Ocean Grove fishing pier used to extend over the water, and there was a small hut used by fishing folk. That far end and the fishing hut were swept away by monster storm surge 24 hours before Superstorm Sandy made landfall near Atlantic City on Oct.29, 2012. Unlike the devastated boardwalk, the pier was never repaired.

Superstorm Sandy obliterated Ocean Grove's North End boardwalk when it swept ashore on Oct. 29, 2012. Five years later, the site has a new boardwalk, and dunes filled with thick dune grass and vegetation that provides shelter for small birds.

Registration for the Ocean Grove Pet Boutique's Halloween parade for kids and pets starts at 11:30 this morning at Fireman's Park, on Main Street at Delaware and New Jersey avenues. The parade steps off at noon.

Environmental activists will observe the fifth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy with "Hands Across the Boards: A Five-Year Commemoration of Superstorm Sandy" at 2 p.m. on the boardwalk south of Convention Hall in Asbury Park. Organizers say the event will commemorate lives, homes, and businesses lost in the storm, and end with a call to action as attendees join hands in "a demonstration of the urgent need to address climate change." Organizations hosting the event include the Jersey Shore chapter of Surfrider Foundation, the American Littoral Society, and the Tri-County Sustainability Alliance.

Expect increasing clouds and a high around 68 today, and a low around 49 tonight. Source: National Weather Service. Pictured: The Ocean Grove side of Wesley Lake at daybreak on Oct. 25.

Heads up, if you commute to Wall Township! Belmar Boulevard between Martin Road and Woodfield Avenue is closed because of a downed live wire, local police report. It was not known how long the area would be off-limits. 

The region could see "pockets of damage " from wind, plus a "possibly damaging" thunderstorm this morning, with heaviest rains falling late this morning and through the afternoon., according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly. "Wind advy w pockets of damage this morning. Heaviest rain 11 AM-5PM NJ/De w psbl damaging tstm [thunderstorm]," the NWS tweeted shortly before 6 this  morning. A wind advisory is in effect until 1 p.m.

Hold on to your umbrella! A wind advisory is in effect until 1 p.m. Winds are south, 15 miles per hour (mph) to 25 mph, with gusts up to 45 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Where's the rest of the bench? These bits of dismembered seat were seen across from the La Pierre Condominiums, overlooking Wesley Lake in Ocean Grove.

The Whimsical Garden in Ocean Grove is caught between the greens of summer and the russets of fall. Warm weather has stopped leaves from changing, but that could change later today as a cold front moves in from the west bringing rain, gusty winds, and lower temperatures. The National Weather Service is calling for a high of 72, with heavy rain  and severe thunderstorms. Expect heavy rain, patchy fog, and a low around 60 tonight.