ASBURY PARK PRESS

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INS & OUTS

Monmouth denied invitation to the Big Dance. Complete

coverage and analysis in SPORTS and online at APP.com

Toms River tract may be key to Seaside Heights

deal to swap land for historic merry-go-round

MONDAY 03.14.16

BEACH FOR
A CAROUSEL
Some rehabbers
say N.J. barks
up wrong tree
RUSS ZIMMER @RUSSZIMMER

Melissa Jacobs unlatches the door to a shed behind

her Neptune home. The doors swing open and reveal no
lawnmower or shovels, but three sets of masked eyes
belonging to adolescent raccoons, cordoned off behind
a curtain of chicken wire.
Just a few weeks ago, the trio of abandoned females
from separate litters were brought to Jacobs. They will
be released back into the wild this spring after having
survived the winter only because of the care from Jacobs and a phone call from a concerned neighbor.
Jacobs is one of a shrinking number of licensed wildlife rehabilitators in the state. These are the people you
are supposed to call when a wild animal is found in crisis.
Ive been a licensed rehabilitator for 24 years, Jacobs said. When I started, I used to get 80 calls a year. I
got 3,800 last year.
This shortage of wildlife rehabilitators was expectSee ANIMALS, Page 5A
ASBURY PARK PRESS FILE PHOTO

An auction house described the Dentzel/Looff Carousel, built in 1910 and located in Seaside Heights since 1932, as one of the
largest and finest carousels ever created.

Kids enjoy sweet

spell of success

JEAN MIKLE @JEANMIKLE

SEASIDE HEIGHTS - A tract of wooded wetlands in

Toms River is now included in the boroughs proposal
to swap more than an acre of beach with the owners of
Casino Pier.
The Toms River property, which is located north of
Route 37 next to Winding River Park, is owned by
Ocean County. Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr. said the
undevelopable property was purchased by the county
several years ago for use as compensation land, to replace parkland that the county might develop in the future, he said.
Seaside Heights has proposed to use at least 30 of
those acres to compensate for the development of 1.36
acres of beach property. The land would continue to be
owned by the county.
A public hearing on the revised proposal is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 22 at the George E. Tompkins
Municipal Complex, 2nd Floor in the Municipal Court
Room, 116 Sherman Ave.
If approved by the state Department of Environ-

JERRY CARINO
CARINOS CORNER

BOB BIELK/ASBURY PARK PRESS

The owners of Casino Pier in Seaside Heights would like to

enlarge the amusement area.

See SWAP, Page 4A

@PLAY

Malt Madness
taking over
The craft beer scene has boomed across New Jersey in
recent years, so much so that there is a full tap line of
original beer in pretty much every corner of the state. 1C

Syrian peace talks set to

resume as nation marks five
years of war. STORY, 1B

ADVICE
BUSINESS
CLASSIFIED
COMICS
LOCAL

4C
6A
6C
5C
3A

LOTTERIES
OBITUARIES
OPINION
SPORTS
WEATHER

2A
7A
9A
1D
10D

VOLUME 137
NUMBER 63
SINCE 1879

NEPTUNE - There is an ominous beginning to spelling practice for Brian

Young.
Ominous. O-m-i-n-o-u-s. Ominous,
the 12-year-old Neptune resident says.
His mom, Dawn, moves on to tougher
words like capitulation, obsequious and
alliteration. Brian nails them all as he
preps for this weeks Spelldown at Monmouth University. The winner advances to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
So, Brian, I ask him. Whats the most proud youve
ever been for getting a word right?
Like a seasoned contestant, the young man does not
See SPELL, Page 5A