Local News Notes
For the week of July 16, 2009
Jul, 15-2009 4:39 pm
Seaview man charged with DWI, leaving a crash scene
VILLAS—Police charged a man with driving while intoxicated after he apparently fled the scene of a hit and run at Little Danny’s Ice Cream on Route 47 and Bayshore Road. Lower Township Police were notified by the Middle Township Police Department of the accident on July 11 at 5:30 p.m.
The driver, later identified as Guy Sessaman, 41, of Seaview, was driving a black pick up truck that suffered substantial damage from the accident, the police report said. A short time later, a witness to the accident advised the Lower Township Police Department that he had followed the pick up truck to the Villas Wawa parking lot.
Lower Township Officer Eric Coombs responded to the scene where he observed the black pick up with heavy damage and Sessaman, who appeared to be heavily intoxicated. An alcotest administered by the Lower Township Police determined that Sessaman’s blood alcohol content was over three times the legal limit of .08, according to police.
Sessaman was charged with driving while intoxicated by the Lower Township Police Department and leaving the scene of an accident and failure to report an accident by the Middle Township Police Department, police said.
Due to his BAC, he was transported to the Cape Regional Medical Center for evaluation.
Officers threatened by man with pole
VILLAS—A 60-year-old Villas man was arrested after he allegedly threatened an officer with a four-foot-long wooden pole, Sunday, July 12.
At about 4:30 p.m., Lower Township Police Officer Eric Coombs responded to a call about a domestic violence incident on West Greenwood Avenue.
Coombs had been to the residence several hours earlier when a woman there reported her husband had just trashed the house and then left. When he returned to the residence, she called and stated that he was acting belligerent.
Coombs confronted the man, Elwood Probst, in the backyard at which point Probst allegedly picked up a four-foot wooden pool and took a “fighting stance,” according to the police report, demanding that the officer get off his property.
Coombs called for backup, prompting Capt. Louis Russo to respond to the scene. When Probst apparently raised the pole into the air and told the officers they would “have to shoot him,” the officers drew their batons and advanced towards Probst. Probst complied with the demands to drop the pole and he was arrested on the scene. He was charged with attempted aggravated assault on a police officer, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, criminal mischief stemming from the domestic violence complaint.
Bicyclist injured in accident
CAPE MAY—A bicyclist was seriously injured in an early morning collision with a truck towing a trailer, Friday morning.
At about 9:04 a.m. on July 10, Joanne Walchak of West Cape May and Media, Pa. was riding her bicycle eastbound on West Perry Street when she collided with a trailer being towed by Matthew Gheysens of Delmont. Gheysens was operating a truck owned by Caprioni Portable Toilets of Belleplain.
Walchak was airlifted to Atlantic City Medical Center with head injuries. The accident is still under investigation. No charges have been filed at this time.
Becoming an outdoors-woman in New Jersey
CAPE MAY—A special Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Coastal Workshop will be held Sept. 11 through 13 at The Grand Hotel in Cape May.
Join the staff of the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife and volunteers for a weekend workshop devoted to learning about wildlife and outdoor skills on the Jersey coast. Participants choose four topics from a diverse list of classes, and spend three-and-a-half hours for each of the four hands-on learning sessions.
Although oriented towards women, this workshop is open to anyone who is at least 18 years of age. The workshop fee of $370 includes meals, lodging, instruction and use of equipment.
This workshop is being conducted in cooperation with the NJ Division of Parks and Forestry, the NJ Audubon Society and the Wetlands Institute. For more information and registration see www.nj.gov/dep. The New Jersey Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Program has largely been incorporated into the New Jersey Outdoors Program.
Teen rescued from gravel pit
LOWER TOWNSHIP—A 14-year-old Middle Township boy was rescued from a freshwater pond at the gravel pits behind Wuerker’s Farm on Saturday, July 7 at around 5 p.m.
Lower Township Police received a call from a “frantic” juvenile reporting that his friend was unconscious and unresponsive in the water at the gravel pits behind Wuerker’s Farm.
Lower Township Police, Fire and Rescue units responded immediately, but had difficulty finding the exact area where the juveniles were located due to the numerous dirt roads and several fresh water ponds in the area.
Once the boy was located, two officers jumped into chest deep water to assist the 14-year-old who was being held in the water by a group of his friends who had been swimming with him. When police arrived the boy was semi-conscious.
Erma Fire Chief Warner Miller arrived and directed rescuers to the area where the boy was located. Police believe that the boy may have suffered a neck injury while swimming in the pond. The other juveniles in the area advised officers that they performed CPR on their friend while he was still in the water.
Firefighters from the Villas and Erma departments responded, as well.
The rescue effort was made more difficult due to the fact that the victim was still in the water at the bottom of a 10-foot dirt cliff. Rescue personnel were able to stabilize the victim in the water, secure him to a rescue stretcher and carry him up the cliff to an ambulance in the parking lot of the Cape May County Storage Bin Center located at the border of Lower and Middle townships off of Fulling Mill Road.
Lower Township Police Officers used bolt cutters to cut a large section of chain link fence surrounding the storage center in order to give rescuers access to the ambulance.
Paramedics and rescue personnel worked on resuscitating the boy, who had become unconscious again. A Medi-Vac helicopter was requested, but had to abort the mission due to mechanical problems. The boy was then taken by ambulance to Cape Regional Medical Center and was later airlifted to Cooper Trauma Center in Camden.
Lower Township Police Chief Edward Donohue, who was on the scene Saturday, commended the efforts of police, fire and rescue personnel during the water rescue.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to this young man and his family,” he said.
Donohue reminded residents and visitors that the fresh water ponds are unprotected and full of underwater hazards that have the potential to injure swimmers. They are also extremely difficult for first responders to access in the event of emergencies.
DWI charges filed after crash
MIDDLE TOWNSHIP—A Millville woman was charged with driving while intoxicated after she drove her car off the highway and into a wooded area just south of Dias Creek Road, in the early morning hours of Saturday, July 11. An off duty Lower Township Police Officer who witnessed the intoxicated motorist traveling north on Route 47 called Middle Township Police just before the vehicle crashed.
The driver, Ashley Raube, was unconscious when officers arrived. She and her two passengers, Keith Larock and Dean Lanborn, both also of the Millville, were trapped inside the vehicle, which had struck a mailbox and several trees before entering 70 feet into the woods and overturning.
Once the victims were freed from the wreckage they were transported to Cape Regional Medical Center where they are currently being treated for head and facial injuries.
Raube was charged with driving under the influence, as well as other motor vehicle offenses. Other charges are also expected pending completion of the investigation. Assisting at the scene was the Cape May Court House Volunteer Fire Department and Middle Township Emergency Medical Units.
Remote meter project to start
WEST CAPE MAY—Borough engineer Ray Roberts said that the basic contract for the remote meter reading project has been completed. Work will be staring this week and should be completing by July 17, he said. He also announced that the borough has submitted a grant application for an extension of the bike path on Park Boulevard. The Office of Smart Growth sent an endorsement letter with the application.
Mayor Pam Kaithern added that the grant will not only be for an extension, but to possibly add extra parking along that area.
‘Social Security’ features all-star, long-time favorites
Cape May Stage’s “Social Security,” starring an ensemble including real-life couple Lynn and Ronald Cohen, opens July 23, with a preview July 22, and runs through Aug. 29. Written by screenwriter Andrew Bergman, this comedy set in the pretentious world of the New York City art scene promises laughs from start to finish, according to show organizers.
Social Security takes place in the trendy world of 1980s Manhattan, where hyper-chic art dealers, David and Barbara Kahn, are riding high. Their life is shattered with the arrival of her dreary sister and uptight brother-in-law, who have come to save their college age daughter from the horrors of living only for sex, and have brought along her crotchety, critical septuagenarian mother. The mother meets the Kahn's best client - a 98-year-old European icon, and hilarity ensues when romantic sparks fly where none were thought possible.
Artistic Director Roy Steinberg has assembled a cast of Cape May Stage newcomers as well as audience favorites Andy Prosky, Grace Gonglewski and Suzanne O’Donnell. Their collective credits range from award-winning regional theater and Broadway productions to blockbuster films including Sex and the City and Stephen Spielberg’s Munich. Following the box office success of “Say Goodnight Gracie,” “Social Security” is sure to continue that trend, according to the theater company.
House Committee approves more than $11 million for South Jersey’s beach
U.S. Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo has secured $11.25 million in federal funding for local beach replenishment and construction projects in New Jersey’s 2nd District, including $6.5 million for beach renourishment in Ocean City’s north end and $2 million for beach renourishment in Atlantic City. The federal dollars were secured in the Fiscal Year 2010 Energy-Water Appropriations bill, which was approved by the House Appropriations Committee this week and is set to go to the full House of Representatives for consideration next week.
“At a time of strained local budgets and reduced state assistance, this is certainly great news for many of our coastal communities, including Ocean City and Atlantic City,” said LoBiondo. “Contrary to what some may believe who don’t understand South Jersey, our beaches are not about sun tans but about the countless small businesses and the thousands of jobs in our region. This funding represents a continued commitment by the federal government to enhance the economic strengths of South Jersey, and will continue to bolster the local economies of our coastal communities who are so dependent on tourism for jobs and their livelihood. I appreciate fellow New Jersey Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen’s leadership and will continue to work for additional funding for these critical projects.”
Other local projects funded within the spending bill include:
· $500,000 for the dredging of the New Jersey Intercoastal Waterway;
· $500,000 to begin the construction process of the beach renourishment project in Sea Isle City and Strathmere;
· $400,000 for environmental restoration at The Lower Cape May Meadows project. Approximately 350 acres containing the Cape May Point State Park and the Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge, the project is designed to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitats in the area, and to reduce hurricane and storm damage to the beaches;
· $300,000 for the Townsends Inlet to Cape May Inlet project, for the renourishment of sand in Stone Harbor and Avalon;
· $250,000 for the Cold Spring Inlet dredging project;
· $200,000 to monitor erosion in Cape May City, from Cape May Inlet to Lower Township; and,
· $100,000 for the dredging of the Salem River.
Additionally, the Committee-passed spending bill includes $500,000 for the construction of wind turbines in Sea Isle City and Penns Grove on each municipality’s waste site. The funding was requested by the South Jersey Economic Development District.
Cape May City’s 35th season of free band concerts
2009 Concerts held at the Rotary Bandstand
Saturday, July 11 Golden Eagle Band at 8 p.m.
Tuesday, July 14 Doctors of Rhythm at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, July 15 Congress Street Brass Band-400th Anniversary at 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 18 The Barrington Band at 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 19 Cape Harmonaires Barbershop Singers at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, July 22 Cape Harmonaires Barbershop Singers at 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 25 Congress Street Brass Band - 400th Anniversary at 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 26 Cape May County String Band at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, July 29 Cape Harmonaires Barbershop Singers at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 1 John Walter Cape Community Band at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 2 Joe Dale Band at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5 Westmont Philharmonic Accordion Orchestra at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 8 United States Coast Guard Band – 400th Anniversary at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 9 Cape May County String Band at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug.12 Lower Cape May Regional Community Band at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 15 Tri County Band at 8 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 17 Cape Harmonaires Barbershop Singers at 8 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 18 Sweet Adelines at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 19 John Walter Cape Community Band at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 22 Hobo Band at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 23 John Walter Cape Community Band at 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 26 Cape Harmonaires Barbershop Singers at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 29 Sweet Adelines at 8 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 4 O’Dessa Klezmer Band at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 5 Cumberland County Wind Symphony at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 6 Cape Harmonaires Barbershop Singers at 8 p.m.
Please bring your own chair.
2009 Cape May recreation programs
Aqua Arthritis Class – Tuesday and Thursday, 5:30 to 6 p.m. at the Cape May Elementary School pool through Aug. 6
Aquatic Aerobics – Tuesday and Thursday, 6 to 7 p.m. at the Cape May Elementary School pool through Aug. 6
Aquatic Exercise – Tuesday and Thursday 7 to 8 p.m. at the Cape May Elementary School pool through Aug. 6
Beach Boot Camp – Monday and Saturday at 8:30 a.m. sharp. Meet at Convention Hall.
Jazz Aerobics – Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9 to 10 a.m. at the Franklin Street Civic Center Gym through Aug. 14
Cardio Kick Box – Wednesday from 7 to 7:45 p.m. at the Franklin Street Civic Center
Pilates – Monday and Wednesday 6 - 6:45 p.m. Franklin Street civic Center.
Children Swim Classes – Through Aug. 6. Call the Cape May Recreation for information at 884-9565
Cape May Waves Swim Team – For ages 5 to 18. Call 884-9565 if interested.
Senior Citizen Swim – Monday and Wednesday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Cape May Elementary School pool through Aug. 6
Cover-To-Cover Book Club - Call 884-9566 for information.
Star Soccer Academy – July 20 through 24. Call 884-9565 for registration form.
Pelican Place Preschool – September through May, State-licensed for 3 and 4 year olds. Call 884-9565 to register.
For information on Cape May events, entertainment or recreation programs call Cape May Civic Affairs 884-9565.
July displays at Lower library branch
VILLAS—The Lower Branch of the Cape May County Library located at 2600 Bayshore Road, Villas announces the following displays during July:
“I Love the Sea,” a collection of photographs by John Reilly of Cape May Point. Photographs highlight Cape May County and the wildlife that live there.
Jean Franco and Jim Cremer of Lower Township display oil paintings. Franco and Cremer have won awards for their artwork and are members of the Tuesday Art Group that meets 9 a.m. to noon at the Lower Township Library.
Drawings and paintings of Villas’ artist Cheryl Crews that reflect the concept “Study the Master and Draw from Nature”
“The Cape May Quilt” by the late Dorothy Doan is featured. The quilt documents the history of Cape May County with blocks beginning with the Kechemeche Indians of New Jersey and ending with one highlighting the first voyage of the Cape May Lewis Ferry.
East Lynne presents ASL performance of 'Alice on the Edge'
CAPE MAY—There will be an American Sign Language interpretation of the play “Alice on the Edge” produced by the East Lynne Theater Company, on Friday, July 17 at 8:30 p.m.
Consisting of one-act plays by playwright Alice Gerstenberg, Suzanne Dawson, Shelley McPherson, Alison J. Murphy, Mark Edward Lang and Gayle Stahlhuth perform under the direction of Karen Case Cook.
The theatrical ASL interpreters are Kathy Filippo and Gina Lanza, who have performed many times for ELTC. The process involves them seeing the production at least once, plus going over the script several times to figure out who will interpret which roles, and in many cases, come up with signage for unusual names and words.
Tickets are $28 general admission; $23 for seniors and those with disabilities and their
support companions; and $13 for full-time students. Children ages 12 and under are always free. The location is The First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes St., Cape May, where the company is in residence.
“Alice on the Edge” runs every Wednesday through Saturday through July 25. For information and reservations, call 884-5898 or see www.eastlynnetheater.org. To make a reservation using a credit card, call (866) 280-9211.
