Top 10 stories of 2008 The Courier Posted:01/08/09
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As another year saw its final hours, The Courier looked back on what made the news during 2008. We began with the Bayshore’s most striking news at the beginning of 2008.
Almost three years after his arrest during the Operation Bid Rig sweep, former Keyport Mayor John Merla left a message for his hometown before he departed for prison.
Alyssa Passeggio had an exclusive and highly anticipated interview with Merla before he departed. Her story, “A walk to remember,” was published in the Jan. 31 edition. 2. Anthony Appolonia, Aberdeen cat killer
The seemingly quiet man who loved adopting cats, Anthony Appolonia was sentenced to state prison for 19 counts of animal cruelty.
Incidentally, he received five years per each count to be served concurrently and to include time already served, about a year.
The case made national news and cat lovers everywhere came out of the woodwork to support animal activism.
The story about Appolonia’s sentencing, “Appolonia slammed with five-year sentence,” was written by Melissa L. Gaffney and published in the Dec. 11 edition.
Whether you like him or not, President-elect Barack Obama certainly created a political and social stir during the past several months.
Although Bayshore municipalities generally went against the national trend and selected Sen. John McCain as their choice for commander in chief, it could be said that everyone agreed on at least one thing: Votes counted more than ever before.
Staff writers Melissa L. Gaffney and Alyssa Passeggio conducted a thorough analysis of how the Bayshore area voted down the presidential column. Their story, “Bayshore skips Obama, selects McCain,” ran in the Nov. 13 issue. 4. Dolphins in distress
These little Flippers were, unfortunately, not faster than lightning during the summer of 2008.
Now “stuck” and allegedly starving in the Navesink River, the original pod of approximately 18 bottle-nosed dolphins has dwindled down to less than 10, according to reports.
The public spoke out boldly about the situation throughout the summer, more so as the colder weather approached, and encouraged agencies to do whatever it takes to save the beautiful creatures.
Alyssa Passeggio detailed the sticky situation in the Dec. 11 edition with her story, “Options limited for dolphins.”
Monmouth County held its breath as the Board of Elections slowly counted all kinds of ballots following the Nov. 4 election.
The following two weeks were full of speculation and tabulation, but Democrat Amy Mallet would ultimately come out the winner in one of the most anticipated elections in Monmouth County history.
Melissa L. Gaffney covered the freeholder election in depth. The highlighted story at The Courier Online, “Mallet wins Monmouth, Dems seize control,” ran in the Nov. 13 edition.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the Federal Emergency Management Agency revealed updated flood maps to the Bayshore, which placed more than 3,200 additional homes in a flood hazard zone.
Needless to say, many area residents were not happy with FEMA, nor were they happy with the idea of another “tax-like” insurance on top of the already burdensome cost of living.
The highlighted article came from The Courier’s May 8 edition and was part four of an eight-part series, in which Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. addressed his concerns about FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 7. The Highlands bridge
To say Alyssa Passeggio covered the demolition and construction of the Route 36 Bridge in Highlands is an understatement.
Whether it was delays in construction, mysterious documentation of former historic sites or the notorious “vibrations,” Passeggio’s thorough research was the only source in Northern Monmouth County for what was going on with the infamous bridge.
The highlighted story, “Listen to that bridge get built,” was taken from The Courier’s Oct. 23 edition.
In the article, Passeggio detailed the rumblings going on down in Highlands due to the state Department of Transportation’s pile driving. 8. Where’s the beef?
It was not far into 2008 before the beef plague struck the Bayshore.
Reports came in about several instances of “bad beef” being distributed to area schools, which was immediately recalled and destroyed.
Despite all efforts to check up in the kitchens, there were select instances of contaminated beef where no one saw it coming.
One such school included Keyport High School, where officials had assured the public no contaminated beef had been shipped to the school.
There turned out to be a few cases of bad beef around, which had to be ‘moo-ved’ out.
Bayshore police departments were exceptionally busy during 2008, whether it was “postal pit bulls,” runaway Chihuahuas or “grenade gals.”
As the year progressed, a Union Beach man allegedly tagged the monikers “CHUD” and “Sponge” rather brazenly on anything concrete he could find throughout Monmouth County, including highway overpasses.
The incidents that made The Courier’s front pages were often more humorous than fatal, and no one was harmed during the coverage — all thanks to the efforts of area law enforcers.
“UB man arrested after alleged tagging spree,” was published in the June 12 edition.
Gov. Jon Corzine is sometimes a topic of contention among Bayshore officials, particularly those in towns governed by Republican majorities. There are, after all, several reasons to take jabs.
Corzine’s toll hike during the earlier part of 2008, for one.
Then, the steady dwindling of state funds for municipal budgets certainly did not help the governor’s case.
And recently, the proposal to defer pension payments got the Corzine administration nowhere, as legislators from both sides of the aisle declared they would stonewall the effort and not support such a bill.
Additionally, and perhaps most controversially, is the fight for and against affordable housing in New Jersey.
Whether it was Alyssa Passeggio’s analysis of the new toll plan, Melissa Gaffney’s statewide coverage of affordable housing, or both reporters’ explanation of the almost-was pension plan, The Courier has Gov. Jon Corzine to thank for many of its front pages during 2008.
Both Gaffney and Passeggio studied the proposed pension plan and took Bayshore officials to task about its possibilities in their article, “Gov. pushes off payment — this time around,” which was published in the Dec. 4 edition.
