The Bay Head Beacon

Schools around the country are grappling with the difficulties of reopening during the Corona Virus outbreak. Bay Head Elementary is no exception. How can a school fully open while protecting the safety of its students. One Bay Head Elementary administrator, Richard Belding, thinks he may have found a possible answer. "We realized that online learning isn't necessarily the best option for our students, but the logistics of social distancing and mask wearing can be impractical, too," said Belding. "But then I heard about what some private schools were doing in California: hazmat suits." It may sound a little crazy, but Belding discovered that hazmat suits come in many shapes and sizes, some suitable for children. "The suits are lightweight and reasonably comfortable," Belding said. "They would allow students to focus on learning and not worry about social distancing or masks. There are even options that allow for liquids to be sipped through a stra...

Local officials are advising residents to be cautious when cashing in winning lottery tickets. Police in several local towns have received reports that clerks are switching winning tickets when asked to cash them. "Here in Brick we have already gotten about 10 complaints,"  said Officer Victor Fortuna. "A person will bring a ticket to a store clerk and ask them to check it. The clerk will then say the ticket is not a winner, but then hand a losing ticket to the customer. If the customer doesn't immediately notice the switch, there's almost nothing that can be done." Officer Fortuna said that the scam has also been reported in Toms River, Point Pleasant, and Wall. Fortuna said that unfortunately it is a crime that is very hard to prove. "If a customer catches the cashier when the switch is made, the cashier will typically just say it was a mistake and cash the winning ticket for the customer," said Fortuna. "More often, the customer will just a...

Detective Richard Tracy of the Bay Head Police has seen a lot of things during the many years on the force, but even he has never seen anything like the "Flip-flop Kid." That is the nickname Mantoloking and Bay Head Police officers have given to the perpetrator who has been stealing flip-flops from Bay Head and Mantoloking beaches. "To be honest, this case is just weird, " said Detective Tracy. "Someone has been taking flip-flops right off the beach leaving innocent beachgoers to go barefoot. And I'm not talking about one or two pairs of flip-flops, either. Our two departments have already received close to 20 complaints and I would guess there are a lot more that haven't been reported." The Detective is heading up the joint taskforce with Mantoloking Police investigating these crimes. The taskforce, called Flip-flop Stop, has several leads, but nothing Detective Tracy considers solid. "We've gotten two eye-witness reports, but all they co...