The Bay Head Beacon

New Jersey recently approved expanding coastal wind farms. Rows of large, three-finned windmills could soon be installed in the ocean along the Jersey shore. Advocates praise the move as one of the best ways of providing cost-effective and environmentally friendly energy for our state. However, there are many in New Jersey, especially those who live at the Shore, who oppose the wind farms. They make the compelling argument that windmills are kind of ugly. They believe that people would rather see lovely oil tankers cruise along the horizon than view hideous white windmills closer to shore. In an attempt to address this controversy, the state has commissioned a proposal by Hide In Plain Sight (HIPS), a company that specializes in beautifying unsightly outdoor technology. "Our goal is to make things invisible," said Jack Griffin, spokesperson for HIPS. "You probably have never seen our work because when we do the job right, there's nothing to see."  Until recently...

When someone needs our help, we'll be there on the double! When someone's being bad, we're there to stop the trouble! We're always on the job, every night and every day, Unless it's after 6:00, or our moms say we can't play. - Creed of the Bay-Point Avengers You may have seen them around Bay Head or Point Pleasant, two young super-heroes guarding the safety of local residents. They call themselves the Bay-Point Avengers. Their motto is, "Keeping you safe from six feet away." Their true identities are unknown, but their super-hero names are Bay Girl and Point Boy and they say those names have nothing to do with where they live. "It is imperative we keep our identities secret," said Bay Girl. "We wouldn't want some nefarious villain to endanger our families!" "That's right, Jenny... I mean, Bay Girl," added Point Boy. "My mom would kill me if she found out I was Point Boy."  "She would not, Brian,...

Valentine's day can be great. It's a holiday with long stem roses, heart shaped boxes of candy, and romance in the air. All you need to celebrate is someone special in your life. Unfortunately, if you are someone who has yet to feel the sweet sting of Cupid's arrow, you're out of luck. For you, Valentine's Day stinks. It's just a reminder of what is missing in your life. Many people turn to dating sites and apps in the hopes that technology can help them find love, but that doesn't work for everyone. So what are the lovelorn supposed to do? Point Pleasant Beach resident, Mary Mee, believes she understands the problem with dating apps. "I tried a lot of online dating sites when I was single," she said. "What happens is that you end up answering a lot of questions that are supposed to match you with an ideal mate. This is a flawed approach! There's a big difference between what people want and what is actually out there that would be willing...

Last week's powerful storm unearthed a surprising relic from the past. On an eroded patch of beach in Bay Head, residents discovered the skeletal remains of an 18th century sailing ship. The vessel has since been identified as one of the ships that successfully fought off pirates along the New Jersey coastline. Nautical historian, Dr. John Madden, who identified the ship, said it is an extraordinary find from a time in history few people know. Piracy was not very common off the Jersey Shore in the 18th century, but there was at least one pirate who became the scourge of the northeast coastline. His name was Captain Thomas Braidee, but he was known to everyone as Handsome Tom . At first he wasn't considered a pirate. In 1735 a royal contract was given to a private shipping company giving them license to harass and confiscate vessels belonging to enemies of the crown. Under the direction of unscrupulous manager Billy Chek, the company used a broad definition for "enemies of ...