The Bay Head Beacon

Like many government organizations, the U.S. Coast Guard often finds it challenging to work within the limits of its budget. It can be a struggle for the Coast Guard to effectively defend our shores when they have to worry about how much things may cost. In an effort to deal with this problem, Captain Merrill Stoobing  came up with the idea of repurposing unused Coast Guard cutters as party boats. "The idea actually came to me when we were rescuing some people who had fallen off a party boat," Captain Stoobing said. "We pulled three young, intoxicated women from the Manasquan River. They fell from the boat when they were taking a selfie. Once on our boat they were mostly upset that they were missing the party. The one who had been taking selfies still had her phone and it was in a waterproof case. She turned on some music and the three of them started dancing. Most of the crew thought it was pretty funny, but I saw it as an opportunity." "Captain Stoobing reali

In an effort to increase revenues for their town, Point Pleasant Borough is considering hiking taxes. "No one likes taxes," said Point Borough spokesperson Holden DeLine, "but sometimes it just makes sense. After careful consideration, we believe that hiking taxes will be good for the borough." This move has already created considerable grumbling in the community. Longtime resident, Laika Munnee, thinks hiking taxes at this time is a terrible mistake. "Our town's economy is largely dependent on revenue created by tourists. Hiking taxes at this time is sure to have a detrimental effect on this industry. Losses are almost certain to be greater than any gains!" Holden DeLine believes the concerns are overstated. "We are not the first community to be imposing the new tax. Many other towns have decided on hiking taxes. We believe it is the only option at this point." Urban hiking has become more and more popular in many areas, including the Jersey

Anyone who lives along the Point Pleasant Canal is accustomed to hearing the "Ooo-ta! Ooo-ta! Ooo-ta!" of dance music coming from the party boats. The boats cruise back and forth as passengers drink, dance, and get seasick while the loud pop music plays. Lately, however, residents may have noticed a different kind of music from a different kind of boat. Two gondolas now give romantic rides on the canal while the gondoliers sing Italian opera classics. Brothers Mario and Luigi Fratelli have brought a little bit of Venice to the Jersey Shore. Growing up in Venice, the Fratelli brothers worshipped the gondoliers. "We always thought they had the best life," said Mario. "All day, up and down the canals, singing opera, making tourists happy... what could be better?" The brothers saved their money in the hopes of starting their own gondola business. Unfortunately, they didn't realize what stood in their way.  The brothers discovered that in Venice, the gondol