The Bay Head Beacon

What happens when a spirit that's trapped in the earthly realm loses the place it has been haunting? Maybe the creepy old house was torn down, or maybe the spirits had to leave because the building became a tourist trap when ghost hunters found out it was haunted. Whatever the reason, these spirits often find themselves without a proper home and are forced to wander, unable to fulfill their destiny as haunting ghosts. Luckily, there are mediums like Mantoloking's Krystal Bahl. She specializes in helping displaced spirits find new homes to haunt. Her ghostly experiences are so intriguing that Cake City Productions has created House  Haunters , a reality show featuring Krystal. "My work is very rewarding," said Krystal. "I may not be able to help spirits cross over to the other side, but I can help them find a home that is perfect for them to haunt. Spirits will contact me, either by séance or Ouija board to let me know the kind of house and family they are looking...

For several weeks, local residents have been discussing what should be done. Opinions differ on what is the best option and, in some instances, the disagreements have turned to open arguments. On one occasion, neighbors were driven to fisticuffs as they stubbornly stuck to their own views. Holden DeLine, assistant to the Point Borough mayor, said that steps are being taken. "We are taking steps," said DeLine. "The public should rest assured that a multi-community bipartisan cross-cultural extra-terrestrial task force has been created to address the situation. We are confident that with some creative thinking, elbow grease, and due diligence we will be able to get the office supplies and stationery we need for the task force. Then we can begin arguing about what to do." Many residents remain skeptical. "I'm still skeptical," said Bay Head resident Bill O'Goods, who wished to remain anonymous. "The last time this happened back in '93, we got...

John Loo has become famous for his stools. The carpenter from Point Pleasant Borough makes many types of furniture, but it is his stools that are the most popular. Recently, his stools reached number 2 as the most purchased furniture item on the Etsy web site.  Loo believes that his practice of sending out stool samples to potential customers has been responsible for his success. "There's always some leftover scraps when I make a stool, so I cut them up into little logs, and finish them exactly as I would a stool. Then, I send them out free to anyone who wants one. When they see the quality of the finish in the stool sample, more often than not they'll want to order a full stool." So far, Loo has resisted hiring anyone else to help make stools. "I think customers like knowing where their stools come from. They don't just want anyone's stools in their homes. If I hire other people to make stools, I lose some control of the quality of the product. The last ...

About two months ago, Point Pleasant Beach opened part of its beach to nude sunbathers. It has proven to be a great success. Naked people from far and wide have been coming to Point Pleasant to worship the sun without bathing suits. This 4th of July weekend has been especially meaningful for the nudists. "I've been working on this beach since it opened," said Officer Sunny Buhnz of the Point Pleasant Police, "and I can tell you that most of the people who come here really appreciate their freedom to be naked." Officer Buhnz has gotten to know many of the regulars at the nude beach. "They're just normal everyday people who don't embarrass easily. The interesting thing is that almost all of the folks who come here seem to be senior citizens, which I guess makes sense. Point Beach has always been a family place, and a lot of these people have been coming here since they were kids, only now they're coming with no clothes on." The nude beach vis...

If you believe that the customer is always right, then you might understand why Bay Head resident Tom Ayto is so upset. Mr. Ayto is a strict vegan so he was anxious to try the new vegan restaurant in Point Beach called "Burgers and Dogs Without Cows and Hogs." The fledgling franchise promises customers the best vegan hamburgers and hot dogs they've ever eaten. Mr. Ayto disagreed, however, finding it to be a horrifying dining experience. It was so disturbing to him that he is now suing the franchise for $1.7 million. Owner of the Point Beach "Burgers and Dogs Without Cows and Hogs" franchise, Tom Otto, finds the whole lawsuit ridiculous. "We serve quality food here," said Mr. Otto, "and we stand behind our slogan that we have the best vegan burgers and hot dogs you've ever eaten. It's because our products are grass and corn fed." The concept of grass and corn fed soy products may sound bizarre, but the "Burgers and Dogs Without Co...

Young Geoff Ponte is pretty laid back for an eight year old kid. He's not that into sports or school. He mostly likes "chillin'" and playing video games. His parents were worried that their son was a little too relaxed. Then one day last year Geoff's mother, Heather Ponte,  saw a story online about an open audition for a television series. The show is based on the Dude from "The Big Lebowski" when he was a child. "I was in the kitchen reading about the audition when, just then, my son walked in wearing a robe and sunglasses and pours himself a glass of milk. He said, 'Hey Mom, how you doin'?' I knew right then that I had to get him to that audition in the city." After three auditions, the Producers of the Netflix series "The Little Lebowski" were convinced that Geoff Ponte was the boy they were looking for. "It was kind of cool," said Geoff. "The people who run the show were, like, just regular people, ya ...

" Look, up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a Benny!" JetPack flights will soon be available on the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk. What was once something only in science fiction, has finally become a reality for common people. A new company called Up-N-Away is the brainchild of entrepreneur  Elan Mask. He believes his company is taking the first steps to making the JetPack as commonplace as unicycles. Elan Mask is well-known for his many futuristic endeavors. His company produces environmentally responsible steam-powered cars. His spaceship company is planning to begin colonizing the Sun by 2030. Now, he has set his sights on personal flight. Although currently his JetPacks are only appearing as rides in resort areas, Mask believes that soon everyone will have a JetPack in their garage. Point Pleasant Beach was chosen as one of the four places to tryout the JetPacks. Emilia Airheart is the president of Up-N-Away and says that their jetpacks are truly ...

Changes to an environment often cause animals to move beyond their usual habitats. For example, if a wooded area is cleared, deer will wander into nearby towns looking for food. Bigfoot expert, Dr. Magnus Piede of Brielle, believes that this same circumstance is what is causing a rise in Bigfoot sightings in the Bay Head area. "When Bigfoots lose their usual home environment to human development, they really have no choice but to venture into our towns and cities," said Dr. Piede. "The forests in New Jersey that Bigfoots call home are disappearing, so it's not surprising that there have been so many sightings of Sasquatches in Bay Head."  Dr. Piede learned of the Bay Head Bigfoots when he was keynote speaker at a recent Bigfoot convention in Pennsylvania. "I had come to talk about my documentary special on the Discovery Channel. As you may know, the Yeti of the Himalayas are closely related to the Sasquatch of North America. I spent four months in Tibet put...

Anthony "Ant" Insetto lives in Bay Head, but he owns multiple properties in the area. He recently acquired his 4th rental property in Point Beach and was in the process of gutting the home when something unexpected happened. "Cicadas ate my house!" said Ant Insetto. Cicadas rising from the ground throughout the state is not surprising. This year the insects are waking up from a 17 year hibernation and are emerging by the millions. When they awake it is understandable that they will be hungry. Dr. Bugsy Zikade of the Rutgers Department of Bugology said that he has never seen such destructive Cicadas. "Of course, Cicadas can be destructive when they reach adulthood, but the damage is usually limited to crops and foliage. For the Cicadas to be able to destroy a house, they had to be really unique." When Zikade saw one of the Cicadas that had damaged the house, he was amazed. "These Cicadas had teeth!" said Dr. Zikade. "And not little teeth, but...

The world of animal portrait artists has discovered a great new talent in Point Pleasant Borough. Henri Muttisse has become widely regarded as the best dog artist in New Jersey and beyond. "We are so proud of our Henri," said his mother Frida O'Keefe. "He's a natural talent. One day he just picked up a brush and started painting. Sometimes he'll do a still-life or landscape, but his specialty seems to be portraits." Henri has produced dozens of exceptional portraits of family and friends. His work is especially astounding because he is color blind. It's almost as if he can smell color. Although he has already had gallery showings in New York City, Paris, Milan, and Sydney, Henri is happy to be returning home to the Jersey Shore for his first gallery showing in Bay Head. The new gallery on Bridge Ave. called "Art Ala Carte" will be hosting the show. The show is titled "Dog Day Afternoon of Art" and will feature many of Muttisse...

His name is Murphy and he's a cop. He started out on the streets of Detroit where he dispensed justice to those who violated the law. Recently, he was a acquired by the Point Pleasant Beach Police Department. Now he has a new beat, as he patrols the boardwalk, ensuring that order is maintained for the good citizens who have come to enjoy the beach. You may have already seen Murphy; he is kind of hard to miss. That's because Point Beach's newest police officer is a robot. Officer Anne Lewis has been assigned as Murphy's partner. During this trial period for the robot, Officer Lewis stays nearby to ensure that there are no problems when Murphy interacts with people. "We've only had a few glitches," said Officer Lewis. "For example, when he got here from Detroit he kept saying 'dead or alive, you're coming with me!' That's not really a great way to greet visitors to the boardwalk, so we had to reprogram that. Now he says, 'Between 3 a...

In 2019, Mayor John Ducey of Brick ran in the 6th Annual New Jersey Mayors Ironman Race. It is a grueling race that starts with a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26 mile run. Few mayors are up to the challenge, but two years ago 37 of them competed. Five did not finish. Mayor Ducey, competing in his first Ironman, finished a respectable 14th, just behind Mayor Gamora from Vormir, NJ. Last year the event was cancelled because of the health crisis, but this year the race is back on and Mayor Ducey says he will be ready. "I've been training really hard," said Ducey. "My old friend, Steve Rogers, has been helping me. He's a fitness expert. When he was in the Army, he transformed from a 90 pound weakling to a super soldier almost overnight." Mayor Ducey will be facing some stiff competition this year. Mayor Thanos of Titan, NJ has won the Ironman competition the last three times it was run, and remains very confident. "It is not arrogance to say t...

Local woman, Anna Moeder, has accomplished the amazing feat of creating human life. Even more unbelievable, she actually created two humans that grew inside her body at the same time!  Her husband, Abraham, said people give him some of the credit but he feels he doesn't deserve it. "It was really Anna who did all the work," he said. "I actually contributed very little, but next thing you know, she had two tiny humans growing in her. I mean, how is that even possible?!" One would think that after having two humans growing inside her for months and then emerging from her body, Anna would take a long, and well deserved rest. This was not the case! After taking a moment to name the tiny humans, Anna set to work making sure they were safe, well nourished, and clean. This often involved around the clock care. Surprisingly, experts say that Anna's feat isn't that unusual. They point out that countless women throughout history have had humans grow in their bodie...

Point Pleasant Beach has decided to allow nude sunbathing in a designated area of the beach. Advocates of being naked hail this move as a great stride forward for those who either can't afford swimwear or who cannot abide the discomfort of wearing any clothes. Council member, Eve Desnuda, has been the driving force behind the nude beach initative, "I just went to the council with my proposal and showed 'em what I got," said Desnuda. "I just laid bare the advantages of having a section of beach designated for those who wish to exercise their right to assemble without clothing and who want to enjoy the freedom of an all-over tan. By opening up to this underserved population, we should actually increase tourism." Some details are still being worked out, but Desnuda promises that all will be revealed in due time. "For now, some things are still under wraps, but you can expect full disclosure as we get closer to the start of the season." The beach will ...