Weapons that prompted Staten Island, Sandy Hook lockdowns paintball guns, police say

STATEN ISLAND– Firearms experts believe the weapons seen being handled near the Gateway National Recreation Area Friday are paintball guns, the Staten Island Advance reported. “The preliminary opinion of these experts was that the weapons in the pictures strongly resemble replicas of firearms used in ‘paintball’ games,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner John J. Miller said in a… Read the rest of this entry »

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Sandy Hook Oil Slick Has Shrunk By More Than Half

photo by Noel Westerland Sr. 11/29/2014

The oil slick in Sandy Hook Bay that was reported to be two miles long by 900 feet wide on Thursday afternoon was observed to be one mile long by 150 wide at 10AM this morning, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Frank Iannazzo-Simmons during a phone interview with MMM.

Iannazzo-Simmons said a unified command consisting of personnel from the Coast Guard, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, NOAA and the National Park Service were still working to identify the both the source and product of the sheen.  The color of the sheen changed from a rainbow to a “silverish” metallic color.  Last evening it was reported that authorities believed the product to be diesel fuel.  Today, they are taking samples to determine what it is.

20 feet of boom was installed at Horseshoe Cove yesterday as a precaution to protect the environmentally sensitive area.  Today 70 feet of “hard boom” was installed to shore up the precautionary protection.  Horseshoe Cove was deemed to be the only environmentally sensitive area that could be impacted by the sheen.

The sheen remains located at the northern end of Sandy Hook on the bay side.

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Sea Gull’s Nest Will Not Reopen

“Raise  your hand if this is your first time here,”  Eddie Segall religiously started off his nightly sunset ceremonies at the Sea Gull’s Nest.  “Now raise your hand if this is your last time here,” Segall barked as 10’s of customers raised their hands in laughter, just as they had the night or the week before.  The joke never got old.

Photo by Paul Scharff

We’ve raised our hands, sung God Bless American along with a Kate Smith recording and watched the octogenarian Segall challenge much younger men to 50 push ups for the last time.

Sandy, and the federal bureaucracy, has claimed the iconic Monmouth County attraction that was a favorite of tourists and locals alike.

The Sea Gull’s Nest at Sandy Hook will not be reopening, according to a report on Highlandsblog.   The blog quotes Daphne Yun, spokesperson for Gateway National Recreation Area, ” the lease for the popular Sea Gull’s Nest Restaurant has not been renewed.  Sea Gull’s Nest will not be reopened.”

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Sandy Hook’s Fort Hancock a step closer to getting a makeover as more than just a beach destination

Sandy Hook’s Fort Hancock a step closer to getting a makeover as more than just a beach destination (via NJ.com)

Like many young teens in the mid-to-late 1960s, Julie Hankinson spent some of her best days at Sandy Hook. Hankinson, though, had an advantage. She didn’t have to leave after the sun set or when the school year started. She lived there year-round…

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Remains Discovered on Sandy Hook Not Human

Remains Discovered on Sandy Hook Not Human (via Middletown Patch)

The remains were found near Gateway National Recreation Area on Saturday. The remains discovered in Sandy Hook bay on Saturday were not of human origin, New Jersey State Police Sgt. Brian Polite said Sunday. The remains were found near the Gateway National…

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Sandy Hook Is Open

Sandy Hook, the northernmost part of the Jersey Shore, reopened to the public this morning after being closed since Superstorm Sandy struck.

Noel Westerlind, SR of Leonardo was there and captured this amazing photo:

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Kyrillos Introduces Resolution Calling on Feds to Ensure Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area Open for Summer of 2013

Concerned about the potential impact on the Bayshore region’s economy of a prolonged closure of the Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area, Senator Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth) has introduced a resolution calling on the federal government to make reopening Sandy Hook a priority.

“Sandy Hook sustained enormous damage during Hurricane Sandy along with the homes and businesses of Bayshore residents,” Kyrillos said. “But there is more devastation in store if this economic engine for our region is not restored and reopened in time for the 2013 tourism season. The Sandy Hook Recreation Area is the source of millions of dollars of economic activity every year and an affordable summer getaway for tourists from near and far who will lose out on a treasured summer tradition if it is not reopened. We cannot afford to lose the economic activity generated by Sandy Hook as we seek to rebuild our shoreline.”

Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area is federally owned property that is maintained and operated by the National Park Service.

Text of the resolution is as follows:

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