My email is karen.wall@patch.com and I welcome your questions, concerns and news tips. I do my best to answer all reader emails. I cover Brick, Toms River, Manchester, Point Pleasant, Point Pleasant Beach, and Lakewood and do my best to keep readers informed on what's happening in their towns. I have been with Patch full-time since July 2014 but have more than 35 years in journalism, including 20 years at the Asbury Park Press. I love sports and fishing (and yes, I bait my own hook); I was the editor of Hook, Line & Sinker for four years. I have lived at the Jersey Shore since August 1979, with the exception of my college years and an 18-month stint in Northern California. I'm a Brick Township High School graduate and have a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University.
As premiums skyrocket, towns leave the state program, which pushes costs higher. Short- and long-term changes are needed, officials say.
Donations of toys and more for kids up to age 13 are welcomed and will go to Brick families in need.
The Thanksgiving Homecoming and Harvest Celebration on Saturday features family activities, vendors and music.
A policy banning students from using cell phones in school was introduced at the October Toms River Regional school board meeting.
A Brick Township man has been indicted in a 2024 crash that killed a North Jersey woman, authorities said.
The Class I Special Officers are graduates of the Academy of Law and Public Safety at Ocean County Vocational Technical School.
A Toms River engine returning from a fire call was diverted to help the bicyclist by a quick-thinking dispatcher. The group was honored.
The job reductions come as the two companies continue to make adjustments for anticipated changes in the market for their medications.
Patrolman Donald Miller comes to the department with nearly 10 years of experience.
Brick Township police are warning drivers to obey the law, which requires they stop when children are loading or unloading.
Don't feel like cooking the Thanksgiving meal this year? Here are restaurants serving up dinner on the holiday in 2025.
Don't feel like cooking the Thanksgiving meal this year? Here are restaurants serving up dinner on the holiday.
Don't feel like cooking the Thanksgiving meal this year? Here are restaurants serving up dinner on the holiday.
Don't feel like cooking the Thanksgiving meal this year? Here are restaurants serving up dinner on the holiday for 2025.
Don't feel like cooking the Thanksgiving meal this year? Here are restaurants serving up dinner on the holiday.
Eliyahu "Eli" Weinstein was freed by Trump from a 24-year prison sentence in 2021. A jury convicted him in a new scheme earlier this year.
Authorities were continuing to try to identify the person who made the threat.
The Lakewood police officer told the teen to leave the zone for his safety; when the officer asked for ID, he spit instead, police say.
The North Jersey man sped off when police tried to pull him over and repeatedly went into oncoming traffic when he fled, police said.
The man also pleaded guilty to a drug charge in a separate case, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.
