You’ve heard all the mother-in-law jokes, all the stories about feuds between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. You’ve heard of the mothers who are jealous when their sons marry, and they have to put up with his loving another woman more than her herself. Even the lessons of St. Luke in the Bible talks about daughter-in-law l against mother-in-law.
One of the things that make me happy all the time is that I don’t and can’t fit into any of those categories.
Okay, perhaps one of my children did not make all the right decisions all the time. But wise as he is, he recognized his mistakes, adjusted for them, then made the decision to marry Stacey. Their meeting was a bit unusual, for this New Yorker and New Jerseyan, their courtship a bit more rare, and even their marriage so many years ago was a bit out of the ordinary
Both are smart, determined, thoughtful and so thoughtful of others, they remain the perfect match.
But Stacey is more than that. She’s more than the perfect wife for my son, she’s more than a helpmate and she’s more than the beautiful woman who keeps my son happy, stable, and looking forward to every day because of her.
Because as wonderful as she is for my son, she is every bit that for everyone, from her mother and her mother-in-law, to strangers, people in need, and anyone who comes in contact with her.
There was the Thanksgiving Eve as my son and his wife were coming home from church, the saw a homeless woman on the street. Stacey immediately stopped to talk to her, invited her home, fed her, invited her to use the tub for a hot bath and gave her fresh clothes. The woman thanked her, declined the invitation to stay overnight, then went back on her own to her place among the homeless in town, a big happier, less hungry, better dressed, clean and with a fresh supply of food. Stacey does all that.
There are lots of stories like that. If someone is cruel to an animal, Stacey is there to remind the person, in her own inimitable fashion, what happens to people who are cruel or mean, words spoken loud enough and firm enough to be sure he hears while she stoops down to help the animal. If the person in front of her at the store doesn’t have enough money to pay the bill, it’s Stacey who picks up the tab. If it’s someone with car trouble, it’s Stacey who lifts the hood, fiddles around and makes the repairs for a grateful driver.
The list goes on.
As generous and kind as she is, Stacey is also creative. She’s the one who hunts garbage piles for a broken table or chair, then brings it home to repair and give it new life. If the windowless wall in a room is blank and dull, it’s Stacey who whips out her paint brushes and variety of colors and creates an outdoor scene with a window frame around it, opening the door to the appearance of the outdoors on a sunshine filled day. Only Stacey can take an old tub and make a gorgeous sink of it, or any piece of what appears to be unworkable junk to others into something special and useful.
I always thought I was fortunate enough to have great children, children who have grown up, received their formal education in a variety of ways, served both their fellow man, be it in the military or the hospital and blessed me with the world’s best grandchildren and great grandchildren.
But life doesn’t get any better than having all of that, plus a daughter-in-law named Stacey.
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It was August of 1944 when Doctor Howard Welcher bought the famed Log Cabin Inn on Ocean Boulevard. It was because of the prohibitive costs of food due to the ongoing World War that Mr. and Mrs. Harry Sculthorp put it on the market.
According to the Highlands Star, the weekly newspaper of the time, Doc Welcher had moved to Atlantic Highlands, living on Belvedere Road, two years previous. While he continued to maintain his medical practice in north Jersey, he purchased the Log Cain Inn when the Sculthorps decided to dispose of the property due to the headaches “associated with the restaurant business in this era of rationing and ceiling prices.”
The previous year the Sculthorps had completely renovated the interior of the restaurant, known throughout the state as a landmark for its exceptional marine view. They had added new and modern touches to the lounge areas.
Nor was this the only dining establishment in the area affected by the war and resulting in soaring prices of food purchases, primarily meat. A few days previous, Thomas Ross, who operated the Cedar Inn on Navesink Avenue, Highlands, next to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, and well known for the excellence of the menu, had decided to close the restaurant for the duration, “until conditions become more favorable.”
Both owners noted that the ceiling prices imposed by the state for operating their restaurants did not take into account the higher cost of foods to prepare.” I can’t feed my customers right only charging them the amount I am allowed to charge,” he said.
The men noted that at one time they had to pay 44 cents a pound for meat they had previously been able to purchase for 22 cents a pound but still had to offer it at the original price. The were not permitted to raise their price in spite of the additional costs, Ross said, adding, “so I’ll just wait until the clouds roll by.”
Even the seafood prices in these waterfront town restaurants had risen in cost above what restaurateurs could charge. For instance, clams for steaming routinely sold at $1.25 a bushel, during the war effort, they now cost $4.50 a bushel but still had to go out on the table at the same price.
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Not only is Margaret Ker an award-winning essay writer who competed at the state level of the Daughters of the American Revolution contest, but she’s a rising eighth grade student who spent many hours during her summer vacation volunteering at the Atonement Church Food Pantry in Asbury Park.
Even more, when she returns to her classes at St. Leo the Great School in Lincroft next month, she will be representing the school as an Ambassador, providing tours and assisting with campus needs throughout the year.
Margaret, the daughter of Andrew and Christina Ker of Lincroft, and younger sister of Lily, took the top award for seventh grade essays in the DAR competition, winning for the Shrewsbury-Towne chapter who praised the work of each of the winners in the 5th through 8th grades. The school is dedicated to ensuring all students learn American history in addition to each of their other subjects and the DAR chapter’s winners in all categories went to students from St. Leo’s.
Margaret took a different tack from most of the essayist who entered the contest. Each had been given rigid instructions to follow when writing about a Tea Party in Edenton, NC, similar to the well-publicized Boston Tea Party during the Revolution.
While many spoke in their essays about how the women interacted with each other, each showing excellence in describing the time, fashions and habits of the time, Margaret’s essay was a letter to the Continental Congress, as one of the Revolutionary woman who was part of the Edenton tea party. She was positive and outright in her letter, making it clear to the representatives that the North Carolina women were strong and ready to forgo their tea and anything else that showed less than dedication to the cause of freedom.
This was not Margaret’s first contest entry; she has been authoring essays for the DAR competition every year since she was in the fifth grade. While the curriculum at St. Leo’s places an emphasis on history, and included the essay competition as a class assignment, Margaret said she herself is fascinated by the Revolutionary era, especially the roles that women played during that period.
She loves to write as well as doing all the research it takes to ensure her writing is complete, but she admits that she simply likes “getting to the bottom of questions and learning the facts about complex questions.”
Besides writing and maintaining honor roll status in all her classes, Margaret is an avid softball and soccer player, playing on travel teams in both sports. Not certain of her future after high school, Margaret does know she plans on going to college and is looking towards law, business or writing as a career in the future .
The enthusiastic young teenager is proud and happy about her win as the state champion for seventh grade students in the DAR’s contest and adds happily “I’m looking forward to next year’s contest already.”
Express Dispatch to The Continental Congress, Noas Sitting at Philadelphia October 26,1774
Gentlemen, it is with much pleasure that I, Mrs. Winifred Wiggins Hoskins, send you this letter to alert you of a most glorious gathering of patriotic ladies recently here in the city of Edenton, North Carolina.
Whereas we, affectionate, reasoning, American mothers know the value of a tender embrace for one’s children, our “Mother England, knows only a monster’s cruelty and forces upon us “dreadful, dismal, doleful, dolorous and dollar-less” times.
Our “mother” has given us no choice but to voice our displeasure with her evil ways. Although some may think it improper, our womanly virtue has led us to put our feelings onto parchment.
The American blood that courses through our American veins filled us with American courage to state clearly that as of the first of January,177 5, we will nor import or use any goods imported from England, especially East Indian tea.
We further declare that any persons nor complying with this resolve are enemies to their country!
Coming to these dramatic resolutions was no simple fear, so, I humbly relate the circumstances of this most remarkable meeting here within.
When my good friend Mrs. Penelope Barker invited me to attend a meeting of Edenton’s ladies at Mrs. Elizabeth King’s home to draft resolutions of resistance to British tyranny, a joyous anticipation fil1ed my heart. I heartily accepted Mrs. Barker’s invitation, and upon the meeting’s commencement on October 25th,l accepted the nomination to serve as the Association’s secretary.
A sense of patriotic duty washed over me as I realized it would be my hand that would draft a bold statement aimed at affecting the peace and happiness of our country by proclaiming a complete and total boycott of England’s heinous wares.
Mrs. King’s home is a quaint and handsome wooden structure located between the court-house and Edenton Bay and ideally suited to host a decorated gathering. The fifty-one ladies that responded to Mrs. Barker’s invitation were of the finest influence and sentiment in North Carolina. These women, models of virtue, refinement and high-born courage, acquitted themselves with the grace, dignity and patriotic zeal that defines our lives as American women. We know no “place” other than at the center of righteousness, for neither man nor woman can afford to be indifferent upon occasions that threaten our liberties and rights.
Upon entering the dining room and seeing this august assembly of “daughters of liberty,” I knew at once I had made the right decision to attend. As I looked upon the homespun dresses of American thread and fabric each woman wore, I welled up with immense pride. My thoughts flew to the occasion of when I wove my own, American, homespun wedding dress from the flax grown upon my father’s farm in Halifax county. As I reminisced, the scent of a familiar brew pulled me from my reverie. A contented happiness washed over me as I realized it was the smell of our ladies’ most beloved, patriotic experiment: a concoction of “tea” made from our native North Carolinian yapon shrub, sage and wild raspberry leaves we’ve named “Hyperion” that has replaced English tea.
Once we had settled in our chairs, Mrs. Barker, our assemblage’s presiding officer, called the meeting to order. She announced that tea would be served first and that each member must state her choice: either the tea imported from England or the local “Hyperion-” With one voice every loyal soul declined the poisonous English brew and asked for the homemade variety.
Having put our feelings on record, we enjoyed our refreshments with grace and proceeded to draw up our resolutions in a way that could leave no doubt as to our American loyalty. I began writing notes about the proceedings and with each stroke of my quill, I could feel the chains of British slavery being unshackled as I scribed words of defiance.
We proclaimed that we will do everything in our power to promote the welfare of our beloved American liberties, and that our devotion to country and liberty was unbreakable. Listening to the enthusiastic, sober voices of the remarkable women in the room stirred me with the unique sense of American pride I’ve felt since my days of girlhood.
Only in America can a woman look back upon her life and see so much abundant evidence of God’s providence. As I wrote, each word upon the parchment stood out as a beacon that called for a country full of freedom, liberty and justice for all men and women, and that it was imperative that we join in a triumphant chorus asserting our unalienable, natural rights.
After carefully drafting our resolves to forswear East India tea and the importation of British manufactures, we ceremoniously filled Mrs. Barker’s tea-caddy with tea and poured it upon the ground in solidarity with our brother and sister patriots that have held “tea parties” throughout the colonies. Afterward we retired into Mrs. King’s parlor where I prepared a most delicious “Liberty Punch” in my family’s heirloom punch bowl to toast our noble American Congress, the brave ladies of Edenton and American liberty
Fifty-one ladies, myself included, signed our resolves, and not one of us regrets our decision. Some have mocked us, calling us derelict mothers, uncouth and uppity, along with many other, hurtful insults. Yet, in the face of derision and contempt, let it be known that not a single Edenton lady wavers in her commitment to achieving American liberty. We happily drink our Hyperion and wear our American cloth. For we, the Patriotic Ladies of Edenton, are neither slaves to the teacup, nor are we willing to be slaves to England. May God Bless America and The Continental Congress!
In Liberty., Mrs. Winifred Wiggins Hoskins
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Harry Delgado, representing the NJ State Association of Chiefs of Police, praised Police Chief Scott Reinert C.P.M. and his department at this week’s meeting of the Mayor and Council, and presented the Chief with his Accreditation Certificate that signifies the department’s accomplishment under the Chief’s direction.
“During these uniquely challenging times, and the threat to our health and safety, encouraging law enforcement agencies to follow standardized practices and policies is a potentially lifesaving, and cost-effective, investment of time and resources. Accreditation status represents a significant professional achievement,” Delgado told the Mayor and Council and residents at the meeting. “This prestigious re-accredited status demonstrates Chief Scott Reinert’s firm commitment to state and national standards and the continued expectations for quality, professional, and ethical policing.”
Of all law enforcement agencies in New Jersey, on state, county or municipal level, only 54 per cent have received this accreditation, Delgado said. Of that number only 12 per cent have received it a second time. Including Atlantic Highlands under Reinert.
“Accreditation is a process, “ Delgado said. “Its foundation lies in the adoption of standards containing a clear statement of professional objectives. The certification comes after an independent reviewing authority has measured the department against an established set of state and national standards and found the department exceeded accepted practices in its law enforcement.
In citing some of the exemplary performances of the local department under Chief Reinert, Delgado cited the high level of competence, leadership and professionalism which is evident within the department itself, all of which highlight the department’s commitment to serve the community “This department continues to assertively move forward, with a history and commitment to following best practices with a preparedness plan and a verification of excellence, Delgado said, adding, along “with no issues during an onsite assessment, it is remarkable!”
“It is the opinion of the assessment team that the Atlantic Highlands Police Department is a highly professional and committed agency which exemplifies all the tenets of Law Enforcement Accreditation at the state and national level, the official concluded.
The state representative also praised each of the officers in this accredited agency , urging them to “take pride you have been objectively recognized for your professionalism and adherence to the highest standards.”
It is for all these reasons, he said, that “the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police and the New Jersey Law Enforcement Commission congratulate Chief Scott Reinert, Accreditation Manager Officer Erica Hoffman, the members of the Atlantic Highlands Police Department, the Mayor, the Council and those citizens they so proudly serve, for achieving their state 2nd re-accreditation, joining a very exclusive group of law enforcement agencies that have made this important commitment to excellence in policing. Congratulations!”
Chief Reinert thanked Delgado for the certificate, and also thanked his department, many of whom were in attendance at the meeting, and praised the 15-member department for their dedication
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“You’re using the most valuable land in the borough of Atlantic Highlands for boat storage…that is irrational and it really should end, resident Joshua Leinsdorf told the Mayor and Council at this week’s meeting of the governing body.
Yet even after reminding the borough leaders he has previously provided them with the codicil that points out the terms under which the state of New Jersey leased the land to the borough, stipulating it be used for recreation purposes only, Mayor Lori Hohenleitner simply said, “thank you” and moved on to the next resident during the public portion of the meeting, Minutes later, the entire council unanimously approved the on land boat storage rates for the 2026-2027 year.
Nor did the mayor or any member of council comment, ask a question or show any reaction to the resident’s statement that the proposed rates for leasing space at the harbor is “eye opening,” “shocking.”
Leinsdorf’s comments came since the resolution to approve harbor lease rates for the 2025- 2026 year was on the agenda; minutes after his reminder of the agreement signed with the state in 1942, the resolution approving the rates was unanimously approved by the governing body.
Besides Leinsdorf’s comments, the resolution itself, as unanimously approved, said the Harbor Commission submitted its winter storage rates at its August 5 meeting and after discussion presented it to the governing body.
In fact, there was no discussion at the Harbor Commission meeting on August 5. The resolution, which was not provided to the public in advance of that meeting, was on the agenda for approval by the commission. The chairman called for any comments or discussion from the commissioners, but there was none. Nor did the public comment, presumably because they had not seen the resolution.
Council representative Alyson Forbes, who is the borough representative on the Harbor Commission, was present at the Harbor meeting and voted for approval of the rates; she was absent from this week’s council meeting.
Leinsdorf’s comments on the “eye opening” new rates referred to the high cost of having boats, either in the water or stored on land, at the harbor, recognized as one of the finest along the entire East Coast.
The new rates, as unanimously approved, range from $162 per foot for a berth up to 26 feet in length without electric to $27,250 a year for the head boats docked on Pier 1 between March 1, 2026 and February 28, 2027. Winter storage is set at $77 per foot, plus tax with sailboat owners having to provide their own cradle. Land storage is also offered to non-tenants at $65 per foot.
Persons or companies wanting to use harbor space for either filming, recording or parking will be charged $1,000 a day, according to the 11-page resolution.
More important than the money the Harbor Commission is making with all the land storage and parking, Leinsdorf reminded the governing body, is the agreement made by Mayor Thomas McVey and Governor A. Harry Moore on February 4, 1940.
Governor A. Harry Moore
That was the document signed by both state and local officials in which the state gave the land which is now the harbor, its parking lot and buildings, to the borough for “the exclusive use as “a public park, highway or place for public use, resort and recreation.”
Several months ago, Leinsdorf had presented a copy of the 1942 agreement to Borough attorney Marguerite Schaefer during a council meeting, pointing out at that time that the harbor was leased to the borough specifically for recreational purposes and not parking.
Borough Attorney Marguerite Schaefer
Leinsdorf told the council at this week’s meeting that in addition to the “eye opening” and “shocking” rates, the borough has raised taxes for open space yet is using “the most valuable land” in the borough for parking. “It’s irrational and it really should end,” he said.
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Kathleen Scatassa has joined Brian Gosegner as the two Democrat candidates for Atlantic Highlands Borough Council in Atlantic Highlands. The two candidates are running for offices currently held by Vito Colosaurdo and Eileen Cusick, neither of whom is seeking re-election.
Colosaurdo had announced early in the season he is not seeking another term; Cusick won the primary election, then withdrew for placement on the ballot in the November election.
Gosegner won the primary and Scatassa, who did not run in the primary, had until this week to file for the council seat left vacant by Cusick stepping down.
The two kicked off their campaigns recently and are planning several other events prior to the November vote.
Thomas Stone and Laura Hesse are the two Republicans seeking the two positions.
Currently the Mayor and all six council members are Democrats.
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Bahrs Restaurant in Highlands, the home of The Lobster Boss and the oldest still active business in the borough at more than a century as the leading restaurant along the Bayshore, once received a liquor license suspension for serving a minor.
It was in August, 1944, when the ABC suspended the license at Bahrs for 25 days, but reduced it to 20 days after learning more details of the sale.
Bahrs entered a plea for the reduction in suspension inasmuch as the teenager had assured the bartender he was of age and his uncle fully supported and testified to that fact. However, the state found the restaurant guilty since the restaurateur had not required the teenager to make his statement in writing.
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It was 81 years ago this month that Highlands residents learned of the death of Sergeant Willard H. Robertson, who was killed in battle in France on July 6, 1944. His mother, Mrs. Harriet Robertson, received the news of the death of one of her three military sons serving overseas in a communication from the War Department.
The Robertsons lived on Fourth Street and Sergeant Robertson was among the first of the local men who were called into service by the Selective Service before the war started. He had served three years in the National Guard and had attended Atlantic Highlands High School and had been serving overseas since January 1943. He was 29 years old.
Sergeant Robertson’s two brothers, Kermit and Thomas, are also both also currently overseas.
He is also survived by sisters Marie, Georgeanne, Alvina, Luella and Josephine, who is the wife of Highlands Police Chief Howard Monahan.
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Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald were the big names on the screen at the Atlantic Theater in the summer of 1944 when “Going My Way” was the featured film for four days at the First Avenue theater.
The film was shown Monday through Wednesday the first week of August, with a matinee at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, and a continuous showing of the film on Sunday from 2 p.m. on. The featured film for the rest of the week starred Margaret O’Brien in Lost Angel along with Franchot Tone and Veronica Lake.
At the Marine Theater in Highlands, “Attack,” The Battle for New Britain, was being shown by the US government along with Man from Frisco starring Michael O’Shea and Ann Shirley.
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“All I want is for the public to be safe!” said Highlands Mayor Carolyn Broullon after another sunshine-filled weekend had traffic heading to Sandy Hook backed up to Buttermilk Valley. Add to that the motorists driving in the left lane jockeying for position in the right lane so they could “get ahead” of the crowd going into Sandy Hook who create another level of possible accidents and resultant added problems for not only Highlands residents but motorists and beach goers as well.
Still, no one responds to the Mayor’s frequent and consistent pleas for help from every level, from Congressman Frank Pallone down to residents who complain about the traffic problems but have not done anything to show officials their concerns.
Even the Mayor’s suggestions for how to ease the problem that has affected the borough for years have been ignored.
Broullon re-issued a statement to the public at the beginning of summer, suggesting that residents write their elected officials to let them know that the primary reason for the highway blockage, sometimes as far as The Care One Nursing Home, because of beach goers having to pay for parking at Sandy Hook as they enter the park, just off the Captain Joseph Azzolina Bridge.
She has suggested in the past, and reiterated this week, that the park could ease the present situation simply by having motorists pay for parking as they leave the beach, a system which would spreading out the flow of the thousands of people who go to Sandy Hook for its three life guarded beaches.
Other suggestions have included setting up the payment booths or a gate at the beach parking lots, since that is the only area where fees are charged, or maintaining one payment booth for those with annual passes or simply entry to other areas of Sandy Hook where parking fees are not charged.
Broullon has written her ideas to the National Park Service. She hasn’t “heard a peep.
Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
She’s written to Congressman Frank Pallone, asking for help. He told her he was going to speak to the Park Service about the situation. She hasn’t heard anything since.
Nor has she heard anything from the Monmouth County Commissioners.
Bay Avenue, the main street through the Borough is heavily impacted by ‘knowing beach goers who take the Linden Avenue jug handle off Route 36 and go through town to come up under the bridge and squeeze into the traffic line at the Bridge. Both Linden Avenue and Bay Avenue are county roads.
Another headache for borough residents is the traffic delays and tie-ups on Highland Avenue as well as Miller Street. Motorists will turn into Valley Avenue from Route 36, then turn onto Highland Avenue east to Portland Road, hoping to squeeze into the bridge traffic at that point. That creates tie-ups at that intersection, with vehicles coming up from under the bridge, coming off Portland road and Highland Avenue, many heading for the bridge, but others seeking to make turns onto either Portland Road or Highland Ave. Sunday mornings add churchgoers Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on Route 36 into the mix.
This past Sunday, traffic was backed up to the Buttermilk Valley traffic light by CVS Pharmacy both in the morning and in the early afternoon and early evening as well.
“With only three beaches having guards, the park fills up faster and leaves motorists clogging the roads longer,” the mayor said., “ If they just let everyone in then had them pay as they leave, it would make the flow a lot better.”
In the meantime, Highlands police are on the main roads ensuring traffic moves as quickly as possible and frustrated drivers do not do anything foolish. First Aid volunteers in the borough man the station and keep their vehicles ready for emergency calls to ensure the best use of time while encountering traffic.
The Mayor remains frustrated by the lack of attention to what she considers primarily as a safety issue. After her pleas and suggestions not only this year but in previous years still unresolved, “ I feel that we have to wait until something terrible happens for anyone to actively address this situation, unfortunately.”
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