Traders Cove; School Board Conflict; Heroin Arrests: A Look Back At Brick Patch 2016

BRICK, NJ — A restaurant for Traders Cove. School board tussles. Heroin. These were just some of the issues that drew readers' attention in Brick in 2016.

Here are some of the most-read articles from the Brick Patch for 2016, as well as some of the biggest topics of the year:

A Traders Cove restaurant?

Mayor John Ducey announced in March that the township was seeking bids to build a restaurant at Traders Cove. In May that the township had reached a preliminary agreement with Chefs International to build a 400-seat restaurant at the site. The move is opposed by a number of people and organizations, including Ocean County Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr., who called it "a breach of faith," in a message delivered to Brick officials during a September Green Acres meeting on the proposal.

School board changes and conflict

The Brick Township Board of Education was coming off a tumultuous 2015 when board members John Lamela, Stephanie Wohlrab, George White, and Victoria Pakala were sworn in to their terms on the board. But the idea that the new members would bring balance or peace to the board was quickly swept away with their initial actions of cleaning house on the district's professionals before the ink was dry on their oaths of office. The "scorched earth" move gave way to repeated conflicts over moves that included a budget with a 3.51 percent tax increase and debates over the cost of a project to replace windows in the district. The year finished out with a shouting match at an October board meeting and growing issues of tranparency. There were improvements within the district, with long-delayed capital projects, including a renovation of the 60-year-old East gym, finally addressed.

The heroin epidemic

Heroin continues to be one of the most vexing problems facing communities throughout New Jersey, and Brick was no exception. And no section of town was immune. Here are some of the headlines:

• 571 Heroin Folds, Cash Seized In Brick After Pair Reported Smoking Pot In Van: Police
  
• 2,350 Heroin Doses, Cash Seized, 4 Charged In Multi-Town Bust: Prosecutor
  
• Walmart Parking Lot Heroin Deal Ends With 2 Arrested In Brick: Police
  
• 110 Folds Of Heroin Seized, Brick Man Arrested After Raid: Police
  
• Maple Leaf Condo Raid Nets 349 Heroin Doses; Pair Charged: Brick Police
  
• $100K Worth Of Cocaine, $4,800 In Cash Seized, 2 Charged In Brick Bust: Prosecutor

Maple Leaf Park

Ongoing complaints from residents and two incidents — an attack on a pizza delivery driver that resulted in the arrest of six teenagers a and a fight among teen girls that left one with serious injuries — led to increased patrols and a resumption of the use of police on bicycles in Maple Leaf Park and the Herbertsville section of town. That led to: Maple Leaf Condo Raid Nets 349 Heroin Doses; Pair Charged: Brick Police

Other noteworthy events from 2016:

Brick Township Mourning Police Officer Lost To Cancer

The calendar had barely flipped to 2016 when the police department was left to mourn the loss of officer Kris Demarco to pancreatic cancer.

Deadly Force Was Justifiable In Brick Police Shooting: Prosecutor

Five months after Julian Hoffman, a 21-year-old Brick Township man, was shot and killed at the home he shared with his father, the shooting by Brick police was ruled a justifiable use of force.

Man Sought After Dragging Brick Police Officer By Arm In Car Window

John Carter of Brick was sought after he tried to escape an outstanding warrant after police stopped his car in November. He turned himself in a few days later.

Authorities Seek Leads On Human Skull Found In Brick

The discovery of the skull prompted an extensive search trying to locate additional remains in hopes of identifying the person to whom the skull belonged.

Giants' Victor Cruz Presents Brick Township With Football Town USA Title

The NFL star visited Brick Township High School in early December to bestow the title and prizes on the football team.

Other noteworthy headlines:

• Man Rescues 4-Month-Old Baby Left In Car At Shopping Center
  
• 150 Dogs, Including Newborn Puppies, Removed From Howell Home: Sheriff
  
• WATCH: Deer Tries To Climb Into Howell Woman's Truck
  
• Video of Homeless Man's Humiliation Prompts Investigation By Prosecutor
  
• Friends, Family Mourn Brick Woman Who Fought 'In Flip Flops'
  
• Facing Millions In Court Settlement, Star Career Academy Abruptly Shuts Down

Victor Cruz by Nicole Scardilli; Mayor John Ducey by Karen Wall; Skull by Brick Police