Dan Radel Asbury Park Press The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' dredge boat Murden has vacuumed up about 20,000 cubic yards of sand out of the Manasquan Inlet so far as it works to dig out the dangerous shoal that formed this summer. That converts to about 64 million pounds of wet sand removed from the inlet since the work began in earnest this past weekend. The job is not complete, so the final total figures to be higher once the shoal is completely removed. The Murden, which is a 156-foot split ... Read more

Dan Radel Asbury Park Press/USA TODAY NETWORK JERSEY - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s 56-foot split-hull hopper dredge Murden will stay put and resume pumping the sand that has built up on the Point Pleasant Beach side of the Manasquan Inlet. Army Corps’ Philadelphia District spokesperson Stephen Rochette said the Murden will resume dredging operations possibly this weekend, depending on sea conditions, and remain for one to two weeks. The Shore was facing the effects of Tropical Storm Debby ... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) today issued the following statement marking the 10th anniversary of the enactment of the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act: “Ten years ago today, the Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act—which I authored to help bring home American children who have been abducted overseas—was enacted into law. While the ‘Goldman Act’ is helping to reunite families and prevent possible future a... Read more

By Rebecca Heath | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Brookdale Community College is developing a program that will equip adults who are on the autism spectrum with a variety of life skills, from meal preparation to financial literacy. The Achieve Academy for Adults with Autism, which is slated to begin taking clients in 2025 at Brookdale’s satellite campus in Wall, seeks to fill a gap in services for individuals with special needs who are no longer eligible to receive public school-provided support. “... Read more

News12NJ Report Tony Caputo News 12 continues to keep an eye on the unexpected shoal (sandbank) that developed after this past weekend's storm in Point Pleasant Beach, Ocean County. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers responded to Rep. Chris Smith's request for help on Monday, saying the dredge boat “Murden” is scheduled to be in the area later this month. Locals say it might be dangerous to boaters and those who use watercraft. It could also negatively affect the local seafood businesses if they c... Read more

By Chris Sheldon | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began work Tuesday to remove the massive build-up of sand on the southern shore of the Manasquan Inlet that has concerned multiple local officials, authorities said. Crews from the Corps have started dredging the waterway and removing the sand on the Point Pleasant Beach side of the inlet, according to Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist. In a follow-up letter to Army Corps Commander Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Beeman on Mo... Read more

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has begun dredging the Manasquan Inlet today to address the dangerous build-up of sand along the jetty on the Point Pleasant Beach side of channel, said Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester), who has been in constant communication with Army Corps officials on board the USACE Dredge Murden. “We are very grateful to Lt. Col. Beeman and his team from the Philadelphia Army Corps for their quick response to our concerns over the dangerous shoaling in the Manasquan ... Read more

By Dan Alexander / NJ101.5 staff reporter - A large sandbar that has developed along the Point Pleasant Beach side of the Manasquan Inlet may be getting attention before it grows any further. Mayor Doug Vitale said in a statement on his Facebook page the shoaling was likely caused by constant southerly winds in recent weeks. Fishing boat Capt. William Egerter Jr. told the Asbury Park Press that the sandbar is taking up a third of the channel connecting the Manasquan River and the Atlantic Ocean.... Read more

In a letter to Army Corps Commander Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Beeman, Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) today called on the Army Corps of Engineers to take immediate action to mitigate the growing navigational hazard in the Manasquan Inlet posed by a dangerous build-up of sand following weekend storms. Smith’s letter comes as a follow-up to conversations he initiated with Army Corps officials and local boat captains over the weekend as the shoaling began to develop. Smith noted that Point Pleasa... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), an international leader in the fight against human trafficking, today issued the following statement on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons: “Sadly, as we mark today’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, an estimated 28 million innocent people around the world are entrapped in modern-day slavery—one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises in the world. Over twenty years ago, I authored the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, which created a... Read more