Home Care In Highlands, NJ

The young winter has brought some arctic-like chill and many of the lakes and ponds in the northern part of the state have locked up in ice.

Laurie Murphy at Dows Boat Rentals on Lake Hopatcong, the state's largest freshwater lake, said the shallower coves have five to six inches of ice cover. She said this past weekend was busy with anglers who came out with their augers and tip-ups in hand, and drilled holes to fish for bass, chain pickerel, crappie and perch. She said the catch was a pick.

The deeper parts of Lake Hopatcong have three inches of ice, Murphy said, which is not quite thick enough to fish yet. Weather-wise, the forecast is calling for a brief warm-up this weekend, but then overnight below freezing temperatures return on Sunday. Overnight temps could drop all the way down to 16 degrees by mid-month, which could mean anglers will have a decent ice fishing season this winter.

Nick Honachefsky, host of Saltwater Underground, tried the ice on a more secluded lake up north and came away with catches of largemouth bass, what he called a "bucketmouth," and chain pickerel.

Out on the for-hire boats, most of the catch is on the rubble in around 100 foot or more water depths for the die hard blackfish anglers. The Paramount party boat did run into some mackerel on Saturday's trip but no great numbers of them. There was also a nice codfish landed on the Capt. Cal 2 and most boats are seeing a splattering of ling on some of the tog spots.

The blackfish have been responsive most days, especially to the crab baits, such as white leggers. And there have been a few nice-size ones landed to keep everyone on their toes. Greg Bogan weighed in a 12- and 8-pound blackfish for Harrison Bush of Warren. Bush was on the Saturday trip on the Paramount. The day started out slow due to the current but the bite picked up as the day wore on.

On the Jamaica II, regular Michell Baybay hooked into a 9-pound tog. That was also on Saturday. The next day, Capt. Ryan Bogan reported an 8-pound blackfish and a hand full of his party with landings of four blackfish.

The Big Mohawk went out to the deep on Sunday to find some warmer water. According to Greg Hueth's report, they bounced around in 100 to 120 foot depths and picked fish everywhere they went. The keeper fish ranged from 3 to 7 pounds.

?Brielle Bait & Tackle will host its annual winter rod building course next month. The course will offer all the basics for beginning rod builders from blanks, grips, guides, wrapping and epoxy. The course is taught over three nights, Feb. 2, 4 & 6. The cost is $95 with $30 deposit due at sign up. Call the shop at 732-528-5720 for more info.

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him at [email protected].

It is with heavy hearts that the Highlands Council expresses its condolences to the family and friends of Judge Michael R. Dressler who passed away Thursday, December 4. Judge Dressler became a member of the Highlands Council in 2011 and served for 14 years.

“We are all deeply saddened by the passing of Mike Dressler,” said Highlands Council Chairman Carl Richko. “He was an active and dedicated member of the Highland Council. Mike had a life of public service to his town, county and state. He'll be missed by all who knew him.”

Nominated to the Council by then-governor Chris Christie in 2011, Dressler was already an accomplished public servant when appointed to fill one of eight ‘elected official’ positions on the Council. At 22, Dressler was elected to the Cresskill Council and in 1983 he was elected as the Borough’s Mayor. He served as counsel to both the Bergen County Commissioners and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority. In 1997 he was elected as the Bergen County Surrogate, a role he held until his passing.

As a member of the Highlands Council, Dressler was a vocal advocate for landowner equity and served on the Landowner Equity and Land Preservation committee from the time it was formed in 2014. Member Dressler also encouraged the formation of and served as Chair on the Roxbury Water Quality Committee, created in 2014 to address concerns regarding the former Fenimore Landfill site. His other committee responsibilities included Audit Evaluation, Bylaws Review, Personnel, Plan Conformance (Chair beginning 2018), and RMP Amendment. Over the years, Member Dressler became known for his thoughtful consideration of all matters before the Council, frequently asking questions of staff and relying on their professional input to help inform his decisions.

“Judge Dressler has been a fixture on the Council for the past 14 years," said Highlands Council Executive Director Ben Spinelli. "Despite his physical challenges, he rarely missed either a public meeting or a committee meeting. He was a man of great integrity and intelligence and lived a life defined by decency, public service and resilience that can serve as an example to all of us.”

Additional biographical information about Dressler is available on the Bergen County Surrogate webpage. In a 2021 interview with Insider NJ, Dressler shared details about his life, career and philosophy of public service.

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — It's that magical time of year again! Here's Patch's annual round-up of the best holiday light displays in Middletown, and surrounding towns.

If we missed a home, please email it to [email protected]

Matawan/Aberdeen area:

13 Kathleen Place in South Amboy

329 Silzer Street in Perth Amboy

"7 Middlesex Road in Matawan has the best Christmas display in town. Hands down."

120 Main Street in Keyport. Shows are Sunday-Thursday 6-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 6-10 p.m.

42 First Street in Keyport

195 Main Street in Keyport

5 and 7 Donnelly Street, Union Beach

14 Johnson Avenue in Union Beach

221 Poole Avenue in Union Beach

Middletown:

533 Palmer Avenue in Keansburg

9 Hudson Avenue in Keansburg

11 Hudson Avenue in Keansburg

7-10 River Street in Keansburg

129 Wesley Ave, Atlantic Highlands

189 Lynch Road Middletown, NJ

9 Lawrence Circle Middletown, NJ

31 Acker Drive Middletown, NJ

12 Phillips Mill Drive Middletown, NJ

12 Snyder Drive Middletown, NJ

1 and 2 Ward Place Middletown, NJ

5 Warren Place Middletown, NJ

Liam's Spectacular Christmas Display 13 Garrett Place Middletown, NJ

12 Phillips Mills Drive, North Middletown

12 Hauser Street Middletown, NJ 07748

100 Kings Road in Little Silver

Marlin's Christmas Wonderland ?on Laurel Avenue in Sea Girt. Show and lights run 5-10:30 p.m. nightly, tune your radio to 88.9

Middletown Township published this 2023 Google map of all the decorated homes in town: https://www.google.com/maps/d/...

Itaska Place in Oceanport

70 Silvercrest Drive, Tinton Falls - Olivadoti Christmas. More than 65,000 lights synchronized to music, plus more than 100 figurines

Holmdel/Hazlet:

3 Bauer Avenue in Hazlet - Johnny's Hazlet Holiday Light Extravaganza

73 Third Street in Hazlet - Powers Family Christmas Lights

11 Hudson Avenue in Hazlet - The Martin's Christmas Corner The light show runs: Monday-Thursday 6-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 6-11 p.m. and Sunday 5-10 p.m. All shows are weather permitting.

21 Meredith Way Hazlet Lights on Meredith The light show plays every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, at 6 p.m. and again at 8 p.m. The show is weather permitting. The lights without the special show are on from 5 to 10 p.m. the rest of the week.

40 Buttonwood Place in Hazlet

5 Kingsbridge Court in Hazlet

4 Boxwood Terrace, off Laurel Avenue in Holmdel. This home synchronizes their lights to music; when you drive by, tune your car FM radio to 88.1 and hear the music synchronized to the lights. They play 20 different songs each night and the light show runs from 5-9 p.m. nightly.

8 Hidden Hollow Terrace in Holmdel - "Christmas in Holmdel"

Ruperto Vicens Marquez, the restaurant owner with a work visa who was detained by ICE last month, was released from custody on Tuesday night.

Marquez was released from Newark’s Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center at 6 p.m., Kerry Kennedy, a member of the American Friends Service Committee social justice group, told NJ Advance Media. By 7 p.m., he was spending time with his family at his home in Middletown.

Vicens Marquez has been held at the detention center since Oct. 19, the day ICE agents stopped him in a car with two other men while he was on his way to work. The father of three, who lives in the Belford section of Middletown with his wife and three children, spent about a month at Delaney Hall awaiting a hearing.

Vicens Marquez, who was born in Mexico, co-owns Emilio’s Kitchen with his brother Emilio. The restaurant has locations in Atlantic Highlands and Belmar. He was on his way to work at the Atlantic Highlands location last month when he was apprehended by ICE agents.

In a statement released by ICE after his arrest, a spokesperson said that Vicens Marquez had entered the country illegally and was issued a final order of removal in July of this year. His attorney, Steve Lyons, and Atlantic Highlands Mayor Lori Hohenleitner said that was false.

Lyons has maintained that his client has employment authorization through the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services until 2029. He also stated that Vicens Marquez was not the intended target of the ICE roundup in the area last month.

“My client was not the intended target,” Lyons said.

Atlantic Highlands residents rallied around the beloved restaurateur, demonstrating at Delaney Hall on Nov. 1 and raising $96,000 through a GoFundMe campaign in an effort to free him.

On Thursday, an immigration judge in Elizabeth ordered that Vicens Marquez be released on a $7,000 bond. The government then had 24 hours to appeal the decision, and although it declined to do so, Vicens Marquez remained detained until the paperwork was complete.

Vicens Marquez is now on a probationary period for 90 days. Once that period is over, he will be back to his regular legal status, Kennedy said.

A welcome home celebration for Vincens Marquez will be held on Saturday at Veterans Park in Atlantic Highlands.

On what could have been the final play of his high school career, Joey Yessis thought about all the plays he had missed.

He thought about the broken hip that kept him out of all but one game last year and the broken back that forced him to miss his entire sophomore campaign.

He thought about all the tears and pain, and he thought about all the nights he stood on the sideline.

The senior was the hero on Friday in what Ramapo head coach Nick Guttuso called a ‘mass of humanity’ on the final play of the NJSIAA/Xfinity North 1, Group 4 championship.

Yessis ripped the ball from Northern Highlands senior Chase Calarco in the middle of a pile on a would-be game-winning two-point conversion attempt to give the Raiders a 28-27 overtime win in Franklin Lakes for their third-consecutive sectional title and 15th overall.

“It’s a surreal moment,” Yessis said. “My job was to spill whoever was coming at me and cause commotion. I rolled over and ripped the ball out, threw it in the air and celebrated. When the game comes down to the final seconds, you have to be physical and ready to play. To come back stronger, faster, and to help my team win, it just feels great.”

And for a NJ.com No. 8-ranked Ramapo team that prided itself on its defense all season, you couldn’t have wrote a better ending.

The Raiders got blasted on the ground in all four quarters as Calarco and junior Tucker Kanning slalomed through the defense like Winter X Games skiers, but their unit delivered in the biggest moment of the year, like it has all year, to the tune of just 11.3 opposing points per game.

“Credit to them, they did some things different from our first time [against them],” Guttuso said. “They showed us some new formations and kept everything tight. They made us bounce. We were able to adjust some things in the first half, but we made more adjustments in the second half. We knew we had to stop the run. We got a stop when we needed it.”

Yessis was on the receiving end of a five-yard touchdown pass from senior Casey Grusser, who connected with senior Sal Livoti on the game’s first play for a 61-yard score. Senior running back Liam Hayward found pay dirt twice for the Raiders, including the overtime score to put his team ahead 28-21.

This is a senior-oriented group and Grusser joined several of the seniors on the sideline for the No. 9 Highlanders’ two-point conversion attempt. The Merrimack commit had no idea what to think.

“I was so nervous,” Grusser said. “There were so many ups and downs. The sideline erupted, the student section erupted, everyone erupted. Joey has been great all year. He’s a great player and it’s great to have him. It’s amazing to see him make that play.”

For Northern Highlands, this one will sting for a while.

The Highlanders had the ball for over 36 minutes to Ramapo’s 11 and change. Kanning racked up 143 yards, Calarco bucked for 139 yards, and they executed their offensive game plan about as well as they could have.

It might seem unfathomable that this program oozing with talent could lose three sectional championships in a row by a combined seven points, but that’s how competitive football in North 4 has been in recent years.

Northern Highlands won sectional championship thrillers on Drew Gibbs Field in 2021 and 2022. On Friday, the Highlanders were the victim once again.

“All three [sectional finals] came down to the last play,” Cord said. “Our seniors have been a tremendous group. They never blinked. They had tremendous effort and talent. They left this program better than they found it.

“Our juniors will be planning to get back in the weight room before I let them back in. They’re going to get back to work as soon as their bodies heal. We’re going to try to run it back next year. We have the guys in place to do it.”

It’s the Raiders’ fifth-consecutive win over Northern Highlands. It’s also the eighth-straight one-possession game between these two rivals.

Ramapo will take on No. 12 Phillipsburg in the Group 4 semifinals on Friday on the road at Maloney Stadium — where its season ended in 2024 in a 35-6 final.

This time, the Raiders plan to leave Warren County with a win.

“This is exactly what we wanted,” Grusser said. “P’Burg is an amazing team. It’s going to be a hard challenge for us, but we’re excited for it.”

“Last year wasn’t our best game,” Yessis added. “We came out slow and finished slow. This time, we’re coming out fast and strong. We’re not looking back. We’re coming for revenge.”

To watch the full replay of this game, click .

No. 8 Ramapo 28, No. 9 Northern Highlands 27

First quarter

Ramapo -- Casey Grusser to Sal Livoti 61-yard passing TD (Devin Hunt successful PAT), 11:49

Northern Highlands -- Tucker Kanning 11-yard rushing TD (Giannis Nissirios successful PAT), 5:18

Ramapo -- Liam Hayward 5-yard rushing TD (Devin Hunt successful PAT), 3:54

Second quarter

Northern Highlands -- Chase Calarco 1-yard rushing TD (Failed PAT), 10:36

Northern Highlands -- Jack O’Callaghan to Drew Vandersnow 32-yard passing TD (Jack O’Callaghan to Doyle Flatt two-point conversion), 0:27

Third quarter

Ramapo -- Casey Grusser to Joey Yessis 5-yard passing TD (Devin Hunt successful PAT), 3:03

Fourth quarter

No scoring

Overtime

Ramapo -- Liam Hayward 2-yard rushing TD (Devin Hunt successful PAT)

Northern Highlands -- Tucker Kanning 5-yard rushing TD (Failed two-point conversion run)

TEAM STATISTICS

NORTHERN HIGHLANDS INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

PASSING -- Jack O’Callaghan - 6/12 for 124 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception

RUSHING -- Tucker Kanning - 31 carries for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns; Chase Calarco - 24 carries for 139 yards and 1 touchdown; Jack O’Callaghan - 4 carries for 23 yards; Doyle Flatt - 1 carry for 19 yards; Drew Vandersnow - 4 rushing yards (advanced fumble)

RECEIVING -- Drew Vandersnow - 3 catches for 58 yards and 1 touchdown; Chase DeLuise - 2 catches for 28 yards; Doyle Flatt - 1 catch for 38 yards

RETURNING -- Tucker Kanning - 2 kick returns for 30 yards (long of 20); Chase DeLuise - 1 kick return for 18 yards; Doyle Flatt - 1 kick return for 13 yards

KICKING -- Giannis Nissirios - 1/2 PATs

PUNTING -- Tucker Kanning - 1 punt for 29 yards

RAMAPO INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

PASSING -- Casey Grusser - 10/15 for 168 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions

RUSHING -- Casey Grusser - 15 carries for 141 yards; Liam Hayward - 11 carries for 37 yards and 2 touchdowns; Gino Gorga - 1 carry for 2 yards

RECEIVING -- Sal Livoti - 4 catches for 89 yards and 1 touchdown; Joey Yessis - 2 catches for 26 yards and 1 touchdown; Michael Ballan - 2 catches for 23 yards; Mike Viksjo - 1 catch for 17 yards; Liam Hayward - 1 catch for 13 yards

RETURNING -- Gavin Cardisco - 1 kick return for 6 yards; Sal Livoti - 1 kick return for 4 yards; Hunter Randolph - 1 kick return for 1 yard

KICKING -- Devin Hunt - 4/4 PATs

PUNTING -- Tyler Ramiccio - 2 punts for 99 yards (long of 50)

Note: Defensive stats will be added when our system is back up next week.

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