Tuesday November 25 News Updates Lakewood

 Weather: 57° Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to occasional showers during the afternoon. Chance of rain 50%.

Yartzeit of Rav Baruch Ber Lebowitz ZTL

- Structure fire in Lakewood tonoght at  vacant home on 225  5th street  bet Clifton  ave and Lexington  (where kaparos take place) Multiple agencies batteling the fully engulfed structure up in flames and has spread to a second vacant house. No injuries reported.

- The Stop & Shop on Route 9 at the Lakewood/Toms River  border will be closing next year, according to company officials.

  “Stop & Shop has made the difficult decision not to renew the lease for our store located at 2360 Lakewood Road, in Toms River, New Jersey, as the store was not meeting financial expectations,” in an email responding to questions from The Toms River Times. “Stop & Shop intends to operate the store through the late spring of 2026. All associates will be given the opportunity to transfer to other Stop & Shop locations.”(Jerseyshoreonline)

Trump said his administration is close to finalizing a Russia-Ukraine peace plan, with only a few issues still unresolved. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is meeting with Putin, while another official meets with Ukrainian leaders. Trump said he will meet Putin and Zelenskyy only when the deal is nearly finished and expressed hope the war will end soon.

The Biden admin secretly pressured at least 11 major U.S. airports to convert terminals, hangars, and secure facilities into migrant housing and processing centers. 

- Lakewood parents face additional costs for school busing on Thanksgiving, despite having companies already paid for the service. The LSTA notified schools that there will be no transportation, forcing families to carpool amid early dismissals that disrupt work schedules. Schools are scrambling to find drivers and covering costs out of pocket, asking parents to contribute. The busing contract requires the BOE to provide transportation every school day from September 1 to June 30. Many parents feel the responsibility should remain with the BOE, rather than being shifted onto families, even though drivers deserve a break

- Giyus: The Government Legal Advisor, Gali Baharav-Miara, told Prime Minister Netanyahu that he must take action against Charedi draft evasion following a recent Supreme Court ruling. The Court found the government is not ensuring equitable military enlistment and instructed it to implement effective enforcement measures, including civil actions, even without new legislation.

- Most major box stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day this Thursday, while ShopRite will close early in the afternoon.

- The traffic signal at Route 9 and Oak Street in Lakewood was activated this morning helping motorists make left turns out of Oak street 

- Lakewood planning board meeting today watch live stream Here see agenda here 

- The New Jersey Turnpike Authority approved its 2026 budget, which includes an automatic 3% toll increase for Turnpike and Parkway drivers, effective Jan. 1. This marks the fifth toll hike since 2020. A driver’s group is urging Governor Phil Murphy or Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill to intervene and spare motorists from the increase.

- A community-wide kabolas panim will take place tomorrow night to welcome Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlita to Lakewood as he visits to raise funds for Yeshivas Slabodka.

The event will be held at the Eagle Ridge Ballroom, and will feature a livestream Q&A with Rav Dov Landau shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Slabodka, at 8:30 PM.

- At the Mir Yarchai Kallah in Yerushalayim, participants heard a shiur from Rav Asher Arielli shlita. A siyum was held at the Mercazi B"M with all participants graced by the hanhalas hayeshiva 

- Ukraine agrees to a deal to end the war with Russia, a U.S. official tells Fox News. Russia is likely to reject the peace deal Ukraine agreed to this morning, the Washington Post reported.

- Travel agents report that visiting the kever of the Chofetz Chaim has become difficult, as the Lithuania-Belarus border crossing is closed due to Russian drone activity, creating safety concerns. Some travelers are currently allowed short-term passage, and there is hope that the border will fully reopen under the current peace agreement.

 - The IDF received a casket containing the body of a hostage from the Red Cross, who collected it from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza. The IDF will inspect the casket, hold a ceremony, and send the remains to Tel Aviv's Abu Kabir institute for identification.

  

-The Generations OBGYN in Lakewood , Dr Tal practice no longer accepting NJ Family Care

- The Stoliner rebbe shlita from EY is currently in the US with a visit to his chasidim in BorobPark

- NJ Assembly Bill A3992 would sharply strengthen regulations to keep nicotine and vaping products away from anyone under 21. The bill expands the definition of “tobacco product” to include nearly all nicotine-related items  especially disposable and flavored vapes that have avoided regulation. It bans sales or giveaways to people under 21 and significantly raises penalties on retailers ($750 first offense, $1,500 second, $3,000 after), with the possibility of license suspension or revocation for repeat violations. Stores must also post warning signs about the fines.

- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton recently opened a new helistop, expanding its capacity to rapidly transport critically ill and injured patients across New Jersey.

- Tolls on all eight bridges operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission will increase in 2026. Passenger vehicle rates will rise to $2 for E-ZPass users and $5 for drivers without E-ZPass. The increase covers major crossings including the Route 1 Trenton–Morrisville Bridge, the I-295 Scudder Falls Bridge, and others.

- Senate report exposes that the Biden administration forced at least 11 airports to house illegal aliens and migrants - despite warnings it might place American travelers at risk

- Giyus: A senior chareidi leader involved in giyus discussions stated that the proposed law is unlikely to pass, and even if it does, it may not withstand Supreme Court review. He suggested the bill, drafted by Shas MK Attias, was mainly to demonstrate effort to the rabbanim and possibly help the community rejoin the government, even without full legislation.

- JCP&L is investing $108 million through 2028 to strengthen the electric grid in fast-growing Ocean County. The county has gained nearly 30,000 residents since 2020, and businesses have requested over 50 MW of new power connections. JCP&L says the rapid growth requires a new approach to reliability and long-term capacity.

In 2025, $21 million in initial upgrades will be completed, including adding and upgrading transformers at a local substation to increase available power and speed up restoration during outages.

Key local projects include:

Lakewood: Replacing over three miles of overhead lines with larger wire and adding underground lines in Leisure Village to strengthen reliability.

Jackson: Installing larger wire on major roads, adding a new line near Six Flags, and placing automated devices to reroute power and reduce outage impacts.

Toms River: Relocating equipment north of Route 37 to safer areas, plus new automatic switching devices to improve service for Leisure Village, southwest Toms River, Manchester, and Lakehurst.

- An Ocean County resident won the $1 million top prize in the $1,000,000 Spectacular scratch-off game. The winning $10 ticket was purchased at Lucky 7 Deli, 408 Route 70 in Lakehurst, from a ticket sold on Monday, Nov. 17.

- AG Pam Bondi CONFIRMS an appeal is underway to ensure James Comey and Letitia James are held accountable for their CRIMES. “We’ll be taking all available legal action, including an immediate APPEAL, to hold Letitia James and James Comey ACCOUNTABLE for their unlawful conduct.”