Newtown Shooting Spurs NJ School Security Reaction

School districts in the region respond to Connecticut massacre by reviewing safety procedures.

At 9:30 a.m. Friday, 26 bells were rung, one each for the lives taken in the hallways and classrooms of Sandy Hook Elementary School during the Dec. 14 shooting in Newtown, Conn. The Friday before Christmas, typically a day reserved for holiday parties and cheer, marked a week since what has been labeled the second deadliest school shooting in America.  Just days and even hours after the shooting, school districts in Morris and Somerset counties sprung into action, developing plans to communicate with parents and reaching out to police officers about how to make schools more safe. "Right now, the crucial thing for school boards to do is to look at the security procedures in place," said Frank Belluscio, communications director for the New …

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Day Tripper: Out of Town, But In Reach

Sandy Hook: It's a Little Chilly, But Don't Let That Stop You

There's more than sand and surf at historic area of Monmouth County.

If you’re looking to raise some eyebrows this weekend, tell your friends you’re hitting the Jersey Shore. (No, not that Jersey Shore.) While they raise objections over chilly conditions and cold Atlantic waters (and it does indeed still seem a little to brisk to brave the clothing-optional Gunnison Beach), you can remind them that Sandy Hook, part of the Gateway system of parks located in Monmouth County, is more than just sand and surf. For starters, historic Fort Hancock is found at the end of the peninsula. There are several rotating exhibits on view at the Sandy Hook Visitors Center, and the site is home to America’s oldest continuously operational lighthouse. If the weather is warm, you can grab the bikes and hit the 7-and-1/2-mile …

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