Looking For The Great Pumpkin In Margate
Kara Quigley Keane usually starts putting the Halloween decorations up outside the house—a little Cape Cod bungalow on Fulton Avenue in Margate—the day after Labor Day.
The kids are going back to school (she has three) and she likes to have something for them to come home to. Also, it takes a while (two weeks, typically).
She starts with the wooden figures—plywood cutouts of Peanuts characters that have been painted—then moves on to the scarecrows. 
Shrinking Schools
The school district in Pitman, Gloucester County, has a problem. It’s a familiar one to many school districts in South Jersey: enrollment is down and it has high fixed costs. In Pitman, officials are looking at loans and also staff cuts and closing buildings. Read more via Joe Brand for NJ.com. In case you missed it, here’s our interactive map of New Jersey’s shrinking schools. In the next few years, more school districts in the area will be facing the same dilemma as Pitman’s.
Pinelands Commission
An appellate court is once again being asked to review a pipeline through the pines, reports NJ Spotlight. This time, the 30-mile pipeline belongs to New Jersey Natural Gas and it’s approval by the Pinelands Commission is being challenged by the New Jersey Sierra Club. A separately-approved 22-mile pipeline through the Pine Barrens to the B.L. England plant in northern Cape May is also tied up in a court challenge.
In the rest of the day’s headlines, there’s a new dune battle, (in Berkeley Township, just south of Seaside Heights), the Delaware River’s shad population is the highest it’s been in years, the state treasury and the NJEA are having a spat over health insurance, and the White Horse Pike was the third most-deadly road in New Jersey last year (behind the Garden State Parkway and the Turnpike). All that and more below:
Prayers Continue For South Jersey Man Missing For Months–A Salem County native has been missing for almost three months and now his family is bringing the community together to pray for his safe return home. Gipson Smith, who is 28 years old, was getting ready to move out of his parents’ home on Saturday, August 5th, of this year. www.snjtoday.com
10 Years After Rowan Student’s Brutal Killing, $100K Reward Remains Unclaimed–What should have been an exciting night turned into a nightmare and an unsolved tragedy for the family and friends of a 19-year-old sophomore from Mountain Lakes, NJ, Donald Farrell III, an avid lacrosse player and “social connector with a big smile.” www.philly.com
Christie Appoints College Trustees In Atlantic, Cumberland, Ocean–Several community members were appointed to serve on college boards of trustees in Atlantic, Cumberland and Ocean counties this month by Gov. Chris Christie. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
Route 206 Among NJ’s Deadliest Roads, Report Says–Route 206 is one of the 19 deadliest highways are in South Jersey, according statistics from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and New Jersey State Police. The ranking was based on the number of deaths reported on each roadway in 2016. patch.com
Halloween Horror: Hunting Deer, Finding Human Remains–On Halloween one year ago, a father and son drove along a winding road in the waning Luzerne County light, whipping up dead leaves until they pulled the pickup into a gravel turnout beside a well-worn hunting trail. The dog in the backseat probably caught the scent before the ignition was off because the body wasn’t far or hidden all that well, a head and torso exposed in the brush on a little hill just 10 yards away. www.philly.com
Ocean County To Host Opioid Town Hall Thursday–Residents in Ocean County will have a chance to get together Thursday with law enforcement, treatment professionals and advocates to discuss what the opioid epidemic looks like in their communities and how they can help people suffering from addiction. Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey will host its Knock Out Opioid Abuse Town Hall at the Greenbriar 1 Residential Complex in Brick, Ocean County, where expert panel speakers from law enforcement, local government, the medical community and treatment will talk and take questions from residents. www.pressofatlanticcity.com
3 Seats, Party Control Up For Grabs On Cumberland County Freeholder Board–Three seats are up for grabs on the Cumberland County Board of Chosen Freeholders in this year's election, with Republicans having a chance to take control of the board. Incumbents Carol Musso, a Democrat, and Carman Daddario, a Republican, both are seeking new three-year terms. www.thedailyjournal.com
Atlantic City Man Wanted In September Shooting That Damaged Vehicle–An Atlantic City man is wanted in a September shooting that damaged a vehicle. An investigation led to charges against Kaleem Williams, 20. breakingac.com
Atlantic City Man Pleads Guilty On Eve Of Trial–An Atlantic City man set to go on trial Tuesday in an armed home invasion pleaded guilty Monday. Jury selection was set for Tuesday morning, but instead Akram Daugherty admitted guilt in several cases at 5 p.m. Monday. breakingac.com