ASBURY PARK PRESS :: MONMOUTH EDITION

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WEDNESDAY 09.07.16

Check out our first weeks episode featuring Neptune hosting 2015 sectional
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N.J. economy:
Shooting
ourselves in
the foot?

IS THE
STATE
READY
FOR
ZIKA?

MICHAEL L. DIAMOND @MDIAMONDAPP

AND DEVIN LORING @DEVINLORING

New Jerseys economy, not long ago bumbling near

the bottom of the pack, has improved in the past year,
but it continues to face obstacles that prevent it from
picking up steam, business leaders say.
As a result, New Jersey continues to tread water,
even though it has assets that should make it prime real
estate in a global economy that rewards highly skilled
workers.
I can understand where people may be frustrated;
however, I think as a state we have planted some really
significant seeds, said Michele Siekerka, president
and chief executive officer of the New Jersey Business
and Industry Association, a business lobby group. But
its really how we water the plants now.
The assessment comes nearly a year after business
groups gathered in Atlantic City for The New Jersey
Business Summit, calling on lawmakers to come up
with a plan to get the states economy on track.
The aftermath has been somewhat surprising. The
See ECONOMY, Page 8A

Inside
In a political end-run, Democrats hit back at Christie over
minimum wage hike. Page 5A

New Jersey has the fifth-highest

number of cases in the nation, and as
the virus spreads, the state has begun
testing local mosquitoes for Zika.

122

As of Tuesday, New Jersey had 122 cases of

travel-related Zika infections, according to
the state Department of
Health. As of Aug. 31,
New Jersey was fifthhighest in the nation for
Zika infections, according to the Centers for
Disease Control.

MARK R. SULLIVAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

As Hermine spun offshore, rough seas continued to encroach

on the beach in Mantoloking on Tuesday.

AMANDA OGLESBY @OGLESBYAPP

ZIKA VIRUS SYMPTONS

The trucks drive through Monmouth County towns at night, fogging neighborhoods with pesticide to kill a minuscule, and potentially deadly, insect.
This summer, health departments and mosquito control commissions
worked with renewed zest to kill, capture and test the flying insect responsible for carrying diseases including West Nile virus in New Jersey. But the
threat of Zika, a virus capable of causing devastating birth defects, is bringing the mosquito new attention.
Earlier this year the New Jersey Department of Health began testing insects for Zika along with the other mosquito-borne viruses, such as West Nile
and eastern equine encephalitis.
So far, none of the mosquitoes in the state has tested positive for Zika, but
the human population has not been so lucky. As of Tuesday, New Jersey had
122 cases of travel-related Zika infections, according to the state Department
of Health.
New Jersey was fifth-highest in the nation for Zika infections as of Aug. 31,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Stephanie Brown, 31, of Lacey does not want to take any chances of exposing her family to the virus.

According to the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention,
many people infected with Zika
virus wont have symptoms or will
only have mild symptoms. Here
are common symptoms of Zika:

Fever

Headache

Red eyes

Rash

Joint pain

Diarrhea

SOURCE: CDC; ROBERT COHN/ASBURY

PARK DESGN STUDIO ILLUSTRATION

See ZIKA, Page 9A

Cruise from hell ship hits Hermine

MIKE DAVIS @BYMIKEDAVIS

If at first you dont succeed sail, sail again.

Seven months after the Anthem of the Seas was
badly damaged while sailing through a noreaster, it
sailed into then-Hurricane Hermine giving passengers aboard the 169,000-ton ship the ride of their life.
Unlike the ill-fated February cruise from hell,
which was cut short, the Anthem of the Seas complet-

The Deciders: Trump struggling in one of nations GOPfriendliest areas. Page 1B

ADVICE
CLASSIFIED
COMICS
LOCAL
OBITUARIES

5D
1E
4D
3A
13A

ed its journey to Bermuda. But the ship was rocked by

waves as high as 50 feet and 90-knot winds, passenger
Derek Beidermann said, resulting in nausea for many
of the passengers.
All was good until about early morning, Beidermann said in a Sunday video. Thats when the ship
started swaying a bit here. ... Eating in the restaurant,
See CRUISE, Page 9A

OPINION
SPORTS
TABLE
WEATHER
YOUR MONEY

16A
1C
1D
8C
12A

VOLUME 137
NUMBER 215
SINCE 1879

Jersey Shore
suffers minimal
Hermine damage
KATIE PARK @KATHSPARK

BELMAR - Throughout most of Monmouth and

Ocean counties Tuesday, no news was the best news in
the aftermath of Hermine.
Dire forecasts doomed the Labor Day weekend before it began, marking a disappointing end to the summer tourist season. But as many Shore residents and
visitors took cover over the weekend amid a state of
emergency declared by Gov. Chris Christie, the storm
just taunted parts of the coast and moved on.
There was some minimal deterioration of the beach
it wasnt too bad, said Union Beach Borough Administrator Bob Howard.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Larry Hajna said DEP crews are still
out surveying the states beaches. But so far, it looks like
See HERMINE, Page 6A