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Herald NEWS Still No Trace of Mark Himebaugh 16 Years Later By AL CAMPBELL “America’s Most Wanted,” on countless milk cartons and billboards, and his case has been DI GESTS DEL HAVEN — Since Nov. 25, 1991, millions entered into the National Center for Missing and have seen Mark Himebaugh’s photo, now age- Exploited Children. Think Holidays enhanced to show a red-haired, 27-year-old, but To this day, no trace, other than Mark’s left with that same beguiling, freckled grin his mother sneaker, has been found, and that was about 75 RIO GRANDE — Now that you’re in a last saw shortly before 4 p.m. that day. yards from his Sun Ray Beach Road home. holiday mood, get started on the piece you’re The 16-year-old case, considered a “non-family On that same fateful day, there was a massive writing for this newspaper’s annual holiday abduction,” continues to perplex Middle Township marsh fi re across the street from the Himebaughs’ edition, which will appear Dec. 19. Stories, Police, N.J. State Police and the FBI. house. poems, photos, etc. Absolute deadline: Himebaugh’s image has appeared on Fox-TV’s (Page A12 Please) THEN NOW 5 p.m. Dec. 12, only three weeks away. E-mail [email protected] and put “holiday piece” in the subject line, or mail to Al Campbell, managing editor, or Susan Avedissian, assistant managing editor, Cape (Page A4 Please) It's Inside. Today’s Select Spout Off The recent election campaigns convinced It's Your us that our politicians lack character, might not be honest, etc. The politicians are more Fall effective conducting smear campaigns than Guide. explaining their views on important issues or representing us. We need new, open, and honest representatives rather than patronizing mudslingers. —Court House Turn to Page A24 for more Spout Offs or log onto www.CapeMayCountyHerald.com to PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY BY THE SEAWAVE CORP. see them all! Vol. 43 No. 47 Copyright 2007 Seawave Corp. All rights reserved. November 21, 2007 1508 Route 47, Rio Grande NJ 08242-1402 Fire Origin Known, Cause Concern: Lack of Services Still Under Investigation Commission Sea Isle Condos Leveled in Fire To Report On By JOE HART Women’s Jail SEA ISLE CITY — According to Deputy By LAUREN SUIT Fire Marshall John Damico, investigators have determined approximately where the three- CREST HAVEN — Inmate Laura Clifford alarm blaze that destroyed three duplexes here will leave the county correctional facility this originated, but not yet how it started. winter in the same capri shorts, tank top and “We still have to interview people and talk fl ip fl ops she wore when she was arrested at with several insurance companies before we the end of summer. stamp it complete,” Damico explained. She told four members of the County Advi- On Nov. 17 at about 6:30 p.m. Sea Isle City sory Commission on the Status of Women, who Fire Department responded to a working struc- visited the correctional facility in Crest Haven ture fi re at 6415 Pleasure Ave. that involved Nov. 14, that in order to get to social services six unoccupied condominiums. locations, she’ll have to hitchhike because she The fi re spread to two other adjacent struc- has no money for bus fare. tures that encompassed the condominiums. Clifford said that she doesn’t even want to Those structures collapsed during the fi re. think about where she’ll stay her fi rst night of Harry B. Scheeler Jr. freedom, or how she’ll manage to afford it. Other nearby dwellings also sustained minor Six condominiums burn Nov. 17 in Sea Isle City as fi refi ghters can do little to contain heat and smoke damage. Her predicament isn’t unusual here. the raging inferno. The three-alarm fi re was reported about 6:30 p.m. At its height, Clifford, a mother of three with no family Volunteer fi re companies assisted Sea Isle volunteers from Avalon and Ocean View assisted Sea Isle City fi refi ghters in bringing City from Avalon and Ocean View in battling in this area, is serving a 90-day sentence for the fi re under control. An investigation into the cause is being spearheaded by the third degree aggravated assault. She was just the blaze. Avalon also responded with an county Fire Marshal’s Offi ce. ambulance for mutual aid and county Fire one of fi ve women that volunteered to speak Police responded to the scene to assist police with commission members Kathy Bresan, with traffi c. Deborah Brasch, Felicia Smith and Carlin Gra- One fi refi ghter was injured when he sus- ham about their recommendation to improve tained a broken leg after he slipped from a fi re A Just Salary? facilities and programs for female prisoners at truck. He was transported to Cape Regional the county jail. Medical Center, for treatment of his injuries. At the time of the tour, 37 female prisoners, Damico said the ongoing investigation is Chief Justice: State Cape Judges Move clad in orange jumpsuits and plastic fl ip-fl ops a combined effort between the county Fire that matched the cell doors, were housed in Marshall and Prosecutor’s offi ces as well as the Judges Need Raise Cases Effi ciently the facility in a group living environment. Lava- Sea Isle City Police Department. tories with two toilets and showers are posi- By JOE HART By JOE HART tioned near the front of the cells and bunk beds (Page A20 Please) line the other side of the concrete walls. TRENTON –– New Jersey’s top judge wants COURT HOUSE –– As the state judiciary Occasionally the drab orange and grey higher salaries for the state’s judiciary. seeks a salary raise, the Herald wondered what colors of the walls are broken up by poems or Cape Students New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice our local judges do to pass a workday. drawings on notebook paper hanging next to Stuart Rabner went before the Public Of- It turns out that they’ve been pretty busy. (Page A10 Please) Poorer, Yet Few fi cers Salary Review Commission asking for Judges were not permitted to speak to the 11 percent raises for the approximately 460 Herald regarding their workload due to the Worn and Torn: Are ‘Left Behind’ state judges. ongoing salary issue, but investigation yielded Last year, the judiciary received a 5.7 per- some interesting facts. By JACK FICHTER cent increase, its fi rst since 2000. Rabner said, Some of their responsibilities include hear- Middle Schools however, that it wasn’t enough. ing cases, giving instruction on points of law, CAPE MAY — Cape May Elementary School He told the panel, which meets every four rendering decisions, writing opinions, media- Need Much Work has an increasing number of students from years to discuss raises for public tion, arbitration and constantly families considered to live in poverty but at offi cials, that this state’s court working with litigants and cli- By AL CAMPBELL the same time is showing high test scores judges should make the same as ents. Judges may also be on-call on state tests required by the No Child Left federal judges, whose salaries for 24-hour emergent matters COURT HOUSE — Faced with a “laundry Behind Act. had long been a “benchmark” such as setting bail and signing list” of “glaring issues,” relating to ongoing Superintendent Victoria Zelenak presented for New Jersey’s judiciary. civil commitments or search maintenance, Middle Township Board of results of spring 2007 tests at a Nov. 15 board A report Rabner submitted warrants. Education is weighing a maintenance refer- of education meeting. She reported 43 percent with his testimony stated that Long hours in courtroom and endum. of students in the school are considered “eco- state judges earn $149,000, chambers are reportedly the rule, Discussed at the Nov. 16 board meeting, the nomically disadvantaged.” which is $16,200 less than fed- not the exception. The numbers referendum would likely not be ready in time The school has an annual turnover rate of 31 eral judges even after last year’s speak for themselves: for the April 2008 budget election, but may percent, due largely to the sizable population of increase. The two judicial groups According to statewide court require a special election. children from U.S. Coast Guard families. have comparable duties and re- management documents, during If voters approve the referendum, it would The school also educates children from Cape sponsibilities, according to the report. the past judicial year (July 2006 – June 2007) be “almost a seamless integration of debt,” May’s public housing. When taking the cost of living into account, 13,970 cases came before Cape May judges because the debt approved in the 1989 bond Zelenak said the school was “doing very judges in this state make the equivalent of and 13,923 were resolved, better than a 100 is “off the books,” according to Dennis Roberts, well,” considering the turnover rates and eco- $113,037. In addition, New Jersey is one of percent clearance rate. These totals include board vice president and chair of the Building nomic status of students. On an overall scale, only two states, along with Oklahoma, that cases heard by three divisions: Criminal, Civil and Grounds Committee. the school is in the “middle” economically, not doesn’t allow judges to make money elsewhere, and Family. Among items that need fi xing: the lowest or above average. such as from public speaking appearances. All three divisions are aided at times by • Replacement of the fi re alarm system at “We did move from higher to lower in the The report stated that judges are leaving the judges from Atlantic County, but local judges the Performing Arts Center.