Along with a number of government-spending overages that New Jersey has experienced in the past few years, one sector that continues to see increasing totals is the Monmouth County Jail system. Current projections are estimating that the county will owe over $5.5 million dollars in overtime payments by the end of the year. This is an increase from $3.9 million in 2008 and $4.3 million in 2007.

November 27

Barnegat Light – Santa’s Arrival & Christmas Tree Lighting, Boat Ramp, 10th St. 7 pm. Borough Christmas Tree lighting and carols, evening ends at the First Aid Building for visits with Santa and refreshments. …

This past Saturday marked the 27th annual Thanksgiving race in Manasquan, aptly named the ‘Turkey Trot’. Seeing continued growth, the ‘trot’ had approximately 2,3500 participants this year.

New Jersey residents finally reached the breaking point this last month and chose to elect Chris Christie as the state’s new governor, with the primary reason being his promises to cut government spending and not raise taxes. However the governor elect will be facing a number of obstacles to keep those promises, the most immediate being the $8 billion dollar budget deficit that the state will be forced to deal with in 2010.

November 20

Manahawkin – Intermediate School’s Performing Arts Program Presents: No More Dead Dogs, OceanFirst Theater/Stafford Twp Arts Center, 1000 McKinley Ave. 7 pm. A world premiere musical adaptation of Gordon Korman’s novel. $ Information: 609-489-8600 …

Whether you live in the Asbury Park area or you are traveling through the New Jersey Shore, I strongly suggest visiting this dining destination. Moonstruck offers patrons ‘fresh’ American-Mediterranean cuisine, with an excellent selection of drinks to choose from at the bar. Many preparations are inspired by the great cooking of The Mediterranean region: Italy, Spain, France, Greece, North Africa and The Middle-East, with a few nods towards South-East Asia.

The results are in, and the New Jersey Shore has become a strong influence on the political scene. The main catalyst to this was the election for governor this month. With Governor-elect Chris Christie being favored by the Jersey Shore two counties, the region will now have an increased voice at the state capital.

This weekend offers local and travelers to the Jersey Shore region with a great selection of family activities and events to choose from. Below is a list of some of the top festivities for this weekend.

If you enjoy partaking in some of the best food that the New Jersey Shore has to offer, you will not find a better opportunity than Jersey Shore Restaurant Week. This year has been a banner year for the local event, however if you haven’t been able to check it out yet, don’t worry! It appears that the event planners have saved the best for last

The New Jersey Shore Restaurant Week is an event that attracts local and travelers from across the country. This year more restaurants are participating than ever before, and is sure to be an experience to remember.