Most Viewed 2018

Mountain Creek bankruptcy, 4,188 views
At the end of the year, Mountain Creek reached settlement with Vernon Township to settle the $28 million in debt the resort owed to the township Municipal Utilities Authority. According to Vernon Township Mayor Harry Shortway, the agreement features an immediate payment of $918,00 from Mountain Creek. It creates a revenue stream from Mountain Creek through ticket sales to pay obligations, a $200,000 cash collateral trust fun to be replenished for any amount that is withdrawn. Pump House 2 is to replaced by the township but Mountain Creek to repay the township. Mountain Creek filed for bankruptcy in May of 2017, and in July sought to relieve itself of $28 million owed specifically to the VTMUA.
Read the stories: Mountain Creek misses payment, Mountain Creek seeks to shed Vernon debt, Mountain Creek owner makes deal with developer

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Vernon DPW supervisor killed in motorcycle crash, 3,689 views
An assistant supervisor for the Vernon Township Dept. of Public Works was killed in a motorcycle crash on Thursday night in Hardyston Township. Police said Tony Alexander, 48, was traveling south on Route 94 on a 2006 Big Dog Motorcycle when a collision occurred with a 2007 Lexus operated by Efrain Gines, 25, of Hardyston.
Read the stories: Vernon DPW supervisor remembered fondly, Vernon man killed in motorcycle crash

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Pair of companies looking to buy Legends Resort, 1,440 views
After ongoing legal battles and court-ordered evictions, two companies announced Monday that they plan to jointly purchase the former Great Gorge Playboy Club property, currently Legends Resort & Country Club in Vernon. Chester, N.Y.-based energy company Liberated Energy, publicly traded as The Go Eco Group, said in a press release that private investment company Libra Fund, LLC has entered into a preliminary agreement to fund a joint venture to acquire the property. The two entities have signed a letter of intent, meaning the agreement has not been finalized, but the acquisition cost is not to exceed $12 million.
Read the story: Pair of companies looking to buy Legends Resort

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Vernon school board names new superintendent, 1,287 views
The Vernon Township School District Board of Education officially hired its new superintendent of schools on Sept. 13. Karen D'Avino signed a contract that is scheduled to go into effect on Tuesday, Sept. 18 and last until June 30, 2022. She replaced Art DiBenedetto, who retired earlier this year after being at the center of several controversies, including swearing, and ignoring state laws regarding drug testing.
Read the story: Vernon school board names new superintendent

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Plans for new ShopRite advance, 1,278 views
About 220 jobs will be coming to the area in about two years when a recently approved ShopRite opens its doors. The Sussex Borough Planning and Zoning Board and the Wantage Township Land Use Board gave approval at a joint meeting on April 23 a 92,410 square-foot supermarket on Route 23. The building's footprint will encompass 86,810 square feet, while Mezzanines will total an additional 5,600 square feet. The entirety of the supermarket will be in Sussex Borough, while the 546-foot parking lot will be split between the borough and Wantage Township.
Read the story: Plans for new ShopRite advance

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Vernon mayor wants armed door monitors at schools, 1,032 views
Vernon Township Mayor Harry Shortway plans to ask the Township Council for a resolution asking the township Board of Education to re-evaluate its policy of having unarmed security guards in the township schools. In the wake of the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, municipal and school officials across the country are re-examining their own school districts to see how they can make their own schools safer, including Vernon Township.
Read the story: Vernon mayor wants armed door monitors at schools

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Explosion demolishes Hardyston home; blast heard and felt miles away, 971 views
A massive explosion demolished a home on Grumm Road in Hardyston on Nov. 27 night, with witnesses on social media claiming to have heard and felt the blast from as far as 30 miles away. According to the Hardyston police, the explosion happened at 11:05 p.m. at 33 Grumm Road.
Read the story: Explosion demolishes Hardyston home; blast heard and felt miles away

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Shortway concerned about unpaid taxes, 914 views
Vernon Mayor Harry Shortway expressed concern about the effect unpaid taxes will have on the township's budget as work progresses on the 2018 plan. In particular, Shortway said he was worried about the reserve for uncollected taxes, which is money municipalities set aside each year to ensure they can pay their share of school, county and state taxes in the event that local taxpayers fail to make payments. Typically, the reserve is calculated based on the previous year's tax collection rate. The lower the collection rate, the larger the reserve must be to ensure the municipality can meet its obligations.
Read the story: Shortway concerned about unpaid taxes

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Vernon bus driver videotaped using phone while driving, 846 views
After video of a Vernon bus driver looking down at her cell phone while driving students surfaced online, the driver has been removed from her route, according to school officials. The video recorded on Feb. 9 by a student, appears to show the bus driver look down at her flip phone and click buttons with her right hand while turning the steering wheel with her left hand driving. The voices of students on board can be heard throughout the video. A parent of a student on the bus posted the video on Friday on Facebook and it was liked and shared thousands of times. The video has since been removed from Facebook.
Read the story: Vernon bus driver videotaped using phone while driving

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Public opposes property ordinance, 791 views
The Vernon Township Council will hold a public hearing on regarding a property maintenance ordinance after the public filled the township Municipal Center on Aug. 13 in opposition to the ordinance. Known as Ordinance 18-20, it would replace the entire Chapter 447 of the township code. The purpose of updating the property maintenance code is to, “protect the public health, safety and welfare by establishing minimum standards governing the maintenance, appearance and condition of residential and nonresidential properties.”
Read the story: Public opposes property ordinance