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June 17-23
Child Porn
In just a little over six months of 2023, 11 individuals have been arrested for child porn in Cape May County. A rise in pornography featuring the sexual abuse of children is reaching epidemic proportions nationwide.
More than 29 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation are reported annually to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). That averages to over half a million reports each week.
A study by the Canadian Center for Child Protection reports that 78% of the content they discovered show abuse of children under the age of 12. Neighbors, family friends, parents, or guardians account for over 40% of the images and videos.
In Cape May County, the Herald has reported on several arrests for child porn in the last year. The age range of those arrested spans from a 77-year-old Upper Township man to a 22-year-old from Court House. Those arrested span the county from Ocean City in the north to Lower Township in the south.
Meanwhile, a former Ocean City police sergeant was just sentenced to a five-year jail term for having sexual relations with a minor.
There are various New Jersey statutes covering the possession, distribution, or creation of sexually explicit material, with children defined as victims under the age of 18. Many of the county arrests came as a result of tips from the NCMEC, a group that monitors the internet for such material. The New Jersey State Police have established an Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.
ICE Detention Center Litigation
CoreCivic, a company that manages prisons and detention centers, filed suit against New Jersey over a 2021 statute that prevents state, county, and local and private entities from renewing, extending, or entering into new immigrant detention agreements. At issue is an agreement CoreCivic has to run the Elizabeth Contract Detention Center near Newark Airport.
Cape May County residents may remember the protracted legal fight launched by the county and Sheriff Robert Nolan against a 2018 state attorney general directive, which they claimed placed improper limitations on local officials regarding aid that might be given to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The court ruled against the county officials, resulting in the termination of an agreement between the county and ICE.
At the time, the Trump administration’s Attorney General William Barr sided with Nolan and filed supporting briefs in the case. Now, July 17, it is the Biden administration’s Department of Justice that is siding with CoreCivic in the litigation, arguing that the state ban that would force the closing of the detention center is unconstitutional, does harm to the U.S., and would constitute a blow to national security.
Meanwhile, a long list of organizations that seek to have the detention facility closed have urged Gov. Phil Murphy to stand his ground, claiming the Biden administration support for the CoreCivic litigation threatens to “undermine New Jersey values.”
Medicaid Disenrollment
States are in the process of “unwinding” Medicaid enrollments after three years in which they provided continuous enrollment in exchange for enhanced federal dollars. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) study projects that 17 million individuals may lose Medicaid coverage. The unwinding means that the state will resume annual Medicaid eligibility reviews.
What does this mean for Cape May County?
The NJ Family Care program combined Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Both programs are for low-income individuals and families who otherwise could not afford coverage. They are both subject to income limits.
June 2023 data shows that in Cape May County, 23,088 individuals are enrolled in NJ Family Care. That is close to one-quarter of the official population of the county based on the 2020 census. Of those 23,088, 8,500 are children, 11,024 are adults and 3,564 are those who meet age, blind, and disability criteria.
New Jersey is just beginning its unwinding process. According to the KFF unwinding tracker, New Jersey was scheduled to begin its first cohort of Medicaid disenrollments in July.
The KFF study suggests a national median of 18% who will lose coverage. That number can vary up and down in specific locations. If we took that median and applied it to the Cape May County numbers, the disenrollment process could mean as many as 4,155 adults and children who will be added to the rolls of the uninsured.
Happenings
Stone Harbor continues to struggle with the unintended consequence of hundreds of parking tickets following its shift to the ParkMobile App as the principal way to pay for parking in the borough. One police officer will be designated as an ambassador who will patrol the business district to help people learn to use the app.
Atlantic City Electric may or may not pay claims made by individuals who suffered losses during the island-wide blackout after fire struck a Wildwood substation. The company urges customers to review their own insurance options.
Middle Township is close to enforcing its new ordinance banning living in temporary structures like tents. At least one homeless encampment in Rio Grande has been told to clear out immediately. This could end up in court.
Cape May heard a report that proposes a fee be charged for each onsite parking space a commercial entity or residence fails to provide as required by ordinance. This is the latest attempt to make inroads on the notorious parking problem in the city.
Tilly, the Cape May County Zoo’s two-toed sloth, passed away July 14. Tilly was part of the zoo’s Education Department as an “ambassador animal.”
With six arches gracing the Cape May Promenade, a proposal has been discussed at City Council for as many as 16 more. Several individuals expressed opposition to extending the arches into residential areas east of Convention Hall.
A first-time author tells of growing up in a dysfunctional blue-collar family. The book includes real-life experiences from 35 summers in Avalon.
The Borough of Wildwood Crest has entered into a partnership with Forerunner, a floodplain management platform that delivers actionable, property-level flood risk information to property owners.
Avalon Fire Department used wave runners to rescue two boaters after their sailboat ran aground in Townsend’s Inlet during a thunderstorm.
County residents, officials, and volunteers gathered at the Martin Luther King Community Center, in Whitesboro to discuss natural disasters and the ways that Cape May County is prepared to respond when catastrophe strikes.
An asteroid the size of a 20-story skyscraper flew closer to Earth than the moon, July 12, but no one saw it pass. Scientists noticed it two days later. Ironically, it was discovered by the asteroid alert system that is designed to spot space objects weeks before any potential impact.
The Mark Himebaugh case from 1991 got some new exposure, as People Magazine Investigates featured an episode on Himebaugh’s disappearance at age 11. The case continues to be investigated.
Spout Off of the Week
Wildwood – With the price of real estate on the island and almost no year round rentals it seems only a matter of time before very few will be living and raising families here. I say it’s time to take a good look at consolidating public services, public safety, schools etc. Too many administrators in all the organizations for such a small population.
Read more spouts at spoutoff.capemaycountyherald.com.
