She was a big, beautiful dog that needed help, and thanks to a group of caring neighbors and the Associated Humane Societies, she is now resting easy in her transitional home at Popcorn Park Zoo.

The shy mastiff had been wandering around the senior community of Sun Rise Bay and Tall Timbers Apartments off Radio Road in Little Egg Harbor since early May. Caring people had provided her with food and friendly encouragement but the dog’s trust in humanity only went so far.

“I could only get within five feet of her,” said Sun Rise Bay resident Ray Wolf, who with his wife, Irene, was the gypsy dog’s most consistent caregiver, putting food out on their deck for her. “Three months ago she was nothing but skin and bones. Now she needs Weight Watchers,” said Wolf. Click here to read more.

Navigating the Island every day can be difficult – and dangerous – for those not yet of legal driving age. Calla Aniski, 16, a Ship Bottom resident with a busy athletic schedule and two jobs, including work as a lifeguard, is well aware of the dangers.

“Last year, I kind of caused a three-car accident,” she said. At the intersection of 14th Street and the Boulevard in Ship Bottom last summer, two cars were rear-ended after failing to stop for Aniski, who was crossing the Boulevard on her bicycle. “I’ve heard other stories like that, so I thought it would be a good thing to try and fix. I know a lot of people are in the same situation, but they have small children and surfboards and beach chairs and umbrellas, and everything you lug to the beach.”Click here to read more.