Thieves steal lights from middle of Lake Hopatcong

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection reported that someone stole eight solar-powered lights meant to help boaters navigate the lake.

"It's pretty sad that someone would do this," said Mount Arlington Mayor and Lake Hopatcong Commissioner Art Ondish.

The Lake Hopatcong division of the state police is handling the case but so far have no leads.

The DEP's Aids to Navigation unit placed 12 buoys in the lake on May 20 in preparation for Memorial Day weekend.

On top of each buoy sat a Carma nah solar powered LED lantern with a four-second flash.

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Boat owners show off on Lake Hopatcong

"I grew up with them," the Hopatcong resident said. "They are beautiful to look at and fun to ride."

He was wiping off rainwater from two boats he brought to an antique boat show at the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club on Saturday after a brief drizzle - his wife's 14-foot, 1949 Globe Deluxe and his 22-foot, 1947 Chris Craft SportsmAN.

They were among 40 vessels displayed at the 35th annual Lake Hopatcong Chapter Antique and Classic Boat Society Show.

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Police on lookout for drunk boaters

State police in New Jersey will mount extra patrols the weekend of June 26 to 28 as part of Operation Dry Water, a national effort to curb boating under the influence of alcohol.

"We will be fully engaged to support the program," said state police spokesman Sgt. Steve Jones.

"More than 20 percent of fatal boating accidents are the result of alcohol use," according to the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, which is coordinating the "Dry Water" program. Just like in a car, alcohol use impairs judgment, balance, vision and reaction time, the group said.

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Mount Arlington police investigate string of burglaries

Police are investigating four burglaries that have taken place in the borough over the past several weeks.

The latest occurred June 2 at a single-family residence on Kadel Drive. Police said that sometime during the day, someone forced their way into a basement window and stole electronic items and cash totaling more than $5,000.

Two burglaries took place at the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club on North Bertrand Road on May 22 and June 1. On the first occasion, somone forced open a window on the south side of the building and stole $150 from the bar area overnight. On the second, entry was made through a rear door, and an empty cash register was reported missing.

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DEP reduces water flow from Lake Hopatcong

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection recently reduced the outflow from Lake Hopatcong from 5.3 million gallons a day to 4.2 million gallons a day.

DEP spokeswoman Elaine Makatura said the state lowered the outflow Monday based on "steam-flow observation and lower temperatures."

This is important to the lake community because the less water flowing from the lake to Lake Musconetcong means Hopatcong's water level will rise.

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Cable company expands WiFi service in Morris

Internet users now have access outdoors throughout county

Cablevision on Wednesday said it has expanded the coverage area of its Optimum WiFi service in Morris County, meaning customers can access the Internet while outdoors in almost any part of the county.

"There was (access) in a small portion of the county, and now it's essentially throughout," Cablevision spokeswoman Sarah Chaikin said during a Wednesday phone interview. "This is for when you're out and about. It's really an outdoor network."

For instance, say someone's in a parking lot and wants to access the Internet from his or her car. Using a laptop, the person would conduct a WiFi network search, and then click on the Optimum WiFi link that would appear. The customer then enters his or her Optimum Online identification and password in order to use the service.

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Powerboat racing postponed at the lake

Lake Hopatcong Racing Assocociation members have voted to postpone the New Jersey State Championship Powerboat Race that was scheduled for this weekend, May 16-17, at the Lake Hopatcong State Park.

While there is enough water on the race course, there is not enough water in the pit area to launch the boats or have them reach the race course without being in danger of damaging propellers and rudders. If the water level in the lake rises we are looking to reschedule in the fall.

David J. Shaw
Secretary of LHRA

Mount Arlington pre-teens run monthly Lake Hopatcong Times

George and Tyler Cicero hope rain increases the water level at Lake Hopatcong soon so marinas can open for business and start buying ads again in the Lake Hopatcong Times.

The brothers, just 11 and 12 years old, already know it's advertising revenue that's needed to keep their monthly newsletter afloat. The duo launched the publication in December of 2007 and have a circulation of around 5,000.

"We haven't missed a month yet and we don't plan on missing any months," George, 12, said.

The newsletter covers the Lake Hopatcong community and focuses on environmental issues. Recently, their work got the attention of the state Department of Environmental Protection.

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N.J. officials to decide on plan to raise water level at Lake Hopatcong

The state is expected to decide soon whether to close the dam at depleted Lake Hopatcong to help it retain water, a member of the commission that oversees the man-made lake said tonight.

"I think DEP has a grasp of the problem," Russell Felter said of the Department of Environmental Protection during a Lake Hopatcong Commission meeting. Commission member Felter also is Jefferson Township's mayor.

Jefferson Township Mayor Russell Felter stands on a dock earlier this month at Lee's County Park Marina at Lake Hopatcong. Low water levels at the lake are causing concern among boaters and business owners, who blame the state for the problem.

The panel heard a barrage of complaints from local residents and business owners who said the state failed to follow its management plan for the lake, which is located in Morris and Sussex counties.

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Lake Hopatcong water levels to rise under DEP monitoring

Low water levels in Lake Hopatcong have prompted the state to temporarily reduce the amount of water allowed to flow out of the state's largest lake each day, the Department of Environmental Protection has announced.

The DEP said the low levels in the lake, located in Morris and Sussex counties, were caused by a combination of relatively dry weather conditions and the five-year drawdown, which artificially lowered lake levels this winter.

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