Oxley looking to rebuild Lions’ football program
Staff Writer MARIE ORTIZ Middletown High School North senior quarterback Kevin Farrell warms up for a scrimmage against Toms River North Friday night. EEntering his first year as the head coach of the Middletown High School North football team, John Oxley knows he has hands full. Although he has just taken over what only a few years ago was a traditionally strong program but has since suffered through a pair of dismal seasons in which the team captured a combined two wins, Oxley is no stranger to Lions’ football. Oxley has served as an assistant coach at North for the past 13 years. He has seen some great teams as well as some not-so-great teams take the field, and recently he has seen some truly awful teams. But his optimism could be a sign of better things to come for Lions fans. “Right now we’re just trying to get on the right track,” he said. “I think we’re heading in the right direction, although we still have some work ahead of us.” Oxley, who last year served as the defensive coordinator and strength coach under longtime coach Mike Galos, has a mix of experienced and inexperienced players, all of whom are trying to learn some new things on both sides of the ball. “We’ve got a good mix of some young players, as well as a group of guys back from last year,” he said. “We lost all our backers, so that’s going to hurt, but I’m looking for the next group of guys to step in and do the job.” On the offensive side of the ball, Oxley is handing the reins over to senior Kevin Farrell, who was the team’s quarterback last year, when they went 2-8. Behind him will be sophomore tailback Bill Lyons, who Oxley said saw significant varsity time as a freshman and will carry the ball quite a bit for the Lions this year. Anchoring the offensive line will be senior left tackle Steven Freiberger, whom Oxley expects to help provide leadership for the relatively young offense. On the defensive side of the ball, Oxley is looking to senior middle linebacker Matt Walling, senior outside lineman Dan Guidice and senior safety Steven Olson to lead their young teammates. Oxley is also pleased with what he has seen so far from first-year starters Graham Dempsey, a senior center and defensive end, and Rob DeMarco, an offensive and defensive tackle. Oxley said that one of the first things he has tried to do as head coach is teach his players how to accept changes to the system. He added that this is made easier by the fact that despite being a first-year head coach, he has known all his players since they were freshmen. “People don’t always react well to change,” he said. “Sometimes it’s hard to get used to something different, but I think that if we’re successful, that process will become easier as we move along.” The Lions will open their season Friday night by traveling to Toms River South in a game which should be a very difficult first match-up for the boys from Middletown. “We’re kind of getting thrown right into the fire by playing down there, but we’re just trying to get better and see what happens,” Oxley said. In terms of building this team back into a championship ball club, Oxley is looking forward to the challenge. “I’ve been here for a long time, and I would like to help this team become a force again,” he said. “And like I said, I think we’re going in the right direction.” After two straight disappointing seasons, Oxley has got a lot of work ahead of him. But Lions fans are hoping that his emergence as head coach is just what the Lions need: a fresh start. By Doug mckenzie Staff Writer 
Sebastian Vettel went fastest ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen as Ferrari set the pace on the opening day of Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix practice on Friday.Vettel’s time of one minute 31.261, the fastest ever around the 5.5-kilometre Sepang track, was set in the second 90-minute session in the afternoon, which was brought to an early halt after a loose drain cover caused a heavy crash for Romain Grosjean.Vettel had been fifth quickest in the rain-hit opening session.The Ferrari driver’s championship-leading title rival Lewis Hamilton was only sixth fastest in the afternoon, as he had been in the first session, ahead of team mate Valtteri Bottas with both Mercedes drivers reporting a general lack of grip.Ferrari’s Friday display and Mercedes’ struggles will be welcomed by Vettel who trails Hamilton by 28 points in the overall standings with six races left.A record four-times winner in Malaysia, Vettel desperately needs a fifth victory after his title hopes were dealt a severe blow at the last race in Singapore, where the German crashed out on the opening lap to clear the way for Hamilton to win.Daniel Ricciardo, who led a one-two with team-mate Max Verstappen in last year’s Malaysian race, ended the day third fastest ahead of the Dutchman.Verstappen, who turns 20 on Saturday, had ended Friday’s opening session fastest ahead of the Australian.Fernando Alonso, who vaulted up the order on a rapidly drying track to end the first session third, was an impressive fifth for McLaren.Sergio Perez in the Force India was eighth ahead of Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg and team mate Esteban Ocon who rounded out the top 10.Frenchman Pierre Gasly, making his Formula One debut this weekend after being drafted in as a replacement for under-performing Russian Daniil Kvyat at Toro Rosso, was 15th fastest.The 21-year-old, being evaluated as a permanent replacement for Renault-bound Carlos Sainz for next season, outpaced the Spaniard who was 16th.Neither of Friday’s two sessions ran to their full 90-minute length.The morning session was delayed by half an hour due to a tropical downpour that lashed the track minutes before its scheduled start.Grosjean’s crash in the afternoon brought out the red flags with 22 minutes of the session left.The Frenchman hit the loose drain cover with his right rear tyre, which exploded upon impact and pitched his Haas into the barriers.The session was not restarted, with Formula One race director Charlie Whiting driving out in the safety car to inspect the damaged drain.
TSA officials say they understand the frustration and are working to minimize hassles. They say while it can be annoying, airport screening is essential because intelligence reports show aviation remains a top target for terrorists. A review of complaints the traveling public lodged with TSA in September helps explain the low standing. While passengers generally understand TSA’s mission, they could do without certain parts of the pre-boarding experience. Take, for example, a mother and daughter traveling out of the Dallas/Fort Worth airport on Sept. 4. In an e-mailed complaint to TSA, the mother said the TSA screener was rude and inconsiderate. While she was in secondary screening, the mother was made to face away from her daughter. “Someone could have taken my daughter,” the woman wrote. “I understand you have to have security, but your people don’t need to be rude!!!” On Sept. 3, a man leaving Orlando, Fla., filed a lengthy complaint because he said a screener touched him “like no man ever has – not even my doctor.” “This type of bodily inspection, privately or publicly, is undignified,” he wrote. “Have terrorists succeeded in making us that scared of each other?” Nearly 9,000 such complaints flowed into TSA between January and October of this year, and the agency made a selection of them available at the request of The Associated Press. Screeners are “just rigid, intransigent, inflexible, unpleasant, and they always have the fact that they’ve got the security of the nation that they’re falling back on,” said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association. Stempler said he has no way of telling whether TSA has addressed any of the hundreds of complaints it receives each month. Another frequent complaint is that security restrictions seem pointless and arbitrary. “The security is a joke, it’s an absolute joke,” said James Atkinson, a Massachusetts businessman. Atkinson said he has sent dozens of complaints to TSA and the Federal Aviation Administration over the past 10 years, and has never heard back. His complaints range from unmanned checkpoints to the absurdity of the rule restricting liquids in carry-on luggage to 3 ounces or less. The TSA imposed a restriction on liquids in August 2006 after a plot surfaced to blow up U.S. airliners with liquid explosives. Paul C. Light, professor of public policy at New York University, said he’s not surprised that TSA and the IRS are tied for low public esteem. Yet he defended TSA as misunderstood, because it’s highly visible yet can’t brag about its successes. “It’s an agency that’s damned if it does, damned if it doesn’t,” Light said. TSA responds to every complaint it receives, said spokeswoman Ellen Howe, adding that each complaint is forwarded to the federal security director at the airport in question. In the cases AP reviewed, the most common response was a form letter, apologizing for inconveniences, often blaming the problem of long lines on the local airport and forwarding complaints about inappropriate patdowns to the airports where they occurred.160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREWhicker: Clemson demonstrates that it’s tough to knock out the champ“I am so frustrated with TSA that I am ready to stop flying,” one traveler wrote in a Sept. 7 complaint filed with the agency. “I’m sure this doesn’t matter to you because my tax dollars are already paying you.” The AP poll, conducted Monday through Wednesday, found that the more people travel, the less they like TSA. But it also found that 53 percent of air travelers think TSA does a “very” or “somewhat” good job. The inconvenience of security was the top complaint of air travelers, mentioned by 31 percent of those who had taken at least one trip in the past year. That figure rose to 40 percent for those who have taken five to 10 trips. TSA’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, also ranked at the bottom of an index of consumer satisfaction released this week, supplanting the IRS as the prime subject of grumbling in that survey. The authoritative American Customer Satisfaction Index questioned 10,000 people about their experiences with the federal government. WASHINGTON – Hand sanitizer makes it through security in one airport, then it’s confiscated at another. Screening lines back up because only two of six lanes are open. And then there’s the occasional all-too-intimate patdown. Those complaints and other frustrations make the nation’s airport security agency about as popular as the IRS. Indeed, only the Federal Emergency Management Agency, still suffering from its mishandling of Hurricane Katrina, ranks below the Transportation Security Administration among the least-liked federal agencies, according to a new Associated Press-Ipsos poll. TSA tied with the perennially unpopular tax collectors in a favorability ranking of a dozen executive branch agencies. 
AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MORECoach Doc Rivers a “fan” from way back of Jazz’s Jordan Clarkson160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! Police say 26-year-old Regino Aguilar reached for a secured shotgun inside the cruiser after leading officers on a brief chase on Interstate 5 Tuesday morning. San Diego police Lieutenant Kevin Rooney says Aguilar was taken to a local hospital for treatment and will be booked into county jail on suspicion of auto theft, evading arrest and assault once he is released. The marked cruiser was stolen in Los Angeles at around 7 a.m. on Christmas day.
Manchester City starlet Manu Garcia Manchester City have announced midfielder Manu Garcia has joined Dutch side NAC Breda on loan until the end of the season.The 19-year-old Spaniard’s switch comes a day after LaLiga side Alaves, who he had joined in August on a season-long loan, revealed they had reached agreement with him for the deal to be terminated.He made only one appearance for the club.In December, Garcia signed a two-year contract extension with City to keep him at the club until June 2020.He joined City’s youth academy in 2013 and has played for the first team four times, scoring one goal. 1
AD Quality Auto 360p 720p 1080p Top articles1/5READ MOREThe joys and headaches of holiday travel: John Phillips“I said you mean my kids have been working for five months on this quilt and there’s nowhere to put it?” said Hill, who later decided to enter it in the state fair. “I had figured they could easily win the \ county Fair, but suddenly I had to try not to get my hopes or the kids’ hopes up.” Hill said the quilt was on display for three weeks during the August fair in Sacramento but that results were not sent out until recently. Principal Richard Brown said the project utilized skills learned in school and is a favorite of the children’s school year. The quilt was also submitted with a notebook that documented their work, Brown said. “The project was part of their arts and crafts projects, but it was also tied into math and history,” Brown said. “They had to calculate how much material they needed and do the research. They each had their own square to work on. Then they sewed it together.” The children were presented their awards Wednesday. Each received a ribbon as a teamwork recognition award. pam.wight@sgvn.com (562) 698-0955, Ext. 3029160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set! SANTA FE SPRINGS – Shocking even their teacher, a class of fourth-graders won first prize in the quilt-making category at the California State Fair in Sacramento this year. The 21-piece handmade quilt depicts the history of all of the missions in Southern California, using cut-out cloth and hand-drawn pictures. Tammy Hill, the class’s teacher, said out of the seven years she’s been doing quilt projects, this year was the first state-level competition her students had entered. Hill had planned on entering the quilt in the Los Angeles County Fair last year, as she did each year, but in March officials told her they did not have room for children’s work. 
LATEST Getty TROPHY Liverpool update ‘Champions Wall’ after ending 2019 as European and world champions Wilson scored 15 goals in all competitions during the 2018/19 campaign and has also been linked with both Chelsea and Tottenham, as well as Everton.His excellent form saw him called up to the England squad, where he scored on his debut against the US, while he was also part of Gareth Southgate’s side for the UEFA Nations League finals this summer. punished 1 LATEST FOOTBALL NEWS deals Tottenham issue immediate ban to supporter who threw cup at Kepa Liverpool news live: Klopp reveals when Minamino will play and issues injury update Wilson is set to be offered a new contract by Bournemouth Lampard appears to aim dig at Mourinho for handling of Salah and De Bruyne at Chelsea Arsenal transfer news LIVE: Ndidi bid, targets named, Ozil is ‘skiving little git’ boost Callum Wilson is set to be handed a new £100,000-a-week contract by Bournemouth to keep him out of West Ham’s hands.The 27-year-old only signed a four-year deal with the Cherries last July, but his fresh deal will work out to £26million over five years. JIBE Solskjaer gives Pogba fitness update and calls him world’s best all-round midfielder REVEALED The biggest market value losers in 2019, including Bale and ex-Liverpool star latest Man United transfer news live: Haaland ‘wants a change’, two players off in January Wilson’s former club Coventry, who he spent five seasons with, would be given 10 per cent of any fee, if he were to leave.The Hammers are on the look out for a new striker after Marko Arnautovic left to join Chinese Super League outfit Shanghai SIPG for a reported £23million.West Ham were prepared to break the bank to sign Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez, but are now believed to be resigned to losing him to Valencia.
getty images Former Crystal Palace and West Brom manager Pardew takes over at Dutch strugglers 2 LATEST Matic one of two players for sale with ‘two Premier League clubs’ interested 2 Arsenal FC “We all know the good qualities of David and we all know, I know better because I coached him.“He can make his mistakes when concentration levels are low. I think for David it’s a fantastic move.”Mourinho is, however, unsure whether Real Madrid loanee Ceballos will give anything an extra dimension to the Arsenal side which they don’t already have.He added: “I think they have other Ceballos’ in their squad.“He’s a good player, but when I see [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan, [Mesut] Ozil, Ceballos they can play different positions with similar characteristics. Nicolas Pepe’s arrival is a major coup for Arsenal and Jose Mourinho has been impressed with what he’s seen from the Ivory Coast international targets Redknapp calls Son ‘petulant’, but Holloway says red card for Rudiger kick was ‘soft’ Mourinho, 56, also spoke positively regarding the club’s shock swoop for Chelsea defender David Luiz.Addressing the new additions at the Emirates, he said: “I followed Lille a lot last season. I didn’t want to come to English stadiums after being sacked at United, so I went to Lille many times.“I know Pepe very well. There’s a question mark over the time for his adaptation but he’s obviously a kid with a lot of talent. This is potentially a very good signing for Arsenal.“I think Tierney is a young, reliable boy who looks a great character. He looks a little bit from a previous generation in some aspects, especially with his humble way, I like his profile.“David is a player the manager knows well and he knows what he can give. Mourinho is not convinced Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos will add anything different to the Arsenal squad latest 
New job What every Premier League club’s fans dream of this Christmas FAREWELL Arsenal transfer news LIVE: Ndidi bid, targets named, Ozil is ‘skiving little git’ Where every Premier League club needs to strengthen in January Liverpool news live: Klopp reveals when Minamino will play and issues injury update Jose Mourinho has been impressed with Arsenal’s acquisitions of Nicolas Pepe and Kieran Tierney this summer, but has questioned the club’s decision to sign Dani Ceballos on loan.Mourinho, who has joined Sky Sports as a pundit for the 2019/20 season, revealed that he watched £72m man Pepe frequently for Lille last season after he was sacked by Manchester United. Man United transfer news live: Haaland ‘wants a change’, two players off in January OFF BIG PRESENTS UP TOP deals MOST READ IN FOOTBALL
JOSHUA BROUGH, 29, SALEMWARRANT VIOLATION OF AGREEMENTASHLEE MARSHALL, 24, SCOTTSBURGWARRANT FTASHAWN EASTRIDGE, 35, INDIANAPOLISPROBATION VIOLATIONDAVID BOWLING, 28, SALEMPROBATION VIOLATIONWAYLON GILSTRAP, 36, SALEMWARRANTCHAD SOWDER, 44, SALEMOWIENDANGERING OWI WITH A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCELEE BOWERS, 61, VALLONIAPOSSEESSION OF METHAMPHETAMINE POSSEESSION OF PARAPHERNALIA POSSEESSION OF A SYRINGE MAINTAINING A COMMON NUISANCEJONATHON DAULTON, 40, SALEMPOSSEESSION OF METHAMPHETAMINE POSSEESSION OF PARAAPHERNALIAPOSSEESSION OF A SYRINGE VISITING A COMMON NUISANCE WARRANTTHEFT WARRANTTHEFT WARRANT FORGERY 2 COUNTSSALEM POLICE DEPT.KIMBERLY MORAN, 20, SALEMVIOLATION OF PRETRIAL DIVERSION AGREEMENTRYAN JONES, 33, SALEMWARRANT CRIMIMAL MISCHIEF POSSESSION OF A SYRINGEALEXANDER DURBIN, 18, VALLONIACRIMINAL TRESPASSINDIANA STATE POLICEJONATHON MCCARTNEY, 20, SALEM POSSESSION OF METHAMPHETAMINE POSSESSION OF PARAPHERNALIA DEALING IN METHAMPHETAMINE POSSESSION OF A SYNTHETIC DRUG OR SYNTHETIC DRUG LOOK ALIKEVISITING A COMMON NUISANCEMICHAELA KORTE, 23, SALEMPOSSESSION OF METHAMPHETAMINEPOSSESSION OF A SYNTHETIC DRUG OR SYNTHETIC DRUG LOOK ALIKEPOSSESSION OF PARAPHERNALIAVISITING A COMMON NUISANCECHASSIDY SHEPPARD, 19, SALEMPOSSESSION OF METHAMPHETAMINEPOSSESSION OF A SYRINGEPOSSESSION OF A SYNTHETIC DRUG OR SYNTHETIC DRUG LOOK ALIKEMAINTAINING A COMMON NUISANCEELISHA WEBB, 26, PEKINWARRANTS FOR FAILURE TO APPEARJAMES HORNER, 24, SALEMOPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE WHILE SUSPENDED OR REVOKED HOLDS FOR CLARK DUBOIS AND FLOYD COUNTIESINDIANA CONSERVATION OFFICERAUSTIN FORDYCE, 21, SALEMOWI WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF DEPT.JESSICA THOMAS, 38, SALEMWRIT ATTACHMENT
Every retail organization is a unique environment and has its own way of doing things. As such, what it takes to succeed will vary—there is no universal secret to professional development success. Still, there tend to be commonalities among loss prevention leaders who gain recognition within their organizations.And they’re not always what you’d expect.Odd as it may sound, one winning strategy to becoming a top-performing loss prevention director could be to “pass the buck.”- Sponsor – And that is not the only counterintuitive strategy for successful loss prevention management.For example, it may be that technical naiveté can be your friend and that preventing security incidents should a secondary concern. Offered up by leading LP and security professionals, all the strategies identified below may not work in your specific retail organization—but they’re worth some thought.1. Does the buck stop with you? Maybe it shouldn’t. Odd as it may sound, one successful career path may be to pass the buck. Asset protection and security is not, ultimately, on the shoulders of the loss prevention department. It’s the responsibility of senior management. “Your goal is to reduce risk to acceptable levels at an acceptable cost. And these are management’s decisions—not yours,” according to Ray Bernard, a leading security consultant and author.Keeping this in mind can actually help get LP projects passed. Too often, projects are rejected by individuals within organizations who have the authority to say no to funding, but who do not possess the authority to accept the operational risk of not doing the project. Bernard says he “sees it all the time,” and that it stems from a misdirected sense of responsibility. AP and security leaders try to own security rather than putting ultimate ownership on business leaders.For example, if a risk assessment project is rejected, a possible response may be to say: ‘I’m fine with not doing the project, but I need a senior risk manager to sign off on the fact that we’re not going to do a risk assessment for another year.’Said Bernard: “Passing the buck can sometimes help to move things along—when you make it a decision about risk and not a decision about funding.”2. End the end run. More than ever, asset protection and loss prevention hinges on the amount and sophistication of a retail operation’s security technology. But tools like IP cameras come with a bandwidth cost at which an IT department may balk. The conundrum can lead a loss prevention director to seek broad project support from others in the hopes that the technology department won’t be able to squelch the project and will be forced to help implement it.It’s a tempting strategy, but it’s probably not the best way forward. Even if you manage to get one project through the back door, an adversarial relationship with IT is a long-term loser.A better mindset, say some experts, is to appreciate that the LP department and IT face similar struggles. Just as the loss prevention director strives to show that LP projects are needed to benefit other departments, IT needs to similarly justify its own desire for network upgrades. In this way, security projects are far from the enemy of the IT department; instead, they may be key for IT to successfully sell a much-desired project of its own.IT can make do a better job of network planning if they understand how LP would like to use the network. So, if they IT wants the company to investment in a technical upgrade, the department can tell senior management, “Oh, and this will also enable LP’s ability to do this or that.”Try collaborating with IT over your long-term wish list for security technology, advise experts. It may help both you and IT to gain approval for what you want.3. Make your limitations your friend. The fast pace of security technology—especially the migration of LP tools to the network—can put career LP leaders on their back foot. We’re used to being the go-to guy for all things security, but developments such as the cloud utilization may be over our heads—pun intended. But if feeling out of your comfort zone forces you into closer cooperation with others, then it’s good to be clueless, said one leading executive.It’s impossible for leaders today to stay current on everything that it takes to manage LP. Retail trends and technology are simply moving too fast. Leading the function these days is less about individual knowledge and more about adeptly putting together puzzle pieces into a coherent whole.In fact, if one of your goals is to forge a better LP career, you’re better off knowing less about LP and more about the retail business, suggest some leaders. A next-generation loss prevention director will, of course, have knowledge about security. But they may primarily be business executives that use consultants and specialists to implement their strategic vision.4. Stop reacting to security incidents. Investigations are critical, but they have a value beyond resolution of the case at hand. Their bigger value is in updating a security plan and informing LP strategy.“If you want to get projects passed, you need a plan—not a reaction to an incident, and not mitigation steps to address a problem,” said one executive, who suggested that LP projects should not begin and end at fulfilling the goals of LP. When you’re looking at what’s out there, think about the needs of the operation beyond LP.Said another LP executive: “Do what IT does, which is to look at IT technology and figure out what projects will make people more efficient, make processes better, and so on.”This post was originally published in 2017 and was updated April 4, 2019. Stay UpdatedGet critical information for loss prevention professionals, security and retail management delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now