The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who performed a stellar show at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City last month (click links for photos and review— and who Atlantic City Weekly interviewed just prior to the concert — has been forced to cancel an upcoming concert in Newark, New Jersey due to Hurricane Sandy.

A statement from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center reads:

“Due to the ongoing challenges surrounding the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Aretha Franklin announced today she has postponed her upcoming concert at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), originally scheduled for Saturday, November 10.”

The rescheduled concert will take place on Saturday, March 30, 2013.

Call or visit NJPAC.org 1-888-466-5722 for more information.

ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY — Early Friday morning, Nov. 2, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie lifted the evacuation order in Atlantic City, allowing the 12 casinos there to re-open (likely later this afternoon).

The boil-water advisory in place in Atlantic City as a result of Hurricane Sandy has been lifted, also, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said today.

“The boil-water advisory was lifted after tests of the city’s water supply came back showing no evidence of bacteria,” according to a press release from the governor’s office.

As of noon time, the roads to Atlantic City have been opened (!!!), and cars are jammed up on the A.C. Expressway with folks waiting to get back home or to work. There have been reports of looting in the city on top of the serious damage to the city via Hurricane Sandy.

Atlantic City’s neighbor to the south, Ventnor, is still closed. Check the city’s Facebook page for more information.

The bay in Somers Point was active early Sunday morning with windy conditions and light rain.

By 9am, Sunday morning, winds were picking up in the Atlantic County area, with at least one tree already taken down by the gusts.

As Sandy moves in on New Jersey — and up the East Coast, affecting millions of people — the death toll from the category one hurricane has risen to nearly 60, including recently reported deaths in Haiti.

A downed tree in Somers Point, Sunday morning, Oct. 28

The storm is just shy of 400 miles south of New York City.

The Jersey shore region is expected to be hit with the leading edge of the hurricane Sunday afternoon, while the eye of the storm, according to the National Weather Service, “will move parallel to the southeast coast of the United States today and tonight and start moving towards the coastal Mid-Atlantic states by Monday night.”

Expect rain and heavy winds on Sunday with highs in the 50s. The weather conditions are expected to worsen as time progresses through Tuesday.

We still can’t get over this one.

Apparently a Best Buy store near Asbury Park (in Howell, N.J.) was not only selling 24-pack cases of Dasani water for $40.56 each over the weekend when Irene was causing panic up and down the Jersey Shore, but stood by their jacked up prices — they were also selling 12-pack cases of Smart Water for $23.88 — with someone from Best Buy saying they had to sell the cases for the total price it would cost to buy all of the bottles as sold individually!

According to TheChive.com site, the Best Buy store in Howell, has since confirmed the crazy prices, not that they needed to officially, as this photo has been sent out from a DJ at NJ 101.5:

From TheChive.com:

As hurricane Irene bears down on the Jersey Shore, the Best Buy in Howell, NJ has taken it upon themselves sell cases of Dasani water for $40.56. One of the DJs for New Jersey 101.5 just sent this photo to theCHIVE.

At a time when it’s so important for these seaside communities to come together to help each other out (maybe even lower the price on water, eh), it’s disappointing to see a massive corporation like Best Buy not only assume zero social responsibility, but also go the extra mile to make a buck by selling bulk cases of water at the single bottle price during an emergency.

The site also includes the following updates:

UPDATE: I just called Best Buy and spoke to one employee and a manager to confirm the photo. Both refused to answer my questions and told me I had to call corporate offices. My response was, ‘All you have to do is deny that you are doing this. It’s that simple.’ Neither party denied it. Instead I was rudely directed to corporate and then they hung up on me.

UPDATE #2: The manager of the Best Buy has responded and said, “… Sunday August 28th 2011, we will (be) price matching any local supermarket’s price for cases of water if they are needed for one day only as a gesture of good will.”

Flooding on Route 40 in Atlanticx County near Mays Landing Tuesday after Irene

Atlantic City Weekly has received word that Route 40 and Route 322 are flooded on Tuesday with detours and heavy traffic throughout Cumberland County and Atlantic County.

Traffic is moving at a snail’s pace at 11:45am, according to one driver who says it has taken him more than two hours to get east on Route 40 from the Buena turn-off to right outside of Mays Landing.

There are reportedly no police on the scene directing motorists and many riders do not know what is going on and/or have run out of gas and have left their cars on the side of the road as the traffic snakes for miles on Route 40 before getting into Mays Landing.

According to a post on a TripAdvisor.com forum:

If you are coming into AC on the Black Horse Pike or route 40 you should detour to the AC Expressway. Due to the Greater Egg Harbor river flooding route 322 is closed between route 54 and route 50. Route 40 is also closed in the area of Mays Landing. The river is still rising slowly and is expected to crest soon.

Check here for more updates.

Are you in this area? Leave a comment.

ATLANTIC CITY — With hurricane evacuations ordered throughout the country, the southern New Jersey shore area is preparing for the tropical storm and hurricane watches, in relation to Hurricane Irene, put into effect Thursday.

Experts say now that the track of the storm has shifted slightly, it could mean a big hit for the Northeast U.S. shore, possibly being the “strongest hurricane to hit the Northeast in decades.”

Category 3 Hurricane Irene is plowing through the Bahamas as of Thursday morning, with its sites set on the U.S., according to experts.

The threat level to the East Coast, from North Carolina to New England is “extreme” according to officials.

Here is latest tracker for Hurricane Irene:

In Atlantic County, officials are warning residents and visitors to the Atlantic City-Ocean City areas to “not wait to prepare” for this storm to hit our shores.

“‘Hurricane Irene is a dangerous storm that’s going to be knocking on our backdoor. Do not wait to prepare,” said Vince Jones, director of emergency preparedness Atlantic County, in a report published Thursday that also states:
Hurricane Irene is going to impact the entire New Jersey coast and inland areas, according to Vince Jones, director of emergency preparedness. Preparations are in place to activate a rolling evacuation plan from Cape May through Atlantic County, if the storm stays on its current path and the danger mounts.

A conference call between the National Weather Service, Governor Christie’s emergency operations and local emergency managers delivered no good news today. No steering currents are going to save the Jersey coast. Even if Irene stays 50 miles offshore, the rain will cause extreme flooding in the area. Wind damage could be severe.

Stay tuned. Get prepared. And learn about the threat of Irene hitting the greater Atlantic City region and when.

Also, it’s important to keep a watch on the storm via this tracker and to stay tuned for evacuation news from local officials.

As of 11:30am on Thursday, thunderstorms are expected for this afternoon through Sunday with severe rains expected.