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Article snippet: ISLAND BEACH STATE PARK, N.J. — This spot is usually a choke point for shore traffic, not a U-turn. Yet roughly every 10 minutes on Saturday morning, a new vehicle approached the entrance to the beach here — some packed with beach chairs, beach balls, fishing rods and anticipation — only to be met by two police cars and a barricade. A single yellow sign stapled to a makeshift but unyielding blockade read: “These facilities are closed until further notice.” That sunny anticipation quickly turned to frustration. “It’s ridiculous,” said Eric Cowling, 28, who had come from Philadelphia with his girlfriend to fish, lounge and possibly camp in their truck on the beach. He said he understood the wrangling over the state budget, but said that closing the beaches and waterways on a holiday weekend was infuriating “for the fisherman and everyone else who wants to get out there and do what they like to do.” As the state’s government shut down at midnight on Friday, resulting from a budget impasse between Gov. Chris Christie and the Democratic-led State Assembly, more than 50 state parks, historic sites and recreational areas were closed just as vacationers from New Jersey and beyond descended on the parks and beaches for an extended Fourth of July holiday weekend. Across the state, confusion blended with anger. Public golf courses were flooded with calls from frantic golfers wondering whether their tee times were off (they were not). Social media was awash with worries abou... Link to the full article to read more