Christie will not take State matching funds for the primary cycle

Governor Chris Christie’s reelection campaign announced today that they will not be accepting taxpayer funds for the primary election.

“In response to Governor Christie’s decisive leadership and clear record of historic, bipartisan reform, we’ve seen an unprecedented level of financial support from donors across all 21 counties in New Jersey.  This positive reaction during such a short period of time only continues to grow daily which is why Governor Christie’s campaign has decided not to pursue matching funds for this primary election cycle” said Bill Palatucci.

“I would also like to thank Todd Christie, Jon Hanson and the entire finance committee for their continued efforts. They have been a tremendous help in reaching the campaign’s fundraising goals.”

Christie’s campaign reported raising $2.139 million in the fourth quarter of 2012 and $2.08 million cash on hand.

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Rep. Chris Smith Calls for House to Pass Sandy Relief

For the text of Smith’s remarks:

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Gun Bans

Editorial cartoons are sponsored by New Markets Realty, 146 Maple Ave, Red Bank. 732-741-8211. Jim Giannell, President

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Kyrillos Introduces Resolution Calling on Feds to Ensure Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area Open for Summer of 2013

Concerned about the potential impact on the Bayshore region’s economy of a prolonged closure of the Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area, Senator Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth) has introduced a resolution calling on the federal government to make reopening Sandy Hook a priority.

“Sandy Hook sustained enormous damage during Hurricane Sandy along with the homes and businesses of Bayshore residents,” Kyrillos said. “But there is more devastation in store if this economic engine for our region is not restored and reopened in time for the 2013 tourism season. The Sandy Hook Recreation Area is the source of millions of dollars of economic activity every year and an affordable summer getaway for tourists from near and far who will lose out on a treasured summer tradition if it is not reopened. We cannot afford to lose the economic activity generated by Sandy Hook as we seek to rebuild our shoreline.”

Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area is federally owned property that is maintained and operated by the National Park Service.

Text of the resolution is as follows:

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Congress has a duty to provide disaster aid

By Congressman Frank LoBiondo

More than two months after Hurricane Sandy struck South Jersey, the scars of devastation upon our homes, our businesses, our shoreline and our friends and neighbors remain ever so visible and ever so painful.

Each day our region struggles to recover and residents attempt to rebuild their lives as heightened levels of anxiety, frustration, sadness and anger remain. No one in South Jersey has forgotten Sandy, and it is imperative that Washington not be allowed to overlook the real destruction and critical need our communities continue to face.

As widely reported, some of my colleagues have intentionally delayed aid from reaching affected communities, unnecessarily creating a disaster in dealing with this disaster. Citing the Senate-passed “pork” laden bill, they question if federal resources will truly reach those in need.

I appreciate their concerns and have actively sought to alleviate them by working with the congressional delegations of New Jersey and New York, as well as Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., to strip out extraneous provisions. Thus, as originally planned in the final days of 2012, the bill we are introducing in the House of Representatives on Tuesday should provide federal aid only to states affected by the storm.

Likewise, there are some local opinions that stand against any federal assistance in the aftermath of a wide-scale disaster such as Sandy. They argue individual states and impacted municipalities should be solely responsible for recovery and rebuilding efforts, while federal tax dollars should not be used for “local issues”. I strongly disagree with the shortsighted view that New Jersey, which supported other states as they dealt with disasters and which sends more tax dollars to Washington than it receives, should be short-changed at its time of need.

That is not to say federal aid should be unchecked. In 2005 and 2006, more than $100 billion was sent to the Gulf Coast states, including $60 billion within just 10 days of the storm in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

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Ocean Grove Beachfront and Boardwalk May Not Get FEMA Funding To Rebuild

By Art Gallagher

Photo credit: Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association

Neptune Township’s beachfront and boardwalk in the Ocean Grove section of the Township might not get the estimated $3 million in FEMA funding needed to rebuild because the property is owned by the private non-profit and religious Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OGCMA), according to an article by freelance journalist Caren Chesler published at NJSpotLight.

Neptune Township Committee Member and Ocean Grove business owner Randy Bishop, as well as Michael Bascom, the Township’s CFO are working with OGCMA to pursuade FEMA to pay for the repairs on the stretch of beach that connects the regional shoreline from Asbury Park south to Spring Lake.

In a press release posted on OGCMA’s website, President Dr. Dale C. Whilden said, “The Camp Meeting is fully committed to restoring Ocean Grove’s beautiful beachfront, a keystone of our community as well as a protection from ocean storms, and we’re on track to implement a comprehensive beach and boardwalk restoration plan.  With God’s blessing and the assistance of our local, state and federal officials, as well as support from individuals and organizations, our beach will open on Memorial Day weekend.”

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Governor Christie Announces Sandy Job Initiatives Program In Bradley Beach

Bradley Beach Restoration Project Uses Administration Grant Dollars to Hire Unemployed Residents for Clean Up Project

Trenton, NJ – With the recovery and rebuilding process fully underway, Governor Chris Christie today toured a restoration project in the storm-impacted community of Bradley Beach where workers hired through a National Emergency Grant (NEG) are on the job repairing the town’s beachfront area. Bradley Beach is one of dozens of communities in 11 New Jersey counties that have put 428 unemployed people to work on storm clean-up using the $15.6 million grant obtained by the Christie Administration in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Another 650 people are slated to be brought in up to five other counties.

Sandy was the worst storm to strike New Jersey in 100 years. It damaged or destroyed 346,000 homes, knocked out power to nearly 7 million people and 1,000 schools, and caused the evacuation or displacement of 116,000 New Jerseyans – 41,000 of whom are still displaced from their homes. The storm also cost the state over 8,000 jobs in November, making the Governor’s job and recovery initiatives essential to getting people back to work.

“New Jersey is rebuilding from Sandy with pride and determination,” said Governor Christie. “With the NEG grant and the $26 million being released through three programs we have initiated — Recovery4Jersey, Skills4Jersey and Opportunity4Jersey – we are helping Sandy-impacted businesses and workers, as well as investing in our future economic growth. New Jersey, its citizens, communities and businesses are resilient and I assure you that we will leave no stone unturned in bringing the Garden State back better than ever.”

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Flu Bug Protection

Editorial cartoons are sponsored by New Markets Realty, 146 Maple Ave, Red Bank. 732-741-8211. Jim Giannell, President

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Computer Security Experts: Disable Java Unless You Know You Need It

By Art Gallagher

Oracle released a fix to the Java vulnerability we reported last night.     The company said another update is due out “soon.”  You can access the fix here.

Or, you can do what multiple computer security experts are suggesting and disable or uninstall Java unless you know you need it.

MoreMonmouthMusings is not a tech site and doesn’t pretend to be.   If you want more technical information, we recommend:

KrebsOnSecurity

arstechnia

Computerworld

Mashable

NakedSecurity

ZDNet: Security experts on Java: Fixing zero-day exploit could take ‘two years’

Technical comments from anonymous sources are not welcome on this post. If you are a known commenter with a valid email address, your contributions are welcome.  If you are a new commenter who wants to contribute technical information, your comment will be moderated until your identity is verified.

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Department of Homeland Security Issues Warning To Computer Users

By Art Gallagher

If you’ve been surfing the net over the last few days,  you are very likely at risk for identity theft.  Your networks could be at risk. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced that hackers have discovered and are exploiting a flaw in Java security that could allow the installation of malicious software and malware on your computer.

DHS is recommending that computer users disable or uninstall Java until further notice.

Most anti-virus, firewall and malware detection programs are not preventing this vulnerability from being exploited.

For instructions on disabling or uninstalling Java click here.

This is a serious problem that has not yet been widely reported in the media.

For more detailed information, read this article by Brian Krebs at KrebsOnSecurity.com

UPDATED: Computer Experts Recommend Disabling Java Unless You Know You Need It

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