Former Asbury Park Housing Director Indicted

Mark W. Homes

Mark W. Holmes, 54, of Lawrence Township, was indicted by a Monmouth County Grand Jury on 39 counts of Official Misconduct, 2 counts of Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card and one count of Theft by Deception, according to a announcement by Acting Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Holmes is the former Executive Director of the Asbury Park Housing Authority and a former mayor and councilman in Lawrence Township.

He was arrested on Fraud and Theft charges in July of 2013.  He remains free on the $70,000 bail that was set at that time by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Francis J. Vernoia, who was recently elevated to the Appellate Division.

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Jersey City cop, residents say some Muslims did celebrate 9/11

In the weeks since Donald Trump ignited a firestorm by claiming “thousands and thousands” of Muslims in Jersey City cheered the fall of the twin towers on 9/11, elected officials, religious leaders and a former state attorney general denied the existence of celebrations in the city that day. Media outlets, after scouring archived news stories and… Read the rest of this entry »

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One dead, one critical in Asbury Park shooting

Jamal Small

Jamar Small, 24, was gunned down and killed on the 1000 block of Summerfield Avenue in Asbury Park on Sunday, according to a statement by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni. Another male shooting victim whose name was not released by Gramiccioni remains in critical condition at an undisclosed local hospital.

Small was a recent graduate of Texas Southern University and the quarterback of the school’s football team.

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Cops nab ‘career burglar’ who stole $1M from affluent homes in Monmouth County

HOLMDEL — A Neptune man, who has a lengthy record with law enforcement, was charged Thursday in connection with a string of residential burglaries that netted $1 million in stolen items. Thomas “Tommy” Earls of Neptune Township was charged with burglary, theft, receiving stolen property, criminal mischief, shoplifting and unlawful taking means of conveyance after a… Read the rest of this entry »

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Deadly cobra makes journey to N.J. as ship stowaway, report says

Indian Cobra

A deadly cobra was found and safely captured this week on a container ship that made port in New Jersey, according to reports. The Indian cobra was found Monday while the ship was being unloaded at the APM Terminal, which prompted the crew to contact federal and wildlife authorities, NBC New York reported. The 18-inch female… Read the rest of this entry »

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Firefighters battle blaze in bedroom of Middletown house

MIDDLETOWN — About 60 firefighters from four different fire stations responded Saturday to a fire in a two-story home on Route 36. The fire, first reported at 11:41 a.m., was contained to a second-floor bedroom and was declared under control by 12 p.m., said Dennis W. Fowler, a spokesman for the Middletown Fire Department. No one… Read the rest of this entry »

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State Could See $2 Billion Windfall if It Opts to Sell Broadcast Licenses

New Jersey could be in line for a multibillion dollar windfall if it sells off some or all of the broadcast TV spectrum that it owns, an event that could go a long way toward propping up the state’s shaky finances. But questions abound as to when the state could see the money and what the… Read the rest of this entry »

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Phil Murphy — A Bloomberg, Not a Corzine

By Alan J. Steinberg

Alan J. Steinberg

Initially, I thought Phil Murphy, as a candidate for the New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2017 would be the second coming of John Corzine – a well-meaning yet out-of-touch gubernatorial candidate who would be unable to communicate effectively with middle class and working class New Jerseyans.

Murphy had been appointed by former Acting Governor Dick Codey in 2005 to chair an advisory commission regarding the state pension shortfall.  The commission’s implicit recommendation was a $12.1 billion tax hike – political suicide in New Jersey.  To me, this was the forerunner of the Jon Corzine asset monetization/toll hike proposal which doomed him in his reelection campaign against Chris Christie in 2009.

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Second false alarm this week at AMC Theater at Freehold Raceway Mall

FREEHOLD – For the second time in less than a week a bomb threat was made at the AMC Theater complex at the Freehold Raceway Mall, and again authorities have sounded an “all clear” after no explosives were discovered inside this afternoon, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

A series of notes were discovered inside the men’s room of the theater around 11:30 a.m. Friday containing threats to the theater. The theater was evacuated and no credible threat or explosives were discovered on scene. The theater was reopened about two hours and 15 minutes later.

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Off-duty N.J. cop stops road-rage attack, police say

Sgt. Frank Passantino

WALL TOWNSHIP — An off-duty police officer from Long Branch intervened when he spotted one man threatening another with a baseball bat Friday, Det. Lt. Pete Lokerson of Wall police said. Two drivers came to a stop at a traffic light at Rt. 138 and New Bedford Road and left their vehicles, one of whom, 45-year-old… Read the rest of this entry »

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