Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend — July 19-21, 2013 #STTS

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By Greg Kelly

Sunday, July 21

• Red Bank Food & Wine Walk – MORE INFO

• Discover Disc Golf (Lincroft) – MORE INFO

• Blacksmith Demonstration (Holmdel) – MORE INFO

• La Cage Aux Folles (Asbury Park) – MORE INFO

• Canoeing on Marlu Lake (Lincroft) – MORE INFO

• Dawn Patrol at Monmouth Park (Oceanport) – MORE INFO

• Asbury Fresh Local Artisan Market – MORE INFO

• A Chorus Line (Spring Lake) – MORE INFO

• The Music Man at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

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Have Fun and Stay Safe This Summer

Freeholder Director Tom Arone

By Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone

It’s summertime and the living is easy – but to enjoy the fun, be sure to follow the most important summer safety tips so you and your family can make the most of the carefree moments while keeping everyone happy all season long.

Upon Heading Out the Door, before you even leave your house, no matter what the destination, make sure you are prepared for a day outside in the sun. Lather everyone up with suncreen and make sure it is designed to protect against both UVA and UVB rays.Wear sunglasses and a hat to offer further protection from the sun’s damaging rays and be sure to keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water and other drinks.

If you are just hanging out in your yard, Pay attention to Fire Safety.
Believe it or not, the National Fire Protection Association recently reported that fire departments in the U.S. responded annually to 7,700 home fires involving grills and barbecues. 81 percent of these fires involved gas grills, which makes gas grill maintenance a high summertime safety priority. In order to avoid gas grill issues, check your grill’s gas line for leaks and breaks. Also, always practice the safe handling techniques outlined in your grill’s instruction manual, whether it’s charcoal or gas.

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HELP SOUGHT IDENTIFYING COLTS NECK STABBING SUSPECT

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Colts Neck Police Department are seeking the public’s help in identifying the man seen in the sketch on the left.

The suspect is wanted for questioning about the stabbing of a 41-year-old Colts Neck woman inside her Bray Street home on Sunday, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.

A composite sketch is a drawing approximating a suspect’s facial appearance.  Please keep in mind that appearances such as hair styles, beards and moustaches are easily changed. People gain and lose weight.

Anyone who recognizes, believes they recognize the man in the sketch or has any information about this case is asked to call Detective Andrea Tozzi, of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 1-800-533-7443, or Detective Richard Zarrillo, of the Colts Neck Police Department at 732-462-4343.

If you believe you may have information regarding the identification of the person depicted in the sketch, please contact either of the listed detectives whether or not you are 100 percent sure.  All leads will be followed up in an appropriate fashion.

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FEMA Continues to Discriminate Against Churches and Synagogues Devastated by Superstorm Sandy

WASHINGTON, DC – “It has been five long months since the House overwhelmingly passed my legislation to ensure that houses of worship are no longer discriminated against under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) rules,”  said Rep. Chris Smith, author of H.R. 592, the “Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2013.”

“When a bill passes the House by such a strong, bipartisan margin of 354-72, it is hoped that the Senate will work aggressively to send it to the President’s desk.  The legislation is desperately needed to put fairness back into our disaster relief programs.

“I welcome the bipartisan efforts of Senators Kirsten Gillebrand (D-NY) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) in their introduction of a Senate companion bill, S. 1274, this week and I am delighted and encouraged that New Jersey Sen. Jeff Chiesa has signed on as well. I am confident their leadership will help break the log jam and bring equity to the program.”

Smith, who has personally met with Senators Tom Carper and Tom Coburn, the chair and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, said that they each raised some concerns that Smith believed could be easily addressed in a bill markup session. Having a companion bill will hopefully help show support in the Senate and advance the issue. Smith also met with FEMA head Craig Fugate to discuss the bill and the current unfair treatment of houses of worship compared to other non-profits.

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Tent City, Three Ways

by Debbie Galant, NJNewsCommons.org

News outlets ranging from the AP to the Lakewood Scoop have covered the ongoing saga of Lakewood’s Tent City, an encampment of about 80 homeless people, which the town has been trying to shut down for years. This spring a deal was struck: Tent City residents will leave within a year if a homeless shelter is opened in Ocean County.  But the story of the tent community has proved more indelible than a series of fleeting headlines.  The makeshift village in the woods, complete with its own upright piano, is now the subject of a book-length poem, a documentary and a series of black-and-white photo portraits.

Copyright 2013 Sherry Rubel

Hank Kalet, an economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight,  was a regional editor for Patch in early 2012 when photographer Sherry Rubel sent over a press release about her Kickstarter campaign to fund a photo project on Tent City. Although the campaign didn’t reach its funding goal, it set an idea in motion for Kalet, who was also working on his MFA in poetry at Fairleigh Dickinson, and in search of a project.

“I was looking for something to sink my teeth into,” Kalet recalls. “Looking for a project to use both parts of my writing self.”

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Christie Administration Announces Federal Supplemental Social Services Block Grant To Assist Superstorm Sandy Victims

Funds Will Reinforce Social Services Programs and Continue to Assist New Jerseyans’ Personal Recovery Efforts

Trenton, NJ – The Christie Administration today announced that it received authorization to spend $209 million of a supplemental social services block grant (SSBG) from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families on services provided to victims of Superstorm Sandy. The funding is allocated to the Department of Human Services (DHS) and shared with the Departments of Health (DOH) and Children and Families (DCF) for eligible expenditures.

“The physical rebuilding of structures and the removal of debris are just one part of New Jersey’s efforts to recover from Superstorm Sandy,” said Governor Chris Christie. “Another stage of that recovery is the healing process, which many of our impacted residents have been undergoing over the last eight months through social services programs available to them. New Jersey will use these grant funds to reinforce our social services infrastructure so that we can continue to support Sandy survivors’ ongoing personal recovery efforts.”

The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act provided about $500 million to five states for expenses related to recovery and rebuilding. New Jersey received almost half of the total allotment. SSBG funds are designed to address necessary expenses resulting from Superstorm Sandy, including social, health, and behavioral health services, as well as the repair, renovation and rebuilding of health care, child care and other social services facilities.

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SIX YEAR OLD SAVED AFTER TREATMENT FOR SEVERE BREATHING PROBLEM

(Hazlet, NJ) — Immediate Care Medical Walk-in of Hazlet lived up to its name recently, after a frantic mother carried her six year old daughter into the facility for difficulty breathing. “She was on the verge of going into anaphylactic shock, wheezing, had difficulty breathing and had broken out in a rash,” said Stacie Stopen, nurse practitioner.  “We immediately administered oxygen, gave her an injection of steroid and started her on a breathing treatment of a bronchodilator.  She was smiling and breathing normally within the hour.”

The problem started when a classmate offered the little girl a bite of her sandwich that contained a luncheon meat with peanuts, to which she was allergic.  That resulted in an almost immediate difficulty in breathing.   Her teacher quickly contacted the school nurse who, in turn, called her parents.  The mother took the little girl home and soon discovered that the child was progressing to hives even after an Epipen injection and some Benadryl, it still wasn’t helping.  So they drove to Immediate Care Medical Walk-in of Hazlet where they were treated immediately.

“That’s why we’re here,” says Dr. Lisa Golding-Granado, medical director of the facility.  “Our staff is trained for virtually any crisis.  And there’s, typically, little or no wait.”

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OPERATION “SHORE BET” DISMANTLES $1 MILLION PER WEEK GAMBLING OPERATION

(FREEHOLD) An extensive investigation into a $1 million-a-week organized gambling enterprise operating in the Monmouth County region culminated Monday with the arrest of 22 individuals, the seizure of a dozen vehicles, more than $500,000 in cash, and the freezing of financial accounts used to facilitate the criminal activity, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE DEFENDENTS

The 18-month joint investigation conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office with the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, and the Asbury Park, Deal, Freehold Township, Howell, Marlboro, Ocean, Red Bank and Wall Police Departments culminated Monday with the execution of search and arrest warrants with the assistance of the officers from the Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Toms River, and West Long Branch Police Departments.

The investigation revealed a well organized gambling enterprise extending throughout Monmouth County and into Somerset, Essex, and Hudson Counties and the State of New York.  Members of the enterprise laundered the proceeds of their criminal activity through various methods to avoid reporting requirements and to mask the true ownership and source of the ill gotten gains.  Additionally, it was discovered members of the organization also engaged in the sale and distribution of marijuana and prescription drugs.

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The Gang of 8 are Wrong on Immigration Reform

By Bader George Qarmout

As Washington debates immigration reform and the bi-partisan gang of 8 push their latest plan, I find myself disagreeing with the plan’s failure to secure the border FIRST. It is imperative that we fix the mistakes of Ronald Reagan’s Congress that failed us forty years ago.  Securing our borders is not only a means to prevent illegal workers from entering America, but it is also an important tool for greater national security and to reduce the onslaught of drug, weapons, and human trafficking . I will not accept any arguments that stress that the cost of securing our borders is prohibitive. I argue that not securing our borders is unconscionable.

While we are securing the borders, we need to enforce our existing laws and make E-verify mandatory.  We also need to deport the criminal illegal aliens who are currently sitting in our jails and prisons.  It is cost effective to permanently remove the criminal elements from among us, as opposed to the current “catch and release” practice.

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Democrats Included Planned Parenthood Funding in NJ Supplemental Budget Proposal

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