Opinion: End Corporate Welfare For Newspapers

By Art Gallagher

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New Jersey’s “legacy media” is so desperate to remain dependent on government subsidies in the form of mandated legal advertisements that their trade association, the New Jersey Press Association, offered to cut the advertising rates for taxpayer funded ads in half so long as they could increase the fees for legal ads paid for by private parties.

The newspaper industry was caught off guard earlier this week when legislation to allow New Jersey’s governments to publish meeting dates, proposed ordinances, zoning applications, sheriff sales, etc., online rather than in daily or weekly newspapers was introduced and fast tracked for approval before the end of the year.  Since then they papers been editorializing to rally their readers to put pressure on the legislature to scrap the bill and save their revenue.  Their arguments have been unseemly; Governor Chris Christie is pushing the bill as revenge on newspapers for their coverage of the Bridgegate scandal, that the elimination of legal ads would lead to less transparency and chicanery on the part of government officials who might not publish the ads as the law requires and that municipal and county governments publishing their own legal notices on the web won’t lead to savings.

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Sen. Menendez asks Supreme Court to hear his arguments in his corruption case

WASHINGTON — Sen. Bob Menendez took his fight against federal corruption charges to the Supreme Court this week, petitioning it to hear his arguments that key evidence and charges should be dismissed. Menendez, D-N.J., has long argued that prosecutors overstepped rules meant to protect the legislative branch from executive branch intimidation. He is hoping to persuade… Read the rest of this entry »

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, December 16-18, 2016

By Greg Kelly

Courtesy of Teddy Bears by the Shore

Friday, December 16

• Monmouth Film Festival ‘16 at TRT (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• “I Do Love the Holidays (Sometimes)” at Center Playhouse (Freehold) – MORE INFO
• Darlene Love at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• Elf the Musical, Jr. at Algonquin Arts Theatre (Manasquan) – MORE INFO
• Arcadian Chorale Holiday Concert (Freehold) – MORE INFO
• A Christmas Carol (Middletown) – MORE INFO
• Christmas Lantern Tours at Allaire Village – MORE INFO

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O’Scanlon Raises $100K for Senate Race

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) announced this morning that he has raised over $100,000 for his campaign for NJ State Senate.  O’Scanlon is seeking the Republican nomination to replace Senator Joe Kyrillos in the Senate.  So far, O’Scanlon’s competition for the nomination is his running mate for the last three legislative elections, Assemblywoman Amy Handlin.

“The job of a State Senator is so much more than going to Trenton and voting on bills,” O’Scanlon said. “The job includes being a leader in the community and the Party.  That means having the resources to support your own campaign, the campaigns of other great candidates and most importantly, civic and charitable organizations in the district.  Senator Kyrillos filled that role as well if not better than anyone.  I am prepared to continue in Joe’s footsteps.”

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Giving—Help Yourself and Others this Holiday Season

By Greg Kelly

Want a good reason to make a charitable donation this holiday season? It’s makes for better health—for you. New research by a University at Albany-SUNY economics professor finds that donors have “a lower probability of suffering health-related problems including high blood pressure, cancer, heart attack, and obesity.”

While Professor Baris Yoruk focused more on the receiving of tax deductions for charitable (an important consideration), he also maintains that “donating to charity may actually improve a giver’s physical and emotional wellbeing.” So why not make yourself and others well this holiday season.

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Christie turned down several jobs in Trump administration, sources say

TRENTON — President-elect Donald Trump offered Gov. Chris Christie numerous positions in his incoming administration, but the New Jersey governor turned them down, two sources with knowledge of Trump’s transition efforts told NJ Advance Media. The sources said those jobs included Cabinet-level posts like Homeland Security secretary and Veterans Affairs secretary, as well as other posts,… Read the rest of this entry »

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Family of missing teen organizing search of Jersey Shore towns Saturday

BELMAR — Family members of the missing 19-year-old Neptune City woman missing nearly a week since her car was found unoccupied on a Belmar bridge are organizing a search party for Saturday in coastal towns in Monmouth County. Sarah Stern’s car was discovered unoccupied on Saturday on the Route 35 bridge not far from her home.… Read the rest of this entry »

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Shared Patrol Model: The sweet spot for reducing property taxes and saving police officers jobs

By Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon

The concept of municipal consolidation/shared services is referred to by some as the panacea for high property taxes.  Others claim that consolidation/shared services is a pipe dream and not worth pursuing because no single service will solve our property tax problem.  Both sides of this argument are wrong.  No one act or reform will slash our taxes – short of major increases in other taxes.  To argue that we shouldn’t pursue such reforms because they won’t save “enough” is to argue against doing anything to cut costs.  On the contrary, the answer is we must do EVERYTHING.

Merging of municipalities is a heavy lift. People have nostalgic attachments to their town names and pride in their community identity. And if things don’t go as well as planned, there’s no going back.  That leaves shared services  as the sweet spot – much easier to attain than wholesale municipal mergers and can generate 60 to 80% of the savings.

We must then hone in on the areas where we can get the greatest amount of savings.  Things like public works and administration sound like good targets but those areas have already, frequently, been cut to the bone.  One area in many municipalities that is ripe for restructuring: police.

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Golden honors veterans at Pearl Harbor ceremony

FREEHOLD — More than 100 people, including law enforcement officials and members of the armed forces throughout Monmouth County, on Wednesday joined state and local leaders for a ceremony honoring the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Patriot’s Pride ceremony was hosted by Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden, and included Lt. Gov. Kim… Read the rest of this entry »

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Search for Sarah Stern Continues

Monmouth County and New Jersey authorities are continuing their massive search for Sarah Stern, the 19 year old Neptune City resident whose  her abandoned vehicle was discovered in the shoulder of the southbound lanes of the Route 35 Bridge in Belmar, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

“We are asking everyone to keep an eye out for this young woman, and report any possible sightings as soon as possible,” Gramiccioni said.

Stern, 19, was last seen at her Neptune City residence on the afternoon of Dec. 2, 2016, and a few hours later her 1994 silver four-door Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight was found abandoned on the crest of the bridge by a passerby who reported the car to a Neptune Township police officer. The abandoned car was operational and the keys were found in the vehicle. There were no persons in the area and the vehicle was subsequently towed from the road by the Neptune Township Police Department.

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