Gramiccioni’s nomination clears Senate committee

Christopher J. Gramiccioni will soon drop the “Acting” from his title as Monmouth County Prosecutor.

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Gramiccioni’s nomination yesterday despite opposition for the state PBA who made an issue of his hiring practices.  The Senate is expected to confirm the prosecutor on August 1st.

A veteran of Chris Christie’s U.S. Attorney’s Office, Gramiccioni was the governor’s first choice to replace former prosecutor Luis Valentin. But he did not meet the constitutional residency requirements for the job and was hired as First Assistant Prosecutor in 2011.  Once the residency requirements were met, Peter Warshaw, Valentin’s replacement on an acting basis, was nominated for a Superior Court judgeship and Gramiccioni took over the top law enforcement job in Monmouth County July 1, 2012.

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Former NJ DOT Commissioner Jamie Fox Charged in Samson’s United Airlines Bribery Scheme

Former New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox was charged by federal officials for his role in the bribery scheme that former Port Authority Chairman David Samson pleaded guilty to today, according to a statement by U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.

Additionally, United Airlines has agreed to a pay a $2.5 million penalty and to make compliance reforms for its role in the scheme in which it established a non-stop route between Newark-Liberty Airport and Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina for Samson to fly to his vacation home in Aiken, SC.  In exchange Samson allowed the Port Authority Commission to approve a lease of three acres at the airport for United to build a maintenance hanger.

Fox, in his role as a $7,500 per month consultant to United, is accused of shaking down United employees, on Samson’s behalf, to get the route to South Carolina established.

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Congressman Chris Smith’s Bill Would Allow Sandy SBA Loans To Be Paid Off By HUD Grants

Congressman Chris Smith and Monmouth County Shaun Golden prepare to survey Hurricane Sandy damage. November, 2012

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ4) introduced legislation yesterday that, if enacted, would allow Superstorm Sandy victims who borrowed from the Small Business Administration to fund the rebuilding to their homes and businesses to repay those loans with the proceeds of grants from the federal department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Equity for Disaster Victims Act, co-sponsored by Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY),  would correct a con perpetrated by the government on Sandy victims in the aftermath of the strom and reform the federal government’s disaster relief programs to ensure fairness and flexibility.

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Sonnek-Schmelz Blasts RNC Over Gay Marriage

Brent Sonnek-Schmelz at the Pink Prom in Asbury Park, May 7. photo via facebook

Brent Sonnek-Schmelz, the GOP candidate challenging Congressman Frank Pallone in New Jersey’s 6th Congressional District (Middlesex and Monmouth Counties), criticized the Republican National Committee for falling to soften its stand against gay marriage.

“Let me be blunt, the Republican National Convention’s Platform Committee did a terrible disservice to the Republican Party, by failing to recognize a clearly self­evident diversity of opinion within our ranks on the issue of same-sex marriage,” said Sonnek­-Schmelz, pointing to a failed amendment offered by openly gay Washington, DC Delegate Rachel Hoff. “How can we expect men and women who share our beliefs on lower taxes, balanced budgets, school choice and a strong national defense to stand with the Republican Party, when the Party won’t stand with them when it comes to something so basic as the ability to marry someone you love? We can and must do better. I am eager to be part of a new generation of Republicans with the courage to continue changing hearts and minds on this issue by making my voice heard.”

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Golden keeps up the campaign for honest disbursement of 9-1-1 fees

Golden’s message to Republican naysayers: “Get on board.”

Monmouth Sheriff Shaun Golden is not letting up on his campaign to get Trenton to disburse the $.90 per month, per line, that we all pay on our cell and land line bills.

In case you missed it, Golden and the Monmouth County Freeholders held a press conference last week to highlight Trenton’s diversion of our fees, at the expense of public safety and in apparent violation to the federal “NET 911 Act of 2008.”  Monmouth County’s leadership on the issue garnered significant media attention, including on both New York and Philadelphia local TV news stations.

Golden brought the issue to the attention of NJTV yesterday:

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Sweeney delivers Christie new gas tax plan to end N.J. road project shutdown

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie and Senate President Stephen Sweeney met privately Tuesday in an attempt to broker a deal to fund transportation projects and bring an end to a statewide construction freeze. Sweeney presented Christie with a new proposal for replenishing the now-expired and soon-to-be-broke Transportation Trust Fund, according to a spokesman for the governor.… Read the rest of this entry »

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Coming Soon: A Monmouth brewed beer that will keep you awake!

Two young Monmouth County companies are teaming up to give their customers a jolt.

Jughandle Brewing Company, the Tinton Falls craft brewer that opened last month, and Booskerdoo Coffee and Baking Company, the five year old organic coffee roaster with stores in Monmouth Beach, Fair Haven, Asbury Park, Long Branch and Holmdel, announced today that they are collaborating on creating a coffee porter to be released in the fall in time for football season and the holidays.

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Reminder: Monmouth County Special Needs Registry Is Open

Monmouth County Authorities are reminding the public of the county’s new Special Needs Registry, a voluntary program designed to assist first responders to be prepared to assist residents with physical or mental impairments who find themselves in an emergency situation.

Charles Webster, spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, told MMM that there was a large number of registrants when the program was launched in April by the Prosecutor, the Sheriff’s Office and the Chiefs of Police Association, but that as news of the program faded, so have registrations.

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Hundreds Remember Dallas, Pray For Racial Reconciliation.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers, first responders and civilians gathered at the Monmouth County Police Academy Monday evening to honor the fallen police officers slain last week in Dallas and to pray for racial reconciliation throughout America.

The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office estimated that there were between 800 and 900 people present.

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Jazzy Punk Classics in Asbury Park Weds Night

The Jersey Shore and Monmouth County in particular is known throughout the world for its contributions to rock and roll and pop music.

Wednesday night a global talent… local artist Deborah Dutcher of Rumson, who is known in London as Christine in “Phantom of the Opera” will perform punk classics like the Ramones’ I Wanna Be Sedated and the Clash’s Lost in the Supermarket “re-imagined” as jazz standards in a show called Punk Standards at the new Asbury Hotel.

The show was conceived by Phil Kuntz, also of Rumson, who is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for Bloomberg News who has also worked for The Wall Street Journal.

Accompanying Dutcher on the piano will be Joe McGinty, an Atlantic City native who know owns the New York piano bar, Sid Gold’s Request Room.

McGinty will follow Dutcher’s performance with live piano karoke.

The show starts at 8pm and is free.  Seating is limited so get there early.

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