Dr. Salomon Melgen, left and Senator Robert Menendez
CNN is reporting that outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder has signed off on prosecutor’s plans to proceed with criminal corruption charges against New Jersey’s senior U.S. Senator, Bob Menendez.
The fact that Menendez has been the most outspoken Democratic opponent of the Obama Administration’s policies regarding Iran and Cuba is just a coincidence.
The Justice Department is said to believe that Menendez improperly pressured Medicare administrators to back off on his friend and benefactor, Dr. Salomon Melgen, a Miami ophthalmologist accused of over billing the heath care program. Additionally, Menendez has been accused of using his position the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to improperly advocate for a Melgen owned security company doing business in the Dominican Republican.
NJ Democratic State Committee Chairman John Currie, right and Vice Chair Lizette Delgado-Palanco
The New Jersey Democratic State Committee and five Belmar residents have filed suit in Monmouth County Superior Court alleging that the Republican candidates for Mayor and Council in last year’s municipal election, as well as four of their supporters, also Belmar residents, participated in a voter suppression scheme designed to disenfranchise vote by mail voters who delivered their ballots to Freehold via messenger.
The suit, filed as amended on February 3, also alleges that Monmouth County Superintendent of Elections Hedra Siskel instructed and/or advised two of the Belmar defendants, Joy and Carmine DeSanctis to alter, amend or modify their sworn affidavits challenging the mail in ballots. Siskel is not a defendant in the suit.
The Christie Administration has not settled or proposed settling the $8.9 billion lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corp for only $250 million dollars, as was first reported by The New York Times last week.
According to a high ranking government official who is not authorized to speak for Christie or the Attorney General’s office, under the terms of the proposed settlement which has yet to be approved by Superior Court Judge Michael J. Hogan (Burlington County), Exxon Mobil would be responsible for the cost of clean up and remediation of the Bayway in Bayonne and Linden, in addition to the $250 million which is to compensate New Jersey for the loss of use of the contaminated real estate and marsh lands.
The legislators of the 11th and 13th districts have jointly written the Acting Commissioner of the NJ Department of Human Services requesting that the facilities designated to quarantine travelers from Western Africa arriving at Newark-Liberty Airport for 21 days to ensure that they have not contracted the Ebola virus be closed when the agency’s current agreement with the Fort Monmouth Redevelopment Authority expires on June 30th.
The letter, dated March 1 and signed by Senators Joe Kyrillos (R-13) and Jennifer Beck (R-11) as well as Assembly members Declan O’Scanlon (R-13), Amy Handlin (R-11), Caroline Casagrande (R-11) and Mary Pat Angelini (R-11) reiterates the law makers’ concerns expressed in a Februay 3 letter to Commissioner Jennifer Velez, Esq. regarding the lack of notice to the public and elected officials regarding the designation of the facility and the negative impact the facility could have on the marketing of Fort Monmouth properties.
Monmouth County will have a new 250 acre park in Aberdeen and Marlboro Townships, despite the fact that Port Authority of NY/NJ backed out of a commitment to fund $5 million to purchase 87.8 acres of the open space from a developer who had approvals to build 250 homes on the property.
Today, the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders approved funding the entire $10.6 million land purchase from Aberdeen/Wilson Associates, LLC through the County’s Open Space Trust Fund.
“The Port Authority appears to be unwilling to honor its commitment of sharing to fund a project that will preserve significant portions of the Matawan Creek watershed and eventually provide a 250-acre park,” said Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the County Park System. “The Port Authority’s offer to help move this deal forward appears to have been withdrawn. Fortunately, Monmouth County has an invaluable Open Space Trust Fund to finance the entire purchase.”
State Senator Joe Kyrillos praised the Freeholder Board, the NY/NJ Baykeeper and Aberdeen Township for making the park a reality and slammed Port Authority for backing out of the deal.
Faced with an unexpected Court Order yesterday requiring a pension payment of $1.57 billion by the end of June and with a national media glare upon him, Governor Chris Christie will deliver his Annual Budget Address to a joint session of the New Jersey Legislature this afternoon at 2 p.m.
You can watch the address here live, courtesy of NJTV and Youtube:
Monmouth County Clerk M. Clair French address the Monmouth GOP convention. Chairman Shaun Golden in background. photo by Art Gallagher
An impressive crowd of over 400 Monmouth Republican County Committee members gathered on Saturday morning to nominate their candidates for State Assembly, County Clerk and Freeholder. The size of the crowd was impressive not only because of the weather but because the results of the convention were a foregone conclusion as there were no challengers to the incumbent Assembly Members, Freeholder or Governor Chris Christie’s nominee for County Clerk.
Free of any competitive tensions, the mood at Colts Neck High School was upbeat, friendly and proud among the grassroots leaders who came out for Chairman Shaun Golden first nominating convention. Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso noted both the size and enthusiasm of the crowd. “This crowd is almost as large as last year’s convention when we had a competition for the freeholder nominations,” DiMaso said, “We’re in really great shape and that is a testament to Shaun’s leadership.”
Says she will introduce legislation bringing New Jersey’s treatment of antique guns in line with federal standards
Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande
Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande (R-Monmouth) said yesterday that the charges gun charges against a 72 retired teacher for transporting a 300 year old antique flintlock pistol are “ludicrous” and that the Cumberland County Prosecutor should dismiss the case.
Gordon Van Gilder, who taught in Millville for 34 years, faces 10 years in prison and the loss of his pension after a traffic stop last November during which he disclosed to the Cumberland Sheriff’s Officer who stopped him that he had the antique gun, unloaded , in his car. Van Gilder’s attorney, Evan Nappen, said that his client was carrying a collectible and is being charged as if he was carrying a loaded .44 magnum.
Anthony Tassello, the 55 year old Middletown man reported missing by his family on Monday, was been located alive and well in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida this morning, according to Charles Webster, spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
The Proscecutor’s Office and the Middletown Police Department cancelled a press conference schedule for 11 a.m. this morning on the Tassello matter upon his location. Detectives with the Middletown PD told MMM that the case is still being investigated and that more information will be forthcoming, perhaps this afternoon.
Tassello’s car was one of five burned in a suspicious fire at Tom’s Ford’s Keyport parking lot on Tuesday morning.
According to his facebook page, Tassello has been employed by Trap Rock Industries, a Princeton, NJ asphalt company owned by the Stavola family, since 1984. Employees at Trap Rock declined to give any information about Tassello.
Ocean Township- A four year old child who was left in a running car with his two year old sister climbed into the driver’s seat and put the car in reverse yesterday morning, causing the vehicle to back across a Rustic Drive parking lot before being stopped by a brick stairwell, according to a statement issued by the Ocean Township Police Department. Neither child was hurt and there were no injuries reported.
The children’s father, Travaris S. Reevey, 41 of Ocean, was arrested on the scene by Officer Alisa Martinez and Detective Michael Melody. Reevey was charged with child endangerment. During his arrest it was discovered that he was wanted on a Contempt of Court Warrant in Asbury Park.
