The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders believes it is imperative to get the word out in an effort to raise awareness on two critical issues we face right here in our county.
First is the growing problem of pediatric cancer. Because of this rising epidemic, Freeholder Serena DiMaso along with the support of The Board of Chosen Freeholders, Sheriff Shaun Golden and families of pediatric cancer victims in Monmouth County joined together at the last Freeholder’s meeting to proclaim September “Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month.” Moreover, Monmouth County has the third highest rate of cancer in the state, and it is time to figure out why. The month of September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, which was created to bring attention to the caregivers, charities and groups, who spotlight the importance of the need for research and awareness to aid in finding cures for pediatric cancer. As part of Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders as well as the communities within will “go gold”, placing gold ribbons and wearing gold clothing to recognize the need for more research in the area of pediatric oncology. We must do everything we can to promote the awareness and research of this disease that is taking the lives of our children. Our hearts go out to the families affected by cancer, and we sincerely hope that by declaring September as “Go Gold Month”, we can start to raise awareness right here in Monmouth. County.
Former Governor Jon Corzine will not face criminal charges for his role in the collapse of MF Global, the investment firm he led after leaving office in New Jersey, according to a report in the New York Post.
“After 18 months of investigation, the criminal probe into Jon Corzine is now being dropped,” a person with knowledge of the probe told The Post.
“There is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing,” this person said.
The Justice Department’s decision to drop the case is sure to come as a relief to Corzine, who has been widely blamed for MFG’s bankruptcy — as well as the misuse of some $1.6 billion in customers’ funds.
Last week, Corzine was hit with civil charges by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission in connection with the illegal tapping of the funds, which were improperly co-mingled with the MFG’s house money in the firm’s final days.
Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Cory Booker has not released his tax returns, despite a promise to do so, according to the New York Post.
“We will release his tax returns,” vowed Booker campaign spokesman Kevin Griffis more than two weeks ago, yesterday claiming Booker “will continue to raise the bar on transparency — both in this election, and if elected, in the US Senate.”
GOP nominee Steve Lonegan provided three years of returns exclusively to The Post. The paper said that Lonegan earned $515,280 in 2012, mostly from property sales, and paid nearly $100,000 in federal taxes.
Lonegan said Booker is refusing to release his returns because he used his office, Newark Mayor, to accumulate personal wealth.
“It’s indicative of the fact that he’s got something to hide,” Lonegan told The Post. “It’s clear to me that Booker leveraged the office of mayor . . . to gain wealth.”
The Post has previously reported that Booker received an undisclosed amount in an equity payout from the law firm he was a partner in before being elected mayor. The payout was made from 2007 through 2011. During that time the firm, Trenk DiPasquale, collected more than $2 million in fees from local agencies that Booker has direct influence over.
The New York Times reported in May that Booker has earned $1.3 million in speaking fees since becoming mayor and that his Newark home is assessed at $406,000. He earns a salary of $174,496 as mayor.
There were three shootings in Asbury Park this afternoon, according to a report at NJ.com.
The shooting happened around noon on Mattison Avenue, near Langford Street, Detective Lt. David DeSane said. As of around 2 p.m., DeSane said he did not know the extent of the injuries.
Two people in the area, who asked not to be identified, said they heard four or five shots, but did not know what happened.
AsburyParkSun photo
In the triCityNews last week, publisher Dan Jacobson said there have been four fatal shootings in the city, population 16,132, so far this year.
In their award winning series, Gripped by violence, published last October, four days before Superstorm Sandy, the Asbury Park Press said there had been an average of one shooting per week in Asbury Park through October 25, 2012 and that the city was second only to Camden in terms of violent crimes in New Jersey. That’s right, Asbury Park is more dangerous than Newark, Trenton and Jersey City, where there were also three shootings today.
Thursday is the 50th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr’s March on Washington and his landmark “I have a dream” speech. Yesterday, thousands of people descended to Washington to commemorate the historic event and celebrate the progress we have made toward racial equality.
Tomorrow is the 42nd annual Women’s Equality Day, a designation created by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1971 at the behest of Congresswoman Bella Abzug of New York to commemorate the ratification of the 19th amendment which gave women the right to vote. The 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920.
GoTopless.org seeks to make a woman’s right to go topless part of the American Dream. Since 2007, when their spiritual leader Rael founded the organization, GoTopless has held an International GoTopless Day on the Sunday closest to August 26. That’s today this year. GoTopless is holding rallies in 51 cities around the world. In many of those cities, and in most states in the United States, going topless is already legal, according to the organization’s own map.
Today in New York City, where the right to go topless was degreed by a Court decision in 1996 and reaffirmed in 2007 when Phoenix Feeley won a $29,000 Judgment against the City for her wrongful 2005 arrest for going topless, Go Topless advocates are marching from Bryant Park to Times Square and back. Street vendors should stock up on sunscreen and hydrocortisone.
Here in New Jersey, Feeley’s recent efforts fell, umm, flat. She got herself arrested for going topless, twice in the same day, in Spring Lake in 2008, fought her conviction of violating Spring Lake’s anti-nudity ordinance up to the NJ Supreme Court and lost. Rather than pay her $816 fine, Feeley went to Monmouth County Jail and staged a hunger strike. A GoTopless organized protest drew two fully clothed women. Feeley was released early and healthy.
At the March on Washington celebration yesterday, women kept their tops on.
GOP U.S. Senate nominee Steve Lonegan went toe to toe on UP with Steve Kornacki this morning and drew a clear contrast between himself and Democratic nominee Cory Booker.
Jennifer Mocanu, 23, of the Belford section of Middletown, departs for Germany on Sunday to embark on her new career as a professional basketball player. She is slated to be the starting shooting guard of TSV Krofdorf-Gleiberg of the FIBA when their season starts next weekend.
A 2008 graduate of Middletown High School North where she was a 4 year letter winner, senior MVP and leading scorer, Mocanu’s hoops magic continued in college where she was an NCAA Division 3 star at the College of Mount. St. Vincent in Riverdale, NY for two seasons and two seasons with Mount St. Mary College Knights in Newburgh, NY. She led the Knights to two NCAA Division 3 tournament appearances.
In her senior year at Mount Saint Mary’s, Jen led her team to the regular season championship and was named Player of the Year of the Skyline Conference where she was the league’s top scorer. She scored 1501 points in her collegiate career.
After graduation with a degree in Psychology, Mocanu enrolled at Monmouth University to pursue a Masters in Sociology. But she soon realized that sociology wasn’t what she thought it was, more importantly, that she wasn’t done with basketball.
Rebuffed by a players’ agent because she hadn’t played competitively in over six months, Jen was undeterred. She enrolled in a FIBA professional scouting tournament in Germany last spring where she was offered a one year contract by Coach Viktor Kramer on the second day of the three day tournament.
Contract in hand, Mocanu returned to New Jersey for the summer where she kept in shape working out at the Community YMCA and working as a bartender at Chilangos in Highlands.
The owners of Tiffany’s Restaurant in Toms River have agreed to sell the establishment’s liquor license rather than contest charges by the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control that their bartenders served drinks to visibly intoxicated patrons on three separate occasions, ABC Director Michael Halfacre announced today.
On two of those occasions, two female Tiffany’s patrons were killed in separate drunk driving crashes. In the third, an intoxicated male motorcyclist was injured in a crash.
Bruno D’Uva Sr. and Bruno D’Uva Jr., both of whom own 30 percent of the license, and Lisa Barna, who owns 40 percent, must sell their interests in the license by July 24, 2015 and pay a fine of $200,000. ABC laws prohibit licensed establishments from selling alcoholic beverages to any patrons actually or visibly intoxicated.
Tiffany’s has four other locations in New Jersey, Peaquanock, Pine Brook, Morris Plains and Union. The liquor licenses at those locations are not impacted by this settlement.
Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Roslyn will be part of the crew of volunteers fixing up 13 homes and building two new ones in Union Beach on October 12, according to a story first reported on Holmdel-Hazlet Patch.
“We’re ecstatic the Carters are coming,” said Ray Gabler, the director of operations for Habit for Humanity Monmouth County, based in Long Branch. “This is bringing attention to Sandy victims of low and moderate income all along the Jersey shore. We’re really excited.”
The goal is to repair 13 homes and construct two new ones in the Raritan Bay borough of Union Beach, where 270 homes have been demolished since Sandy. The small town was battered by winds and swamped by surging tidal water in the Oct. 29 storm.
Habitat for Humanity has identified the homes destined for repair, and is finalizing plans with two families for new construction. The new homes are being made possible by funding from the Carter’s organization, and Wells Fargo, said Gabler.
Union Beach Mayor Paul J. Smith has been keeping the news close to his vest for months, he said, and Secret Service officers have already visited. Smith said he is thrilled to welcome Jimmy Carter, 88, and Rosalynn Carter, 86. “I think it’s a big boost,” he said. “We still have some people hurting, but we have had so many beautiful volunteers come forward.”
In addition to Union Beach, Habitat for Humanity is also helping residents of Keansburg, Port Monmouth, Belford, Highlands, Atlantic Highlands and Sea Bright rebuild their Superstorm Sandy ravaged homes. The organization is accepting applications from both homeowners needing help and volunteers at their website.
Volunteers can contact the Laura Lella-Smith, the Development Coordinator for Habitat for Humanity in Monmouth County at [email protected] or call the office at (732) 728-0441.
Highlands, NJ- A home that had been damaged in Superstorm Sandy collapsed while being lifted above the floodplain this morning, destroying an adjoining home in the process. No one was injured. Both homes will be torn down this afternoon.
Borough Engineer Dale Leubner said that the cribbing, the wood palates piled to hold the structure while lifting takes place, apparently failed on one corner of the home, causing the collapse.
No one was home in either property. Leubner said that residents of the neighborhood were evacuated. Fire Departments from Asbury Park, Middletown and Naval Weapons Station Earle were on hand to assist the Highlands Volunteer Fire Department in preventing further property damage or injury. Utility workers from JCP&L and New Jersey Natural Gas were on hand to shut off the utilities in preparation of the demolitions.
Steven Hasenfus, President of Hasenfus Construction, the company hired to lift the Locust Ave home said, “It was an accident.” Hasenfus declined to comment further. Hasenfus Construction has offices in Long Branch and in Plymouth, MA. Hasenfus’s LinkedIn profile says he’s from the Great Boston area.
Mayor Nolan thanked the Highlands first responders, and those from the neighboring communities who arrived to assist and urged homeowners who are rebuilding and raising their home to be careful. “Thank God no one was hurt. This should be a cautionary tale for homeowners to be sure they hire qualified contractors and that those contractors have adequate insurance.”
Patricia Parker, President of the Highlands Fire Department’s Ladies Auxilary, said that homeowners who are lifting their homes should be sure to remove all valuable possession and important papers.
The owner of the home that collapsed is traveling out of state. Friends and family are on the scene waiting to recover whatever possession are in the home after it is demolished.
The adjoining home has been abandoned since Hurricane Irene devastated the borough in 2011.
