Report: Shooting Mars 4th of July Celebration in Asbury Park

UPDATED

A 16-year-old juvenile is in custody following a shots fired incident on the boardwalk in Asbury Park last night leaving two people injured. The shooting occurred about 9:58 p.m. on the Asbury Park boardwalk in the area of 1st and Ocean avenues.https://t.co/anGYNbUWdF

— Monmouth Prosecutor (@MonCoProsecutor) July 5, 2019

A shooting that resulted in at least one injury occurred after the fireworks in Asbury Park on Thursday night, according to a report at AsburyParkSun.com

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Scotch Plains Man Arrested For Pepper Spray Attack in Asbury Park

photo via Joe Grillo’s facebook page

Morris May White, 22, of Scotch Plains, was arrested in Asbury Park on Sunday evening and charged with aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a weapon after he pepper sprayed a transgender woman who was participating in a sign making event in preparation for Monday’s Stand Against Hate rally in the city, according to The Asbury Park Sun.

White’s arrest in not being treated as a hate crime, according to the report.

Giuseppe “Joe” Grillo, as Asbury Park Board of Education member and one of the organizers of the anti-hate rally characterized the incident as a “hate assault” on facebook. Read the rest of this entry »

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Layoffs At Asbury Park Press

Nudniks Tout $1500 Prize, Don’t Report Layoffs

No news. Empty newsstands stored in the Asbury Park Press’s empty parking lot in Neptune. July, 12 2013

Between 13 and 40 people were laid-off at the Asbury Park Press last week, as part of a nationwide RIF in parent company Gannett’s newspaper division.

Gannett, a publically traded company, is not saying how many employees they have cut loose. The Gannet Blog, which first reported the story which was picked up by the Associated Press, estimates that 200 newspaper employees have been let go from the Asbury Park Press, The Burlington Free Press in Vermont, The Arizona Republic in Phoenix and The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky.

The Asbury Park Sun was the first New Jersey news outlet to report the story.

The Asbury Park Press Neptune Nudniks have yet to find the story newsworthy, preferring instead to report how they won a $1500 prize from the Associated Press Media Editors for their Superstom Sandy coverage.

“We are honored by the great recognition the journalism community has given to the entire staff of the Asbury Park Press and APP.com for their unflagging
dedication during such a terrible storm, which affected each of us in some way,” said Hollis R. Towns, executive editor/vice president for news at the Press.
“Our team worked tirelessly before, during and after the storm to ensure the community received the most accurate, useful information as quickly as
possible.”

In the same article, the Nudniks touted a prize they received yesterday from the National Association of Black Journalists for their “Gripped by Violence” report on shootings in Asbury Park.

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Disputed Asbury Park Election Ballots Will Not Be Opened

By Asbury Park Sun

A Monmouth County Superior Court judge has ruled that 252 rejected vote by mail [VBM] ballots in the Asbury Park city council election should not be opened.

The number of ballots at issue were enough to change the election results.

Daniel Harris III, an unsuccessful candidate on the A-Team slate, filed the legal challenge to the May 14 election. His A-Team running mates Jim Keady and Duanne Small were 178 votes away from unseating Mayor Myra Campbell and Deputy Mayor Susan Henderson, the two lowest vote-getters who won seats on the five-member city council.

Harris’s attorney, Kristie Howard of Montclair, said Harris will appeal the decision.

“Definitely. Immediately,” she said.

The 252 ballots subject to the ruling today by Judge Dennis O’Brien were disqualified by the Monmouth County Board of Elections. The board had ruled that handwriting on the applications for the ballots indicated other individuals provided assistance to the voter in filling out the applications.

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Trial Date Set For Asbury Park Ballot Controversy

Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Dennis R. O’Brien has set a trial date of July 16 to determine if the Asbury Park municipal election ballots disqualified by the Monmouth County Board of Elections will be counted, according to a report in AsburyParkSun.

Daniel Harris, a candidate on the United Asbury ticket sued to have 332 vote by mail ballots and 32 provisional ballots that were disqualified for faulty signatures or missing witness/messenger affidavits  counted in the final tally of the election that occurred on May 14.  If the suit is successful, it is possible that members of the new council that was sworn in yesterday could be removed from office and replaced by Harris and/or other members of his ticket.  Two members of the United Asbury ticket, James Keady and Duanne Small, are within 178 votes of unseating Mayor Myra Campbell and Deputy Mayor Susan Henderson.  A pick up of 192 votes would also put Harris on the council and give United Asbury majority control of the council.

O’Brien ordered that the parties exchange the information that the need from each other by the end of the day today and raised the possibility that all 300-odd people who cast disallowed ballots could be called to testify.

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Fish Tales

photo by Tom Roston, Jr via NJ.com

The Asbury Park Sun is reporting that the Coast Guard warning of sharks close to the shore in Belmar, Spring Lake/Sea Girt and the Manasquan Inlet is a hoax.

Personnel at Sector Delaware Bay of the U.S. Coast Guard — which has jurisdiction up to the Manasquan Inlet Coast Guard station — confirmed the Coast Guard did not issue the statement.

The false statement described encounters with sharks by a female kayaker, two fishermen and a male paddle boarder. It also states that the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation, which does exist in California, said one shark was a Great White.

Meanwhile, 30 miles off shore, the sharks are jumping into boats. Well, at least one 300 pound Mako did, according to a report on NJ.com.

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French Steps In To Prevent Voter Fraud In Asbury Park Elections

After noticing a unusual spike in the request for messenger ballots in the upcoming municipal election in Asbury Park, Monmouth County Clerk M. Claire French instituted a requirement that all messengers sign an affidavit certifying that they have met with voters they are assisting;  they are related to the voters or are themselves registered voters in Monmouth County; they will not act as messenger for more than 10 voters; they will deliver the ballots directly to the voters and not to any other individuals; and they are not candidates in the election.

Messengers also certify that they are aware that violating the Voting by Mail statute, which governs messenger ballots, is a crime in the third degree, according to a story first reported by Asbury Park Sun.

Since French started requiring the affidavits on April 17, only 5 of 42 messengers have submitted the paperwork and “almost no new messengers” have requested ballots.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office will investigate messengers who do not return the required affidavits.

Asbury Park elects their entire governing body every four years in non-partisan elections. There are 22 candidates competing for 5 seats on the council in the election scheduled to take place on May 14.

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HBO in talks to bring ‘Boardwalk Empire’ to Asbury Park

Cable network HBO is in talks with to bring their hit series Boardwalk Empire to Asbury Park according to a report on AsburyParkSun.

HBO may shoot its popular drama “Boardwalk Empire” in Asbury Park in the future.

The cable network is in talks with the city and boardwalk redeveloper Madison Marquette to possibly bring the show here, said Madison Marquette’s senior vice president, Anselm Fusco, today.

“We are in conversations with HBO and the city,” Fusco said. “It would be really great. We think it would be fantastic if we could figure it out.”

The show stars Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, an Atlantic City gangster. Martin Scorsese is the executive producer. Filming of its fourth season has reportedly begun.

The show, inspired by the true story of Atlantic City corruption during prohibition written by Superior Court Judge Nelson Johnson seated in Atlantic County, was primary shot in New York City during its first three seasons.

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Open Letter to Monmouth Freeholders: You don’t need a park in Asbury

By Tommy De Seno, Asbury Park Historian, proud Blue Bishop and contributor to More Monmouth Musings

[PRELIMINARY NOTE TO FREEHOLDERS:  I KNOW YOU ARE BUSY.  IF YOU CAN’T READ ALL OF THIS ABOUT WHY YOU SHOULDN’T BUY A PARK IN ASBURY, SKIP TO REASON #6 BELOW.  BUT I HOPE YOU WILL TAKE THE TIME TO READ THE WHOLE LETTER]

Asbury Park is everyone’s business.  Why?  The rest of the taxpayers in the State of New Jersey spend $60 million annually on the schools.   Even though the High School graduates only about 95 students, they just installed an $800,000.00 turf football field.  Go Blue Bishops.

The City turns to the State of New Jersey annually for $10-12 million to close their budget gap.

So yes –  the business of Asbury Park is everyone’s business.  We should all closely monitor their elections, but since they hold non-partisan elections in May they get ignored.  

Now I’m not here to beat up the City by the Sea, the Urban Sand, my beloved childhood home of Asbury Park.   If anyone cares to know I’ll gladly regale you with lectures on how Asbury Park got to be where it is (it isn’t just their fault) and how they should get to where they need to go.

But blog space compels me to limit my words to one issue at a time, and that issue right now has to do with the Monmouth County Parks Commission possibly purchasing a piece of land on Asbury Park’s beachfront.

Whatever you do, my dear Freeholders, don’t buy it.

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Asbury Park Mayor Ed Johnson will not seek a new term

Asbury Park Mayor Ed Johnson announced that he will not seek a second four year term next May, according to the Asbury Park Sun.

In a letter posted on his website, Johnson thanked Asbury Park residents for the opportunity of serving for the last 13 years as city’s Urban Enterprise Zone, councilman and mayor.

Asbury Park elects all five members of its governing body every four years in non-partisan elections that take place in May.  The city has a referendum to study a change in its form of government on the ballot this November.

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