Robber who targeted women, used pepper spray back in Monmouth?

COLTS NECK — A woman suffered a bizarre pepper-spray attack Tuesday night that is similar to other incidents reported in Freehold and Colts Neck last year, Colts Neck police said. RELATED:Robber in Monmouth uses pepper spray against female victims The victim was driving around midnight near Five Points and Stone Hill roads when another motorist flashed… Read the rest of this entry »

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Rejected by voters twice, Freehold Boro Board of Ed moves to borrow $33 million for school construction

Superintendent of Schools: Referendum would have passed if illegals could vote

Residents are asked to comment after voting twice

By Caitlin Brown, Contributor

Despite two rejections by voters, the Freehold Borough School District has decided to move forward with plans to force taxpayers to borrow $33 million for the financing of state of the art construction and renovation to the district’s current schools, in order to cope with the influx of undocumented residents to the borough and the subsequent overcrowding of 500 additional students to the school district.

The Board of Education has decided to appeal to the New Jersey Comissioner of Education for the appropriation and authorization of the school bonds, but are required by State Department of Education guidelines to provide a public comment period for residents, open until June 8.

The referendum in dispute was first rejected in September and again in December, by residents who balked at the bond referendum’s total cost of $32,902,400. The proposal calls for bonds of $22,091,500 for the construction of additions to the Park Avenue Elementary and Intermediate School, including: an additional cafeteria; an additional gymnasium; four new classrooms; an additional girls’ locker room; renovations to five existing classrooms; renovations to one of the two boys’ locker rooms; and a new library/media room, as a result of the existing library having been converted due to lack of space elsewhere into cubicles for special needs and ESL learning, according to the district’s superintendent, Rocco Tomazic. A total of $10,633,300 is also being sought for the building of 13 pre-K and kindergarten classrooms at the Freehold Learning Center, as well as renovations to the cafeteria and a new kitchen receiving area, according to the district’s referendum schematic plans.

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Museums join to present unique Open Hearth Open House afternoon

FREEHOLD – The Monmouth County Historical Association and the Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County will present a unique colonial Sephardic Jewish cooking demonstration, “Open Hearth Open House” Sunday, April 12 at the Covenhoven House, 150 West Main St.

This will be the first time the two museums have combined their histories in a single demonstration and are presenting the program operating in part under a grand received by the Historical Association from the NJ Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.

Sephardic Jews, as defined for this Open Hearth demonstration, are Jews of Spanish or Portuguese ancestry who came to the New World after the Spanish Inquisition in the 15^th century. Although not many of these Jews settled in Monmouth County before the 19^th century, their existence here has been documented as early as 1716 when the Gomez family,  a family of Jewish traveling merchants, were here at least for a brief period of time. Their existence has been documented in both court and deed records.

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Christie to host town hall in Monmouth County next week

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Youth Detention Guard, his wife and one other busted in Workers Comp scheme

Donna Marter. Photo via facebook

Ricky Marter, 51, his wife Donna Marter, 48, both of Tennent Road in Manalapan and Christine Bradach, 45, of  Freehold Township, were arrested this week following their indictments on Monday on insurance fraud charges, according to a statement issued by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Ricky Marter was employed by the County of Monmouth as a supervising detention officer at the Monmouth County Youth Detention Center (YDC) in January 2010 when he claims to have slipped on water on the floor of the detention center – hitting his head and elbow as he fell. As a result of the slip-and-fall, Ricky Marter filed for workers’ compensation benefits and subsequently filed for an accidental disability pension with the State of New Jersey, claiming permanent and total disability as a result of his fall.

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11-year-old Freehold girl with cancer gets her wish to meet Pope Francis

Grace West (center) poses with her family at the Vatican in Rome where she received a blessing from Pope Francis on Wednesday in her fight against neuroblastoma. (Facebook)

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP —In her brave fight against cancer, 11-year-old Grace West holds tightly to the belief that keeping a positive attitude is key to staying strong physically and emotionally. The fifth grader, who has endured seven rounds of chemotherapy in the past year, received a new source of strength on Wednesday through a blessing by Pope… Read the rest of this entry »

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Two School Construction Referendums Fail, One Passes

Voters in the Freehold Borough, Ocean Township and West Long Branch School Districts went to the polls yesterday to decide the fate of school construction bonding proposals.

In Freehold, 611 voters, 11% of those registered rejected borrowing $33 million for school construction by 241 to 370.  An identical referendum was defeated by Borough voters on September 30 by 273 to 374.   There are 1644 students residing in the district.   The average property tax bill in Freehold Borough would have increased by $278 per year had the measure passed.

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Freehold Borough School Referendum December 9th

By Gianna Dell’Omo

Whether the Borough’s residents voted for or against the Board’s referendum, no one can deny that the overcrowding has been and remains an issue which requires  an acceptable solution.  The conflict arises as to whether the solution  should cost the Freehold Borough taxpayers close to $33 million.

A recent newspaper article read that 36 Borough pupils have been honored for earning a perfect score of 300 on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge testing.  Despite the lack of proper classroom space, the teachers and students have managed to overcome and excel, which should be commended.  The dedication of the staff and the willingness of the students to learn is,  in fact,  the true essence of an education.  No matter where the lesson is held, whether in a classroom, a gymnasium, in the corridor or under a tree in the courtyard, the core of education is in the connection made between the teacher and his pupil, not the venue.

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Monmouth County Acts To Increase Kozloski Road Safety

In the wake of two traffic accidents in two months which resulted four deaths, Monmouth County officials took action yesterday to improve the safety of Kozloski Road (County Road 55) in Freehold Township.

Traffic safety crews placed four variable message boards along the road between Route 33 Bypass and Burlington and Burlington Road.

“The sign boards have been put in place to remind motorists to slow down and obey the speed limit,” Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone said. “Drivers need to abide to the posted 50 mph speed limit on Kozloski Road.”

The two car crash on Saturday which resulted in the death of a 7 year old Howell boy is still under investigation.  On August 19 there was a three car accident that resulted in three fatalities.

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Victims of Triple Fatal Freehold Crash Identified

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office has identified the three people who died yesterday afternoon in the three vehicle crash on Kozloski Road in Freehold Township. A fourth victim who has not been identified remains in extremely critical condition at a local hospital.

Nicholas J. Dever, 19, of Freehold Borough, was at the wheel of a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta travelling south on Kozloski Road when he lost control of the vehicle before crossing over the centerline of the roadway and into the oncoming northbound travel lanes.

The Volkswagen collided offset head-on with the 2006 Honda Pilot driven by Thomas J. Koller, 50, of Freehold Township, who was traveling in the northbound lanes. As a result of the impact, both vehicles rotated counterclockwise and the Honda lifted and became partially airborne before it collided with the 1994 Toyota Camry driven by a 25-year-old Freehold Borough man. He remains in extremely critical condition at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune Township.

The passenger in the Volkswagen is identified as Noelle DeLuccio, 20, of Howell. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Assistant Middlesex County Medical Examiner Dr. Diane Karluk.

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