Governor Chris Christie told his NJ 101.5 listening audience that the Prince of Wales will keep his clothes on when he visits the Jersey Shore in May.
“I am going to be spending the entire day with Prince Harry,” the governor said, “believe me, no one is going to be getting naked if i am spending the entire day with them. I think I can assure the people of New Jersey that, much to their relief.”
Prince Harry will be visiting the United States May 9-15 to visit survivors of Superstorm Sandy and to promote charities he supports that help injured service men and women in the United States and the UK. In addition to New Jersey, the Prince will visit New York City, Connecticut, Colorado and Washington, DC.
When Harry visited Las Vegas last August, he lost a game of strip billiards. Nude photos of him were leaked to TMZ.
If you missed Christie on Ask the Governor, you can view the show here. The remarks about Harry start at about the 56 minute mark.
This video footage was shot by Captain Vincent Solomeno, NJ National Guard, on October 31, 2013 as he flew in a helicopter over his hometown of Union Beach.
Solomeno said that it took him months to watch the video, after the shock of witnessing the destruction first hand. We are grateful that he shared it with us.
When the waters of Superstorm Sandy receded from Highlands, Leo Cervantes and his staff at Chilango’s recovered the non-spoiled inventory from their destroyed Bay Avenue restaurant and invited the entire town to a free dinner that they prepared and served at Henry Hudson Regional High School which was serving as a shelter for hundreds of residents displaced by the storm.
His business was destroyed, but his home was spared by Sandy. Yet, for weeks after the storm, Cervantes continued to prepare meals for his friends and neighbors in the Henry Hudson shelter.
Leo left the poverty of Neza, a tough town outside of Mexico City in 1989, settling first in Asbury Park with his brother who had come a few years before. He got a job washing dishes at the Cypress Inn in Wanamassa. Before long he was working days for a landscaper and nights at the restaurant.
When the Cypress Inn closed, Leo went to work at The Shadowbrook. Owner Richard Zweben sponsored Leo for his green card.
With $1000 and a note held by the seller, Leo opened Chilango’s Long Branch in 1999. The four table restaurant thrived on take-out sold mostly to fellow hispanics who appreciated the authentic Mexican cuisine…the way real Mexican food should taste.
Three years later, Leo bought a building on Bay Ave in Highlands and open Chilango’s as an authentic Mexican restaurant and Tequila bar. Quickly, Chilango’s became a local and regional favorite. As his business grew, Leo became an important contributing member of the community with his constant support of civic organizations, the Highlands Businss Partnership and he served a term on the Zoning Board.
Now, four months after Sandy hit, Leo’s bank account is about back to where it was when he opened in Long Branch in 1999. He is caught in the red tape of the SBA and his insurance company, both of whom are asking him to resubmit information he’s already submitted multiple times. Windnsea and Shadowbrook have both hosted Chilango’s Nights since the storm which were a help in holding over and raising some money for rebuidling, but not enough. Leo’s spent almost all of his savings on rebuilding, but he’s coming up short.
But he doesn’t want a handout. Leo’s goal is to raise $50,000 by selling gift certificates redeemable for Mexican food the way it should taste when Chilango’s reopens. He can be open in a matter of weeks.
Certificates can be purchased through the link below, and/or stop by the tent Leo will have set up in his parking lot to serve Irish Burritos next Saturday at the Highlands St. Patrick’s Parade.
Your emailed receipt for your “donation” will be your gift certificate. Bring it with you to apply to your check when you dine at the re-opened Chilango’s.
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), who represents areas of Ocean and Monmouth counties hard-hit by Superstorm Sandy, today testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee Energy and Water Development on the impact of Superstorm Sandy disaster relief legislation.
The hearing was held by New Jersey Congressman, Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen, author of the “Frelinghuysen amendment” which provided the necessary funding to rebuild New Jersey and keep our recovery on track. The legislation “is making—and will continue to make—a real difference in the lives of our constituents and communities throughout the Northeast,” Smith told the Committee members.
The legislation brought the total federal appropriations to help Sandy impacted states to $60.4 billion including assistance to back up the National Flood Insurance Program, programs to help the residents whose homes were destroyed or damaged, and help for communities to make a robust and sustainable recovery.
The hearing focused on the Army Corps of Engineers—who received $5.35 billion from the supplemental appropriation—and their plans for Sandy recovery, including the critical beach replenishment projects along the Jersey Shore that helped mitigate the damage in certain areas.
What New Jersey Residents Need To Know About The Christie Administration’s Proposed First Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Action Plan
“This plan puts into motion the specific actions we’ve been designing to get relief out as quickly as possible to our Sandy-impacted homeowners and businesses – to reconstruct, rehabilitate and elevate homes, and to get over hurdles for our small businesses to get up and running again. These programs have been carefully, but quickly designed to fill the unmet needs faced by our residents to rebuild in a safer, more enduring way, to strengthen our impacted local economies going into this summer, and to help preserve the unique character of our shore communities as we’ve known them. With this first round of funding, we will also begin an aggressive marketing effort to let people both in the region and across the country know that New Jersey is rebounding and that the Jersey Shore will be open for business this summer.”
– Governor Chris Christie
The Christie Administration today unveiled its proposed Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Action Plan, which outlines how the State plans to utilize $1,829,520,000 in federal funding. This is the first phase of Community Development Block Grant funds provided to New Jersey by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Additional CDBG recovery funds are expected in the coming months. With this first phase of funding, the Christie Administration is focusing primarily on helping homeowners, renters, businesses and communities impacted by Superstorm Sandy.
Trenton Democrats’ continuing quest to turn Governor Christie’s strongest issue against him suffered a set back yesterday when AshBritt CEO Randall Perkins won over Democratic members of a Joint Legislative Oversight Committee and flummoxed presumed gubernatorial nominee Barbara Buono by calling her on the political motivation of her questioning.
Facing four hours of questioning by the bi-partisan committee chaired by Senator Bob Gordon (D-Bergen), Perkins frequently praised the legislators for exercising their oversight duties, while combatively swatting back Democratic allegations of impropriety disguised as questions.
RedBankGreen is reporting that the Borough of Sea Bright has ended its participation of a federal pilot program set up to get residents displaced by Superstorm Sandy back into their homes quickly, because..surprise surprise, the Sheltering and Temporary Electric and Power (STEP) program was holding residents back.
New April 1 Deadline Allows Additional Time for Residents to Register for FEMA Assistance
Trenton, NJ –The Christie Administration announced today that New Jersey residents impacted by Superstorm Sandy now have until April 1, 2013 to register for individual disaster assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The deadline extension applies for homeowner, renter, and business registration with the Small Business Administration (SBA) for Disaster Loan Assistance, another important step in the disaster relief process to ensure survivors obtain all relief they are eligible for.
“This 30-day extension will help us ensure that anyone who has been affected by Sandy gets the help they need and deserve,” said Governor Christie. “It’s vitally important for people to know that the process of receiving any type of federal disaster assistance – including future grant assistance for homeowners and businesses – begins with registering as a disaster survivor with FEMA and working with a coordinator to determine eligibility for relief. I encourage those who have not yet registered with FEMA and SBA to do so now to get the relief they are entitled to and to ensure their eligibility for any future relief we can offer.”
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), who represents areas of Ocean and Monmouth counties hard-hit by Superstorm Sandy, today testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee Energy and Water Development on the impact of Superstorm Sandy disaster relief legislation.