Giving—Help Yourself and Others this Holiday Season

By Greg Kelly

Want a good reason to make a charitable donation this holiday season? It’s makes for better health—for you. New research by a University at Albany-SUNY economics professor finds that donors have “a lower probability of suffering health-related problems including high blood pressure, cancer, heart attack, and obesity.”

While Professor Baris Yoruk focused more on the receiving of tax deductions for charitable (an important consideration), he also maintains that “donating to charity may actually improve a giver’s physical and emotional wellbeing.” So why not make yourself and others well this holiday season.

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Are All 3 Seats in LD 13 at play? Handlin and O’Scanlon appear to be headed to a primary

All three seats in the 13th legislative district appear to be up for grabs next year.

If published reports are to believed, Assembly Members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon are heading for a primary in June for the GOP nomination to succeed Senator Joe Kyrillos in the New Jersey Senate.

If both Handlin and O’Scanlon compete on the June ballot, rather than letting the County Committee members choose a nominee at a convention, both Assembly seats will be vacant.

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Family of missing teen organizing search of Jersey Shore towns Saturday

BELMAR — Family members of the missing 19-year-old Neptune City woman missing nearly a week since her car was found unoccupied on a Belmar bridge are organizing a search party for Saturday in coastal towns in Monmouth County. Sarah Stern’s car was discovered unoccupied on Saturday on the Route 35 bridge not far from her home.… Read the rest of this entry »

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US Lawmakers, Chinese Dissidents Ask Trump to Pressure Beijing on Rights

Some U.S. lawmakers are urging President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration to recalibrate U.S.-China relations with a harder line on human rights. “It is increasingly clear that there is direct link between China’s domestic human-rights problems and the security and prosperity of the United States,” Congressman Chris Smith said at a hearing of the Congressional-Executive… Read the rest of this entry »

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Shared Patrol Model: The sweet spot for reducing property taxes and saving police officers jobs

By Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon

The concept of municipal consolidation/shared services is referred to by some as the panacea for high property taxes.  Others claim that consolidation/shared services is a pipe dream and not worth pursuing because no single service will solve our property tax problem.  Both sides of this argument are wrong.  No one act or reform will slash our taxes – short of major increases in other taxes.  To argue that we shouldn’t pursue such reforms because they won’t save “enough” is to argue against doing anything to cut costs.  On the contrary, the answer is we must do EVERYTHING.

Merging of municipalities is a heavy lift. People have nostalgic attachments to their town names and pride in their community identity. And if things don’t go as well as planned, there’s no going back.  That leaves shared services  as the sweet spot – much easier to attain than wholesale municipal mergers and can generate 60 to 80% of the savings.

We must then hone in on the areas where we can get the greatest amount of savings.  Things like public works and administration sound like good targets but those areas have already, frequently, been cut to the bone.  One area in many municipalities that is ripe for restructuring: police.

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Golden honors veterans at Pearl Harbor ceremony

FREEHOLD — More than 100 people, including law enforcement officials and members of the armed forces throughout Monmouth County, on Wednesday joined state and local leaders for a ceremony honoring the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Patriot’s Pride ceremony was hosted by Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden, and included Lt. Gov. Kim… Read the rest of this entry »

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Search for Sarah Stern Continues

Monmouth County and New Jersey authorities are continuing their massive search for Sarah Stern, the 19 year old Neptune City resident whose  her abandoned vehicle was discovered in the shoulder of the southbound lanes of the Route 35 Bridge in Belmar, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

“We are asking everyone to keep an eye out for this young woman, and report any possible sightings as soon as possible,” Gramiccioni said.

Stern, 19, was last seen at her Neptune City residence on the afternoon of Dec. 2, 2016, and a few hours later her 1994 silver four-door Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight was found abandoned on the crest of the bridge by a passerby who reported the car to a Neptune Township police officer. The abandoned car was operational and the keys were found in the vehicle. There were no persons in the area and the vehicle was subsequently towed from the road by the Neptune Township Police Department.

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, December 9-11, 2016

By Greg Kelly

Courtesy of Teddy Bears by the Shore

Friday, December 9

• “I Do Love the Holidays (Sometimes)” at Center Playhouse (Freehold) – MORE INFO
• CODA’s The Nutcracker at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• Winter Solstice: Artisan Crafts Holiday Market (Belmar) – MORE INFO
• “The Search for Christmas” by Lighthouse Productions (Monmouth Beach) – MORE INFO
• Scrooge at Spring Lake Theatre – MORE INFO
• Winter Wonders Exhibition at Monmouth Museum (Lincroft) – MORE INFO

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Crime Stoppers Offers $5K Reward In Sarah Stern Disappearance

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Monmouth County Crime Stoppers is offering a $5 thousand reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution of any suspect(s) involved in the disappearance of Sarah Stern, 19, of Neptune City.

Stern left her home on Friday evening December 1.  Hours later her unoccupied vehicle was found on the Route 35 bridge in Belmar.  Her whereabouts is unknown.

“The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office is working collaboratively with the Belmar Police Department, and New Jersey State Police Missing Person Unit to investigate this case. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is also providing advise and assistance.  All information is being investigated and we appreciate the efforts of Monmouth County Crime Stoppers to help resolve this case,” Charles Webster, spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said.

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Law Enforcement Agencies Can Buy Arms At Best Available Prices Under O’Scanlon Sponsored Law

Legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon that allows New Jersey’s Law Enforcement Agencies to purchase firearms directly from manufacturers was signed into law by Governor Chris Christie yesterday.  The legislation clarifies that agencies are not required to have permits or firearms identification cards to purchase guns.

The bill (S2337/A3985) was prompted by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ recent misinterpreted a state regulation so that law enforcement agencies are only permitted to purchase firearms for police officers through a licensed dealer.

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