THOUGHTS ON THE 4TH OF JULY

By Freeholder Lillian Burry (as prepared for delivery to the Borough of Avon’s July 4th ceremony)

Hello and thank you for having me here today. With the Fourth of July at hand, I thought it appropriate to reflect on the meaning of that day in American History and the cause of liberty that makes it special. The fourth is the celebration of the founding of our nation and the ideals on which that founding was based.

When we think of the American Revolution we do not think of any single place or person or act more than the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. And we recall those powerful words with which our founding fathers bound themselves together and we remember the great men who put their names to them. “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our Sacred Honor”.

While that was a singular event, there were many other moments that led up to and followed along after it that also embodied the same spirit of American freedom. We must remember that this was a revolution that rose from the people of the thirteen colonies, each with its own leaders and prominent voices. All were inspired and united with a spirit best remembered in the work of Thomas Paine. Our second President, John Adams, wrote “Without the pen of the author of “Common Sense” the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain.”

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Christie Issues List of Transportation Projects to Be Put on Hold

With cash for state transportation projects getting scarcer by the hour thanks to political gridlock in Trenton, Gov. Chris Christie’s administration yesterday released a list of dozens of road and rail upgrades that are slated to be put on hold later this week. The forced shutdown of the infrastructure work by late Friday night will affect…

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Tips for dealing with the heat

With temperatures expected to be in the 90’s for the next several days, Monmouth County’s Office of Emergency Management and the Health Department have issued  some reminders on how to avoid dehydration and other heat related ailments:

• Stay in the shade;
• If you head to the beach, be sure to bring an umbrella;
• Wear sunscreen and lightweight, light-colored clothing to reflect some of the sun’s energy;
• Drink plenty of water even if you do not feel thirsty. Limit alcohol, and sugary drinks which speed dehydration;
• Slow down. Avoid exertion during the hottest part of the day. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during the coolest part of the day – in the morning between 4 and 7 a.m., and
• Eat small meals and eat more often.

Deputy Freeholder Director Serena DiMaso, the freeholder who overseas OEM, asks that residents watch out for those most susceptible to getting beat by the heat; children under four years old, seniors over sixty-five, overweight people, and those with illnesses and on certain medications.

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Sheriff Golden, Freeholders demand that Trenton fund 911 centers

Sheriff Shaun Golden points to the $.90 fee on his phone bill. Click photo for larger view

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden and all five Monmouth County Freeholders called for the State of New Jersey to stop diverting the $.90 per phone line surcharge New Jersey consumers pay with their cell and landline bills from it’s intended purpose…the funding of Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs)… at a press conference outside the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Center in Freehold this afternoon.

According to draft resolution that the New Jersey Association of Counties is urging all 21 New Jersey Freeholder Boards to adopt, New Jersey is in violation of federal law, the “NET 911 Act of 2008” (H.R 3403) for having diverted 89% of the $1.25 billion in 911 System and Emergency Response Fees collected since 2006.

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, July 8-10, 2016

By Greg Kelly

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Friday, July 8

• Comedian Judy Gold at Axelrod PAC (Deal) – MORE INFO
• Atlantic Highlands Fireman’s Fair – MORE INFO
• Indie Street Film Festival (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• Asbury Park Summer Fest – MORE INFO
• Sublime with Rome & Tribal Seeds at PNC Bank Arts Center (Holmdel) – MORE INFO
• Lisa Lampanelli at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• Struck by NJ Repertory Company (Long Branch) – MORE INFO
• Summer Solstice Artisan Crafts Market (Belmar) – MORE INFO
• “Seeing Stars: Every Flag Tells A Story” Exhibit (Highlands) – MORE INFO

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Monmouth County links in Hillary’s emails

Wikileaks released 1258 of Hillary Clinton’s emails yesterday. The website obtained the emails through a Freedom of Information Request on February 29, 2016.

There are several Monmouth County connections in the emails released.

Congressman Chris Smith was mentioned in 87 of Clinton’s emails on subjects ranging from Sean Goldman being reunited with his father David of Tinton Falls after being abducted to Brazil by his mother, to the congressman’s opposition to tax payer funded abortions and Planned Parenthood funding.  Emails that mentioned Smith revealed that the Secretary and other State Department officials were busy lobbying members of congress to pass the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) in late 2009 through its final passage in March in 2010.

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Christie Shuts Down Road Construction

Arnone in talks to keep Monmouth County projects going uninterupted

Governor Chris Christie issued an Executive Order last night shutting down all projects funded by the state’s Transportation Trust Fund.  The fund’s authorization expired at midnight though published reports indicated that there is enough money in the fund to continue work through mid-August.

Christie’s dramatics came as a result of the Legislature failing to reauthorize the fund.  The Senate was considering a bi-partisan plan to reauthorize the fund with a $.23 per gallon gas tax increase while also phasing out the estate tax and income tax on retirement income.  The Assembly passed legislation negotiated by Christie and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto in the wee hours of Tuesday morning that would increase the gas tax $.23 and phase in a reduction in the state sales tax from 7% to 6%.  Christie said the last minute sales tax reduction was his idea.

The Christie/Prieto plan was widely panned from both the left an right and had little support in the Senate.

No plan under consideration addressed New Jersey’s highest in the nation cost of road construction: an estimated $2 million per mile on average.

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Freehold Substitute Teacher Arrested For Sexual Contact With Underage Student

Daniel Kropa, 24 of Stonehurst Blvd. in Freehold, was arrested on Wednesday after an investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Special Victims Bureau and the Freehold Township Police revealed that he had inappropriate sexual conduct with a student who is under the age of 18. Kropa is a substitute teacher at Freehold Township High School.  The conduct took place over seven months.

Kropa was charged with second degree Sexual Assault and second degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child.  He was released after posting $100,000 bail, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Honora O’Brien Kilgallen. Kropa was also ordered to have no contact with his victim, not return to the high school, and not have any unsupervised contact with children less than 18 years of age.

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Cops could not have prevented officer from killing ex-wife, probe concludes

FREEHOLD — Asbury Park police officers could not have prevented an off-duty police sergeant from gunning down his ex-wife in broad daylight and then putting the police-issued handgun he used to his own head, according to a yearlong investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office released Thursday morning. The study also determined that the first officer… Read the rest of this entry »

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Sharks spotted off Jersey Shore beach, police say

DEAL – Beachgoers were frantically ushered out of the water at Deal Casino Beach Club on Thursday, after lifeguards spotting a gray, angular fin snaking its way through low tide. For about an hour on Thursday morning, the ocean near the beach club was devoid of visitors as lifeguards temporarily closed off the water to monitor… Read the rest of this entry »

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