Christie Administration Announces Launch of “reNew Jersey Stronger” Housing Assistance Initiative

$780 Million Available for Homeowners Impacted by Superstorm Sandy

Trenton, NJ – Marking a major step forward in the recovery from Superstorm Sandy, the Christie Administration today launched the reNew Jersey Stronger housing assistance initiative to assist homeowners impacted by the storm. Beginning today, eligible homeowners can apply for grant assistance at www.renewjerseystronger.org or by calling 1-855-SANDYHM (1-855-726-3946).

The grants are designed to encourage homeowners to resettle in their primary residences and help them reconstruct, rehabilitate, elevate and mitigate their homes.

“We are working incredibly hard to get money out to Sandy-impacted individuals as quickly as possible, and today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to this mission,” said Governor Chris Christie. “Sandy may have damaged homes in New Jersey, but it did not destroy New Jerseyans’ spirits. With the help of initiatives such as reNew Jersey Stronger housing grants, we will be back, stronger than ever.”

Today’s launch of the housing assistance programs comes less than a month after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved New Jersey’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery Action Plan. The Action Plan details how the State will utilize $1,829,520,000 in federal funding to help homeowners, renters, businesses and communities impacted by Superstorm Sandy. The reNew Jersey Stronger housing assistance initiative will utilize $780 million of the allocation.

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Manalapan Music Teacher Charged With Spanking A Student For Sexual Gratification

(FREEHOLD) A Manalapan music teacher is charged with sexual assault after investigators learned he was spanking a music student for his own sexual gratification over the past few months, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.

Frank W. Diliberto, Jr., 60, of Winthrop Drive in Manalapan, a guitar teacher at Musician’s Workshop on Route 9, was arrested Thursday evening and charged with Sexual Assault of a child under 13 and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, both second degree offenses.

Diliberto is being held in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution on $200,000 bail with no 10 percent option as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge David F. Bauman, P.J.C. Dilberto was also ordered to have no contact with his victim and he cannot return to the scene of the alleged crime.

Anyone with additional information is urged to contact Detectives Dominick Donatelli, Jr. or Kevin Schmidt of the Manalapan Township Police Department at 732-446-4300 or Detective Patrick O’Connell of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 1-800-533-7443 ext. 2941.

Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.

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Sandy Hook to Re-open on May 1

Sea Gull’s Nest photo

Gateway National Recreation Area will reopen the Sandy Hook Unit to the public for the first time since Hurricane Sandy beginning Wednesday, May 1. A ceremony at 10 A.M. will mark the reopening, with U.S. Congressman Frank Pallone in attendance.

“We have been looking forward to this moment since the storm hit us and we’ve worked hard to make it happen this soon,” said Sandy Hook Unit Coordinator Pete McCarthy. “Employees and volunteers have literally dug out beach centers and parking lots, and pumped out flooded basements, we’ve even rebuilt sand dunes and replanted beach grasses.”  Work will continue this summer as more services are restored and roads continue to be repaved.

After the opening ceremony Congressman Pallone will address the group, which will include the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) Color Guard who will be on hand to present the colors.  These MAST high school students’ campus is located in the park and their campus was flooded during the storm.   The students will finish the school year at an alternate location, host their graduation at Ft. Hancock and will return to Sandy Hook for fall classes.

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BREAKING NEWS!!!!

Bridgewater, NJ – Chris Christie for New Jersey today announced the unanimous endorsement of Governor Christie’s reelection bid by the Republican members of New Jersey’s Congressional Delegation.  The six members, representing New Jerseyans in all but one of the state’s counties, pointed to the Governor’s strong leadership, record of accomplishment for New Jersey, and progress made in creating over 127,000 private sector jobs since taking office – all without raising taxes on overburdened New Jersey families.
“Governor Christie has provided effective leadership for New Jersey. From reforming pensions to holding the line on taxes, he is working to make our state more competitive for job creation,” said Congressman Scott Garrett. “New Jersey would be well served with Governor Christie at the helm for another four years. I am glad to join my colleagues in supporting his re-election.”

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O’Scanlon: New Jersey Committed to Rebuilding from Sandy and Redeveloping Fort Monmouth

Assembly Republican Budget Officer Declan O’Scanlon, commended the New Jersey  Economic Development Authority for its commitment to Monmouth County’s efforts to rebuild after Superstorm Sandy and  redevelop Fort  Monmouth.

“We were knocked down by Sandy and the State has been there from the  beginning offering a helping hand to get businesses and families back on their  feet,” O’Scanlon, R-Monmouth, said. “From providing temporary housing units for  families to providing grants and loans to businesses that suffered damage, the  authority has been absolutely committed to our region and intends to place staff  in our communities – potentially at Fort Monmouth – to ensure easy access to grants  and assistance for business owners.”

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Handlin & Casagrande to Submit 1,500 Objections to JCP&L’s Proposed Rate Increase

Monmouth County Legislators  to Present Petitions Against JCP&L’s Rate Hike at Tomorrow’s Public Hearing  in Freehold

Assemblywoman Amy Handlin

Assemblywomen Amy Handlin and Caroline Casagrande plan to present  petitions tomorrow signed by 1,500 ratepayers opposed to a proposed electricity  rate hike by Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L).

“We will speak for the hundreds of ratepayers who are tired of paying  more for less service,” Handlin, R-Monmouth, said. “This proposal to take about  $85 more per year from hard-working families lacks credibility because JCP&L  has yet to answer very serious charges of pocketing corporate profit instead of  investing in the improvements that would have made our service more reliable and  our rates more tolerable.”

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SUMMER COMEDY SERIES KICKS OFF AT WONDER BAR APRIL 25th

Jersey Jokers Thursdays brings top comics and laughs to Asbury

The summer promises to be funny now that the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park has announced a monthly comedy show. The last Thursday of every month will bring great headliners and laughter to the historic venue. The seminal show will be hosted by Jersey Jokers own, Chris Covert and features Asbury Park native, Kevin Israel, with the Howard Stern Show’s Reverend Bob Levy headlining.

“We’re really excited that the Wonder Bar agreed to host this monthly event,” said Kevin Israel, a local comic who has performed all over the country and been featured on XM/Sirius Radio’s RawDog comedy channel. “Asbury has a long history of arts and entertainment, a successful comedy show is a natural extension of that history.”

“We are very pleased to be chosen as the venue for Jersey Jokers Thursdays,” said Debbie DeLisa, Manager of the Wonder Bar. “We feel this will be a welcome addition to The Wonder Bar Schedule! “

Jersey Jokers is New Jersey based comedy production company that has been producing shows throughout the state.

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SHERIFF UNVEILS NEW TEXT MESSAGE TIP LINE IN THE LATEST EFFORT TO HELP COMBAT CRIME

The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office is sending a message out that it needs the public’s help in combating crime, and hopes to get a message back, via text. Through the agency’s new initiative, people can report a tip about suspicious behavior in an easier and more convenient way than ever before, anonymously, at anytime from anywhere, by text messaging.

“In an effort to fight crime continuously and effectively in Monmouth County, we need the public’s input when it comes to reporting suspicious activity,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden. “The new tip line will help do that since people can now communicate directly and anonymously, without the fear of identification or retaliation. This is a law enforcement/community partnership to maintain public safety.”

The text messaging tip line, which is installed in the law enforcement division of the sheriff’s office, allows people with a cell phone to immediately access the tip line with no questions asked. People should still call 911 to report a crime in progress. However, to report a tip or suspicious activity, people simply need to enter the number 67283 into their cell phones. They can text their info with the word MONTIPS included in the body of the message. The tip is immediately transmitted to a PC and an officer will be notified by an alert that a tip was texted, which will then result in an appropriate response.

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Monmouth Sheriff’s Office, OEM, Seeks $1 Billion In Hazard Mitigation Funding

The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is awaiting response from the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM) Hazard Mitigation Unit after it submitted numerous requests totaling more than 1 billion dollars in funding as a result of Superstorm Sandy. On March 31, 2013, OEM delivered 185 letters of intent to the NJOEM Hazard Mitigation Unit for various mitigation projects, which include home elevations, property acquisitions and flood control measures, as well as various infrastructure improvements and emergency generators for critical infrastructure.

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) provides grants to states and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. The purpose of the program is to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to have mitigation measures in place which can be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster. “Monmouth County was severely impacted by Superstorm Sandy, and, the projects submitted by  Monmouth County and each municipality will provide the necessary protection of life and property,  should another disaster occur,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden.

Monmouth County OEM has been collecting the letters of intent from each municipality since mid-December. “These letters are the first step in notifying the state as to the projects for which the municipalities wish to seek funding to mitigate, and, the priorities in which they fall within the respective jurisdictions,” said Michael Oppegaard, Coordinator of the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management. “We now must wait to hear from the state mitigation office as to how they intend to prioritize and fund these projects.”

Under the Robert T. Stafford Act, HMGP is authorized to direct and govern mitigation projects as long as a community has an approved Hazard Mitigation Plan. Monmouth County’s Plan was completed and approved in 2009 and includes all 53 municipalities within the county. “Hopefully the state will look favorably upon Monmouth County when selecting and prioritizing the projects under this program,” said Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone. “This will allow the residents and communities to rebuild stronger, safer and smarter.”

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O’Scanlon Sees Light on Red Light Cameras!

Little Silver, April 1- Asm  Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) today announced that he had an epiphany early  Easter Sunday morning – now sees light regarding the true reason for supposed  highway safety rules and regulations!

“I  can’t believe how long I’ve been so misguided and naive!” said O’Scanlon.   “All this time just not getting it!  It’s all about the money!   Huge piles of money for local officials to spend in their budgets, more  piles of money for campaigns of compliant state elected officials and truckloads  of the stuff for lobbyists!  Hell, in at least one instance we have actual  “gifts” given by a camera company to officials running a program”.

“I  just never visualized the potential.  I was always focused on the fact that  our traffic laws and enforcement methods should be justified by sound  engineering and focused on actually increasing safety.  What an idiot! Now  though, unburdened by the shackles of actually caring about any of those  irrelevant concerns, I see the true potential of the tools we have at our  disposal.”

O’Scanlon  invited legislators to join him in not only abandoning the effort to end the red  light camera program or – even make it more fair to motorists – and actually go  the other direction.  O’Scanlon’s new plan calls for cameras at every light  at every intersection.  He goes further and calls or the installation of  new traffic lights at EVERY intersection.   “Imagine the revenue  potential!” he exclaimed. “But we can do even more!  Part of my legislation  will eliminate yellow lights all together.  Every single time a light  change we’ll nail a few unsuspecting suckers – kind of like now except we’ll  nail even more!  Another section of the legislation will mandate that every  motorist come to a full stop every 100 feet.  We’ll tell them it’s for  “safety”, really!”

Other  sections of O’Scanlon’s legislation would lower speed limits to 15 mph.   “People won’t be able to leave their driveways without breaking the law.   Think of the $ we’ll make!!!” said O’Scanlon. “The entire, brilliant  package will be called the Road Improvement Program to Promote Outstanding  Freeway Focus – RIPPOFF, for short!  I have probably just begun to scratch  the surface here” conceded O’Scanlon.  “I am sure over the next few weeks  and months we’ll come up with even more ways to attack out constituents  innocently driving to work or to their kids schools or music lessons.  This  program will be like a vacuum of their hard earned money.  And we have the  pioneering red light camera program to thank for starting us down this  path!”

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