Governor Murphy Announces Statewide Stay at Home Order, Closure of All Non-Essential Retail Businesses

Order Also Prohibits All Social Gatherings, Mandates Work From Home Arrangements for Employees When Possible, and Invalidates Any Conflicting Local and County Regulations

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U.S. Attorney Urges Public To Report COVID-19 Fraud

NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito of the District of New Jersey today urged the public to report suspected fraud schemes related to COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus) by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) hotline (1-866-720-5721) or to the NCDF e-mail address: [email protected].

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Rep Chris Smith is supporting County Governments’ Work To Thwart The Spread of COVID-19

Congressman Chris Smith working in his Hamilton office

Monmouth County Freeholders Sue Kiley and Nick DiRocco, joined by County Administrator Teri O’Connor, briefed Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) on the work being done in Monmouth to stop the spread of the novel Coronavirus, as well as to help County residents deal with the stressors the pandemic may bring.

Smith said that though the County is limiting visitors to all offices, all golf courses, parks and open spaces remain open and may offer needed respite. The Freeholders also discuss the testing, screening and tracing being done, and also briefed the congressman on the bank of volunteers who are answering calls at the Monmouth County Health Department.

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O’Scanlon: Minimum Wage Increase Has Created Budget Challenge. What to Watch For In Proposed Budget

Direct Support Professionals Asking for $16.5 Million to Cover Minimum Wage Increase

When the Democrats in Trenton passed legislation in 2019 to increase the state minimum wage incrementally until it reaches $15 per hour in 2024, Senator Declan O’Scanlon and Republicans in both houses warned of the consequences for New Jersey taxpayers, those providing essential services and those that depend on those services.

Two months after the implementation of the second annual increase raising the state hourly minimum from $10 to $11, O’Scanlon’s cautions are being proven. Read the rest of this entry »

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Hanlon commemorates 100 years of women voting

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon

FREEHOLD, NJ –Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon is launching a year-long recognition program to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of women’s suffrage.

“Since my office oversees a large part of the elections process for Monmouth County, I am proud to launch a county-wide program to celebrate the brave suffragists and all those who contributed to women gaining the right to vote 100 years ago,” said Clerk Hanlon.

Throughout the year, the County Clerk’s Office is working to engage and educate people of all ages through a variety of events, programs, and media. To start off the centennial year, Clerk Hanlon distributed sample resolutions commemorating the centennial to the governing bodies of Monmouth County’s 53 municipalities and to the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

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Rep. Chris Smith Announces Winners of 2019 Congressional App Challenge

Colin Martin, teacher Laura Gesin, Jack Hester and Michael Cielecki of Communications High (missing is Vaughn Battista).

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) announced the winners of this year’s New Jersey Fourth Congressional District Congressional App Challenge, part of a nationwide competition for middle and high school students to showcase their software app-developing skills and teamwork.

“I am pleased to congratulate Communications High School students Vaughn Battista of Tinton Falls, Michael Cielecki of Spring Lake Heights, Jack Hester of Oceanport and Colin Martin of Red Bank for their first place-winning app, ‘Commuitas,’” said Rep. Smith.  “They developed a unique ‘task-sharing’ mobile application which allows users to barter their skills and abilities with other users to share tasks in exchange for a virtual points system. The judges thought it was very unique and well devised.”

Timed to coincide with Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek), December 9-15, 2019, Smith said this year’s contest drew a record number of entries from Monmouth, Ocean and Mercer Counties.

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Republicans Continue Golden Age Dominance In Monmouth County

COLTS NECK, NJ – With huge wins at the County level and 3 legislative districts, the Monmouth County Republican Committee had a decisively strong election night! At the top of the County ticket, Sheriff Shaun Golden won by over a 20 point margin. The GOP County freeholder candidates Tom Arnone and Nick DiRocco dominated as well.

On the local level, the GOP took control in Neptune City, Eatontown, and Atlantic Highlands, and flipped Mayoral seats to GOP in Sea Bright and Spring Lake Heights. The Republicans beat back challenges in Belmar, Hazlet and Shrewsbury Borough, and crushed the anti-law enforcement Democrats in Middletown, the largest municipality in the County, with a 2 to 1 margin. Read the rest of this entry »

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O’Scanlon: Murphy’s $54 million childcare subsidy proves minimum wage hike hurts struggling families

Senator Declan O’Scanlon said that $54 million of new subsidies announced by Governor Phil Murphy to cover the rising cost of childcare due to an increased minimum wage highlights the pain caused by government mandated wage policies to both families and taxpayers.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – raising the minimum wage sounds lovely in theory but stings in reality,” O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) said. “While this $54 million childcare subsidy may seem great for a few qualifying families that are struggling to afford childcare, there are many other low- and middle-income families that won’t get a penny of help as their cost of living rises as a direct result of Governor Murphy’s minimum wage increases. The simple fact is that most New Jersey families will be stuck shelling out more of their hard-earned money for a variety of services, including childcare, which have become less affordable as costs have been driven higher by expensive government mandates.”

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Monmouth County Clerk Hanlon Announces Archives Week Seminars

MANALAPAN, NJ – Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon is pleased to announce that the County Clerk’s Annual Archives Week seminars will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 16 with three presentations related to this year’s Archives and History Day theme of “New Jersey in Focus: Four Centuries of Monmouth County Women.” The presentations will take place at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters in Manalapan after Archives and History Day, which will also be held at the library on Saturday, Oct. 12.

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Rep Smith’s bill addresses veterans recovery, recreation and therapy

WASHINGTON, DC – Supporters of Rep. Chris Smith’s (NJ-04) legislation, H.R. 2435, the Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act, converged on Capitol Hill this week to advocate for the bill, which will provide for increased access to federal lands for the purposes of veterans’ medical therapy.

H.R. 2435 would empower a newly created task force to identify barriers veterans face when accessing public lands for treatment, and provide within one year recommendations to Congress on ways to eliminate those barriers. The legislation would help expose barriers to be overcome and new opportunities to be pursued so that public lands are more available for recreational activities, such as hiking, backpacking, fishing, horseback riding, rafting, and biking, which have proven to advance recuperation and healing. Ultimately HR 2435 will supplement the VA’s major medical care programs with outdoor recreational therapy for military veterans. Read the rest of this entry »

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