Will Phil Murphy veto giving police and fire unions control of their pensions?

The state Legislature passed legislation Monday handing control of the pension fund for New Jersey’s police and firefighters over to its members. But it’s uncertain whether the governor will sign the bill as is. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, has concerns over the Democrat-backed bill that would spin off police and firefighter pensions from the broader… Read the rest of this entry »

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Murphy to hold telephone town hall

Governor Phil Murphy is holding a telephone town hall on Thursday evening, March 29, at 7PM, according to an announcement from the NJ Democratic Committee.   The call in number is 609-236-7033.

The announced topic is the governor’s budget address.

What would you like to tell the him?

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Law enforcement investigating threat by Keansburg student

A Keansburg student was charged with third degree Terroristic Threats after an alert school security officers overheard a threat made by the boy, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni announced.  An ongoing investigation has concluded that the boy did not have the wherewithal to carry out the threat.

A search of the child’s home found no weapons.  However a school yearbook was discovered with several students photos blocked out. The boy told investigators those classmates were “mean” to him.

Gramiccioni is not identifying the boy because of his young age.

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Could Bayonne Referendum Cause Oceanport Mayor To Resign?

Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis and Oceanport Mayor Jay Coffey and Davis’s reelection kickoff

A coming referendum in the City of Bayonne could shake things up in the Borough of Oceanport.

NewJerseyGlobe reports that Bayonne residents will decide via referendum whether appointees of the mayor must live in the City. Oceanport Mayor Jay Coffey is the appointed Corporation Counsel of Bayonne.  Should the referendum succeed, which we are told is likely, Coffey would have to choose between the lucrative job and serving as mayor.

How Coffey’s successor is chosen becomes an interesting question, should he resign.  In towns with partisan elections, municipal vacancies are filled by the council or township committee choosing from three candidates submitted by the County Committee of the Party that ran the office holder. Coffey, a registered Democrat, was elected as a write-in candidate.  The Oceanport Democrats did not have an candidate for mayor in 2015 when Coffey unseated Republican Michael Mahon, who was unopposed on the general election ballot. Read the rest of this entry »

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Arnone thanks workers for snow cleanup, addresses County budget

By Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Freeholder Director Tom Arnone speaks at the NJTPA Board Meeting – Jan 22, 2018

Happy Spring! I’m sure I am joined by many in saying I hope we saw our last snowfall until next winter season.

I’d like to thank our department of public works employees for working throughout this recent storm to clear our roads and county-owned properties. As always, these employees did a great job. I’d also like to thank our first responders who were also out working throughout the storm in difficult weather conditions.

On a separate note, the 2018 Monmouth County budget was approved during the March 19^th meeting of the Board of Chosen Freeholders. When we first introduced our budget, there was a proposed 1-percent tax increase. Ultimately, the approved budget includes a half-percent tax increase.

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Attorney General orders cops to report all N.J. school shooting threats to state

New Jersey’s attorney general on Monday ordered police departments across the state to immediately report school shooting threats to state homeland security officials. The new rule comes in response to the Parkland, Florida school shooting and as state lawmakers are fast-tracking new legislation aimed at preventing mass shootings. It also applies to houses of worship and… Read the rest of this entry »

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Without a plea deal, Sarah Stern’s accused killer heads to trial this fall

A 20-year-old man charged in the strangulation death of his friend, Sarah Stern, will stand for her murder this September unless he accepts a plea deal, a Superior Court judge said Monday. Liam McAtasney appeared before Judge Richard W. English in a Freehold courtroom where English read an order into the record his ruling Friday that… Read the rest of this entry »

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New Jersey’s Bonded Debt Soars to Nosebleed Heights: $46.1 Billion

The results of New Jersey’s latest big-picture fiscal checkup are in, and they reveal a state that continues to be saddled with a staggering amount debt – despite recent efforts to wind down Trenton’s time-worn borrowing habit. Click to expand/close For starters, New Jersey’s bonded debt grew by nearly $3.2 billion during the past fiscal year,… Read the rest of this entry »

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Marletta’s First Parole Eligibility Denied

Toni Marletta, the 52 year old Leonardo woman who struck and killed Marissa Procopio, 15, of Atlantic Highlands in a hit and run incident on July 7, 2015 will remain in state prison until at least May 8, 2019, according to the NJ Department of Corrections website.  She had been eligible for parole this coming May, the victim’s mother, Danielle Procopio told MMM.

Danielle told MMM that Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Meghan Doyle informed her this morning that Marletta’s May 2018 parole was denied. Danielle had been waiting for a date with the Parole Board to make a statement and present a petition with over 1500 signatures opposing Marletta’s release when she got the news from Doyle.

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Your dogs are going to love this place

By Art Gallagher

I was surprised on Saturday morning as I headed south on Rt 35 in Ocean Township for the grand opening of Green Leaf Pet Resort and Hotel.  There was a line of cars several blocks long down 35 to get into the place!  The surprises kept coming when I pulled in. It was packed outside. Two radio stations were broadcasting from the front parking lot along side the bbq pit. The valets were directing traffic instead of parking cars for tips and there were hundreds of happy people and dogs coming and going.

This was no ordinary kennel opening.  When did kennels start having grand openings? When are crowds of people happy and not competing for some imaginary prize at a highway location in New Jersey? Where did all of these well behaved dogs and people come from?  I only heard one dog bark loudly during my visit and that was in the back parking lot.  Who serves hamburgers at a kennel opening and why aren’t the dogs begging for the people food? Read the rest of this entry »

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