Monmouth County Vet Presented with Bronze Star after 44 years

Congressman Chris Smith, Richard Walker Jr, Ocean Twp Ptlman Steven Walker and Ptlman Chris Stenger

Richard A. Walker, Jr of Neptune City earned a Bronze Star and other medals in Vietnam nearly 45 years ago, but never received them…until yesterday.

Congressman Chris Smith presented Walker with his honors, The Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal, the Good Conduct Medal; the National Defense Service Medal; the Vietnam Service Medal & Bronze Star Attachment; the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon, and; the Sharpshooter Badge & Rifle Bar, yesterday in the congressman’s Freehold office. Walker’s son, Ocean Township Police Officer Steven Walker and his friend Officer Chris Stenger, an ex-Marine and combat veteran of Afghanistan were on hand for the ceremony.

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The sacrifice of the survivors

Veteran Don Manrodt of Highlands. Not Sal or Mike.

On this Veterans Day, two men who have made an impression on me are on my mind.

Sal was a WWII Vet.  His son Mike was my best friend in the 1970’s.  Sal was a blue collar guy who worked two jobs to provide a better life for his sons than he had.

One afternoon, Mike and I were heading upstairs in his house to get something from his room.  We had to be quiet Mike warned because his father was sleeping before heading off to his night job.  As we quietly walked past Sal’s room, a loud blood curdling scream emerged from the room.  I could hear the bed shaking. Then just as suddenly, quiet.

I was startled. Frightened really. Mike was embarrassed.  “Is he alright? Should we call the police?” I asked Mike. “Its OK,” Mike said, “he does that all the time. Please don’t tell anyone,” as if it was something to be ashamed of.

It had been 30 years since Sal returned from war. He hadn’t, perhaps, had a good nights sleep in those thirty years.  PTSD was not a thing yet.  But Sal’s suffering was real. He sucked it up and went to work twice a day to provide for his family.

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Howell Man Faces New Pedophile Charges

Gregory Rittman

A Howell man who was arrested two weeks ago for masturbating in front of a juvenile in the public bathroom at a fast food restaurant on Route 35 in Wall Township is facing a dozen new charges after additional victims were identified, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Gregory S. Rittman, 49, of Howell Township, was arrested on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014, after authorities received a report from an employee at a McDonald’s that described lewd behavior witnessed by an 8-year-old juvenile, near the sink in the men’s bathroom of the restaurant. Rittman was charged with one count each of second degree Sexual Assault, third degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, fourth degree Lewdness and a disorderly persons charge of Harassment. He was released after posting $73,000 bail with no 10-percent option, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Teresa A. Kondrup-Coyle, J.S.C.

News of Rittman’s October arrest, which included his picture, prompted three additional victims to come forward.

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Connelly leading in Eatontown mayoral race after provisional ballots counted

Eatontown “Mayor-elect” Dennis Connelly. photo via facebook with permission.

Eatontown Council President Dennis J. Connelly, a Republican, appears to have thwarted Democratic Mayor Gerald J. Tarantolo’s bid for a 5th four year term as the borough’s mayor.

Tarantolo was leading the race by one vote after all the machine and vote by mail ballots were counted in the wee hours last Wednesday.  This morning, Connelly picked up four votes when the provisional ballots were counted to Tarantolo’s one vote, leaving the final unofficial count 1,481 for Connelley and 1479 for Tarantolo.

Connelly told MMM that he expects the mayor to demand a recount. Tarantolo has until November 19th to file for a recount.

Of the 13 provisional ballots submitted on election day, 6 were disqualified and 2 did not have votes cast for mayor.  Of the five qualified ballots, 4 cast votes for Connelly.

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1st Annual Pound the Pavement for Purple was huge success

By Freeholder Tom Arnone

The 1^st Annual Pound the Pavement for Purple 5K Run/ 2 Mile Walk for Pancreatic Cancer was held Saturday, November 1^st and was a tremendous success despite the unpredictable weather conditions presented by Mother Nature. In fact, I believe the cold temperature along with the wind and rain only contributed in helping to make this race not only a memorable one but an extremely positive and inspirational experience.

First and foremost on behalf of Neptune Township Committeeman Eric Houghtaling and me, we would like to thank everyone who worked so diligently on putting this race together and ensuring its success.  To begin with, a tremendous thank you to the outstanding joint committee mostly comprised of Neptune Township and Monmouth County employees, namely Michele Narciso, Tiffany Bailoni, Sandra Petersen, Carina Santos, Mike Zarro, Fred Rummel and Darlene Di Leo. Thank you also to Gail Temple and my wife Chickie Arnone who also worked hard on the committee.  All of these people were instrumental in helping Committeeman Eric Houghtaling and me bring this effort to fruition.

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Opinion: Divided We Govern, Both in Trenton and Washington, D.C.

Credit: Amanda Brown Dick Zimmer The smart money is betting that the gridlock that plagued the legislative process in Washington, D.C., during the past four years will become even worse now that Republicans have won decisive majorities in both houses of Congress. Surely, nobody will be shocked if lawmaking in Washington remains paralyzed for the next… Read the rest of this entry »

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When Franklin Roosevelt Asked Joe Kennedy to Drop His Pants

Seventy-five years after the American isolationists was defeated by Franklin Roosevelt, their ideas are being quietly and carefully promoted again by libertarian Republicans like Rand Paul. In this extract from his new book, The Sphinx: Franklin Roosevelt, the Isolationists and the Road to World War II, Nicholas Wapshott explains the dilemma the president faced as the… Read the rest of this entry »

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Why the Republican victory is good for markets

The Republicans have taken control of the U.S. legislative agenda for the next two years if not longer, and that has political and market implications up until 2016 and likely beyond. Let’s see how they handle this role, given the divisiveness within the party itself and the fact that it did not really run on a…

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ONE BOOK ONE COMMUNITY

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR & OTHER FAVORITES BY ERIC CARLE

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A Different Brand of Politics

By Gary Rich, Monmouth County Deputy Freeholder Director

Art Gallagher thinks I’m a winner. Well, sort of. And while I appreciate the (backhanded) compliment, I’d like to pose a few items of food for thought.

Maybe, just maybe, voters really are tired of the game playing and posturing that exists in much of politics. (I think voters across the county sent that message pretty loud and clear with their votes this Tuesday.)

Maybe all they really want is for us to get back to the business of working on the issues that affect them.

Maybe they don’t care how many hands we have shaken or how many babies have been kissed. Maybe they see through that.

Maybe that’s why—despite suffering “from a perception within the Party’s leadership that [I have] skated by on the backs of others” (a perception that Art clearly seems all too eager to perpetuate)—I have now TWICE been the top vote-getter in each of my races for County Freeholder. (FOUR TIMES if you add my convention victory in March and June’s Primary Election.)

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