MORE CRASH, MORE CASH AT RED LIGHT CAMERA INTERSECTIONS

ALMOST $5 MILLION IN PISCATAWAY

By John Day, WatchDogWire

Piscataway’s red light camera program closed out March issuing more tickets than the township’s total population, while also nearing the $5-million mark in total fines issued. Those projections are based on an internal, township document obtained through New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA).

The internal document, titled “Township of Piscataway: Monthly Analysis of Red Light Camera,” chronicles by month the number of citations, revenue produced, and recipients of the cameras’ cash. In its first 27 months of operation, November 2011 through February 2014, Piscataway’s photo-ticketing program produced a total of 55,396 citations and $4,710,415 in ticket revenue.

Citation revenue from Piscataway’s red light cameras is divvied between several recipients. Through February 2014, Piscataway Township has received about 32% of the program’s total revenue, amounting to $1,527,146.  Same period earnings for Piscataway’s photo-ticket vendor American Traffic Solutions (ATS) was $2,153,908, 46% of the proceeds. The State of New Jersey and Middlesex County received 22% of the haul, at $637,054 and $392,811 respectively.

Crash Data Revealed

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Suspect in 1978 slaying of Newark teens sues Booker, police for malicious prosecution

Suspect in 1978 slaying of Newark teens sues Booker, police for malicious prosecution (via NJ.com)

NEWARK — The man accused of masterminding one of Newark’s most haunting murder cases has filed suit against the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Newark Police Department and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, claiming he was the victim of a political conspiracy…

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MacArthur counter-punches Lonegan In CD-3

Tom MacArthur

In the race to replace Congressman Jon Runyan as the GOP nominee in the 3rd congressional district (Ocean and Burlington counties) former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan is doing what anyone who has observed New Jersey politics for the last twenty years expected he would do.  He’s attacking his opponent, former Randolph Mayor Tom MacArthur, as a tax and spend RINO who paid for the GOP establishment support.   In the race between carpetbaggers, Lonegan is attacking MacArthur for be a worse carpetbagger.

MacArthur has the support of the Burlington and Ocean GOP machines. Lonegan, who beat Cory Booker in the district in last October’s special U.S. Senate election, has superior name recognition, a PolitickerNJ commissioned poll that gives him a huge lead, and his trademark attention getting rhetoric.

MacArthur counter-attacked Lonegan in a Open Letter last week by calling him desperate, negative, angry, caustic and creepy.  All the things Lonegan’s supporters love about the guy.

MacArthur took particular umbrage to the fact that a Lonegan supporter did some opposition research by visiting the facebook page of MacArthur’s 16 year-old daughter and blogged anonymously about it.

Moreover, I am appalled that you are promoting an anonymous internet blog by a person or organization who has clearly spent a considerable amount of time spying on my 16-year old daughter’s Facebook page in search of an issue to use against her father in a political campaign.

Frankly, Steve, it’s creepy.

 

What salacious dirt did Lonegan’s blogger dig up on MacArthur’s daughter on facebook? She lists herself as a student at Randolph High School which is 90 miles away from the 3rd district.

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Christie can’t count on a Kean endorsement if he runs for president

Christie can’t count on a Kean endorsement if he runs for president (via NJ.com)

TRENTON — In his biggest repudiation of his political protégé yet, former Gov. Tom Kean said he wouldn’t necessarily endorse Gov. Chris Christie’s presidential campaign if there is one. UPDATE: Kean Sr. downplays ‘rift’ with Gov. Chris Christie…

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Sweeney walks back comments on halting NJ bridge scandal investigation

Sweeney walks back comments on halting NJ bridge scandal investigation (via NJ.com)

NEWARK — Hours after Senate President Stephen Sweeney floated the idea of halting a legislative investigation of the George Washington Bridge scandal, he issued a statement saying the panel still has lots of work to do. “I do not believe the committee…

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Sweeney: Stop bridge scandal legislative investigation if judge rules against committee

Sweeney: Stop bridge scandal legislative investigation if judge rules against committee (via NJ.com)

NEWARK — The state legislative committee investigating the George Washington Bridge scandal should “walk away” if a judge doesn’t rule in its favor on a key case, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney said today. State Superior Court Judge…

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It would be great if The Star Ledger…

….put Cory Booker under a microscope like they have Governor Chris Christie and Rutgers Athletic Director Julie Hermann.

By Art Gallagher, [email protected]

photo via facebook

Star Ledger sports columnist Steve Politi has a column this morning that is part of his ongoing campaign to take down Rutgers Athletic Director Julie Hermann; Julie Hermann: It would be ‘great’ if The Star Ledger went out of business.

Politi has been trying to get Hermann fired since Rutgers hired her to turn around their Athletic Department last spring.  Something about alleged bullying and sex discrimination at a previous job and lying about whether or not she talked to the parent of a Rutgers student who alleged he had been bullied.

Turns out that Hermann doesn’t like The Star Ledger. Several weeks ago she told a journalism class that, “That’d be great [if the Star Ledger died]. I’m going to do all I can to not to give them a headline to keep them alive because I think I got them through the summer,” according to a Rutgers student alternative news site, Muckgers. (Note that Hermann didn’t actually say the words ‘if the Star Ledger died.’ She was responding to a student’s question that was not quoted.)  The Muckgers reporter broke the “news” of Hermann’s several weeks old remarks to a journalism class last Thursday, the same day The Star Ledger told 167 employees they would be out or work in September with severance pay.

As part of his pity party for his 167 colleagues, Politi wrote a column with a headline that implies Hermann threw a celebratory party to celebrate the coming hardship on those reporters, advertising execs, copy editors and clerks who don’t find work before their severance and unemployment benefits run out.

Forget, for a minute, what you think about the newspaper. It doesn’t matter if you think its Rutgers’ coverage stinks, or its news coverage is biased, or if its columnists are too smug for their own good.

What matters is this: The Star-Ledger employs a lot of people. And if the Rutgers athletic director thinks it would be great if it closed down, then she relishes the idea of seeing those people lose their livelihood, their benefits and maybe more.

I don’t know Hermann. Never talked to her.  But I’d bet that she doesn’t “relish the idea of seeing those people lose their livelihood, their benefits and maybe more.”  She probably just feels that way about Politi, who has been trying to see her lose her livelihood, benefits and more.

I don’t begrudge Politi taking his shots at Hermann.  I have no idea if his coverage of her career is accurate or not. I respect the fact that his bias against her is obvious.

But I think that The Star Ledger spending so much on an Athletic Director while giving a U.S. Senator a pass is disgraceful.

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Backyard composting clinics

You will know the how-to’s of reducing your yard and household waste and improving your soil after an informative 45-minute presentation

Saturday, April 12 at 10 a.m. – Middletown, Deep Cut Gardens, 352 Red Hill Rd.
Thursday, April 24 at 7 p.m, – Manasquan Recreation Annex at 67 Atlantic Ave.
Saturday, May 17 at 9:30 a.m. – Marlboro Recreation Complex, Wyncrest Road

The workshops are free, but advance registration is required.
To reserve one of the limited seats, call 732-683-8686, x 6721 or
download the registration form from the recycling section of the County Reclamation Center’s webpage atwww.visitmonmouth.com.

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Body found in burned Wall Township home

Update: Body found in burned Wall Township home (via NJ.com)

WALL TOWNSHIP – A body was found inside an Allaire Road home that burned for several hours on Sunday afternoon, authorities said. Wall Police Chief Robert Brice said an autopsy would be performed on Monday to determine the identification. While firefighters…

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Monmouth Medical Center and SCAN Present ‘Take Control of Your Health’

Is your chronic condition getting the best of you?
Ongoing health conditions affect how you live your life, how you
experience your relations and how you deal with your emotions.
Join Monmouth Medical Center and SCAN (Social Community Activities Network) for a free, six-week workshop to learn strategies for
managing daily life when living with chronic conditions such as
arthritis, heart and lung conditions, anxiety, diabetes and
high blood pressure.
Created by Stanford University, the evidence-based workshop
will teach individuals how to:
Manage stress.
Improve communication.
Cope with depression and fatigue.
Increase energy levels.
Eat healthy and maintain weight.
Get more out of life.

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