United Arab Emirates Donates $4.5 million to Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund

photo by Art Gallagher. Click on image for larger view.

Governor Chris Christie and First Lady Mary Pat Christie visited Highlands Elementary School this morning to accept a $4.5 million dollar gift to the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  Ambassador to the United States Yousef Al Otaiba made the presentation and, along with the Christies, met with students of the school’s Summer Camp Program.

The UAE Embassy gift, made on behalf of the people of the UAE, will help address critical technology needs, such as infrastructure construction to increase internet bandwidth capacity, wiring and hardware for instructional areas, acquisition of mobile computing devices for faculty and students, and additional training for teachers and administrators.

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NJ Consumer Confidence Jumps

Matthew Morehead, dog groomer and Democratic candidate for Assembly looking confident. facebook photo

Optimism among New Jersey consumers rebounded strongly over the last six months, according to a survey released by the FDU Public Mind Poll this morning.

37% of the 588 residents surveyed said their finances are better than they were a year ago, up from 18% in January and 26% last July.

51% believe their finances will be better in the year to come, up from 34% in January and 38% in July, 2012.

 “We’ve not seen numbers this good in quite some time,” said Krista Jenkins, director of PublicMind and professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University. “Despite Hurricane Sandy and an unemployment rate that has left many in the state without work or underemployed, the past year has been good for many Garden State residents.”

72% expect the value of their homes to rise over the next year, compared to only 48% who thought so in January.

“This is an election year, and what people think about their finances is often a big consideration when choosing for whom to vote. Time will tell how strong an influence pocketbook issues will be in shaping the outcome of upcoming elections,” said Jenkins. “One thing is for certain, however, and that’s the rosier view people seem to have these days about the state of their own bottom lines.”

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Pallone’s Past

facebook photo

Long before Cory Booker was shoveling snow and tweeting about it, Frank Pallone was delivering generators to storm victims in his district.

~The Star Ledger

And…he was a Republican in he youth? Yes, according to his Wikipedia page, Pallone was a member of the Young Republicans while a student at Middlebury College in Vermont. (h/t The Auditor)

Even as a Democrat, Pallone, who now has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood used to be strongly pro-life.   He was endorsed by New Jersey Right To Life in his 1988 race for congress against the late Captain Joe Azzolina.

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Asbury Park Press Editorial Board Needs A Fact Checker

No news. Empty newsstands stored in the Asbury Park Press’s empty parking lot in Neptune.

In their editorial posted last evening, the Asbury Park Press Editorial Board The Neptune Nudniks lecture New York City voters on character and morality.

As if they are an authority on character and morality and have readers from New York!  Maybe they are hoping some bennies here for the weekend will read their paper instead of Greg’s List.

The Nudnik’s homily bemoans the fact that former Congressman Anthony Weiner and former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer are doing very well in the polls in their campaigns for municipal office in New York.

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HELP SOUGHT IDENTIFYING COLTS NECK STABBING SUSPECT

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Colts Neck Police Department are seeking the public’s help in identifying the man seen in the sketch on the left.

The suspect is wanted for questioning about the stabbing of a 41-year-old Colts Neck woman inside her Bray Street home on Sunday, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.

A composite sketch is a drawing approximating a suspect’s facial appearance.  Please keep in mind that appearances such as hair styles, beards and moustaches are easily changed. People gain and lose weight.

Anyone who recognizes, believes they recognize the man in the sketch or has any information about this case is asked to call Detective Andrea Tozzi, of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 1-800-533-7443, or Detective Richard Zarrillo, of the Colts Neck Police Department at 732-462-4343.

If you believe you may have information regarding the identification of the person depicted in the sketch, please contact either of the listed detectives whether or not you are 100 percent sure.  All leads will be followed up in an appropriate fashion.

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McGreevey To Head Jersey City Jobs Commission

Stonger Than The Scorn

Former Gov Jim McGreevey. Wikipedia photo

Former Governor Jim McGreevey is back in government service, according to a report in The Jersey Journal.

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop appointed McGreevey to the position of Executive Director of the Jersey City Employment and Training Commission.  The commission is apparently a new venture of Fulop’s who made job creation and the establishment of a re-entry program for ex-offenders a major plank of his recent election campaign.  There is no information about the commission on the city’s website.

Fulop’s spokesperson, Jennifer Morrill, did not know what McGreevey’s salary will be when we asked her. She promised to get back to us with that information and whether or not the job is pensionable.

UPDATED: Morrill said that McGreevey’s salary is $110,000.  The commission is an independent authority, which is why there is no information about it on Jersey City’s website.

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Former Asbury Park Housing Director Arrested

Mark W. Holmes

Mark W. Holmes, 52 of Lawrence Township (Mercer County), the former Executive Director of the Asbury Park Housing Authority, was arrested yesterday and charged with Second Degree Theft By Deception, according to a statement released by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiconni.

The charges allege that Holmes, also a former Mayor and Councilman in Lawrence Township, stole in excess of $75,000 while directing Asbury Park’s 587 public housing units.  The funds came from a $99,897 Department of Labor and Work Force Development grant that was intended to pay for computer training and other marketable skills for the public housing residents.

Additionally, Holmes is charged with using the Housing Authority’s debit card and an American Express for personal expenses of almost $20,000 and for submitting reimbursement vouchers for $3,397.28 in expenses he charged to the American Express card.

The investigation was conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office of Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Bureau.  Assistant Prosecutor John Loughrey, director of the bureau, is prosecuting the case.

Holmes is currently living in public housing at Golden’s Palace in Freehold.  His bail is $70,000 with a 10% cash option. If convicted, he faces 5-10 years in State Prison.

Official Misconduct was not among the charges listed against Holmes in Gramiconni’s statement. Official Misconduct convictions in New Jersey require minimum imprisonment terms without eligibility for parole.

Holmes resigned his job suddenly in June of 2011.  In July of 2011 the Housing Commissioners asked federal housing officials and the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office to investigate financial mismanagement under Holmes’ watch. Holmes had held the job since late in 2008.

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FEMA Continues to Discriminate Against Churches and Synagogues Devastated by Superstorm Sandy

WASHINGTON, DC – “It has been five long months since the House overwhelmingly passed my legislation to ensure that houses of worship are no longer discriminated against under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) rules,”  said Rep. Chris Smith, author of H.R. 592, the “Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2013.”

“When a bill passes the House by such a strong, bipartisan margin of 354-72, it is hoped that the Senate will work aggressively to send it to the President’s desk.  The legislation is desperately needed to put fairness back into our disaster relief programs.

“I welcome the bipartisan efforts of Senators Kirsten Gillebrand (D-NY) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) in their introduction of a Senate companion bill, S. 1274, this week and I am delighted and encouraged that New Jersey Sen. Jeff Chiesa has signed on as well. I am confident their leadership will help break the log jam and bring equity to the program.”

Smith, who has personally met with Senators Tom Carper and Tom Coburn, the chair and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, said that they each raised some concerns that Smith believed could be easily addressed in a bill markup session. Having a companion bill will hopefully help show support in the Senate and advance the issue. Smith also met with FEMA head Craig Fugate to discuss the bill and the current unfair treatment of houses of worship compared to other non-profits.

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, July 12-14, 2013 #STTS

SPONSORED BY SEASTREAK

By Greg Kelly

Sunday, July 14

• Shakespeare on the Lawn by BCC (Lincroft) – MORE INFO

• The Diary of Anne Frank by Center Players (Freehold) – MORE INFO

• Rock Climbing (Lincroft) – MORE INFO

• Asbury Fresh Local Artisan Market – MORE INFO

• Ocean Grove Choir Festival – MORE INFO

• Freedom Fest State Fair (Upper Freehold) – MORE INFO

• Shakespeare on the Lawn by BCC (Lincroft) – MORE INFO

• The Music Man at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• Manasquan Reservoir Boat Tours – MORE INFO

• Canoeing on Marlu Lake (Lincroft) – MORE INFO

• Bradley Beach Lobster Festival – MORE INFO

• Warmth at Grange Playhouse (Howell) – MORE INFO

• Dawn Patrol at Monmouth Park (Oceanport) – MORE INFO

• NY Yankees vs. Twins via Seastreak Ferry (Highlands) – MORE INFO

• Haskell Classic Car Show at Monmouth Park (Oceanport) – MORE INFO

• 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Monmouth U (WLB) – MORE INFO

• Israel Film Fest (Asbury Park) – MORE INFO

• Diva on the Shore Dodgeball (Asbury Park) – MORE INFO

• Run-Swim-Run Competition (Avon) – MORE INFO

*     *     *

And Next Weekend . . .

Friday, July 19: Ocean Grove House & Garden Tour – MORE INFO

Saturday, July 20: Arts & Crafts Festival (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO

Sunday, July21: Red Bank Food & Wine Walk – MORE INFO

Greg Kelly is a longtime Monmouth County journalist. He welcomes comments or questions at [email protected]

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Tent City, Three Ways

by Debbie Galant, NJNewsCommons.org

News outlets ranging from the AP to the Lakewood Scoop have covered the ongoing saga of Lakewood’s Tent City, an encampment of about 80 homeless people, which the town has been trying to shut down for years. This spring a deal was struck: Tent City residents will leave within a year if a homeless shelter is opened in Ocean County.  But the story of the tent community has proved more indelible than a series of fleeting headlines.  The makeshift village in the woods, complete with its own upright piano, is now the subject of a book-length poem, a documentary and a series of black-and-white photo portraits.

Copyright 2013 Sherry Rubel

Hank Kalet, an economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight,  was a regional editor for Patch in early 2012 when photographer Sherry Rubel sent over a press release about her Kickstarter campaign to fund a photo project on Tent City. Although the campaign didn’t reach its funding goal, it set an idea in motion for Kalet, who was also working on his MFA in poetry at Fairleigh Dickinson, and in search of a project.

“I was looking for something to sink my teeth into,” Kalet recalls. “Looking for a project to use both parts of my writing self.”

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