New cancer center brings Sloan Kettering care closer to home for N.J. patients

MIDDLETOWN – The rebirth of a long-vacant building into a state-of-the-art outpatient cancer treatment center was celebrated Monday with a ceremony in Middletown. Manhattan-based cancer center Memorial Sloan Kettering purchased the vacant former Lucent Technologies building on Red Hill Road in 2013 and is now just weeks away from opening the new outpatient facility featuring about… Read the rest of this entry »

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Sayreville knocks off Middletown South 42-28 in NJ 2, Group 4 semis as DeMild throws for 345 yards and four TDs

Senior quarterback Jayson DeMild threw for 345 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another to lead fifth-seeded Sayreville to a 42-28 upset of top-seeded Middletown South, No. 18 in the NJ.com Top 20, in the semifinals of the Sports Care Institute.com North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 playoffs in Middletown. The Bombers will play second-seeded… Read the rest of this entry »

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Monmouth Democrats were invited to campaign at Middletown High School North during school hours

Second Middletown Teacher caught engaging in Democrat partisan activity during school hours this year

A photo of Monmouth County Democrat candidates for Surrogate and Freeholder speaking to a seminar of Middletown High School North freshmen and sophomore participants in the school’s honors Government, Law and Public Policy Program (GLP3) Pathway was posted on the campaign facebook page of Surrogate candidate Vincent Solomeno last Tuesday with the caption “Thrilled to join Matt Doherty and Sue Fulton for Monmouth County Freeholder 2016 and speak to students about county government at Middletown High School North.  Get involved!”

None of the three candidates have any experience in county government.

The seminar was supervised by Patti May, a teacher who is a Democrat candidate for Borough Council in Eatontown.  Monmouth County Democrat Chairman Vin Gopal held a fundraiser for the teacher at the Jumping Brook Country Club in June.

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Marletta blames the victim of her hit and run

Pool photo by Tom Costello, Asbury Park Press

Toni Ann Marletta, 50, of Leonardo, said “I found that out,” when asked by Assistant Prosecutor Meghan Doyle if she was aware that Marissa Procopio had died as a result of being stuck by the car Marletta was driving on Route 36 on July 7, 2015.

In her allocution, Marletta said that she fled the scene of the accident because she had let her insurance lapse two months earlier.  She admitted asking the children, her daughter and two others, who were passengers in the car not to talk about the accident until she figured out what she was going to do about it.

Marletta pleaded guilty to Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Accident that resulted in a Death and to two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child this morning before Superior Court Judge Ronald Reisner in Freehold.   Under a plea agreement, the prosecution is recommending a sentence of 7 years for Leaving the Scene and 4 years for Endangering—to be served concurrently.  Marletta will also face fines and a license suspension for motor vehicle infractions including having no insurance.

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Planning for NWS Earle

photo via globalsecurity.org

Monmouth County has received a $206,000 federal grant from the Department of Defense to prepare a Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) for Naval Weapons Station Earle.

A cooperative land use planning effort between affected local government entities and the military installation, the project looks to create compatible development measures to keep the base operational, while also looking out for the surrounding public’s health, safety, and welfare. When land use decisions impair the effectiveness of a military base, the utility of the installation and its mission can be compromised.  Mission constraints can lead to base closure. Monmouth County will contribute $32,500 in staff time and materials to the study.

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Congressman Chris Smith’s remarks at the Middletown 9-11 Memorial

Congressman Chris Smith and Middletown Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger

Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing—I was in Washington chairing a Veteran’s Affairs Committee hearing—when a group of cowards hijacked airliners in order to perpetrate the worst act of terrorism in American history.

No-one remembers the shock, horror and numbing sorrow more, however, than the families and close friends of the victims.

Because it was a surprise attack, there was no chance to fight back that day although when Todd Beamer and other passengers learned what happened to the Twin Towers, Todd famously said “let’s roll” and attacked the terrorists on board the flight that crashed in a Pennsylvania field.

Who can forget the courageous first responders running up the stairs of the burning buildings—with total disregard for their own safety—saving some at the expense of their own lives.

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Middletown Sex Offender, 24, Charged With Luring A 14 Year Old Girl

Bryan Sanderson. photo via Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office

Bryan W. Sanderson, 24, of Middletown was arrested and charged on August 18 with luring a 14 year old girl last year using the online social media app Kik, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced this afternoon.

Sanderson has been in the custody of the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility, Bordentown, since September 9, 2015 after he was found with the 14 year old year in a car after a traffic stop in Union County for an expired registration.  A subsequent investigation led to the discovery of numerous images and videos considered child pornography on Sanderson’s cellphone.

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Wawa Armed Robber Busted By Middletown Cops

Cole Murch. photo via facebook

Cole Murch, 21, of Middletown was arrested by the Middletown Police Department yesterday afternoon after he brandished a knife while approaching a gas attendant demanding money at the Wawa store on Route 36 in the Leonardo section of the township, according to a statement by Middletown Township Police Chief R. Craig Weber.

Murch fled on foot after the incident.  The Middletown PD received a call reporting the robbery at 3:39 p.m.  Multiple units responded and Murch was apprehended in the area shortly thereafter.  He was taken into custody by Detective First Class Daniel Sullivan and Detective Keith Hirschbein and charged with charged with First Degree Robbery, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, Possession of a Weapon for Unlawful Purposes, Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons, and Resisting Arrest.

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Hazlet Man Charged With Middletown Bank Robbery

photo via Middletown PD’s facebook page

Justin Rafalko, 25, of Sycamore Drive in Hazlet was charged with robbing the TD Bank branch on Harmony Road in Middletown, according to a statement by Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Rafaldo entered the bank at around 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, approached a teller with a note that indicated he was armed and demanding money. He fled the scene on a bicycle.

The Keansburg police apprehended Rafalko later on Saturday along the Henry Hudson Trail.  He was identified via surveillance video.

The investigation was a cooperative effort of the Monmouth County Prosectuor’s Office, the Middletown Police Department, the Hazlet Police Department and the FBI.

“This was a great team effort by all the law enforcement agencies involved to bring this case to a swift conclusion,” said Prosecutor Gramiccioni.

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Monmouth County Reliability Project Sheds Light on the State’s Continued Skim on Taxpayers

By Tony Fiore, Middletown Deputy Mayor

The recent filing of the proposed JCP&L Monmouth County Reliability Project should serve as a wake-up call to all taxpayers in the state of New Jersey.   The proposed 10 mile project with upwards of 200 foot monopoles to be installed on New Jersey Transit right-of way, will have a negative impact on the property values of all adjoining properties and potentially, properties within the line of site.  The impact alone in Middletown could be upwards of $1.5 million in lost value. However, don’t despair taxpayers of Middletown, Holmdel, Hazlet, Aberdeen and Red Bank, according to their BPU filing, JCP&L will be making a $9.8 million payment towards the local municipalities through Energy Receipts taxes.

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