Middletown Woman Survived Initial Train Strike

Blayke Terry, photo via facebook

The woman struck by a train in Middletown on Saturday night has been identified as Blayke Terry, 23, of Middletown, according to a report at app.com.

Terry survived the initial strike, according to Lt. Paul Bailey of the Middletown Township Police Department.  Bailey is not aware of Terry’s current condition.

According to her facebook page, Terry is a graduate of Matawan Regional High School and works as a veterinary technician at Garden State Veterinary Specialists in Tinton Falls.

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Woman struck by train in Middletown

A female “trespasser” by struck by a NJ Transit train in Middletown on Saturday night, according to the agency’s twitter feed and a report on NJ.com

The woman, who was struck at the Church Road crossing at 8:20 p.m., was taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune.  No passengers were injured according to the report.

North Jersey Coast Line service was suspended for about two hours between Hazlet and Red Bank and is now operating close to or on schedule.

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Middletown Township Reduces Spending and Property Taxes In 2017 Budget

Middletown Township Committee

The Middletown Township Committee will introduce a budget on Monday night that reduces Township spending by $161,459 and reduces the municipal tax rate by 3.49%

“We’ve taken a fine tooth comb to this budget in order to develop a spending plan that reduces costs without sacrificing core essential services,” said Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger, Ph.D. “We consistently seek ways to further minimize costs, maximize revenues and stretch a dollar.”

For the average homeowner, municipal taxes will decrease $5.31 this year.

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Next OAL Hearing on 3/29 nothing short of OutRAGEous

By Middletown Township Committeeman Tony Fiore

Tony Fiore

On March 29^th, thousands of residents and local elected officials from Monmouth County will converge upon the Collins Arena at Brookdale to speak against the proposed Monmouth County Reliability Project as proposed by First Energy and its subsidiary JCP&L.  This additional hearing called for by Office of Administrative Law Judge Gail Cookson, follows a meeting held on January 25^th at Middletown High School North where thousands attended and many were turned away.  As an elected official in Middletown who will not have the opportunity to speak at this meeting per the Judge’s request, I will not remain silent with the question I would have asked Judge Cookson:  What’s the point of this hearing?

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Scharfenberger withdraws from LD 13 Assembly race

photo via facebook

Monmouth County GOP Chairman Shaun Golden told MMM that Middletown Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger has withdrawn as a candidate for Assembly in the 13th legislative district.

“Mayor Scharfenberger called and told me that he will not be filing a Letter of Intent,” Golden said. “Gerry is a competitor.  I appreciate what it took for him to step down for the good of the Party.  Gerry is a great mayor of one of the best run towns in the State of New Jersey.  He has a great future ahead of him.”

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, the presumptive GOP nominee for State Senate in the 13th legislative district, also said he talked to Scharfenberger.

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Massell Endorses O’Scanlon for Senate in LD 13

Declan O’Scanlon and Steve Massell

Middletown Township Committeeman Steve Massell today announced his endorsement of Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon to succeed Senator Joe Kyrillos as the senior legislator for northern Monmouth County’s 13th legislative district.

“As a lifelong resident of Monmouth County and having served these last 7 years on the Middletown Township Committee, I was not only saddened but concerned for the future of our county and state when I heard that Joe Kyrillos was retiring from the Senate,” Massell said.

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Fiore endorses O’Scanlon for Senate in LD 13

Tony Fiore and Declan O’Scanlon

Tony Fiore, a Monmouth GOP Vice Chairman and a Middletown Township Committeeman announced his endorsement of Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon to replace Senator Joe Kyrillos in the State Senate next year.

“As a Republican elected official in the largest municipality in the 13th legislative district, the upcoming retirement of Middletown’s Senator Joe Kyrillos is vitally important to us,” Fiore said.  “For the past 28 years we have been extremely fortunate to have Senator Kyrillos representing our district as an advocate for residents and taxpayers of our district and the entire state.  His leadership and advocacy on behalf of our township and our district will be sorely missed.   The next Senator from the 13th must continue to fight for us in Trenton while working with our local leaders to help keep our local municipalities and county under fiscally conservative Republican control.

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Middletown Offices To Close On Thursday Due To Expected Blizzard Conditions

Middletown Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger, PhD, announced that the Township’s facilities are closed and programs are cancelled on Thursday, February 9th, due to the Winter Storm Warning with expected blizzard like conditions in the Township.

The closure includes the Middletown Library, the Middletown Arts Center, the Senior Center, Poricy Park and the Health Department. The Project Plus program, scheduled for Thursday night, is cancelled.

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Junction Boutique: A Made in Monmouth Success Story in Middletown

Jeanine Riegler, left, and Chris Slater of Junction Boutique

Junction Boutique opened their doors in a small retail space in Belford’s Campbell’s Junction less than two years ago.  The cooperative effort of local artisans selling their homemade jewelry, heirlooms, clothes, candles and bath products and other art started with eight local crafters.

Two months later Chris Slater, the organizer and inspiration of the group, attended a Made in Monmouth trade show at Monmouth University, where she met other Monmouth County based small business owners/artist. They weren’t competitors, they were collaborators.  The number of businesses selling their products at the tiny store quickly grew and by the end of 2016 the 28 participants had outgrown their space.  Slater said that all but a handful of the Junction Boutique artisans were connected through Made in Monmouth and all are New Jersey based.

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Middletown Scammer Gets 14 years

Christopher D. Biello. photo via facebook

Christopher D. Biello, 43, of Coe Place in Middletown was sentenced to 14 years in state prison on Monday after admitting he deceived and impersonated at least 18 clients.  Biello will be eligible for parole in 5 years and must pay restitution of $409,331.04 to the victims of his scheme under the sentence imposed by Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley.

According to an announcement by Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni, Biello admitted that he obtained numerous credit cards in his victims’ names, engaged in fraudulent loan attempts using the victims’ identities, and forged documents.

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