Jennifer Beck to run for mayor of Red Bank

April 1, 2018

Jennifer Beck

Former state Senator Jennifer Beck will launch her political comeback on Monday when she files her petitions to seek the Republican nomination for Mayor of Red Bank, MMM has learned.

“Red Bank needs leadership,” Beck said in a statement announcing her candidacy. “Mayor Menna is a delightful man, a great compromiser, but in his nine years in office little has changed. Taxes are too high, water rates are too high, there are too many retail vacancies, and parking is a nightmare. The governing body is running in place and playing petty politics.”

Red Bank Republicans did not nominate a candidate for mayor when they met to choose their municipal candidates last Thursday evening, opting to give Democrat Mayor Pat Menna a free pass into office for the third time.  Menna has not been challenged since he beat John Curley in 2006 when the then Red Bank councilmen faced off to replace Ed McKenna as leader of the borough. Read the rest of this entry »

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11 year old boy called bomb threat into Neptune’s Walmart

An 11 year old boy is responsible for the bomb scare that prompted the evacuation of the Walmart store in Neptune Township last Sunday afternoon, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.

The store on Route 66 received a call at 1:07 p.m. on Palm Sunday stating the there was bomb in the store and suggesting it be evacuated.

Bomb dogs from the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey Transit Police Department, and Middletown Police Department were deployed to assist the Neptune Township Police Department at the scene. The Neptune Township Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services were also deployed to the scene. Read the rest of this entry »

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Greg’s List: Things to Do in Monmouth County This Weekend, March 30-April 1, 2018

By Greg Kelly

photo by SuperGirl30 vic flickr

Friday, March 30

• Pretenders at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO
• Men’s College Baseball: Monmouth U. vs. Canisius (WLB) – MORE INFO
• Simulcast Racing at Monmouth Park (Oceanport) – MORE INFO
• Live Harness Racing (Freehold) – MORE INFO
• Atlantic Cinemas Movie Night (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO
• Collingwood Indoor Flea Market (Farmingdale) – MORE INFO
• Visit 1883 Lighthouse Keepers’ Quarters on Sandy Hook – MORE INFO
• Free Tax Filing Assistance (Long Branch) – MORE INFO
• Free Tax-Aide Program (Shrewsbury, Wall Twp.) – MORE INFO
• EmiSunshine at Monmouth U. (WLB) – MORE INFO

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Marlboro Schools Get Armed and Uniformed Cops

Marlboro Township’s K-8 schools now have armed and uniformed police officers present at all times during school hours under an agreement between the Township and Board of Education that was approved by the Board last night, Mayor Jonathan Hornik announced.

“I am pleased that the Board of Education has supported our initiative to station Marlboro police officers in each of our schools. While it is not a solution to the gun debate, it will keep our children and educators safe. As Mayor, I have no more fundamental responsibility than keeping our children and educators safe,” Mayor Hornik said,  “Recently in Maryland, a School Resource Officer (SRO), a trained and armed Police Officer, engaged and pursued the shooter and, by all accounts, prevented this incident from being a far greater tragedy. While it would be nice to pretend that that we did not live in a society that requires armed police officers in our schools it is not the reality.”

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Jersey Mike’s Is Giving All Sales Proceeds Today To Charities

By Art Gallagher

Jersey Mike’s, the Manasquan based national franchisor of Jersey Shore inspired sandwich shops, is donating 100% of their sales today to 170 charities throughout the nation, according to a statement by the company.

The company expects to donate $6 million in today’s sales, which will include my lunch. Read the rest of this entry »

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Law enforcement investigating threat by Keansburg student

A Keansburg student was charged with third degree Terroristic Threats after an alert school security officers overheard a threat made by the boy, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni announced.  An ongoing investigation has concluded that the boy did not have the wherewithal to carry out the threat.

A search of the child’s home found no weapons.  However a school yearbook was discovered with several students photos blocked out. The boy told investigators those classmates were “mean” to him.

Gramiccioni is not identifying the boy because of his young age.

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Could Bayonne Referendum Cause Oceanport Mayor To Resign?

Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis and Oceanport Mayor Jay Coffey and Davis’s reelection kickoff

A coming referendum in the City of Bayonne could shake things up in the Borough of Oceanport.

NewJerseyGlobe reports that Bayonne residents will decide via referendum whether appointees of the mayor must live in the City. Oceanport Mayor Jay Coffey is the appointed Corporation Counsel of Bayonne.  Should the referendum succeed, which we are told is likely, Coffey would have to choose between the lucrative job and serving as mayor.

How Coffey’s successor is chosen becomes an interesting question, should he resign.  In towns with partisan elections, municipal vacancies are filled by the council or township committee choosing from three candidates submitted by the County Committee of the Party that ran the office holder. Coffey, a registered Democrat, was elected as a write-in candidate.  The Oceanport Democrats did not have an candidate for mayor in 2015 when Coffey unseated Republican Michael Mahon, who was unopposed on the general election ballot. Read the rest of this entry »

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Arnone thanks workers for snow cleanup, addresses County budget

By Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Freeholder Director Tom Arnone speaks at the NJTPA Board Meeting – Jan 22, 2018

Happy Spring! I’m sure I am joined by many in saying I hope we saw our last snowfall until next winter season.

I’d like to thank our department of public works employees for working throughout this recent storm to clear our roads and county-owned properties. As always, these employees did a great job. I’d also like to thank our first responders who were also out working throughout the storm in difficult weather conditions.

On a separate note, the 2018 Monmouth County budget was approved during the March 19^th meeting of the Board of Chosen Freeholders. When we first introduced our budget, there was a proposed 1-percent tax increase. Ultimately, the approved budget includes a half-percent tax increase.

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Without a plea deal, Sarah Stern’s accused killer heads to trial this fall

A 20-year-old man charged in the strangulation death of his friend, Sarah Stern, will stand for her murder this September unless he accepts a plea deal, a Superior Court judge said Monday. Liam McAtasney appeared before Judge Richard W. English in a Freehold courtroom where English read an order into the record his ruling Friday that… Read the rest of this entry »

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Marletta’s First Parole Eligibility Denied

Toni Marletta, the 52 year old Leonardo woman who struck and killed Marissa Procopio, 15, of Atlantic Highlands in a hit and run incident on July 7, 2015 will remain in state prison until at least May 8, 2019, according to the NJ Department of Corrections website.  She had been eligible for parole this coming May, the victim’s mother, Danielle Procopio told MMM.

Danielle told MMM that Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Meghan Doyle informed her this morning that Marletta’s May 2018 parole was denied. Danielle had been waiting for a date with the Parole Board to make a statement and present a petition with over 1500 signatures opposing Marletta’s release when she got the news from Doyle.

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