Arrest Made in Middletown Stabbing

Correction, Feb 19, 2019 10:50 a.m.

Det. Lt. Paul Bailey, the public information officer for the Middletown PD, told MMM that Bland did not stab two people as we previously reported.  One person was stabbed and the other was the victim of a simple assault, Bailey said.

Brennan C. Bland

Brennan C. Bland, 27, has been arrest by Middletown Police and charged with stabbing two people in McMahon Park on Friday afternoon, according to an announcement from the Middletown PD.

Bland is charged with aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, and terroristic threats.   He is in the custody of the Monmouth County Correctional Institute in Freehold.

A Friday, February 15 at about 4:28 p.m. County dispatch received at least three calls reporting an altercation in McMahon Park in North Middletown.  The first call indicated that two adult males were involved in  fight. A second call reported juveniles fighting and a third caller stated the incident involved a stabbing and all parties had left the scene.

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Circus Camel Escapes In Middletown

Heidi the prodigal camel

North Middletown- A female camel escaped from St. Catherine’s Church on Monday. The camel, Heidi, is not left over from the parish’s nativity scene.  She is a featured performer in the circus that St. Catherine’s is hosting tonight, Tuesday, May 24.

Heidi escaped while the circus staff was setting up the tent for tonight’s festivities, according to church secretary Kathy Toomey.

“The camel took a stroll down Bray Avenue dragging her tether and chain behind her,” Toomey said.  Residents of Bray Avenue laughed and said they were unaware of the incident when MMM asked them about it.

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Menendez calls for hearings into post-Sandy flood insurance ‘low-balling’

Menendez calls for hearings into post-Sandy flood insurance ‘low-balling’ (via NJ.com)

MIDDLETOWN – Constituents have told Sen. Robert Menendez that the National Flood Insurance Program is feast or famine – high premiums feast on Jersey Shore residents, while low payouts force tough decisions on homeowners affected by Hurricane Sandy…

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FEMA Agrees to Levee Study that Could Ease Homeowners’ Flood Insurance Premiums

FREEHOLD, N.J. – Federal officials are taking steps which may help residents of the hard-hit neighborhood of North Middletown as they face potential flood insurance increases as a result of new flood maps expected to be unveiled this week.

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said that as a result of congressional inquiry and meetings with local officials from Middletown, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other state and federal agencies, FEMA has agreed to implement a comprehensive study and evaluation of the East Keansburg Levee system which FEMA had previously “de-certified” for flood protection, resulting in proposed steep flood insurance hikes for homeowners.  If the study recognizes the levee system as flood protection that may prevent devastating flooding as it did during Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Irene, it could lead to reduced risk assessment and lower insurance costs.

“Thousands of residents of North Middletown are looking at the very real possibility of their flood insurance premiums skyrocketing because FEMA no longer views some levee systems as adequate flood protection,” said Smith. “But as residents there know, for more than 40 years this neighborhood has been well served by a flood management system of levees, dunes, and pumps. This unique system has been effective since its installation in the 1970s. Even during Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy, when much of the coast was badly flooded, the roughly 1,400 homes in North Middletown remained protected. To omit an evaluation of this levy system and a substantive analysis of any form of protection it might offer would be unfair to the residents.”

Smith sent a letter to FEMA Region II chief Jerome Hatfield on November 8 requesting the agency do a study, to which Hatfield replied that FEMA did not at the time have adequate funding.

“We are thankful that FEMA has now identified funding to undertake this important study, particularly after correspondence in which Administrator Hatfield stated that FEMA was looking to explore this option and work together with local stakeholders,” said Smith.  “We hope this new study will enable FEMA to determine the effectiveness of the East Keansburg Levee system and provide them with the most comprehensive and up-to-date information as they conclude analysis of the region’s flood maps.”

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