David Wildstein, the former Port Authority official who has pleaded guilty in the Bridgegate scandal, accused Governor Chris Christie of revealing secret Grand Jury testimony during a 2010 meeting about Port Authority Police leadership, a violation of federal law, according to a report in The New York Times.
In answering Interrogatories in a civil case unrelated to the George Washington Bridge closure, Wildstein swore that in June of 2010 Christie directed Port Authority to fire Arthur Cifelli, the agency’s Police Deputy Superintendent and to hire Jerry Speziale, then the Passaic County Sheriff to fill the post.
Wildstein alleged that Christie told those in the meeting that Cifelli had perjured himself in Grand Jury proceedings related to former Senate President John Lynch while Christie was U. S. Attorney.
Nicholas DePue, 29 of Jackson, a teacher at Monmouth Regional High School, surrendered to authorities on Wednesday on charges that he had inappropriate sexual contact with a student under the age of 18, according to a statement by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
DePue is charged with second degree counts of Sexual Assault and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. He was released after posting a $100,000 bond, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Jamie Perri, J.S.C., who also ordered DePue have no contact with his victim and he is not to return to the scene of his crimes.
A College Prep Biology teacher, DePue was an Assistant Coach of the Falcons wrestling team and a set designer for the school’s drama club.
Thomas Critelli was nominated to serve a second term on the Holmdel Township Committee. The incumbent Republican beat back a challenge from Anne Morrison with 71% of the vote.
Critelli got 318 votes to Morrison’s 130.
Critelli will defend his seat on the Township Committe against Democratic nominee Karen Stickland in the November general election.
Rebecca Ginsberg has defeated incumbent Committeeman Ryan Green for the GOP nomination for Township Committee in Manalapan. The unoffical vote totals are 321 for Ginsberg and 188 for Green.
Ginsberg, the chair of the Township’s Recreation Committee was backed by the Manalapan and Monmouth County Republican Organizations to fill the seat that Green has held for two terms.
Green fell out of favor with his colleagues on the Township Committee after he “declared war” after not being selected to be Mayor in 2014. Former Manalapan GOP Chairman Steven McEnery dubbed Green a “petulant pipsqueak” in response the Committeeman’s juvenile behavior.
Ginsberg is slated to face Democratic nominee John Alfano in the November general election.
Councilman Jack Archibald defeated Councilman Lou Fligor for the Republican nomination for Mayor of Atlantic Highlands by an unofficial count of 301 to 169.
The 470 votes cast represents a very high 66% turnout, based upon 710 registered Republicans on April 15. The turnout percentage will be adjusted by the number of unaffiliated voters who declared a Republican affiliation today at the polls.
Archibald will face Democratic nominee for mayor Rhonda LeGrice in November.
Brad J. Kieserman, the federal official assigned to reform the National Flood Insurance Plan and to re-open thousands of Superstorm Sandy related claims amid allegations that thousands of homeowners were short changed, has resigned his post in order to take a job at the Red Cross, according to a report on Newsday.
A 28 year employee of the federal government, Kieserman took on the reform of NFIP only 3 months ago in February. FEMA annouced four months ago that it would settle every disputed case but only about a dozen checks have been issued.
Appearing in Hoboken last week with U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, as well as Highlands residents Kerry and Jamie Gowan who where representing the 70,000 New Jersey residents with claims to be reviewed by FEMA, Kieserman pledged that the government would do better in the tasks of “people caring for people.”
A possible Ebola patient was transported from Newark-Liberty International Aiport to Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) on Monday night, according to a report by CliffviewPilot.com
HUMC’s emergency room was on lock down at 8:50 p.m. No other ambulances were admitted to the hospital grounds as medical workers in Haz Mat suits brought the patient into a quarantine area.
HUMC is one of three New Jersey hospitals designated as a primary Ebola treatment center.
The legislators representing Monmouth County from the 11th and 13th Districts want the New Jersey Department of Human Services to stop housing asymptomatic Ebola patients at Fort Monmouth at then end of this month when the current agreement to do so expires and they are calling on the members of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority to reject DHS’s request to extend the arrangement.
Senators Joe Kyrillos and Jennifer Beck joined with Assembly Members Amy Handlin, Declan O’Scanlon, Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande in issuing the following statement:
Kerry and Jamie Gowan of Highlands appeared in Hoboken today with U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker as the legislators announced the reopening of thousands of flood insurance claims related to Superstorm Sandy.
Kerry spoke to the gathered press about her family’s ordeal swimming from their home on October 29, 2012, and the nightmare that has multiplied since. She said her flood insurance claim paid about half of what the family was due.
David Wildstein, the former Port Authority official who has pleaded guilty in the Bridgegate scandal, accused Governor Chris Christie of revealing secret Grand Jury testimony during a 2010 meeting about Port Authority Police leadership, a violation of federal law, according to a report in The New York Times.
