Westfield High School Displays Anti-Cop Student Art

photo via TAP into Westfield

A school district-wide student art exhibit by Westfield High School students titled, “Law Enforcement — Police Brutality,” is drawing criticism from the law enforcement community, according to a report at TAP into Westfield.

Westfield, a toney Union County town of 30,000 with a median family income of $112,145 as of the 2010 U.S. Census, was named the 24th safest city in the United States in 2015 by Neighborhood Scout.   The chances of being the victim of a crime in Westfield is 1 in 2057. Statewide in New Jersey, the chances of being the victim of a crime is 1 in 347, according to Neighborhood Scout.

Westfield is 13.5 miles from Newark and 10 miles from Elizabeth.

The art exhibit, which closed this afternoon, includes an image of a bloodied figure stabbed in the back with a badge and several images of guns aimed at unarmed figures.

TAP into Westfield reports that police officers worldwide are sharing photos from the display on social media and encouraging complaints to be emailed to Superintendent Dr. Margaret Dolan.

The student’s work was accompanied by artist statements.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

82 New Officers Graduate from Monmouth Police Academy

82 young men and women were sworn in as law enforcement officers today during their graduation ceremony from the Monmouth County Police Academy at Neptune High School’s Performing Arts Center, according to an announcement by Sheriff Shaun Golden.

43 officers completed the Basic Course for Police Officers, a 19 week program with 780 hours of training. 39 completed the Basic Course for Class II Special Law Enforcement Officers, a three month program that consists of approximately 600 hours of training with full police powers while on duty. Both classes are run through the Monmouth County Police Academy and upon completion the officers are well trained and well prepared to serve their respective law enforcement agencies.

The new officers’ training was sponsored by jurisdictions in Monmouth, Middlesex, Mercer and Burlington counties.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Toni Marie Angelini Resigns From Matawan Council Effective June 30

Matawan Councilwoman Toni Marie Angelini has resigned from the borough’s governing body effective June 30.   Angelini, who declined to seek reelection this year, is moving to Wall Township.

Mayor Paul Buccellato said that Angelini will be missed. “Toni was a valuable member of the council who represented the residents of Matawan with honesty and integrity,” Buccellato said, “She always made decisions with the best interests of the people in mind.”

Angelini has lived in Matawan for 15 years and was elected to the Borough Council twice.  Her move to Wall brings her closer to her family, Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini  and Ocean Township School Board Member Bob Angelini, and gives her a shorter to commute to Trenton where she is the Senior Media Manger for Northeast and Midwest at the National Federation of Independent Businesses. (NFIB).

Toni Marie was formerly the manager of the Hazlet Motor Vehicle Commission facility and worked on Superstorm Sandy recovery in Governor Chris Christie’s office until October of last year.

• Tweet

Bloom Again Foundation Is Opening A New Jersey Chapter In Monmouth County

Bloom Again Foundation, a Pasadena, CA based charity that provides rapid response emergency financial assistance to working women facing medical crises, is launching a New Jersey Chapter on Wednesday, May 27 during a luncheon at the Navesink Country Club in Middletown.

Founded in 2008 by Dr. Lois Frankel, PhD, the foundation provides rapid response financial assistance for living essentials to working women living at or near the poverty level when medical challenges stretch their already limited resources.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Howell Bridge Collapses

photo via facebook

The Monmouth County bridge that crosses Havens Bridge Road in Howell Township collapsed on Saturday, May 9.   The bridge had been closed for weeks prior to the failure due to damage discovered during an inspection by employees of the County Public Works and Engineering Department.

News of the collapse was first reported on the Our Howell NJ facebook community page.

“Thank God we closed the bridge before this happened and no one got hurt,” said Freeholder Tom Arnone, liaison to the Public Works Department, when confirming the collapse.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Incumbents Sweep In Ocean Township

Donna Schepiga, Rich Long, Chris Siciliano, William Garofolo and and Rob Acerra were elected to a three year term government Ocean Township

Mayor Chris Siciliano and his One Ocean Team easily fought off a challenge by Ocean Together in a non-partisan municipal election in Ocean Township.

Siciliano was the top vote getter with 3,001 ballots cast for him.  Deputy Mayor William Garofolo earned 2, 793 votes. School Board member Robert Acerra, the only non-incumbent council member on the slate came third with 2,775 votes. Councilman Richard Long got 2,614 votes and Councilwoman Donna Schepiga won 2,490 votes.   The five winners were elected to govern the Township through 2019.

4,038 of the Townships registered voters, 21.7%, cast ballots.

• Tweet

Ocean Township: The polls are open till 8 p.m. Vote Today

All five seats on Ocean Township’s governing body are up for grabs today in a non-partisan municipal election.

There are ten candidates, two slates, running for the five seats.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Tom Brady and Richard Nixon: Gates of a Feather

By Scott St. Clair

It’s appropriate that the kerfuffle over Tom Brady’s flabby balls had the sobriquet “gate” appended to it since it shares a striking resemblance to the original, if you will, “gatescapade” that ultimately cost Richard Nixon the White House and a strong legacy in American History.

Deflategate and Watergate are more alike than they are different.

The Indianapolis Colts were to the New England Patriots what Sen. George McGovern was to Nixon during the 1972 presidential election campaign: total, complete and utter cannon fodder.

There was no way in hell Brady and his Pats were going to lose to the Colts, who more or less sat out the game anyway, in the same way that it was a foregone conclusion that McGovern would get annihilated by Nixon, New York Times film critic Pauline Kael’s reputed aphorism about knowing only one person who voted for him notwithstanding.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Despite Indictment, New Jersey Rates Menendez Higher than Christie

Gov Chris Christie and Sen Bob Menendez kibitz at the reopening of the Belmar boardwalk as Freeholder Tom Arnone reads the names on the boards,  NJ.com photo

Despite the facts that U.S. Senator Bob Menendez was indicted by federal prosecutors last month and Chris Christie says he’s in the clear after he wasn’t indicted in the Bridgegate scandal, Menendez has a higher job approval rating the Christie, according to Monmouth University Poll releases.

In a poll release issued this morning, Menendez’s job approval rating is 42% positive to 38% negative and 20% unsure among registered voters.

In a release last week based upon the same 500 person survey, Christie’s approval rating is 35% approve, 56% disapprove, and 9% unsure among voters.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Dueling Mayors in Belmar

Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty and Former Mayor Ken Pringle

Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty said, “Ken Pringle is like a jaded ex-girlfriend who won’t go away.”

Ken Pringle, who was mayor of the oceanfront borough for 20 years before Doherty took over in 2011, isn’t sure how many times he’s sued Doherty and the borough since he left office. “Four or five, I’m not sure.”

Both Doherty and Pringle, who served together for four years, are Democrats.  Doherty was a councilman during Pringle’s last term as mayor.

At issue is the beachfront and money.

Pringle contends that Doherty and the Council are using the Beach Utility Fund to subsidize borough operations and to keep property taxes artificially low, in violation of the Public Trust Doctrine.  Doherty says that while Pringle was mayor Belmar’s property taxpayers subsidized the beach and that Pringle raised taxes 14 years in a row.   Doherty has not increased Belmar’s taxes since becoming mayor, keeping the borough’s spending flat at 2010 levels.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet