Smith Announces $3.8 Million in Sandy Recovery Reimbursements

Congressman Chris Smith and Monmouth County Shaun Golden prepared to survey Hurricane Sandy damage. file photo

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ4) announced that FEMA will be reimbursing the Borough of Belmar and the South Monmouth Regional Sewerage Authority (SMRSA) 90%, instead of the standard 75%, of the cost of repairs to infrastructure damaged by Superstorm Sandy.  Belmar is slated to receive $1.74 million for repairs to marina buildings, bridges, docks and other facilities, in addition to the $9 million already granted for their boardwalk replacement.  SMRSA will receive $2.083 million to relocate and replace a pump station.

“As someone who has been going to Belmar since I was a young boy, I can easily envision how these improvements will change the Belmar waterfront which was nearly unrecognizable to me when I first saw it days after Superstorm Sandy hit,” said Smith.  “Boardwalks and marina facilities are the critical for many Jersey Shore towns and rebuilding them and restoring them is essential to recovery.”

The Belmar grant will help fund nine construction sites, four of which are completed and the others underway.

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, Thanksgiving weekend edition

SPONSORED BY SEASTREAK

By Greg Kelly

Saturday, November 30

• Holiday Arts & Crafts Marketplace at Monmouth Park (Oceanport) – MORE INFO

• Middlemen at NJ Repertory Company (Long Branch) – MORE INFO

• AAUW Used Book Sale (Middletown) – MORE INFO

• Holiday & Craft Shop at Poricy Park (Middletown) – MORE INFO

• Holiday Weekend Wine Trail at Four JG’s (Colts Neck) – MORE INFO

• 12 Days of Christmas Scavenger Hunt (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• Chrise’s Dare to Dream 5k (Freehold Twp) – MORE INFO

• Spring Lake Christmas Celebration Kick-off – MORE INFO

• How to Use the eLibrary (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• A Shop Around The Corner at First Ave. Playhouse (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO

• After-Thanksgiving Sale at Jersey Shore Premium Outlets (Tinton Falls) – MORE INFO

• Ocean Grove Shop Small Business Saturday – MORE INFO

• Asbury Fresh Winter Pop-up Market – MORE INFO

• Holiday Craft Market & Book Fair (Avon) – MORE INFO

• Turkey Derby XXXX at Wall Speedway – MORE INFO

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Marlboro Teen Is Reunited With Parents

Karwan family photo via News12’s facebook page.

Michael Karwan, the missing autistic teenage who was located in Cleveland, Ohio last night, has been reunited with his parents, according to a statement by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Grammiccioni.

Grammiccioni said that Karwan, 19, was reported missing from his parents’ home on Tuesday, Nov. 19, sparking an intensive search of the region that spread into upstate New York. Over the next week, Karwan traveled by bus from Monmouth County to Manhattan and from New York via Philadelphia and Pittsburgh before arriving in Cleveland, Ohio. Upon his arrival in Cleveland on Saturday, Karwan attempted to check-in to an overcrowded men’s shelter run by Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries (LMM), but was referred to the Volunteers of America (VoA) shelter.

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Hornik For Governor?

Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik. Photo via facebook.

When the news broke that Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik was eyeing a run for governor,  he asked for MoreMonmouthMusings’ endorsement.

So here goes: MoreMonmouthMusings hereby endorses Mayor Jonathan Hornik for the Democratic nomination for governor in the next gubernatorial election, whenever that is.

Much of the political news out of the League of Municipalities Convention in Atlantic City last week centered around the developing race between State Senate President Steve Sweeney and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop. Almost as an afterthought, PolitickerNJ reported, yesterday, that Hornik wanted his name added to the gubernatorial mix.

PolitickerNJ.com spied veteran Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornik at the cocktail  parties and meet-and-greets in Atlantic City last week and as Democrats prepare  for Senate President Steve Sweeney versus Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Hornik  said he wanted to add his own name to the gubernatorial sweepstakes.

“I would definitely not rule out running in 2017 or before,” said Hornik. “I  love being mayor of Marlboro, and I am running again in two years, but I think  we have a story to tell.”

Hornik won re-election in 2011 with nearly 70% of the vote.

This year, Incumbent Republican Gov. Chris Christie won 75% of the vote in  Marlboro while Hornik’s Democrats went 3-0 in local contests.

Just weeks from Governor Chris Christie’s reelection, the race for the next Democratic gubernatorial nomination has already started because Christie’s presidential prospects could result in a Special Election for Governor in 2015 or 2016.  Should Christie resign as governor to become a full-time presidential candidate, Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno would become governor. There would be a special gubernatorial election for the remainder of Christie’s term as part of the next general election, unless the resignation happens within 60 days of the next election.

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I’m Conservative and I’m Pro Immigration

By Michael Laffey

            I will put my Conservative credentials up against just about anyone.  The first President I voted for was Ronald Reagan.  I was a founder of the Conservative Student Union on my College Campus.  As a lawyer I have given countless pro-bono hours to conservative legal causes and worked on the campaigns of some of the most conservative politicians this state has seen.  As a result I tend to get a little testy when somebody tells me I am not conservative enough because I am pro- immigration and support immigration reform. The truth of the matter is that pro- immigration is the conservative stance.  Whether a position is conservative or not depends not on what Rush Limbaugh says but on whether it adheres to bedrock conservative principles.

            For instance, we believe in a government of limited powers enumerated in the Constitution.  Nowhere does the constitution explicitly give Congress the right to regulate immigration.  You can find the power to regulate immigration only if you infer it from other enumerated powers in the Constitution such as the Naturalization clause or the Commerce clause.  Of course we have all seen what happens when liberals “infer” powers from the Constitution.

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Update: Internet Gambling Bugs Getting Fixed Fast

Kathleen Sebelious should hire The Borgata’s techies to fix HealthCare.gov.

Since talking with Raj early this afternoon, the $45 that went missing in cyberspace when I got booted from a blackjack game at BorgataCasino.com because the system thought I had left New Jersey is back in my account.  I played for another 20 minutes this afternoon and netted $5.00

Not a bad day.  I put up $20 and now I have an account with Borgata with $80 in it.  My only problem is that I have to drive to Atlantic City to get the money.

Hopefully the techies will come up with a way for me to have the money transferred back to me as easily as I deposited it by tomorrow.

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Online Gaming Still Has Bugs

By Art Gallagher

My first hand was blackjack and my $5 bet paid $7.50.  Not a bad start to my Internet Gambling experience.  Within a few minutes the $20 I deposited with BorgataCasino.com was up to $37.50.   I wanted to double my money and quit for the day.

Within about 10 minutes my balance was $5 dollars and I lowered my bet to $1.00.  I was down to $1.00 and could feel the urge to deposit more money, despite my promise to myself to quit playing when I either won or lost $20. Then my luck changed again.  I inched my balance back up to $15 when I increased my bet back to $5.  Within another 15 minutes I met my goal of doubling my $20.  With $40.01 in my account I stopped playing.

There was a small message on the screen. “Your $50 bonus is awaiting you.”  Cool!

I claimed my $50 gift.   You can’t withdraw the money, you have to wager it.  My balance was now $90.01.  I had to play the $50 by Wednesday or lose it.  So I put $50 on the virtual table and started making $5 bets.

After a few hands, the $50 was down to $45 and I got booted.  A message popped up on my screen that said I was outside the State of New Jersey, which I wasn’t, and that gaming regulations required my wagering be terminated.

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New Jersey Utility Customers Could Get Hit by Double Whammy

New Jersey Utility Customers Could Get Hit by Double Whammy (via NJSpotlight)

Talk about rate shock. The state’s gas and electric utilities aim to recover at least $1.27 billion in costs they incurred restoring power and service after extreme storms in the past few years, and the costs keep rising. Public Service Electric &…

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Places to donate food and to volunteer on Thanksgiving, or anytime

At the suggestion of our friend, Selika Josiah Gore,  and courtesy of HomelessShelterDirectory.org, the following is a list of places to donate food and to volunteer to help those less fortunate.

Please feel free to add other locations in the comments.

	Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties       Neptune, NJ 7753 View Details       Monmouth County
	The Food Bank Of Monmouth And Ocean Counties       Neptune, NJ 07753 View Details       Monmouth County
	New Jersey State Youth Orchestra       Red Bank, NJ 07701 View Details       Monmouth County
	Habcore, Inc.       Red Bank, NJ 07701 View Details       Monmouth County
	Freehold Area Open Door Food Pantry       Freehold, NJ 07728 View Details       Monmouth County      www.freeholdareaopendoor.org
	Family & Childrens Service Inc Of Monmouth County       Long Branch, NJ 07740 View Details       Monmouth County
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For the Jersey Democrats, happy days are here again

For the Jersey Democrats, happy days are here again (via NJ.com)

File photo Elvis had left the building. That was obvious at last week’s convention of the New Jersey League of Municipalities in Atlantic City. Traditionally, the winner of the governor’s race does a victory lap at the League luncheon. Last week…

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