Monmouth County Officials Urge Caution During The Storm

The Monmouth County Department of Public Works and Engineering has prepared the 1000 lane miles of County roads for the 2-4 inches of snow expected today, Freeholder Director Tom Arnone said in an announcement.

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The Arnone Report: Public Works Keeping Roads Safe, Ongoing Progress At Dump

By Monmouth County Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

I hope everyone stayed safe and warm during last week’s snow and ice storm. We anticipate more inclement weather this week and as always, the County is prepared for whatever comes our way.

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.

It has been a busy and exciting few weeks in the County!

I want to update everyone on our efforts to eliminate the odors being emitted at the Monmouth County Reclamation Center. Last week we installed five vapor system stations. It is important to note that these non-toxic vapors do not mask the odors, but rather neutralize the odors, which is more effective.

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Monmouth Young Republicans Announce New Leadership Team

Declaring the dawn of a new era of a strengthened party and ensuring growth for years to come, the Monmouth County Young Republicans announced their new, experienced, leadership team.

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Monmouth Poll: Support for legal weed in NJ is high

62% of New Jersey adults support legalizing marijuana, up from 59% last year, according to a Monmouth University Poll released this morning.

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Frankly Chatting: “I’m Against It”

By Steve Frank

We need the Marx Brothers today. Well, not the Marx Bros. physically – they’re dead. But their brand of humor: silly enough to be laughable but satirical enough to be thought-provoking. Take their movie, Horse Feathers (1932), for example. Their slapstick antics are woven around a clever indictment of the misplaced priorities given to collegiate athletics. In one famous musical number, “I’m Against It”, Professor Wagstaff (Groucho) asserts that “Whatever it is, I’m against it”. “It” being the absurdities of life.

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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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Congressman Chris Smith Urges Fire Departments to Apply for SAFER grants

Congressman Chris Smith today urged all fire departments, career and volunteer, to apply for federal SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response) grants that are available from FEMA.  The grants are for the recruitment and retention of “front-line” firefighters.  The application period is February 15, 2019 through March 22, 2019 at 5 p.m. ET.

“All eligible career and volunteer fire departments in the Fourth District are encouraged to apply for these Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants, which help increase the number of firefighters and first responders to provide our communities with more security,” Smith said. “As we have already seen, this grant program has strengthened our district’s local fire departments and volunteer organizations in the past.”

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McConnell: Trump will keep government open, declare national emergency to build the wall

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that President Donald Trump will sign legislation to fund the government that includes much less funding for a wall for the southern border than he wants and simultaneously declare a national emergency to empower him to secure the border without funding authorized by congress, according to a report at The Hill.

#BREAKING: Trump will declare national emergency to fund border wall https://t.co/2moePi7L4y pic.twitter.com/6jDhFKP0MN

— The Hill (@thehill) February 14, 2019

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O’Scanlon’s bill will require full restitution for stealing from taxpayers

Pay up or get locked up

Senator Declan O’Scanlon today announced his plans to introduce legislation that would prohibit State entities from entering into civil settlements for less than the amount that has been stolen from social safety net programs and offering immunity from criminal prosecution.  The legislation comes as a direct result of recent investigations into Medicaid fraud settlements in Lakewood.

“The notion that people who have knowingly received benefits they were not entitled to would only be required to pay back half of that amount of money is completely ludicrous. It’s basically like letting someone get away with stealing from taxpayers. That’s unacceptable.”

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Mexican National Pleads Guilty To Trafficking Fentanyl into NJ

Angel Santo Jerez Matos, 60, a/k/a “El Colonel,” today admitted his role in conspiring to traffic approximately 300 grams of fentanyl into New Jersey, according to an announcement by  U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.

According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Matos was a supplier of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine to a drug trafficking organization operating in and around New Jersey.

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