Three Republican State Senators, including Monmouth County’s Declan O’Scanlon are willing to vote to legalize recreational marijuana in New Jersey if Governor Phil Murphy and Senate President Steve Sweeney deliver the return of the Energy Receipts Tax to municipalities, a dedicated 911 System and Emergency Response Trust Fund, funding for addiction recovery services and a guaranteed reimbursement fund for municipalities paying to train police officers as Drug Recognition Experts who can assess if a driver is impaired by cannabis, according to an article on NJ.com
A Red Bank Regional High School student was arrested on Sunday night and charged with Creating a False Public Alarm, according to a statement by the Little Silver Police Department.
New Jersey’s news media market could experience a major shakeup if the owner of the Asbury Park Press, The (Bergen) Record, six other daily publications and several NJ weeklies is sold.
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Gannett is a takover target by MNG Enterprises Inc., a hedge fund back company better known as Digital First Media, that owns the Boston Herald, the Denver Post about 200 newspapers throughout the country. MNG offered Gannett $12 per share ($1.3 billion), a 23% premium over the publishers Friday closing price of $9.75. MNG already owns 7.5% of Gannett. At 11:08 this morning, Gannett traded at $11.51. Read the rest of this entry »
George Gilmore, the Ocean County Republican Chairman and Board of Elections Chairman who was indicted on federal tax evasion and bank fraud charges last week, didn’t pay his taxes and omitted tax debt from a loan application because he has a hoarding disorder, his lawyer told the Asbury Park Press.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office was aware of Gilmore’s disability before it sought an indictment, his lawyer, Kevin Marino told app.
Hoarding disorder is a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them. A person with hoarding disorder experiences distress at the thought of getting rid of the items. Excessive accumulation of items, regardless of actual value, occurs, according to the Mayo Clinic.
OceanFirst Bank N.A. is offering a forbearance or temporary suspension of mortgage and home equity loan payments for up to 90 days to its customers who work for the federal government or businesses affected by the government shutdown, the bank announced last week.
“As a community bank, OceanFirst wants to provide support to every mortgage customer who works for the federal government or businesses that are affected by the current shutdown,” said Anthony Giordano, III, OceanFirst Bank’s Senior Vice President and Senior Operations Officer. “We recognize these are stressful times for these customers, many of whom are worried about meeting their mortgage and other financial obligations, especially if there is a prolonged shutdown. By offering the Mortgage Relief Program, we hope we can ease any concerns relating to their mortgage or home equity loan until they get back to work and are paid.”
POLITICO is reporting that indicted Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore, also the Chairman of Ocean County Board of Elections, said in a text message that he intends to stay on in both roles while he fights to avoid the next 30 years in prison on federal tax evasion and bank fraud charges.
Who does he think he is? Bob Menendez?
Hopefully that text was a knee jerk reaction from a proud man in shock and denial over his situation and the peril he puts his constituencies in each day he holds onto those positions now.
Congressman Chris Smith’s bill requiring the President to appoint an ambassador level envoy at the State Department to combat anti-Semetism bill, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act, overwhelmingly passed in the House of Representatives during the 115th Congress, but did not make it through the Senate. Smith re-introduced the bill today in the 116th Congress. His remarks about the bill on the House floor: