The Arnone Report: Grown In Monmouth Launch, Shared Services Summit, Summer Kickoff

By Freeholder Tom Arnone

Monmouth County Freeholder Tom Arnone

It has been an eventful few weeks here in Monmouth County. From officially launching a countywide brand to hosting a shared services summit, we certainly have been keeping busy.

I’m proud to announce that after years of hard work, determination and great coordination, we officially launched the Grown in Monmouth brand and logo during a recent event with Saker ShopRites and Davino Greenhouses in Howell.

The mission of the Grown in Monmouth brand is to help retain and grow our County’s vibrant agricultural industry, while showcasing locally grown produce and vegetation. Through this initiative, we will work to connect County growers with residential and commercial consumers, as well as provide business skills and assistance to the County’s agricultural community, among other goals.

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Middletown’s Crime Rate Declines For 7th Consecutive Year

Crime in Middletown is down for the seventh year in a row, as measured by the FBI’s index crime rate, according to an announcement my Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger, PhD and Police Chief Craig Webber.

Index crimes are the eight crimes the FBI combines to produce its annual crime index. These offenses include willful homicide, forcible rape, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, larceny over $50, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Index crimes in Middletown are down 13 percent over last year and 48 percent compared to 2010.

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Business Group Honors Freeholder Director Burry

Freeholder Director Lillian Burry. Photo courtesy of Joe Sharp, All Is Sharp Photography.

The Monmouth-Ocean Development Council (MODC) recognized Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry’s many contributions to the quality of life and economy of the Jersey Shore Region on Thursday evening when they presented her the President’s Award at their 52nd annual Silver Gull Awards Dinner.

MODC is a business advocacy and networking group that is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life and business environment in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. MODC’s members include hundreds of influential business, community and government leaders representing diverse groups through the bi-county region.

“Freeholder Director Burry has made a powerful and positive impact on the quality of life and the vitality of our region,” said MODC Executive Director Ben Waldron. “We are proud to honor her ongoing leadership in revitalizing our region while preserving our history and open space.”

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How Lakewood became a worldwide destination for Orthodox Jews | Di Ionno

It is Friday in Lakewood. A few thousand young men in black suits and wide-brimmed black hats are rushing toward Beth Medrash Govoha (BMG), the world’s largest yeshiva outside of Israel. Parking in the vicinity of the school is as impossible as finding a spot in Hoboken or Jersey City. Students circle in their Toyotas, Nissans… Read the rest of this entry »

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Ocean County Man, 28, Charged With Luring 15 Year Old Girl In Howell

Craig Sorokach, 28, of Sawmill Road in Brick Township was arrested on Saturday after he arranged via the Internet to engage in sexual activity with a 15 year old girl in Howell, according to an announcement by Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Sorokach was charged following an investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office working in conjunction with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC). He is charged with Attempted Sexual Assault, Luring, Enticing a Child by Various Means, Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and Attempted Obscenity to a Minor after he arranged to meet with the girl in Howell. He is in the custody of the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold.

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Did State Senate Candidate Lie On His Resume?

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By Art Gallagher

Art Haney, the State Senate candidate in the 12th legislative district aligned with Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli’s gubernatorial campaign, indicates that he is a Middlesex County Freeholder in his campaign literature.

Haney was a Freeholder in the 1990’s.

Campaign workers distributed Haney’s cards, along with Ciattarelli propaganda, to Republican voters’ homes in Matawan on Saturday.

The 12th district includes Allentown, Englishtown, Manalapan, Matawan, Millstone, Roosevelt and Upper Freehold in Monmouth County; Old Bridge in Middlesex County; Jackson and Plumsted in Ocean County and the Burlington County towns of Chesterfield, New Hanover, North Hanover, and Wrightstown.

Reached on the phone and asked to explain his bio on the campaign literature, Haney refused to say if he proofed or approved the card before it was printed.  He did say, “Yes. I was a Middlesex County Freeholder. You know that. What is the issue?”

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N.J. teachers layoffs must be based on seniority, not performance, judge rules

TRENTON — A group of Newark parents has lost a legal battle to overhaul the way public school teachers in the state are laid-off — dealing another blow to education reform groups that have tried to dismantle similar protections across the country. In New Jersey, school districts must lay off teachers based on seniority, regardless of… Read the rest of this entry »

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Prosecutor won’t file charges against Monmouth County tax official

FREEHOLD– An investigation into an anonymous complaint accusing the Monmouth County Tax Administrator with steering businesses to a pair of companies has ended with no charges being filed, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said Monday. Authorities launched the 18-month investigation into Matthew S. Clark’s activities after receiving a letter claiming Clark channeled work to Realty Appraisal… Read the rest of this entry »

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Christie expands public worker fertility insurance coverage to include lesbians

TRENTON — Lesbians and other people who want to use non-conventional means to conceive a child are entitled to insurance coverage for fertility treatments if they work for state government or the public schools, under a measure Gov. Chris Christie signed into law Monday. The law mandating coverage for infertility was defined narrowly, sponsors say, taking… Read the rest of this entry »

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O’Scanlon: Trenton Dems to blame for NJ’s credit downgrades

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, the Republican Assembly Budget Officers responded to Democrats’ suggestion the New Jersey’s declining credit rating is solely the fault of the Christie Administration by suggesting Democratic leadership look in the mirror.

O’Scanlon cited downgrade reports from Moody’s and S&P:

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