Seaside boardwalk fire is still smoldering; no cause determined yet

Seaside boardwalk fire is still smoldering; no cause determined yet (via NJ.com)

By Lisa Rose and Seth Augenstein/The Star-Ledger OCEAN COUNTY — The flames along the Seaside boardwalk appear to be out. But some of the burnt businesses are still smoldering – and the smell of burning wood still hangs heavy along the shore, mixed…

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Governor Christie On Seaside Fire

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Booker Administration Denies Stonewalling For Cory, Another OPRA Request Apparently Ignored

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A spokesman for the Booker administration in Newark is denying reports that the city is stonewalling the response to OPRA requests, according to a report on PolitickerNJ.

The City of Newark has been sued by The National Review and the Lonegan for Senate campaign for failing to comply with Open Public Records Act requests.  NR is seeking police reports from a shooting incident during which the victim died in Booker’s arms, according to numerous stories the mayor has told over time.  The Lonegan campaign is seeking Booker’s expense and reimbursement reports from the city during his tenure as mayor.

According to PolitickerNJ, City spokesperson James Allen disputed NR’s claim, saying that the city promised to provide the police reports by September 13.

John Ginty, the Lonegan campaign’s attorney, told MMM that since filing his suit, the city has promised to comply and provide the requested documents, also on September 13.

However, NR and Lonegan are apparently not the only information seekers being thwarted.

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Along the Shore, rebuilding 9/11 memorials for memory’s sake

Along the Shore, rebuilding 9/11 memorials for memory’s sake (via NJ.com)

The lonely, distinct notes of taps were absent from the Union Beach 9/11 ceremony Wednesday morning. So was the 21-gun salute that once echoed over the Raritan Bay. Instead of the uniformed color guard, the solemn members of American Legion Post 321…

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend—September 13-15, 2013

SPONSORED BY SEASTREAK

By Greg Kelly

 Saturday, Sept. 14

• Manasquan Fall Arts & Crafts Fair – MORE INFO

• Irish Festival at the Jersey Shore (Sea Girt) – MORE INFO

• Tri-State Theatre Festival (Spring Lake) – MORE INFO

• Colts Neck Rock Fest – MORE INFO

• Ocean Ave Mile (Long Branch) – MORE INFO

• Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea (Ocean Grove) – MORE INFO

• Fall Crafters’ Market at Allaire Village – MORE INFO

• Apple Fest at Delicious Orchards (Colts Neck) – MORE INFO

• College Football: Monmouth U. vs. Lehigh (WLB) – MORE INFO

• College Football: Army vs. Stanford via Seastreak Ferry (Highlands) – MORE INFO

• NY Mets vs. Marlins via Seastreak Ferry (Highlands) – MORE INFO

• The Dixie Swim Club at First Ave. Playhouse (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO

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FEMA OK’s $1.6 million to Sea Girt for Superstorm Sandy Repairs

FREEHOLD, N.J. – The Borough of Sea Girt in Monmouth County received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has awarded more than $1.6 million to help pay for costs that resulted from Superstorm Sandy, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) said today.

The grant will provide $1,616,817 in Federal funding to Sea Girt to pay for 90 percent of over $1,796,000 in repair costs incurred by Superstorm Sandy. 

Reconstruction will take shape in two phases, after the completion of preliminary work of removing about 6,666 cubic yards of sand by municipal workers, and demolition of the damaged boardwalk by Frank Lurch Demolition. Demolition includes the removal of damaged but intact piles, girders, stringers, plastic decking, railings, and light fixtures. Salvageable decking, light fixtures and railings will be turned over to the town to be reused in the first phase of reconstruction. Sea Girt has contracted with Wallace Contracting, Inc. to complete Phase I, which is 833 linear feet of boardwalk, reusing 896 salvaged deck boards, 320 salvaged timber stringers and 900 feet of salvaged railing. Boardwalk steps and one handicap ramp will be installed, construction includes replacing 50 new, timber piles, 38 new double girder timber pile caps, 360 new timber stringers, 1,030 new lengths of composite boardwalk decking, and 980 feet of new pipe handrail.

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More Booker Stonewalling

© Jim Urquhart / Reuters;

GOP U.S Senate nominee Steve Lonegan has sued the city of Newark for the release of Mayor Cory Booker’s expense records since he took office, because the city has failed to comply with the Lonegan campaign’s OPRA (Open Public Records Act) requests.

Newark activist Donna Jackson said that Newark’s government is hiding the real conditions in the city in an effort to give Booker political cover. “Booker’s national profile is killing us,” Jackson said.

Now, today we learn that Newark has also been stonewalling the National Review over public records.

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Here’s what the main players want in the standoff over Syria

Here’s what the main players want in the standoff over Syria (via GlobalPost)

Enlarge As diplomatic crises go, this one has had more twists and turns than a Wild Mouse. First there was the endless hand wringing over red lines turning pink and America losing its credibility in the world. When it seemed inevitable that US bombs…

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Slouching Away From 9/11

By Matt Rooney, The Save Jersey Blog

I shared a quote with my Facebook friends last night from Rudolph Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, on the eve of this 12th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks:

“The attacks of September 11th were intended to break our spirit. Instead we have emerged stronger and more unified. We feel renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic, and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. We are more determined than ever to live our lives in freedom.”

Pretty soul stirring, right?

Then I started to wonder if it was still true, Save Jerseyans.

Evidence to the contrary: (1) the NSA is intercepting our personal phone records and (2) Americans can’t board an airplane without invasive searches; (3) Government spending is now approaching 40% of the GDP, greater than any time in our history save for World War II; (4) Washington can compel you to buy anything that Congress wants you to consume provided that it’s accomplished under the guise of a “tax” or, in the case of real property, transfer yours to another private individual for the “public good”; (5) Government opposition groups suffer punitive tax audits and (6) major scandals are shamelessly covered up.

Shall I keep going?

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Booker’s lead “almost insurmountable” in Rutgers-Eagleton poll

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Newark Mayor Cory Booker has an “almost insurmountable” lead over former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan in their race to replace the late U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg in the October 16 special election, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released this morning.

64% support Booker, 29% Lonegan and 6% are undecided.

56% of likely voters, including 44% of Republicans, don’t know enough about Lonegan to form an opinion.  Voters who are familiar with the Republican are split 22%-22% in their favorable/unfavorable impressions of him.

Booker favorably impresses 63% of likely voters.  19% have an unfavorable impression of the Newark mayor.  17% say they are unfamiliar with him.

Rutgers-Eagleton surveyed 925 New Jersey adults, 814 of whom said they were registered voters.  Of the registered voters, only 462 are likely to vote on the third Wednesday in October.

93% of Democrats, 52% of Independents and 19% of Republicans said they were voting for Booker.  90% of Liberals, 70% of Moderates and 20% of Conservatives said they were voting for Booker.

Polling Director David Redlawsk said Lonegan’s “most recent news highlights attacking Booker’s masculinity have been quite unflattering.”  If Redlawsk asked a question about those recent news highlights, he did not report it or the results in the poll release.

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