The Arnone Report: Asbury Park-Brookdale Promise…and more good things happening!

By Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Monmouth County Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Summer is finally upon on – the weather is cooperating and the first official day of summer is just around the corner.

So proud to have been  at Asbury Park High School last week for the announcement of the partnership between the Asbury Park School District and Brookdale Community College for the Asbury Park-Brookdale Promise. This program targets all Asbury Park High School students and is designed to give them access to college readiness programs and scholarship opportunities in an effort to increase the number of students attending college. This will be achieved by granting scholarships to attend Brookdale to any of our students who have been enrolled at Asbury Park High School for all four years. This is a great accomplishment for the Asbury Park school district as this will enable more students to come closer to realizing their dreams of attending college.

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Kyrillos, Beck On Opposite Side Of Gas Tax Debate

Senator Joe Kyrillos yesterday endorsed a $.23 per gallon increase in the New Jersey’s tax on gasoline in order to fund the Transportation Trust Fund for the next 10 years.  Proponents of the tax increase say the fund will only have money for debt service starting at the end of this month, if the state tax on gasoline remains at its current level of $.14 per gallon.

“In total, it is a productivity, prosperity and quality of life package for New Jersey, and very, very significant,” Kyrillos (R-Monmouth) said at a Statehouse news conference, according to NJ.com.

The gas tax increase legislation also reduces the estate tax and taxes on retirement income.

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How developers, not storm victims, cashed in on $600M Sandy fund

A state program to lend more than $400 million in taxpayer dollars to replenish affordable housing lost during Hurricane Sandy so far has assisted fewer than two dozen victims of the storm, state statistics show. The Fund for Restoration of Multifamily Housing began disbursing zero- and low-interest loans in 2014 in the nine counties most affected… Read the rest of this entry »

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Ex-Birdsall exec, ex-Belmar engineer, gets 3 years in $1M pay-to-play scheme

TRENTON — A former executive at what was once among the state’s most politically connected engineering firms was sentenced to state prison Friday for his role in a scheme to skirt New Jersey’s campaign contribution laws. Thomas Rospos, 64, the former executive vice president at Birdsall Services Group, was given a three-year sentence by Superior Court… Read the rest of this entry »

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Possible dangerous ‘clinging jellyfish’ found along Jersey Shore, report says

A fisherman made a surprising discovery off the Jersey Shore recently. Josh Hart said he captured a dime-sized jellyfish never seen before in the waters off New Jersey while angling in the Barnegat Bay just south of Point Pleasant Inlet on Friday. Believed to be a “clinging” jellyfish, it packs a dangerous sting, according to NBCPhiladelphia.com.… Read the rest of this entry »

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Long Branch Man Pleads Guilty To 2013 Deadly Shooting

Dante Strong, top right. photo from Strong’s facebook page

Dante Strong, 21 of Long Branch, admitted yesterday to killing 23 year-old Adrian Anderson, also of Long Branch, during a September 21, 2013 incident on Liberty Street, according to a statement by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christoper J. Gramiccioni.

Officers from the Long Branch Police Department were in the area of Central Avenue and Liberty Street in Long Branch around 2:29 a.m. on September 21, 2013, when they heard gunshots.  Officers responding to the sounds of gunfire and were flagged down by several people at 135 Liberty Street, where they found the victim on the front porch, unconscious and bleeding from several gunshot wounds.  The victim was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune Township, where he was pronounced dead at 5:22 a.m., despite the efforts made to save his life by medical personnel.

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The Best of Boats and Baseball

“Baseball, it is said, is only a game. Right, and the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona.”

—George F. Will

By Greg Kelly

I first became a baseball fan back in 1969—a signature year for the New York Mets. And I’ve been talking to my children about the “Amazing Mets” since they were little. It has stuck with them.

My daughter Lauren went through a time where she watched all the games and got me back into watching regularly. My son Kyle has a real appreciation for baseball history and went to his first professional game before he was 10.

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Monmouth Republicans Boast Bi-Partisan Support At Summer/Campaign Kickoff

Lake Como, NJ-Over 400 Monmouth County residents, Republicans, Democrats and Independents, packed into Bar Anticipation after the storm on Wednesday evening to kick off summer and to support the Republican slate of Monmouth County office holders who are seeking reelection in November.

The Republican team of Sheriff Shaun Golden, Surrogate Rosemarie Peters, Freeholder Director Tom Arnone and Deputy Freeholder Director Serena DiMaso held their 7^th Annual Summer/Campaign Kickoff in the popular outdoor venue that features its own sand and cabanas a mile from the beach.  Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno was on hand to support her home county officials. Read the rest of this entry »

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Jughandle Brewery to open June 18

Tinton Falls- A new micro brewery is opening in Monmouth County next weekend.

Pete Artherholt and Mike Skudera of Tinton Falls and Chris Hanigan of Red Bank are ready to open the doors of Jughandle Brewing Company to the public for tours and tastings. The craft brewery, which is located at 4057 Asbury Avenue in the Tinton Falls Centre Plaza, will be open Saturday June 18^th from 12 to 8 p.m. and Sunday June 19^th from 12 to 8 p.m.

The opening list of beers include an IPA, RyePA, Saison, Hefeweizen, Imperial Stout and an English Bitter with additional styles in the works and available in the near future.

Visitors to the Asbury Ave brewery in Tinton Falls Centre Plaza can taste the freshly brewed beer while touring the facility and watching the next batch being made.  Flights (set of small tasting glasses, each with a different beer) may be purchased and tasted on-site for $6, which includes four, 4 oz samples of beer. Additional samples and regular pints of beer are available. Jughandle also sells and fills Growlers (32 or 64 ounces of beer).

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O’Scanlon’s Pension Fix Has A Safety Valve

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) outlines his plan to shore up New Jersey’s grossly underfunded public-employee pension system during a news conference held in the State House yesterday. Democratic leaders want the voters to decide this fall whether the state should make a series of hefty contributions to the underfunded public-employee pension system. But Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon… Read the rest of this entry »

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