Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce to Honor Company Connected to Homophobic, Racist Sheikh

By Tommy DeSeno

The Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce by all accounts is handled well. It was once as out of sorts as the City itself, run by the gas company with mostly out of City gatherings.

Lifetime resident Don Stine gave it a boost in 2002.  He formed the competing “Asbury Park Merchants Guild,” which gobbled up all the new businesses that were opening at the time as members.  It was vibrant, fresh and gave Asbury Park some great events. Little did anyone know Stine purposely designed it not to last.  He wanted to jump start the Chamber through competition, then eventually merge with it.  That happened.  The Merchants Guild became a special events committee of the Chamber, which has been running well ever since.

Yet there is something ominous coming this May 13, when the Chamber honors the Stone Pony with a Carousel Award, despite it being revealed that the parent company who owns the Pony is rooted in the Middle East and has a brutal Sharia Law advisor named Sheikh Muhammad Taqi Usmani.

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Sandy contractor who bilked customers convicted of not registering in N.J.

FREEHOLD — A Pennsylvania man who claimed to be a home improvement contractor to victims of Hurricane Sandy has been convicted of failing to register his services with the state, officials said on Tuesday. After a two-day trial in Freehold last week, a jury found Daniel F. Sterling, 43, of failure to register as a home… Read the rest of this entry »

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Hazlet Man Charged With Prostituting Underage Girls

Robert “FistPump” Ianuale photo via facebook

Robert Ianuale, 32, of Ned Drive in Hazlet was arrested at his home on Monday and charged with two counts of first degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child by causing or permitting a child to engage in child pornography; one count of first degree Promoting Prostitution of a Minor; one count of first degree Use of a Juvenile to Commit a Crime; two counts of second degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Distribution of Child Pornography); one count of third degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Possession of Child Pornography); one count of third degree Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity; and one count of third degree Luring or Enticing an Adult.

Also known as “FistPump,” Ianuale is the owner/operator of SwerveCast, an online live broadcasting service.  SwerveCast is offline as of this posting.

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Monmouth Freeholders Cut Taxes and Spending

DEMOCRATS TRY TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT

Freeholder Director Tom Arnone and Deputy Director Serena DiMaso at the Asbury Park St. Pat’s Parade

The all Republican Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders approved a budget which included a $18.2 million spending cut and a $4.5 million property tax cut last Thursday.

“This budget reduces the tax impact on residents and businesses and returns the amount to be raised by taxation to the 2010 level,” said Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone. “In January, I called for a roll back of last year’s 1.4 percent tax increase and we have achieved that.”

“Cost cutting and belt tightening over the past six years and the sale of the two County care centers have made it possible for this Freeholder Board to present a budget that resets our spending to below the 2007 amount,” Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso said.

Monmouth County’s government now spends $5.5 million less on salaries than it did in 2008 and has 1000 fewer employees than it did seven years ago when the Republican Party won control of the Freeholder Board back from the Democrats.

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Congressman Smith To Host Military Academy Information Session

Congressman Chris Smith and Monmouth County Shaun Golden prepare to survey Hurricane Sandy damage. November, 2012

Congressman Chris Smith is holding a Service Academy Information night for high school and college students who are interested in attending one of the United States’ military academies.  Students, their parents, educators and counselors who reside in New Jersey’s Fourth Congressional District are welcome to attend.

The event will be held Thursday, April 21, 2016, from 5:30 to 7:30 in the lower level of the Wall Township Municipal Building, 2700 Allaire Road, Wall NJ.

“Throughout my tenure in Congress, I’ve had the honor and privilege of nominating many outstanding young men and women for acceptance into our nation’s military academies,” said Smith.  “With the United States’ continued fight against terrorism throughout the globe and its commitment to defending our homeland and protecting national security interests abroad, recruiting top-notch talent for our all-volunteer armed forces is critically important.”

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Long Branch Council proposing to double weekday parking fees

LONG BRANCH — The Long Branch City Council has proposed increasing the parking fees at meters in Pier Village. The ordinance setting the new fees calls for an increase from $1 an hour on weekdays to $2 per hour. The fee would be $3 per hour on weekends and holidays. To accommodate beachgoers, though, the council… Read the rest of this entry »

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Man killed in Long Branch crash, police say

LONG BRANCH – A man was killed after his car struck a utility pole on Norwood Avenue early Saturday morning, according to police. Sgt. Stanley Mooney said the single-car crash happened around 2 a.m. between the road’s intersection’s with Brighton Avenue and Hollywood Avenue. Officers remained on the scene as of around 10 a.m., according to… Read the rest of this entry »

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N.J. lost thousands of jobs in February

TRENTON — New Jersey’s unemployment rate fell two percentage points in February, even as the state recorded a loss of more than 10,000 private-sector jobs. The state also gained 1,600 public-sector jobs in February, bringing the total job losses to 8,600. But the February unemployment rate, 4.3 percent, is the lowest since pre-recession August 2007, according… Read the rest of this entry »

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Rible: Let Towns Use Affordable Housing Money To Get The Lead Out Of Water

Assemblyman Dave Rible visiting fourth grade students at Spring Lake Hts Elementary School

Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, the Democrat leaders of the New Jersey Legislature, called for a tax on water for fund the repair and replacement of the state’s aging and lead contaminated water infrastructure.

Assemblyman Dave Rible, the Republican Conference Leader in the lower house, said raising taxes is not the answer.  Rible is introducing a bill that would allow municipalities to contribute the monies now earmarked for affordable housing construction to instead by dedicated to a fund to be used to remediate lead contaminated properties.

“While we need to address the serious issue of lead contamination in our communities, raising taxes is not the answer,” said Rible.  “This bill would provide vital funding for rehabilitating lead-contaminated properties without forcing taxpayers to dig deeper to pay for these projects.”

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Big Fat Greek Fest in Atlantic Highlands

Town and Surf Diner and our sponsor Atlantic Cinemas are teaming up this weekend for two nights of Greek dancing, Greek food and the newly released My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 on First Avenue in beautiful downtown Atlantic Highlands.

Town and Surf’s will have an all Greek menu from 5-11 on Friday and Saturday nights.

The Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey will perform immediately after the 7 p .m. and 10 p.m. shows of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 at the theater.

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