Monday, May 20, 2013
Home buyouts in areas prone to flooding expected to start soon, though participation remains voluntary. Sayreville and South River are both on the list.
Buyouts of properties in flood prone areas are expected to begin within a matter of weeks, beginning in Middlesex County and working south into the summer months as residents and their respective town officials make the difficult decision to abandon entire neighborhoods for good. Though buyout specifics have been limited, Bob Martin, commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, said between eight and 10 towns along the coast have inquired about participating in the State’s Blue Acres program, which purchases severe repetitive loss homes in flood areas and converts the land into open space. Martin said he wanted to be cautious about naming the municipalities that have inquired about the property buyouts as many …
Monday, March 25, 2013
Gov. Christie: “I intend on living here after I’m governor... and I do not want to live under a Democratic governor.”
Gov. Chris Christie told Republicans Thursday that members of his party should work together to elect strong GOP candidates across New Jersey in the coming years. Christie, speaking at Bergen County Republican Organization Headquarters in Hackensack, urged the audience that strong Republican leaders and candidates are needed at all levels of government. “This can’t just be about me,” said Christie. “After we win re-election in November it’ll be just four more years that I can be governor and then I’m term limited. [We need] good candidates that can run for governor, run for the legislature, run for freeholder, run for local offices. If we don’t have that set up then we haven’t done as good of a job as we could.” The governor's speech …
Friday, March 22, 2013
A bill that criminalizes the manufacture, sale and possession of synthetic marijuana was signed into law Monday by Gov. Chris Christie.
The possession of fake pot will now carry real charges after a bill banning the manufacture, sale and possession of synthetic marijuana was signed into law Monday by Gov. Chris Christie. Under the law, producing and selling one or more ounces of synthetic marijuana is now a second-degree crime, and producing or selling less than an ounce is a third-degree crime. The bill also established third- and fourth-degree crimes for possession of synthetic marijuana. “Synthetic marijuana is ubiquitous and poses dangerous side effects,” said state Sen. Christopher “Kip” Bateman (R-Somerset, Hunterdon, Mercer and Middlesex). “Fake pot can cause violent seizures, elevated heart rates and death.” In a 2011 incident in Kendall Park, two local men …
Monday, February 25, 2013
A Quinnipiac University poll released this week shows Chris Christie with a big lead over his Democratic challenger, state Sen. Barbara Buono.
- ELECTIONS
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Monday, February 25
Gov. Chris Christie is the best person to lead New Jersey over the next four years, according to voters recently polled in a survey released this week by Quinnipiac University. Christie, a Republican, leads his Democratic rival, state Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex), 62 percent to 25 percent in the state's 2013 gubernatorial race, according to the poll. The governor's overall approval rating also remains high. Christie's 74 percent approval rating and 69 percent favorable rating tie his personal record highs from January, the Huffington Post reports, both numbers buoyed by public perception of the way he handled Hurricane Sandy's impact and its aftermath. Christie appears to have strong support on the other side of the aisle, as well. …
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Plans are being formulated at the state level for how to spend Hurricane Sandy relief aid, but the money hasn't come in yet.
The state is developing plans for how and where to best allocate Hurricane Sandy relief aid, writing proposals for putting together lists for its various relevant agencies, from Housing and Urban Development to the Department of Transportation. The money will come, Gov. Chris Christie told a crowd in Union Beach Tuesday, and it will be used to rebuild New Jersey and get residents back into their hurricane-ravaged homes. Be patient, he said, the check hasn't been written yet. Christie joined other local legislators in celebration after a $50.7 billion hurricane relief bill passed in a contentious U.S. House of Representatives in January before heading off to the U.S. Senate for approval and finally to President Barack Obama’s desk for a …
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Gov. Chris Christie delivered his third State of the State address Tuesday in Trenton.
It’s been a consistent refrain from Gov. Chris Christie’s office following Hurricane Sandy’s landing on New Jersey’s shores. Make no mistake about it, he told the assembled crowd of lawmakers at the Statehouse Tuesday afternoon, New Jersey will be back. As expected, much of Christie’s State of the State address focused on Sandy’s impact on New Jersey and the ongoing effort to restore the areas most devastated by the storm as quickly as possible. During the approximately 45-minute speech—one marked by several standing ovations for both Christie and for residents who performed heroically during and after Sandy—the governor appealed for bipartisanship in politics at both the state and national levels as New Jersey works toward restoration. …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
New Jersey's governor delivers harsh words for Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives
Gov. Chris Christie is placing blame for the lengthy delay in approval of a Hurricane Sandy Relief bill squarely on the shoulders of combative U.S. House of Representative Republicans, specifically Speaker John Boehner. Christie offered a scathing rebuke of Boehner and waffling Republicans during a press conference in Trenton Wednesday afternoon, saying Congress has failed in its primary purpose, to protect its own citizens. Residents of New York and New Jersey are being used as pawns in a game of politics, he said, and that's why this country's citizens "hate" Washington D.C. "Last night, politics was placed before help for our citizens," Christie said. "For me, it was disappointing and disgusting to watch." Christie said he and New York …
Saturday, December 22, 2012
At a Thursday town hall, Gov. Chris Christie talked about the recent shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
For the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, for the 20 children who died at the hands of the kind of man they never knew existed, and for their grief-stricken parents who will forever ask why, Gov. Chris Christie said we owe it to them to find the answer. It won’t be easy, Christie told a packed crowd during a recent town hall meeting in Belmar, and there’s no one area we can point to and say "that’s it." What unfolded last Friday morning in Newtown, Conn. was a confluence of a series of events and manifested emotions unleashed on a group of innocent people. But, while there’s no simple explanation for why Adam Lanza shot his sleeping mother and then set off for a seemingly random elementary school to target children, and…
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Relief available for temporary housing, repairs, loans, etc.
- GOVERNMENT
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Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Individuals in every New Jersey county are now eligible to apply for federal disaster relief, the governor's office announced Tuesday. All residents and businesses can now apply for Individual Assistance through FEMA and the Small Business Administration. The state had already been approved for Public Assistance, which is available to state and local governments as well as nonprofits. Individual Assistance relief allows residents to apply for aid including temporary housing, repair, Disaster Unemployment Assistance and Small Business Administration loans. The governor's office advises all residents who suffered damage to apply with FEMA, even if they have their own insurance. Register by calling 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585 for those with …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Middle-Class Reform Agenda discussed in Howell during governor's 90th town hall appearance.
Under a banner touting a "Middle-Class Reform Agenda," Gov. Chris Christie called on legislators to enact a mix of reform measures and tax relief bills aimed at helping working New Jerseyans. Along with ethics reform the governor also gave his opinions on lower taxes, sick leave and shared services reform at a town hall meeting at Southard School in Howell on Wednesday. As he has done in his meetings throughout the state the governor mixed humor, facts and opinion in getting his message across to the nearly 300 people in attendance. As part of his presentation, the governor discussed what he called his "zero means zero bill." The bill focuses on alleviating the burden of paying sick time to public employees who have not taken their …
foggyworld
11:59 am on Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Corrupt politicians are spread throughout both parties. more ›