The Middletown Township Public Library (MTPL) kicks off its Re-Imagining Your Library fundraising campaign with a Black & White Masquerade Gala on Oct. 28 at the Jacques Reception Center.
After celebrating the library’s centennial last year, the library is looking forward to the next 100 years as it imagines a new, enhanced space for the community.
The Re-Imagining Your Library campaign is geared towards the redesign and renovation of interior library space to provide additional group collaboration and study rooms, increased space for community programs, an open concept space leading towards relaxed “Living Room” seating areas, a new room featuring Middletown history and archives, comfortable seating, advanced technology, and room for programming.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for the event as well as ticket purchase for the Black & White Masquerade. All proceeds go towards the Re-Imagining Your Library Campaign.
The Gala, which is for ages 21 and over, will include an open and cash bar, dinner, music, dancing, a raffle drawing and awards.
Those interested in purchasing sponsorships or tickets are encouraged to visit the 2022 Gala page at mtpl.org. All donations are tax deductible. Monetary donations are also tax deductible within the limits of the law.
The library is a 170(C) (1) government entity. No goods or services of any value were or will be provided to the donor Free Public Library of the township.
For further information contact Jenna O’Donnell at jodonnell@mplmain.mtpl.org. The library is located at 55 New Monmouth Road.
They may have been praying in church, but the Atlantic Highlands Police officers never quit in their vigil to ensure protection. They are always on the job.
It was close to the end of the 20th annual Blue Mass before 9 p.m. Wednesday evening. The event is sponsored annually the OLPH-St Agnes Church and the Knights of Columbus to honor police, fire and EMTS from the Bayshore and the National Recreation Area and Coast Guard installation at St. Agnes Church.
All of a sudden, the approximate 200 people in attendance along with the close to 200 volunteers being honored saw three officers suddenly leave their seats at the front of church and move quickly to the exit. Shortly after, churchgoers could hear a siren and see several other local first aid members also leave the church before the program ended.
“There was a medical emergency …and the officers all responded to where a male and female both needed medical attention,” said Police Chief Scott Reinert, who was also present at the Blue Mass. “ Everyone is ok thanks to their quick response along with EMS. “
The officers who were the first to respond to the emergency call were Sgt. Travis Sodon, and patrolmen Joseph LaBella, and Sean McDonald.
The delivery of large steel bridge piles to the Rumson Sea Bright bridge is scheduled tentatively for Monday, Oct. 10/24/22. Frequent updates on travel advisories are available online at Rumson Seabright Bridge
Weather permitting, construction of the new bridge is taking place Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and tomorrow, Friday, from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m this week.
On the Shrewsbury River, work activity will continue in the water south of the bridge on both sides of the river. The navigational channel width has been reduced from 75′ to 65′. The reduction is expected to remain in effect until Fall 2023.
Extra travel time is suggested on Monday and uniformed police will assist with two large steel bridge pile deliveries to the bridge.
The deliveries are anticipated between 9 am and 2pm, to avoid school drop off and pick up times. The schedule may change based on field conditions; however school drop off and pick up times will be avoided.
Traffic interruption is estimated to be no more than 10 minutes during lifting and moving the bridge piles to the trestles in the river.
For safe passage during each delivery, the traffic delivery pattern involves temporary disruption of vehicle and pedestrian movement over the bridge, which may affect traffic flow on Ocean Avenue in Sea Bright and along Rumson Road in Rumson.
Additional bridge pile deliveries are also anticipated at a yet undetermined date but again are planned to be between 9am and 2pm, or after 3pm, to avoid school drop off and pick up times. Deliveries in the future are anticipated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, weather permitting, to be completed on or about mid-December.
With each delivery, vehicles and pedestrians may expect temporary lane closures and delay. The bridge openings needed for marine access will not be affected.
The project team appreciates your support and understanding during the construction phase of this important bridge replacement project.
The Colts Neck Historical Preservation Committee (CNHPC) is presenting its annual Country Christmas at the Montrose School. Sunday, Dec 4. From 1 to 4 p.m.
Seasonal refreshments, and holiday music performed by the Mike Wells Trio will fill the historic Montrose one-room schoolhouse along with this free traditional holiday fest at the old School located at the corner of Montrose Road and Cedar Drive.
Chairperson County Commissioner Lillian Burry will read “The Night Before Christmas” to the Children and adults, an annual tradition. Santa Claus will take time out from his busy schedule to pose for free photos. The Christmas tree inside the school will be festooned with decorations appropriate to the period. We will have a visit from “Norman the Christmas Dog,.” A new children’s book written and illustrated by local professionals, author Candace Faust and artist Morgan Spicer.
In addition, the committee is selling, the popular map depicting Colts Neck historic sites, (suitable for framing) at $20 each, and “A Tour of Historic Colts Neck” booklet written by County Commissioner Lillian G. Burry at10 each as well as the “Norman the Christmas Dog, an excellent gift for children of all ages.
“Our Christmas open house last year was so popular, many have asked us to repeat it,” said Chairperson Burry, the former Colts Neck Mayor. “Everyone on the Colts Neck Historical Preservation Committee enjoys preparing and opening the Montrose School for special events that highlight our township’s unique role in 19th Century America. Commissioner Burry continued “We invite everyone to share in the warmth and historic significance of the Montrose School during this community celebration.”
Mrs. Burry negotiated the purchase of the school, the only publicly owned one-room schoolhouse in Colts Neck. This was accomplished at the cost of $1 from the township’s former Historical Society over a decade ago. The committee raises funds to continue to upgrade and maintain the school.
Monmouth County high school students are invited to compete in the County Clerk’s Annual Elections and Voting Video Contest. This year’s contest asks students to reflect on what voting means to them and why it is important, while encouraging their peers to vote.
“We are very excited to announce this year’s high school student video contest,” said Monmouth County Clerk Christine Hanlon. We hope this will engage young people in the voting process, and call attention to the many election-based ways New Jersey voters can have their voices heard.”
The clerk added “Approaching Election Day is the perfect time to remind young people the right to vote is a right to be cherished and exercised, and that voting is now easier than ever.”
The contest is open to high school students who reside in Monmouth County and/or attend a high school in Monmouth County. Students are allowed to work alone or to form groups of no more than three members. Single or group entrants are permitted to submit one original video that is one to three minutes long and reflects on what the right to vote means to them and why it’s important; the focus should be on educating peers of the three ways to vote in New Jersey. Students are permitted to be creative in their submissions and can use digital or traditional special effects.
The top three videos will be awarded gift card prizes and will be prompted via the County Clerk’s social media platforms and voter outreach program. Videos will remain the property of the County Clerk’s Office.
“Voting for representatives and local policies are cornerstones of the American Republic,” said Hanlon. “Choices made in elections can shape policies from the local to the national levels.” She noted the expansion of voting options in theate which continues to grow to include traditional Election Day voting, mail-in voting, and early in-person voting.”
Entries will be accepted through Tuesday, November 1 and via email to ClerkContest@co.monmouth.nj.us with the subject “2022 High School Video Contest.” Entrants must upload their video to YouTube and then email the direct link to the video to the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office.
For full contest rules and eligibility, please visit the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office website at MonmouthCountyClerk.com.
U.S. CONGRESSMAN CHRIS SMITH REPRESENTING NEW JERSEY'S 4TH DISTRICT
Congressman Chris Smith is pushing new legislation, in the wake of the growing trend across the nation in rainbow fentanyl trafficking which would expand the nation’s authority in combating the entry of the opioid from crossing the border into the United States.
The legislation, known as the Homeland Security Fentanyl Enforcement Act ( HR 9093) grants more authority to the Department of Homeland Security in halting the drug, which comes from China, and is targeted for use by young people.
“Targeting children by drug cartels with deadly fentanyl made to look like candy is just the latest horrific aspect of the fentanyl crisis that has wreaked havoc on our communities,” said Smith, previously the author of HR 1542 designed to help combat the fentanyl crisis.
“The nefarious drug networks pushing this Chinese-made synthetic opioid—which is 50 times more potent than heroin—on our kids in our own backyard must be defeated,” said Smith. He noted that in the last five months alone, US law enforcement officials have seized more than 10 million fentanyl pills and another approximate 980 pounds of fentanyl powder, equating to more than 36 million lethal doses.
HR 9093, developed DHS law enforcement officers, would grant agents within the DHS Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) unit with independent authority to enforce America’s drug laws. Currently, only approximately 1,500 of more than 6,800 HSI special agents have DEA authority to investigate these crimes, leaving thousands of HSI agents on the sidelines as fentanyl and other deadly drugs pour into the country.
The bill is just one of Smith’s ongoing attempts to combat the fentanyl crisis. Earlier this year, the Congressman cosponsored the Stop Fentanyl Border Crossings Act(HR 7359), which would expand Title 42 authority to turn away migrants to combat the profuse amount of drug smuggling across the US-Mexico Border.
“It is absolutely critical that we secure our border immediately to help put an end to the immense suffering and loss of life caused by the infiltration of these lethal drugs,” said Smith, who last Congress chaired a congressional hearing entitled “Tackling Fentanyl: The China Connection ” that included compelling testimony from then-Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato.
Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon has created a COVID-19 Pandemic Archive to preserve important government records for historical purposes, and is requesting municipal and county government officials to submit documents pertaining to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
“The COVID-19 Pandemic is an historic event that will be of great interest to future historians, researchers, scientists, health and public policy experts, as well as government leaders,” said Hanlon. “It is critical that we take steps now to secure these records, and Monmouth County will be at the forefront of this preservation effort by maintaining these records in the Monmouth County Archives..”
The Clerk oversees the Archives, where countless county government records, both paper and digital, are stored and preserved. The Archives also houses county and municipal government records, newspapers, photographs, and maps.
To ensure as much information as possible about now Covid-19 altered precedent for government responses to crises, the clerk said , “we must preserve as much information as possible for future knowledge about this historic time period.”
Hanlon added that her office has designed a method for municipal governments to submit documents for preservation and will be reaching out to each of the 53 municipalities in the county to request participation.
For questions about the COVID-19 Archive, please email William.Elwell@co.monmouth.nj.us or call 732-431-7324, ext. 8745. To view an informational video about the County Archives and its collections, visit the website at MonmouthCountyClerk.com/Archives.
I am so happy I learned real journalism at my father’s knee as a child and honed it over the years, always taking advantage of the AP Stylebook for proper terms and usage, And because of how much I learned and how well it aided me in being successful, I’m even more delighted that in writing my own blog, I do not have to adhere to today’s AP Stylebook. Nor do I have to use new made-up words to draft my stories.
Some things have not changed. For instance, I always knew if I was writing about Queen Elizabeth, it was a capital Q, but not so if I were referring simply to the queen. The same with any of the other royals, be they king, prince, duke or whatever. Came in handy at the time of the queen’s death.
But now, if I were following AP Style, I cannot say not say pro-choice or pro-life or pro-abortion; I’m expected to say abortion rights or anti-abortion. Don’t quite understand why it’s ok to say anti-abortion, but not pro-life, but that’s what AP Style tells me.
Fortunately, AP still allows me to write ‘pregnant women” But, they tell me, if I REALLY want to be inclusive, then I should use the term “pregnant people.” That would ensure I’m covering all women, even those who may be pregnant but don’t identify as women…that means transgender men and nonbinary people, you understand.
It doesn’t matter that my heart breaks every time I see photos of dozens of illegal immigrants crashing our Texas borders in order to get here…AP says I can’t call them illegal aliens or unauthorized immigrants, or refer to them as illegal, or unauthorized. I should just call all these folks breaking our laws migrants or immigrants…even though they are not.
I’m happy AP thinks it’s ok to call Fentanyl a drug, the street drug that’s ten times more powerful than heroin and the leading drug of overdose deaths in the country. But that’s the same name I use for all prescriptions doctors write for legal purchases. I’m pretty sure they’re still allowing me to refer to Fentanyl as an illegal drug, though, at least they haven’t said I can’t.
I can still call a gun a gun, but I can’t call any guns assault rifles or assault weapons, even they look like assault weapons. I should be more specific…like
Identifying the function of a say, rifle, and identify it as semi-automatic rifle or automatic rifle. But of course to do that, I have to know how many bullets are fired, and if there’s an auto reload so it just keeps on firing when the trigger is depressed. When somebody does this a lot, I should call it a shooting rampage, and not say somebody went on a shooting spree. Kind of sounds like he went on a shopping spree or something fun like that.
When it comes to sex and gender I really get confused. For the last five years, the AP Stylebook has told me there’s such a thing as “cisgender “, which means the people whose genders match their sexual organs. I should use intersex for those whose external sexual organs differ from whom they think or feel they are. That’s because AP tells me gender refers to a person’s social identity, and is entirely different from sex, which just means the biological characteristics. So, to keep everyone happy, I really should never say both or either sex, or heavens, the opposite sex, since they all infer there are only two sexes or genders, I’m not sure which.
And to be really correct, I should simply say they. But not They is, which is what I would have used if I thought sex or gender was singular and that would make the pronoun ‘they’ singular. Nope, I still should say they are, but I haven’t figured out why. What happened to the days of subject and predicate agreeing? AP Style suggests use the print the name, rather than the pronoun if that’s important to you…or reword the sentence to avoid a pronoun altogether.
All of this is necessary, you understand, because in the 21st century, more young people are identifying themselves as non-conforming with what we all thought were two genders, so there is therefore a new need to change the language.
APSTYLE tackles the question head-on on whether MS, Mr., Ms, Mrs. or something else is the best courtesy title to use in writing. Their answer? In most cases, avoid any courtesy title at all. Change the sentence around so you don’t need a pronoun.
The Exhibit, sponsored jointly by the Eastern Branch library and the Shrewsbury Historical Society, features a variety of unique and everyday chairs from early 20th century as well as centuries before. An additional assortment of more than 30 other vintage seatings is also on display at the Historical Society, located at 425 Sycamore Ave., Shrewsbury, the Four Corners Historic area.
The Library exhibit also includes a collection of books and other sources giving in depth descriptions and further information about the manufacture of chairs, including information on woods and designs and specific uses.
The library exhibit is open throughout open library hours. The Shrewsbury Historical Society exhibit is open by appointment. For further information contact the Historical Society at ShrewsburyHistoricalSociety@gmail.com or by calling 732-530-7974.
Coordinators of the Library exhibit are Historical Society president Donald Burden, and Society trustees Robin Blair, GeeGee Blair, and Ellen Jackson, together with honorary life members Hudy and Stuart Buncher, with Eastern Branch librarian Kim Avagliano and reference librarian Debbie Alfano
At least 14 members of the Knights of Columbus of the Rev. Joseph J. Donnelly Council had the distinct honor and privilege to set up and achieve an ambitious fundraising goal for the Blue Mass, said Michael Napolitano, Grand Knight of Council 11660 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help St Agnes Church.
The Knights of Columbus are one of the many local organizations and residents supporting the 20th annual Blue Mass which honors health, safety and emergency volunteers and police in the Bayshore, as well as Middletown fire companies from throughout the township and security personnel at Gateway National Recreation Area.
The mass will be held Wednesday , Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m.. continuing a tradition started at St. Agnes Church two decades ago.
Napolitano said planning began in early August in order to have sufficient funds available in advance of the event. The Mass at St. Agnes brings hundreds of people and many join the volunteers at the Shore Casino following the mass. The volunteer organizations also donate to finance the event at the Casino.
“Rather than pat ourselves on the back, we take this opportunity to thank all of the people who generously donated in support of our local Police, Fire, EMS and Military First Responders,” said the Grand Knight, adding, “ and we are especially heartened to have seen this outpouring of support amidst the current backdrop of “woke” disrespect exhibited by a small but highly vocal minority.”
Napolitano also expressed thanks to the establishments who donated space in front of their stores in order for us to solicit donations on behalf of this event. These included Bayshore Pharmacy, Vingo Liquors, Sea Streak Ferry in both Highlands and Atlantic Highlands, 7-11 of Atlantic Highlands and Quick-Chek of Highlands. “Our thanks and appreciation go to all of them for participating in our effort and making it so successful.”
