Congressman Chris Smith was one of many governmental leaders who quickly responded to the assassination attempt on former President Trump, calling for prayer and deep investigations into the cause of the tragic event.
In a statement released last night, the Congressman said:
“Marie and I are praying for President Trump and thank God he was not seriously injured after today’s attempt on his life.
It is with the deepest sorrow and regret we received the news that one attendee was mortally wounded, and others seriously injured—we are praying for them and their families.
The Secret Service, all law enforcement partners, and medical first responders deserve our sincerest thanks for their quick action, preventing what could have been a much larger tragedy.
The full force of the Federal Government must be put towards investigating the cause of today’s events, and all parties involved must be held accountable. Actions must be taken to ensure this does not occur again.
All Americans must unite and condemn all forms of political violence.”
Council President Brian Dougherty listed a series off accomplishments he noted the Mayor and Council have achieved in the first six months since taking office in January.
Dougherty cited the accomplishment during the meeting in which the governing body adopted three new ordinances, postponed a public hearing on a fourth, and introduced a new ordinance, its 17th since January.
At the meeting, Council unanimously approved a $550,000 bond ordinance, an ordinance requiring background checks for volunteers in youth program and an ordinance to put a non-binding question on the ballot in November after there were no objections at public hearings. Council also postponed the public hearing on a proposed parking ordinance because of some legal questions and set the hearing for the next meeting on Aug. 8.
In listing a progress report on accomplishments since January, Dougherty noted the borough’s primary achievements have been in negotiating an agreement authorizing the Monmouth County Park system to negotiate the purchase of the Mother Teresa school property, a matter still in negotiation but anticipated to be completed shortly.
He also cited a number of changes the governing body has made including a rent control ordinance to protect borough renters from unreasonable rate hikes. That ordinance was introduced at the meeting and will be finalized after a public hearing on August 8.
Dougherty also cited amendments to the development regulations for the historic and central business districts, identifying them as “the first significant update to regulations in a generation.”
This Council has also updated the development checklist, he said, requiring geotechnical analysis in steep slope areas and both parking and traffic studies for development projects.
Dougherty praised the Environmental Commission for its significant contributions in aiding the council in enhancing stormwater management in the borough through a series of amendments to municipal codes.
Citing financial accomplishments in their first half year in office, Dougherty noted the current council negotiated a new higher interest rate with the borough’s bank, resulting in a significant return on borough funds, as well as unanimously passing its 2024 municipal budget with an overall reduction in the municipal tax rate.
Background checks and safety training for volunteers involved with all recreation programs, including for coaches, directors and other volunteers was approved at the meeting providing a higher degree of safety for the youth of the borough.
Council has also involved the public in more participation in municipal matters, with Dougherty citing the three charrette planning sessions to get ideas from residents for the future development of Helen Marchetti Park. Borough Engineer Doug Rohmeyer indicated in response to a question during the meeting, work is progressing on the park, bids were advertised and have been awarded and production should begin within a couple of months.
Council is still working on cannabis decisions after conducting an information session with experts in the industry discussing the benefits of allowing businesses in the borough., Mayor Lori Hohenleitner, in response to a question from the public, indicated there should be more information available in August or September.
Dougherty also said the Council has passed 15 new ordinances in the last six months. Still to come, he said, is completion of plans and implementation of profit-making EV charges at the borough marina and other locations.
Dougherty was elected to his first term on the governing body in January, 2022 after being elected in a tough fought election in November, 2021. He has served on the environmental commission and planning board as well as remaining active in local children’s sports activities. He is the council’s liaison to the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education as well as the planning board.
While everyone in Monmouth County thinks of The Shore Casino in the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Harbor when they hear the name Bernie Sweeney, it was different 75 years ago. That’s when the Jersey City native was in the army and stationed at Camp Campbell in Kentucky. He was also a writer in the service, as he was before his Casino In The Park days in Jersey City.
So it was in 1953 on the 11th anniversary of the official opening of the camp for training soldiers, that Sweeney wrote a front page, by-lined article for The Courier, in its anniversary edition of the weekly newspaper for the Campbell area.
The paper recently stopped circulation now in search of the most efficient means of circulating the news for military on the base, located on the Kentucky-Tennessee border between the towns of Hopkinsville in Kentucky and Clarksville in Tennessee. The base is named for Army Brigadier General William Bowen Campbell, a general in the Union army during the Civil War and the last Whig Governor of the state of Tennessee.
Fort Campbell is the home of the 101st Air borne Division and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Sweeney’s several thousand-word story spanned three pages of the newspaper back in 1953, highlighting the arrival of the base created to train soldiers during World War II .
It began when the 11th Airborne Division arrived after being relieved of occupational duty in Japan in 1949. The paratroopers, Sweeney said, “arrived here in wave elements until May of that year when the 11th Airborne Division officially made Fort Campbell the Home of the Angels.”
Sweeney traced the construction that continued on the base from 1942 when the area was struck by heavy rains, minor floods and the need to prepare the camp for an early occupancy to meet the needs of war training.
Sweeney’s story also told of the circumstances surrounding which state could claim ownership to the Home of the Angels, first identified as Tennessee based on surveyors indicating that two-thirds of the reservation was south of the state line. Later, because of complaints about it, the matter was studied further in Washington, the reporter continued, and “the camp was officially changed from Camp Campbell, Tennessee, to Camp Campbell, Kentucky.
Eight years later, when the camp was redesignated from a temporary to a permanent post, it was renamed Fort Cambell, Kentucky.
The base was also a prison camp for the many German prisoners of war who were housed there during World War II, with three stockades used for that purpose, each holding 3,000 men, and separating the captured Nazi from anti-Nazi prisoners.
In later years, the base was expanded and at the time Sweeney was stationed there, it included new housing, a gym, theater, permanent barracks, a hospital, and military and recreational facilities that ranked the base among the best in the world. There was also a 25-classroom school built for military children and a modern-day hospital with specialties in neurosurgery, plastic and orthopedic surgery and other specialized treatment for veterans returning from the Korea war shortly after 1950.
Today, while it is on hold while installation leadership explores options for the best platform to continue serving the Fort Campbell community’s information needs, the newspaper’s leaders praise the “award-winning team” ore reporters and editors who “wove words into narratives, capturing the essence of Army life with the hope that in the future “it may find its new path and keep weaving stories for generations to come!”
Local residents Sue Curry and Claire Kozic were honored as volunteers of the month at the Atlantic Highlands Borough Council meeting this week . With enthusiasm after their award presentation the volunteers invited everyone to join in the activities that give residents of all ages the opportunity to participate.
The two women praised the athletic program at Henry Hudson Regional School with MS Kozic saying “it’s a lifelong thing” in recognizing the abilities of local youth and their abilities to work together in a variety of sports. Their activities encourage and invite residents of all ages to attend and cheer them on, the volunteers said, and help to build communications between generations.
In praising them, Mayor Lori Hohenleitner said both women are active in volunteering in a number of different areas and do so much volunteer work “behind the scenes” for which they never seek nor are given recognition.
At the same meeting, Council President Brian Dougherty, a frequent and avid supporter of all the athletic and scholastic programs both at the Atlantic Highlands school and Henry Hudson, announced the new Field Hockey instructional program just introduced in the borough for girls in grades 4 through 7.
The councilman said the program, which recently got underway, has 32 participants with Erin Dougherty, Katrina Majewski, Courtney Gearhart and Karin Masina the instructors and activities held at Kavookjian on Route 36. The program is sponsored jointly by the Atlantic Highlands and Highlands recreation programs, Dougherty said, and is appreciated as a new activities program for girls. He also encouraged residents to take advantage of the number of activities offered for local youth that residents of all ages would enjoy watching.
In keeping with the Atlantic Highlands Police Department’s accent on preventive care ensures safety, Police Chief Scott Reinert issued the following warning and alert to all borough residents today.
Many residents are receiving calls about owing the Atlantic Highlands Police Department money for a “Federal Warrant”. The phone call comes from a “spoofed” number that looks like the Atlantic Highlands Police Department’s number (732) 291-1212. Please disregard these phone calls, they are a scam. The Atlantic Highlands Police Department would never ask for payment over the phone and would never ask for Bitcoin, Venmo, Paypal, Zelle etc. as a form of payment. Thieves will try to take your money any way possible and awareness is the best defense. Most of these scams are conducted out of our county and once the money is transferred it is gone forever. If you are ever suspicious of mail, phone calls or emails please stop by Police Headquarters or call us at 732-291-1212 to verify. Some are easy to determine but many are very creative. Thank you
Tickets for the event are available to all interested persons and are offered at $130 for members of the Council and $140 for non-members. Ticket price includes bus transportation, admission, guided tours, and a boxed sandwich lunch.
The motor coach will leave from 54 First Avenue, Atlantic Highlands at 9 a.m. and return approximately 5 p.m.
The Museum is showcasing the art of Andrew Wyeth and Jamie Wyeth, and includes landscapes, portraits and illustrations as well as works by other artists. . A special exhibit spotlights Frank Stewart, a staff photographer for Jazz at Lincoln Center who captured performances and candid moments of jazz legends Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis and others.
The trip will also include a visit to Andrew Wyeth’s studio displaying his art materials and furnishings.
Payment and reservations must be made no later than July 15 for the trip which is planned regardless of rain or shine. For further information, visit
Five persons will be elected from Highlands and four from Atlantic Highlands in the Nov. 5 election to serve on the first elected board of the Prek-12 regional school district which was approved by the voters last September.
An interim board, comprised of members of the former three boards of education now included in the single district, has been serving since the district became official July 1. Their terms expire in January 2025, when the winners in the November 2024 election of the first elected nine-member board take office.
Qualified candidates for the board must file a nominating petition and meet the following qualifications: a citizen of the United States of America, at least 18 years of age, able to read and write, a resident and registered voter in the borough for at least one year preceding the date of the election; not disqualified as a voter pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:4-1 and not convicted of a disqualifying crime pursuant to N.J.S.A.18A:12-1. Nor can any candidate be directly or indirectly involved in any contract with, or claim against, the board.
In Atlantic Highlands there will be two three-year terms, one two-year term and one one year term up for election; in Highlands, there will be one three-year term, two two-year terms, and two one year terms to be decided.
With Atlantic Highlands and Highlands the only two constituent districts of Henry Hudson Regional, the seats will be allocated alphabetically with the terms each candidate is seeing noted. Voters can only vote for candidates representing the town in which they live.
In filing the petition to be included on the ballot, candidates must fill out the appropriate box on the form indicating the length of term they are seeking as well as the town they represent. The ballot will reflect the years of the term they are seeking.
Board administrator Janet Sherlock has indicated that persons with any questions on filling out a petition should call the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office in Freehold where an employee will walk them through the process.
The Election Division will also review all the forms they receive and reach out to any if they have questions on the information provided, the administrator said.
The county election division office is located at 300 Halls Mill Rd., Freehold and is open Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For contact information, call 732-431-7700.
The petition for filling out and signatures for signers of petitions is available on the website for the Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education.
Actually, the very popular Swim Meet that will be held Saturday, July 13 in Sea Bright is named for two former mayors of the borough.
Andy Manning was mayor of the borough in 1988 when the first Sea Bright Mile Swim was held as a means of bringing the community together and taking advantage of the borough’s oceanfront location. Manning was only mayor for a year, and was succeeded by Charles Rooney, who served as mayor for the next ten years.
Rooney, an avid swimmer, designed a course to ensure more participants, with a bus taking them to starting and ending points depending on the current so swimmers did not have to swim against the more difficult challenge. He kept the annual swim tradition, expanding it and including both a one mile and two-mile swim.
After Mayor Rooney’s death in 1999, the swim meet faltered a bit, until Rooney’s son, Charlie, then a councilman in Sea Bright, spearheaded a move to keep the annual race a popular event. It was suggested that the name be changed to the Andy Rooney Meet to honor both former mayors and it has remained that ever since. Rooney is general chair of the Swim Meet and also swims in the competition.
Awards are given in the meet to the top five males and top five females in the one mile and two-mile swims, excluding wet-suit wearers. Wet-suit wearers will be in a separate division with awards for the top three overall male and female swimmers.
Registrations must be made online with no paper copy registrations available. Credit cards are accepted. Those who register the day of the event must do it by cellphone before arriving so they can receive an instant email with a chip number which can be picked up upon arrival.
Registration is from 6:45 a.m. until 7:15 a.m. with the first race, the two-mile swim, getting off at 7:30 a.m. The mile swim will start at 8:15 a.m.
Both swims will start on the south end of the public beach and end in front of Donovan’s. Sea Bright lifeguards will be stationed along the route in the water. Anyone needing assistance, should raise their hands and wave to attract their attention.
Competition is limited to 200 registrants, with the first 125 registered swimmers receiving the event tee shirt.
Three military academy appointments and three ROTC scholarships were presented to graduates of MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology at their graduation ceremonies June 19 on Pershing Field at Fort Hancock. Some having to make choices of which they wanted to accept.
Jasper Malles of Red Bank, declined his Navy ROTC scholarship to accept an appointment to the US Air Force Academy and Sam Puleio of Middletown declined his appointment to the Naval Academy in addition to another Navy ROTC scholarship in order to accept his appointment to the US Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut.
Gerald Flynn of Tinton Falls accepted his appointment to the US Merchant Marine Academy in New York.
Ananya Vuppala of Morganville accepted an Air Force ROTC scholarship to Yale University where she is enrolled in the Space Force program.
Jack Arhanic of Fair Haven accepted his Navy ROTC scholarship to Embry Riddle in Florida, Sofia Bracker of Little Silver, her Army ROTC scholarship to Penn State, and Noah Cuttrell of Middletown, his Army ROTC Scholarship to TCNJ.
Calvin Stern of Middletown accepted his Navy ROTC scholarship to Cornell University, and Brandon Weiss of Oceanport, who declined a Navy scholarship, is going to the University of Miami on the Army ROTC scholarship he also was awarded.
Mae Woolley of Red Bank also accepted an Army ROTC scholarship, hers to Harvard, rather than the Navy ROTC scholarship also received.
Another student in the graduating class also received a Navy ROTC scholarship to Cornell University but opted instead to attend the same University on another scholarship. He also received.
Of the 61 graduates, 60 are going on to four-year colleges and one is working towards a position in the National Hockey League by playing hockey at the Junior Level.
With more than $15 million in scholarships awarded to the 61 graduates of MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology this year, it appears that perhaps their biggest problem was in deciding which of the many colleges they were offered, in many cases, more than one, they would choose for higher education.
No fewer than 56 of the graduating seniors received merit-based scholarships, which averages out to more than $257,000, or a quarter of a million dollars for each MAST graduate this year. Scholarships were awarded to more than 75 different colleges and universities throughout the United States.
The four year scholarships and military academy acceptances are in addition to the numerous other scholarships MAST students have received throughout the year and at graduation from numerous groups including the Daughters and Sons of the Revolution, the Ladies clubs, Rotary, Lions club , historical societies, and so many other local institutions that recognize the high standards these students have achieved.
Officials representing each of the branches of military were present at the graduation to make their award announcements and presentations to those accepting the military ROTC scholarships and military academy appointments. Each of the awardees is a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honore Society or both and many also earned the Seal of Biliteracy.
To addition to three 2024 MAST graduates going to three military academies, where they will join with MAST graduates from the past three years and another three going to other universities on military scholarships, MAST students received scholarships to such diverse universities as Stevens Institute of Technology, Gettysburg College, Seton Hall and Catholic universities, the College of Charleston, Stockton, , Xavier, Rutgers, Villanova, Muhlenberg, Florida Institute of Technology, Dickinson, East Stroudsburg and Michigan Tech.
Students also earned scholarship to the Universities of Miami, Massachusetts at Amherst, Delaware, Rhode Island, Scranton, Molloy, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, New England, New Haven, Montclair, Widner, Fordham, Vermont, Drew, Drexel, Quinnipiac, Monmouth, Villanova, Michigan, George Washington, Georgian Court, Delaware, Rowan, Minnesota, Case Western Reserve, Temple, Scranton, Roger Williams, Northeastern, Bentley, Syracuse Embry-Riddle Aeronautical, South Carolina, Marine Maritime, DePaul, Pace, and Louisiana State.
Still more scholarships earned by MAST graduates were to High Point, RIT, Florida Southern University, William Patterson, University of Miami, West Chester, Molloy, Rensselaer Polytechnic, Nazareth College, Bentley,, Rose Humans Institute of Technology and Johnson and Wale.
Uglyography Whether you’re a voracious reader, a lexicographer, creative hobbyist, or just want to get out of the heat, the Atlantic Highlands Library certainly offers so much for everyone.
Branch Librarian Lauren Garcia, who also serves in her dual capacity as children’s librarian, heads a team at this branch of the Monmouth County Library System who like to try new and different things. Lauren also thinks far into the future and is already planning new and popular former programs for children and adults in the fall as well.
But for now, tomorrow, July 10, a team from the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office will be at the library at 3 p.m. to talk about bike safety. Kids from kindergarten on up and those adults who cycle but want refreshers on safety are all invited for an interesting program on what to do and not do while on a bike to ensure safety.
Then Monday afternoon, July 15, at 1 p.m. there’s a great program especially geared to senior citizens but one everyone can learn tips from. Chris Call of Matawan, who is a retired solutions architect whose specialty is cyber security, will give some tips on how to avoid being taken in by scams and things that sound too good to be true…since most of them are.
Call will have a great power point presentation along with some handouts and touch on such areas as how to recognize a caller, say from your bank or credit card company, is really a scammer. He’ll also have tips on contacts you should make before releasing information or funds, and how to avoid pitfalls. The program is at 1 p.m. and all are invited.’ Call will definitely warn you “Don’t Fall for it!”
Next Thursday, July 18, at 7 p.m., all the Stephen King fans are invited to be at the library to talk about their favorite author, and discuss “The Shining”, one of his best sellers, as the library begins the first of a monthly series of Stephen King Book Club meetings. You’re invited to attend even if you haven’t read a single one of his books. You might be enticed to try one.
As far as the lexicography goes, every day Lauren has a new word up, most of which you’ve probably never heard before, and it’s up to you to test your brain, tear the word apart, or simply take a wild guess as to what it means. Today’s word is Uglyography …and she isn’t talking about the new musical release.
Just a hint as to what’s coming in September, if you’re creative, keep September 5 available for the youngsters. With the donation of some pretty spectacular driftwood, Lauren is staging Treasures from the Seashore and inviting youngsters from Kindergarten up to scour the beach this summer for seashell finds or other oddities on the beach.
During the September 5 program, they’ll be able to be creative with their finds and the driftwood to make mobiles, decorations, keepsakes and more to ensure their summer fun can be remembered even when the snow falls and temperatures drop.
The library, l located in Borough Hall, is open Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p..m., Tuesdays 9 to 4, Wednesdays, 9 to 5, Thursdays, 1 to 9, Fridays 1 to 5 and Saturdays, 9 to 1 p.m.
