Colts Neck Friends of the Library will hold their annual Book Sale this weekend, ,April 27 and 28 with specials throughout both days of the sale.
Early birds on Saturday, April 27, can pay a $5 admission and peruse and purchase books between 9 .am. and 10 a.m. on April 27. The sale continues throughout the day, with no admission charges for visiting between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m..
Teachers with school ID will be able to purchase a bag of books for $5.
On Sunday, April 28, all purchasers can buy a bag of books for $5. There is no admission charge on Sunday and the sale will continue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m..
Guests can either bring their own bag or purchase a reuseable Friends of the Library bag for $5.
Th library is located at 2 Veterans Way and the sale will take place in the foyer and main room in the downstairs library.
The Highlands Business Partnership will be host the 3rd Annual Fiesta de Mayo Cantina Crawl Saturday, May 4, from noon to 5 p.m.
Tickets, which can be purchased online for $40.00 per person, include a Margarita Contest with six restaurants competing for the Best Margarita in Highlands!
Participants will sample six different 6oz. Margaritas and vote for their favorite! The fee also includes discounted food and drink specials at participating eateries and pubs, specials at participating retail establishments and many surprise samplings!
The Academia de Mariachi Nuevo Amanecer will be performing Mariachi music at the participating restaurants to add an authentic Mexican flair to the event!
Check-in and walk-up registration for the Cantina Crawl are at Huddy Park, Bay and Waterwitch Ave. (301 Shore Drive – GPS) between 11am and 12:30pm.
Participants will be given a wrist band and map of the nine participating business locations. This event is a rain or shine event and is non-refundable.
Fiesta de Mayo Cantina Crawl is made possible by our participating establishments and generous sponsors including Monmouth County Tourism, Bahrs Landing, Chilangos, Chubby Pickle, Feed & Seed, Off the Hook, Proving Ground, Seafarer Bar, Fresh and Bridge Marina.
For more information on the Fiesta de Mayo Cantina Crawl or to purchase tickets, visit www.highlandsnj.com or call 732-291- 4713
Dr. Elaine O’Brien brought her charm, personality and expertise to the gala AAUW luncheon at Beacon Hill recently, captivating the attendees with how dance and music can be life enhancing and induce a sense of pleasure and excitement, along with fun. The luncheon was the 8th annual fund-raising event sponsored by the Northern Monmouth County Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) with all proceeds benefiting the chapter’s scholarship fund that enables women to attend college.
Dr. O’Brien, the author of “The Power of Play: Optimize your Joy Potential” spoke on character strengths and virtues, highlighting key terms and ideas she uses in her book, ranging from building positive relationships and connections and mindful attention through meditation to adding play and positive movements every day and how to overcome barriers to that suggestion. The author highlighted wisdom, knowledge, justice, temperance and courage among other strengths, and gave hints on how dancing enhances every day.
By the end of Dr. O’Brien’s presentation, the more than 100 women in attendance at the gala were on their feet dancing, swinging, laughing and communicating with all the other guests in the room as well as giving a standing ovation to the speaker. Membership is also open
The AAUW Northern Monmouth County Branch was founded in 1928 and is one of New Jersey’s largest branches. The branch holds monthly meetings open to the public, as well as stimulating events for its members. In addition to the bookstore, the branch runs various fundraisers and study groups throughout the year. Friendship, networking, branch projects, life-long learning and fundraising for education are just some of the aspects that attract members to our organization.
Branch meetings are generally convened on the first Monday of the month from October through June. Guests are welcome at all branch meetings. Meetings begin with networking, followed by a business meeting and the evening’s program.
Middletown Police Chief R. Craig Weber announced the Middletown Twp. Police Department will once again be participating in the “National Take Back Initiative” in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New Jersey Division, and other state and local law enforcement agencies.
The National Take Back Initiative will be held Saturday, April 27 from 10:00am until 2:00pm at Police Headquarters, located at 1 Kings Highway.
The goal of the National Take Back Initiative is to provide a safe opportunity for residents to rid their homes of unused, unwanted, or expired medications by turning these medications over to law enforcement officials for disposal of substances in a non-hazardous manner.
Last October, New Jersey collected 14,449 pounds of unwanted medication with 240 participating state and local departments, making the bi-annual event a continued success and great benefit to the community.
Participants may dispose of medication(s) in the original container, or by removing the medication from the container and disposing of it directly into the disposal box.
Individuals are encouraged to remove any identifying information from prescription labels. All solid dosage pharmaceutical products and liquids may be accepted. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container. Intravenous solutions, injectables, and syringes will not be accepted due to potential hazards posed by blood-borne pathogens. E-cigarette and vaping devices can also be disposed of only after the batteries are removed.
On behalf of the department, Chief Weber thanked everyone for their participation in the event, and encouraged residents to be mindful of any medications that may be in their households and make every effort to ensure they are of the reach of small children.
Henry Hudson Regional School is ranked 145th of 466 high schools in the state by US News and World Report for the 2022-2023 school year based on performance on state assessments and how well the students are prepared for college.
The same study showed the 9-12 high school placed 3,558 of the 13,655 schools in the nation based on the same criteria.
The ranking compares with other local high schools, with MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology placing 12th in the state, Rumson Fair Haven, 43rd, Red Bank Regional, 114th, Holmdel, 116th, and Middletown High School South 116th. Hudson scored higher that Middletown High School North that came in at 213th and Shore Regional High School in West Long Branch placing 166th in the state.
The U.S. Best High Schools rankings includes data on nearly 25,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 17,660 schools were ranked on six factors referring to state assessments and college preparation.
Henry Hudson achieved an overall score of 79.85 out of a possible 100 per cent and has a 94 per cent graduation rate and 40.4 percent college readiness ability for the 185 students enrolled in grades 9 through 12, the only grades included in the overall Best Schools assessment.
The records show that 53 per cent of the students took at least one Advanced Preparation exam (AP) and 36 per cent of students passed at least one. The school has a 49 per cent rating for reading proficiency and 33 per cent rating for science proficiency., The school scored a 4w0.4 rating for college readiness. There is an 8 to 1 ratio of students per teacher.
High Technology High School, one of the six schools under the Monmouth County Vocational District Board of Education, ranked first in the state, with Biotechnology ranking fifth and MAST 12th.
“I’m not going to answer any more questions on this,” (First Aid Squad) Mayor Lori Hohenleitner told this resident during the public portion of the last Atlantic Highlands Council meeting.
Not certain I heard her completely and not wanting to believe an elected official would actually publicly decline to answer a question on something as important as the First Aid Squad, I asked the mayor to repeat what she said.
Unfortunately, I had heard correctly. The Mayor repeated her refusal to respond to a question of whether the borough is giving the local First Aid Squad any money towards the purchase of a new ambulance.
Councilman Jon Crowley took a more courteous attitude and stepped into the talk. Although he did not respond to the specific question, he did say he felt the First Aid Squad is very close to making an announcement of their own about the fundraising the squad itself has been doing. “They’re pretty well done, “he said, “they’re very close.”
My questions came after Borough Administrator Robert Ferragina read from figures provided him by Lance Hubeny, Chief of the First Aid Squad, that the volunteers had responded to 170 EMS calls between October 2023 and this past February, an average of more than 30 calls a month. When I asked how that compared to the number of calls Hackensack Meridian had answered in the same time period, I was advised, accurately enough, that that number was announced at the previous meeting. No one would repeat them at this meeting.
Yet Ferragina did say they were included on the same sheet Hubeny had given him so he could report on the squad’s response.
Although he did not read the paid service’s calls, but suggesting if I seek any further information I should ask Hubeny, I did.
The First Aid squad Chief, upon request, showed me that during the time period the volunteer squad responded to 170 calls, an average of 34 a month, the paid service from Hackensack responded to 81 calls, or an average of 16 per month. The service is paid $90,000 a year to respond to emergency calls in the borough between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The volunteers cover all calls between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m., as well as weekends.
The most Hackensack responded to any month was 19 during December, the same month volunteers responded to 42 calls. The least Hackensack responded to was 13, the number of calls in both October and February. During those two months, volunteers responded to 38 calls in October and 24 in February, 24 being the least amount of calls they responded to in any single month.
Both Hubeny and Ferragina explained that Hackensack, whose contract is with Highlands and Highlands then subcontracts the services to Atlantic Highlands for the $90,000 cost assessed to each borough, was first contracted for the borough at a time when there were insufficient squad members to respond to calls during routine working hours. Since that time, however, Hubeny took over as Chief of the squad, and with squad members Captain Ann Schoeller, Lt. Tim Farkas, 2nd Lt. Brian BOMs and 2nd Lt. Mike Berth, has been able to rejuvenate and reenergize the squad. Currently, there are 22 members regularly answering calls as opposed to a time when only eight were responding. Additionally, there are more members being certified, with five in EMT school, two more recertifying earlier certifications and even a father and daughter teem volunteering as EMTS.
However, Hubeny pointed out, the fear now is transportation. While he feels the borough is adequately covered by volunteers even during daylight hours, the fact the squad is reduced to a single ambulance, and that one past its prime, he is reluctant to turn away the paid services until the squad can have something more reliable to depend on.
For that reason, the squad itself, as Ferragina also indicated, has been raising its own funds and has met with many generous local residents to help them meet their goal of purchasing at least a used unit to offer more security and protection – financial help is still needed. A new ambulance costs in the neighborhood of $350,000, however, it is generally more than two years waiting for it once it is ordered.
But whether the borough will contribute anything to expedite any purchases is still not known. The Mayor told me she was not going to answer any more questions.
Yet while the Atlantic Highlands Council indicates they do not know anything new on whether regionalization will be on the ballot in November, and the Highlands Council sitting at a meeting of the new transitional Henry Hudson Regional Board of Education was shocked to hear the board attorney say he doesn’t believe it will be ready for a November vote by the residents, Mayor Kelly keeps plugging away, politely, trying to get action so voters can decide if they want Sea Bright and its $2 million as part of the regional school system.
Olszewski was one of a half dozen residents at last week’s meeting of the transitional board who was shocked to hear Board attorney Jonathan Busch give his reasons why he doesn’t believe residents will be able to vote in November whether to accept Sea Bright as a third municipality in the new district.
Busch did not say how he arrived at his conclusions, nor did he say whether the school board has had any executive sessions or even knew his reasons for thinking a November vote would not be possible. The shocked councilwoman did point out during the public portion that the proposed budget, scheduled for a public hearing May 6 at 6 p.m. at Henry Hudson, is more than $1 million higher than the current budget, exceeding current figures by more than two percent.
Sea Bright Councilman Irwin Bieber was one of the half dozen people present at that meeting and asked board president Cory Wingerter if he had received a letter from the Sea Bright Mayor. Wingerter acknowledged he had received the letter but noted it would be discussed at an executive session meeting at the end of this meeting.
Bieber, however, then noted his Mayor had given him a copy of the letter and proceeded to read it into the record.
The letter began with thanks and appreciation to the new board for its hard work and advised the board that the updated Feasibility Study Supplement requested to ensure most updated information has been completed. He pointed out the study validates “the favorable findings of the prior Kean and Porzio studies as well as answering the remaining questions of the State Education Committee. The Kean and Porzio studies were completed two years ago by both the school district and the boroughs.
Kelly then notified the board that Sea Bright is developing an updated Petition to send to the Education Commissioner so it could be included in the PreK-12 school district and expressed the hope the school board would join in that Petition submission in the coming weeks. He added the facts that the Oceanport and Shore Regional petition appealing to the State Supreme Court Appellate division concerning Sea Bright leaving their districts to join Henry Hudson has been denied, clearing the legal path for Sea Bright to join Henry Hudson, and cited the state law approved by a bipartisan vote.
“Approval of a joint petition for Sea Bright inclusion into the Henry Hudson School district is simply allowing the decision to be made by the voters of Atlantic Highlands, Highlands, and Sea Bright in an election this November,” Bieber read from Mayor Kelly’s letter.
Wingerter said the letter was being discussed that evening at the executive session meeting. However, the board indicated it would take no action after the executive session.
Sea Bright inclusion in the Henry Hudson School district will bring over $2 million in funding and only 48 students to allow expanded education offerings at reduced cost to our tax paying residents, according to Mayor Kelly’s information.
Without consulting with the new transitional Henry Hudson Board of Education members, and with no objections, comments or questioning from any of the members present at Wednesday’s meeting of the board, Board Attorney Neil Busch told the board and the half dozen residents in attendance that there is very little possibility the question of including Sea Bright in the new regional school district will be on the November ballot in order to give the voters the opportunity to make the decision.
The announcement, in response to a question from the public, stunned the residents, including a Sea Bright Councilman and a Highlands council president.
Yet with Busch shaking his head in agreement, board president Cory Wingerter declined the public the right to speak any further or ask any questions. None of the board members asked any questions, made any statement or showed any reaction to Busch’s stunning statement.
Busch cited four different reasons why he does not think the public will get to vote on the school question in November. First, he said, “there are lots of issues,” and furthermore, the superintendent, board and all involved in the current preK-12 regionalization process “have a tremendous amount of work” to do. While they expected the start of the new regionalization would be difficult, “it’s worse” than they thought.
While Busch pointed out that Oceanport and Shore Regional, whose first attempt at halting Sea Bright from joining the regionalization was denied by the state Board of Education, has filed a second legal action, one that is ongoing and the attorney does not think that will be resolved in time for a November ballot question. It is burdensome, he said, and frustrating, but said the issue must be decided before residents can vote on including Sea Bright.
Furthermore, he said, it has been very expensive, although he did not elaborate on how the cost of litigation has anything to do with allowing the public to cast ballots.
The Board of Education, not the borough councils have to approve the question on the ballot, Busch continued, and with some board members reluctant, it is difficult to get a question on the ballot without “unification.” Busch did not elaborate on how he knew there was so little unification that it could not be discussed and resolved by school board members in time to let the people make a choice in November.
His final reason for feeling the questions won’t make it on the November ballot, Busch said, is because the school district did not participate in the new study that Sea Bright had done, an update of the original studies done by both the boroughs and the school district. The second report, in which the school did not participate, resulted in findings very similar in fact and conclusion as the original study done years before.
But Busch’s comments ended discussion of regionalization, when he shook his head in the negative when residents asked to speak.
Only minutes before the attorney made his prediction, Highlands Council president Joann Olszewski , who is that borough’s liaison to the board, pointed out that based on the sum of the budgets approved by the two elementary schools last year, coupled with the 7-12 school budget for the same period, it appears, the proposed budget for the new regionalization district is more than $1 million higher and considerably more than the 2 percent increase in taxes permitted by any school district. Although she was told that was not true, there were no explanations nor presentations of any other facts.
The budget was introduced last month and a public hearing has been set for May 6 at 6 p.m. at Henry Hudson Regional School. Itemized items on the budget will not be published until after the public hearing.
Why in exercising our Legal Right are we demonized?
It may not have turned out the way he would have liked, but one thing is sure. Atlantic Highlands Councilman James Murphy has the courage of his convictions. He fought … as was his legal right.
And whether it is because of his actions or sheer coincidence, certainly the Monmouth County Board of Elections paid attention to his questioning of some election votes and is making changes itself.
Murphy chose to call for a recount when he lost the November election for mayor by a handful of votes. He exercised his legal right
When it showed he still lost in the recount, the first step in challenging the results of any election, he remained convinced there were some folks who did not have the right to vote but cast ballots anyway.
So he took it another, more expensive step further. He named a number of voters his investigation showed might not have had the right to vote and asked a Superior Court judge to look into some of them. He exercised his legal right
A bold step, one that drew a lot of criticism, a frenzy of disparaging remarks on social media, and very little admiration for James Murphy having the guts to take a stand about upholding the American right to vote.
It was only after he took that step, naming voters whose right he questioned, that his opponent, the winning candidate, Mayor Lori Hohenleitner, did what Murphy had dared to do. She put forth some names of others she did not think should have voted. She exercised her legal right.
Apparently, while there were others she felt or knew did not have the right to vote in the Atlantic Highlands election, after she won, she did not question those voters or whether they were legally correct ballots. It was only after Murphy put forth the names and reasons of some voters that Mayor Hohenleitner also did the same.
The judge did not hear the arguments on every one of the names that had been put forth. But she did look closely at many of them. She researched the law, she pondered, and she decided that both Murphy and Hohenleitner were right at least part of the time. Three of the votes Murphy challenged were deemed to be invalid; three of the votes the mayor challenged were deemed to be invalid.
Six votes. Six votes. Certainly enough to turn an election in just about all of the small municipalities in Monmouth County.
It was only four years ago that the Highlands Mayor won by a single vote; in her last election, she was unchallenged, the first time that has ever happened in that borough. How different would Highlands be today had that one vote not been counted five years ago?
Murphy exercised his right to question an election. He was sharply and harshly criticized for it. But he did it because he thought some things were wrong. Not evil. Not criminal. Simply wrong.
In some cases, he was proven absolutely right in his convictions. In others, he was proven wrong. But he questioned, and he got legal answers. It took guts, even if he still lost. He exercised his legal right
The Mayor should, and does, feel good that the election she felt was correct in the first place in spite of later challenging some votes, was upheld after being questioned.
Hopefully, all voters can recognize sometimes it takes battles to right wrongs or define accuracies, but in the end, all should work towards making the system better.
Since the Murphy challenge, the Board of Elections has issued press releases urging people to check their sample ballots to be sure they know their correct polling places. Press releases have urged people to notify the board of elections should there be a death in the family, so names can be removed from the voter lists. Press releases have reminded voters to change their registration information when they move. That’s all great. People need to be reminded. Individuals and boards make honest errors or fail to take corrective actions. So these reminders are a great first step.
But it should not stop here. Voters should urge their legislators to bring back the directive that proof be shown at the polling place before a ballot can be cast. Remember the days of having to show a voter registration card? Why has that stopped? Why is it so wrong for a poll worker to ask a voter for proof of where he says he lives? Legislatures should defend our legal right.
Voting is a distinct American privilege. Our legal right. It is a right so few in other countries around the world can exercise. Yet our elected leaders have let this privilege become abused simply by taking away some of the mandates that helped guarantee accuracy. It really isn’t only about dishonesty; it is also about being certain honest mistakes are not made either.
In one small way, Murphy’s gutsy and controversial challenge at two diverse levels is a giant step in making elections more accurate and secure. He deserves congratulations and respect for exercising his legal right.
It was a few years after the Argonaut Junior was built in Atlantic Highlands that local youth Albert Loux, right, and Raymond Stryker, center, decided they should rest atop the submarine while swimming in Sandy Hook Bay.
The Argonaut Junior sub was built in 1894, was 14 feet wide and 4.5 feet wide, with a depth of five feet. The boat was built by Simon Lake as a prototype after he was denied a contract from the US Navy.
Made of yellow pine, it included three wheels to prevent it from getting stuck in the sea bottom. It was moved by one of two men cranking the axle of two driving wheels. There was sufficient air pressure in the cabin, so an air lock door could be opened on the sea floor without water coming into the cabin. The men, wearing boots, could then walk on the sea floor pulling the boat along while they searched for objects.
The submarine was featured in The Boys Book of Inventions written by Raymond Stannard Baker and published by Doubleday & McClure Co. in 1899.
