Category: Independent Opinion

  • Kenneth G. Cassidy

    Mr. Cassidy, 73, of Monroe Township, died Jan. 9, 2009, at Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick. He was a shop steward with the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1804-1 for 40 years, retiring in 2005. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Dorothy Liput Cassidy; two sons, John Cassidy of Clifton and Kenneth…

  • Inspector General’s response too little, too late

    Guest Column • Peter P. O’Such Jr. After reviewing the Department of Interior Inspector General’s (DOIIG Earl E. Devaney) letter of Nov. 3 sent to Rep. Frank Pallone, it became very apparent that the DOI-IG has no intent or interest in finding fault with the National Park Service (NPS) plan to permit commercialization of the…

  • Officials need to act on health, financial security

    Since its inception in early 2007, AARP has collected over 1 million Divided We Fail pledges from citizens all across the nation who believe that health care and lifetime financial security are the most pressing domestic issues facing our nation today. One hundred and seventy-four miles separate our state’s capital from our nation’s capital. If…

  • J. Michele “Miki” Murphy

    Mrs. Murphy, 58, of Middletown, died Jan. 9, 2009, at home. She was a speech therapist at Harbor School, Eatontown, for more than 20 years. She is survived by her husband of 38 years, Kevin; two sons and one daughter-inlaw, Brian and Kelly of Middletown, and Michael at home; a daughter and son-in-law, Kim Michele…

  • Customer service: a truly radical approach to sales

    Coda • GREG BEAN The results for the 2008 holiday shopping season are almost in from the nation’s major retailers, and it looks like it was worse than anyone could have predicted. Business was so bad at places like KB Toys and Sharper Image that it’s possible those companies won’t survive the coming year. Circuit…

  • Stanley Szmaja

    Mr. Szmaja, 93, of Middletown, died Jan. 1, 2009, at Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank. He was a carpenter for several construction firms throughout New Jersey. He was predeceased by his wife, Rosa, in 2001. He is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Frank and Nancy Szmaja of Middletown; and two grandchildren. Arrangements were by…

  • This can’t be happening

    In the News • MARK ROSMAN It was so easy for me, two or three years ago, to poke fun at senior citizens and all of the demands they make. Cheaper movie tickets, property taxes frozen in place forever, lower-price early-bird dinners — all of the things that everyone should be able to enjoy in…

  • John Francis “Jack” Keating

    Mr. Keating, 64, of Whiting, died Jan. 2, 2009, at home. He resided in New York City, Old Bridge and the Cliffwood Beach section of Old Bridge, prior to relocating to Whiting eight years ago. He was a warehouseman at Grainger, Robbinsville, retiring in 2005. Prior to that, he was employed at Royal Composing, New…

  • After Obama’s inauguration, Cheney will be out in the cold

    Coda • GREG BEAN The winter my wife and I packed our family and moved from my hometown in Casper, Wyo., to take a newspaper job in the relatively balmy climes of Illinois had been a tough son of a gun. For starters, in January of that year, 1984, the temperature hadn’t risen higher than…