Category: Independent Opinion

  • Senator misses a few of state’s big problems

    New Jersey Senate President Richard J. Codey (D-Essex) is calling for action to be taken regarding the practice of school administrators who “obtain degrees from unaccredited and questionable colleges and universities.” Codey is asking state Attorney General Anne Milgram and state Department of Education Commissioner Lucille Davy to investigate the practices surrounding tuition reimbursement for…

  • Donna Leigh Atkins

    Mrs. Atkins, 43, of Spring Hill, Fla., and formerly of Keyport, died Aug. 11, 2008, at home. She was a member of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Raritan Hose Fire Department, Hazlet. She is survived by her husband, James H.; a daughter, Karolann E.; a son, James H. IV; her mother Leonora Jacquot of Brookville,…

  • Joseph J. “Joe D” DeVirgilio

    Mr. DeVirgilio, 82, of Hazlet, died Aug. 14, 2008, at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Atlantic City. He was a union truck driver and shop steward at Teamster Local 560, Union City, retiring after 30 years. He was the former deputy mayor, committeeman and chairman of the Planning Board of Hazlet. He was predeceased by his…

  • Margaret Leyden McClelland

    Mrs. McClelland, 83, of Middletown, died Aug. 19, 2008, at Care One at King James, Middletown. She was a clerk at Prentice Hall Publishing for 10 years, retiring in 1984. She was predeceased by her husband, William McClelland Sr., in 1982; and a son, William McClelland Jr., in 1989. She is survived by two daughters…

  • Wasser may have more to worry about than bad press

    Coda GREG BEAN James Wasser (sorry, I can’t bring myself to call him by the honorific Doctor), superintendent of the Freehold Regional High School District, called me recently to complain about my column of Aug. 13, wherein I mocked the ginned-up doctoral degree he got from a suspect "university."   Regular readers of this column…

  • You love us, you really love us — or maybe not

    Red State/Blue State DAVE SIMPSON & GREG BEAN A political discussion between Red State conservative Dave Simpson — a former reporter, editor, publisher and columnist — and Greg Bean, Blue Stater and executive editor of Greater Media Newspapers. Dear Greg: Red/Blue gets letters, and I’d like a chance to respond to this one that was…

  • High-density housing not solution in Holmdel

    The issue of the Lucent property continues to drive the politics of Holmdel. Recently a developer, Somerset Development, has indicated that they are purchasing the property. While this may not seem to be unusual, the support of Citizens for Informed Land Use (CILU) and the Holmdel Democrats is frightening. They are so focused on maintaining…

  • Housing plan should have been in place earlier

    How can Hazlet leave itself open and never have had a plan for affordable housing? Now this burden will come out of Hazlet taxpayers’ pockets. Does Elegant Properties come to our school and see that condos will flood Poole Avenue, Middle Road, Route 36, Route 35, the police department, fire department, etc.? Not to mention…

  • BOE member shouldn’t be giving advice

    Ifind it amusing that Board of Education (BOE) member Pat Walsh, who is running for a seat on the Middletown Township Committee, has the audacity to lecture the town on its budget, when she is the one responsible for taking over 60 percent of our property taxes to operate the schools in this town. For…