Free Republic

A Gannett New Jersey study finds the number of government employees with two or more public jobs that paid more than $100,000 together swelled by 20 percent last year. Those multiple job holders had a collective salary of $107.8 million. My colleague James W. Prado Roberts reports there were 6,271 multiple job holders including one woman who had 12 jobs. Sen. Stephen Sweeney asks "Is it really right for part-time workers to be in the pension system?" Does the question really have to be asked? To take a look at the double-dippers click here.... http://php.app.com/NJpublicemployees/results2.php

Of all the things that make no sense about New Jersey, the state's failure to invest, promote and capitalize on our Revolutionary War history has always led my list. People who ran state tourism said there was no money in it. But 40 years ago, the government leaders of Pennsylvania saw the 1976 Bicentennial coming and funded the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau. It cost them about a million bucks to promote the historic significance of the area, the natural beauty and the proximity to Philadelphia. In time, hotels and restaurants went up, most with a historic theme. Within...

I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I do read a lot of it. It saves hundreds of hours to read the transcripts of what interests me, after the broadcast. I get what I want, and skip all the commercials. Thus it was that today I read Neil Cavuto’s editorial, “Personal Responsibility is Being Banned in America.” I like Neil. He comes across as a nice guy with a large amount of common sense. In the heart of that editorial, he wrote, “We're stupid. We're fat. We're lazy. We're clueless. And the government is coming in to make things...

Continental Army General George Washington’s celebrated “Crossing of the Delaware” has been dubbed in some military circles, “America’s first special operation.” Though there were certainly many small-unit actions, raids, and Ranger operations during the Colonial Wars – and there was a special Marine landing in Nassau in the early months of the American Revolution – no special mission by America’s first army has been more heralded than that which took place on Christmas night exactly 230 years ago. Certainly the mission had all the components of a modern special operation (though without all the modern battlefield technologies we take for...

The Marion County Sheriff's Office asked the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to catch at least one large alligator in an area where crews are searching for a missing boy, according to a news release. Authorities continued their fourth day of searching near Farles Lake in the Ocala National Forest for 2-year-old Trenton Duckett. Trenton was reported missing 22 days ago by his mother, Melinda Duckett, who committed suicide more than a week ago. On Monday afternoon, a trapper will attempt to catch an 8-foot alligator spotted near Farles Lake. If alligators are captured, their stomachs will be examined...

A 15-year-old boy was killed and a 14-year-old was seriously wounded today when a homeowner shot them while defending himself from a home invasion, Longview, Texas, police said. No charges were immediately filed against the homeowner. Police this afternoon said they were still investigating. The homeowner told police he was asleep about 3:30 a.m. when he heard the sound of glass breaking. He got a gun and found several people in the living room. Police said the homeowner told them one of the intruders was holding something he thought was a gun, so he opened fire. Trenton Joseph Houghton, 15,...

LEVITTOWN, Pennsylvania (June 6) - A deal is being negotiated that would allow a high school's class president to participate in Friday's graduation ceremony despite concern that he could be targeted by a gang. Tyrone Lewis, 18, had been scheduled to be one of the speakers at the Truman High School commencement ceremony, but police were worried that he could be targeted by a gang from Trenton, New Jersey, because his sister had testified in a murder trial. Lewis had been barred from the ceremony. Dave Truelove, the Bristol Township School District's solicitor, confirmed Tuesday that talks are in progress...

TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey: We're Not So Good With Slogans. The state has jettisoned "Come See For Yourself," its second attempt at a tagline in less than a year. It was the product of a statewide contest set up by then-acting Gov. Richard J. Codey last fall, after he rejected a consultant's offering: "We'll Win You Over." State tourism officials said legal issues led them to scrap the latest slogan, explaining that West Virginia and other states previously used "Come See For Yourself." "We are proceeding without the slogan. We will revisit the next steps at the end of...

In his first political firestorm since taking office in January, Gov. Jon S. Corzine said Wednesday that he provided $5,000 in bail money to a lobbyist accused of stalking a state assemblyman. "I reacted as a human being responding to someone in need," the multimillionaire Democrat said. "However, in light of my position as governor, I realize this was a mistake." Karen Golding, a government relations manager for insurance giant Prudential Financial, is accused of breaking into the government-issued car of Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, a Democrat, and of writing threatening letters and making threatening calls to Cryan and others. Authorities...

TRENTON--History anyone? It was a gray, bleak winter afternoon the day after Christmas, but the city was buzzing with Colonial activities yesterday. And, that was just the start. For the next five days and nights, Patriots’ Week celebrates Trenton’s pivotal role during the American Revolution with reenactments, art, music and literature. And, if yesterday’s opening events are any indication, then this second annual history blitz has caught on quickly, as bigger-than-expected crowds turned out all day. Out on South Warren Street in the late afternoon, Patriots’ Week Manager Amy Brummer wore a wide smile as family after family arrived at...

WASHINGTON CROSSING, N.J. Dec 25, 2005 — Hundreds of spectators along the Delaware River saw the first complete re-enactment since 2001 of Gen. George Washington's historic crossing. Unlike the past three attempts, when days of precipitation pushed water levels and speeds above safety levels, this Christmas presented a more placid route from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. Jim Gibson, portraying Washington in a full uniform replete with sword and peaked cap, and about 60 of his fellow re-enactors made it across in two longboats just as a raw mist became a steady rain.

In the gloom of this holy Christmas night, a cold sleet fell. It was not a night for man nor beast but yet here they were. Huddled upon the banks of this frigid river, 2000 men contemplated their bleak fate. The past few months had gone very, very badly. Their hopes had been crushed time and again. The noble experiment in Liberty which had begun with such promise, had by this time deteriorated to the point where every day was a battle just to survive. Defeat after defeat, at places like Long Island, Harlem Heights, Fort Washington and White Plains...

Like Temple, Lou, Murph, others, I too have my own memories of Christmas in uniform. My recollections go back to a time close to when Lou was a captain aboard a carrier in the Indian Ocean. I was a Marine corporal on Okinawa, sitting on my rack in a dingy squad bay, listening over-and-over to a cassette tape of Christmas wishes from family and friends, eating some chocolate-chip cookies Mom had made for me, looking at family pictures, and doing what all American soldiers and sailors have been doing during the month of December since 1775 – dreaming of home.

WASHINGTON - Shortly after being elected New Jersey's governor, Democrat Jon Corzine speculated aloud that he might appoint a woman to fill out his unexpired Senate term. Then he singled out black state Sen. Nia Gill, calling her an "extraordinarily capable woman." Gill did not shy away from the hint. "I have the qualifications," she told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "If I am chosen by Jon, I am more than qualified to rise to the occasion." If Corzine does select Gill — a 57-year-old attorney — she would become only the sixth black, and second black woman ever to...

HAMILTON --The 90-year-old mother of Samuel A. Alito Jr., whom President Bush recently nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court, has become a celebrity in her own right. Rose Alito may not want the attention, but she sure has received it. Since Judge Alito’s Monday nomination to the nation’s highest court, flocks of reporters have descended on his childhood Fenwood Avenue home. "I’m so proud of him,’’ Rose Alito told The Trentonian after the nomination. "Sam always worked so hard. Sam was such a good student. He was always ready to help me.’’ Fish and chips dinners, flowers and presents have...

TRENTON, N.J. (CNS) -- The nomination of Judge Samuel Alito Jr. to the U.S. Supreme Court Oct. 31 was big news around Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in the Trenton suburb of Hamilton, the parish where Alito grew up, received the sacraments of first Communion, confirmation and marriage, and served as a lector. If Alito is confirmed, he will become the second native son of Trenton to serve on the highest judicial bench in the land. The other is Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, who is also a Catholic. The 55-year-old Alito was baptized at Sacred Heart Parish in Trenton. Alito's...

 ANTONIN SCALIA, US SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, NAMED GRAND MARSHAL OF NEW YORK’S COLUMBUS DAY PARADEJustice Celebrated In Pageant of Italian-American AchievementNew York, NY, September 23, 2005 - Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, will be Grand Marshal of Manhattan’s 2005 Columbus Day Parade, Lawrence Auriana, president of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, announced today. The parade, which is produced by the non-profit Foundation, is the largest Columbus Day event in the world and will be held on New York’s Fifth Avenue on October 10, 2005.  "We are honored that Justice Scalia has accepted our invitation to be...

Divine Allah sat on a red plastic chair inside a one-room efficiency apartment in Trenton, trying to explain the need for black militarism in one of New Jersey's poorest cities. In a little more than a month since opening a Trenton office, Allah, the party's national youth leader, has met with street gangs, held food drives and traveled to the storm-torn Gulf Coast and clashed with police over alleged harassment. Like its predecessor, the New Black Panthers are no new adversary to law enforcement. The original Oakland-formed Black Panther Party, which died out in the 1970s, rose to fame in...

08/19/2005 Pol calls for AG’s impeachment By CHARLES WEBSTER Staff Writer Advertisement ZIP code where you park at night. Pol calls for AG’s impeachment TRENTON - A state lawmaker peeved over revelations that homeland security money was doled out along partisan lines, has asked that articles of impeachment be drafted for the removal of state Attorney General Peter Harvey. "I believe the time has come for Peter Harvey to be removed from his position as Attorney General," Assemblyman Sean Kean, R-Monmouth, said in a written statement yesterday. Kean has directed the non-partisan Office of Legislative Services to draw up the...

Couple Finds Crosses Burning Outside Trenton Home Detectives Await Return Of Evidence From Crime Lab TRENTON, Mich. -- A biracial couple that moved to a Trenton neighborhood two weeks ago received a harsh welcome this weekend, Local 4 reported. The man who lives at the home with his wife and 1-year-old daughter told the station that the family woke to find a cross burning outside their daughter's window two days in a row. "I thought it was a dream," he said. "I just actually couldn't believe that people would do something like that." Police caught two men leaving the area...

De Martins was living the good life. Seven years after arriving in Monmouth County as a 15-year-old tourist from Brazil, he had steady roofing work, a wife and a baby on the way.But when his younger sister hinted she might follow him to the United States, with help from smugglers, he sternly warned her off. He thought she'd heeded his advice - until last August, when she called in a panic. She was already in New Jersey, and the smugglers who'd brought her were threatening to keep her captive if he didn't pay $10,000 ransom.Martins never hesitated. He called 911.On...

The First Christmas Present to America - 1776 - The Revolution is saved at Trenton Ernest R. Bower | December 25, 2003 | Ernest R. Bower In the gloom of this holy Christmas night, a cold sleet fell. It was not a night for man nor beast but yet here they were. Huddled upon the banks of this frigid river, 2000 men contemplated their bleak fate. The past few months had gone very, very badly. Their hopes had been crushed time and again. The noble experiment in Liberty which had begun with such promise, had by this time deteriorated to...

TRENTON - Minutes after four young men robbed a Hiltonia resident of $1,500 cash Sunday night and threatened to rape his teenage daughters, one of the suspects lay dead under the victim's sport utility vehicle on nearby Route 29. The unidentified young man was killed after he jumped from his car and began shooting at the SUV driven by Robert O'Neal, 54, who had given chase. O'Neal ran him over, police said. "I didn't mean for this to happen," O'Neal said yesterday, fighting back tears. "I'm a single parent with two daughters. They had my credit cards, my wallet. They...

Wild chase, gunfire turns fatal: Cops: Dad mows down robbery suspect with SUV TRYMAINE D. LEE , Staff Writer TRENTON -- When armed robbers jammed a gun into his face and threatened to rape his two daughters, something snapped, Trenton resident Bob O’Neal said yesterday. "I just couldn’t take it anymore," O’Neal said. "He put a gun in my face and threatened to rape my kids. I’m not having that." According to police, O’Neal jumped into his SUV and chased his attackers after they confronted him in front of his Hiltonia home Sunday night and stole about $1,500 in cash....

A Sex Scandal in Trenton, and a Puzzle for Detectives By DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI Published: August 22, 2004 TRENTON, Aug. 20 - As federal agents investigate Gov. James E. McGreevey's accusation that a former adviser tried to extort millions of dollars by threatening to disclose their extramarital affair publicly, the basic outlines of the case are not in dispute. Lawyers for Mr. McGreevey and his former aide, Golan Cipel, had dozens of telephone conversations to discuss Mr. Cipel's plan to pursue a sexual harassment and assault lawsuit against the governor and a possible financial agreement in the case before any papers...

Journal Register completes acquisition of newspaper chain The Associated Press 8/13/2004, 4:27 p.m. ET TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The Journal Register Co. said Friday that it has completed its $415 million acquisition of a Michigan newspaper chain. Pontiac, Mich.-based 21st Century Newspapers Inc.'s holdings include four daily newspapers with a combined daily circulation of about 137,500 and a combined Sunday circulation of about 176,000. The newspapers include The Daily Oakland Press in Pontiac, The Macomb Daily, The Daily Tribune in Royal Oak, and The Morning Sun in Mount Pleasant. "We are very happy to complete this acquisition and welcome the...

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) _ Atlantic City has become the fourth school district in New Jersey to recognize Muslim holidays. The city's board of education approved districtwide days off for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, two sacred Islamic holidays, for the upcoming school year. Previously, under state law Muslim students and teachers were allowed to take off Islamic holidays without being penalized. According to Superintendent Fredrick P. Nickles, about 560 of the city's 7,800 children are Muslim. Board member Cornell Davis, who is Muslim, called the decision ``courageous'' in light of current tensions between Americans and Islamic extremists. ``It shows...

New Jersey High School Library Creates Homosexual Section By Martha Kleder Trenton, New Jersey’s Central High School plans to institute a “Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender” (GLBT) section to its school library. The move follows a donation of $1,600 worth of homosexual books from the Trenton Gay and Lesbian Civic Association. Seriah Rein, Concerned Women for America’s New Jersey State Director, says the move borders on illegal. “The school is placing itself in the position of going against the spiritual values taught by parents. Furthermore, by law, as a public institution, the school is to teach and reflect community standards.”...

NJ Coalition for Self DefenseSink The Pink!!!Please join with us in staging a counterprotest against the "Commie Mommies" and their "Halt The Assault" road show of lies.On Friday, July 16th, the Million Moms will be sending their propaganda machine back into Trenton,  New Jersey where they started. The NJCSD  needs your help to be there to "welcome" them.Please help us send them the message that our rights are not negotiable.For more information, please contact our coordinator for more details on how to help us Sink The Pink, or log onto our bulletin board to discuss strategy!The return of assault weapons,...

Bishop Smith blasts hypocrisy of ‘pro-choice’ Catholic politicians3/31/2004 • By Mary StadnykSee also in The Monitor: Coming to Mass, procession was ‘more important’ to students RED BANK – In a homily expressing strong emotions and using deliberate words, Bishop John M. Smith drew several thunderous rounds of applause as he spoke straight from the heart about “what is going on in our society today” with regard to respect life issues across the board. At the annual diocesan Respect Life Mass in St. James Church March 27, Bishop Smith expressed annoyance and even anger at the response of public officials who...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

In the gloom of this holy Christmas night, a cold sleet fell. It was not a night for man nor beast but yet here they were. Huddled upon the banks of this frigid river, 2000 men contemplated their bleak fate. The past few months had gone very, very badly. Their hopes had been crushed time and again. The noble experiment in Liberty which had begun with such promise, had by this time deteriorated to the point where every day was a battle just to survive. Defeat after defeat, at places like Long Island, Harlem Heights, Fort Washington and White Plains...

Add Eid to the list of religious holidays that can get students a day off from school in some communities. This Essex County district will become one of only a handful of districts in the nation to close schools on a major Islamic holiday, the Eid-al-Fitr on Nov. 26. Paterson and Trenton schools also close that day. Public schools across the nation have traditionally closed for major Christian holidays including Christmas and several days before or after Easter, and many also close for Jewish holidays as well. Now, with Islam emerging as one of the fastest-growing religions in the United...

<p>Growing up a member of the Adams family, The Rev. Dave Adams got kidded about the old TV show featuring creepy family members who snapped their fingers in unison and were particularly popular during Halloween.</p> <p>The holiday was always "a big deal" in this home with spooky sounds from a tape recorder, and a lurking cast of Halloween characters - Dracula, Frankenstein, mummies and werewolves.</p>

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — An FBI agent delivered a subpoena to the Democratic State Committee in Trenton this week seeking documents about a former campaign fund-raising official for Gov. James E. McGreevey, The Star-Ledger of Newark reported. The official, Roger Rajesh Chugh, was an Asian outreach coordinator for McGreevey's 2001 gubernatorial campaign. Chugh's actions also are under review by the state attorney general's office. A federal official who spoke on condition on anonymity told The Star-Ledger that the U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI have been investigating allegations that Chugh pressured and threatened Asian-Indian business owners to contribute to McGreevey's campaign...

Woman slams car into police headquarters SCOTT FROST , Staff Writer 08/16/2003 Trenton police charged a city woman with driving while intoxicated yesterday afternoon after slamming her car into police headquarters. Nelaja Hawkins, 32, of the 300 block of Clearfield Avenue, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and various other motor vehicle summonses after she crashed her 1991 Buick into the North Clinton Avenue side of Trenton Police headquarters. Police said Hawkins was traveling east on Perry Street at 2:55 p.m., and was approaching North Clinton Avenue when she allegedly went around the vehicle in front of...

<p>Through a spy, the British were tipped off that George Washington would be making his famous Christmas night crossing of the Delaware, but the information went unheeded, according to newly reviewed papers of the British commander.</p> <p>The papers from the archive of Gen. James Grant were found in the tower of his Ballindalloch Castle, northwest of Aberdeen, Scotland.</p>

Boy's bear visit speaks volumes about hunt Thursday, May 22, 2003 By RICHARD COWENSTAFF WRITER It's been a wild two days for a kid still in diapers who can't talk, but Mark Tregidgo of Sparta has suddenly become the poster child for New Jersey's proposed bear hunt. Tregidgo survived a close encounter with a black bear that wandered into an enclosed front porch Tuesday afternoon and touched him. Now the bear is dead, the child was to appear with his family today on "Good Morning America," - and the state Division of Youth and Family Services is investigating whether the...

Copyright 2002 U.S. Newswire, Inc. U.S. Newswire December 30, 2002 Monday SECTION: State Desk LENGTH: 441 words HEADLINE: Citizen's Group Blasts New Jersey Legislation For Endangering Civilians While Exempting Police DATELINE: NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ, Dec. 30 BODY: The following is a statement from the New Jersey Coalition for Self Defense concerning Governor McGreevy's signature on the "Smart Gun" legislation: Governor James McGreevy signed into law legislation that will make New Jersey citizens guinea pigs for unproven technology. This action will cost more New Jersey citizen's lives than it will ever save. The so called "Smart Gun" legislation will eventually restrict...

<p>Gov. James E. McGreevey cast himself as an unabashed champion of gun control last year. He made the topic one of the linchpins of his campaign against Republican gubernatorial candidate Bret Schundler and pledged to enact a first-in-the-nation law to require "smart gun" technology on all handguns sold in New Jersey.</p>

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood...

<p>Roger Rajesh Chugh has found himself back in cyberspace, and he's not happy about it.</p> <p>Chugh, the No. 3 official in New Jersey's Department of State, shut down his personal Web site in March after it became an embarrassment for Gov. James E. McGreevey, who appointed him. The site had exaggerated Chugh's stature in state government and included personal-ad-style descriptions of his appearance and his fondness for Broadway shows and candlelit dinners.</p>

More about Roger Chugh! Roger ChughAssistant Secretary of StateAppointed by New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey Born of an affluent family in India, I had the privilege of the best that life had to offer. My life in India was a life of opulent comforts. I attended the top schools in India. Generally, I was a very popular and A+ student and always had a deep interest in the issues concerning the general public. It was not until college that I delved deep into my passion for politics. Read Roger Chugh's Inspirational Biography! Pak losing support in USA: official Tribune...