TOMS RIVER, NJ – You’ve heard of the Ice Bucket Challenge, Cinnamon Challenge and even the Tide Pod Challenge.  Now, straight from North Carolina comes the “Burn Your Mask Challenge”.

Started by REOPEN NC, a group of people on Facebook tired of government lockdowns and the government-imposed mandatory mask requirements, people across America are now burning their masks.

We’re not condoning this or suggesting it, just reporting it.  We do not recommend trying this at home because most of these masks are made in China and God knows what kind of chemicals or materials they are made out of.  From watching recent burnings, some burn fast, some don’t even light, some actually just melt.

Check it out below.

https://www.facebook.com/JeepsR4Grls/videos/10219967940862652/

TRENTON, NJ – Amid the growing crisis that is plaguing New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission offices statewide, Governor Phil Murphy has extended expiration dates for drivers licenses, registrations, inspections, stickers, and temporary tags.

If your motor vehicle license or registration expired between March 13th and May 31st, you will now have until September 30th to renew.

If your documents or credentials expire between June 1st and August 31st, you will have until December 31st to renew.

These extensions are automatic and no further action would need to be taken by the resident for the extension.

“We want to give customers more time to renew,” Murphy said. “These are automatic extensions before you head out to an MVC agency, check online to see if your transaction can be completed online.”

Lines at the state agency’s offices have extended in some cases nearly one mile in this past week’s high heat and humidity.

“We are taking steps to mitigate overcrowding, but MVC is not going to get to everyone in line every day,” Murphy said. “I’m not happy either, but please don’t take it out on MVC employees. None of us are happy the way this week has gone.”

TRENTON, NJ – Each morning, Governor Phil Murphy speaks openly about the COVID-19 pandemic and each morning, shares the grim news of COVID-19 deaths, telling the stories of those who have passed.  It’s a fitting memorial to the lives lost during the pandemic, but why doesn’t the governor ever talk in-depth about the COVID-19 survivors?

There have been 176,000 COVID-19 infections reported in New Jersey since the pandemic began.  15,448 have died, but on the flip-side, 160,000 New Jerseyans are COVID-19 survivors. Their stories are ones that should also be shared and today, Shore News Network is going to start sharing those.

People have been through hell during COVID-19.  Many have died, but many more have fought and won and we feel their stories are also important.  We will be sharing our first COVID-19 success story later today and we invite our readers to share their own COVID-19 survivor stories.  You can email us at [email protected].

We’d also like for our own Governor to start being more forthcoming at his daily briefings and tell the stories of those who fought death and are still with us today, because, like cancer survivors or survivors of other grave illnesses, their stories are just as important as we document history through the COVID-19 pandemic.

They are blessed souls being ignored by the Governor because stories of fighting and beating COVID-19 do not support his narrative that everyone is about to die of COVID-19 if we don’t listen to his every order.

Photo by Adhy Savala on Unsplash

NEWARK, N.J. – Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division, Susan A. Gibson, and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Craig Carpenito, announced a high-ranking member of a set of the Bloods street gang will make his initial court appearance today on charges he possessed a weapon as a convicted felon.

Farod Baldwin, 37, of Newark, was arrested July 7, 2020, at the Betty Shabazz Village Housing Complex. He is charged by complaint with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and is scheduled to appear by video conference later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre.

Law enforcement officers were conducting surveillance in Newark when they observed Baldwin park a Jeep Grand Cherokee near an apartment. He removed a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol from the Jeep. Officers observed Baldwin tuck the firearm into his pants before entering the front door of an apartment. Law enforcement officers lawfully searched the apartment and recovered the firearm. Baldwin attempted to flee from the apartment but was apprehended. A further search of the apartment resulted in the seizure of approximately 20 jugs of suspected cocaine base, a bullet-proof vest, two high-capacity magazines, and various ammunition, including rifle ammunition.

Baldwin is allegedly a high-ranking member of a set of the national Bloods street gang known as Sex Money Murder (SMM). Members of SMM have been engaging in violent disputes with other gangs, have trafficked narcotics, and have committed various firearms offenses.  Several recent violent crimes, including shootings and homicides, in Newark and elsewhere, are believed to be related to a dispute between SMM and rival gangs.

The firearms offense carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson in Newark, the Newark Department of Public Safety, under the direction of Director Anthony F. Ambrose; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction Acting Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II with the investigation leading to the charge.

TOMS RIVER, NJ –  The queen of Ocean County, Virginia Haines, 84, has decided to go through with her plan to use the Ocean County Natural Land Trust Board appointments to punish Berkeley Township Councilman John Bacchione.  Bacchione will be replaced with Marty Flemming, a recently appointed councilman in Jackson Township and small business owner to replace Bacchione’s spot on the advisory board. Bacchione will be handed a consolation prize by the freeholder.

Bacchione is the latest Ocean County elected official to feel the venomous wrath of Freeholder Haines, who was appointed to the board by former Chairman George Gilmore and former…former chairman Joseph Buckalew.

Bacchione’s crime?  His town of Berkeley did not hire New Jersey Assemblyman Gregory P. McGuckin to another job as township legal counsel.  While McGuckin does hold several jobs in Berkeley, his demand to force that council to hire him fell on deaf ears.   Additionally, Berkeley Township Republicans refused to support another public patronage firm owner, Frank Holman when he ran for GOP Chairman.

Those actions caused Holman to brand all Berkeley Township Republicans as dissenters and now Bacchione will pay the punishment, courtesy Freeholder Haines.

Haines last week also pulled an ordinance to purchase millions of dollars in already protected open space from the Township of Toms River. Under the law, open space money cannot be used to buy already preserved open space from other government entities.

That purchase was to be used to help Toms River Mayor Mo Hill balance out his budget in a town where many homeowners just received a 10% tax hike, expected to increase more in the third quarter bill if Mo can’t find Mo’ cash.

A plan by Haines to fund Mo Hill’s purchase of the former Joey Harrison’s Surf Club has also fallen short, leaving Hill with another check he can’t cash to offset his 6% tax increase in this year’s budget.

Now, Hill will have to scurry around to find other illegal ways to balance the budget after learning he can’t just sell public land from the township to the county.

And they would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for us meddling kids.

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NJ – If you’ve been following the news, you’ll know that New Jersey Assemblyman Gregory P. McGuckin has been gobbling up jobs across Ocean County faster than Ms. Pac Man gobbled up dots on the banana level.   McGuckin, after rising to a heightened level of power in the aftermath of the 2019 GOP Chairman election through his close personal friend Frank Holman, also a serial public job-gobbler McGuckin used that power base to enrich himself.

But what does that have to do with Berkeley Township Councilman John Bacchione you ask?

Bacchione and Berkeley Township were one of the few towns to NOT hire Greg McGuckin as Township Attorney.  McGuckin holds several other jobs in Berkeley, but Bacchione’s defiance is what led Chairman Holman to declare, “Berkeley is an island of its own” ahead of the 2019 election.   That proved to be true.  Berkeley was an island of its own and they didn’t need Holman or McGuckin’s money to win their election by more than 80% over their Democrat opponents.

Berkeley won their election on their own, without a single drop of county GOP support and at the end of the day, they weren’t beholden to the power base of McGuckin, Holman, attorney Jerry Dasti and the ringleader, Freeholder Virginia Haines.

Haines, a lifetime public patronage job holder was working menial jobs before she was thrust back into the political spotlight.  She was made a freeholder at the request of former GOP Chairman George Gilmore.  Gilmore had recently rescued Haines from banishment by her fellow RNC committeeman, Bill Palatucci.  Palatucci tried to ditch Ginny, but Gilmore rose to her defense and 4 years ago she won her state committee election.

After Gilmore was indicted, seeing the writing on the wall for her, with this year being another state committee election, Ginny jumped into the lap of new power broker Greg McGuckin.  Haines, McGuckin and Holman call all the shots.  Who gets jobs. Who gets fired. Who gets hired all across Ocean County.   This is especially true in Lacey, Toms River, Jackson and Manchester where the group has it’s power.

Still, why is Ginny trying to fire John Bacchione?

You see, Ginny Haines is from Jackson Township.

Frank Holman is from Jackson Township.

Shortly after Frank Holman became party chairman, Mayor Mike Reina told everyone at a December 2019 political caucus, “Jackson Township is taking over Ocean County.”

Jackson had always been the dysfunctional land of misfits when it comes to county politics.  With a history rife with corruption, nepotism, patronage and job-jockeying that was at levels the county couldn’t imagine, many in county politics have distanced themselves from Jackson over the years.   After all, in the 70’s Jackson was home to one of the dirtiest political corruption scandals in New Jersey history.

When Jackson boy Frank Holman won the GOP election, Reina, along with Haines and Jackson Republican Committee Chairwoman decided it’s time for Jackson to have a bigger piece of the county financial pie.

Mike Reina even said he would start mending fences by dishing out public jobs to ease old political battles…he called his plan, which he presented to Holman, “Giving everyone a little piece of the pie”.

That piece of Jackson’s pie started with giving McGuckin the job of township attorney.  Since taking the job 6 months ago, McGuckin has lost every case for the town…so he’s pretty much been a failure since he took the job, but Reina needs his county job.  He’s the assistant supervisor of the bridge department.  That job expires this year and you better believe Reina needs his appointment, so he’s not going to piss off Haines or McGuckin, if he knows what’s good for him…look at what they did to poor old John Bacchione in Berkeley who dissented.

Haines wants to appoint another resident from Jackson to the Natural Land Trust Board so Jackson land can start being bought up by the board.  Remember, this isn’t about political power, it’s about diverting tax money into the hands of friends and family.

That’s why they picked Marty Flemming to be on the board.  Marty is also a long time Jackson guy and he fell right in line with the Clan Glory here in Jackson once he was appointed as a councilman. He still has to win in November.

John Bacchione had the courage to say no to Virginia Haines, 75 and her band of boys, Frank Holman, Greg McGuckin and Jerry Dasti…the Freeholders all know this and until this past week, they never had the courage to fight Ginny and McGuckin…because they would like to eventually also be re-elected…and crossing them now means they would be tossed aside like anyone else who challenges the authority of Ginny.

While you may not understand what’s at stake, the reason they want one more seat from Jackson on the natural land trust is because MANY politically connected individuals in Jackson own worthless land that can never be built on and selling that land through the Natural Land Trust Fund is the only way Ginny can ensure her friends in Jackson can make bank of land that has been handed down through many generations.

Today, we applaud Freeholder Joe Vicari, Berkeley Township Councilman John Bacchione and others who have said enough is enough and are beginning to fight against the very corrupt political enterprise headed by McGuckin, Holman, Dasti and yes, dear old Ginny Haines.

FREEHOLD BORO, NJ –  The Freehold Boro Police Department is taking Governor Murphy’s public wearing of facemasks seriously and have announced they will be cracking down on violators.

“Freehold Borough parks and recreation areas are now open for all to enjoy safely. It is the priority of the Freehold Borough Police Department and The Borough of Freehold to ensure the safety of those who use our public areas, as well as those who reside along the park’s borders,” the department said. “Everyone must follow all COVID-19 precautions and abide by all rules, laws, and ordinances. We ask that everyone be respectful of the other users of our parks as well as the surrounding neighbors. By Executive Order #163 all persons are required to wear face masks outdoors when they are unable to maintain social distancing of six feet.”

The department said they will be installing electronic monitoring devices to ensure compliance…possibly drones? Police did not say what electronic countermeasures would be employed against people visiting their parks.

JACKSON, NJ – David Applefield, a candidate in this years New Jersey Congressional District 4 Democrat primary has died hours after losing his race.   Applefield finished third in the election behind winner Stephanie Schmid and Christine Conforti.

Applefield died while exercising.

“My wife Marie and I extend our sincere condolences to the family of David Applefield on his sudden passing,” said Congressman Chris Smith. “While not personally acquainted, we recognize that David brought a wealth of ideas, intellect and enthusiasm to the public discourse. May his family be comforted during this time of great sorrow.”

https://www.facebook.com/davidapplefield4congress/videos/3278374082184068/