UPPER FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, NJ (MONMOUTH)–A serious accident occurred at the intersection of Route 524 and Sharon Station Road around 1:52 pm on Sunday afternoon. Two vehicles collided sending one of the vehicles into a utility pole and severed it off at the bottom. Power lines above fell and come in contact with one of the vehicles.
Hope Fire Company, Allentown First Aid Squad, Millstone First Aid Squad, Paramedics from Mercer County, NJ State Police and a game warden in the area from NJ Division of Fish Game and Wildlife were at the scene. Jersey Central Power and Light-JCP&L was on scene to cut power and replace the broken wires and damaged pole.
The roadway is expected to be closed for an extended time while repairs are made please avoid the area.
No further information was available about the accident.
Hope Fire Company, Allentown First Aid Squad, Millstone First Aid Squad, NJ State Police and a game warden in the area from NJ Division of Fish Game and Wildlife were at the scene. Jersey Central Power and Light JCP&L was on scene to cut power and replace the broken wires and damaged pole.
In an urgent phone conversation Saturday, March 21st with U.S. Ambassador to Peru, Krishna Urs, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urged the Ambassador to reach out to U.S. citizens and reassure those spread-out across Peru that they have not been forgotten nor abandoned.
“There are reportedly 5,000 Americans trapped in Peru needing the immediate assistance of the U.S. government in order to get home,” said Smith, who has been contacted by more than a dozen travelers with New Jersey roots.
“The Administration has been working on some limited options, but we are asking the State Department to raise the bar and expand their efforts to include chartering planes or using military aircraft.”
“Seven hundred Americans, including some from my district, are stuck in parts of Peru, such as Cusco, which is 11,000 feet above sea level where air quality is thin and a strict curfew is enforced. It’s time to let these Americans and their worried families in the U.S. know that their country will employ more resources to bring them home safely,” Smith said.
In addition to speaking with the Ambassador, Smith has been working with State Department officials for several days. A human rights leader in the Congress, Smith has written three letters to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlining the location and needs of the New Jersey residents and others desperate for assistance to come home.
“I ask your assistance in prioritizing the evacuation from Peru of these and other Americans by any appropriate, practicable and timely manner, including the chartering of private or commercial aircraft or the utilization of military planes,” Smith said in his March 20th letter in which he named specific Americans needing assistance.
Smith also led a letter cosigned by two additional members of the Foreign Affairs Committee which said in part “Amid the press of so many concerns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, we appreciate the efforts undertaken thus far on behalf of our citizens abroad, but nonetheless ask that you reassure trapped Americans and their families that their needs are being prioritized.”
“Americans in Peru and elsewhere around the globe should know that we are doing everything we can to reunite them with their loved ones,” he said.
all borders, effective March 16, subsequently issuing a 15-day quarantine. It later announced that March 22 would be the final day the country would allow official flights to repatriate foreign visitors before the country closed all borders, effectively trapping many Americans and other international visitors in the South American nation. Further repatriation efforts require diplomatic intervention, something Rep. Smith is urging our Ambassador and State Department to prioritize.
ALLENTOWN, NJ (MONMOUTH)–See letter sent out to families of Upper Freehold Regional School District:
March 20, 2020 Dear UFRSD Family, I hope this letter finds you well. It is remarkable to think about how different things are in such a short amount of time. In these times, we are seeing our schools, our staff, our students, our community, our state and country rise up to battle this moment in our history. I continue to be proud of the work that everyone is doing to make this moment meaningful for kids. We are all a part of this team of Redbirds, and I couldn’t be prouder of the entire UFRSD community. As you may remember, the UFRSD and Millstone Township School District made the decision last week to close our schools through March 27, 2020. We made this decision to support the recommendation of social distancing to help slow the spread of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) virus. This past week, the Governor closed all schools in New Jersey “until further notice.” All indications point to a much longer closure for our schools. Therefore, Dr. Huss and I made the decision to close schools through spring break. Spring break begins on Thursday, April 9th (early dismissal schedule) and has our schools reopening on Monday, April 20, 2020. There will be no remote learning during the week of spring break (April 10 – April 19), because, more than ever, we recognize the real need for a mental break this year.. We are fully aware that this date may need to continue to be adjusted. We will monitor all information and continually consult with the Department of Health and the Department of Education to determine if the April 20th date is a realistic one. I am an eternal optimist, and I know we will get through this challenging time together. We have always been a great district, and this extraordinary community just continues to show how amazing people do amazing things. Stay healthy, and I will continue to look forward to our return to school at some point in the future. I miss everyone. My best, Mark Guterl Mark Guterl Superintendent of Schools
The three States will limit crowd capacity for recreational and social gatherings to 50 people – effective by 8 PM tonight
Restaurants and bars will close for on premise service and move to take-out and delivery only effective 8 PM tonight
Movie theaters, gyms and casinos will temporarily close effective 8 PM tonight
Uniform approach to social distancing will slow spread of COVID-19 throughout the tri-state area
To slow the spread of #COVID19, I'm ordering: •Closure of ALL pre-K, K-12 schools, higher ed insts. beginning 3/18 •Closure of ALL casinos, racetracks, theaters, gyms •Closure of ALL non-essential retail, recreational, & entertainment bizs after 8pm •Banning gatherings of 50+ pic.twitter.com/mmZe0bZWgb
PRESS RELEASE FROM GOV. MURPHY’S OFFICE: TRENTON, NJ (MERCER)—Amid a lack of federal direction and nationwide standards, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont today announced a regional approach to combatting the novel coronavirus – or COVID-19 – throughout the tri-state area.
These uniform standards will limit crowd capacity for social and recreational gatherings to 50 people, effective 8 PM tonight. This follows updated guidance that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued yesterday recommending the cancellation or postponement of in-person events consisting of 50 people or more.
The three governors also announced restaurants and bars will close for on premise service and move to take-out and delivery services only. These establishments will be provided a waiver for carry-out alcohol. These measures will take effect at 8 PM tonight.
Finally, the three governors said they will temporarily close movie theaters, gyms and casinos, effective at 8 PM tonight.
This uniform approach to social distancing is meant to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19.
Governor Murphy said, “With all we are seeing in our state – and across our nation and around the world – the time for us to take our strongest, and most direct, actions to date to slow the spread of coronavirus is now. I’ve said many times over the past several days that, in our state, we are going to get through this as one New Jersey family. But if we’re all in this together, we must work with our neighboring states to act together. The work against coronavirus isn’t just up to some of us, it’s up to all of us.”
“Our primary goal right now is to slow the spread of this virus so that the wave of new infections doesn’t crash our healthcare system, and everyone agrees social distancing is the best way to do that,” Governor Cuomo said. “This is not a war that can be won alone, which is why New York is partnering with our neighboring states to implement a uniform standard that not only keeps our people safe but also prevents ‘state shopping’ where residents of one state travel to another and vice versa. I have called on the federal government to implement nationwide protocols but in their absence we are taking this on ourselves.”
Governor Lamont said, “The only way to effectively fight the spread of COVID-19 is by working together as states. We have shared interests, and a patchwork of closures and restrictions is not the best way forward. I know that because of this collaboration, we will save lives.”
The International Association Association of Firefighters (IAFF), Professional Firefighters of NJ (PFANJ), New Jersey Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association (NJFMBA), and your local IAFF and FMBA locals ask that if you have had any flue like symptoms, have traveled to any area that you were advised to be under quarantine or under a watch to let the 9-1-1 dispatcher know so firefighters, EMS and police and take protective measures prior to providing services.
There are only so many first responders to go arround and if they get sick it will stress the system as they will be in quarantine and unable to help you for at least 14 days. Lets not have a situation again that happened in Barnegat, New Jersey with COVID-19 contamination. Do the right thing, please let the police, firefighters and EMS know over the phone.
From Barnegat, NJ Police Department,
Earlier today, one of our officers responded to a call for service that required a police response and interacted with a subject who had just flown in from Denmark and was directed by the CDC to be on a 14 day self-quarantine. The person failed to advise our officer that they had just returned from Denmark and were supposed to be quarantined.
Because Denmark has over 800 active cases of COVID-19, and out of an abundance of caution, the officer was immediately placed off-duty and will not return to duty for 14 days. The officer’s patrol car and common areas he occupied within the police department are being professionally sanitized.
It is critically important that members of the public act responsibly in adhering to self-quarantines and being forthcoming with public safety professionals if they have been outside of the country in the last 14 days or directed to self-quarantine. Failing to do so is dangerous to our officers, healthcare workers, and the public at large. –Chief Germain
Firefighters and Emergency Medical Services members are preparing to help their communities deal with #coronavirus. You can help – when you call 911 make sure you let the call-taker know if you or anyone in your household has flu-like symptoms. It will help responders prepare! pic.twitter.com/FhpiWtlav2
FREEHOLD AND MILLSTONE TOWNSHIP, NJ (MONMOUTH)–Due to the cancellation of group activities on the local, state and national levels, all Millstone Township recreational programs, both travel and non-travel, adult and youth programs, have been suspended through Sunday, April 5th 2020. This includes games, practices and events. Further evaluation will be made in early April regarding lifting or extending this suspension.
Monmouth County takes action in response to COVID-19
Beginning Saturday, March 14, no public access to County buildings
FREEHOLD, NJ –The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders and County officials are taking action out of an abundance of caution to protect and keep residents safe from the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). “Our number one priority is the safety of our residents and so, at this time, we have decided to take immediate actions to prevent the COVID-19 in Monmouth County libraries, parks and public buildings,” said Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone. “In attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19, Monmouth County will be suspending all public building access and programs beginning tomorrow.” “We want to remind residents to remain calm and make sure you have the most accurate and up to date information, which you can get from the Centers of Disease Control or the New Jersey Department of Health. Please help us spread facts, not fear,” added Freeholder Director Arnone. Beginning Saturday, March 14, and through Sunday, March 22, all Monmouth County Library branches and the Monmouth County Park System buildings will be closed to the public. County golf courses and park spaces will remain open. Beginning Monday, March 16, public access will be restricted from all buildings with the exception of the Monmouth County Division of Social Services (MCDSS). For MCDSS, protections will be put into place to ensure that there is no physical contact between Monmouth County employees and the residents seeking services. All Monmouth County employees will report to work and be available to residents by phone and by email. “We understand that the COVID-19 situation is unsettling for some and want to arm our residents with the information they need,” said Freeholder Deputy Director Susan M. Kiley, liaison to the Monmouth County Department of Health and Human Services. “There is a Monmouth County Health Department’s phone bank will open Monday at 9 a.m. for residents who have any questions and concerns about COVID-19, or need to talk to someone about how this situation is affecting them.” Crisis Counselors from the Monmouth County Division of Behavioral Health are available through the phone banks to help residents who may be experiencing stress or anxiety due to the evolving situation. The counselors will provide County residents with guidance to help them through this challenging time. The Monmouth County Health Department phone bank will open Monday, March 16 at 9 a.m. and can be reached at 732-845-2070.
County officials monitoring Coronavirus situation in Monmouth County
FREEHOLD, NJ –With four presumptive positive cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Monmouth County, County officials are assuring residents that they are monitoring the situation and taking action to ensure the public health and safety of Monmouth County residents. Two of the presumptive positive cases include a 66 year old female from Hazlet and an 83 year old female from Hazlet who are both being treated at Hackensack Meridian Health Bayshore Medical Center. The Golden Age Adult Day Care Program, where both of these individuals were clients, has voluntarily closed and is working in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Health and the Monmouth County Health Department. The two other cases include a 27 year old male from Little Silver who recently attended the Biogen conference in Boston and a 17 year old female from Little Silver who is an immediate family member of the 27 year old male. “We continue to assure you that the freeholder board is actively engaged and in constant contact with the local mayors and the New Jersey Legislative Delegation as well as the New Jersey Governor’s Office and the New Jersey Department of Health,” said Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone. “We are committed to ensuring that the County has the necessary resources to respond and mitigate this evolving situation.” “All Monmouth County and municipal health officials are following guidelines set forth by the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) the Governor’s State of Emergency Declaration and the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) for response to COVID-19 cases,” added Freeholder Director Arnone. All Monmouth County and municipal health officials are following the guidelines set forth by the CDC and the NJDOH for monitoring and response to COVID-19 cases. The best defense against the Coronavirus is to practice safe respiratory hygiene and take steps to prevent the spread of germs including washing hands, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when sick. However, residents should be aware that as investigations into these four cases continue, additional cases may be identified. “Again we would like to reiterate that it is important to have factual, up to date information about the coronavirus,” said Freeholder Deputy Director Kiley. “If you have questions, go directly to the CDC, the New Jersey Department of Health or the Monmouth County Health Department.” There have been social media reports of individuals going door to door claiming to be from the CDC. The CDC is not deploying teams of people to go door to door and conduct surveillance, so people should not let these individuals in their homes or speak with them. The CDC has a “share the facts, stop fear” page which is quite useful in determining what is fact vs. fiction with regard to the coronavirus. It can be accessed at cdc.gov/coronavirus. Timely and accurate information can also be found at http://www.nj.gov/health and anyone with questions can call the NJDOH COVID-19 24-Hour Public Hotline 1-800-222-1222 or email to ncov@dohnj.gov. Links to the CDC and New Jersey Department of Health are currently posted to the Monmouth County Health Department webpage, http://www.visitmonmouth.com/health.
ROBBINSVILLE, NJ (MERCER)—The 2020 Census count is underway and I received my invitation by mail today. As per the instructions I logged onto My2020census.gov and entered my code Census ID Code. There were some very basic questions of who was living in the home and birthdays. It was one of the easiest census forms I have ever completed and took less than two minutes to complete from start to finish, even though it says it could take an average of 10 minutes to complete.
The Census is counted every 10 years and many things from voting districts, financial aid, Federal, State and Local government services and more use this government data. A response is required by law and should be very easy to complete if you have received the invitation from United States Census Bureau.
What is the 2020 Census?The goal of the census is to count every person living in the United States, once, only once and in the right place. Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution mandates that this population and housing count occur every 10 years. Census data guide how more than $675 billion of federal funding is distributed to states and communities each year.
Am I required to respond to the 2020 Census?Yes, you are required by law to respond to the 2020 Census (Title 13, U.S. Code, Sections 141 and 193). We are conducting the 2020 Census under the authority of Title 13, U.S. Code, Sections 141, 193 and 221. This collection of information has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The eight-digit OMB approval number is 0607-1006. If this number were not displayed, we could not conduct the census.
Are my answers confidential and private?Yes. The Census Bureau is required by law to protect your information. The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify you or your household. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data. All web data submissions are encrypted in order to protect your privacy.Title 13 of the U.S. Code protects the confidentiality of all your information. Violating the confidentiality of a respondent is a federal crime with serious penalties, including a federal prison sentence of up to five years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. Only authorized individuals have access to the stored data, and the information you provide to the Census Bureau may only be used by a restricted number of authorized individuals who are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of your individual responses. Your answers cannot be used against you by any government agency or court.For more information about how we protect your information, please visit our website at census.gov and click on “Data Protection and Privacy Policy” at the bottom of the home page. This page also includes information about the collection, storage, and use of these records. Click on “System of Records Notices (SORN)” and look for Privacy Act System of Records Notice COMMERCE/CENSUS-5, Decennial Census Program.
Who should complete the 2020 Census questionnaire?This 2020 Census questionnaire should be completed by the person who owns or rents the living quarters or any other person who is at least 15 years of age with knowledge of the household.
How do I change my answers?For questions where you must choose a single response from a list, clicking another response will change your answer to that response.If it is a “select all that apply” question, you may click on a selected check box to unselect the box and remove it as one of your answers.
How long will the 2020 Census questionnaire take?The Census Bureau estimates that completing the questionnaire will take 10 minutes on average.
How will the Census Bureau use the information I provide?By law, the Census Bureau can only use your responses to produce statistics.
Is it safe to complete the 2020 Census questionnaire online?Yes. For each online questionnaire, we are required to provide an explanation to respondents about the confidentiality of the data and the laws that protect those data (e.g., Title 13, U.S. Code Section 9 (a)).Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data. All web data submissions are encrypted in order to protect your privacy, even in the remote chance that your responses are intercepted.More information on this topic can be found on the Data Protection and Privacy Policy webpage (http://www.census.gov/privacy/).
Will the results be published?Yes. By law, the Census Bureau can only use your responses to produce statistics. The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify you or your household. The Census Bureau plans to make results of this study available to the general public. Results will be presented in aggregate form and no personally identifiable information will be published.Information quality is an integral part of the pre-dissemination review of the information disseminated by the Census Bureau (fully described in the Census Bureau’s Information Quality Guidelines at https://www.census.gov/about/policies/quality/guidelines.html). Information quality is also integral to the information collection conducted by the Census Bureau and is incorporated into the clearance process by the Paperwork Reduction Act.
Do I have to complete the 2020 Census questionnaire for my household members?Yes, you will be asked to provide information for each household member.
ALLENTOWN, UPPER FREEHOLD, MILLSTONE, NJ (MONMOUTH)–See letter from Mark Guterl, Superintendent of Schools Letter can be downloaded here.
March 13, 2020
Good Afternoon, UFRSD Family,
Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, the Upper Freehold Regional School District will close its buildings to students and non-essential personnel and will activate at-home/virtual learning for instruction. This was a multi-faceted decision made in consultation with the Monmouth County Health Officer and Monmouth County Executive Superintendent. Additionally, we have worked in collaboration with Dr. Huss from the Millstone Township Schools. The decision is based upon growing research indicating that social distancing is an effective strategy that currently impacts the eventual spread of COVID-19. Therefore, the best time to close schools is before this spread happens.
This decision did not come lightly, but we felt compelled to do everything we can to fight any community spread that may occur. This decision was made for the safety of our kids, staff and communities. We know that this will be challenging for our families and for our staff. Although we do not have a confirmed case yet, if we wait until one is identified it will be too late to stop the spread of this highly contagious virus. Additionally, it is becoming increasingly difficult to track the degrees of separation between positive cases in NJ and our residents.
Beginning Monday, March 16th, our at-home and virtual learning plan will begin. All home learning will be done on a half day schedule, which will give students and staff the afternoons to do what they need to do for school.
By their very nature, public schools are designed for active and collaborative learning with many opportunities for social interaction. Our at-home and virtual learning plans will certainly not be equal to face-to-face instruction, but we will do our best to continue the education of our kids. From Monday, March 16, 2020 through Friday, March 27, 2020 we will provide at-home/virtual learning. During this time, we will continually be assessing whether or not to reopen school on March 30, 2020. This decision will be made based upon the recommendations of health department officials and in collaboration with Dr. Huss. Please note that remote learning days will fulfill the 180 day requirement under N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-9. According to several sources, closing schools is a proven measure to slow the spread of the disease and, in turn, to keep more students, staff, and families healthy and safe. We know we cannot fully replace the live classroom experiences that organically occur with teacher-student interactions and connections. We also know that we are charting unexplored territory as we implement remote learning for our students. How we implement this plan will continually evolve as we have more experience with it.
This closure will include the cancellation or postponement of all after-school, evening, and weekend activities. All facility use events and rental activities will be cancelled as well.
Please know we are here for you and will navigate this together! Right now, buildings will remain open with some essential staff which will allow us to carry on with the “business” end of school. We will also be available to answer questions you may have.
The UFRSD and our food service vendor, Chartwells, have planned for daily lunch for participants of the free and reduced lunch program throughout these remote learning school days. A separate letter will be sent to the parents of program participants.
Principals of each building will send out a follow up letter outlining staff responsibilities and providing details for the learning plan for the next few weeks. I will continue to communicate with you throughout this process.
As I have said, this is a fluid situation that will be constantly evolving. We will do everything to continue to communicate with you and support you in any way. We look forward to getting back to school at some point in the near future. I have never been prouder to work in the UFRSD.
This afternoon, we were made aware that a district staff member has come in to close contact with a person who possessed symptoms of the Coronavirus. That person was tested and is awaiting results. The good news is that our staff member has not exhibited any symptoms and is feeling fine. We have been in contact with the Monmouth County Department of Health and our Executive County Superintendent to discuss this situation.
As a precautionary measure, we are closing all UFRSD schools tomorrow, Thursday, March 12th. In talking with our Department of Health, they believed that we would still be able to open tomorrow, but we felt that we would rather make sure that our buildings are deeply cleaned and scrubbed before our students return. In our conversations, it was clear that a person who is not symptomatic is not spreading the virus, so we feel fortunate to be able to give the buildings a deep cleaning just to be sure. We are closing schools out of an abundance of caution in an effort to ensure that our students and staff are safe.
The day will count as one of our three snow days that are embedded into the calendar.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out me.
I appreciate your patience and support with this situation.
My best,
Mark Guterl
Superintendent of School
Added to this page rather than start another post:
Senior Wellness Event and Spring Social cancelled by the Mayor due to concerns over the Coronavirus.
Dear residents of Allentown,
As your Mayor, my primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of our community and take every precaution necessary. After careful consideration and consultation with our emergency management official, Chief of Police and review of local, county and state advisories, I have decided to cancel the Senior Wellness Event scheduled for March 18th and the Spring Social scheduled for March 30th.
These decisions never come easy but we must consider what is the best interest of our Seniors who are most at risk. We will be monitoring every report closely and will continue to push out the appropriate messages to keep all residents informed.
We are also working with our neighboring municipalities and the UFRSD to maintain a high level of communication and preparedness. On behalf of the Governing Body, we appreciate your understanding.
Due to concerns with Corona Virus, we will be cancelling the Annual Gift Auction and Spaghetti Dinner on March 21. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your support.
This was a difficult decision but we want to ensure the safety of students, supporters, and volunteers.
March 8, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service will be conducting prescribed burning operations in the following areas.
DIVISION B
Monmouth County – Howell – Allaire State Park – Millstone – Assunpink Wildlife Management Area Ocean County – Eagleswood – Sahara Sands – Jackson – Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area
DIVISION C
Cape May County – Upper – Belleplain State Forest – Upper – Peaslee Wildlife Management Area Cumberland County – Vineland – Peaslee Wildlife Management Area – Maurice River – Peaslee Wildlife Management Area
This schedule is weather dependent and subject to change.
If in doubt about the source of smoke or fire, call 9-1-1 or 877-WARN-DEP (877-927-6337).
HAMILTON, N.J. (MERCER)– It’s not too late for high school students to sign up for the national 2020 Annual Congressional Art Competition hosted locally by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) for Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean students who live in the Fourth Congressional District he represents.
The deadline for entry is March 13 for current high school student artwork recently completed, or works specifically created just for the competition, that meet the originality, suitability, size and other entry guidelines of the national competition. Click here for 2020 rules of entry, entry forms, a list of towns in the Fourth District and other important information.
“Every year the artwork submitted by the students is impressive,” Smith said. “It is encouraging and inspiring to see such a high level of artistry being pursued by our students and fostered by art teachers in the Fourth Congressional District. Three professional judges, whose artwork will also be on display, will pick the winners.”
The artwork entered into the competition this year will be displayed and open to the public at the Lake Front Gallery of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton (RWJ-Hamilton) from March 31, 2020 through May 1, with winners announced at the end of the show. Last year the nearly 70 entries represented a variety of styles and mediums.
The judges are dedicated, experienced local artists who have roots in the community.
Every year the Congressional Institute sponsors this national high school visual art competition to recognize and foster artistic talent in each congressional district. Since the competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated. Participation in the contest is at the discretion of each Member office.
Students who place will receive ribbons and all participants are presented with congressional certificates.
Student artwork will on be display during normal hospital visiting hours at the RWJ-Hamilton Lakefront Art Gallery located in the Tower on the first floor mezzanine, directly above the café and gift shop area. RWJ-Hamilton is located at One Hamilton Health Place, Hamilton, NJ, Mercer County.
To enter a piece of artwork or for more information, call Smith’s Constituent Service Center at (609) 585-7878.
Information about the 2020 NJ-04 show or to view the 2019 and prior year winners visit Congressman Smith’s Congressional Art Competition web page.
The top winner—Best in Show—is recognized at an annual awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., and is displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol. The 2019 winner of Best in Show from the Fourth Congressional District was “Family Tree,” by Anna Effenberger, of Colts Neck, a 2019 graduate at the Ranney School. Anna’s work remains on display in the Capitol through June 2020.
“Migration of the Nestingbacks,” an original work by Catherine Epps, from Steinert High School in Hamilton took home an Honorable Mention last year.
Municipalities in New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District 2013-2022 Allentown Manasquan Bay Head Avon-By-The-Sea Middletown (part)* Jackson Belmar Millstone Lakehurst Bradley Beach Neptune City Lakewood Brielle Neptune Township Manchester Colts Neck Ocean Township Plumsted Eatontown Red Bank Point Pleasant Borough (part) * Englishtown Roosevelt Point Pleasant Beach Fair Haven Rumson Farmingdale Sea Girt Freehold Borough Shrewsbury Borough Freehold Township Shrewsbury Township Holmdel Spring Lake Howell Spring Lake Heights Mercer County Lake Como Tinton Falls Hamilton Little Silver Upper Freehold Robbinsville Manalapan Wall
Point Pleasant Borough and Middletown are split between Congressional Districts. If students live in either of these towns and are unsure of their District, please call 609-585-7878 and provide the student’s complete home address. The staff will be able to research in which District the student lives.
UPPER FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, NJ (MONMOUTH)–The Allentown FFA Chapter was at the Allentown-Upper Freehold Tractor Supply today showing scrap books and other items from the FFA Chapter. Several current FFA members as well as Allentown FFA Alumni were on hand. Tractor Supply is collecting donations for the FFA Paper Emblem Program during FFA Week.
Tomorrow the Allentown FFA Chapter will have a wreath laying ceremony at grave site of Leslie Applegate from New Jersey who was elected first National FFA president in 1929. Looking though chapter records this has been a tradition since at least 1975 during FFA Week.
UPDATE: Meirs Road Construction will need to continue for an additional two weeks past the projected completion day previously stated. Should now be completed by March 10, 2020
February 8, 2020
UPPER FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, NJ (MONMOUTH)– Meirs Road between Route 537 and Jonathan Holmes Road will be closed for repairs, Tuesday February 11 to Tuesday February 25. (weather dependent). A culvert at the bridge needs to be repaired and the road will need to be closed.
Local traffic from Jonathan Holmes or Route 537 to the bridge. Barriers will be placed at the bridge. First Responders will have access.
The school bus stop for these residents will be at Meirs and Jonathan Holmes.
UPPER FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, NJ (MONMOUTH)–Shortly after 2 pm today what appeared to be a hawk or other raptor was caught up in electrical equipment for a solar farm near the Union Transportation Trail by the Route 524 entrance. The short circuit and resulting arc made a loud explosion sending sparks in to the tall dry grass below causing a brush fire. Power issues were reported in Upper Freehold Township and neighboring Robbinsville who also receives power from this area.
The Hope Fire Company of Allentown, the NJ Forrest Fire Service and NJ State Police responded to the scene. The brush fire in the grass below was approximately 20 x 75 feet in size and was extinguished quickly with Brush 82.
The fire company remained on scene for Jersey Central Power and Light to arrive to make repairs.
