A Monmouth State Lawmaker Is Calling For More Funding For 9/11 First Responders

11th District Republican Assemblyman Dave Rible says at least one New Jersey hospital is struggling to provide medical care for almost two thousand sick Nine Eleven responders who rely on world trade center health care programs.

“It is vital that these 9/11 heroes continue to receive the necessary treatment for their ailments,” says Rible.

Rible plans to introduce an assembly resolution urging federal lawmakers to pass HR-847 which guarantees long-term funding for existing world trade center health care programs.


By: Janet Fried

SOME JERSEY DOCTOR'S ARE PRESCRIBING PARENT CHILD READING TIME

Reach Out and Read is a national non-profit early literacy program that provides books to children between the ages of 6 months to 5 years living at or near poverty through participating clinics, hospitals and doctor's offices.

Doctors participating in the program distribute developmentally and culturally appropriate books to patients and talk about the importance of reading with their parents.

Last year New Jersey doctors gave almost 50,000 kids books at 48 Reach Out and Read sites throughout the state.

A Reach Out and Read site in Long Branch received a donation of 1,000 books Monday to give to its young patients.


By: Janet Fried

Fugitive Assault Suspect Indicted

By Tom Mongelli

A fugitive who once called Hazlet home remains on the loose, but he's been indicted by a grand jury in Freehold, accused of orchestrating an assault against a 67-year-old Holmdel man and his family.

Fifty-five-year-old Salvatore Viscusi was charged last September by Holmdel police. If tried and convicted, he could get up to 10 years in state prison.

Viscusi is accused of recruiting a 44-year-old Keyport man to carry out an attack on a third individual. After two attempts failed, police say, Viscusi enlisted the same accomplice to torch the intended victim's house.

Police haven't been able to find Viscusi since the complaint was lodged. They say he has ties throughout New Jersey, and also in Staten Island; Quakertown, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth City, North Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee; Fort Worth and Seagoville, Texas; Coral Springs and Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Riverside, California.

Authorities urge anyone spotting Vescusi not to approach him directly, but to place a 911 call instead. He's described as white, with brown hair and brown eyes, about 5'11" and 170 to 180 pounds, with shoe size nine-and-a-half.

Please send questions or comments to wobmnews@wobm.com.

Late Stafford Mayor's Wife Settles Debt, Moves On

By Tom Mongelli

The baggage that the late Wesley Bell left after his untimely death in 2008 is gone. Now, says Ann Bell, his legacy in Stafford Township can be of value to future community leaders.

Bell, a Philadelphia native, was three when his family moved to Ship Bottom in 194. He became a Stafford elected official in 1969. He was mayor in 1983 when a young Carl Block led a recall effort and assumed the seat for the next 25 years. But the defeat didn't prevent him from remaining an influence in the township. In the ensuing years, he campaigned to represent the area as a state Senator, U.S. Senator and governor, while maintaining his outdoor advertising business.

The billboards in Ocean, Atlantic and Burlington Counties led to run-ins with the New Jersey Departments of Transportation, Environmental Protection and Taxation, leading to about $1.2 million in judgments and liens. Bell died in 2008 at age 71, a victim of injuries from a fall off one of the billboards his company owned.

Ann Bell says her settlement discussions with state officials over the past several months were cordial and amicable. She was struck, she says, by the impact her husband left in Trenton's corridors of power.

"Even though he was a thorn in their side many times," Ann says, "they had nothing but nice things to say about Wesley's intelligence, his dedication, and his belief in the legal system."

Proceeds from the sale of the company have satisfied the assessments, something

Ann calls a "tremendous relief."

"Now," she says, "I can distribute Wesley's ashes where they need to go, appropriately."

Where will that be. At this point, Ann hasn't decided. But she says that Wesley Bell was a lifelong advocate of the ocean and an avid sailor.

Bell is also credited as an inventor of salvage equipment for waterborne vessels beyond the depth of divers.

But Ann says that Bell's commitment to open government - itself the object of an 1988 New Jersey Supreme Court decision - is the lesson he leaves for municipal leaders yet to be elected. She says she took no comfort in the May defeat of Block - the man who unseated her husband - by new mayor John McMenamin. She considers that their approaches may differ, but they all have Stafford's best interests at heart.

"They need to be applauded for stepping up to the plate," Ann says. "How many of these complainers ever, ever get up off their fat butts and do something for the community?"

Oyster Creek Informational Night

by Jason Allentoff

It will most likely be a neighbor to all Ocean County residents for at least another 20 years. So why not learn all you can about it? Exelon will host a special information night about the Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant in Lacey Township on Thursday, June 18th.

The unique one-on-one forum is designed to educate, inform and update the plant's neighbors about what's going on at the facility. Spokesman Dave Benson says some of the topics include plant operations, used fuel storage and safety. In addition to the educational portion, the public will then have the floor to ask any questions they may have.

The Oyster Creek Education Center on Intake View Lane just off of Route 9 is the location. In runs 4 - 8 p.m.

Oyster Creek produces 636 net megawatts of electricity at full power, enough electricity to supply 600,000 typical homes, the equivalent to all homes in Monmouth and Ocean counties combined. In addition, plant workers, through their payrolls, are responsible for more $96 million injected directly into New Jersey's economy.

Dolphins Have Appeared Once Again In The Shrewsbury River

Six dolphins have been spotted in the Shrewsbury River and wildlife officials are trying to determine if they are part of a group of dolphins that showed up last summer in the same river.

Last June 16 dolphins appeared in the river and stayed for months, six eventually died and the rest are unaccounted for.

Photos were taken of the dolphins that appeared in the river Sunday and are being compared to pictures of last year’s group of dolphins.

“There is that possibility that they survived and came back again, but we won’t know that until we see the dorsal identification”, says Bob Schoelkopf, Director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine.

By: Janet Fried

Carpenter Bees And How To Stop Them From Destroying Your Home

by Jason Allentoff
As the summer season rapidly approaches, many pest control companies throughout the Garden State are seeing a rise in complaints regarding a flying nuisance that can cause damage to your home....and it ain't a gypsy moth or termite.

When you think of bees you think of honey...right? Some think of a painful sting. However, have you ever thought a bee could cause harm to property? Carpenter Bees can and while they don't sting, they feed on the wood on your house. People often mistake them for bumblebees. They often burrow into the exposed dry wood of buildings, fence posts and telephone poles.

Michael Russell with Action Termite and Pest Control in Toms River says people can take care of the problem themselves. Russell says they don't cause as much damage as termites. He explains one remedy would be to seal off the hole made by the bee with caulk. The other option would be to call an exterminator. They recommend a chemical treatment insecticide when nesting activity is apparent.