Advanced Knee Pain Treatment in Middletown, NJ

When vets are chosen to move in, preference will be given first to veterans who live in Middletown, then Monmouth County and then in NJ.

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Middletown Township opened its brand-new veterans' housing complex at 45 Leonardville Road in the Campbell’s Junction area last Sunday.

This is a new 22,000-square-foot veterans housing facility. It offers 12 apartments for U.S. military veterans. It was built where a tool-rental company was located for a long time, but the property has been vacant for several years.

However, no veterans have moved in yet. The veterans have to be chosen through a housing list run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the HUD selection is frozen due to the current federal government shutdown, Mayor Tony Perry said Friday morning.

However, when vets are chosen to move in, preference will be given first to veterans who live in Middletown, then in Monmouth County and then in New Jersey. The Township has not revealed rent prices.

Building the affordable veterans' housing has been a cause of Perry's since he first took office.

"The Township Committee and I are very proud to see this project come to fruition after years of hard work, partnership and dedication," said Perry. "Our veterans have given their all to grant us the freedoms we have today. This affordable housing complex is just a small token of our everlasting appreciation for their bravery and sacrifices."

The complex has private living spaces, and also communal areas, including:

The complex was designed in collaboration with Middletown’s Veterans Affairs Committee. The building was designed by DMR Architects, located in Hasbrouck Heights.

Middletown held a ribbon cutting Sunday, Nov. 2. The ribbon cutting was followed by Middletown's annual Veterans' Day parade. Middletown also unveiled its War on Terror memorial.

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — All 49/49 of Middletown's voting precincts are in Tuesday night, and Chris Aveta, Erin Torres and James Cody are in the lead to win three seats on the Middletown school board.

These are unofficial results not yet certified by the Monmouth County Clerk. The county still has to count all the mail-in ballots, provisional ballots and certify the vote counts.

With all 49/49 Middletown voting precincts in, here are the results Tuesday night from the Monmouth County Clerk:

Total votes cast: 67,130

There was a fierce election for school board this year in Middletown. Seven candidates battled for three seats on the board. This comes in a year of turmoil for the Middletown school district: The superintendent announced earlier this year the district is $10 million in debt, and proposed a plan to close two elementary schools. This prompted an outcry from the community, and the current BOE voted to keep the two schools open and instead raise the school tax levy 10.1 percent.

Now, at election time, current BOE members Leonora Lacqua-Caminiti and Joe Fitzgerald defended why they voted for the 10.1-percent increase. They were challenged for their seats by James Dobis, Erin Torres and the Students, Parents, Taxpayers slate of James Cody, Chris Aveta and Sara Weinstein.

The Students, Parents, Taxpayers came out the most strongly against the 10.1 percent tax increase. Dobis said it would "have been irresponsible to vote against the increase," and Torres did not directly answer when asked how she would have voted. The Students, Parents, Taxpayers is also the only slate that received campaign donations from several companies that hold contracts with the Middletown school district. Middletown Mayor Tony Perry also donated to that slate.

Torres and Dobis ran on platforms that the Middletown school district is not transparent and hides information from the public.

And finally, all of this went on while one of the BOE candidates, Fitzgerald, is charged with serious gun crimes, for which he is facing prison time if found guilty. (Fitzgerald denies all charges.)

There is so much planned for kids and teens this November at the Middletown Public Library:

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — There is so much planned for kids and teens this November at the Middletown Public Library:

Tween LEGO Club – Monday, November 3 at 6pm: Tweens learn to build fun creations with rotating themed challenges, STEAM-focused activities, and free build time. For ages 9-12.

Family Movie Night – Monday, November 3 at 6:30pm: Join us for a special screening of Smurfs (2025)! Each registered guest will receive a Smurf souvenir bucket and plush to — while supplies last.

Cards for a Cause – Tuesday, November 4 from 3–5pm: Drop in to make thank-you cards for Middletown veterans. Volunteer hours will be offered for each card with a limit of 5 cards for 5 hours. For ages 13–18.

Tween Game Night – Tuesday, November 4 at 7pm: Bring a friend or make a friend while playing games like Trivia, Bingo, Pictionary, HeadsUp and more. For ages 9-12.

The Brainy Bunch – Wednesdays at 4:30pm: Join a weekly STEM-based program for Grade K–5 combining education, experimentation and fun.

Eyes of the Wild – Wednesday, November 5 at 4pm: Meet another fascinating group of animals in the library’s Community Room at this popular live animal program. Please note this program may have a waitlist.

Gymboree for Walkers/Babies – Thursday, November 6 at 10am and 11am: Gymboree of Red Bank will offer gym classes for toddlers and babies.

Storytime and Narwhal Craft – Friday, November 7 at 10am: Monmouth Museum volunteer Denise Hibell presents a special storytime and craft based on the museum’s November exhibit, Narwhal.

Earl Hicks’ Balloon & Movement Program – Friday, November 7 at 2pm: Balloon artist and comedy magician Earl Hicks brings his fun, interactive family show to the Community Room for an unforgettable afternoon of laughter and creativity.

Community Leader Storytime with a Veteran – Saturday, November 8 at 10am: Celebrate Veterans Day with Vietnam veteran Robert W. Siemer as he reads stories honoring the day and shares memories from his time in the military. Suitable for all ages.

SLP Musically with Miss Kat – Monday, November 10 at 4:30pm: Join Miss Kat for a fun, free sing along for children ages 4-9, including AAC users. Enjoy Laurie Berkner songs, camp favorites, and originals, all in a music-making session designed for kids of all abilities.

Tween Book Club – Tuesday, November 11 at 4pm: Tween ages 9–12 are invited to the Book Club for a fun-filled session: discuss a featured book, enjoy a related activity, and hang out with friends in the second half.

Teen Mario Kart Night – Wednesday, November 12 at 7pm: Join an exciting evening of Mario Kart racing for ages 12-18 in the Teen Room.

Cookie Monster’s Birthday – Thursday, November 13 at 10am: Celebrate Cookie Monster’s birthday with a fun-filled program of stories, music, movement, games, and treats! Note: please be mindful of allergies. For ages 5 and under.

Read to a Dog – Thursday, November 13 at 4pm and Monday, November 17 at 6pm: Improve the literacy skills of children by reading ten minutes to a certified therapy dog. Four sessions available on each date. For independent readers in Grades K-5.

Tween Thanksgiving Party – Wednesday, November 19 at 7pm: Join Teen Advisory Board members for a fun night of games, button making, and a coffee filter turkey craft for tweens ages 9-12!

Teen Anime Club – Thursday, November 20 at 4pm: Join our Teen Anime Club! Challenge yourself with anime opening trivia and sample fun themed snacks. Open to ages 10+. Please note allergies.

Pokémon Trading Night – Thursday, November 20 at 6pm: Bring your deck and join fellow Pokémon fans to trade cards, discuss books and movies, and play the trading card game! For ages 5+ (K–4th grade).

Drop-in Turkey Balloon Craft – Saturday, November 22 from 1–3pm: Get ready for Thanksgiving by creating your own Turkey Balloon! Decorate with fun materials and take your festive creation home. For ages 6+.

Designing 3D Prints for Beginners (Ages 9+) – Wednesday, November 26 at 6:30 pm: Try your hand at 3D design in the Makerspacce! Using TinkerCAD, you’ll make a custom keychain in your favorite color — no prior experience needed.

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — On Wednesday night, the Monmouth County League of Women Voters held a forum for the seven candidates running for the Middletown school board.

The forum lasted for 1 hour, 30 minutes and you can watch it here: https://lwvmonmouth.org/vid98....

All candidates participated except for Joe Fitzgerald, who said he declined to participate because of, as he said, the League's "partisan stances and their history of attacking conservatives." (Fitzgerald's entire statement as to why he did not participate is at the bottom of this article.)

The League of Women Voters moderator said "unfortunately, he could not be with us this evening."

During the Q&A Wednesday night, the candidates were asked a number of questions submitted by the public, including how they would improve transparency and communication with the community; their thoughts are on redistricting and how they would address Middletown's budget crisis (earlier this year, the current BOE took a 6-3 vote to approve a 10.1 percent school tax increase, and the district said it has a $10-million budget deficit.)

The first question submitted from the public was: "The budget seems to be a contentious issue in Middletown, a 10 percent increase last year. How would you address this financial challenge today?"

"The 10 percent increase was a failure of oversight over the course of the years ... this was completely avoidable," candidate James Dobis answered, in part. "There's no reason that there should have been a last-minute deal to have to decide at 5 p.m. that there was gonna be a vote at 7 p.m. to close schools."

"If I'm elected, we're gonna start digging into some of these contracts, some of these consulting contracts that they're sending RFPs out for," Dobis continued. "We're spending tens of thousands of dollars in order to do things that maybe the administration could do. We're gonna have to look into the size of our administration and other areas to reign costs in."

Chris Aveta said of the 10.1 percent tax increase:

"There were other alternatives. When you first heard, it was going to be around 5.88 percent. Then they said OK, let's apply to the state to go up to 10.1 percent and then all of a sudden there was a vote and they went right to 10 percent ... So, rightfully so, the community is very upset by this ... All's we got was a huge increase with nothing to show for it, and maybe another one coming next year."

James Cody's answer was similar. He said when he was on Middletown school board, he was aware of the budget starting in January.

"So I don't know how this board is saying they were blindsided. I think all's it was was a money grab," said Cody. "Because we did have talk about 5.88 percent ... and then it came back and said they were $700,000 short ... and they came out with the 10.1 percent because they were able to."

"And we'll get elected and go in there and find out exactly what happened."

"Le'ts be honest: The 10.1-percent was completely unnecessary," said Sarah Weinstein (She, Aveta and Cody are running together as a slate). "We did not need to increase it that much for the county to approve the proposal ... It was stated in the meeting that more money is more money, and that's always a great thing, but we are still going to listen to whatever this third-party study has to say regarding school closures. But nobody wanted to listen to that comment. Instead, there was a lot of yelling and screaming and people were pushed to vote for a 10.1-percent increase that didn't do anything except for burden our taxpayers and our fellow neighbors that don't even have children in the schools."

Leonora Lacqua-Caminiti is currently on the Board. She was one of the board members who voted for the 10.1 percent tax increase, as did Fitzgerald.

On Wednesday night, Lacqua-Caminiti said she and the rest of the BOE were kept in the dark by BOE leadership, meaning Board president Frank Capone and Board vice president Jacqueline Tobacco.

"I sit on the board. I was one of the people who voted for the 10 percent increase," she said. "It's nice when board leadership brings you into the fold. There was no discussion on what was happening with our board. It was thrown at us the night we went out to vote on the budget."

"I would have forced myself into that room to make sure that we are all there as a board representing the taxpayers," said candidate Erin Torres. "It is not acceptable that we have people who are gatekeeping and keeping this information to a closed circle rather than the full Board of Education."

In that vein, one of the biggest issues discussed Wednesday night was whether the current Middletown school board is completely transparent with residents of the town.

Torres vowed she would "end the closed-door meetings" on the Middletown school board. Torres also said the BOE president should publish a president's report to inform the entire town about what is going on with the school district, including policies, building maintenance, the budget and contracts the district is awarding.

Cody similarly called for the Board of Ed. to put out a newsletter once a month.

Lacqua-Caminiti said the Board should respond to members of the public when they ask questions at meetings.

"If we can respond, we need to respond to them. It should be an open dialogue," she said Wednesday night.

Dobis also commended Lacqua-Caminiti for asking that workshop meetings and committee as a whole meetings be brought back. (Lacqua-Caminiti and board member Joan Minnuies have been asking for several months now to bring these meetings back.)

"It allows for greater transparency," said Dobis.

Then, there was a dispute over whether minutes from all Board committee meetings are publicly accessible. This started at minute 45:51. Lacqua-Caminiti said all committee meetings are required to have recorded minutes, but "We have not been doing that recently," she said.

Cody then said: "I don't know that any committee meetings don't have minutes ... So if that has changed, then that would be something that I would demand should come back."

"Mr. Cody, the rule hasn't changed, but it hasn't been followed," said Torres. "There are specific committees that have met. There have been OPRA requests, and there have not been minutes for the meetings that we know have been had ... Right now, there is no trust that whatever we are getting are even full minutes ... because we know meetings have happened that we have no record of."

Weinstein countered that the minutes from committee meetings are indeed available.

"They're available; you just have to read them," Weinstein said, to which Torres shook her head and said "not true," and Weinstein replied "yes, it is."

Again, you can watch the whole forum here: https://lwvmonmouth.org/vid98....

Here is Fitzgerald's full statement on what he did not participate in the Oct. 29 forum:

"I will not be attending the Women League of Voters Forum tonight due to their partisan stances and their history of attacking conservatives such as Supreme Court justice candidates, our President, and Boycotting what they call, “MAGA Owned Businesses.”

In 2018, the league's CEO was arrested along with hundreds of other protesters for staging a sit-in at a Senate office building, demanding lawmakers to reject Brett Kavanaugh, a conservative Supreme Court nominee.

Additionally, in January 2021, the league's board labeled President Trump a “tyrannical despot,” holding him responsible for “inciting violence and undermining democracy.” They even called for his immediate removal from office.

Most recently, in November of last year, some members of the organization called for a boycott of MAGA owned businesses which effected our local small businesses here in Middletown.

You can’t call yourself non-partisan and push only left-wing ideology."

The dredging is expected to be complete in December. Here's exactly where they are dredging:

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — This past weekend, Oct. 25 and 26, the New Jersey Department of Transportation began the Shrewsbury Channel Complex dredging project.

The channels were impacted by Superstorm Sandy, and have continued to fill in with sediment ever since. This is a $6.2-million project that aims to make boating safe by dredging the channels to their individual authorized project depths, which range between five to seven feet at mean low water.

The dredging will remove approximately 100,000 cubic yards of sediment from the channels, and all the sediment removed will be transported via pipeline to the Shrewsbury Dredged Material Management Facility.

There will be a pipeline carrying the sediment, and it will be clearly marked with buoys and lights.

The dredging is expected to be completed in December. Work will be conducted 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All channels are expected to remain open throughout the duration of the project, but temporary impacts may take place.

The DOT's contractor, H&L Construction LLC, will dredge sediment from multiple channels within the Shrewsbury Channel Complex, including:

These are all local waterways heavily used by marine industries, commercial fishermen and countless recreational boaters.

Channel closures are not expected, but if they are needed, closures will be communicated through the Local Notice to Mariners. State Aids to Navigation (ATON) will be removed as necessary for the duration of the project.

The public is advised to be aware of and stay alert for the pipeline, buoys, the dredge and other maritime construction equipment during the project. NJDOT asks that no one enter the construction areas nor approach dredged or project-related equipment.

Boaters should proceed through dredging and construction zones with caution and can contact the contractor for meeting/passing arrangements on Channel 63. No wake/slow speed should be observed in active work zones.