When the ocean county board of health needed a bank to deposit millions of dollars in State and Federal funds, they needed a bank. They didn't use just any bank. They needed a bank they could trust.What better bank than the one that their own Senator Singer is a board member of.
The following are the minutes from the resolution. Note that Senator Singer abstained from voting which makes everything ok, right?


Resolution 182(10) – Authorization to Enter into an Agreement with Ocean First Bank – To Provide Payroll Banking Services – and an Agreement with Harmony Bank – To Provide General Disbursement Banking Services – Motion was made by Mr. Warren Wolf, seconded by Mr. Henry Mancini, with Senator Robert Singer abstaining, and unanimously approved.

We all heard the news that the FBI was investigating Ocean Heath Initiatives' involvement with the Board of Education. For years now there have been questions about the OHI offices and their operation.

from Toms River Patch blog

Allowing the owner of the building now leased for an Ocean County Health Department facility in Lakewood to retrofit it for that use cut the cost by at least 40 percent compared with having other contractors do the work, officials said Wednesday.

The cost of the conversion, about $800,000, by Beth Medrash Govoha, has been criticized for weeks by Michele Rosen of Waretown, who is running as a Democrat for a seat on the Board of Freeholders.

She said bids should have been obtained for the conversion.

"We bid everything we were required to bid,’’ said Daniel Regenye, the county’s Public Health coordinator.

He said prices provided by contractors were higher than those the rabbinical college offered. The Beth Medrash Govoha prices were "at or well below market rates we would not be able to beat,’’ he said.

"If we had to build it privately we would have had to pay prevailing wages,’’ which would have increased the price "40 percent or more,’’ said Robert Singer, a member of the Board of Health.

   The Following is an article announcing the honor being bestowed on Senator Singer for being THE REASON WE HAVE A BLUECLAWS STADIUM. Remember this article when the Blueclaws contract is investigated and Senator Singer denies having anything to do with it. He has already denied any involvement in negotiating the ridiculous $25 thousand dollar a year rent for our $24 million dollar stadium that we spend millions to maintain. Hopefully when this honor is bestowed on Singer he will no longer be called Senator.

AP

Get ready for another busy hurricane season, maybe an unusually wild one, federal forecasters say.

Their prediction Thursday calls for 13 to 20 named Atlantic storms, seven to 11 that strengthen into hurricanes and three to six that become major hurricanes.


Kathryn Sullivan, Director National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gives the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season outlook. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said there is a 70 percent chance that this year will be more active than an average hurricane season.

If you live in hurricane prone areas along the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico, “This is your warning,” said acting NOAA administrator Kathryn Sullivan.

The season starts June 1 and lasts through November. A normal year has 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major storms with winds over 110 mph.

Last year was the third-busiest on record with 19 named storms. Ten became hurricanes and two were major storms, including Sandy, even though it lost hurricane status when it made landfall in New Jersey.

The only storm to make it ashore in the U.S. as a hurricane was Isaac, which ended up in Louisiana at 80 mph after hitting the Caribbean and threatening the Republican convention in Tampa, Fla.

This year, all the factors that go into hurricane forecasts are pointing to an active season, or an extremely active one, said lead forecaster Gerry Bell of the Climate Prediction Center.

Those factors include: warmer than average ocean waters that provide fuel for storms, a multi-decade pattern of increased hurricane activity, the lack of an El Nino warming of the central Pacific Ocean, and an active pattern of storm systems coming off west Africa.

The Atlantic hurricane season goes through cycles of high and low activity about every 25 to 40 years based on large scale climatic patterns in the atmosphere. A high activity period started around 1995, Sullivan said.

Ocean water is about 0.8 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal, but it’s not as high as it has been in other active years, Bell said.

The forecasts don’t include where storms might land, if any place. Despite the formation of more hurricanes recently, the last time a major hurricane made landfall in the United States was Wilma in 2005. That seven-year stretch is the longest on record.

Changes in weather patterns, especially the jet stream, have created fronts that in recent years tended to push many of the bigger storms away, Bell said.

But just because a storm is not technically classified major with 111 mph winds or more, doesn’t mean it can’t do lots of damage. Sandy is evidence of that; it killed 147 people and caused $50 billion in damage.


Homes in Mantoloking damaged by Sandy (Townsquare Media)
Forecasters this summer expect to see improvements in their calculations on how much a storm will strengthen or weaken, National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini said. That’s because the National Hurricane Center will start using a new system that incorporates real-time radar from planes flying through storms into computer forecast models.

Meteorologists have had the most difficulty predicting changes in the intensity of storms.

Bell, who has been making these seasonal forecasts for 15 years, said his accuracy rate is about 70 percent. But last year, his predictions were far too low. He forecast nine to 15 named storms and four to eight hurricanes. There were 19 named storms and 10 hurricanes.

During the six-month season, forecasters name tropical storms when top winds reach 39 mph; hurricanes have maximum winds of at least 74 mph.

This year’s names: Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dorian, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Ingrid, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van and Wendy.

NYC board of health issued a warning to all doctors in regard to the measles outbreak in New York among the Orthodox Community. The not uncommon practice among some in the Frum Community of refusing vaccines seems to have caused the normally rare measles illness to spread easily through a very insular community. it could easily spread to Lakewood so please make sure your children are up to date on vaccinations. For your child's safety, and for the safety of others. There is no religious exemption to put children in danger.



Dear Colleague,

The measles outbreak in Brooklyn is continuing to grow. To date, there have been 34 confirmed cases, including 27 in Borough Park and 7 in Williamsburg. Additional suspected cases are being investigated. All cases are part of the Orthodox Jewish community and were unvaccinated at the time of exposure, including 5 cases too young to have been vaccinated, 23 cases who refused vaccine, and 6 cases whose vaccines were delayed. Cases range in age from 0 to 32 years (median 7 years), including 5 infants, 21 children, and 8 adults. Complications have included pneumonia, a miscarriage, and two hospitalizations. Measles is highly contagious. We have identified over 700 people who have been exposed, predominantly in health-care settings. Home isolation is required for up to 21 days for exposed persons without evidence of immunity to prevent further exposures. To interrupt the spread of measles in your community, we ask for your assistance regarding reporting, isolation, prophylaxis, te sting, and vaccination.

Reporting
Report any suspected measles case with generalized rash and fever to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) immediately. Do not wait for laboratory testing to report. Delays in reporting have resulted in missed opportunities to prevent disease using post-exposure prophylaxis. To report, call 347-396-2402 (weekdays 9-5pm) or 212-764-7667 (after hours and weekends).

Isolation
Place suspected cases immediately in an airborne isolation room. Alternatively, see them at the end of the day after all other patients have left the office. Avoid having patients with rash in the waiting room. Post a sign outside your office notifying patients with rash to call before entering. If an airborne isolation room is not available, place a mask on the patient, and don’t use the exam room for up to two hours. Tell suspected cases to stay home while contagious, until day five after rash onset.

Post-exposure Prophylaxis
If a suspected exposure occurs in your office, offer the 1st or 2nd dose of MMR vaccine within 72 hours to everyone aged 6 months and older who was in your office through two hours after the suspected case left and who does not have a contraindication to vaccine. Do not delay MMR if immunization records are not readily available; there is no harm to giving an extra dose to someone who is fully vaccinated. Wait at least 28 days between doses of MMR. Exposed staff without evidence of immunity should be furloughed from days 5 through 21 after exposure, regardless of receipt of post-exposure prophylaxis.

Immune globulin should be given as soon as possible to susceptible individuals exposed to measles who are at high-risk for complications: infants aged <6 months, infants aged 6 - 12 months who do not receive MMR within 72 hours, immunocompromised persons, and pregnant women who are not immune to measles. Immune globulin must be given within 6 days of exposure to prevent or modify measles.

Laboratory Testing
Collect blood for measles IgM and IgG and nasopharyngeal swabs for PCR testing of suspected cases. DOHMH will pick up and test specimens. Synthetic (non-cotton) swabs and liquid viral transport media can be purchased from commercial laboratories. These are the same kits used for influenza testing. DOHMH can also provide kits as needed, while waiting for your supply. Do not send specimens to a commercial lab for testing as this will only delay the diagnosis and delay outbreak control measures.

Timely vaccination
Ensure patients are up to date with their 1st dose of MMR at age 12 months and 2nd dose at age 4 to 6 years. Administer immunizations at the start of recommended interval. Do not delay. For assistance generating recall letters for patients not up to date with MMR or for assistance ordering MMR vaccine, call 347-396-2400. Children aged 6 to 11 months who will be travelling internationally should receive a dose of MMR before travel, although this dose does not count towards completion of the routine schedule. Ensure all healthcare staff have two documented doses of measles-containing vaccine or a positive measles IgG titer.

Please call DOHMH if you have questions at 347-396-2402 (weekdays 9-5pm) or 212-764-7667 (after hours and weekends). Your cooperation is appreciated.


Sincerely,

Jennifer Rosen, MD
Director, Epidemiology and Surveillance
Bureau of Immunization
NYC DOHMH

Jane Zucker, MD, MSc
Assistant Commissioner
Bureau of Immunization
NYC DOHMH

 Star Ledger

With controversy continuing to swirl around its list of proposed college construction grants, Christie administration officials are refusing to release copies of applications filed by two religious institutions set to receive public dollars for campus building projects. The state Secretary of Higher Education’s Office denied a Star-Ledger request, filed under the state’s Open Public Records Act, to view the applications filed by Beth Medrash Govoha and Princeton Theological Seminary for a piece of $1.3 billion in available state grants.

For weeks, lawmakers and civil liberties groups have been questioning why taxpayers are funding construction projects at religious schools that are not open to students of all faiths. Some legislators have also questioned the process Christie administration officials used to select the two schools for grants.

Tuesday, state Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) called on Gov. Chris Christie to provide documents showing how the grant decisions were made, and she and Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex) introduced legislation to block the grants if the administration doesn’t comply.

"For the administration to suggest to the Legislature and the public that the manner in which these funds were allocated is not information we are entitled to have is as bewildering as it is unacceptable," Oliver wrote in the letter.

But administration officials said releasing copies of the grant applications filed by the religious institutions would jeopardize the competitive process overseen by the state Secretary of Higher Education’s Office.

"Public release of the applications at this time could give an unfair advantage to applicants and undermine the integrity of the process," said Colin Reed, a spokesman for Christie. "When the process is complete, the secretary intends to make applications public as allowed by law."

Beth Medrash Govoha, an all-male Jewish rabbinical school in Lakewood, is scheduled to receive $10.6 million to build a new library and academic center. Princeton Theological Seminary, which trains Christian ministers, is slated to receive $645,313 for technology upgrades.

The proposed grants have drawn criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union and several top lawmakers, who say the public has the right to review the grant applications to decide if the projects deserve the grants.

"Isn’t the competition over?" said state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen). "There’s no conceivable reason for the those applications to be withheld."

Meanwhile, new questions have emerged about whether the state failed to follow the law in its rush to award the grants. Christie administration officials announced the criteria for applying for the money in January and began accepting nearly 250 applications from colleges March 1, even though the rules had not been formally adopted.

The list of 176 approved projects at 46 colleges and universities was released April 29, a week before the rules were officially published and enacted.

Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak dismissed any suggestion the process skirted the law.

"The statute gave us more than enough authority to proceed, and the comment period produced only one question, which had no impact on the regulations as proposed," Drewniak said.

The $1.3 billion in proposed grants includes $750 million from a higher education bond question approved by New Jersey voters on last November’s ballot. The remainder of the money comes from a variety of other state bonds available for college construction and renovation projects.

The list of 176 projects was sent to the state Legislature, which has the power to accept or reject the grants.


Oliver said she objects to giving public money to Beth Medrash Govoha and Princeton Theological Seminary .

"I can’t in good conscience sit by and let public money go to schools with such exclusionary policies," Oliver said. "It’s a violation of the state’s constitution."

But Oliver’s bill may be largely symbolic because Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) said he has no plans to introduce a similar bill in his chamber. Sweeney said he sees no reason to delay the college building projects because of disagreements over money going to two religious institutions.

However, Sweeney called on state officials to make the grant applications public.

"How can they not release applications?" Sweeney said. "They’ve made their decision, and they should release them."

ACLU-NJ spokeswoman Katie Wang on Tuesday said the state has asked for more time in response to the group’s open public records request to view all applications for the grants, along with the state’s scoring sheets and other records used to select the winners.

Ed Barocas, ACLU-NJ’s legal director, said the organization will consider a legal challenge if the state fails to release the documents.

"The public has the right to know how the determinations are made when you’re talking about spending $1.3 billion," Barocas said.

from The Howell Patch

This month Governor Christie signed a bill that allows a person to call 911, if they or someone else is sick from a drug overdose, without the fear of being arrested for drug use. The 'Good Samaritan' bill was lauded by both Democrats and Republicans as a life saving measure that would help prevent many senseless drug related deaths every year.

When the the bill was voted on in the Senate on August 20th of 2012, Senator Singer voted no. Yet in June of 2012 when a Democratic sponsored bill came before the Senate for a needle exchange program for IV drug users, our staunch 'Republican' Senator voted YES!Why would an anti drug Republican vote for a needle exchange program? The Bill (S2001)  Appropriates $95,000 from the general state fund to the Department of Health and Senior Services for the implementation of the sterile syringe access program. Now it all makes sense. Senator Singer sits on the Ocean County Board of Health which operates Ocean Health Initiatives. He can always use an extra $95,00 dollars.

This is just one small example of a Legislative history influenced by special , or self, interests. A 20 year career based on the needs of a few people at the expense of the real needs of everyone.

Here are but a few greatest legislative hits of Bob Singer and the reasons behind them.

A bill to authorize registered voters to automatically receive mail in ballots- Singer voted no since his longevity in office is assured by the busy working class family that never finds the time to vote him out of office. He relies on the senior communities that he is able to convince to go out and vote for him by telling them whatever they want to hear.

Reduce Property tax levy cap-Senator Singer voted NO to reduce the tax levy cap from 4% to 2% against the proposal of Governor Christie. He revealed that he was not willing to do everything possible to put an end to a regressive tax that is hurting homeowners, as long as he needs funds for his pet projects.

Legislation co-sponsored by Senator Robert Singer (R-30) that would allow two facilities that provide long-term care to individuals with Huntington’s Disease to expand to forty beds each. While this bill may be a benefit for people going through a debilitating disease, the fact that the owner of the facility in question is a major donor to Singer's campaign, puts the entire bill into question.

In 2009 New Jersey passed a law to allow Towns to lift the restriction on Age-Restricted developmnents. Bob Singer was integral in getting the bill passed to allow a large senior development in Lakewood to be redeveloped as regular housing. The fact that the owner of the development donates the maximum allowed by law to Singer's didn't help make a development that should have been a tax benefit, into a loss,  any easier to swallow.

Of course these are only examples of his legislative duties being influenced by his business dealings. We haven't yet discussed the  numerous giveaways he is responsible for that have guaranteed him votes to stay in office the last twenty years.

We need a Senator whose sole focus is to improve his district. Whether it is through a fair tax system to provide our children a good education while helping struggling homeowners, or sensible plans to bring jobs and growth to our region without our government intruding on our personal freedoms. We can no longer afford a Senator whose main focus is his own personal gain.

Tuesday June 4th, help me accomplish OUR goals by voting Column C

Harold Herskowitz

Republican Primary Candidate

DEAR PROPRIETORS OF LAKEWOOD’S BAIS YAAKOV HIGH SCHOOLS:

Once again, you have seen fit to send out acceptance letters to most of Lakewood’s eighth grade girls. The “undesirable” minority will go to their graduations publicly degraded – everyone knows who they are.

You say there is no room, “the boat is full.” That’s exactly what the Swiss government said when denying refuge to Jews during World War II. Incongruous with a “poor” community such as Lakewood, your mosdos scream wealth and plenty. Surely you can find room for a few extra desks – even a new classroom – in those enormous, grand high school buildings of yours?