In case you missed it...

Former county reporter Nina Rizzo is back in action over at the APP.

So is Monmouth Mitt Romney central or something?

A lot of familiar Monmouth faces and sides of faces in this video (via TVJersey.com:



So what does it say about Mitt Romney's presidential campaign if his base is the rapidly imploding Monmouth GOP?

It doesn't seem likely that Romney will win the nomination (or even make much of a dent in Jersey where even Republicans veer pretty left) so what's with the joined-to-the-Monmouth-hip phenomenon?

Will we see some interesting New England campaign contributions flowing into Monmouth coffers in the near future?

Merla article

The APP has an excellent article about convicted ex-Keyport Mayor John Merla. Very well written article. Really captures Merla's personality.

Certainly, John Merla made the mistake of a lifetime, but I can't help but feel a tremendous sadness for Keyport and for Merla's two children (who are really thoughtful, well-mannered kids).

Former Brick mayor pleads guilty

Read the APP article.

According to the charges, former Brick Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli accepted at least $5,000 from an unnamed developer who was seeking approval for a project in the township between 1998 and 2003.

Anybody have and idea who the developer is (comments will not be made public)? Will the unknown developer be held accountable for bribing a public official?

As the Monmouth GOP continues to implode...

I came across an interesting forum string at NJ.com posted by what seems to be party insiders.

One poster suggests that the recent attacks on Freeholder Little come from the highest ranks of the party and that there's a movement to boot Little off the ticket and put Andrew Lucas on.

On the other side, a supporter of Adam Puharic's posted the following:

"Adam hasn't taken a moment off since the election and is doing everything he can to ensure that the party gets back to where it should be. Seeing problems before they happen and taking necessary action requires a man of integrity and a willingness to do what is right." [emphasis mine]

What in this wacky madcapped world of Monmouth politics will happen next?

-The ex-Courier aristocrat

Dear APP, what is going on?

PoliticsNJ's rapid post-Kornacki decline brought a tiny little tear to my eye.

The catastrophe that the APP has become leaves me holding my head in my hands. This goes beyond Gannett's tendency to wave an arbitrary wand and go after whichever candidate or party suits their editorial fancy.

I've bit my lip for a while but I can't stand it any more: where in God's name has the APP's reporting gone? The only real news digging I've seen from the paper in the past few months has been coming out of Howell, but that's basically been it.

I mean Middletown is the biggest town in the APP's Monmouth coverage area and I haven't seen a story that wasn't a recycled press release come out in God knows how long. When does it become no-biggie to virtually ignore the biggest town in your coverage area? You don't see the Jersey Journal ever ignoring Jersey City or the Times of Trenton closing it's eyes to Hamilton, so why is it such a burden for actual reporting to get done in Middletown?

So is this just me whining or has anybody else noticed the same thing?

Little responds

Will Seward has an exclusive with Anna Little in which the freeholder addresses the wild and wacky rumors floating around the web.

A note to readers: Blogging isn't a terribly sophisticated or substantial endeavor, but it can impact the news cycle (i.e. the half-dozen stories the APP has ripped off from Abe and Seward) or change the political landscape. IMHO, Bloggers have a personal obligation to present information substantiated by facts and trusted sources. It's a disservice to the reader to slap a pile of crap on the wall and hope it sticks or winds up legitimized through half-assed regurgitation of crap-as-fact (thanks Wally Edge!)