# Overturned Car on Hope Chapel Rd and North Lake Dr. Police is Searching for the Driver who Ejected. EMS+Medics Standing By. 246/1:28a (about an hour ago)

# Update. Traffic and Safety Dept is Responding to the Scene for an Accident Investigation. CIU is also Responding 246 1:37a (about an hour ago)

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1.Monday August 2, 2010 Ridge Avenue will be closed between Dena Drive and Nolan Place between the hours of 9:00 AM and approximately
4:30 PM.

2.Tuesday August 3, 2010 Harvard Street will be closed between Park Avenue and East End Avenue between the hours of 9:00 AM and approximately 4:30 PM.

These closures are necessary to allow Henkels and McCoy Contracting access to water and sewer utilities beneath the street.

Due to planned excavation travel through the work zones will not be possible. Drivers of emergency and service vehicles must find alternate routes.

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V’achalta v’savata u’verachta (Devarim 8:10): “you will eat until you are satisfied and then u’verachta you will bentch.”

This posuk constitutes the source for saying birchas hamazon after we eat.

Later in the parasha (11:15‐16), after describing how the fields will yield plenty of crops, we find again similar language:

V’achalta v’savata heshomeru lachem pen yifte levavechem v’sartem v’avadtem elohim acherim. “You will eat until you are satiated; take heed not to be persuaded by your heart to turn away and embrace idol worship.” Rashi explains that when a person is satiated he is apt to rebel against Hashem. Special care, therefore, must be taken to avoid this. Rashi also interprets v’sartem v’avaditem elohim acherim, “you will turn away and embrace idol worship,” to mean that you will neglect Torah study, which will ultimately result in your embracing idol worship.

We “bentch” (recite birkas hamazon) after we eat to thank Hashem for providing our sustenance. The Mirrer Mashgiach, Rav Yerucham Levovitz zt”l, asserted that we misunderstand the sequence. We do not bentch because we ate, says R. Yerucham; rather, we eat to enable us to bentch. We thus need to refocus our attention on the bentching rather than on the eating, because the former is the primary goal while the latter, the eating, is secondary.

According to this analysis, eating is but a means to an end; birchas hamazon is the end.

The Gemara discusses Hashem’s method for delivering the mann to the Jews in the midbar. Every day the mann descended from shamayim and had to be gathered. Any leftover mann rotted. Why was it necessary to gather mann every day except Shabbos? (A double portion came on Friday.) Hashem could have sent a week’s, a month’s, or even a year’s supply at one time.

Why, also, did what was left have to rot? The same nes employed to make the mann could have maintained it intact and fresh. Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai tells us that Hashem’s purpose for having this occur to the mann was to train the Jewish People in the character trait of bitachon.

If the mann had been received yearly, monthly, or even weekly, that resulting sense of security would have caused a distraction from this central theme. A person would no longer daven for parnassa because he already had an ongoing and sufficient supply. By the daily delivery of the mann, however, every person realized that his only security is Hashem. His food supply lasted only one day; there were no leftovers. Every single day the Jews had to daven to Hashem for their sustenance. Life existed because Hashem wants it, and he was always on their lips and in their hearts. We have, for example, the Yiddish expression “Gott vet helfen.” Hashem will help. This and other expressions became integrated into the Yiddish speaking people. This simple bitachon was casually imparted to everyone on a daily basis.

The Jews lived with this bitachon. Hashem was close to their hearts. They fully realized that the Human Being is no more than a creation and must follow the dictates of his Creator. Torah and mitzvos must be adhered to; acquiring good middos is not extra credit. Their daily activities revolved around satisfying Hashem, who was central to their lives.

The dor hamabul rebelled against Hashem because they were granted health, prosperity, and longevity. The yearly crops were abundant, and sickness was virtually unknown to them. They enjoyed life at its best. But this led to a sense of self‐sufficiency. Never feeling the need for anything, they had no cause to daven. Thoughts of Hashem, their provider, slowly ebbed from their minds and hearts. His perceived input into their lives became shallow, eventually totally disappearing. Many began even to deny His existence.

The Avos and the Emahos were created incapable of bearing children. Chazal discuss this phenomenon and explain that Hashem, through them, laid the groundwork for the future Klal Yisroel. Our birth, therefore, had to be a nes because our existence is a nes. The Gemara also says that Hashem craves the tefilos of tzadikim, therefore they were created in this manner. How do we reconcile these two statements?

What is tefila? It is recognition of our dependency on our Creator. When we are sick, besides visiting the doctor, we daven to be healed. We thus acknowledge who is the true Healer. The doctor is merely an appointee to achieve the task. Similarly, although we may ask our boss at work for a raise, and he has the apparent authority to grant it, we must realize that it can only be granted if it was decreed Rosh Hashanah. Therefore, we daven for parnassa. This is the essence of tefila. Thus, the Avos and the Emahos were created to daven for children, because their situation and tefila is one in the same; we are dependent on Hashem.

Now we can appreciate the profound thought of the Mirrer Mashgiach. We don’t bentch because we ate; we eat in order to bentch. We constantly need to find avenues to express our recognition that we are not independent of, but, rather, are dependent on Hashem.

After we have eaten and feel satisfied, we are prone to feel self‐sufficient. We may have had, for example, a great idea that we pursued which paid off beautifully. We may have received an inside tip on an upcoming stock trade. The posuk, however, later directs us to “remember that Hashem gives you koach” (8:18). The Targum translates this as “you should remember that Hashem is the one who planted within you the idea to purchase the goods.” Hence, even our “brilliant” ideas are not original. They are but seeds that Hashem planted in our minds for our use.

Our bodies were designed to be dependent on food so that we have to eat. But this “need” provides us with the avenue to trace our existence to Hashem. We don’t bentch because we ate‐‐we eat because we want to bentch.

V’achalta v’savata heshomru lachem pen yifte levavechem v’sartem v’avaditem elohim acherim (8:18). The Torah here presents the problem, the solution for which had been given earlier (8:10): V’achalta v’savota u’vairachta: reciting birkas hamazon is one of the safety measures the Torah has provided us. By repeatedly acknowledging the Source of all that we have, we will not come to take it for granted and start down the path which the posuk warns against. “We eat to enable us to “bentch” should be resonding in our ears and should become a motto incorporated into our lives.

The survey showed front seat belt usage has risen to a record 93.73 percent, an increase of slightly more than 1 percent from last year, state highway safety officials said Thursday.

Using guidelines set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, state officials say that increase in front seat belt use will prevent eight fatalities, 236 serious injuries and 177 minor injuries. It also will save New Jersey nearly $57 million in crash-related economic costs annually.

However, only 27.09 percent of adults are buckling up in the back seat, about 5 percent less than in 2009, despite a new state law requiring it. And the number of back seat passengers between ages 8 and 18 using seat belts also declined in the last year, from 53.06 percent to 36.97.

Overall, back seat belt usage rate dropped to 47.77 percent, down from 51.73 percent.

Former Gov. Jon Corzine signed a law in January mandating that all back seat passengers use seat belts. It’s enforceable only a secondary offense, however, meaning that police need another reason to stop a vehicle to issue violators a ticket. The fine is $46.

“When New Jersey’s primary seat belt law took effect in 2000, the front seat belt usage rate stood at 74 percent,” said state Highway Traffic Safety Director Pam Fischer said. She noted that the rate has increased steadily as motorists recognized the safety benefits of buckling up.

She said the challenge now is to raise awareness about back seat safety.

During a “Click It or Ticket” campaign, which ran from May 24 to June 6 and involved hundreds of police agencies across the state, officers issued 35,671 seat belt citations, down from 41,442 in 2009.

The 373,000 Avalons being recalled in the U.S. range from the 2000 model year through to 2004 and have improper casting of the steering lock bar — a component for the steering system — causing cracks to develop on the surface.

In some cases, the crack can cause the lock bar to break, potentially leading to a crash if the steering wheel locks, the world’s No. 1 automaker by car sales said. No injuries have been reported from the accidents that may be caused by the defect, it said.

Recalled in Japan for a similar problem are 6,750 vehicles, called Pronard, built from February 2000 through January 2004, Toyota and the Japanese transport ministry said. There have been three reported problems linked to the defect but no accidents in Japan, the ministry said.

Also being recalled in the U.S. are 39,000 Lexus luxury model LX 470s for the 2003-2007 model years because of a steering shaft problem, which is different from the Avalon steering problem, according to Toyota.

That problem affects 9,670 vehicles in Japan, two Land Cruiser models, the ministry said. One problem has been reported but no accidents are suspected of being linked to the defect, it said.

The latest recall comes on top of some 8.5 million vehicles that have been recalled around the world by Toyota Motor Corp. since October for a spate of problems, including faulty floor mats, defective gas pedals and braking software glitches.

The recall crisis has damaged Toyota’s reputation for quality and customer service.

Toyota executives have repeatedly vowed to put customers first. But it has been criticized as lagging in its response to quality lapses, and was slapped with a record $16.4 million fine in the United States for responding too slowly when the recall crisis erupted.

Earlier this month, Toyota announced a recall of some 270,000 vehicles, mostly Lexus cars, for engine problems, dealing a further blow to its image because Lexus is its top-end luxury brand.

Toyota faces more than 200 lawsuits in the U.S. tied to accidents involving defective automobiles, the lower resale value of Toyota vehicles, and a drop in its stock value.

“Toyota is continuing to work diligently to address safety issues wherever they arise and to strengthen our global quality assurance operations so that Toyota owners can be confident in the safety of their vehicles,” said Steve St. Angelo, Toyota chief quality officer for North America.

Owners of Avalon and Lexus cars are being notified next month, being asked to bring in their cars to nearby Toyota and Lexus dealers for a free fix, according to Toyota.

“Our engineers have thoroughly investigated this issue and have identified a robust and durable remedy that will help prevent this condition from affecting drivers in the future,” said Mark Templin, group vice president and general manager of Lexus.

The 92-year-old, New York-based organization lost $21 million of its $24 million endowment to Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, which devastated a range of Jewish groups, including Yeshiva University. As with other non-profits, the economic downturn has also hobbled fund-raising efforts, officials said.

Once a prominent organization in combating anti-Semitism and promoting women’s rights and other progressive policies, the American Jewish Congress has struggled in recent years to distinguish itself from the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League, said Jonathan Sarna, an American Jewish history professor at Brandeis University.

“Once it lost almost all of its endowment, its days were numbered,” Sarna said. “The wonder is that it held on as long as it did.”

That amount is about 15 times more than the fines levied in all 12 months of fiscal year 2009, when the total was $44,728, according to ICE data. Four employers were fined then.

The rise in fines in New Jersey far outpaced that of the nation, where $3.8 million in fines were levied against 149 employers since October. That is about three times the $1 million levied against 52 employers in fiscal year 2009. (The federal fiscal year begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30.)

The increase at both state and national levels reflects a new strategy, launched last year, to crack down on illegal immigration by going after employers who hire undocumented workers. The rationale: A key reason people come into the United States illegally is to work, so the most effective way to eliminate that magnet is to go after those who hire them.

Activists on both sides of the issue in New Jersey said they were unaware that worksite enforcement targeting employers had been stepped up.

“I had no idea,” said Diana Mejia of the American Friends Service Committee, which among other things provides assistance to undocumented immigrants. “We need solutions to the immigration system’s flaws; we need to provide a way that people can legalize. It seems we’re choosing sanctions over real solutions. Leaving people without work, without a way to earn a living, is not right.”

But those who support tough enforcement lauded the crackdown.

“It’s a good start,” said Ed Durfee of Northvale. “I don’t want to see people put out of work, but these people shouldn’t be working these jobs. They shouldn’t even be in this country.”

“ICE is focused on building cases against egregious employers,” Harold Ort, spokesman for ICE in Newark, said Wednesday. “ICE isn’t just interested in numbers of arrests, but instead making arrests that count, and creating a culture of voluntary compliance among employers,” Ort added.

“The integrity of their employment records is just as important to the federal government as the integrity of their tax files or banking records,” Ort said.

The audit of employer records is known as a “silent raid,” which draws a contrast to the high-profile, more dramatic workplace raids of the past in which immigration officials rounded up dozens, and in other states sometimes hundreds, of illegal workers. Those arrested in such raids often were detained and then deported, but employers faced few consequences, and sometimes hired other illegal immigrants to replace the ones they had lost.

While it is difficult to know with certainty how many illegal immigrants live in New Jersey and the nation, estimates put the numbers at a minimum of 500,000 in New Jersey, and about 12 million nationwide. An analysis released last year by the Immigration Policy Center, a Washington-based think tank, said illegal immigrants make up 9.2 percent of the state’s workforce.

“No industry, regardless of size, type or location, is exempt,” Ort said. The audits involve checking I-9 employment forms, which document a person’s eligibility to work in the United States.

At both the state and national levels, ICE declined to name the businesses.

In this fiscal year, 34 companies in New Jersey were sent audit notices, and 25 received warnings about fines. The possible fines amounted to $1,186,281, according to ICE data.

Initial fines, Ort explained, often are reduced after “working with the companies and any mitigating circumstances are considered.”

http://www.northjersey.com/news/immigration/enforcement/98993839_Employer_fines_soar_in_push_on_immigration.html

The agency in charge of managing Internet addresses teamed with online security services firm VeriSign and the US Department of Commerce to give websites encrypted identification to prove they are legitimate.

“This is, by any measure, an historic development,” ICANN chief executive Rod Beckstrom said while breaking the news at a premier Black Hat computer security conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

“This security upgrade matters to everyone who uses a computer, and that means most of us.”

The Domain Name System Security Extensions, referred to as DNSSEC, basically adds a secret, identifying code to each website address.

The domain name system is where the world’s Internet addresses are registered and plays a key role in enabling computers around the world to speak with one another online.

Applications commonly used on the Internet can be tailored to essentially check the ID of a website to make certain it is what it claims to be, according to Dan Kaminsky, a hacker turned computer security specialist.

For example, web browser software such as Google or Bing could be adapted to tell whether a bank log-in page is authentic.

“When a user receives an email from a bank they should know it came from a bank,” Kaminsky said. “This is something we needed as engineers to make this a reality.”

A frightening structural flaw in the foundation of the Internet revealed by Kaminsky at Black Hat here two years earlier led to the “biggest structural” upgrade to Web in decades, according to Beckstrom.

“I can’t say I really knew what I was getting into when I broke that whole DNS thing,” Kaminsky quipped as he took part in a press conference announcing the Internet improvement.

Kaminsky is chief scientist at New York start-up Recursion Ventures and worked with ICANN and VeriSign on the the Internet upgrade.

Internet engineers have been toiling on DNSSEC for 18 years, but technical and political obstacles stalled progress, Internet Engineering Task Force chairman Russ Housely said in a video call from a meeting of the group in the Netherlands.

“It can be thought of as tamper-proof packaging for the domain name structure,” Housely said.

“The whole Internet engineering community is excited by this development.”

He added that IETF members at the meeting toasted the announcement with champagne which “I assure you is not a common occurrence at a gathering of engineers.”

It will take time for Internet firms to take advantage of DNSSEC and for it to be applied to local domains in every country, according to Kaminsky.

“We are on Day One of a multi-year journey,” Kaminsky said.

DNSSEC strips cyber criminals of being able to do attacks that involve manipulating code to redirect people from legitimate websites to fake pages rigged with malicious code or asking for passwords and other valuable data.

“This provides a high level of protection with minimal disruption,” said VeriSign chief executive Mark McLaughlin.

The group has filed a federal class-action lawsuit in the Northern California district to “redress and end this pattern of unlawful conduct.”

When the iPad’s operating temperature reaches a critical level, it will force itself to shut down and display a message warning the user to let the device cool down before trying use it again. This warning is the same that iPhones and iPod Touches give before shutting down when they overheat, often after being left in direct sunlight.

The lawsuit alleges that the iPad “does not live up to reasonable consumer’s expectations created by Apple insofar as the iPad overheats so quickly under common weather conditions.” Apple lists the iPad’s operating temperature as 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C), so it’s not hard to see that using it out in the hot sun can quickly heat up the device over the maximum temperature.

The plaintiffs seem to take particular issue with Apple claiming that “reading on the iPad is just like reading a book.” This claim is patently false, according to the lawsuit, because a real book can be used in “the sunlight or other normal environmental conditions” without shutting off.

The iPad may not work “just like a book” at the beach or out in the hot sun. Does that fact truly make Apple guilty of fraud, negligent misrepresentation, deceptive advertising, unfair business practices, breach of express or implied warranty, intentional misrepresentation or unjust enrichment?

The plaintiffs are seeking class-action status and asking for an injunction against Apple’s “false” promises as well as “real” and punitive damages.

That’s according to a study released Thursday by the Regional Plan Association.

The urban research and advocacy group says home property values within walking distance of the train stations will increase as much as $29,000. Property taxes also will increase.

The project to create the one-mile tunnel is known as Access to the Region’s Core. It’s expected to be completed by 2018. It will double train capacity into and out of Manhattan by adding two single-track tunnels under the Hudson River.

More New Jersey residents are expected to work in New York because commuters will be able to get to Manhattan in less than an hour.

The reason for their being held in the left hand is due to the Posuk (Devarim 6:6) V’Hayu HaDevarim Ha’eileh…Al Levavecha, and these words…on your heart” (ibid.)

2) The Tzitzis should be held between the pinky and the ring finger for the entire Shma, and when reciting the Parsha of Tzitzis (V’Yomer) it should also be held with the right hand and gazed upon. (Mishna Berura Siman 24:4)

They should be held in this position until after the words “Ne’emanim V’nechemadim La’Ad” [in V'yatziv] are said. They should then be kissed and released from both hands. (Mishna Berura ibid. quoting the Arizal)

Since the reason for the left hand is due to its proximity to the heart, there is no difference in this Halacha between righties and lefties.

Rabbi Shwekey, The Rav of one of the largest shuls in the community, understands very well the need for this program and has endorsed the program which will begin after the 6:30 Shachris and continue until after the 10 am minyan.

A number of Sofrim from both the Sephardic and Ashkenazic communities will work together in helping all in attendance, to check a myriad of issues related to the wearing of Tefillin – a daily Mitvah D’oraisah (Biblical) , all Free of Charge.

Thousands from both communities have taken advantage of this unique program, including many Rabbonim and Roshei Yeshiva.

Date & Time: Sunday, August 1, 2010 at 7:15 am – 11:00 am Location: Park Avenue Shul (Ohel Simha)rn295 Park Avenue Long Branch (Deal), nj 07740

With Senator Robert Singer serving on the Lakewood Township Committee, Lakewood residents can quickly have answers about three issues they would like to see enacted but are not up to local government.

Three suggestions from residents are 1) Move away from civil service 2) Fix the problems of binding arbitration 3) Spearhead a voucher bill.

“Unfortunately,” says Senator Singer, “these are State issues and we are not able to act upon them locally. Fortunately, my position as your Senator affords me the opportunity to work with Governor Christie and the state legislature to bring about reform and change that can result in real and lasting property tax relief. I embrace the challenge.”

The question of civil service and binding arbitration are issues being addressed by Governor Christie’s “Tool Kit,” a 33 bill package to aid municipalities in reforming their townships. This package of bills is being considered by the legislature and will continue to be worked on throughout the coming session.

As far as the Voucher issue is concerned, Senator Singer is the co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1872, a voucher bill that would establish a pilot program in the Department of the Treasury providing tax credits to entities contributing to scholarships for low-income children. This bill would establish an Educational Innovation Pilot Program in the Department of Education.

Senator Singer says, “Senator Lesniak and I were able to have the bill heard and released from the Senate Economic Growth Committee of which I am a member. It was then referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee where it now sits. I would ask everyone to write to Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo, as well as Senate President Steven Sweeny asking them to post this bill for immediate consideration. I am confident, together, we can bring this initiative to fruition.”

The addresses are

Senator Paul A. Sarlo, Chairman Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee,

Fleet Bank Building, 207 Hackensack Street, 2nd Floor, Woodridge, N.J. 07075.

Fax number 201 804-8644: Email: SenSarlo@njleg.org.

Senator Steven M. Sweeney, Senate President, Kingsway Commons,

935 Kings Hwy., #400, West Deptford, NJ 08086. Fax number:856-251-9752:

Email: SenSweeney@njleg.org.

Democratic leaders have scheduled a key test vote Thursday on the legislation. But the bill won’t advance unless Democrats can attract Republican votes.

The bill would create a $30 billion government fund to help community banks increase lending to small businesses, combining it with about $12 billion in tax breaks aimed at small businesses.

Democrats say banks should be able to use the lending fund to leverage up to $300 billion in loans to small businesses, helping to loosen tight credit markets.

While the fund would be available only to banks with less than $10 billion in assets, some Republicans likened it to the unpopular bailout of the financial industry.

Democratic and Republican leaders tried to negotiate a handful of amendments Wednesday with the goal of scheduling a vote on the bill. Both party leaders, however, said they reached an impasse.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Democrats were blocking GOP amendments to the bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Republican demands kept changing.

“We all know this is an effort to stall and not do this bill,” Reid said. “This is the proverbial stall that we’ve had all year.”

McConnell sounded more optimistic, saying, “This is a discussion worth continuing because somewhere in all of this, there is a bipartisan bill.”

The lending fund overcame a Republican filibuster in the Senate last week, but Republicans wanted to vote on a handful of amendments before voting on the final bill.

GOP amendments included measures to beef up border security, impose a government spending cap and lower the estate tax, which is scheduled to return next year with a top rate of 55 percent on estates larger than $1 million.

One Republican amendment would repeal a new tax reporting requirement for businesses that was included in the massive health care overhaul enacted last spring.

Democrats, meanwhile, have added about $1.5 billion in disaster relief for farmers who lost crops in 2009, a measure sponsored by Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.

Democrats also want to add an amendment to settle long-running class-action lawsuits brought by black farmers and American Indians.

One lawsuit concerned the government’s management and accounting of more than 300,000 trust accounts of American Indians. The other is a discrimination lawsuit brought by black farmers against the Agriculture Department. The cost of settling them both: about $4.6 billion.

The small business tax cuts in the bill include breaks for restaurant owners and retailers who remodel their stores or build new ones. Other businesses could more quickly recover the costs of capital improvements through depreciation. Long-term investors in some small businesses would be exempt from paying capital gains taxes.

Much of the bill would be paid for by allowing taxpayers to convert 401(k) and government retirement accounts into Roth accounts, in which they pay taxes up front on the money they contribute, enabling them to withdraw it tax-free after they retire. Taxpayers who convert accounts this year would pay the taxes in 2011 and 2012, generating an estimated $5.1 billion.

“We are very pleased with the outcome of this bond sale,” said Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr., who serves as liaison to Ocean County’s Finance Department. “We have garnered the lowest interest rates possible and this comes with a significant savings to the county.”

During an online Internet bond sale held July 27th, Ocean County locked into an interest rate of 2.34 percent on the refunding of $43.8 million in bonds that were issued in 2001, 2002, and 2003. The successful bidder was Hutchinson, Shockey, Erley and Co. of Chicago. The company was one of nine bidders.

Bartlett noted that the refunding will not extend the life of the bonds, which maximum term is 13 years, but helps the county secure better interest rates and a savings, similar to a homeowner refinancing their home mortgage.

“The state requires the county to net at least a 3 percent savings when you refund bonds,” Bartlett said. “The county not only met the 3 percent but exceeded it by reaching a level of savings at 5.76 percent.”

The bonds had been used, in part, to finance the construction of Freedom Fields County Park in Little Egg Harbor Township, the expansion of the headquarters of the Ocean County Library system in Toms River, the expansion of the emergency 911 system in the county, Garden State Parkway interchange improvements and other road and capital projects.

“These projects are brick and mortar projects, they will be used for a very long time,” Bartlett said.

The county also offered $31 million in general obligation bonds for sale and received an interest rate of 2.955 percent. The maximum term of the general obligation bonds is 20 years. The successful bidder on the issue was the Bank of Montreal Capital Markets. Ten bids were received.

Bartlett said these bonds were sold as Build America Bonds, which provide for a 10-year tax exempt period and a 10-year taxable period with the county receiving 35 percent of the interest as reimbursement from the federal Build America Bonds subsidy.

The $31 million is used to support a number of capital projects throughout the County including bridge work, road work, park and infrastructure upgrades.

Bartlett noted that the county, in 2010, paid off $34 million of its debt.

In addition, a $1.1 million bond issue to be used for infrastructure upgrades and improvements at Ocean County College garnered a 1.09 percent interest rate for five years. Three bids were received and the successful bidder was Janney Montgomery Scott Inc. of Philadelphia. These bonds are issued by the county on behalf of the state of New Jersey and the college and the state pays half the interest and principal.

“These are some of the lowest interest rates we have ever been able to secure,” Bartlett said. “This was the first refinancing to take place with the county’s new bond
rating of AAA. It has made a beneficial difference.”

Bond rating houses Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings have both given Ocean County a AAA bond rating. Bond ratings range from Baa, the lowest, to AAA, the highest possible. The AAA bond rating comes with benefits including better interest rates and the potential for a greater market of competitors interested in purchasing the county’s bonds.
“Securing these favorable low interest rates on these bonds is a testament to the continuing work of Freeholder Bartlett and the Board of Freeholders in making certain Ocean County’s finances are in good shape,” said Freeholder Director James F. Lacey. “I also want to thank Julie Tarrant, our chief financial officer, in making certain we received the best rates possible.”