By Writer Laura D.C. Kolnoski - A veterans community, including housing for homeless vets, was a primary goal for the redevelopment of Fort Monmouth after its closure by the U.S. Army. More than five years later, a 10-acre property off the fort in Tinton Falls has been announced as the location. The new facility to be built near Seabrook Village, a large retirement community on Essex Road, will be the latest created by Soldier On, a Maryland-based nonprofit organization that works with the U.S. ... Read more

In anticipation of Tropical Storm Hermine, the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued public advisories warning of a dangerous storm surge along the New Jersey coast. According to the NWS, Hermine is expected to strengthen to Hurricane Force on Sunday, September 3, 2016 and impact the Jersey coastal waters for several days. A small craft advisory has been issued by the NWS through noon Weds., Sept. 7 through, and wave heights were estimated to be up to twice normal size as of Sept. 6. A State... Read more

BY STAFF WRITER MIKE DAVIS - A federal grant will be used to provide firefighters with air to breathe while responding to emergencies. Fire District No. 3 was awarded a $54,273 grant from the Department of Homeland Security, which will be used to replace an aging oxygen cascade system, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., announced Friday. The system is used to fill air cylinders on the self-contained breathing apparatuses. "This grant will help upgrade Jackson Fire District No. 3's critical abil... Read more

Jackson Township Fire District No. 3 was awarded a grant in the amount of $54,273 from the Department of Homeland Security through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) announced today. The grant will be used to replace an old oxygen cascade system used to fill self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) for firefighters responding to emergencies. “This grant will help upgrade Jackson Fire District 3’s critical ability to provide firefighters with prop... Read more

The continuing threat to millions of South Sudanese citizens, as well as the American and International aid workers, will be the topic of a House hearing held next Wednesday entitled “The Growing Crisis in South Sudan.” The hearing, held by Rep. Chris Smith, Chairman of the House Africa Subcommittee, will include testimony from both the current and former State Department Special Envoy to South Sudan and the Associate Director of Policy at the Enough Project. “Accountability for the violence acr... Read more

BY ASBURY PARK PRESS STAFF WRITER PAYTON GUILD - By one count, New Jersey is home to some 2,000 homeless veterans. On Tuesday, the public gained a longer look at plans to correct course and put roofs over the heads of ex-service members from Monmouth County and beyond. Political leaders and others gathered at Eagle Oaks Golf and Country Club in Farmingdale for the unveiling of a project that aims to elevate scores of homeless veterans in Tinton Falls. The nonprofit organization Soldier On presen... Read more

Just back from South Sudan, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Africa Subcommittee, obtained a personal pledge from South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and a separate commitment from Defense Minister Kuol Manyang Juuk to issue a zero-tolerance policy for all armed forces against rape, sexual violence and human trafficking. The commitment came in meetings with Kiir and Smith on Saturday, August 27th in Kiir’s presidential compound in Juba, and in a separate meeting with the defense mi... Read more

By FOREIGN POLICY MAGAZINE STAFF WRITER SIOBHAN O'GRADY - On July 11, South Sudanese government soldiers raided an expatriate compound popular among Western aid workers in Juba and specifically targeted Americans, beating and gang raping them, and carrying out mock executions. Despite phone calls to the U.S. Embassy in Juba and the United Nations, which has some 12,000 peacekeepers deployed to the country, it took hours before a separate contingent of South Sudanese government soldiers arrived a... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) announced today that Hamilton Fire District No. 7, located at the Nottingham Fire Company on Mercer Street, has been awarded a Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) for $100,386 to foster physical conditioning for firefighters whose job requires strength and endurance in extreme environments. “Firefighters’ work is physically demanding, and FEMA offers these grants to help keep firefighters in good shape, which not only benefit... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) announced today that the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department of Manchester Township has been awarded a Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) award of $455,910 to purchase a replacement pumper. "This federal grant will help improve fire protection in Manchester Township for many years,” said Smith, a long-time member of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, who wrote to FEMA to support the grant. “Ridgeway members have been get... Read more