BY WRITER KELLY CORDREY FOR ASBURY PARK PRESS - Some people thought we'd never get a shovel in the ground, Donna Blaze, CEO of the Affordable Housing Alliance (AHA), told the crowd on a rainy Thursday morning. But on October 23rd AHA did just that with a groundbreaking event for its newest project, known as the Allen House Apartments. The design and location reflect the commitment and the compassion of Millstone Township, Blaze said. This ten unit apartment complex, housing seniors 62 and over, ... Read more

Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), a long-time advocate for autism-related issues in Congress and co-founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Coalition on Autism Research and Education (C.A.R.E.), gave the opening keynote address today at the 32nd Annual Autism Conference held by the advocacy group Autism NJ at the Atlantic City Convention Center. “When I first got elected to Congress in 1980, the generally accepted prevalence rate for autism in America was approximately 3 in 10,000,” Smith told the... Read more

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun a feasibility study to examine the flooding that has historically hit neighborhoods along Assunpink Creek in Hamilton Township, said Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) and Hamilton Township Mayor Kelly Yaede. The Corps detailed its plans at a meeting this week with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Hamilton Township Department of Water Pollution Control and Township Department of Community Planning and Compliance, and Smith’s offi... Read more

BY ASBURY PARK PRESS STAFF WRITER AMANDA OGLESBY -- Nearly 70 years after shrapnel tore into the right fingers and hand of Leonard "Lenny" Brotzky in a 2 a.m. shelling of his artillery unit during the Battle of the Bulge, the 89-year-old Manchester resident finally received his Purple Heart. Much has changed since Brotzky served at a Technician-5 in the Army's 36th Division 155th Field Artillery unit in World War II. But he still remembers how the shrapnel pierced his hand and arm when mortar sh... Read more

BY EDWARD COLIMORE, Inquirer Staff Writer -- Maybe he should have gotten a medal for patience. After waiting seven decades, World War II veteran Leonard Brotzky was honored Thursday with a Purple Heart for wounds he received during the Battle of the Bulge. "After 70 years, I'm finally getting it," said Brotzky, 89, of Manchester Township, Ocean County, at a presentation ceremony at the district office of U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R., N.J.). "I felt I earned it." The medal should have been awarded ... Read more

As the number of confirmed and suspected cases of Ebola in the United States increases, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations, has called for a visa ban on travel from the three Ebola-affected countries in West Africa: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. “It is the duty of U.S. government officials to protect U.S. citizens and ensure their health, welfare and well-being. That must be our fir... Read more

BY ASBURY PARK PRESS WRITER KEVIN PENTON - The U.S. Postal Service has settled on a location where township residents will be able to go to fulfill their mailing needs in the downtown area once the Clifton Avenue building is sold. The post office will contract with a private company that will operate a facility at 218 Clifton Ave., just a couple of blocks north of the current building, said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who met with postal officials on the matter in recent days. “The postal nee... Read more

U.S. Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) presented a long-overdue Purple Heart to a World War II veteran for being injured in the Battle of the Bulge, and a U.S. Flag flown over the Capitol to his wife to recognize her own service as a U.S. Marine serving in Hawaii during the war. Mr. and Mrs. Leonard and Rose Brotzky, a retired couple from Manchester, N.J., both served in uniform during the Second World War. Mr. Brotzky, 89, a native of Orange, N.J., entered the U.S. Army in July 1943 with basic tr... Read more

(WPVI) -- A World War II veteran from Ocean County received a long overdue honor Thursday and there was even a surprise in store for his wife, who also served in the war. Seventy years after he was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge, the bloodiest U.S. battle fought in World War II, 88-year-old Army veteran Lenny Brotsky finally received his Purple Heart. "Means everything in the world because I earned it. If I didn't earn it, I wouldn't have got it," said Brotsky. Brotsky was a member of the 15... Read more

NEWS12 New Jersey - A husband and wife who both served during World War II have been presented with military awards 70 years later. Leonard Brotsky, 89, was injured by shrapnel and suffered frostbite while fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. However, his Army discharge papers left out his injuries. Now, with the help of Rep. Chris Smith, Brotsky has finally been presented with the Purple Heart Award. READ MORE: New Jersey Top Stories The congressman's office has been working on getting the awar... Read more