News Updates as of 19 July 2009

• An Obama supporter from Matawan was interviewed in the Asbury Park Press.
• APP and the Atlantic Highlands Herald cover the opening of the Monmouth County Fair. (Click here if you missed my blog article about the fair.)
• The 114th Monmouth County Horse Show begins 12 August 2009. Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore are selling tickets to the Stillwell-Hansen $30,000 Grand Prix, which will be held Sunday 16 August 2009 at the county fairgrounds. (See the APP for further details; the link on the Monmouth County Horse Show Association webpage is either very sluggish or isn't working.) NJ.com reported back in March 2009 that Beacon Hill Horse Show, like many others, had lost too many sponsors due to the bad economy and was having to shut down. NJ.com went on to say, "Beacon Hill is not alone in its difficult financial situation. Other shows also are contemplating cancellation or have canceled. Interestingly, 145 shows canceled by March 25 of the 2008 show season; for 2009, the number is 114." In other words, the Monmouth County show is a rarity that deserves our support, so help out the Girl Scouts and support horse shows at the same time.
• Atlanticville has a rather informative article about library funding. The West Long Branch library wants to leave the Monmouth County Library system in order to save money. The town wants to demunicipalize the library and make it a branch of the county library system. This rather detailed article even discusses tax rate changes being proposed at the state level. The situation at WLB will be worth watching.
• Matawan councilman's law suit prompts APP letter to the editor.
• Aberdeen Police seek help with Cliffwood and Cliffwood Beach thefts (9 so far) from unlocked vehicles, per APP. Keep your vehicles locked and report suspicious behavior.
• I applaud Charles Kenny's APP letter to the editor in response to the APP's Stunning Raises Costly to Taxpayers editorial. (If you missed it, here's my response to the APP editorial.)
• Three On Three basketball tourney set for Matawan on 25 July 2009. Check APP and the borough's website for details.