Police raid in Woodbridge yields guns, ammo

A Woodbridge man wanted on drug charges faces weapons offenses after police raided his home today and found two rifles, four handguns and boxes of ammunition for the firearms.

Robert Mount, 47, was arrested shortly after midnight when eight police detectives and two patrolman entered the basement unit where he was staying in a Bedford Avenue home, Capt. Robert Hubner said.

Officers found a semi-automatic AK-47 rifle, a .22 caliber rifle, two .22 caliber handguns and two .380 handguns, Hubner said.

Police went to the house with an arrest warrant, charging Mount with possession of heroin with intent to distribute for a prior incident, Hubner said. However, during the investigation, detectives learned Mount had firearms in the basement where he was staying, Hubner said.

Mount is being held at the Middlesex County jail in North Brunswick on $200,000 bail.

Last Minute Thanksgiving Reservations

Dear Alessio 426 Valued costumer!

We have been getting a lot of requests for our Thanksgiving dinner. Below I have attached the menu for that night. Make sure you reserve your table in advance (732.549.6464) since tables will be limited! Don't forget that we provide full service catering on or off site.

PS. Believe that we serve the most delicious Thanksgiving Turkey& sweet potatoes that you've ever had! You don't have to be a pilgrim to prepare an authentic Thanksgiving Meal! Plus Italians do it better anyways hehe
Alessio

Choice of Appetizer:
Butternut Squash Soup
Sausage Stuffed Mushroom
Alessio`s Lazy Ravioli
Homemade Ravioli stuffed with Ricotta Cheese, Spinach & butter sage

Salad Course
Mixed Baby Greens with House Dressing
Or
Traditional Caesar Salad

Choice of Main Course:

Traditional Roast Turkey with Giblet Gravy

Mushroom and Sausage Stuffing
Candied Sweet Potatoes and String Beans Almandine
Cranberry-Ginger Compote

Honey Glazed black forest Ham
Glazed and oven roasted ham with Apple sauce
Candied Sweet Potatoes and String Beans Almandine

Broiled Filet of Salmon
filet of Salmon with Candied Sweet Potatoes and String Beans Almandine

Shrimp & Pumpkin Ravioli

Home Made Ravioli with Shrimp, Pumpkin, Ricotta, tossed with Butter Sauce
Toasted walnuts

Special Thanksgiving Dessert Selection

Pumpkin Spiced Bread Pudding
Caramel Sauce and Pumpkin Gelato

Apple -Nut Strudel ala Mode

New York Style Vanilla Bean Cheese Cake

The Cost is $35 per Adult & $17 for children

Metuchen race down to 25 votes

Cammarano retained; Manley's, Dacey's places undetermined; provisional ballots being read

BY ENID WEISS Correspondent
Metuchen once again proved that the "brainy borough" isn't like anywhere else.

On Nov. 4, when Sen. John McCain (RArizona) conceded the election and the nation realized that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois) would be the next president of the United States, residents of Metuchen were still unsure who had won the race for two Borough Council seats.

After machine and absentee ballots were counted, incumbent Democrat Pete Cammarano had retained his seat, followed by Republican challenger Justin Manley. Incumbent Democrat Tim Dacey followed by just 25 votes. Currently there are two Republicans on the six-member board. Mayor Thomas Vahalla is a Democrat and usually presides over council meetings but does not vote unless there is a tie.

Cammarano led the field of three candidates with 3,869 machine votes, Borough Clerk Bonnie Lacina told the Sentinel on Nov. 5. Dacey had 3,336 machine votes and Manley had 3,424. Cammarano had 288 absentee votes, Dacey 278, and Manley 215.

That adds up to totals of 4,159 for Cammarano, 3,639 for Manley and 3,614 for Dacey.

But the numbers do not include provisional ballots, Lacina said. County officials still need to check and count the provisional ballots, which could take more than a week, she said.

"They have to work on the 7th Congressional race first," Lacina said, and added that there are other contested elections in other municipalities. "We called [the county] this morning because everyone is sitting on the edge of their seats."

All three candidates, however, bested McCain, who only received 2,712 votes in the historically Democratic borough. Obama won 4,155 votes, and a total of 6,987 people voted out of 9,809 registered voters. The borough has a population of 12,800 and a history of voting for Democrats.

In an e-mail, Cammarano said the numbers show that "Metuchen voters are very sophisticated voters and don't just vote based on party affiliation. I'm not sure why I received more votes than my running mate."

He speculated his family history growing up in Metuchen with eight brothers and sisters gave him a boost when it came to name recognition.

Dacey said he hasn't spoken to Manley and was waiting until all the provisional votes are counted. Dacey left last Wednesday night to go out of town for a long weekend but sent his comments to the Sentinel by e-mail.

Dacey said, "Justin ran an energetic campaign, and I am disappointed that Pete and my numbers were not closer."

Manley spoke to the Sentinel by cell phone as he spent Wednesday delivering thank-you messages to supporters who displayed his campaign signs.

"It's very close, it's exciting," Manley said. "At this point, I still think I won. The experts will tell you provisionals don't have much of an impact. Either way, I'm beyond thrilled."

Statistically about one-third of the provisional ballots are rejected as invalid votes, he said. Both Dacey and Cammarano were happy about Obama's win.

"It's always great to witness history being made," Cammarano said.

Dacey wrote, "I am very happy about Obama's victory. I think it sends a positive message all around the world about America, and I am really excited about the size of his victory, combined with the Democratic House and Senate gains."

Manley was disappointed in the presidential race and speculated that McCain followed bad advice from campaign staff and others guiding the Republican campaign, and that his message ended up sounding too much like President George Bush.

"They led him astray," Manley said.

Contact Enid Weiss at metuchen@gmnews.com.

Lance, Pallone win congressional races

Democratic incumbent and GOP newcomer to go to D.C.
BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer
The Democrats and Republicans split congressional control of the Edison- Metuchen area in the aftermath of the most recent election on Nov. 4.

State Sen. Leonard Lance, a Republican from Flemington, won the race for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, which encompasses areas of Hunterdon, Middlesex, Union and Somerset counties, against his Democratic opponent, Assemblywoman Linda Stender. In Middlesex County, Lance will represent South Plainfield, northern Edison and part of Woodbridge.

Lance survived a blistering primary against six other Republicans, all vying to succeed four-term GOP Congressman Mike Ferguson, who decided against running again, before going on to face Stender, whom Ferguson very narrowly defeated in 2006. Stender had begun preparing for her 2008 run at the end of 2007 and gained the Democratic nomination unopposed.

According to figures from the state Division of Elections, Lance had managed to net 142,092 votes, of which 19,430 were in MiddlesexCounty, versus Stender's 116,255 votes, of which 27,639 were in Middlesex County.

The third runner-up was independent candidate Michael Hsing, of Warren, who accumulated 15,826 votes, with 2,473 coming from Middlesex County.

Lance, in a phone interview, said he was happy about his victory and especially looked forward to working on the nation's troubled economy, which he said President-elect Barack Obama should focus on as well.

"I believe that the focus for the new president and new Congress has to be the state of the American economy. I think president Obama will likely present an economic plan to the Congress, and I intend to review it and work in a bipartisan capacity," said Lance.

Lance, as a Republican, will be entering a Congress that will be dominated by the Democratic Party, which made significant gains in both the House and the Senate on Nov. 4. He said, however, that he is not concerned about this. "I have been in theminority in theNewJersey Legislature, so that is not new to me, and I think the American people are demanding bipartisan cooperation to our challenges," said Lance.

Stender declined to comment on the election.

In the state's 6th District, Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. fended off a challenge by Keyport attorney and retired Holmdel Municipal Judge Robert E. McLeod. The 6th District includes parts of Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset and Union counties. In Middlesex County, the district encompasses Dunellen, southern Edison, Highland Park, Metuchen, Middlesex, New Brunswick, part of Old Bridge, Piscataway, Sayreville and South Amboy.

According to the state, Pallone handily won the race, accumulating 157,379 votes against McLeod's 75,342. In Middlesex County, Pallone received 64,264 votes versus McLeod's 29,726.

Independent candidate Herb Tarbous, of Piscataway, had also been in the campaign, and he gained a total of 3,241 votes.

Pallone, who has been in the House for the past 20 years, will be starting his 11th term this January. In previous conversations with Greater Media reporters, he has said that health care reform and preventing ocean pollution were the most important issues for the district.

McLeod, meanwhile, ran a campaign focused on fiscal issues, saying that addressing the nation's $54 trillion deficit was a very large concern for him. He also favored offshore drilling.

In a statement, Pallone said he is pleased to continue representing the district and, like Lance, pledges to make the economy a top priority.

"I am pleased and honored to once again receive the support of my constituents in the 6th Congressional District. Our nation faces many challenges both at home and abroad, but I look forward to working with President-elect Obama to address those challenges by moving our nation in a new direction. In the coming months, I will work to pass an economic recovery package that creates good-paying jobs here in New Jersey. As the chairman of the Health Subcommittee," said Pallone

Contact Chris Gaetano at

sentnorth@gmnews.com.

Metuchen group gets $50G grant to support charter schools

METUCHEN —Real Estate Advisory and Development Services has received a $50,000 grant to support its work with charter schools in North Jersey from the Bodman Foundation.

Founded in 2003 and based in Metuchen, READS provides on-the-ground support for charter schools as they seek and take possession of permanent facilities of their own.

"New Jersey's charter schools provide high-quality education services, but the majority lack the capacity or knowledge to buy property and develop facilities either to open or to meet the needs of their growing enrollments," said Brian Keenan, president and founder of READS.

The Bodman Foundation was established by George M. Bodman and his wife, Louise Clarke Bodman, in 1945.

READS is a nonprofit real estate development company committed to building strong organizations and communities.