Kids hit by cars and domestic violence arrests. Those stories and more in today's Monmouth and Ocean County News from Townsquare Media.

State lawmakers are taking up six bills aimed at preventing domestic violence. Among the measures up for a vote in the assembly today is one that would allow victims to testify through a closed-circuit video rather than being required to appear in court with the accused offender.

An 18-month old girl beaten so badly allegedly by a Manchester man who was supposed to be watching her, needed brain surgery. 33-year old Timothy Montgomery recently was charged with aggravated assault and child endangerment in connection with the June incident.

A Keansburg man is accused of punching his girlfriend in the face and knocking out her front teeth in the home they share. Police arrested Thomas Bailey yesterday afternoon, two days after he fled during the investigation. He's also charged with criminal mischief and resisting arrest.

A Keansburg man is accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year old girl several times over a two week period. Police say 48-year old Ronald Wilson knew the victim. He's charged with sexual assault, criminal sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child.

Improvements at seven Wall Township public schools will be made with more than a million dollars in grants from the state. The money will be used to replace roofs, upgrade security systems, heating ventilation and air conditioning systems, and to replace emergency generators.

A one-year old Lakewood boy run over by a vehicle inside the Pine River development is lucky to be alive. Reports say the driver didn't see the child. The boy is in stable condition.

A woman and child escaped serious injury when they were struck by a car in Red Bank on Saturday. Police say 28-year old Cecila Tescalero and her 6-year old daughter were in the crosswalk when they were hit just before 10:30 am. The driver, 74-year old Robert Ayotte of Middletown, was cited for careless driving and failure to yield to pedestrians.

A blown transformer led to a power outage at Six Flags Great Adventure yesterday afternoon, completely paralyzing the rides. According to reports, park visitors were safely unloaded from the rides within 20 minutes. JCP&L is trying to determine the cause. Upset customers who left the park snarled traffic on Rt. 537. Also adding to the delays yesterday afternoon was a four-car crash on Rt. 195 West near exit 16 in Millstone. A severely injured person had to be flown to a hospital. Two others were also hurt.

A giant fireball could be seen streaking across the night sky over our state last night. Twitter and Facebook erupted with eyewitness reports around 11 pm with some saying it was so close you could hear it crackling. The American Meteor Society took reports from Long Island to Baltimore.

Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon says it's "disgraceful that a red light camera company is funding a phony shell organization (the Traffic Safety Coalition) to support the use of red light cameras." These phony safety groups then spread the word that red light cameras increase safety. He also says that Redflex and other red light camera companies are creating these phony safety groups because no ethical safety experts support the use of the cameras. O'Scanlon says the only people who support red light cameras are the ones making money from them.

An Ocean County dad with an autistic son wins a national contest for helping other families of children on the spectrum. Gary Weitzen is the Executive Director of POAC -- Parents of Autistic Children, a statewide group based in Brick that provides year-long, free recreational events for autistic kids and their siblings. Weitzen was among nearly 7,000 nominees for the national 'Acts of Kindness' contest and chosen, along with 99 other winners, for a $1,000 prize, which he says he'll put back into POAC. Weitzen say POAC allows autistic children to feel accepted by taking them surfing, kayaking, swimming, and holding dances for them.Weitzen's 20-year old autistic son attends Brick High School.

A proposal to save the Seaside Heights carousel from going on the auction block is like saving the history of the borough itself, says Dr. Floyd L. Moreland of Ortley Beach, who the Seaside carousel is named after. He says in the early 1900s carousels were used to draw people to an area and towns were built around them. Moreland says working on the carousel helped put him through college and grad school.

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