NJ Marines honor the 20th anniversary of a major battle in Iraq

The battle of An-Nasiriyah was the first major engagement by United States Marines during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Nearly 6,000 Marines and Navy Corpsmen engaged in the combat operation as a part of the goal of toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Eighteen Marines lost their lives in the fighting. Brendon "Smitty" Smith joined me on air to talk about an event happening this weekend in Atlantic City to honor those that served, fought and died.

The Reunion for the warriors of An-Nasiriyah will take place this weekend. Join your fellow veterans at the Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall located at 133 South Tennessee Ave in Atlantic City.

We had a robust conversation throughout the morning discussing veterans' benefits and opportunities in the Garden State. Although there are some tax reductions available, the consensus among the veterans calling the show is that New Jersey does not do enough.

One bill, S-522 sponsored by my friends Vin Gopal in the Senate and Brian Bergen in the Assembly will reduce property taxes for disabled veterans based on their disability percentage rating.

It's currently in committee and we will be sure to work hard with our various advocacy organizations to move this forward. If you want to stay in touch on this fight, you can. New Jersey needs to be a place where all veterans can live, prosper and be empowered to give back to the communities they sacrificed so much to serve.

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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015.

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2023 Seaside Heights Polar Bear Plunge

Photos from the 2023 Seaside Heights Polar Bear Plunge, which raised $2.5 million for the Special Olympics New Jersey.

How much does the average NJ home cost? Median prices by county

Everything is costing more these days — and housing is certainly no exception in New Jersey.

Data for 2022 from January through August, compiled by New Jersey Realtors, shows that South Jersey has been seeing homes hit the market and sell in less than a month, on average.

Median prices for single-family homes have reached $500,000 and above in nine counties in North and Central Jersey.

All but two counties have seen houses go for more than the list price, on average, this year.