Author: Claire Reed, Managing Editor

  • Ras makes college decision with 2 years left at Middletown North

    Ras makes college decision with 2 years left at Middletown North

    By Wayne Witkowski Tyler Ras made an early decision this summer to continue his baseball career with an athletic financial package at NCAA Division I powerhouse University of Alabama. It’s an early decision, as the 6-foot-3 right-handed-throwing switch-hitter enters his junior year at Middletown High School North. But it’s a well-informed decision that was deeply…

  • Officials come all aboard for Transit Village groundbreaking

    Officials come all aboard for Transit Village groundbreaking

    By STEVEN VIERA Staff Writer ABERDEEN — A plan to construct a residential community catering to commuters is finally leaving the station. On Monday, Aug. 8, businessmen and officials representing local, state and federal governments gathered at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Harrison Avenue to break ground on Transit Village, a mixed-use development that…

  • Eagles seek to fill important roles ahead of football season

    Eagles seek to fill important roles ahead of football season

    By Wayne Witkowski Gaping holes left by the spring graduations of running back Cole Rogers and quarterback/kicker Matt Mosquera need to be filled as Middletown High School South’s football team — the acclaimed No. 1 team in the state last season and reigning NJSIAA North Jersey, Section II, Group IV champion — launches it preseason…

  • Lions’ field hockey team looks to remain competitive

    Lions’ field hockey team looks to remain competitive

    By Wayne Witkowski Jackson Liberty High School field hockey coach Ashley Forsyth enjoyed a memorable coaching debut, with the Lions going 13-7-1 in a season that ended, 1-0, to Toms River High School South late in second overtime in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group III quarterfinals. Although Forsyth calls it a rebuilding year with 11…

  • Hayek excited about prospects for Lions’ girls soccer team

    Hayek excited about prospects for Lions’ girls soccer team

    By Wayne Witkowski It’s an exciting time for Jackson Liberty High School girls soccer coach Sarah Hayek. Hayek, who starred in high school across town at Jackson Memorial High School, was inducted into Rider University’s Athletic Hall of Fame June 11. In a college career ending in 2003, she scored 41 career goals in 84…

  • Monroe’s Albach perseveres to find success on the mats

    Monroe’s Albach perseveres to find success on the mats

    By Jimmy Allinder Despite a less than auspicious debut with the Monroe Township Recreation Department wrestling team, fourth-grader Donny Albach believed he had found his sport. Albach competed hard but kept losing every match, mainly because he was going up against more experienced opponents. Perseverance and a lot of family support eventually prevailed, and Albach’s…

  • Screamin’ Hill brewery brings beer from field to glass

    By Jennifer Ortiz Staff Writer A 19th century farm in the Cream Ridge section of Upper Freehold Township that has been passed down through generations of the Bullock family is offering the first and only farm brewery currently available in New Jersey. “My family has been farming these 100 acres since 1860. Screamin’ Hill Brewery…

  • RE/MAX Synergy to hold back to school supply drive

    RE/MAX Synergy to hold back to school supply drive

    RE/MAX Synergy in Long Branch is hosting a back to school supply drive to benefit local children in need. Suggested items include, but are not limited to: pencils, pens, erasers, lined paper, glue sticks, dry erase markers, backpacks, lunch boxes and pencil cases. Gift cards for stores like Staples, Kohls, AC Moore, Target and Old…

  • Theater merges boards, expands leadership team

    Theater merges boards, expands leadership team

    By STEVEN VIERA Staff Writer RED BANK — The curtain is rising on a new era at the historic Count Basie Theatre. The theater has merged its Board of Directors and Board of Trustees and has added four new vice president positions to its leadership team in order to guide the organization as it undertakes both…