Category: Independent News

  • Bank still pursuing site on South Laurel Avenue

    Commerce Bank asks township to rezone lots near Rt. 35 intersection By darlene diebold Staff Writer HOLMDEL — Commerce Bank, which has sued the township and the Zoning Board of Adjustment over denial of a use variance for a South Laurel Avenue site, is now asking the town to rezone the property. The bank wants…

  • Reorganization brings former members back Bailey elected school board president, Barney, vice president

    Staff Writer By elaine van develde Reorganization brings former members back Bailey elected school board president, Barney, vice president HAZLET — The Board of Education votes are in. The gavel was handed over to a new Board of Education president; a former vice president was put back in the post, and a new meeting night…

  • Belford ferry terminal nearing completion

    Belford ferry terminal nearing completion Site work to be finished by late June; service startup expected in Dec. By ELAINE VAN DEVELDE Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN — So far, the construction of the Belford ferry terminal has gone relatively smoothly. The actual commuter ferry service won’t start until early December. The contract was awarded to Agate…

  • Ex-Hazlet man still active in environmental issues His Greenpeace action has unexpected consequences

    Staff Writer By darlene diebold Ex-Hazlet man still active in environmental issues His Greenpeace action has unexpected consequences Tim Keating For over 20 years, former Hazlet resident Tim Keating has been involved with environmental issues. From being a member of the Hazlet Environmental Commission at age 16 to founding Rainforest Relief in 1989, Keating has…

  • Councils hire auditor to help trim school budget School board says no specific programs earmarked for cuts yet

    Staff Writer By Alison Granito Councils hire auditor to help trim school budget School board says no specific programs earmarked for cuts yet The Matawan Borough Council and Aberdeen Township Council hired an independent auditor last week to help them trim down the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional school district budget. According to municipal officials, the firm of…

  • Hazlet helps WTC widow put her life back together

    Staff Writer By elaine van develde Melissa Pullis, Hazlet, and her husband, Edward, who died in the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks, share a happy moment above and (l) in this 1993 wedding photo. The day Melissa Pullis lost her husband, Edward, in the attack on the World Trade Center, her world fell apart,…

  • Committee splits 3-2 on Florence Ave. contract

    Committee splits 3-2 on Florence Ave. contract By elaine van develde Staff Writer HAZLET — Political parties are pitted against one another in what could be deemed an engineering squabble with the award of a road improvement contract at its core. The Township Committee voted 3-2 at its April 23 meeting to award a contract…

  • Matawan-Aberdeen budget goes to councils

    Incumbent ousted; voters give school spending plan a thumbs down By alison granito Staff Writer The budget for the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District was soundly defeated by voters at the polls last week. "Although I was cautiously hoping it would pass, I was not surprised that it did not," Schools Superintendent Michael Klavon said of…

  • Youth killed in Fri. car accident

    Youth killed in Fri. car accident By elaine van develde Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN — No one knows why or how it happened, but tragedy struck on Friday when an honest day of work ended up claiming the life of a young man. Seventeen-year-old Michael Harrigan, a student at the New School in Tinton Falls, was…